"Do you think you can escape my eyes?" This brat actually thought he hid it well.
"Second Uncle, how did you figure it out?" Where did he slip up?
"How I know is not important. I ask you, who do you think will win, the Crown Prince or Prince Dai?"
"Second Uncle, are you really going to discuss court affairs with me?" Zhao Yao scratched his face and said, "Are you sure I know about court matters?"
"My students are not fools." He Lianfang curled his lips and chuckled lightly, "If you truly knew nothing, you wouldn’t be doing so many things."
Zhao Yao scratched his head and said, "It seems that everything has been seen through by you, Second Uncle."
"Isn’t it quite normal for me to see through you?" He Lianfang couldn’t be bothered to waste words with Zhao Yao, "Crown Prince and Prince Dai, who do you think will win?"
Seeing He Lianfang’s tone becoming stern, Zhao Yao dared not joke around anymore; otherwise, he would certainly anger Second Uncle.
"Neither the Crown Prince nor Prince Dai will win; they will fight until both suffer."
"Why do you think so?" He Lianfang purposely asked, "Why don’t you think Prince Dai will win?"
"Duke Zhen is not easy to deal with." Zhao Yao sat properly at the stone table like a good student, "Even combined, Marquis Xuanping and Prince Dai are no match for Duke Zhen. Duke Zhen is very shrewd."
He Lianfang asked, "Since you think Duke Zhen is formidable, why won’t the Crown Prince win in the end?"
"Because Father won’t let Duke Zhen win."
"Oh?" He Lianfang raised his lips in a playful smile, "Why won’t your father let Duke Zhen win?"
"First: Duke Zhen represents the Xie family, which is a top-notch noble family in the capital. Neither Father nor the emperors of the previous dynasty trusted noble families and always wanted to weaken their power," Zhao Yao said earnestly, "Grandfather and Father both came from a peasant background; they loathe noble families because they suffered exploitation and oppression at their hands. They also know that if noble families are allowed to oppress common folk as before, then all their efforts in establishing Great Zhou would be in vain."
"Grandfather founded the Imperial College to educate students from humble backgrounds and have them enter court to break the monopoly of noble families on officialdom."
Hearing Zhao Yao use the word "monopoly," a trace of surprise flashed in He Lianfang’s eyes. He did not interrupt Zhao Yao, allowing him to continue speaking.
"Nowadays, there are quite a few officials from humble origins in the court. Although their current positions are not high, they will certainly hold important positions in the future, which is the aim of Grandfather and Father."
He Lianfang praised, "Well said."
"Second: Crown Prince is too reliant on the Duke Mansion." Mentioning the Crown Prince, Zhao Yao sighed like an old man, "Crown Prince is a very good person and a good brother, but he is not suited to be emperor. If he ascends the throne in the future, history will repeat itself, and the entire Great Zhou will be controlled by noble families; then everything Grandfather and Father did will be in vain."
"Grandfather once said during his reign that Great Zhou is for the people, not for the noble families. The noble families must never control the court again, or else the people will be oppressed by them once more," Zhao Yao said with an extremely solemn expression, "I think Grandfather was right, the world belongs to the people, not the noble families."
In fact, the real author of this statement was Prince Yi Yong.
Hearing these words from Zhao Yao, a slight pang of sadness stirred deep within He Lianfang’s heart.
"Father will absolutely not let the Xie family control the politics of Great Zhou, nor will he let the Crown Prince sit on the throne, so the Crown Prince will ultimately fail," Zhao Yao said, "Even if there is no Prince Dai, Father will not let the Crown Prince attain the position."
He Lianfang squinted slightly and said, "If Prince Dai and Marquis Xuanping eventually defeat the Crown Prince and Duke Zhen, then what?"
"Father still won’t make Prince Dai the Crown Prince," Zhao Yao said, "Although everyone says Prince Dai is the most like Father, he only knows how to fight, not how to govern a country. Most importantly, Prince Dai lacks a compassionate heart. As an emperor, if you are not compassionate to the people, it will ultimately lead to ruin."
"One more crucial reason is that Prince Dai is not smart. His mind only allows him to wage war, not to do anything else." To Zhao Yao, Prince Dai is truly foolish.
"I’ve heard your father is very fond of Prince Dai, are you so sure he won’t let Prince Dai take the throne?"