The palace gates were sealed directly, and no news could get out.
This filled Prince Yun, Zhao Kai, with worry. If it was only to depose the Crown Prince, why seal the palace gates?
Something must have happened, but what exactly?
As a person with extreme control issues, he was always filled with fear towards anything unknown and uncontrollable, hence his current impatience.
At this very moment, Han Mo, the instigator of everything, returned to his small courtyard with great ease.
Although the final outcome had yet to be determined, the tightly locked palace gates had already proven many things.
"Little official, little official! Someone just delivered a superior feast to you!"
As it neared dusk, Xu Fengnian suddenly ran in from outside in a hurry.
Behind him, over a dozen workers from the manor, each holding a large food container.
"Where are the people who delivered the food?"
"They left after putting the items down! They didn't say anything, just thanked the little official!"
Han Mo smiled, and he smiled very happily.
The plan he had orchestrated had finally succeeded!
"So much food? How can we possibly finish it all!"
Looking at the more than ten large and small food containers, Chun Tao's eyes widened.
The little girl had truly never seen such a scene in her life.
Opening any food container at random, they were filled with all sorts of delicacies.
A feast like this would probably cost at least a hundred strings of cash.
Although the cost of living in Bianliang City was not cheap, a table of dishes like this was almost enough to buy a small courtyard in the city!
"Alright, since we can't finish it ourselves, go pick out what you like to eat, and distribute the rest to them!"
Han Mo smiled, not paying much attention to the matter.
Cai Jing was in trouble, and from now on, he had made a name for himself with the Crown Prince and Liang Shicheng.
However, even though Cai Jing was gone, the influence he left behind was not to be underestimated.
Now, Han Mo could only hope that the attention of the powerful figures would be focused on competing for these positions.
Otherwise, his imperial examination might still encounter some variables.
"Father, are you alright?"
Before the palace gates were locked, Cai Jing finally walked out of the imperial palace, but he looked much older now.
Only after everything had settled down did Cai Xiao truly understand how foolish he had been.
Now he understood who the real backbone of the Cai family was.
Cai Jing did not speak, he merely pushed away Cai Xiao's hand that was supporting him.
He straightened his already stooped back, and walked slowly, even a bit unsteadily, but he walked firmly towards his carriage.
"Father, why must you do this? Your son knows he was wrong, but now that the great mistake has been made, we must come up with a countermeasure!"
Although Cai Xiao's face was filled with embarrassment, thinking of the chaotic situation everywhere, he still whispered as he approached Cai Jing.
"Countermeasure? There is no countermeasure! Let's go home and pack our bags!"
Cai Jing closed his eyes in despair, his decades of hard work were likely to be wasted.
"The Emperor didn't say anything, did he? Why are you doing this?"
Cai Xiao said softly.
"What else does he need to say?"
Cai Jing shot him a glare. Did he expect the Emperor to tell him to get lost and go home to retire?
"This matter clearly shows that they are scheming against you, but if you only put on a show, what can they do?"
While Cai Xiao could not compare to his father in terms of scheming, when it came to being ruthless, shameless, and thick-skinned, this boy was definitely a step ahead of his father.
"You mean?"
Frankly speaking, Cai Jing naturally did not want to step down. After all, he did not have a qualified successor at this time.
If he stepped down at this time, all the influence he had painstakingly accumulated would eventually disappear or fall into the hands of others.
All the people under him were promoted by him, and the backgrounds of many of them could not withstand scrutiny.
If they lost his protection, as long as Wang Fu took office and applied a little pressure, many of them would be forced to switch their allegiance to Wang Fu.
It would not even take much time, at most a year, and Wang Fu could replace his position.
Over the years, they had been rivals in their struggle for power and profit.
Although the Cai faction had always been firmly in control of Wang Fu, losing the premiership would likely mean the complete ruin of Cai Jing's sons and his key subordinates.
"Since such a major incident has occurred, you should indeed submit a memorial of self-accusation. However, if you directly petition for retirement, the Emperor will naturally try to retain you! Given your current status, three refusals of the imperial request are the minimum!"
As Cai Xiao said this, a smug smile appeared on his face.
Cai Jing naturally understood what he was saying. Three refusals of the imperial request meant that if he submitted his second memorial requesting retirement and did not continue, the Emperor, despite his displeasure, would have no way to deal with him. Although this was a truly shameless method.
However, speaking of which, this was indeed a method that had no other choice.
At the very least, it could buy him some time. With this precious transition period, he would naturally be able to quickly promote a few assistants!
"Even if you want to retire, you can't just do it like this. We may not be able to contend with them in the central government, but we must maintain our strength in the regions! Since they have made a move against you, why can't we take over one or two of the prefectures of the Four Capitals!"
The stone from another mountain can be used to polish jade.
Cai Xiao's words had truly given him a reminder.
Strictly speaking, this was indeed a not-so-ideal but feasible plan.
The Four Capitals of the Northern Song Dynasty: Tokyo Bianliang, the capital of the country, where the emperor resided. The Prefect of Tokyo, compared to other prefects, was often more of an honorary title.
Xijing Luoyang, essentially a place of retirement for veteran officials who had fallen out of favor. It was equipped with a complete supervisory agency. The Prefect of Xijing held a respected position, but despite his high status, he had little real power, making it a mere facade.
Nanjing Ying Tian, institutionally similar to Xijing, but with the soft climate of Jiangnan, it was also a good place for retirement. Most importantly, the Prefect of Nanjing was far enough from Bianliang, making it a good choice to retreat there.
Jiangnan was a region with a flourishing literary tradition. Holding the position of Prefect of Nanjing would be a good place to accumulate strength!
Beijing Daming Prefecture, it was the forefront of the court's confrontation with the Liao State. The Prefect of Beijing held significant military and political power in the region, even having jurisdiction over the local pacification envoy.
Although the duties of the Prefect of Beijing were very important, it had to be said that if Cai Jing wanted to live out his remaining years peacefully, this position was indeed the best choice.
"The position of Prefect of Nanjing might be manageable, but will those eunuchs yield the position of Prefect of Beijing?"
Cai Jing pondered for a moment before speaking again, weighing his words carefully.