Water Margin people

Xiao Jiasui and Wen Huanzhang saw off Sun Lei, and they were relieved.

"Brother Wen, I'm afraid it's not good for you to test His Majesty like this? If you offend Long Yan, I won't be able to live with you!"

Xiao Jiasui looked at Wen Huanzhang and said with lingering fear. He had guessed it the moment Wen Huanzhang opened his mouth, but he couldn't show it, otherwise the play would not go on.

"What else can we do otherwise? It is not appropriate to report it directly! What if His Majesty wants to use famine tactics?"

Wen Huanzhang said helplessly that the emperor's thoughts were the most difficult to predict. Although Sun Lei was a benevolent king, the world was uncertain now. The most important thing was not benevolence but the world. Which founding king did not stain the mountains and rivers with blood? Compared with the world, the death of a few people is nothing.

"Now it seems that we have worried too much. His Majesty is still the same."

Xiao Jiasui said.

"As a minister, you should be cautious!"

Wen Huanzhang said, they can also come up with these strategies, but they cannot make their own decisions.

"I'm afraid His Majesty will be displeased!"

Xiao Jiasui sighed, he understood the truth, but Sun Lei was not an ordinary emperor.

"Of course I'm not happy. I have to use my brain for such a trivial matter. I just don't know what to say!"

Sun Lei's voice sounded.

The two of them were startled when they saw Sun Lei appearing at the entrance of the palace. Sun Lei didn't like being useless in front of acquaintances, so the guards in the palace would not keep shouting for the emperor's arrival, and they didn't expect Sun Lei to come back.

"Don't get me wrong, I forgot to get the windmill, the child wants it!"

Sun Lei pointed to the windmill on the table in the side hall. Without this thing, he couldn't coax the child.

"From now on, if you have something to say, tell me directly and don't beat around the bush with me."

Sun Lei took the windmill and left with these words.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Xiao Jiasui and Wen Huanzhang quickly saluted and sent them off.

Sun Lei took the windmill to the garden. Two children were waiting for his windmill. It would be much easier to take care of the children with the windmill.

"Your Majesty, there is a secret message!"

Wu used to come to Sun Lei and handed him a letter.

"Huh? From Tokyo?"

Sun Lei looked at the secret letter and was a little surprised. It was actually Wu Yao who sent the secret letter.

"Your Majesty, I am now responsible for the intelligence of Liangshan City. Brother Shi Qian just sent me this letter."

Wu Yong said.

The content of the letter is about the transfer of officials in Tokyo. Many people have been promoted to three levels by Zhao Huan. The entire officialdom in Tokyo is almost full of new faces.

"The Zhongshidao case was vindicated, and now he is promoted to the Privy Council?"

"Song Jiang was promoted to General of the Left Guard? Lu Junyi was promoted to General of the Right Guard?"

……

Sun Lei frowned unconsciously as he looked at the personnel appointments in the letter. This change was really big enough.

"Any ideas?"

Sun Lei looked at Wu Yong and asked.

"Your Majesty, I can learn from the sun and the moon that I am loyal! Song Jiang plotted to kill King Chao Tian for the sake of his future. I have sworn to avenge the King of Heaven!"

Wu Yong quickly expressed his loyalty.

"That's not what I'm talking about. I'm asking if you have any ideas about the promotion of these people in Tokyo? How about giving them a hard time?"

Sun Lei looked at Wu Yong and asked, Wu Yong didn't know anything about military issues, and Wu Yong didn't understand anything about government affairs either. He was only good at conspiracy and conspiracy. "Your Majesty, this should be the emperor in Tokyo trying to win over people. People like Song Jiang and Lu Junyi were recruited and recruited. It was Cai Jing who used to take refuge. Now that Cai Jing has lost power, they have become rootless trees and they need people to rely on. when."

"Now that Zhao Huan promotes them, they will definitely follow Zhao Huan. They are also Zhao Huan's confidants!"

Wu Yong said.

"So what should we do?"

Sun Lei looked at Wu Yong and asked.

"Of course he is fanning the flames and spreading rumors. Song Jiang was just a petty official, and later he killed people and fell into disgrace, and finally recruited Cai Jing. This kind of capriciousness is a villain. This status is considered low in the Tokyo court."

"Lu Junyi is not much better. Although his family is wealthy, he is only a local wealthy family. Scholars, farmers, and merchants are among the lowest merchants. And now he has lost all his wealth and has no fame."

"These two people have jumped from the rank of fourth rank to the rank of general. How can those people in Tokyo tolerate it?"

"Does your Majesty know how many officials there are in the Song Dynasty?"

Wu Yong said.

"You heard something, tell me."

Sun Lei nodded.

“大宋真宗景德年间官员总计10000多人，到了宋仁宗皇祐年间官员总计20000多人，宋英宗治平年间官员总计24000员。到了宋神宗元丰三年改革官制，元丰八年官员数量下降到了21900人。宋哲宗元祐三年官员总计34000多人。八多年前又统计过一次总计48000多人。”

Wu Yong said.

"I know this. It's no secret that redundant officials are serious."

Sun Lei nodded.

"Your Majesty, this is not the most troublesome thing. The troublesome thing is the candidates. Behind these 48000 people, there are more than people waiting for official positions. But I can't take off this official uniform for decades. Where did it come from? vacancy?"

"So the sudden rise of people like Song Jiang and Lu Junyi to high positions has become the best rumor. These are also the most interesting rumors for those who have worked hard to obtain the title and have to wait for many years for Jinshi. They will definitely spread it widely and create momentum themselves to give Zhao Huan pressure."

Wu Yong said.

"Well, that's right, your idea is okay!"

Sun Lei nodded with satisfaction. The redundancy of officials in the Song Dynasty has always been a big problem. As long as there are various rewards and supplementary awards, it is all a matter of a word from the emperor.

"Go ahead and do it!"

Sun Lei looked at Wu Yong and said.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Wu Yong saluted with great joy and left. The conspiracy behind these was what he liked best.

Rumors quickly spread from place to place.

Wu Yong was a thief. He did not spread the rumors from Liangshan or Shandong, but spread them from Jinghu first, so that no one would doubt the origin of the rumors.

The rumor spread quickly, and within a few days it spread throughout Jinghu and Jiangnan, all the way to Tokyo.

This rumor was very popular in Tokyo. A large number of candidates for Jinshi were filled with indignation and shouted that the emperor was unfair. They had worked hard for ten years and then became Jinshi in high school. The result was not as good as a small official who rebelled and recruited people or a merchant who spent money to buy an official position.

"If you want to be an official, you will be punished if you kill people and set fires!"

A saying soon spread in Tokyo that it would be better to rebel once in ten years of poverty. Many candidates for Jinshi laughed and said that they really couldn't wait, so they might as well go to Luocao together to get there faster.

The officialdom in Tokyo was extremely silent. No one paid attention to this rumor. It was not that they didn't want to, but that they were unwilling to take care of it.

Both Young Master Wu Min and Dazai Xu Churen were the beneficiaries of this turmoil. Speaking at this time can easily lead to anger. They just want to consolidate their status and don't want to attract attention.

But Emperor Zhao Huan couldn't sit still, and the rumors gradually became excessive. What started as complaints about the emperor's injustice gradually evolved into the emperor purging the emperor's ministers and letting some lowly people occupy high positions.

The most important thing that Zhao Huan has been able to remain in the position of prince for so many years is that he is frugal, humble, and abiding by filial piety. Now, someone is attacking his filial piety, which makes him intolerable. (End of chapter)