Do you know: I am the crown prince

Chapter 9 Preliminary Ideas
"Father, I think I understand." Zhao Xing said after thinking for a long time after listening to his father's words.

"Oh?"

The official was very interested when he heard this and asked, "Then tell me, what do you understand?"

"The so-called loyalty and treachery actually depends on the needs of the emperor, or in other words, it depends on whether the emperor himself is wise. If the emperor himself is not virtuous, those so-called treacherous ministers are actually loyal ministers in his eyes." Zhao Xing said.

The emperor praised him, "You are right. In fact, those so-called treacherous ministers are smarter than those wise ministers. Treacherous ministers know how to judge the situation. If the emperor is wise, they will naturally serve the country in an honest manner. But if the emperor is incompetent, they will curry favor with him. It is not to say that there were no treacherous ministers during the periods of wise rulers in history, but they did not have the opportunity to show their talents."

Zhao Xing nodded. There were many such people in history.

In fact, apart from eunuchs, all the treacherous ministers with names and surnames in history and recorded in history books, which one of them did not hold a high position?
In order to gain the emperor's favor, they must be able to enter the emperor's sight. If their official positions are too low and they cannot even see the emperor, how can they become treacherous ministers?
To get promoted, one must have meritorious political achievements, which shows that those treacherous ministers are not just good at flattering the emperor.

Take Gao Qiu, a very famous treacherous minister in history. Influenced by Water Margin, many people thought that he was originally a street rogue who gained the favor of Huizong because he was good at playing football.

But in fact, Gao Qiu was originally a minor official of Su Shi. Su Shi admired his talent and recommended him to Huizong's uncle.

At that time, Huizong had not yet ascended the throne, and his uncle sent someone to give him a gift, and the person who gave him the gift was Gao Qiu.

When Gao Qiu went there, he happened to see Huizong playing football. He boldly showed off his football skills, which won Huizong's favor and he kept him by his side.

If he had not been talented and recommended by Su Shi, he would never have had the chance to meet the emperor in his life because of his status, even though Huizong was just a prince at that time.

There was also Tong Guan, one of the six thieves. He also rose to power based on his military achievements in his early years and had won some battles. Among them, Fang La was pacified under the leadership of Tong Guan.

The emperor paused, giving Zhao Xing time to think, and then said, "But what you said is not entirely correct. Some people appear to be wise, but in fact they just haven't gotten the chance. If given the chance, the so-called wise and loyal ministers may also become powerful and treacherous ministers. So don't blindly believe in those so-called loyal and wise men."

"Father, isn't it said that you should trust people when you employ them, and don't employ people you don't trust? Since you can't trust them, why should you employ them?" Zhao Xing asked in return.

"Haha, this sentence is meant for those ministers. In fact, it's just the opposite. Be suspicious of people when you employ them, and employ people you are suspicious of." The official laughed.

"Father, I understand that you should be suspicious of people when employing them, but why should you employ people you are suspicious of?" Zhao Xing said.

He can understand that one should be suspicious of the people he employs, but even if one trusts them, necessary supervision and restraint must still be provided.

But if you don’t trust it, why use it?

"Everyone has his or her own strengths and advantages. Even if you don't trust them, as long as they are under control, such people can still be used," said the official.

The official smiled and said, "The most important thing in employing people is to know the traitors and employ them. As long as you understand this thoroughly, you can become a qualified emperor."

"Father, I don't understand why you would use him even though you know he is a traitor."

He could accept the fact that someone was suspected of being employed, after all, it was only a suspicion. But he could not understand why someone was employed even though he knew that the person was a traitor.

"You are still young now, so think about it slowly in the future. There are many things that others tell you, but even if you can understand them, you cannot apply them well. Only when you think it through yourself, can you truly understand it. It's getting late, and your mother's meal should be ready. Let's go over and have dinner." The official said with a smile.

……

Lying on the bed at night, Zhao Xing was still thinking about what his father had said.

To be honest, he always felt that his father was too soft.

The reform was initially stopped after just a few years due to pressure.

However, his father's words made Zhao Xing suddenly feel that his father was not as simple as he seemed.

Zhao Xing thought carefully about the two reforms during the Northern Song Dynasty and suddenly realized that what his father did was right.

The reforms during the Renzong period seemed to start off strong but end weakly, but although they failed to resolve internal problems, they did not exacerbate them either.

On the contrary, the reforms during the reign of Emperor Shenzong received strong support and lasted for a long time. However, they not only failed to solve the internal problems, but also aggravated them.

From this point of view, perhaps his father had already seen the many drawbacks of the new policy and the consequences of forcing it through, so he stopped the new policy so quickly.

Otherwise, the new policy was proposed by my father himself, and he selected people to lead the reform.

Before this, he must have anticipated the obstacles that would be encountered in the implementation of the new policy. It would make no sense to stop it in such a hurry after just a few years.

Of course, all this is just Zhao Xing's speculation, but no matter what the truth is, it is all in the past.

Now Zhao Xing had to think about a question, that is, whether he should implement reforms in the future.

This question is very heavy. Even though he is a reborn person, he is not sure that he can succeed.

The Song Dynasty had too many accumulated problems, and it was not possible to achieve successful reform by using iron-blooded means.

The reform has shaken the interests of too many people. We can't just kill all those people, right?

Some people may say that there is no need to kill them all, and just killing a part of them to deter them will be enough.

If the world is peaceful, it would be possible. However, the current Song Dynasty is only peaceful on the surface, and there are still the Liao Kingdom and the Western Xia watching covetously.

Although there has been peace among the three kingdoms for a long time, if there is a major chaos within the Song Dynasty, Liao and Western Xia will not miss such a good opportunity.

Zhao Xing thought about it for a long time and came up with a preliminary idea.

It is said that serious illnesses require strong medicines to treat, but the Song Dynasty is now like a weak person and cannot withstand strong medicines at all.

It can only be healed slowly.

Zhao Xing’s idea was very simple. He did not mention reform, but instead solved some problems step by step in order to achieve the goal of boiling a frog in warm water.

Whether it was the reform during the reign of Emperor Renzong or Emperor Shenzong.

They all wanted to solve the internal problems in one go. The reform involved all aspects, including the military, politics, and civilians, so there was naturally a lot of resistance.

If we only focus on one point, we don't talk about reform, but rather rectification or something like that.

Only a small number of people are involved, so the resistance will naturally be small.

However, this plan requires careful consideration. Now that he only has a vague understanding of the internal affairs of the Song Dynasty, he is not in a hurry.

……

Because he went to bed too late at night due to his restless thoughts, Zhao Xing woke up late the next day, which was unusual for him.

When I woke up, it was almost mid-afternoon. Fortunately, it was a day off, otherwise I would have been late.

After quickly washing up, Zhao Xing came to the main hall to pay his respects to Queen Cao.

When he arrived, Empress Cao was already waiting for him to have dinner.

"Your son overslept and got up late. I hope you will forgive me!" Zhao Xing bowed.

Thanks to book friend 2022...8290 for the reward, thanks to Sanxiang Guitu for the monthly ticket and reward, thank you for your support!



(End of this chapter)