I studied in modern times

Chapter 252: Respective Letters

Guichou (22) in September of the eighth year of Yuanfeng.

Zhao Xu put down a letter written by Gao Gongji.

In the letter, Gao Gongji reported that he had successfully completed the task of buying horses this year and was still buying horses at the same time.

"Quite progressive..." Zhao Xu smiled.

Buying horses was the most lucrative job in the Song Dynasty.

Because the Song Dynasty lacked horses, the court did not hesitate to spend a lot of money!
However, most of the horse trade is done in the form of things for things.

This is because iron money mainly circulates in Shaanxi.

The Tibetans refused to use iron coins - they wanted to use copper coins for trade.

The Song Dynasty would not give them copper coins easily.

Because copper coins can be cast into weapons after being melted.

Therefore, the actual trading method is complicated.

Generally speaking, the state procurement method is used - the central government pays money as the principal to purchase tea bricks, cloth and other commodities in the market, and then mixes them with salt and silver.

These things were then transported to Xihe Road and traded with Tubo, Qiang, and Dangxiang people who were willing to buy horses.

Yes!

Dangxiang people would also secretly sell horses to the Song Dynasty.

After all, fighting is a matter between Wuzu and Zhao Guan's family.

But the tribe's shortage of tea and cloth is a family matter.

The biggest characteristic of tribal countries is that the tribe is higher than the country and the family is higher than the tribe.

Zhao Xu thought for a while, then took this memorial to Gao Gongji and went to Baoci Palace.

He sent it to the two palaces and said: "Mother and Queen, come and see, Uncle Xiang and Gao Guoqin have made great contributions to the court this time!"

The two palaces took the memorial and read it again, and they both laughed.

"It's just good luck!" said the Empress Dowager: "The officials don't have to be so happy!"

The Empress Dowager also said: "What the Empress said is that Sixth Brother should wait until they finish buying horses next year, and then he will be happy again!"

But their proud tone has betrayed them.

Zhao Xu said: "Mother, Queen, I heard that rewarding merits and punishments is where the master's prestige lies..."

"Now, since the minister has done a good job on his mission, he should be rewarded!"

"How can we not reward them just because they are relatives of the emperor?"

"Besides..." Zhao Xu looked outside the palace: "I just want to take this opportunity to tell the ministers of the outer court... I am a relative of the Great Song Dynasty, and I can also be loyal to the country. It is not what they say..."

The Queen Mother inexplicably thought of Sima Guang and the turmoil in the court when Xiang Zonghui and Gao Gongji were sent to Xihe.

His face suddenly darkened and he said: "The officials are right... we should let the scholar-bureaucrats in the outer court know that my relatives of the emperor of the Song Dynasty are no worse than them..."

At the beginning, Xiang Zonghui and Gao Gongji were still in Bianjing, so they were already considered by public opinion to be a troublemaker if they went to Xihe Road.

The Queen Mother still remembers her feelings at that time - is my Gao family so unbearable?

Now, Gao Gongji finally gave her a break.

According to her temperament, she naturally wanted to publicize it in a high-profile manner.

The same goes for the Queen Mother.

Xiang Zonghui is her biological brother, yet he is being said like that.

It’s strange that there is no fire in her heart!
"In the opinion of Sixth Brother, how should we reward him?" asked the Empress Dowager.

"The country has its own laws..." Zhao Xu smiled: "Whatever the laws are, let them be as they are!"

After the two palaces looked at each other, the Empress Dowager asked Liang Weijian, who was always by her side: "Liang Weijian, how do the national laws and regulations stand on this matter?"

"I am reporting to you..." Liang Weijian replied without thinking too much: "I remember that in the seventh year of Xining, the late emperor had a decree: to buy horse farms along the border roads, and those who bought sixty-seven centimeters of the horse's forehead in that year, If you are allowed to transfer to an official rank, for every additional [-]% you buy after that, the officials concerned will have to work hard for one year..."

"Now that the two national relatives have bought enough horses, they will each be transferred to an official rank, and their mills will be reduced..."

Therefore, Zhao Xu immediately said: "In that case, I will issue a decree and write it down."

The two palaces nodded.

Zhao Xu smiled even happier.

Sima Guang will enter the court soon, and this is the gift Zhao Xu prepared for him.

Let the two palaces review how Sima Guang treated the Gao family and the Xiang family.

As long as the two palaces' good impression of Sima Guang is interrupted, Sima Guang can only become an annoying opponent even if he becomes the Prime Minister and enters the capital.

After returning to Funing Hall, Zhao Xu wrote a handwritten edict to Gao Gongji and Xiang Zonghui.

Then ask Feng Jing to send him to the Tongjian Department and quickly send him to Xihe Road.

On the edict, Zhao Xu asked the two national relatives how they were when they passed by Xihe.Then I also asked about the local climate, precipitation, and what the officials were doing.

Finally, we encourage them to keep up their efforts, not to be afraid of difficulties, and to make more achievements.

After doing this, Zhao Xu threw away his pen and went for a walk in the imperial garden.

……

Chenzhou, in the government office.

Sima Guang was holding the yangsui and reading the Di newspaper that had just been delivered.

The capital's provincial notes published in the imperial newspaper made his face look a little ugly.

"Ms. Sir..." Jiang Zhiqi, who had just received an order to go to Beijing and came to Chenzhou to visit Sima Guang, looked at Sima Guang's expression and asked, "What happened?"

"Han Zihua and Uncle Lu Hui finally surrendered to Wang Jiefu's evil methods..." Sima Guang sighed, feeling a little lonely.

Jiang Zhiqi smiled awkwardly.

He and Su Shi had already exchanged letters, so he knew some things about the DPRK.

He tried to persuade: "To be honest with you, sir, before I came to Beijing, I went to Jiangning Mansion to visit Duke Jing..."

Hearing this, Sima Guang looked at Jiang Zhiqi and asked, "How is Jiefu's health?"

"Jing Guogong is in good spirits, but his body looks thin and not what it used to be..." Jiang Zhiqi replied seriously after recalling the Wang Anshi he met when he visited Jiangning.

Sima Guang sighed: "Wang Jiefu is like an old man..."

His health is also not good.

The serious illness last year almost killed him. Although he survived with his strong willpower, he also knew that he had run out of gas.

He would never be able to survive another illness.

Sima Guang felt that he had no personal grudges against Wang Anshi, but that he was just wrong about the situation and the person.

He still admitted that Wang Anshi's article was very powerful.

I also respect Wang Anshi's moral character.

However, I can't stand Wang Anshi's new method.

Especially those laws that hinder people from making money in the name of financial management.

Jiang Zhiqi didn't know this and thought that Sima Guang was also moved by his old feelings - after all, Sima Guang, Wang Anshi, Han Jiang and Lu Gongzhu were once the four friends of Jiayou, so he took the opportunity to persuade him: "Ms., the past things are in the past. "I heard that many of the shortcomings and bad policies of the new law are being adjusted..."

"Now Taishi Wen, Zhang Jiedu, and other senior ministers such as Han Xianggong are in charge..."

However, Sima Guang waved his hand to interrupt what Jiang Zhiqi was about to say and said: "Uncle Ying, don't say anything more..."

"I will never die in peace if I don't eliminate Wang Jiefu's evil ways in this life!"

Jiang Zhiqi bowed to apologize and said: "Mr.

"No need to say any more!" Sima Guang said solemnly.

Jiang Zhiqi sighed and couldn't persuade him any more, so he could only say goodbye again.

Sima Guang personally sent Jiang Zhiqi out of the government office, then cupped his hands and said, "Uncle Ying, don't blame me..."

"What I worry about is not the present, but the future..."

He sighed leisurely: "I don't know, Han Zihua and others are already trying their best to improve Wang Anshi's new method, remove its disadvantages, and make it more convenient for the people..."

"Really...the one who started it has no descendants?"

"Today, Han Zihua can change his ways to make things more convenient for the people, and let him do more harm than good... In the future, if there are treacherous ministers who deceive him, and in the name of 'reform', he can do more harm than good..."

"The common people are innocent!"

This is what Sima Guang is most worried about.

How wise and powerful was Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty when he was young?

Then, once he neglected his government and indulged in pleasure, he appointed treacherous ministers and amassed money wantonly, causing the world to be in chaos and the country to sink.

Today, I am also a young, smart and promising person.

What if he becomes like Tang Xuanzong after reigning for a long time... What should we do?
Therefore, all Wang Anshi's new laws must be overthrown and criticized so that latecomers will not dare to take a step beyond them.

Unfortunately, no one supported him.

No one believed him.

Everyone thinks that he is making unfounded worries and they all think that he is making trouble unreasonably.

In particular, the two palaces actually left him alone in Chenzhou and did not even send an envoy to symbolically seek his opinions on such a big matter as adjusting the military service laws.

Not as good as the late Emperor!
The late emperor would at least do superficial work and at least express his willingness to listen to advice.

Jiang Zhiqi sighed and bowed: "My lord, one generation can only take care of the affairs of one generation..."

"I heard that although the emperor is young, he has his own opinions!"

"Why don't you talk to the Emperor?"

Sima Guang's eyes gradually brightened as he listened.

yes……

Although the emperor is young, he has his own opinions.

If I offer my heartfelt words, the Emperor will surely know my painstaking efforts.

So, he bowed deeply to Jiang Zhiqi: "Thank you, Uncle Ying, for reminding me!"

"I don't dare..." Jiang Zhiqi bowed again, and then said to Sima Guang: "My lord, please stay!"

Watching Jiang Zhiqi, surrounded by his servants, riding towards Bianjing.

Sima Guang cheered up again.

He returned to the government office and immediately ordered his attendants: "Prepare pens, inks, paper and inkstones for me... I want to write a letter to the emperor!"

……

Henan Prefecture, Fengtai Township, Yong'an County, among the mountains and rivers, the imperial mausoleum is majestic. The old Gutai Village is now the imperial mausoleum of Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty: Yongyu Mausoleum.

Cai Que once again inspected the late emperor's mausoleum, which was almost completed.

Especially the underground palace facilities. After confirming that there were no problems, he felt relieved and bowed again in the direction of Bianjing: "Finally, I have lived up to the kindness of the late emperor!"

This imperial mausoleum, from preliminary site selection and exploration to construction and construction.

Every plant, every tree, every brick and every stone was supervised by him personally.

Now, the young master of Bianjing City has a stable position, and the late emperor's mausoleum has been completed.

The favor has been repaid, and it's time to think about his personal problems.

"I wonder where I will go after returning to Beijing..."

The prime minister is a Shanling envoy. When the Shanling envoy returns to Beijing to resign, he must go to the place where he knows. This is tradition and rule.

But now, among the prefectures and counties in the world, there are only a few prefectures suitable for him as a prime minister.

Don't think about it: there is Lu Huiqing in Hedong, Han Wei in Daming Prefecture, Feng Jing in Henan Prefecture, and Wang Anli in Jiangning.

The only places he can go to are Heyang Prefecture, Yangzhou and Qingzhou.

If given the choice, Cai indeed hopes to go to Yangzhou.

Because Yangzhou nurtures people, and also because Yangzhou is suitable for his performance.

He is still young and wants to show hemp again.

With this in mind, Cai Que returned to his official office in the mountains near Yongyu Mausoleum.

By chance, I met Zhang Maoze, who was appointed as the chief minister of Shanling.

Zhang Mao turned away in disgust when he saw Cai Que.

Cai Que laughed and walked directly past the eunuch without saluting.

The moment he walked into the Shanling Envoy's office, Cai Que heard a subtle voice: "My lord, you should write to the emperor and report to him what happened in Henan Mansion..."

Cai Que turned around and saw the figure of Liang Congzheng, the deputy envoy of Yixing Shanling.

Cai Que bowed deeply to Liang Congzheng's back: "Thank you Ming Gong for reminding me!"

Yes!

After he came to Henan, he never reported what he did in Henan to the emperor.

He has lost his mind!

How could you make such a big mistake! ?
Cai Que thought about the legends he had heard, and immediately returned to the study and closed the door.

Then I picked up my pen and began to brew my emotions.

……

Liang Congzheng walked gently inside the government office.

He has ears in all directions and eyes in all directions, and the actions of those ministers are all seen by him.

He quietly walked to the side room where Zhang Maoze was resting, pricked up his ears, and listened to Zhang Maoze's incompetent and furious movements in the side room.

Then, he picked up a notebook and wrote down in it: In September of Guichou, Zhang Maoze, the official of Shanling, smashed the utensils in private, with a look of resentment and a hint of madness.

Then, he put the little notebook away and left as gently as he came, like a ghost.

But on this afternoon, a light cavalry galloped through Bianjing, just like it had done dozens of days and nights in the past, and delivered Liang's political report to Baoci Palace.

(End of this chapter)