manynovel Chapter 1249 Comet
Chapter 1249 Comet
Chapter 1249 Comet
In the Jiying Hall, Wang Gui stayed alone to make comments.
In the past, the emperor reserved the position of staying to make comments on the imperial examination for Zhang Yue. I wonder if the emperor now feels that he is too biased and favors Zhang Yue alone, so he has summoned Wang Gui to stay several times recently.
After Wang Gui met the emperor, he said, "Liu Bojun, the minister of justice, impeached Han Zhongyan for being disrespectful to foreign countries. Not only should he not be promoted to the title of Hanlin scholar, but he should be punished instead."
"I wonder what Your Majesty thinks?"
After hearing Wang Gui's words, the emperor asked, "What is your opinion on this matter?"
Wang Gui was flustered for a moment. His original intention was to test the emperor's attitude to see if he still trusted Zhang Yue. Unexpectedly, the emperor asked back: "I think both punishment and reward have advantages and disadvantages."
The official asked, "How can we compare the advantages and disadvantages?"
Wang Gui said: "This is a border matter. If the court still advocates the trend of pushing forward, then it should be rewarded. If it intends to temporarily slow down for the sake of safety, then it should be punished!"
The emperor continued in deep silence and asked, "The position of Privy Councilor is vacant. I intend to appoint Sun Gu to the position. Do you have any objections?"
Wang Gui was stunned and immediately said: "This is your majesty's appointment, and I have no objection."
The emperor nodded and said, "I have ordered Baima to be sent! Han Zhongyan has been promoted to the position of Imperial Academy Scholar, and Sun Gu has also been appointed as Privy Councilor."
Wang Gui said yes, and in his heart he was speculating and studying the application of the government's political tactics.
The emperor said, "My dear Wang, the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty who has the same name as you once taught the prince the four words 'doing good is the greatest joy'. You should also do the same to help me share my worries!"
Wang Gui immediately understood what the emperor meant and said, "I understand."
Wang Gui left the hall.
Sun Gu was the most active and resolute opponent of Zhang Yue's provocative stance against Liao in front of the ministers of the two governments in the government hall. Although he was refuted by Zhang Yue on the spot, many people knew about it. Now the government gave him the position of Privy Councillor that was vacant after Feng Jing left.
As for Wang Gui's explanation of "doing good is the greatest joy", the most important word in this sentence is "do".
After Wang Gui returned to the East Hall of the Secretariat, he told the matter to Cai Que, the Vice-Chancellor.
When it comes to who in the world is best at observing the trends and understanding the emperor's mind, there is no one else but Cai Que.
Previously, Zhang Yue and the emperor had some disagreements on the issue of attacking the Dangxiang, and the relationship between Cai Que and Zhang Yue suddenly fell to a freezing point. Later, the emperor entrusted Zhang Yue to go to Liangzhou to attack the Dangxiang, and Cai Que resumed his attitude of following Zhang Yue's orders.
This in and out process fully captures the essence of being an official.
After hearing what Wang Gui said, Cai Que began to think a little.
This action may be the emperor's attempt to control Zhang Yue's power, or it may be a sign of the emperor losing his favor.
Cai Que said: "The emperor's intention is to take over the Tanguts without the intervention of the Liao Kingdom. Now everyone knows that this is impossible."
"Prime Minister Zhang is betting that Liao will fall out with Song because of the Liangzhou incident, but the emperor thinks that we cannot take such a risk and put the whole country in danger. This is where the two disagree."
Wang Gui nodded and said, "That's exactly it."
Cai Que said: "The government is now ambiguous, but the officials are also like fence-sitters, watching the wind, and will lean towards whichever side is stronger."
"Prime Minister Zhang's attitude is so firm, but it is also indisputable that Your Majesty and the court officials are afraid of the Liao."
Wang Gui said: "But it's difficult. Once the Khitan cavalry moves south, we won't know how we will win against our dynasty."
"Hebei has been ravaged, and the people are full of resentment. Are we not to blame?"
"The achievements since the Yuanfeng New Deal have also disappeared."
Cai Que said: "This matter cannot be discussed alone, it must be put to public discussion. Lu Jiawen, Deng Wan, Li Chengzhi and others were successively exiled from the capital because of Prime Minister Zhang, why not the Prime Minister recall them. Even if you refuse, it will be a favor."
Wang Gui thought to himself that this was a good move, but it would offend Zhang Yue. Cai Que wanted to kill someone with a borrowed knife, so how could I fall for your trick?
Wang Gui smiled and nodded, "I understand."
Cai Que looked at Wang Gui and knew that he would not agree.
……
When Wang Gui returned to his house, he saw his sons Wang Zhongxiu and Wang Zhongyi coming to greet him. Both of them had happy faces.
Wang Gui said, "I warned you a long time ago, don't do the same things as before."
Wang Zhongxiu and Wang Zhongyi said, "Father, all the money we have now is earned honestly. After the court took Liangzhou, the money will be like falling from the sky."
They both laughed out loud.
Wang Gui asked, "How much did you earn?"
Wang Zhongxiu looked around and lowered his voice to Wang Gui. Wang Gui was surprised and asked, "So many?"
Wang Zhongxiu and Wang Zhongyi nodded.
Wang Gui was very pleased to hear this, and then he sighed: "It would have been better if it had been like this earlier, but you still have the leverage in Zhang San's hands."
Wang Zhongxiu and Wang Zhongyi said, "Father, we will not care about this matter. If the Liao Kingdom sends troops to Hebei, Prime Minister Zhang's position will certainly be in jeopardy!"
"Even if we don't send troops to Hebei, Prime Minister Zhang will only be in office for two years. In two years, the world will be yours again."
Wang Gui said: "Let's not talk about what will happen in two years. Right now, I'm afraid the nest is overturned and no eggs can survive."
After a pause, Wang Gui said, "It's okay to make more money, and then I can go back to my hometown in Sichuan."
"I am also looking for candidates. What do you think of Tsai Chih-cheng?"
Both of them shook their heads and said, "Cai Zhizheng has offended too many people over the years. He is not someone you can entrust with your own safety in the future."
Wang Zhongxiu whispered, "It seems that Cai Jing has a bright future ahead of him. One day, during a court meeting, I saw the blazing sun in the sky. All the officials stood in line waiting, but they dared not look directly at it. Only Cai Jing looked straight at it, without blinking. He is truly a noble man."
Wang Zhongyi said, "My son is the same. That day, my son entertained guests. I asked a fortune teller to look at everything. After looking at Cai Yuanchang, the fortune teller said that this man has a face like a beautiful jade, and his body is perfect. He has the temperament of a prime minister, but it is unknown what will happen next."
Wang Gui smiled happily and said, "You two are quite knowledgeable. Cai Yuanchang does have the potential to be a high-ranking official."
"It's a pity that this person has evil intentions. Otherwise, if he took power after Prime Minister Zhang left, the world would feel at ease."
……
Cai Jing was riding in a carriage on Maxing Street.
His carriage looked ordinary from the outside, but was extremely luxurious inside.
Every item used is not only valuable but also has a history.
Cai Jing knew that Zhang Yue disliked the extravagance of his subordinates, so he also took great pains to clean up his officials. But he was, after all, a person who loved to enjoy life and show off, and he persisted for a while, but later he could no longer do so.
After Cai Jing did a few useful things for Zhang Yue, he became more relaxed.
Although Zhang Yue once again warned Cai Jing that integrity is the foundation of virtue, Cai Jing did not listen.
Cai Jing was a person who loved making friends. He could not live without wine and banquets, and felt lonely without anyone to accompany him for meals. Cai Jing was also very generous. He would make sure that the guests he invited to the banquet were satisfied and happy. He would always be very creative in arranging the tableware for each banquet, making people feel at home.
Over time, people in the capital considered it an honor to attend Cai Jing's banquets.
In the capital, a place of debauchery and extravagance, Cai Jing was like a fish in water.
Cai Jing got off the carriage and arrived at a teahouse.
Cai Jing knew that Zhang Yue often liked to come to this teahouse incognito to drink tea and listen to the people's opinions. After knowing this, Cai Jing also often went to this teahouse to sit and see if he could meet him by chance.
Today Cai Jing happened to meet Zhang Yue here.
Zhang Yue was sitting alone drinking tea when he saw Cai Jing waving to him.
Cai Jing stood respectfully beside Zhang Yue without saying a word, listening to the music with Zhang Yue.
After the song was over, Cai Jing bowed to Zhang Yue and sat aside.
"Prime Minister, the governor of Chenliu has presented me with an auspicious sign. He has dug up this ancient sword, which seems to be the one worn by Emperor Gaozu of Han when he fought Xiang Yu. On it are the words 'Break the Liao'. Now we have sent this sword to the capital."
Zhang Yue smiled when he heard this. Why could Cai Jing be asked to do things?
From ancient times to the present, offering auspicious signs has always been within the scope of characteristics and has unique political significance.
Zhang Yue smiled and said, "Very good. Very good."
"What is the name of this official?"
Cai Jing said: "His name is Zheng Chuduan!"
Zhang Yue said: "How can such a person be kept in Chenliu? He should be assigned to another position."
"I will release him tomorrow, the governor of Lianzhou!"
Lianzhou is in Lingnan.
Cai Jing was shocked when he heard this, knowing that he was flattering the horse.
Cai Jing said: "Prime Minister, the court is now afraid of Liao like a tiger. If we don't use auspicious signs, I'm afraid it will be difficult to convince the people."
Zhang Yue said: "Why don't I know that?"
Zhang Yue looked around the teahouse with three floors. In the center was a large patio with singing girls and storytellers in the patio.
As for the three-story teahouse, it was already half full, with countless officials and gentry coming in and out, creating a lively and prosperous scene.
Zhang Yue pointed at the tea set on the table and said, "Yuan Chang's pot of Shuangjing tea and these snacks are sold for a hundred yuan in the teahouse, but officials and gentry still flock to them."
"But once the Liao invades, this life of luxury will be gone. What do you think we should do?"
"The world has been at peace for a long time, and people's hearts are at peace, and danger and destruction are in it."
Cai Jing said: "Prime Minister, this is a moral act that should be done."
Zhang Yue said: "Yes, the whole of Bianjing is enjoying this kind of pleasure. When we went to Liangzhou to defeat the Tanguts, the people were excited and said that we should take it."
"When they heard that Liao wanted to take Hebei, they refused. They still talked about peaceful times."
"You said this is an auspicious omen, but it may not be useful."
To be honest, Zhang Yue also liked Bianjing very much, but this led to the prevalence of hedonism among officials and scholars. They would definitely not give up their good lives and work hard.
The Song Dynasty was also immersed in such days of spending money to buy peace, and in the end it truly was "born in adversity and died in comfort".
Zhang Yue said to Cai Jing: "Whatever happens, it will be fine. I will bear all the consequences myself. But I don't want to do such things!"
Cai Jing heard this and said, "Yes, Prime Minister."
……
The day before the palace examination.
A comet suddenly appeared in the sky. It was as big as a bucket and had a long tail that streaked across the night sky.
The emperor was shocked when he heard the news and immediately put on his clothes and looked at the scene in the night sky.
Comets are an ominous sign. When encountering such a natural omen, everyone becomes panic-stricken for a moment.
At this time, the censors submitted a memorial saying that during Zhang Yue's reign, the attack on the Dangxiang tribe cost countless dollars, and although there were some achievements, the costs did not outweigh the gains.
At the same time, Zhang Yue ignored the peace that had been enjoyed by the people of Song and Liao for years, and for his own selfish desires, he provoked border conflicts and was rude to the Liao ruler, which led to the Liao attacking the Song army.
Zhang Yue also interfered in the affairs of the Sanfu Army, placing his cronies and confidants there and supporting private individuals in an attempt to control the troops along this route with ill intentions.
The imperial court should depose him from his position as prime minister!