I studied in modern times

Chapter 629 The Empress Dowager took the initiative to return power
September Gengwu (fifteenth day) of the first year of Yuanyou.

When Zhao Xu opened his eyes, he saw the two palaces sitting in front of him with happy faces.

"Sixth brother!" When Empress Dowager Xiang saw Zhao Xu wake up, she said happily, "Zhang Yu of Huanqing Road and Fan Chuncui, the transport envoy of Shaanxi, jointly sent a quick horse to Beijing this morning to report the victory. They said that they have captured the thief, the fake son-in-law, and Zhuai Jueweiming alive. They have beheaded more than 300 people, captured hundreds of people alive, and captured more than a thousand thief war horses!"

"In addition, the governor of Dashun City, Qu Zhen, the governor of Huaian Town, Zhong Gu, and others all said that the bandits were driven back and many were captured! The detailed results of the battle will be reported to the capital later!"

Having said this, Empress Dowager Xiang held Zhao Xu's little hand, and it was obvious that she was very excited.

the reason is simple.

Zhang Yu, the governor of Huanqing Road, was the one who made the arrangement with the support of the public!

Before going to the border, Zhang Qie had been serving as an official in the inner counties, working in the fields of criminal justice, grain, and transportation.

He has no experience in leading troops at all.

Therefore, when he was first proposed to be the commander of Jingyuan, he encountered great resistance.

They had no choice but to compromise. First, Ren Quan sent Zhao Xie as the governor of Qinfeng Road and the pacification envoy. When Zhao Xie, the governor of Huanqing Road, was transferred to Xihe, it was this kid who insisted on employing him. Only then did Du Tang reluctantly sign the imperial edict.

Afterwards, many personnel appointments and dismissals on Huanqing Road were driven by this child.

Qu Zhen was appointed as the military commander of Huanqing Road, and the veteran general Zhong Gu was transferred from Taozhou in Xihe to guard Huaian Town, and Zhe Keshi was transferred from Hedong Road.

And now, this deployment has paid off.

In the battle of Huanqing Road, Zhang Qie controlled the four directions and deployed strategies. Qu Zhen and Zhong Gu Laocheng were prudent and held the front line, not giving the enemy any chance and even causing repeated casualties. Zhe Keshi led his light cavalry out of the narrow road in the carriage and attacked the enemy army from the side. He first burned their military supplies to make the enemy panic, and then ambushed the enemy's fake prince consort and captured him alive!

At the same time, Qu Zhen and Zhong Gu on the front saw that the bandits were in a panic, so they led their troops in pursuit, killing, wounding and capturing many!
This shows what?
This shows that this child knows how to use people well!
This is a talent that a wise ruler must have!
That's why Empress Dowager Xiang was so happy.

The Empress Dowager said: "Your Majesty is truly a holy ruler sent from heaven to our family!"

She was convinced too!
Using the right person can be considered luck.

But if everyone uses it correctly, that’s real skill!

Moreover, this grandson not only used the right person on Huanqing Road.

Last year, both the government and the public were calling for the killing of Lu Huiqing from Hedong.

She and Empress Dowager Xiang also wanted to depose and punish him at one point.

But the government spoke for him, supported him, and executed Zhang Zhijian.

Now, it turns out that the officials were right!

Even though the Empress Dowager was unwilling to admit it in her heart, she already understood that there was no one more suitable to be the Hedong Commander than Lu Huiqing.

In this war, all the armies of the Song Dynasty were on the defensive.

He went all the way to Hedong and took the initiative to attack the bandits' lair. Not only did he not suffer any casualties, but he also brought back more than 3,000 Qiang people who had surrendered.

Lu Huiqing arranged them to farm in Jialuzhai, Wubaozhai and other places.

All of a sudden, the criticism of Lu Huiqing inside and outside the court seamlessly switched from his ability, character, and personality to his wastefulness, squandering of money, and his fruitless expedition.

This is actually a way to save face!
This is the suppression of Lu Huiqing by the whole court!
If you don't believe it, if the Hedong commander was not Lu Huiqing, wouldn't anyone else be praised to the sky by now?
I’m afraid someone would dare to label Zhuge Wuhou!

It is precisely because Hedong is Lu Huiqing that there are so many criticisms, doubts and attacks.

Whether it is the New Party or the Old Party, there are a lot of people who hate, fear and are terrified of Lu Huiqing, the "guardian god" of the New Party.

Afraid that he would return to the court!

It was also after this incident that the Empress Dowager's attitude towards Lu Huiqing quietly changed.

No other reason.

It's purely a bloodline talent, quietly activated!
Lu Huiqing was attacked and criticized by all the civil and military officials in the court, but no one spoke well of him or defended him.

What does this mean?
He has no friends, only enemies!

Such people are the most useful in the eyes of the royal family in the Song Dynasty.

The Zhao officials like to use ministers like this the most.

He is capable but has no friends and enemies everywhere in the court.

This is the best chess piece!

The best person to control the big and the small and to mix up different opinions!
Thinking of this, the Empress Dowager took a deep look at her grandson who was gradually growing from childishness to maturity.

The emperor's grandson is really good at employing people.

I don't know how he did it. How did he know that Lu Huiqing was an outlier in the New Party?

Of course, in the eyes of the Empress Dowager, the emperor's grandson was the best at employing people in Xihe.

Although, Xihe is still reporting and confronting the bandits in Dingxi.

However, no matter whether it was the civil or military officials in Xihe, or the appointed officials, the reports submitted to the court were full of confidence and optimism.

They not only say it, they also do it.

The evidence is that the Xihe side not only blocked the fierce attack of Liang Yibu, the prime minister of the Western Kingdom, in the direction of Dingxi City, but also blocked the fierce attack of the Western Kingdom.

They even had enough strength to send troops to Guzhou to aid Xibawen, and to Miaochuan to support Wen Xixin!

And in these two directions, they also withstood the offensive of Tubo and the Western bandits!
What does this mean?
This shows that Xihe is well prepared, and that Xihe’s civil and military generals have enough confidence!
And after this battle, as long as nothing goes wrong.

Xihe will reward people according to their merits. Her beloved nephew Gao Gongji will surely make great contributions, and the Gao family will produce another great general!
Besides bringing honor to the family, it will also make her proud.

I remember last year when Gao Gongji and Xiang Zonghui were personally appointed by the government to go to Xihe.

These are the rumors both inside and outside the government.

Especially what Sima Guang once said!
The Empress Dowager was extremely happy and felt honored.

The only pity is that Sima Guang is dead!

This made the Empress Dowager feel somewhat regretful.

While thinking about these things, I heard Zhao Xu say, "It's all thanks to the blessing and support of my Grandmother and Queen Mother!"

The Empress Dowager's mood suddenly became even better.

At this moment, she seemed to have finally made up her mind. She held Zhao Xu's hand and said, "I and the Queen Mother are just women. We don't understand the military, the country, or the society..."

"Now, the government is ruled from behind the curtain only because the official is still underage."

"When the emperor comes of age, the old man and the queen mother will retire to the back garden and hand over the government to the emperor."

Just as Zhao Xu was about to speak, she held his hand and continued, "Your Majesty doesn't have to give all the credit to me and the Queen Mother."

"You are a filial son and a virtuous grandson. You are filial to your parents and take care of the empress dowager. This is all good."

"However, the civil and military achievements of the emperor are beyond the reach of me and the Queen Mother!"

"After this battle, the Queen Mother and I will inform all the ministers and announce it to the world. All civil and military officials will be appointed by the emperor himself. All related arrangements are matters of the emperor's holy will. We will make it clear to the world!"

This means that she has come to terms with it and has recognized the reality - the mother and son are connected, and the court officials, military officials, and relatives have long recognized only this grandson.

If she insisted on lingering, she would probably end up with the same fate as Cisheng Guangxian - being forced to withdraw the curtain by the prime minister and all the civil and military officials.

That's not decent.

But she was very concerned about her reputation in her life and would never want to do that.

In this case, it would be the best option for her and the Gao family to make it clear as soon as possible.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xu quickly stood up, knelt on the bed and kowtowed to express his gratitude: "Since the Emperor's father was unfortunate and abandoned the country, I have been blessed and supported by my Grand Mother and Queen Mother. I can say that I have received their love and blessing..."

"Without the protection and support of the Grand Mother and the Queen Mother, who took charge of the overall situation and stabilized the country, how could I study, grow and learn with peace of mind?" "I wish to take care of the Grand Mother and the Queen Mother when I grow up and enjoy the family life!"

"Good child!" The Empress Dowager smiled and hugged the child.

Empress Dowager Xiang also shed tears of joy and joined in, saying to Zhao Xu, "Sixth brother, remember what I said today and be filial to mother in the future."

She knew very well how difficult it would be for the Queen Mother to make a promise on her own initiative that as soon as the Sixth Brother came of age, she would return power to him.

You know, she has been hinting and hinting in front of the aunt these days, but has never received a clear answer.

Now that the Queen Mother has agreed, the day of returning power can be put on the agenda.

"Yes!" Zhao Xu nodded seriously: "I know."

After experiencing all kinds of things in his previous life, he studied abroad in modern times for ten years.

Zhao Xu has long been a complete political creature.

In the eyes and hearts of political creatures, there is no love or hate, only power.

At the same time, it highlights the fact that one is untrustworthy and turns his back on others.

The most typical example is the Tartar Emperor Hongli.

Of course, Zhao Xu's character could not be as ruthless as Hongli.

At the same time, the social environment and system of the Song Dynasty did not allow Hongli to survive - a monarch like Hongli could only be nurtured and born under the Tartar system.

If it were any other dynasty, it would surely force the world to rebel!

Especially in the Song Dynasty - governing the world together with the literati is not just talk!

But it is the real reality!
Why did Wang Anshi fall out with his father?
Others may not know, but Zhao Xu is also not clear?

There was a conflict between the power of the prime minister and the power of the emperor!

And it is an irreconcilable conflict!

The stubborn man, realizing that there was no way out, simply dropped his pole and ran away, floating on the sea on a raft.

Precisely because he knew this reality, Zhao Xu would most of the time portray himself as a kind, tolerant, easy-going and receptive person.

He only used thunder-like methods occasionally to shock his ministers and tell others that he had a compassionate heart and could also be a furious Vajra!

……

The three generations of grandparents and grandchildren hugged each other and snuggled together for a while.

The Empress Dowager seemed to have remembered something. She let go of Zhao Xu and asked, "My Lord, I heard that the officials in the Silk and Brocade Court are returning the stolen goods. So far, they have returned more than 10,000 pieces of silk fabrics of various kinds?"

"Yes!" Zhao Xu nodded: "Zhang Heng and Sun Chen from the Ministry of Revenue reported it yesterday."

"It was just a small silk and brocade house, but in just two or three days, they returned more than 10,000 rolls of stolen silk."

"You can imagine what the situation is like in other departments!"

"This problem is so serious that many ministers have submitted petitions to the emperor, hoping to thoroughly solve the problem!"

Thinking of this, Zhao Xu looked at the Grand Empress Dowager and Empress Dowager Xiang: "What do you think, Grand Mother?"

The two palaces looked at each other and then shook their heads firmly.

"Sixth brother, all departments have their drawbacks!"

"But if there were no departments, the affairs of the world would be difficult to maintain!" Queen Mother Xiang advised softly.

This is a fact!

In modern times, Zhao Xu watched a TV series in which the Emperor Wanshou once asked a soul-searching question: They took two million of my money and gave me one million. Should I thank them?!

According to Zhao Xu's understanding, Emperor Wanshou was able to get one million, which actually showed that he was a member of the strict party and loyal to the country.

If Xu Jie and his party from the Qingliu group had gone instead, they would probably take 2.5 million out of the 3 million, and the remaining 500,000 would have gone with 300,000. In the end, if only 200,000 were left in the hands of Emperor Wanshou, they would have done him justice!
At least, that's what Xu Jie and his disciples did later.

The Song Dynasty did not have this problem.

All the ministries and offices, as well as the pawnshops of prefectures and counties, were the purses of the Zhao officials.

Moreover, in order to win favor and to strive for promotion, these guys will try every possible means to complete their KPI.

In this way, the emperor's money would always fall into his own treasury.

This is how Zhao Xu's father got the 600 to 700 million in treasures from the 32 sealed warehouses.

Honestly speaking, if Zhao Xu had not gone to study abroad in modern times and broadened his horizons, he would never have moved to other departments.

Although the various officials were greedy, they never gave less than the emperor's share.

Moreover, they often exceed their targets.

A typical example is Lingjinyuan.

Don’t think that just because Zhao Xu made a fuss about Lingjinyuan, you will get a lot of money from Lingjinyuan?
In fact, Ling Jinyuan had never been greedy for his money.

The stolen goods that the people from Lingjinyuan returned were all obtained by sucking blood from the weavers.

The weavers, in turn, oppressed and exploited the women workers and craftsmen.

The same thing has been happening in states and counties.

The people are suffering more and the various departments are blamed for the infamy. This is happening all the time in the Song Dynasty.

Seeing Zhao Xu's hesitation, Empress Dowager Xiang hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, please think about the meaning of Mr. Xu Jiang's article!"

Mr. Li Gou from Xujiang is a great scholar who clearly supports the country's control over the lifeline of the state-owned economy.

At the same time, he was also a great scholar who advocated that scholars and officials should talk a lot about their interests.

Zhao Xu has been studying Li Gou's articles since August last year.

Deng Runfu started teaching from "Qingli Minyan" and has now reached the chapter "Guoyong".

By the way, it was because Deng Runfu clearly cheered and advocated for his teacher Li Gou at the imperial lecture.

He has now been isolated by the New Party.

This is normal - in the eyes of other New Party ministers, Deng Runfu's behavior was a complete betrayal, a sign of being unsteady in his stance on New Learning, and a sign of being dishonest towards New Learning, and a villain hidden in the New Party.

There was no announcement of his expulsion from the New Party simply because Wang Anshi had not spoken yet.

If Wang Anshi spoke, then the next two or three of you would immediately start attacking with drums beating.

But no one wanted to play with Deng Runfu anymore, and Deng Runfu now went to court alone.

And the old party?
The old party watched this with indifference, and many people thought it would be best if Deng Runfu, Li Qingchen, An Tao and other new party leaders perished together.

That would be really great!

It would be great if Zhang Dun, Zeng Bu, Han Zhen and Deng Wan who are outside could also be sent away.

According to Zhao Xu's observation, Deng Runfu enjoyed this and enjoyed it.

When I heard Empress Dowager Xiang mention Mr. Li Gou from Xujiang, I had already determined to become the best successor of Li Gou's thoughts and Li Gou's only designated successor.

Zhao Xu immediately became interested.

"I understand what you mean, mother!" Zhao Xu said, "I was just thinking of telling you what I'm thinking..."

(End of this chapter)