I studied in modern times

Chapter 703: Setting the Rules (2)

The side hall of Funing Hall is located to the west of Funing Hall, on the right hand side of the west upper gate.

Since Zhao Xu ascended the throne, he rarely used this place.

But when his father was alive, this place was the real decision-making core and center of the Song Dynasty.

Countless policies and decrees during the Yuanfeng era were discussed with the ministers, promulgated and implemented here.

But Zhao Xu felt that this place was too conspicuous.

There were too many eunuchs, female officials, and personal attendants coming and going.

It is easy for outsiders to know who he met and talked to.
Therefore, Zhao Xu moved his small circle into the quiet room behind the East Pavilion.

And this side hall became a place where he would come only when he wanted to leak a secret.

Just like now!
"Fang Ping, the former envoy of the Southern Court of Xuanhui, the governor of Zhangde Army, the supervisor of Yuanyou Dictionary Bookstore, and the editor of Yuanyou Dictionary..."

"This is a tribute to the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, the Director of the Hanlin Academy, the Director of the Yuanyou Hunyun Bureau, and the Director of the Ministry of Works..."

"May His Majesty the Emperor be blessed with good health!"

The two old ministers bowed in the hall and greeted them four times.

Then, there are Zeng Zhao and Su Zhe, the two secretaries of the Secretariat.

They lay on the ground in the hall in a proper manner, saying, "I, the minister Zhao (Zhe), the secretary of the Central Secretariat, respectfully wish His Majesty the Emperor the best of health!"

Then he followed Zhang Fangping and Su Song and bowed his head four times.

However, Zhao Xu seemed not to see them and just greeted Zhang Fangping and Su Song enthusiastically.

"Mr. Zhang, Mr. Su, please get up quickly!"

"Feng Jing!" He turned around and ordered, "Why don't you quickly give the two gentlemen a seat and some tea?"

"Yes!" Feng Jing quickly brought people, moved chairs, and served tea.

Zhang Fangping and Su Song stood up, bowed their heads to express their gratitude, and then sat down.

Zhang Fangping carefully picked up the teacup and took a sip of the tea. Then he sat on the chair and said respectfully, "This old minister and Minister Su came to the palace today to beg for your grace..."

"Hmm?" Zhao Xu sat upright on the cushion, pretending to be confused, and asked, "What exactly is going on? Why do you need Old Master and Su Master to come together to beg me?"

Zhang Fangping sighed and said, "The Secretary of the Central Secretariat Su Zhe is the son of Su Xun, an old friend of mine..."

"Now, because Zhe believed others' words, he even returned the title to the Empress Dowager..."

As he said this, he stood up, held the cymbals and bowed, saying: "Zhe is guilty, and I dare not take sides... I beg Your Majesty to punish him!"

When you go to the palace to beg for mercy, of course you can't just say it directly.

In this case, it would be easy for the emperor to lose face.

At the same time, the minister himself would also have to take great risks - if the news got out, the blow to his reputation would be devastating.

Even if someone tries to whitewash it, it will probably still be recorded in history!
It would be much better if someone spoke up like Zhang Fangping, under the guise of sacrificing his own relatives for the sake of justice and asking the emperor to punish him.

It also makes it easier for the emperor to forgive and extend favors, and it can also be explained to the outside world - there is nothing better than admitting one's mistakes and correcting them!

So, you can raise it high, put it down gently, drink three glasses of wine as punishment, and never do it again!
This is in line with Confucian thought - to learn from past mistakes and be a warning to future ones.

Once it gets out, no one in the world can criticize it, and they may even praise it.

Su Che immediately bowed again in the hall and said: "I am guilty, please punish me, Your Majesty!"

Zhao Xu looked at him but didn't say anything.

Seeing this, Su Song had no choice but to stand up and also said, "I'll inform your Majesty that I entered the palace today for this reason..."

"Zeng Zhao and Su Zhe, the secretaries of the Imperial Secretariat, are both descendants of my close friends..."

"These two people believed others' words so easily that they wrongly accused the ministers of state and then returned the title to the Empress Dowager!"

"These two people have committed a crime of the greatest magnitude! I beg Your Majesty to punish them as a warning to others!"

Zhao Xu finally spoke: "I naturally know about the two servants' affairs."

"but……"

He looked at Zeng Zhao and Su Zhe and asked, "I have a question that I have been unable to figure out! I would like to ask the two of you to answer it for me..."

Su Che and Zeng Zhao hurriedly bowed their heads again and said, "We respectfully listen to your teachings!"

Zhao Xu leaned back on the cushion and asked, "Please teach me, my two servants..."

"What are the duties of the Zhongshu Sheren?" As he said this, he slowly stood up, walked to the steps of the side hall, and looked down at Zeng Zhao and Su Che from his high vantage point.

Zhao Xu has been growing taller in the past year or so.

Today, he is nearly four feet six inches (about 145CM) tall, considered a little adult, and no longer looks as thin as when he first ascended the throne.

Therefore, although he was still young, when he walked to the imperial steps, with the help of the height of the imperial steps and the momentum and aura he displayed.

At this moment, Zeng Zhao and Su Zhe couldn't help but tremble and felt as if they were shaking.

Of course, this was also related to the fact that they were guilty and had already lost their courage after entering the Funing Palace.

After a while, Su Che bowed and said, "Your Majesty, according to the court system, the Zhongshu Sheren is an official who writes poems for the outside. He receives orders from the emperor and follows the king's words to draft the poems for the six rooms of Li, Gong, Li, Xing, Bing, and Hu... According to the system of the previous emperor, if the Zhongshu Sheren feels that something is inappropriate or the appointment is inappropriate, he can return the poem."

Zhao Xu listened and asked with a smile: "Really?"

"But I heard that some people in the court said: 'The Secretary of the Central Secretariat is the elder of the cabinet', and some people also said that 'The Secretary of the Central Secretariat's pen is like a five-flowered judge, who can judge life and death' and so on..."

At this point, Zhao Xu asked jokingly: "Two 'elders', come and explain to me..."

"How does this Zhongshu Sheren decide life and death?"

Su Che and Zeng Zhao trembled when they heard this.

Although the so-called "Ge Lao" and "Wuhua Panshi" are terms passed down from ancient times.

However, the emperor put it on display in the palace today and spoke openly about it.

This is equivalent to accusing them of abusing their power as Zhongshu Sheren to threaten and embarrass others at will.

The Zhongshu Sheren of the Song Dynasty had criminal records.

In the past, ministers of the two systems (Hanlin academician and Zhizhigao/Zhongshu Sheren) had to charge a fee for writing a poem for others.

Especially the Zhizhigao (the predecessor of Zhongshu Sheren)!
Because they were facing county officials, many of whom were of humble origins, they could manipulate them at will.

The reputation of Zhongshu Sheren as "Ge Lao" and "Wuhua Panshi" was forged by the blood and tears of these officials.

Nowadays, the rule of charging writing fees has been abolished on the surface (initiated by Wang Anshi).

But, has the writing fee really disappeared?
Su Che and Zeng Zhao, upon hearing the emperor's accusations in the palace, were trembling with fear and could not utter a word.

Because this matter cannot be explained.

First of all, "Ge Lao" and "Wuhua Panshi" and so on are all nicknames of Zhongshu Sheren, and they are well known in the city of Bianliang and even in the officialdom.

In the past, it is unknown how many times the imperial edict drafters deliberately made things difficult for officials in order to get the fees.

The general public remembers this incident.

Secondly, what good would it matter if you argued with the emperor and won?
I'm afraid it can only be an aggravated crime!
Zhang Fangping and Su Song, two veteran officials who had served as Hanlin academicians and imperial edict drafters, lowered their heads and dared not utter a word.

Compared with Su Che and Zeng Zhao, they both received their writing fees in an open and aboveboard manner.

Especially Zhang Fangping, he had a very dirty record when it came to economic issues - he was even impeached by Bao Zheng for this matter!

There are countless other accusations and criticisms such as soliciting favors and favoritism in Zhang Fangping's career.

This is also the norm for the literati in the Song Dynasty.

Except for a few people.

Except for people like Wang Anshi and Sima Guang, all others are not clean when it comes to economic issues.

Especially the ministers who have been in charge of economy and finance!

There is not a single clean one!
The situation is relatively good nowadays. After Fan Zhongyan's ancient Chinese literature revival movement, the moral integrity and eating habits of the literati have improved a lot - with more readers, the supervision and restraint of officials by public opinion have also been strengthened.

In other words, even if the prime minister of the current dynasty was involved in financial affairs, his behavior would be very ugly!

In order to marry a rich woman, two prime ministers fought each other to the point of bloodshed (Xiang Minzhong and Zhang Qixian)

In order to seize other people's ancestral property at a low price, he bribed the other person's wet nurse and tricked a seven-year-old child into signing the deed for the mortgage of the house (Cheng Lin).

The most typical example is the great writer Ouyang Xiu.

Because Cheng Lin's family paid a sky-high fee for writing the book - five thousand pieces of silk.

So, against his conscience, he wrote an epitaph for Cheng Lin, concealing his bad deeds and praising his achievements as an official.

Because of Ouyang Xiu's endorsement, Cheng Lin, the former corrupt official, now has a very good reputation!
Therefore, even Ouyang Xiu's students and disciples were very ashamed of this matter and did not dare to face it.

I can only record it vaguely for the sake of respecting the venerable: Since Mr. So-and-so died, Mr. So-and-so wrote an epitaph for him, praising him highly, but no one in the world knows about it anymore! Mr. So-and-so received 5,000 pieces of writing materials as a reward.

Zhao Xu studied abroad in modern times and read countless historical materials.

In his previous life, he had ruled the country for more than ten years. How could he not know the personalities of these Song Dynasty scholars and officials?
One, two, or three people, when commenting on or criticizing others, all act righteous and awe-inspiring, as if they were the embodiment of justice.

But when it comes to themselves, they become shrewd and try every possible means to make money.

Each of them has a mansion and beautiful garden in their hometown.

If you don’t believe it, you can go to Luoyang and see for yourself.

Look at the luxurious gardens built by the old party elders and ministers.

Zhao Xu looked at the quiet palace and sighed: "The rules of our ancestors are to prevent things from happening and to make rules for things to happen!"

"The job of the Zhongshu Sheren is to handle my words, receive my orders, submit documents, and draft the title of the article!"

"Although there are conditions such as 'something is not right' or 'the appointment is not appropriate', the title can be rejected..."

"But... since when can the Zhongshu Sheren refuse to draft a title simply because of 'rumor about how well someone is doing as an official'?"

"This is the job of the Imperial Censor!"

"If the Zhongshu Sheren follows the duties of the Censor, what should the Censor do?"

Su Che and Zeng Zhao could only crawl on the ground obediently and stand at attention to be beaten.

Zhang Fangping and Su Song looked at each other and nodded.

I even secretly praised him in my heart: "Good scolding!"

why?
If the emperor is willing to scold you, it means he is willing to forgive you.

The most terrifying thing is that they don’t even curse!
Just like Li Ding and Li Zisheng, who were directly sent to prison and charged with crimes, and then quickly tried and convicted.

It was a pity that such an important official of the waiting level, a scholar-official who was only one step away from the two governments, was brought down from his pedestal and demoted to Yingzhou, where he eventually died of illness.

Even though Li Ding was a member of the New Party, whenever the ministers of the Old Party thought of this matter, they felt a sense of grief.

Zhao Xu continued, "I once read a book and saw the Shangshu saying: If you follow the path of order, you will prosper; if you follow the path of chaos, you will perish!"

"Since ancient times, how many great achievements have been destroyed by chaos!"

"The ancestors of the Song Dynasty founded the country, learned from the gains and losses of the past and present, and established the rules and regulations for the ruler and his subjects, each of whom performed his duties and did his own work, thus bringing us to where we are today!"

"I have inherited the great legacy of the great saints and carried on the foundation laid by my ancestors. Since I ascended the throne, I have been trembling with fear and treading on thin ice, always fearing that my own unvirtuousness would bring shame to the holy virtue of my father..."

When this was said, not only Su Che and Zeng Zhao, but Zhang Fangping and Su Song also knelt down, confessed their guilt, and begged for a lighter punishment.

no way.

What Zhao Xu said was politically correct.

Zhao Xu waved his hand, asked Feng Jing to go down, and helped Zhang Fangping and Su Song up.

Then he continued: "When I was in the palace, I often asked about the affairs outside the palace, and often listened to the discussions of scholars and officials..."

"But in recent months, I have often heard people say that a minister outside the palace made a lot of nonsense, saying that 'the ministers of the two governments should have more exchanges...' and that 'the Censorate and the Censorate should be of the same mind' and so on..."

"Especially after I publicly announced the three oaths I had taken before my father, similar discussions among the scholars and ministers have increased."

Su Che and Zeng Zhao trembled as they listened.

Because they have all participated in similar discussions.

This is also the characteristic of the literati in the Song Dynasty.

He rolls his eyes when his neck is pinched, and becomes complacent when he relaxes a little.

Back then, in front of the Wudai Poetry Case, the bearded Su Shi even dared to write directly on the letter of thanks to Zhao Xu's father, the emperor: Your Majesty knows that he is stupid and out of date, and it is difficult for him to keep up with the newcomers; observing that he is old and does not cause trouble, perhaps he can shepherd the common people!
If it were Hongli, just based on this sentence, Su Shi's whole family would be about the same age as Zhao Xu now.

And this is just the mildest of the words in Su Shi's sarcastic remarks about the imperial court.

After the Wudai Poetry Case, these guys finally became more honest and no longer dared to make random comments or speak in a sarcastic manner.

And now, as Zhao Xu has relaxed his speech.

The ideological and cultural circles have certainly been given space and time to develop.

But then, all kinds of clowns began to dance, and all kinds of monsters and demons also jumped out.

People from the old party began to discuss openly and wanted to restore the system of Renmiao and Mingdao, allowing ministers of the two ministries to travel between them, and even allowing the prime minister to concurrently serve as the Privy Councilor of the Eastern Ministries.

At the same time, these guys also targeted the censors.

Once again, he wanted to combine the censors and the censors.

Let the censors be put into one system, so that they can not only report rumors and impeach ministers, but also interfere in national policies and court decrees.

What are they going to do?
Running into the Ming Dynasty?

The people of the New Party were not idle either, and did not give Zhao Xu any peace of mind.

How long has it been?

There has already been public discussion of the new school's idea of ​​"according to the Taoist view, inaction is the ruler, and if inaction is the ruler, then action is the minister! And the righteousness of the ruler and the minister lies in this!"

Lu Dian openly discussed with his fellow students in the Imperial College the so-called "learning with substance and utility".

As for what is meant by "learning with substance and use", it naturally refers specifically to the New Learning of Jing Gong with Wang Anshi's works such as New Interpretations of the Three Classics and Explanations of Characters as its core.

Of course, Lu Dian Lu Shinong, as Wang Anshi's "favorite" student, had already mastered the core skill of the new learning - mixing in private goods.

Therefore, Lu Dian did not hesitate to include his own personal work "Shuowen Jiezi" as a reference book for "Zi Shuo".

In other words, he still had some conscience and knew that he had to please Zhao Xu, so he also listed the "Yuanyou Dictionary" compiled by Zhang Fangping at the order of Zhao Xu in the bibliography.

The fatal blow came from Lu Shengqing, the Hebei Transport Commissioner, who went to the court in early December to report on his work and also attended the New Year's Day court session in the second year of Yuanyou. He brought back a manuscript written by Lu Huiqing, who "devoted himself to new learning in Hedong" and "revealed the true meaning of the three generations of kings."

The name of this manuscript is "County Law".

This county is naturally not a county within a prefecture.

But it is the county of the county magistrate - the emperor of the Han Dynasty, who calls himself the county magistrate.

So, the real name of this manuscript should be "National Law".

The book is divided into four volumes and nine chapters, describing Lü Huiqing's many years of experience as an official, as well as his thoughts and insights in the process of handling government affairs.

It is very practical and can be regarded as a must-read book for New Party officials entering officialdom.

Even for the young people of the old party, reading this book will be of great help to their future career.

As long as you learn Lu Huiqing's tactics, at least you won't be deceived or oppressed by clerks.

But, these are not the point.

The focus is on the preface written by Lu Huiqing.

In the preface, Lu Huiqing defended himself against the accusations of "bloodthirstiness" and "indiscriminate killing" from public opinion.

How did he defend himself?
He defended himself in the name of the three generations of ancient kings and Duke Zhou, Confucius and Mencius.

Lu Huiqing said this: "When a benevolent person sees killing, he feels pity and sympathy because he loves it; when an unkind person sees killing, he feels anger and pleasure because he hates it! A true person does not have any love or hate, so how can he not be lenient when it comes to killing? This shows what he is like! However, the ancient sages were always sympathetic when it came to killing, just like everyone else!
What does that mean?

What this means is that the so-called feelings of misery and anger are because one’s ideological level is not high enough and one’s understanding of the saints is not thorough enough.

If someone truly understands the thoughts of the saints - for example, Lu Huiqing.

Then one will not be obsessed with personal affairs, but will stand at a higher angle and look at everything in the world from the perspective of the world, the way of heaven, and the principles of nature.

Then, the laws of the country will be implemented in accordance with the will of heaven.

And what is the way of heaven as understood by the New Party?
The sage is unkind and treats the people as straw dogs. He has no permanent mind and takes the people's heart as his own!
Just as Wang Rong said - the relationship between Heaven and Earth and all things, and the relationship between sages and the people, are based on what is appropriate, without being burdened by the present or being sentimental about the past, so they are likened to the infinity of a bellows.

As a result, once Lu Huiqing's work was printed and published, it immediately caused a sensation in public opinion and attracted attention from both the government and the public.

Countless criticisms, praises, slanders, even abuse and praises came like a tide.

The public opinion field in Bianjing in December was shaken by Lu Huiqing's preface.

Everyone started to take sides and refused to give in to each other.

Zhao Xu is so confused!

This was also one of the reasons why he instructed Tong Guan to instigate the issue of Zeng Zhao and Su Che returning the lyrics.

This is the secret of modern journalism.

Use one thing to cover up another thing.

Attract public attention and divert focus.

really!

good results!

The attention of both the old and new parties was suddenly diverted away from Lu Huiqing.

Everyone began to pay attention to the affairs of Zeng Zhao and Su Che.

The names of Ye Kangzhi and Li Xian began to appear on hot searches in Bianjing.

Now, the case of Ye Kangzhi has been reversed.

More traffic is coming.

No one paid attention to what Lu Huiqing said anymore.

A storm that could have easily triggered a major debate between the new and old parties slowly dissipated.

Therefore, this matter has come to this point.

In fact, it was Zhao Xu's deliberate act.

In this process, everyone is his pawn.

But how did Su Che and Zeng Zhao know?

Listening to Zhao Xu's accusations, they could only lie on the ground, kowtow and apologize, saying "We are guilty, please punish us, Your Majesty."

Zhao Xu listened, cleared his throat, and then took the honey water brought by Feng Jing beside him to moisten his throat, and then continued: "I have always respected the laws and regulations of our ancestors and the rules of the country."

Zhao Xu has been like this ever since he woke up in Qingning Palace.

Every three sentences he speaks are about ancestral laws and national regulations.

But in fact, he turned on the left turn signal and turned right madly.

Zhang Fangping and Su Song both noticed this carefully.

But Zeng Zhao and Su Che were always confused.

Therefore, Zhang Fangping and Su Song both knew what was about to happen, so they pricked up their ears and acted serious.

But Zeng Zhao and Su Che remained the same, lying there, not daring to move.

"During this incident, the two of you believed what others said, which resulted in the ministers of state being slandered for no reason, and further damaged the reputation of the benevolent mother."

"You two servants are guilty..."

"But I am also to blame!"

Zhang Fangping and Su Song bowed again hurriedly: "Your Majesty..."

Zeng Zhao and Su Che bowed their heads and cried, "This is all our fault. What has your Majesty got to do with it?"

Zhao Xu shook his head and said, "Confucius said: To kill without teaching is called cruelty; to wait for success without warning is called violence; to delay giving orders until the deadline is called robbery; just like when dealing with people, being stingy in giving and receiving is called being a tyrant!"

"Since I have neither made any laws nor issued any prohibitions, I am responsible!"

"I should go before the Grand Mother and apologize..."

Su Che and Zeng Zhao bowed again and wept: "Your Majesty..."

But Zhang Fangping thought of something in his mind.

Now, in the story of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" serialized in the Bian Jing Xin Bao - because the soldiers trampled on the wheat seedlings, Wei Wu cut off his hair as punishment.

Isn't this just a replica of what happened to Wei Wu?

So, Zhang Fangping thought to himself: "No wonder some people say that the current emperor is quite similar to the wise rulers of the Han and Tang dynasties..."

The Zhao officials do not have such skills.

Only those with the surname Liu and Emperor Taizong with the surname Li had mastered it and practiced it to perfection!

Zhang Fangping felt a mixture of emotions and couldn't tell whether he was sad or happy.

Reason told him that such a monarch would be beneficial.

But the butt made him somewhat creepy.

Fortunately, he has retired.

There is no need to face a monarch who is so mature and skilled in his youth and is still growing.

This is also the reason why old foxes like Zhang Fangping and Wen Yanbo were not worried that after Zhao Xu came of age and took power, the New Party would become dominant and even go back to the old path of Yuanfeng - the propositions and pursuits of the New Party and the New Learning would be unacceptable to any autocratic monarch.

They want the emperor to rule without any effort!

They want to put the imperial power into the cage of the system!

When the late emperor realized this, he distanced himself from Wang Anshi, so Wang Anshi had no choice but to resign.

The late emperor was like this, and the current one’s lust for power and tactics are only greater and stronger than those of the late emperor.

How could we tolerate the New Party's reckless behavior?

We must rely on these upright gentlemen and wise scholars and officials who support the emperor's autocratic decision.

(End of this chapter)