I studied in modern times

Chapter 423 Flexible Red Line

On the [-]th day of the third month of the first year of Yuanyou (the [-]th day of the lunar month), when Wang Shenri arrived, all the civil servants, ministers, court officials, and above who were not in charge of matters in Beijing came to the Zichen Hall.

Shuoshen, Wangshen, Liushen, and Japanese ginseng.

The four types of court visit systems in the country and dynasty divided the official ecology of four different levels.

Among them, Wangcan has the lowest status and level.

Because Wang Shen is a court meeting attended by "officials and above who are not in charge of matters in Beijing".

Even the past is a process.

During the 19 years of the late emperor's reign, he actually appeared in Wangshen court maybe not even thirty times.

Since he ascended the throne and took charge of the two palaces, he has never appeared in Wangshen court.

Everyone just bowed twice in front of the empty curtains and mats in the Zichen Hall, and that was the end.

Then everyone can go back to their respective homes and find their own mothers.

But today is an exception.

When the ministers attending the imperial court, wearing official uniforms and holding imperial huts, walked through the morning mist in mid-spring, they arrived at the Neidong Gate.

They suddenly discovered that the inner east gate was already bustling with people, including prime ministers and ministers waiting to be appointed.

Noble clothes are everywhere under the palace gate.

what's the situation?
The minds of many ministers were suddenly awakened, and their sleepy eyes immediately became gleaming.

Then one by one, they all obediently moved to the end of the queue.

When they arrived at Zichen Palace, they knew why this was the case?
Something big happened!

Cisheng of the two palaces came to Zichen Palace in person and ordered Prime Minister Han Jiang to read out the edict in the palace.

Use the method of court recommendation to select the ministers in power!
As a result, the entire Bianjing City was immediately alarmed by this incident.

The Bianjing Newspaper, which had been prepared for a long time, immediately launched an urgent special issue.

Suddenly, the streets were filled with the sounds of newsboys hawking.

"Sell the newspaper! Sell the newspaper!"

"This is the special edict of the Holy One to order the ministers to rule the country!"

"Our newspaper's commentator Hu Feipan commented on this: There are things that did not happen in the Han and Tang Dynasties, and things that the Shang and Zhou Dynasties could not do. The subjects of the Emperor and Song Dynasties lived in a prosperous age and met a wise king. They were really lucky for three lifetimes!"

Zeng Bu opened the window facing the street and looked at the newsboy hawking downstairs.

They were several children of about ten years old. They were wearing blue burlap clothes, and their hair was neatly combed, and they didn't look dirty.

They were holding tabloids in their hands, and they all had money bags hanging on their chests. As they walked, the coins jingled in the bags.

Zeng Bu looked at the retreating figures of these children, his eyes gradually narrowed.

"What is Zixuan looking at?" The person sitting opposite him asked with a smile.

"These newsboys are hired by Bianjing New Newspaper." Zeng Bu replied: "I heard that Bianjing New Newspaper hired them and signed a contract to take care of their food and accommodation. They also hired someone to teach them how to read and write."

The man smiled and said: "To be honest with Zixuan, I personally went to the official mansion and private school rented by Bianjing New Newspaper for these newsboys."

"Those official houses are all in Yongtaifang in the outer city..."

"Yongtaifang?" Zeng Bu frowned: "That's where Zhiyuan Affairs is, right?"

Zhiyuanwu is an agency under the Privy Council. It mainly raises and manages donkeys, horses, mules, cattle and other carrying livestock in Beijing, and provides leasing services to merchants.

It and the car operation business of the three government offices directly under it are actually two signboards and one government office.

When it is necessary to go on an expedition, it is the car camp service, and usually it is the Zhiyuan service.

It is precisely for this reason that Yongtaifang, where Zhiyuan Affairs Office is located, is one of the few places in Bianjing where no scholar-officials are willing to set foot.

The main reason is that there are too many livestock in that place.

Even its main livestock have now been moved to be raised outside the city.

However, because he needs to rent livestock to make money, Zhiyuanwu also raises thousands of various livestock in the square all year round.

It is a famous dirty and messy place in Bianjing City.

The man nodded: "Exactly! To be honest with Zi Xuan, I personally inspected the place where the newsboys sleep. They all sleep in a room with bunks, using wooden boards as bed frames, with two upper and lower bunks, and more than ten people sleep in one room. ."

Zeng Bu's frown deepened and he asked, "So, the people behind Bianjing Xinbao are just fishing for fame? But it's not like that."

More than ten people crowded into a small house.

Zeng Bu could imagine that there must be a stench and sewage flowing across the sky.

Coupled with the situation of Wing Tai Fang...

The feces left by various livestock flows along with the sewage in the streets.

Countless flies and mosquitoes are flying all over the sky...

It's terrible!

The other party laughed, shook his head and said, "What Zixuan said is true."

"Huh?" Zeng Bu raised his hand and said, "Brother An, please give me some advice."

The person sitting opposite him was An Cheng, the eldest brother of An Tao, the minister of Zhongshu at that time.

After An Cheng failed in the imperial examination in his early years, he switched to business and was very successful. He traveled all over the country, and his business even reached Xihe Road.

Since An Tao became the ruler, he took over the business and worked with An Tao as an aide.

He is a meticulous person with a calm personality, and because he has been to countless places when doing business and has a good understanding of the geography of states and counties around the world, An Tao will ask An Cheng's opinion first on many matters.

Naturally, it was also the target of Zeng’s strategy and lobbying.

An Cheng stroked his beard and said with a smile, "Zixuan has never seen the newsboy's residence in Yongtai Square."

"When I went there, because it was morning, there was no one else where the newsboys lived except for a few cooks who were in charge of their food and drink."

"However, the courtyard is clean, the beds are neatly made, and all the beddings are folded squarely, like cubes of tofu."

"I heard from the cooks who take care of their daily meals that these children get up at five o'clock every day to do exercises, go out to sell newspapers after dawn, and need to take care of themselves three times a day."

As An Cheng spoke, he pursed his lips, lowered his voice, and said to Zeng Sermon: "In the afternoon, I spend most of my time studying in a private school."

"The teachers of the private school, in addition to some veteran scholars and scholars, there are also many people who have served in the Fourth Army."

"Teach them carpentry and masonry skills, and also teach them to be familiar with various weapons..."

Zeng Bu listened, his heart beating thumpingly.

In Bianjing City, they dared to raise orphans openly, organized them, and even invited the Imperial Guards from the Fourth Army to teach them skills.

It can only be said that it is really a bright card telling the world who is the real owner behind Bianjing New News?

An Cheng continued: "I also heard someone say that the best-performing children will be sent to the Astronomy Bureau to learn arithmetic and equipment from the astronomy bureau's magicians."

After saying that, An Cheng looked at Zeng Bu: "Zixuan must have thought of it too, right?"

Zeng Bu nodded, let out a breath, and said, "The legend is actually true."

In the history books, he had only seen one person do something similar.

Sima Yi.

He secretly amassed three thousand dead men, and then launched the Gaopingling Revolution, turning Cao Wei's country into the possession of the Sima family in one fell swoop.

But the question is, why would that person do such a thing?

Doesn’t everyone in this world belong to him?

Can't figure it out!
Do not understand!
But this also proves that that person is far from being as benevolent, filial and kind as he appears.

An Cheng smiled, some details he saw in Yongtai Square flashing back in his mind.

There are words written on the walls of the courtyard using plaster.

"The officials gave me clothes, and the officials gave me food. The officials are very kind, and it is difficult to repay them in this life!"

The simple text told those children directly to whom they should repay this kindness.

In history, there was only one emperor who did something similar.

Han Wudi!
Emperor Wu adopted an orphan from the Han army and formed the Yulin Army. This army has since become the most trusted, reliable and loyal force for generations of emperors in the Han Dynasty.

But nowadays, people are not only ordered to adopt these orphans who have lost their parents and have no relatives.

They also teach them reading and literacy and let them learn various skills.

When these children grow up, they will only be more loyal than the Habayashi Army.

And how many newsboys are there in Bianjing Xinbao now?
No one knows the exact number, but they can only estimate it roughly, it should be more than [-] and less than [-].

And, to do this, that person didn’t even spend a penny of his own money.

All newsboys actually support themselves.

After making this clear, An Cheng felt horrified.

Therefore, he never told anyone about these things, not even his brother An Tao.

What he said was almost the same as what he said to Zeng Bu.

Too scary!

Is this something that an 11-year-old child can do?
Moreover, it is certain that as the Bianjing New Newspaper becomes larger and larger, it begins to develop into Luoyang and Damingfu.

The number of orphans it can adopt will also increase.

When the adult comes to take charge, he will immediately have a loyal and capable team of teachers who are mostly literate and master basic arithmetic and various skills.

Zeng Bu picked up the wine glass on the table and took a sip. Looking at An Cheng who was distracted, he couldn't help coughing.

An Cheng came back to his senses and smiled at Zeng Bu: "I just remembered the trivial matter and made Zixuan laugh."

"No problem!" Zeng Bu smiled.

An Cheng met Zeng Bu's eyes, half-smiling but not smiling, and asked pretending to be confused: "Zixuan specially invited a certain person to come here to meet you today, but is there something wrong?"

Zeng Bu cupped his hands and said, "I knew I couldn't hide it from my brother."

"Brother, you must have heard that the Cisheng of the two palaces issued an edict today, ordering the prime minister to be in charge of the court, and wait for the vote to be elected as the governor, right?"

An Cheng nodded, of course he knew, otherwise he wouldn't have come here to keep the appointment.

"I wonder if Mr. Houqing has a candidate?" Of course Zeng Bu knew that since An Cheng agreed to come here to see him, he was of course willing to talk to him, but he still had to show off.

An Cheng shook his head.

"I wonder, Brother An, can you say a few kind words for me in front of Duke Houqing?" Zeng Bu said immediately: "I don't ask to be selected, but I ask to have my name presented to you."

"If Mr. Hou is willing to help, he will be rewarded in the future!"

In the Song Dynasty, the chief ministers were never fixed.

It is a very rare example for someone like Wang Anshi to serve as a prime minister in the court for a long time.

Generally speaking, if a prime minister can serve for three years, he is considered to be highly trusted.

Therefore, every serving prime minister must think carefully about who will take over his duties after he leaves the court.
An Cheng immediately laughed: "The declaration is serious, the words are serious."

"It's just my humble words..." When Zeng Bu heard this, he immediately understood and said quickly: "If you are kind, I can help you."

"Then in the future, if Duke Houqing needs me, I would like to follow the story of Duke Jing and Duke Kang."

When Han Jiang and Wang Anshi were in Xining years, you recommended me to prime minister, and I recommended you to prime minister. Nowadays, no one in the political arena knows this.

An Cheng listened and smiled: "The declaration is serious! I'll try my best."

……

At this time, Zhao Xu was in the weapons manufacturing bureau, watching the test firing event of the new divine arm bow organized by Yan Yuan's team.

Dozens of burly Yulongzhi stood on the shooting range and collectively used their feet to string the god's arm bow.

Then, lift them up one by one and aim at the target in front.

Puff puff!
The sound of the bow string vibrating kept resounding, and one target after another was smashed to pieces by the specially made armor-piercing arrows.

Zhao Xu watched, always smiling.

"Shen Tiju, how much can this bow produce per month now?" Zhao Xu turned around and asked Shen Kuo, who was standing beside him.

Shen Kuo replied: "Your Majesty, I have informed you that according to your Majesty's decree, I have set up a crossbow department in the bureau dedicated to manufacturing weapons. With your majesty's order, the craftsmen are ordered to specialize in one thing. Thanks to your majesty's wisdom, the bow and crossbow department is now under the command of your majesty." The God-Producing Arm Bow Cult has greatly increased in the past.”

"The old method could only produce more than a hundred per month. After adopting the new method, the Divine Arm Bow can produce more than [-] per month."

"Good!" Zhao Xu smiled and nodded: "You have all made great contributions to the country!"

More than three hundred improved divine arm bows a month.

That’s nearly four thousand a year!

It can fully meet the current needs of the Song Dynasty.

"I will not treat you badly, all your ministers!" Zhao Xu said, and asked Feng Jing to step forward and read out the decree he had prepared.

Shen Kuo reduced the work and survey for one year, gave dozens of pieces of Shu brocade, and paid ten thousand for additional posts. The officials of the Bow and Crossbow Department all reduced the work and survey for two years, and the monthly salary of the craftsmen was increased consistently.

Immediately, all the officials present knelt down to thank him.

Shen Kuo took advantage of the opportunity to express his gratitude and said, "I beg your majesty to name the new bow!"

He remembered very clearly that the late emperor liked to give names to various things.

For example, the name of the Divine Arm Bow was given by the late emperor.

In addition, all the new fortresses along the roads were also given by the late emperor.

Father and son are one, and Shen Kuo feels that this man should also like to give names.

Zhao Xu listened, smiled, and said: "In that case, I will give him a name: Defeat the Enemy!"

"May he defeat all the enemies of the Song Dynasty on the battlefield!"

"I obey your orders!" Shen Kuo bowed again.

At this time, Shi Deyi quietly walked from the crowd to Zhao Xu and whispered: "Everyone..."

Zhao Xu had already had a tacit understanding with him, and he immediately listened to him. Shi Deyi followed up and said, "Just now, the Inspector came to report that Zeng Bu, the Secretary of the Ministry of Household Affairs, seemed to be upstairs in Fan Tower. He had an appointment with An Tao, the younger brother of Tongzhi Privy Councilor An Tao." Cheng."

Zhao Xu nodded.

After he took control of the Detective Department, the public whereabouts of several ministers in the court have always been something he must master to meet the requirements of the Detective Department.

Zeng Bu, who was his previous life, stabbed him and Zhang Dun in the back, and helped Zhao Ji come to power. Naturally, he is the key target of monitoring (it really wasn't because Zeng Bu spread rumors about him in his diary!).

Of course, Zhao Xu only wanted to know the public whereabouts of these people, and was not interested in knowing other things.

But even so, Zhao Xu also knew a lot of little secrets that no one knew.

Shi Deyi continued: "That An Cheng, he went to Yongtaifang some time ago."

Only then did Zhao Xu become serious.

When the people around him saw this, they wisely moved away to avoid hearing something they shouldn't hear.

Zhao Xu rubbed his hands and then asked: "Are there any rumors related to Yongtai Fang in Bianjing City?"

Shi Deyi shook his head.

Zhao Xu understood, so he ordered: "Don't worry about it."

Although it is said that the ancestral system of the Great Song Dynasty prohibited the ministers from having close contact in private.

However, since the founding of the country, the ministers have been in close contact with each other.

Many people still have sons and daughters, and even father, son, or son-in-law succeed as prime ministers.

Therefore, this so-called ancestral system is actually only remembered and regarded as a crime when it is needed.

When it's not needed, basically no one cares.

Just like now, because Zhao Xu pays more attention to this aspect, the chief ministers are separated by a layer.

Staff members, nephews, and brothers became the communication channels between them.

It is impossible for the emperor to really prohibit any contact between them - in this case, there would be no need to do anything.

Of course, the red line definitely exists.

If you cross that line, you will definitely be hit with an iron fist!

However, every emperor's red line is different.

Renmiao, for example, rarely paid attention to this matter, so much so that veterans from the Jiayou era even dared to directly force the palace to ask for the appointment of a heir apparent!

Zhao Xu's father, however, was more sensitive to this matter.

Except for Wang Anshi, no one can have too close behavior with other governors, let alone advance and retreat together - even Wang Anshi, in the Xining era, there were a lot of opposition forces placed in the court.

By the Yuanfeng era, the ministers were basically each other's political enemies.

You are like Han Zhen and An Tao of the Privy Council, who are mortal enemies.

Wang Gui and Cai Que, the prime ministers of Dongfu, are the kind who never interact with each other until death.

In other words, Li Qingchen and Zhang Dun may have a good relationship, but their temperaments are completely different.

When it comes to Zhao Xu, there are naturally red lines.

It's just that his red line is more flexible and has different requirements for different people.

If you are like Zhang Dun...

Basically no taboos.

Because Zhao Xu has absolute trust in Zhang Dun!
Zeng Bu, on the other hand, is on the other side.

Use it but don't trust it!

Therefore, we must monitor his daily activities and pay attention to his whereabouts to prevent this young man from backstabbing.

But it's not like Zeng Bu would have a stress reaction if he did something out of the ordinary.

Zeng Bu, apart from his poor character, has good abilities.

But An Tao's brother actually went to Yongtaifang? !

Zhao Xu thought for a while and said to Shi Deyi: "Shi Deyi, go say hello to Tong Guan and let's move next month."

"It's a bit conspicuous to stay in one place for a long time."

He is not afraid now that people will discover these little tricks he does in private.

However, those children may not be able to bear the visits and prying eyes of the outside world.

"Besides, send someone to beat up An Tao's brother."

"Tell him that those who do not believe or spread rumors are good subjects of the Song Dynasty."

"No!" Shi De bowed and stepped back.

But not long after he left, he returned again. Behind him was another person, Guo Zhongxiao.

Zhao Xu's eyes were surprised.

Guo Zhongxiao had already arrived in front of Zhao Xu, bowed and held up a memorial that was sealed with fire paint in his hand: "Your Majesty, I am reporting to Gao Zunhui on official matters in Guangxi."

Zhao Xu immediately said: "Send it over quickly."

Gao Zunhui went to Guangxi with his mission.

He had also been waiting for Gao Zunhui's report, but unfortunately, he never got it.

This made Zhao Xu a little anxious.

He urgently wants to know whether the sugar cane will be planted?

If it is not planted in time, I may have to wait until next year.

Guo Zhongxiao held up Gao Zunhui's memorial.

Feng Jing immediately walked over, picked it up, and then delivered it to Zhao Xu.

Zhao Xu took the memorial and checked the paint first. There was no sign of damage.

This shows that this report from Gao Zunhui has not been opened since it left Gao Zunhui's hands.

Zhao Xu nodded, then opened the memorial, opened it, put it in his hand and read it.

Gao Zunhui's memorial only talks about two things.

First, he has arrived in Shun'an Prefecture as required, and with the help and assistance of Guihua Prefecture Zhizhou Nongzhihui and Shun'an Prefecture Zhizhou Nong Shengde, he has reclaimed more than 1000 acres of wasteland and planted seeds from the southeast. Sugarcane seedlings found in Mingzhou, Changzhou, Suzhou and other places are now doing well.

At the same time, he also said a lot of good things to Nong Zhihui and Nong Shengde brothers.

They are said to be loyal, simple and honest.

This second thing is interesting.

Gao Zunhui wrote a letter saying that God has the virtue of good life, and the saints have the teaching of kindness and forgiveness.

He was worried that after Wang's army marched south and entered Jiaozhi, some people might kill innocent people indiscriminately and take credit for their merits.

This may damage Master Wang's reputation and undermine His Majesty's holy virtue.

Gao Zunhui believed that in this kind of matter, it would be ineffective to just rely on the imperial court to issue an edict to restrain the generals.

Because 'the soldiers are vulgar and do not understand the teachings of the saints'.

So Gao Zunhui said: "I beg your Majesty to redeem his people with money and silk."

This is to ask the imperial court to issue an order that the survival of the captured young, old, women and children will also be counted as military merit.

In this way, the soldiers do not need to kill good deeds and still get rewards, and no one will kill the people of Jiaozhi at will.

Zhao Xu smiled almost the whole time and read Gao Zunhui's memorial.

He felt extremely happy.

Who says that my relatives from the Song Dynasty are all corrupt and lustful people?

See people?

Facts have proved that as long as relatives are used properly, they can still benefit the country and the people.

(End of this chapter)