Chapter 358: Chapter 220: Born to be an Emperor_3
"Father would not make a joke of Great Zhou. If Father truly passes the throne to Prince Dai, then Great Zhou would fall into Prince Dai’s hands. Although Great Zhou might not immediately perish, it would not be long before it does, plunging the world into chaos once again." Despite detesting his foolish father, Zhao Yao always believed that this foolish father excelled in his role as emperor. "If Father really passes the throne to Prince Dai, he would become the sinner of the realm."
Lian Fang felt the same. He deeply resented the emperor, but had to admit that this emperor was truly excellent.
"Well said. What about the Third Prince and the others then?"
"Third Brother, Fifth Brother, Sixth Brother, and Seventh Brother are impossible because they all have the support of aristocratic families." Zhao Yao spoke, curling his lip, "Even disregarding this point, Third Brother and the others do not have the capability to ascend to the throne. Each one of them thinks highly of themselves, but in reality, they are extremely foolish." As for the Third Prince and the others, Zhao Yao genuinely looked down on them. "Each of them still believes they are superior, yet they aspire to be emperors. Even if Father were out of his mind, he would never let them ascend. Ninth Brother, like Prince Dai, is equally impossible!"
"Listening to you, that leaves only the Fourth Prince, doesn’t it?" As for the Eighth Prince, Lian Fang directly ignored him. In his view, the Eighth Prince was impossible in achieving anything.
"Fourth Brother is the most suitable to be emperor. He is smart and shrewd, and most importantly, he is fully capable." Zhao Yao continued, "Actually, Fourth Brother resembles Father the most."
"Is that so?" This youngster completely excluded himself. "So, do you think the Fourth Prince will eventually succeed?"
"If nothing unexpected happens, it will be Fourth Brother." Zhao Yao noticed that Lian Fang did not inquire about the Eighth Prince, so he did not speak about the Eighth Prince.
"Are you on good terms with the Fourth Prince?"
"Fourth Brother looks after me a lot. Without Fourth Brother, I don’t know how much bullying I would be enduring in the palace."
Lian Fang: "..." This young man was entirely unaware of Zhao Zheng’s regard for him. How Zhao Zheng treated him daily made it so this young man believed he would be bullied to such an extent in the palace without Fourth Brother’s protection.
"You think highly of the Fourth Prince, don’t you?"
"Uncle, don’t you think so?"
"Your analysis just now was very correct. The Fourth Prince indeed has the possibility of ascending to the throne." Lian Fang refrained from saying something—he would not allow the Fourth Prince to ascend. "However, the Fourth Prince does have a disadvantage, are you aware of it?"
Zhao Yao nodded: "I know, Fourth Brother doesn’t have the support of the military officers. The military officers support Prince Dai because he often fights alongside them. Moreover, if Fourth Brother ascends, he will undoubtedly use civil officials heavily, which is not something the military officers wish to see."
Lian Fang listened, a tinge of surprise flickering through his eyes. He hadn’t expected Zhao Yao to notice even this aspect.
"Currently, the world is not utterly peaceful, so the military officers still have a significant role to play. But in the future, when the world is at peace, there will be no need for constant battles by the military officers. Their role and status will naturally decline, and then it will be the civil officials governing the world, surpassing the military officers in status."
Lian Fang’s pupils slightly contracted, but his expression remained composed.
"Well said."
"In the future, the power of the aristocratic families will surely be greatly weakened, and by then, new forces will replace them."
Lian Fang curiously asked: "What new forces?"
"The scholar-officials, or rather the civil officials—they will control the court."
Lian Fang slightly raised his brows and asked, "Isn’t it a good thing for the scholar-officials to control the court?"
"Uncle, by then, wouldn’t the scholar-officials be just like the aristocratic families?" Zhao Yao, feeling somewhat parched, picked up the teacup, took a few sips, and continued, "The court shouldn’t be controlled by just one group, otherwise it will become a one-sided affair. If civil officials dominate the court, the status of the military officers will keep reducing, which isn’t good." In the historical trajectory of the world Zhao Yao saw in his dreams, there were two dynasties that met terrible ends due to the overly elevated status of civil officials.
Lian Fang listened in shock, realizing he had underestimated Zhao Yao.
"Then what do you think should be done?"
"Actually, it’s quite simple, but executing it is difficult. The best solution is to have a balance and mutual control between civil and military ministers to avoid one-sidedness. However, once the world is peaceful, the military officers cannot fight to gain merits. Unless a way can be found to once again make the military officers useful." Zhao Yao suggested, "The best way is actually to let the military officers continue to fight, have them combat the Xiongnu or other countries. But, fighting requires too much manpower and resources. No matter how wealthy the national treasury, continuous warfare will eventually exhaust it. Moreover, the common people do not wish for constant battles. After all, the soldiers who die might be their sons, grandsons, husbands, or brothers."