Chapter 79: Unfathomable
Hearing these words, Li Zhu's expression changed several times as he asked, "Does Li Zhi truly have such important value that Father Emperor would treat him so specially?"
Li Que shook his head and said, "In my view, he is absolutely a formidable opponent. He lacks nothing in both literary and martial strategy, and is an impeccable talent for governing in peaceful times."
"When Father Emperor had us seven brothers enter the court to work, aside from Sixth Brother who was unwilling to do anything, the other six all took charge of the Six Ministries. The astonishing political achievements Li Zhi left behind in the Ministry of Revenue, you should remember them vividly."
"It can be said that even Elder Brother and I fall somewhat short compared to him."
Hearing this, Li Zhu showed a shameful expression, while a trace of dimness flashed through his eyes as he said, "I must admit this point. When I was in charge of the Ministry of War, even if the Yun Province military rebellion incident had not occurred, the political achievements I made would still have fallen far short of you three."
Three years ago, Emperor Yuanwu had issued an order to fairly give each prince an opportunity to participate in court governance, which was also an assessment of all the princes.
Though it went unspoken, everyone in the court knew that His Majesty's action aimed to select princes of outstanding ability, closely related to the still undecided position of Great Li's Crown Prince.
In the end, Emperor Yuanwu eliminated three princes, including Li Zhu, whose political achievements failed to meet requirements. He kept only the First Prince, Second Prince, and the fake prince Li Zhi to continue managing the Ministry of Rites, Ministry of Personnel, and Ministry of Revenue among the Six Ministries.
However, just as Emperor Yuanwu was preparing to conduct the next round of evaluation of the three princes, at this critical juncture, the matter of the Seventh Prince being switched twenty years ago suddenly erupted.