en silver needles into the fingernails. Then, flip the nail covers over, pour in some honey, and put the nail covers back on. Release the bees. Those bees will smell the honey and swarm into their fin...Chapter 1777 Anyone

After Xu Changqing left, Zhou Changshou asked Zhou Ping’an, “Why didn’t you tell him that this money came from Zhao Xuanji Otherwise, if a decree is issued to directly appoint Zhao Xuanji as king, I'm afraid a large group of people, including Xu Changqing, will be confused and dissatisfied.”

"Talking too much with him wouldn't benefit him. Given his abilities, he can only accept this situation passively for now. As for the confusion and dissatisfaction of other officials later on, Your Highness naturally has ways to deal with it. There's no need for us to meddle."

"Knowing too much doesn't necessarily benefit us. The same goes for doing too much; it doesn't always lead to positive outcomes."

Zhou Ping'an smiled and said to Zhou Changshou, "If you want to do things properly, sometimes it's necessary to use a little scheming. This can help increase your influence and make things easier when you're carrying them out. When you were under King Ning's command, if you had had my kind of awareness earlier, you wouldn't have been just a clerk for so many years. You wouldn't have been at the mercy of King Ning to be moved around at his will."

Zhou Changshou's face darkened, and he said unhappily, "My aspirations lie elsewhere. I have no interest in power. Unlike you, don't try to impose your thoughts on me."

"Times have changed, big brother."

Zhou Ping'an patted Zhou Changshou on the shoulder and said solemnly, "Do you still think it's the age of kings seeking talents, like Zhuge Liang being invited three times to emerge from seclusion or Jiang Taigong fishing for a king Even the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, when wise ministers could readily take office, have long passed. In this era, there are too many talented people. Most empires are unified, so if you don't do something, someone else will. If you don't want something, someone else will take it. Even if the king values your talents, he is surrounded by capable ministers who are almost as good as you but are more considerate, eloquent, and efficient. You are the monarch, who would you choose"

Zhou Changshou coldly said, “You are twisting the facts.”

"With a chuckle, Zhou Ping'an said: “Precisely because neither of us are the kind to flatter the monarch for his favor, we must be even more intelligent. We shouldn't proactively vie with others because our abilities speak for themselves. As long as the monarch we serve still has needs, he can’t do without us. But when it’s time to be clever, we should still be clever. Leave some room for maneuver so that the monarch won’t become wary of us over time.”

Just like I have no personal connections with Xu Changqing and Su Zhenting, and even deliberately offend them sometimes, this way, I become isolated, and then the Crown Prince can feel at ease. Now that you're here, you need to be even more careful.

Zhou Changshou wore a grave expression. This time, he remained silent, but it was clear that he had listened to Zhou Ping'an's words.

If you want to be a virtuous official who will help restore and govern the country, then the first thing you must do... is to be a qualified subject.

If one is constantly suspected by the monarch, what could one possibly accomplish

“So we need to learn how to offend people, and more importantly, to appropriately display our lust for power. Having a desire for power can certainly make life more comfortable on one hand, and on the other, it can also reassure His Highness the Prince, achieving a win-win situation. Why would you go out of your way to create trouble for yourself just because of your false sense of pride”

Zhou Changshou frowned and said, "In my opinion, the Crown Prince is not such a vulgar person."

He certainly wasn't vulgar, but the mind of an emperor, it can change.

Zhou Ping smiled lightly: "Now that he is the crown prince, this is how he thinks. In the future, when he becomes emperor, his perspective on people and things will inevitably change. What he needs to do first is to consolidate his throne and prevent anyone from threatening him, anyone!"ire, making the flames burn more fiercely. The branches crackled and popped in the fire, sparks flying out, adding a touch of warmth and flickering light to the cold winter night."Can the task be done...