Great Song Super Scholar

Chapter 486 The Achilles' heel
Although the Zhizheng Hall and the Privy Council tried their best to downplay it, the news of the [-]-armed army entering Beijing on Jingdong Road quickly spread throughout the ruling and opposition parties.

As the saying goes, laymen watch the fun, and experts watch the doorway. While many middle and lower-level officials are discussing whether this Xiangjun martial arts show will bring about a wider reform of the Xiangjun, high-level officials are paying attention to the changes in the emperor's heir.

Since last year, the king of Langya, Zhao Wenyun, has become more and more marginalized, even summoned only once a year, and it was the anniversary of Empress Wen Cheng's memorial ceremony. ,

On the contrary, Zhao Zhongzhen was summoned for three days or two days to participate in the discussion of the military and state affairs. Unless he was blind, anyone could see that there was only one opportunity missing before Zhao Zhongzhen took the throne.

And this time the Xiangjun martial arts performance is the summary of the reform of the Xiangjun Army in Jingdong Road, and it is also the end of the reform. So whether this martial arts performance will be an opportunity for Zhao Zhongzhen to take over the position, many people are waiting to see.

At noon, the Qingfeng Restaurant diagonally opposite the Xuande Building in the Imperial City was full of diners, most of whom were court officials who had come out from the Imperial City for lunch. The restaurant, covering an area of ​​nearly ten acres, consists of three restaurants and two courtyards, which can accommodate more than 300 guests for dining at the same time.

In the East Peony Courtyard behind the restaurant, the largest elegant room was full of guests, and more than a dozen middle and low-level officials gathered together.

These dozen or so officials all belong to the Jia faction, and they can be regarded as the middle-level backbone of the Jia Chang Dynasty faction. They are either his disciples or cronies he single-handedly promoted. Jia Changchao's son-in-law, but the leader of the group is another son-in-law, Li Yun.

Li Yunguan served as the salt and iron envoy of the third division, in charge of the world's goods, customs, rivers, canals, and military affairs, and used them for the country's use. Although he was only a fifth rank, the real power in his hands far exceeded that of the fourth rank. Senior officials.

In addition, he is the son-in-law of Jia Changchao, and he is highly valued by Jia Changchao, so he became the leader of the middle-level backbone of the Jia faction.

During this period of time, the situation was rather delicate. Jia Changchao instructed Li Yun to win over this group of middle-level backbones. Li Yun followed his father-in-law's order and called everyone to gather almost every day.

"Emissary Li, after the officials review the Xiang army's martial arts performance, will the Xiang army reform be carried out in the world?" An official raised his glass and asked.

This question was also concerned by many people, and everyone stopped their wine glasses and stared at Li Yun, waiting for his answer.

Li Yun took a bite of the food, and said calmly, "If this happened ten years ago, it might have been possible, but it's impossible now. The health of the officials is deteriorating, and they don't have so much energy to make further reforms."

"However, Yingtianfu's Xiang army reform seems not to be difficult. It will be over in two months, and the main time will be spent on military training. If Prince Liang presides over it, it is not impossible to promote it." Another official said.

"Simple?"

Li Yun snorted, "Who said that the Xiang army's reform is easy, if it weren't for the court's support of so much money, food and land, the reform would have been successful? It is easy to govern a region, but difficult to rule the world!"

Seeing that everyone's eyes were fixed on the reform, Li Yun couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. He knocked on the table and said, "I want to tell you that the key to this martial arts performance is not whether the reform will continue, but whether King Liang will take the throne. , This is the key question, what are you all thinking?"

Everyone felt ashamed and didn't dare to say anything. Zhang Jue felt a little uncomfortable during the incident, so he said slowly: "Mr. Jia didn't mean to blame everyone, but I have something to explain to everyone today."

Li Yun nodded, "The purpose of convening everyone today is to convey some explanations from Mr. Jia, and we must break up with Zhang Yaozuo as soon as possible. I know that many of you have benefited from Zhang Yaozuo, but these benefits will become more and more hot in the future. , It will even become a stain on the official career, so you must settle the account as soon as possible, turn your face if you have to, and you are not allowed to have anything to do with the Zhang family. When the Zhang family is implicated in the imperial court's liquidation in the future, don't blame me for not making it clear to everyone today."

Qiu Huaiyi, a member of the Ministry of Industry, who knew Xingzhou affairs, asked: "The year before last, my father celebrated his birthday, and Zhang Yaocheng gave a piece of top-grade Tianhuangshi as a birthday gift. I wonder if this is considered a good thing?"

Zhang Jue knew that Qiu Huaiyi liked that piece of Tianhuang stone very much, so he comforted him: "Accordingly, this kind of birthday gift belongs to human relationship, so it shouldn't be a big problem, it's just a piece of Tianhuang stone, if you like it, you can keep it."

Li Yun was unambiguous, and asked directly: "Zhang Yaocheng or Zhang Yaozuo celebrated his birthday, have you returned the gift?"

"That's not true, I didn't get the invitation!"

"Then return Tian Huangshi to them. As long as there is no exchange, then it is not called favors, but bribery. Zhang Yaocheng should remember that there is this account. If you don't want to be unlucky, return Tian Huangshi and find someone else at the same time." prove."

Zhang Jue couldn't hold back his face, he held back the dissatisfaction in his heart and said: "Li Shijun, it's just a piece of field yellow stone, and it's a birthday gift, so there's no need to be so arrogant!"

Li Yun ignored him, and said to Qiu Huaiyi, "I've said everything I need to say. You can make up your own mind about what to do. But when you are caught in the future, don't blame Mr. Jia for not reminding you."

Qiu Huaiyi nodded silently, "I understand, thank you for your reminder."

Zhang Jue was very annoyed in his heart, he snorted heavily, and stopped talking.

Ever since Yang Kai failed to assassinate Zhao Zhongzhen in Yingtianfu and then committed suicide by taking poison, Zhang Yaozuo became extremely low-key and forbearing, so that Yingtianfu sealed up seventeen Zhang's grain shops and canceled the right to operate tea cakes, causing heavy losses to the Zhang family.

Zhang Yaozuo had no choice but to knock out his teeth and swallow his blood, and confessed.

For the next more than a year, he spent almost all of his illnesses, like a sick tiger, hiding in the depths of the cave and licking his wounds, waiting for an opportunity. He would never give up easily until the last moment.

Zhang Yaozuo's forbearance also paid a huge price. For more than a year, most of the officials who originally supported Langya King changed their course and turned to support Liang Junwang. Deer King Zhao Zongshi firmly suppressed it.

In the past two days, Zhang Yaozuo was really anxious. He knew very well what Yanwu meant to Zhao Zhongzhen.

Zhang Yaozuo was pacing back and forth in the room like an ant on a hot pot. At this moment, a guard outside the door reported: "Report to Grand Master, the third master is here!"

The third master is his brother Zhang Yaocheng, a guy who only has money in his eyes and can't do big things. He probably wants to cry to himself, he doesn't want to see him, and he is afraid that he will cause trouble, so Zhang Yaozuo can only be upset: "Let him in!"

After a while, Zhang Yaocheng walked in with a face full of anger, "Shameless, shameless, a bunch of bastards!"

"Old man, what happened again?" Zhang Yaozuo asked impatiently.

"Brother, Jia Changchao's subordinates returned all the things I gave them before, as if they had made an appointment. That Qiu Huaiyi even returned his grandfather's birthday gifts. What is this for? Let us make a clean break. Boundary?"

"It's Jia Changchao again!"

Zhang Yaozuo hated him so much that his teeth itch. He hated Jia Changchao even more than Fan Ning. This year, Jia Changchao impeached three of his top generals one after another, causing his strength to drop drastically.

Now Zhang Yaozuo understands that before Jia Changchao refused to form an alliance with him, it was not because he refused to agree to his asking price, but because he didn't want to form an alliance with himself at all. Shameless villain.

"Don't worry about Jia Changchao's affairs, let him go, I have something important for you to do."

"Brother, please give me instructions!"

"Go and buy Cao Li from Peking University's Yingcang, give him five thousand coins, and ask him to do one thing for me."

Zhang Yaozuo whispered a few words to Zhang Yaocheng, Zhang Yaocheng nodded, "Don't worry, brother, I will definitely do this well, and we will never be involved!"

Zhang Yaocheng hurried away, Zhang Yaozuo returned to the table, he took out a box from the drawer, this was the last trick Yang Kai gave him, and he didn't use it until the last moment.

Now for Zhang Yaozuo, it was his last moment. Zhang Yaozuo opened the box, and inside was a note. He slowly unfolded the note. There were only three words on the note: Zhao Zongshi.

This is Zhao Zhongzhen's Achilles' heel.

(End of this chapter)