Great Song Super Scholar

Chapter 669 Education Reform Act

Shen Liang never expected that he would be accused of unfilial piety and be impeached and dismissed by the censor.

At this time, Shen Liang was sitting in Fan Ning's study, covering his face and said: "It's not that I don't want to go back to honor my grandfather, but the only last word he made was not to allow me to resign to honor him, and my family also opposed my resignation Township, it happens that the imperial court also has this regulation, you can apply for the exemption of Ding You, and the Ministry of Officials has approved it, but now I have been accused of unfilial piety, I can't accept it."

Fan Ning comforted him and said, "The so-called crime of unfilial piety is only circulated among court officials. There is no written conclusion. Don't worry! Even if you are dismissed, it is definitely not the crime."

"I don't care if I become an official or not, but I want reputation, and my reputation cannot be ruined like this."

"I know, the big deal is that I will tell the emperor to let you go back to your hometown to fix your worries and come back after two or three years of rest. After all, the Ministry of Officials has approved your application. As long as you explain the matter clearly, you should be fine."

Shen Liang was silent for a moment and said: "If possible, I would still like to be transferred overseas, I don't like the atmosphere of the imperial court, I have fake smiles all day long, and I am always on guard against other people's plots.

On the contrary, I especially miss the time in Kunzhou. Although it was very tiring, it was indeed very fulfilling. Watching a city rise from your hands, I feel that I have achieved something every day. "

Fan Ning took two steps with his hands behind his back, and said with a smile, "Have you thought about going to the North Island?"

"Bei Dao?"

Shen Liang was stunned for a while, "What can I do there?"

"To be a magistrate, there are three counties now, and soon there will be a fourth and a fifth. This requires a state capital to coordinate the development among the counties. One day in the future, it may become a position like Xiangguo."

Fanning has hinted at the obvious.

Shen Liang lowered his head and thought for a moment, "Let me think about it for a while!"

Shen Liang left, Zhu Pei came in with a bowl of white fungus and bird's nest porridge, and said with a smile: "Shen Liang looks listless, has he really been dismissed?"

Fan Ning nodded, "The crime is still unfilial."

Jupe was taken aback, "Is it so serious?"

Fanning smiled, "The charge is serious, but I will not let it be carried out. I will help him deal with it."

Zhu Pei was a little worried and said: "My husband has been outside these years, and the court's connections may not be satisfactory, or I will ask my father to come forward."

Fan Ning held his wife's hand and said, "Your husband is still a magistrate, and he can't even do this little thing well?"

Zhu Pei felt that her husband's hand was about to move again, so she quickly moved away from him and said with a smile, "Then, have you ever thought about letting Shen Liang go to Beidao?"

Fanning smiled slightly and said, "I really said it."

"Ah! What did he say then?"

"He said he would think about it for a while."

Zhu Pei sighed, "After all, it is a matter of several generations, so of course he has to think about it carefully, husband, don't force him."

"I know, everything is up to him to choose."

After Zhu Pei left, Fan Ning took a sip of white fungus and bird's nest porridge. He was still thinking about Sima Guang, how should he deal with it?
At noon the next day, "Letter" once again published a real-name article by Fan Ning, "Without a heart, how can the prime minister punctuate the boat?"

The article directly pointed out the matter of Shen Liang's dismissal. The only last word of Shen Liang's grandfather was not to allow Ding You to resign, otherwise he would be unfilial.

According to the Dingyou system of the Great Song Dynasty, if the parents are still alive and the grandfather or grandmother passes away, the officials can apply for the removal of Ding You. In fact, most court officials did not resign Ding You because of the death of their grandfather.

The Ministry of Officials agreed to Shen Liang's application, and everything met the formalities.

But the decision of the Ministry of Officials was overturned yesterday by a prime minister, who thought that Shen Liang had not resigned to honor his grandfather, calling it unfilial, and removed Shen Liang from his official position.

I don't understand why Du is so harsh on Shen Liang, or is it because Shen Liang said something unpleasant that made the prime minister feel uneasy?

When his grandfather Fan Ning passed away, he also did not resign Ding You, so what should he do?
As soon as this article came out, everyone understood that the relationship between Fan Ning and Sima Guang had completely broken down.

In the afternoon, Zhao Xu once again greeted the emperor's grandmother, the Empress Dowager Cao.

Empress Dowager Cao's condition has improved and she is still recuperating, but this does not prevent her from getting to know the outside world through newspapers.

Empress Dowager Cao put down the newspaper and said to Zhao Xu: "Back then, Fan Zhongyan and Lu Yijian were incompatible. They had to go to meet each other to ensure the stability of the court. Now that the conflict between Fan Ning and Sima Guang has become public, how do you plan to deal with it?"

"The grandson is here to ask the emperor's grandmother!"

In fact, this is the matter of Empress Dowager Cao, and the right to appoint and dismiss officials above the third rank is still in her hands!
However, she is also slowly delegating power, allowing Zhao Xu to negotiate with herself, and she will follow Zhao Xu's opinion.

Empress Dowager Cao said: "The most important thing for the Son of Heaven is balance. This time Aijia would like to hear, how do you plan to balance this matter?"

Zhao Xu was silent for a moment and said: "Sun Er wants Sima Guang to resign from his position as a political adviser and become a bachelor, so that he can concentrate on studying history."

"Do the officials think this is balanced?" Empress Dowager Cao asked again.

"It's not even about balance, there are still gaps."

"Then keep talking!"

Zhao Xu said again: "Grandson intends to ask Sima Guang to recommend a successor."

There was a smile on Empress Dowager Cao's face. Sima Guang was promoted by Empress Dowager Cao to be Prime Minister, so Zhao Xu's way of asking Sima Guang to resign himself was a way of giving Empress Dowager face.

But this is not enough. The key is that Sima Guang will go to the Prime Minister, and Zhizheng Hall will lose a hard-line conservative. This is not the result that Empress Dowager Cao would like to see.

She can agree to Sima Guang's removal, but she must maintain the balance of Zhizheng Hall and appoint a new hardline conservative. This is the balance that Empress Dowager Cao wants.

"Go talk to Sima Guang. In addition, try to minimize Shen Liang's matter. Sima Guang used his grandfather's death as an excuse to attack too many officials."

"Grandson obeys!"

Zhao Xu breathed a sigh of relief. The emperor's grandmother finally agreed to Sima Guang's departure. In fact, Zhao Xu did not support Sima Guang as the prime minister. He secretly supported Wang Anshi himself.

But Sima Guang was the prime minister appointed by the emperor's grandmother, and no one except the emperor's grandmother dared to dismiss him as prime minister.

Zhao Xu knew in his heart that if Sima Guang and Fan Ning hadn't turned against each other, the imperial grandmother might not have agreed to Sima Guang's visit.

Early the next morning, Sima Guang submitted his resignation to Zhao Xu at the court meeting on the grounds that he would devote all his efforts to compiling "Zi Zhi Tong Jian", and recommended his friend, another well-known hardline conservative Lu Gong, to succeed him.

The emperor Zhao Xu accepted Sima Guang's resignation, and issued a decree, appointing Lv Gongzhu as Shangshu Zuocheng and Shenzhizhengshi.

In the morning of the same day, the Zhizheng Hall held a vote on the Education Reform Law. Wang Anshi, Zeng Gongliang, Fan Ning, Ouyang Xiu, and Han Qi voted in favor, while Fu Bi and the new Deputy Prime Minister Lu Gongzhu voted against it.

Zhizhengtang finally passed the education reform law with a high vote of [-] to [-], and reported it to the emperor for approval.

At noon, Fan Ning came to Fu Bi's office. During this time, Fu Bi remained silent and did not participate in the education reform law, nor did he participate in the dispute between Fan Ning and Sima Guang.

But in the vote on the reform law, he voted against it without hesitation, which made Fanning aware of Fu Bi's dissatisfaction with him.

They need to talk.

Fan Ning blocked Fu Bi at the door, but Fu Bi smiled faintly, "I still have something to do, I will talk about it later."

After finishing speaking, he walked away, Fan Ning smiled wryly, it seems that he did not communicate with Fu Bi beforehand, which was a big mistake he made this time.

He didn't leave either, and someone brought food, so he simply sat in the outhouse of Fu Bi's official house and ate.

Half an hour later, Fu Bi came back, but saw that the table outside was full of bowls and chopsticks, Fan Ning was sitting at the table drinking tea, he was a little helpless, so he had to say: "What's the matter, tell me!"

Fan Ning stood up and said with a smile, "Could Fu Xiang come to the Imperial College with me?"

Fu Bi nodded, "I'll give you two hours at most!"

The two arrived at Taixue in a carriage. The officials of the Imperial College heard that the two gentlemen had arrived, and rushed to the door to greet them.

Fan Ning asked the chief officer of Taixue, "Are all the students here now?"

"It's all here, the lunch break will be over soon."

"How about it! I'll give you a paper, two very simple questions, one test for Tai students, at most a quarter of an hour, you can help me arrange it."

After finishing speaking, Fan Ning took out a copy of the topic and handed it to the Taixue officials. The Taixue officials looked at their superiors, and several superiors nodded before he left in a hurry.

Everyone came to sit down in a lounge of Taixue, and Fu Bi said to Fan Ning, "Show me your questions. If the questions are too tricky, such as steam engines, I won't accept them."

Of course he knew that Fanning wanted to convince himself, and he himself wanted to know, how would the students do in the exam?

He took the paper, and there were only two questions on it.

[-]. What is the yield per mu of rice, millet, millet, wheat, bean and corn?

[-]. How is a cotton cotton gown made?

(End of this chapter)