"His Highness the Crown Prince can only maintain his position as heir right now because there are still many old officials supporting him, plus the Crown Prince himself is cautious and meticulous, which is barely enough to hold on!"
Han Mo spoke again, and Zhao Zhen and Zong Ying were left with nothing but nods.
"Currently, the Crown Prince and Prince Yun are competing, and this is actually the opportunity for His Highness. However, His Highness still cannot show his interest in the throne, otherwise, he will likely face a storm-like crackdown!"
"But, what should we do then?"
Zhao Zhen frowned.
"It's very simple. His Highness should not participate in the court's power struggles, act impartially, focus on his work, and ignore their disputes!"
"If he doesn't participate in the court's power struggles, how can he build relationships with court officials?"
Zong Ying was stunned and asked again.
"Is Your Highness planning a palace coup? To force the court with the officials?"
Han Mo once again dropped a bombshell.
"How is that possible?"
Zong Ying said sheepishly.
"Since that is the case, why does His Highness need so many officials? His Highness needs to think clearly. Whether you ascend to the throne or not does not depend on the officials, but on the Emperor's intentions!"
Han Mo said with a smile.
"However, the Crown Prince and Prince Yun have already gained the advantage. If His Highness only focuses on his work at this time, is it still too late?"
Zong Ying asked with some concern.
"As long as the Emperor is still alive, there is still a chance for the position of heir. Besides, who says that if His Highness remains silent, no one will know? Everyone in this world has a scale in their hearts. As long as Your Highness does something, someone will naturally know!"
"But..."
"Sir, let Brother Han finish!"
Zong Ying wanted to say something more but was directly stopped by Zhao Zhen.
"Brother Shou Zheng, rest assured, many things that Your Highness does not do, we will do!"
Han Mo smiled mysteriously, and Zong Ying understood, quickly cupping his hands towards Han Mo.
"Thirdly, His Highness has no prestige among the scholars. This matter is actually very simple. As long as His Highness patiently does a few things, someone will naturally promote His Highness afterwards! These things will happen naturally, and His Highness doesn't even need to make a special effort!"
"Fourthly, there is no strong figure in the court to support this. This is also unavoidable. The forces in the court have already been divided. Those who are left are either ostracized or are simply stubborn fools. This is a hard truth for His Highness, but it is not an insurmountable obstacle!"
"How to avoid it?"
Zhao Zhen asked directly.
"Do not compete!"
Han Mo said with a smile, spitting out two words.
"Do not compete?"
Zhao Zhen was a little confused. Wasn't he the one advising him to compete?
What was this "do not compete" about?
"The Tao Te Ching says: The highest goodness is like water. Water benefits all things without contention. It dwells in places that others disdain, thus it is close to the Tao. It excels in dwelling, in contemplation, in kindness, in speech, in governing, in affairs, in action. Because it does not contend, it is without fault. As long as Your Highness does not reveal your determination to compete for the throne, no one will make a move against Your Highness!"
"Then what about when the time comes to reveal the hidden daggers?"
Zhao Zhen hesitated for a moment and asked again.
"By the time Your Highness reaches the point of revealing hidden daggers, the court situation will have already changed dramatically. Your Highness, why worry about that?"
Han Mo smiled and said casually.
"Does Brother Han have such confidence?"
Zong Ying suddenly asked.
"The Buddha says: It cannot be spoken!"
Han Mo smiled but was unwilling to elaborate further.
After all, he had not been with Zhao Zhen for long. He did not want to give Zhao Zhen the impression of being a deep schemer.
Otherwise, Zhao Zhen might become more wary of him in the future, and then he would truly lose Zhao Zhen's unconditional trust.
Just like today, he had told Zhao Zhen earlier to display the imperial decree for disaster relief, but Zhao Zhen had been hesitant to do so until now.
This showed that he still had some doubts about Han Mo!
"Brother Han, your words today are like a thunderous blow. Please accept my bow!"
Although Han Mo did not continue, Zhao Zhen was truly convinced.
With Han Mo's arrangements today, Zhao Zhen knew what he could do and what he could not.
"Your Highness, what are you doing? Han Mo cannot accept such a great courtesy from Your Highness!"
Han Mo quickly reached out to help him up again.
However, Zhao Zhen showed no intention of stopping and even used more force. The bow was finally completed.
"Brother Han, then what should we do next?"
After the two finished their pleasantries, Zong Ying asked again.
"Next, His Highness should naturally submit a memorial requesting forgiveness, and then request the court to provide disaster relief!"
Han Mo said with a smile.
"But, is that useful? For so many days, His Highness has submitted more than ten memorials, and several court officials have also submitted memorials, but they were all thrown into the incinerator before reaching the Zhongshu Province!"
Zong Ying said with a wry smile.
"I want them to intercept it! I'm afraid they won't! His Highness might as well write a few more memorials to stoke the fire a bit more!"
Han Mo said mysteriously.
"Stoke the fire a bit more?"
Zong Ying was a little confused, but Han Mo did not intend to explain.
Although the three had not spent much time together, seeing Han Mo's demeanor, Zong Ying understood that this fellow was up to something mischievous again!
However, he could do nothing about it if Han Mo didn't say anything.
"After submitting the memorials, what about the remaining matters?"
Zhao Zhen did not ask Han Mo why he was submitting memorials, but instead asked about the remaining matters.
After all, as Han Mo had said, they had no control over the remaining matters. Even if they tried their best, what they could do was very limited.
There were too many disaster victims!
"After Your Highness submits the memorials, send someone to purchase more quicklime, then send people to spread it around the surroundings and arrange more places for the disaster victims' excrement. Let them try not to drink raw water! As long as they hold on for three days, the situation will definitely take a sharp turn for the better!"
"This is no problem, I will arrange for someone to do it right away!"
Zhao Zhen noted down Han Mo's words and nodded.
"From now on, it will be inconvenient for me to interact with His Highness often. After all, my target is too big. However, if Your Highness needs to find me, just have Brother Shou Zheng come to the Imperial Academy to find me!"
"Brother Han, you are..."
Zhao Zhen became a little nervous. He had just started on this path, and was this fellow going to leave already?
"Your Highness, if I were by your side, the things I can do would be limited! At this moment, our top priority should be to let that Prime Minister Cai go home and retire, shouldn't it?"
Han Mo sneered and said seriously.
"Prime Minister Cai?"
Zhao Zhen's pupils contracted. Regarding Cai Jing, the entire court could only express anger but not speak!
Could Han Mo, a commoner, really get rid of him?
"Your Highness, exchanging the merit of disaster relief for Cai Jing's resignation, do you think it is worth it?"
"If that is truly the case, Zhao Zhen will host a banquet to celebrate!"