Prime Minister

In March of the seventh year of Xining, there was no rain in the capital for a long time.

The officials ordered the ministers to pray for rain, but it was still useless.

The officials tossed and turned, couldn't sleep at night, thinking that it was because of their lack of virtue, they didn't look at the court for several days, and even reduced their daily meals. Prime Minister Wang Anshi came to inquire on behalf of all the officials, asking the officials to take care of the dragon's body.

In the hall, the officials were dressed in ordinary clothes, while Wang Anshi sat aside.

This is the fifth year that the monarch and his ministers have known each other. They are very familiar with each other, and immediately chatted about political affairs.

The official said: "Looking at the performance of the Xianggong before, the Jinglue Envoy of Huanqing Road or the Jingyuan Envoy of Jingyuan Road can envoy Cai Yanqing. I think it is inappropriate. Is there anyone else who can recommend it?"

Wang Anshi said: "Zhang Dun can do it."

The official said: "This person is fine, but I want him to stay in Beijing to work."

Wang Anshi said: "Since His Majesty appreciates it, Zhang Dun can make a patent for knowledge and give up his life."

"Precise play."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

The official asked again: "The Lord of Liao sent Lin Yaxing to restore the army Jiedu envoy Xiao Xi to send the letter of credence. If the Khitan insists on wanting two territories?"

Wang Anshi said: "If so, it will not be granted."

The official asked, "What if Khitan refuses to allow it?"

"Send someone who can speak eloquently to discuss it slowly."

"Who else is like Fu Bi today?"

"I think Han Zhen is competent."

Wang Anshi answered fluently, but the officials were dissatisfied in their hearts, feeling that the other party did not pay attention to the affairs of the Liao Kingdom.

The official asked worriedly: "What if the two countries fight each other?"

"There will be no war." Wang Anshi replied very simply.

The official asked seriously: "If it is so, what can I do?"

Wang Anshi still said: "In terms of human feelings, it must not be the case."

The officials thought, according to Wang Anshi's intention, if the Khitan sent troops at this time, it seemed that the Song Dynasty would have to lie down.

The official asked: "Zhang Yue broke through Kuozhou and came to the city of Qingtang. What if Xixia came to help Dong felt?"

Wang Anshi still kept the same rhetoric: "Western Xia will not do this for this matter. There is no one who sacrifices his own land to cultivate people's land. Please also ask your majesty to take the prosperity of the country and the strength of the army as the foundation and break the vertical and horizontal."

Faced with Wang Anshi's stubbornness, the officials were also helpless.

Now the Song Dynasty is fully supporting Zhang Yue's use of troops in the northwest. If the Khitan invades, he can only lie down and be beaten. The officials are very dissatisfied with Wang Anshi's answer.

Not to mention that the two governments didn't even have a plan for Khitan to send troops, and they didn't even consider sending troops from Xixia to reinforce Dong Zhan.

The officials decided to put this question aside for the time being, and instead asked him the most disturbing question these days.

"I heard that after the common people used their family property to pay for the loan, many people had their property confiscated because they couldn't repay the money, or they were put under the shackles. Is there such a thing?"

Wang Anshi Zhen Ci said: "I don't know where your majesty heard it. Since the city's law enforcement, only six households have sold their property to pay for it. There are other tenants who instigate that they don't need to pay money or extend the period. Let people pay for it, so how about the people defaulting on it? It is not surprising that the sale of property to pay off the debt and the shackles call for the debt to be paid in the two years since the city changed the law."

The official asked: "But I heard people say that there are so many property sellers and so many shackles that there are not enough officials to guard them."

Wang Anshi continued to argue: "The person who speaks to His Majesty must know the name of the person who sold the shackles. Why doesn't Your Majesty let him ask the Secretary of State? If there is such a thing, the crime cannot be lightly judged. If there is no such thing, it is a lie. "

The official also simply said: "It's not just one or two people. There are many people who say that the market is changing and disturbing the people. I don't know why?"

Wang Anshi said: "Wen Yanbo said that the court should not take profits, and this is for the ministers, but Lu Jia asked to abide by the law and not avoid close learning. If everything is said by close learning, ministers will follow close learning in the future, and no one knows your majesty. gone."

The officials heard Wang Anshi's tone.

Two monarchs and ministers for five years, no matter what I ask?Wang Anshi can even argue, his eloquence is indeed the best in the world.

But Wang Anshi was too good at arguing, he never saw Wang Anshi lose in an argument.

No matter who it is, Wang Anshi can argue to the last sentence, and must argue until he wins. Even the official himself, Wang Anshi has never backed down.

This made the emperor who had been on the throne for eight years very uncomfortable.

Even though he knew that Wang Anshi had no intention of arbitrating power, this was not the respect a fledgling emperor should have.

The officials decided to show their cards, expressing the deepest worry in their hearts: "Now there are Khitan envoys coming from outside, and there is also a severe drought. People are panic-stricken, and there will be chaos in the future."

According to the officials, Zhang Yue is attacking Hehuang, and the Khitan has once again threatened to send troops, and under the severe drought in the country, the law of changing the market and exempting the law has been unanimously questioned by the government and the opposition.

Can you, Wang Anshi, guarantee that there will be no chaos in this situation?

Wang Anshi said: "It's up to people to plan, so what has it to do with the severe drought? As for the envoy, His Majesty, don't worry, it's all rumored by outsiders."

The officials were very disappointed when they heard this, and they were all talking about this, but Wang Anshi still had no problem with one mouthful, my decision-making was all right, the market-yielding law was all right, and the people who used it were all right.

……

When Wang Anshi returned home, Wang Yu saw Wang Anshi's expression was unsightly, so he thought of something and asked, "Your Majesty, are you worried about the invincibility of the Northwest?"

Wang Anshi said: "Zhang Yue led the army to the Qingtang city. He didn't know how to win or lose, and he was worried that the Khitan army would overwhelm the border. Does he have any intention of attacking the Song Dynasty?"

Wang Yu said: "Father shouldn't have approved of Zhang Yue's attack on Qingtang in the first place, even though Wu Chongqing and his son-in-law were allowed to do it."

Wang Anshi said: "As the prime minister, how can I do this without my approval? If the Northwest wins, it will be good for me and the country."

Wang Yu said: "But the officials didn't ask Wu Chongqing, but came to blame Dad."

Wang Anshi said: "It's not about this matter. The most important thing is the market change law and the exemption of money. You and Ji Fu (Lv Huiqing) and Wangzhi (Lv Jiawen) discuss it, rewrite the text and submit the regulations to the imperial court. Browse."

"Yes, Daddy," Wang Yu asked, "Do you want to ask Zixuan (Zeng Bu)?"

Wang Anshi said: "Zixuan has been making a fuss lately, don't ask him about this."

Now Zeng Bu has replaced Xue Xiang as the third envoy, and Lu Huiqing has become a Hanlin scholar as he wished.

After Zeng Bu became the envoy of the third division, he had conflicts with Lu Jiawen, who was in charge of the Shiyi division.In fact, Zeng Bu and Lu Huiqing's quarrel was almost public, and Lu Jiawen was partial to Lu Huiqing, and ignored Zeng Bu.

Wang Yu noticed the subtlety here and said: "Father, since Zixuan became Minister of Finance, it seems that he seldom went to the mansion, and he didn't ask Daddy for everything as before."

Wang Anshi said: "Zixuan mentioned to me last time that Zhang Duzhi has done a good job in Hezhou City Exchange in Xizhou, and his approach can be adopted, but I didn't listen."

Wang Yu said: "No wonder, I heard that Zhang Duzhi almost became the brother-in-law of the Zeng family back then."

Wang Anshi said: "Don't pay attention to these things, Zixuan is also planning, and he has his own opinions."

……

What Wang Anshi didn't know was that after he stepped down that day, the officials thought about it for a long time, and then wrote an edict in the middle of the night, ordering someone to send it to Zeng Bu, the new third minister, and asked him if there was any problem with the Yishi law?