Prime Minister

Chapter 1148: The Tacit Understanding between the Emperor and His Subjects

Chapter 1148: The Tacit Understanding between the Emperor and His Subjects

That night, Zhang Yue and Zhang Qie chatted for half the night.

The last time the brothers of the same clan had such a chat was Zhang Heng. After serving as the transport envoy of Qinfeng Road, Zhang Heng has now been transferred to the Huainan transport envoy. Zhang Yue also planned to count his contribution to the victory in Lanzhou this time, and move him to the capital to serve as an official, so that he could add a helping hand in the court.

Zhang Yue knew a lot about Zhang Qie's depression.

Zhang Qie said indignantly: "When signing matters in the Privy Council, Feng Dangshi never let me in on the matter. Every time there was an order, I was the last one to hear about it..."

Zhang Yue took a sip of tea and said, "As far as I know, Feng Dangshi is not such a narrow-minded person."

Zhang Yu raised his head and finally said, "I did do something wrong. After entering the capital from Xihe Road, I was a little proud of my achievements."

Zhang Yue smiled slightly. At first glance, Zhang Qie's story sounded like a talented person being suppressed by a mediocre and incompetent boss, so others would naturally sympathize with the weaker party.

But the truth was not so simple. He heard that Feng Jing and Zhang Yu had a feud and disagreed on the matter of attacking Xia. However, this political difference was normal in the high-ranking officials of the Song Dynasty. Feng Jing also privately asked someone to persuade Zhang Yu, saying that political views should be political views, and we should not make the relationship so stiff.

Feng Jing also told Zhang Yue that Zhang Yu was indeed capable and had served in local government, making him a talented general among the literati.

But Zhang Qie was too arrogant and conceited. Feng Jing lowered himself to seek peace, and he thought that the other party was afraid of him.

Afterwards, Feng Jing was really angry and denied Zhang Qie any chance to show off or boast in front of the emperor. Later, the emperor also disliked him.

After Zhang Yue had a deep conversation with Zhang Qie.

Zhang Qie was a smart man. After Zhang Yue's advice, he knew that there was something wrong with him.

Zhang Qieji sighed.

After drinking, the drums sounded like thunder, who would have believed that he would be woken up by the morning rooster.

I sigh that the years have passed without any achievements; the scholar has grown old, but the opportunity has just come. If General Li had met Emperor Gao, what would his position as a marquis be? He got up and put on his clothes, but he felt sad and nostalgic, and his generosity gave rise to sorrow.

When Zhang Yue heard this poem, he knew that it was the one he had given to Lu Huiqing that year.

Unexpectedly, the story spread throughout the capital, and was as popular among the literati as the Qingyu case.

It can be seen that there are still too many people in the world like Zhang Qie who think that their talents are not recognized.

Zhang Qie said: "Wang Hou is my nephew, Miao Shou, Li Hao, and Wang Wenyu were all my former generals, and Peng Sun was born a bandit, and he once flattered Li Xian."

“People like this can come to the fore!”

Zhang Yue smiled and said, "In the past, the Marquis of Huaiyin was deprived of his military power and lived in depression in the capital. When he passed by Fan Kuai's house, Fan Kuai knelt down to greet him and called him the king. But the Marquis of Huaiyin said, 'I will be with Fan Kuai.'"

"Brother, how do your achievements today compare to those of the Marquis of Huaiyin?"

In history, Han Xin looked down on Fan Kuai, Guan Ying, and Zhou Bo, and you, Zhang Qie, also looked down on Wang Hou, Peng Sun and others.

Zhang Qie blushed when he heard this.

Zhang Yue also used Han Xin's story to remind Zhang Qie that Han Xin's success was also due to Xiao He's recommendation and Liu Bang's good use of him.

And you, Zhang Qie, owe all your success to yourself? If I hadn't recommended you as the governor of Xihe Road and fully supported you in your advancement in Xihe Road, would you be where you are today?

I have always been so close to Zhang Dun, but only today do I know who is the man with the final say in the government?

Zhang Yue said to Zhang Qie: "Soft bamboo is easy to bend, but it will not break even after a long time."

"Zhifu, people don't always have everything they want, and even a pearl can be covered in dust. Now all you can do is train your mind and wait for a comeback!"

Zhang Yu bowed his head when he heard this. He knew very well that the emperor did not like him. As long as the emperor was in power, he would have no chance to stand out.

Zhang Qie smiled bitterly and said, "If this day really comes, I'm afraid I won't even be able to ride a horse."

Zhang Yue held Zhang Qie's hand and said, "Zhifu, never give up at any time."

“Who knows a person’s circumstances except God?”

Zhang Qi listened to Zhang Yue's words and nodded silently.

……

The next day, Wang Gui and Zhang Yue entered the palace to live together.

Zhang Yue was just about to explain to Wang Gui why he was not invited to congratulate the victory yesterday.

But Wang Gui took the initiative to tell me that he did not participate yesterday because he was not feeling well.

Zhang Yue smiled and sat down. Wang Gui said, "Jixian, you are my disciple. If you can pacify the west in the future, I will also have a share of the credit."

When Zhang Yue heard Wang Gui speak like this, he felt relieved.

Zhang Yue was not completely unaware of Wang Gui's family's long-selling activities at the exchange.

Of course, with Wang Gui's vigilance, he probably knew that he had noticed something.

The two nodded, and we both knew it.

Once fair and dignified officials in the officialdom start to seek personal gain, they lose their bottom line and become lenient towards their subordinates.

It is true that fairness brings clarity and honesty brings authority.

After the two entered the hall, the emperor took his seat.

Today's emperor is in high spirits and asked about the affairs in Lanzhou, as the specific military report is still on the way.

Zhang Yue said as soon as he left the stage: "Your Majesty, since the Qingli period, the court has had the three problems of redundancy, that is, redundant officials, redundant expenses, and redundant soldiers. Many knowledgeable people have proposed to eliminate redundancy, reduce expenses, and cut officials."

"The court must get rid of redundant personnel to achieve the goal of simplifying administration and clean government!"

"But this matter has been delayed again and again. If we don't take this opportunity to do something and make a firm decision, it will surely return to the situation where 'the emperor sighs while he sits in court, and the ministers and officials lament and lament, and are angry below, for who knows how many years'."

After hearing this, all the officials in the palace shook their long hat wings up and down.

The imperial censor in the court could not help but check to see if the officials were whispering to each other.

The celebration of the great victory in Lanzhou had just begun, and when the time came to discuss rewards, Zhang Yue immediately proposed the plan of "streamlining administration and clean officials".

Wang Gui, Cai Que and Feng Jing who were below him were all somewhat surprised. Zhang Yue had never discussed such a big matter with them.

But from what Zhang Yue said in the Daqing Palace last night, one can actually guess that the other party is going to start a war.

This is also in line with Zhang Yue's usual style. He will not show mercy once he gains the upper hand, and will pursue relentlessly once he has the upper hand.

"Your Majesty, I believe that with the victory in Lanzhou, the court should mobilize troops against the Tanguts in an all-out manner, taking Lianggan in the west and Dingnan in the east, and finally joining forces with Lingxia to complete the victory in one battle!"

“The rest will follow.”

Everyone saw that it was Zhang Dun who stood up to oppose Zhang Yue.

Zhang Dun really stood up to oppose Zhang Yue, and took advantage of the defeat of the 800,000-strong Tangut army and the killing of Liang Yimai to launch a comprehensive attack on Xia from all directions. What reforms are you going to make at this time, Zhang Yue?

Seeing that Zhang Yue and Zhang Dun disagreed, the officials above started to speak out. Because Zhang Yue had not consulted anyone, Xue Xiang and Huang Lu did not dare to easily stand up and express their support for Zhang Yue.

Instead, the emperor said, "I think what Zhang Jixian said makes sense. The problem of redundant officials and redundant government is real. We should think of a way to make sure that the court can examine and correct everything according to the name, and that all officials can perform their duties and not lose their honor and salary."

After hearing the emperor's last sentence, "without losing the honor and salary", the officials present looked relieved.

The biggest fear of reform within the system is that officials themselves lose their interests and power.

Fan Zhongyan proposed to get rid of the "three redundancies", but in fact it is impossible to do so. No matter how determined you are, it will all be a mirage when it comes to the people below.

The government was prudent and far-sighted, and did not delegate power to Zhang Yue to carry out drastic reforms.

After the great victory in Lanzhou, you, Zhang Yue, became arrogant after killing Liang Yimai, right?

At this moment, the emperor looked at Zhang Yue, and a tacit look was exchanged between the emperor and his subject.