Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors-Chapter 480 - 262: Who Says There Must Be a Prime Minister?

Chapter 480: Chapter 262: Who Says There Must Be a Prime Minister?

In the residence of Prime Minister Zhang Jingbang of the Qi Dynasty.

A soft sedan chair silently stopped at the side door, and an official in plain clothes descended from the sedan, carefully surveying his surroundings. Assured that no one had noticed him, he tiptoed into the mansion’s side entrance.

Zhang Jingbang had been waiting inside the mansion for some time. Upon seeing the man arrive, he quickly greeted him, "Minister Wang! Please come in."

The two seated themselves, and a servant presented them with tea.

This Minister Wang appeared quite aged, over fifty years old, with a face crossed by wrinkles and sparse whiskers. His countenance, which was already naturally grave, now seemed even more fraught with worry.

"Prime Minister Zhang! What are we to do, what are we to do!" exclaimed Minister Wang, in a state of utter disarray as if an ant on a hot pan.

This Minister Wang, whose full name was Wang Shiyong, was the current Minister of Personnel and held significant authority in the court of the Qi Dynasty.

And Zhang Jingbang was the other high-ranking official alongside Tang Qin.

However, whereas during the reign of Emperor Qihui of Qi there had been one official advocating for war and another for peace, under Emperor Yingzong’s reign both officials were in favor of peace.

Originally, Emperor Yingzong of Qi had assigned different tasks to the two high-ranking officials: one to handle foreign affairs, the other domestic. Tang Qin was mainly responsible for negotiating peace and striking agreements with the Jin people, while Zhang Jingbang was chiefly charged with oppressing the common folk inside the country, extorting their wealth to satisfy the Jin’s various unjust demands.

In this process, Minister Wang Shiyong had been especially zealous. He would abduct any woman seen on the street who had any semblance of beauty and send her off to the Jin Camp.

Eventually, as women of beauty in the city had already been largely snatched away, he stooped to disguising haggard and sickly women with makeup, still sending them by the cartload to the Jin Camp.

These actions led to much grumbling and complaints in the city, and people could barely eke out a living, branding him as the "Jin’s Matchmaking Grandfather."

In real history, the destruction Wang Shiyong wrought upon the capital city was unparalleled, as, compared to other officials, he was utterly unscrupulous and also quite capable, dealing with the Jin very efficiently.

When the Jin later planned to depose the Qi royal family, he even came up with the "Five Guarantees" law, which decreed that every five households in a neighborhood would be held accountable for each other, thereby criminalizing harboring members of the royal house of Qi.

Thus, the whole of the Qi royal family was seized from the capital and delivered to the Jin Camp.

However, in this slice of history, things had not yet reached that point.

Although Emperor Yingzong had already entered the Jin Camp and had, under the orders of the Jin, pillaged the city, the rest of the Qi royal family, including Emperor Qihui, was still around, and the amount of women and wealth taken was not yet considerable.

After Prince Yun led the Western Army back to the capital and the Jin retreated to Moutuo Ridge, the planned abolishment of the Qi royal house and the installation of a puppet regime under Zhang Jingbang were naturally put on hold.

But for people like Zhang Jingbang and Wang Shiyong, this was not necessarily a good thing.

...

Wang Shiyong took a sip of his tea, speaking with some trepidation, "Yesterday, His Majesty summoned me."

Zhang Jingbang’s expression turned stern, "Did His Majesty reprimand you for rounding up the women for the Jin?"

He felt nervous too, given that while Wang Shiyong was the enforcer, as a high-ranking official, he himself was the true culpable party.

The other peace-advocate high-ranking official, Tang Qin, had already been executed by the new Emperor right in the court, splattering blood on Zhang Jingbang himself, nearly causing him to faint on the spot.

Afterward, although the new Emperor did not continue a mass execution, all the peace-faction ministers, including Zhang Jingbang, were living in fear for their lives.

With a wry smile, Wang Shiyong responded, "No!

"His Majesty did not even mention my rounding up the women for the Jin, but rather, he...had a casual chat with me."

Zhang Jingbang was taken aback, "Does that mean this His Majesty is still reasonable?

"Now the Jin are still at the gates, and with this new Emperor having just ascended the throne amidst the turmoil, he still needs us, the old ministers, to stabilize the situation.

"So, does that mean he’s not going to pursue the crimes we committed against the people in gathering wealth and women for the Jin?"

Wang Shiyong’s countenance remained bleak, "This... I do not know.

"What truly terrifies me is that while His Majesty talked to me about everyday matters... he spoke of personal ones!

"He... he even knew exactly what I had for lunch yesterday, down to how many bowls of rice and the number of dishes!"

Zhang Jingbang’s face went pale, "What?!"

The currently most powerful official of the dynasty could not remain seated any longer, standing up and pacing back and forth with increasing agitation.

"Could it be... the Wude Bureau?

"This isn’t His Majesty’s attempt at casual conversation; it’s a clear threat!"

Wang Shiyong nodded, "Indeed, a few days ago His Majesty said he would reorganize the Wude Bureau and insert some members of the Western Army into it.

"Everyone thought that His Majesty simply wanted to use the Wude Bureau to keep order in the city, to handle issues the Western Army couldn’t directly deal with.

"But now, it’s evident that His Majesty isn’t just using the Wude Bureau to keep the peace—it’s clear that... he’s put us under surveillance!"

Zhang Jingbang turned deathly white, "A new Sovereign brings a new court... I’m afraid our days ahead are not going to be good..."

The rise of officials like Zhang Jingbang and Tang Qin was inextricably linked to the ascension of Emperor Yingzong.

Under the reign of Emperor Qihui, including officials like Tong Daoxu, all except Li Boxi were known as "The Six Villains," provoking vehement public outcry demanding their execution.

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