Prime Minister

Chapter 1124 Ali Bone

Chapter 1124 Ali Bone

There was a strong wind and haze in Bianjing.

The strong wind and sand made it impossible to open your eyes.

"Prime Minister, this is the charter of Anjifang and Youcifang! Prime Minister Wang invites you to review it!"

In the Zhongshu Auditorium, Cai Jing showed the regulations to Zhang Yue, with Cai Bian sitting beside him.

Zhang Yue saw that the original intention of Anjifang and Youcifang established by Cai Jing was to form the prototype of public hospitals and children's welfare homes in later generations, and he could not help but feel very satisfied.

In this era, the poor cannot afford to see a doctor or buy medicine, so the mortality rate of the people after they get sick is extremely high. With doctors, the mortality rate among the poor can be greatly reduced.

Cai Jing looked at Zhang Yue's expression and said, "I have heard the Prime Minister talk a lot about the idea of ​​'taking from the people and giving back to the people', and I have been thinking deeply about it."

"God has a benevolent heart, and Your Majesty is the Son of God, so you must act on behalf of God. Anjifang can help the poor who have no money to seek medical treatment, and Youcifang is used in normal times and disaster years. The people cannot raise children, so the court pays for the people to raise them."

Zhang Yue said happily: "Very good, very good."

Cai Jing really was able to understand his intentions at all times.

Cai Bian said: "Both of these are virtuous policies. I remember that the Prime Minister and Duke Shu discussed Guan Zhong's nine virtues. The first is to respect the elderly; the second is to be kind to the young; the third is to care for the orphans; the fourth is to nurture the sick; the fifth is to help the lonely; the sixth is to inquire about the sick; the seventh is to help the poor; the eighth is to provide relief to the needy; and the ninth is to help the destitute."

"Brother, these two places are for the purpose of visiting the sick and caring for the young, which can be regarded as the original intention of the Prime Minister."

After hearing what Cai Bian said, Zhang Yue smiled and recalled the time when he went to Wang Anshi to ask for advice on the Nine Virtues.

Cai Jing bowed his head humbly and said, "The Prime Minister's love for the people is inherited from Guanzi and Mencius. Jing has been a student of the Prime Minister for many years and has benefited greatly from his teachings."

"I think that although the court is short of money, it can also allocate some of it for use, for example, first promote it in Tokyo or other prefectures in the capital, then promote it to prefectures and even counties."

Zhang Yue thought to himself that Cai Jing was the first person in history to provide public welfare, but he was too hasty and too focused on political achievements, only seeking to enrich himself for the sake of enriching himself.

Zhang Yue said, "Master Yuan, we have to do things step by step. We should try out the Youciyuan and Anjifang in the capital first. We should set up Anjiyuan to provide medical consultation for the poor. But I see that there were other places in the past, which provided free medical consultation and medicine for the poor. Although they were kind and benevolent, they were unsustainable in the end."

"I think that the rent of the clinic and the doctors' salaries should all be paid by the court, and the common people should only be charged two cents for the consultation fee to cover the cost of writing. As for the medicine, the common people can buy it at the pharmacy."

Cai Jing said: "The Prime Minister has a far-sighted vision, which I cannot match. I also have an idea. In the past, palace maids could not be treated when they were sick. They were usually sent to temples for recuperation, but temples could not treat palace maids. I want to set up a 'sickness center' next to the palace so that ordinary palace maids can also receive free medical treatment."

Zhang Yue thought to himself, Cai Jing is great, he came up with this trick of serving the people around the leader. He used public power to do private favors, but after all, this is also a way to stay in office for a long time.

If you don’t let the people above eat meat, how can the people below drink the soup?

Of course there is another important reason... Zhang Yue said: "Prime Minister Wang also thinks so!"

"Yes." Cai Jing said truthfully.

Zhang Yue laughed secretly, Cai Jing was really powerful.

Zhang Yue wanted to "take from the people and use it for the people", while Wang Gui used the "Hanfang" to curry favor with the palace ladies in order to consolidate his favor.

Cai Jing's plan can be said to have met the needs of both prime ministers at the same time.

During the reign of Emperor Renzong, Wang Gui often went to the palace to write poems in order to curry favor with the concubines, and he was very familiar with it.

Now, through the "Huanfang", we can show favors to these ordinary palace servants and let them receive benefits. Although these palace servants are of humble origins, their reputation of officials is more important than that of ordinary people.

Sometimes it can even do bad things.

Zhang Yue said: "I have no objection to Huanfang, but since it is being tried out in the capital, the doctors for Huanfang and Anjifang should be selected from other places, not from the Imperial Academy."

Cai Jing hesitated when he heard this: "This..."

Zhang Yue said: "You are all aware of the abilities of the imperial doctors in the palace. They are all about human relationships and worldly wisdom. How can we rely on them? Otherwise, when the late emperor was seriously ill, Han Weigong and others would not have sought good doctors from the people."

"The capital city has a large population and is often plagued by epidemics. Anjifang will need to treat epidemics in the future, and we need to invite skilled doctors from the public to take charge."

Cai Jing took the order and left.

He looked very excited.

He would draft a good petition, wait for the three secretaries to confirm and sign it, and then submit it to the emperor, and finally it would be implemented. This would be his political achievement in the future.

Cai Bian said: "Prime Minister, Bian is worried that some people will say that 'the world should be governed by great virtue, not by small favors'."

Zhang Yue laughed: "Xiao Hui?"

Zhang Yue remembered that Song Ci often said this. It turned out that this founder of forensic medicine was from Jianyang, so they were fellow villagers.

In the future, the Imperial College can set up a medical school and hire doctors to teach medicine. We must turn private schools into public schools. We must seek out famous doctors from all over the world. Not only should Bianjing have official doctors, but the army should also have military doctors.

But that’s for the future.

In fact, the trend of studying medicine was very popular among scholars and officials in the Song Dynasty. There is a saying that if you can't be a good prime minister, then be a good doctor.

The implication is that the principles of curing illness and governing a country are similar. Wang Anshi studied medicine. Shen Kuo and Su Shi both wrote medical books, and in the eighth year of Xining, they co-authored the book Shen Su Liang Fang.

Zhang Yue thought about this and said, "Yuan Du, when can we truly 'take from the people and use it for the people'?"

Cai Bian said: "When Lao Taishan was debating with the Prime Minister, he mentioned the Prime Minister's 'Nine Benevolences' and 'Take from the people and use it for the people' many times. Bian deeply felt the Prime Minister's heart for the people, but now that Your Majesty has entrusted the Prime Minister with the task of attacking Xia, I am afraid it is difficult to weigh the pros and cons for the time being."

After hearing what Cai Bian said, Zhang Yue smiled thoughtfully.

Cai Bian was actually also subtly reminding him why the emperor made him the prime minister?

If the emperor found out that Zhang Yue's mind was not entirely focused on the attack on Xia, or even using the name of the attack on Xia to gain power, but instead he was devoting his energy to the "Nine Virtues Teaching" and "Taking from the People and Giving Back to the People" that he had debated with Wang Anshi in the past, he would be very disappointed.

It was used in methods such as changing the exemption law to the recruitment law, which alleviated the suffering and burden of the people but greatly reduced the court's income.

Then the government will definitely be angry.

Zhang Yue said, "This sentence, that the world should be governed by great virtue, not by small favors, could it be that Duke Shu said this?"

Cai Bian immediately said: "Jiayue didn't say that."

Zhang Yue said, "But when you evaluated Yu Shi, you said something similar."

Cai Bian didn't dare to answer.

Zhang Yue said: "Yuan Du, Duke Shu's reform philosophy originated from the Legalists. Do you know where the Legalists' doctrine originated from?"

Cai Bian said: "I heard that Li Kui and Wu Qi were both students of Zixia, and Shang Yang's doctrine originated from Li Kui, so it should be from Confucianism."

Zhang Yue asked, "What about Han Feizi?"

Cai Bian said: "My teacher is Xunzi."

Zhang Yue said: "You are wrong. Although Han Feizi was a disciple of Xunzi, his doctrine has nothing to do with Confucianism. His doctrine is rooted in Huang-Lao, so he was able to bring together the great achievements of Legalism."

"Therefore, the Records of the Grand Historian recorded Han Feizi and Laozi together. After the Three Dynasties, Han Feizi was the only one who could understand Laozi's ideas and apply them to political strategies."

"Han Feizi's strategy is very practical, so the King of Qin used it. It's like conquering Xia and benefiting the people, which are two sides of the same coin. They seem to be diametrically opposed, but they are one. We should combine the two things into one. It's like Qin built Dujiangyan and Zhengguo Canal before conquering the six kingdoms."

Cai Bian asked, "But how do we explain this to His Majesty?"

Zhang Yue thought to himself that the emperor's mentality at this time was like that of a stockholder who was eager to cover his position after the stock price fell. If the momentum was not right, the more he covered, the more he would lose.

When the emperor made a preface to the revolution, he had agreed to slow down the attack and take five to ten years to destroy Xia. However, judging from the emperor's attitude, he still wants to achieve a decisive victory next year and destroy Western Xia the year after.

If it were Zhang Yue himself, he would definitely remain unchanged in the face of ever-changing circumstances, but this was not in line with the emperor's wishes.

But Zhang Yue was not one of those people who would resist, and he deliberately acted against the emperor's wishes.

Zhang Yue said: "I heard that Qing Tang was going to capture Liangzhou this time, but when they learned that our army was defeated under Lingzhou, they withdrew their troops without authorization despite Tong Guan's opposition."

Cai Bian knew what Zhang Yue meant as soon as he heard it.

Xixia was not able to compete for the time being, but Qingtang was still in control, wasn't it? The prime minister must have used the same old trick again, trying his best to pull out the sheep.

This time during the attack on Liangzhou, Qing Tang's fence-sitting nature was displayed again, which must have displeased Zhang Yue.

He said, "I heard that Dong Jian is seriously ill, and all important matters are handed over to his sons Qi Ding and Wen Xixin. The two do not get along. Qi Ding likes to change his clothes and go to the people secretly, while Wen Xixin holds all the power."

"Bian remembers that when we took Huangzhou and defeated Aligu, Wen Xixin made great contributions and has always been on good terms with the Prime Minister. Qi Ding married princesses from Xixia and Uighur."

Cai Bian made enough hints. He felt that Zhang Yue should want to divide and win over the internal forces of Qing Tang. If so, it would be more appropriate to support Wen Xixin, who has always been pro-Song, rather than the wavering of Dong Jian and his son.

But Zhang Yue asked, "How is Aligu doing now?"

Cai Bian was stunned for a moment and then said, "After Aligu was captured and brought to the capital, he has lived there for two years. He has been petitioning the emperor to complain about the climate and environment and begging to return to Qingtang."

Zhang Yue said: "Since Aligu wants to go back, let him go back!"

Cai Bian was surprised when he heard this and said, "Prime Minister, Aligu is a great hero of the time and has rebelled against the Song Dynasty many times. If we let him go, the consequences will be disastrous!"

But Zhang Yue calmly brewed a cup of tea, took a sip from the cup, then put it down and spoke slowly.

"It is not difficult to destroy Qing Tang, but it is difficult to subdue Qing Tang. It is not difficult to subdue Qing Tang, but it is difficult to win people's hearts."

……

In a mansion in Bian Jing.

Security was tight both inside and outside.

Aligu, the former ruler of Qingtang, is now trapped here.

Aligu remembered that after he was captured and brought to Beijing, the emperor of the Song Dynasty personally received him and comforted him with warm words.

Aligu didn't know that many people in the court said that this thief had treasonous intentions and should be killed and reported to the imperial temple. However, Zhang Yue told the emperor that Aligu should be treated generously.

After Aligu came to Beijing, not only did he not encounter any difficulties, but all his wives and concubines in Qingtang City were brought to Bianjing City.

During the two years that Aligu was imprisoned, he was busy having children, having given birth to more than a dozen babies. At the same time, he kept submitting petitions to flatter the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, requesting that he be allowed to return to his homeland of Qing Tang and never rebel against the Song Dynasty. All his family members could be left in Bian Jing as hostages.

On this day, a Song Dynasty envoy suddenly arrived at Aligu's residence and read out the imperial edict.

In the past two years, Aligu has adapted to the local customs and has had no leisure time. He has also mastered the Chinese etiquette, Chinese language and Chinese characters.

Wait until Aligu's imperial edict allows Aligu to return to Qingtang.

At this moment, Aligu had mixed feelings.

(End of this chapter)