If the Emperor were to appoint him as the Pacification Commissioner, it is unlikely that either Wang Fu or Li Bangyan would be able to find any fault with the decision at this juncture.
"The southeastern region has always been the territory of Zhu Mian and his son! Can Zhong Shidao truly hold the situation in check?"
Zhao Kai frowned, pondering.
"I heard that His Majesty is reportedly considering selecting one of the imperial princes to accompany Zhong Shidao to the southeast..."
"I've also heard that news, but as things stand, whether this matter is true or not remains to be seen. After all, such a thing has no precedent in our dynasty..."
Zhao Kai, in possession of the Imperial City Guard, had naturally received this information early on, yet he had never taken it seriously himself.
After all, the precedent of an imperial prince leading troops had never existed in the dynasty before.
Even if the Emperor proposed such a thing, he would still have to consider the opinions of the ministers below!
"Your Highness, please do not forget that there are very few people in the imperial court now who dare to openly defy His Majesty..."
Cai You couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh as he spoke. In fact, this matter was entirely his father's doing.
And he himself had put considerable effort into it.
All those with backbone had long since been kicked out by his father and himself.
Now, when those with backbone were needed to uphold propriety, he realized that there wasn't a single such person to be found in the entire court.
Reminded by Cai You, Zhao Kai also became somewhat uncertain.
Thinking about it carefully, it did seem to be the case. Wasn't it the same with Zhao Zhen's appointment as the Rearguard of the Southern Capital last time?
If an imperial prince could be appointed to govern a region, why couldn't an imperial prince lead troops?
Moreover, to be precise, if an imperial prince were to lead troops on a campaign, any scoundrels in the local areas who dared to cause trouble would be seeking their own demise, wouldn't they?
If it were just Zhong Shidao, Zhu Mian and his son might still be able to play some minor tricks behind the scenes. But if it were an imperial prince, their attempts to play tricks would carry an entirely different weight. Thinking this, Zhao Kai was even somewhat taken aback.
"If that's the case, if we can secure this position..."
This was truly a golden opportunity. Zhao Kai now regretted it somewhat.
"This position is indeed good, but Your Highness should also understand the current state of the court. The military pay has still not been secured. If Your Highness were to interfere at this moment, I fear the matter of arranging military pay..."
"The rebel army now numbers nearly 300,000. For the imperial army to launch a campaign, it will likely require at least 200,000..."
Although Zhao Kai was not adept at leading troops in battle, calculating finances and provisions was a trivial matter for him.
After a brief estimation of the potential military pay required, he immediately retreated.
The reserves of the Ministry of Revenue had been thoroughly depleted by now. The only way to raise military pay was to borrow money. However, from the Emperor to the ministers, no one had ever considered repaying this borrowed money.
Whoever arranged for military pay would be offending people.
The reason why he, the Prince of Yun, had such great influence now was largely due to the praises of those scholars, wasn't it?
Borrowing money would offend people, and when the court couldn't repay, those very same people would still curse him. This was a thankless task that offended everyone.
Unless there was some fool willing to donate several million strings of cash for free at this time.
Otherwise, he would never want to get involved in this mess.
However, he was somewhat unwilling to give up such a good opportunity just like that.
"That scoundrel Tang Ke is simply too useless!"
The more Zhao Kai thought about it, the angrier he became. How could a perfectly good Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue fail to accomplish such a small matter and be unceremoniously kicked out of Bianliang city? It was truly disgraceful.
"The position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue..."
Just by hearing Zhao Kai scold Tang Ke, Cai You understood that Zhao Kai wanted to have his cake and eat it too.
"Whoever wants this position can have it. We will not compete for it..."
Regardless of who took over as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, the task of raising money would immediately fall upon them.
Zhao Kai, who cherished his reputation, did not want to offend the nobles in Bianliang city for no reason at this moment.
"We cannot let this position return to the Crown Prince's hands..."
Although Cai You understood Zhao Kai's concerns, he was still somewhat unwilling to let this position return to the Crown Prince.
"What has that eighteenth prince been up to lately? Why don't we play some tricks and push this position onto him..."
Since the position could not go to the Crown Prince, and someone was needed to offend people and raise military pay, Zhao Kai immediately thought of Zhao Zhen, that unsuspecting victim.
"The idea is indeed good, but His Highness Prince Xin may not be so easily fooled..."
Trading the cost of offending a large number of nobles for a position as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue that could be replaced at any moment, this looked like a losing proposition no matter how you looked at it.
Even if Zhao Zhen were more foolish, he wouldn't accept such a task, would he?
"He has always had a straightforward temper since childhood. As long as we use some tactics, we don't have to worry about him not falling for it!"
As for how to trick his own brother, Zhao Kai had quite a bit of experience.
"Your Highness, we just received news that His Highness Prince Xin is currently on his way to the capital. He should arrive outside Bianliang city by tomorrow morning!"
"As the Rearguard of the Southern Capital, how can he leave without authorization to enter the capital?"
Upon hearing this news, Zhao Kai almost jumped out of his chair.
He did indeed intend to scheme against Zhao Zhen, but he had not expected Zhao Zhen to return to the capital at this time.
"It was an imperial decree directly from His Majesty, who specifically sent personnel from the Imperial Guard to deliver the order..."
"His Majesty summoning him back to the capital at this time, could it be that he intends to..."
Cai You dared not continue speaking as he reached this point.
If his guess was correct, the consequences would be too dire to contemplate!
The Crown Prince and the Prince of Yun had been contending for so many years, and the outcome was still undecided. If the Emperor were to suddenly promote Prince Xin at this moment, the imperial court would likely be thrown into great upheaval again...
For Cai You, who had just lost the position of Junior Chancellor, this was truly adding insult to injury!
"I refuse to believe that, based on his capabilities, Zhao Zhen can firmly hold the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Southeastern Circuits!"