I studied in modern times

Chapter 706 The wall fell and everyone pushed it
As the two palaces agreed with Zhao Xu's opinion, the relevant memorials were kept.

The first year of Yuanyou was also coming to an end.

On December 27, Lu Huiqing, the governor and pacifier of Hedong Road, submitted a memorial saying: Hedong Road is poorer than other roads, with only Jiang and Jin prefectures being slightly stronger. However, since the eighth year of Yuanfeng, there have been repeated severe droughts, and Jiang and Jin prefectures have suffered greatly. I beg the court to extend its favor and exempt Jiang and Jin prefectures from taxes next year.

In the memorial, Han Jiang, the left prime minister who had long been staying at home claiming illness, said that the people along the Hedong route had been harassed by bandits from the west and the northern barbarians, and had to pay heavy taxes. Now they were hit by a disaster, and they were truly suffering. He humbly hoped that the court would show mercy.

When Han Jiang submitted this petition, everyone was shocked - what was going on?
Don’t you, Han Zihua, hate Lu Jifu the most in your life?

However, considering that Han Jiang is about to step down.

Therefore, both the capital and the two palaces readily agreed to his request.

As a result, this time the efficiency was extremely high, and the next day, Du Tang received the imperial edict to submit a draft report.

In the name of Hedong's poverty and weakness, and the fact that Jiang and Jin states had been a burden to the country for many years (these two economically strong states in Hedong respectively supported the two strategic fortresses of Jialushai and Wubao, and the burden was heavy!), an imperial edict was issued to exempt Hedong from the two taxes next year, and a special decree was issued to increase the proportion of surplus money withheld from Jiang and Jin states from 40% to 60%, so that the two states could hire laborers, develop water conservancy projects, and repair roads.

On the other hand, the Censorate was not idle either after seeing that the opinions of the prime ministers and elders were retained.

They began to put accusations on Xianyu Qun, Shangguan Jun, Su Che and Zeng Zhao, uncover their underwear and dig up dirt on them.

Earlier, the Censor Wang Di submitted a memorial to impeach Zeng Zhao.

He learned from the advanced experience of the New Party in persecuting Su Shi during the Wudai Poetry Case, and used these few days to dig out all the official documents and lyrics written by Zeng Zhao in the Secretariat, Imperial College and Sherenyuan in the past, and then reviewed them one by one (if Zhao Xu had not issued an edict that private speech was protected to a certain extent, he would probably have found faults in Zeng Zhao's poems and essays).

It was Zeng Zhao's own fault that he had a dirty trick, and he really did find out some dirty stuff about him!
Didn’t the imperial court hold the first year of Yuanyou’s imperial examination some time ago?
As the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, Zeng Zhao was responsible for writing the prefixes for officials who had passed the imperial examinations.

Perhaps because he had just been appointed as the Secretary of the Secretariat, Zeng Zhao became a little too proud of himself and used several allusions incorrectly.

In particular, one of the letters actually had the words "Do not let your confidant down" written at the beginning of the letter.

As soon as Wang Di saw the allusions that were used incorrectly for these five words, he immediately became interested.

Then they caught him and pursued Zeng Zhao relentlessly.

In his memorial, Wang Di first pointed out: "The position of Zhongshu Sheren is no different from others. It must be a person of high literary and moral character, the best in the world, and a man of talent and insight to be appointed!"

However, Zeng Zhao even used the allusion incorrectly.

This is no longer an ordinary accident!
Therefore, he must be deposed and punished!
What's more, Zeng Zhao even dared to write "not disappointing my confidant" in the beginning of the poem.

What does he mean?
Implying that those officials who passed the imperial examination must thank him as their "confidant"?
He is blatantly using personal favors to seek rewards!
Therefore, Zeng Zhao was accused of being disloyal. In ancient times, the purpose of recommending talents was to serve the country, not for oneself. When a wise man was recommended, he did not dare to thank him for his personal favor, which showed that his original intention was not to be private.
But Zeng Zhao wants others to thank him?
This means not knowing how to be a minister and not knowing the righteousness of serving the king.

Wang Di said that he couldn't stand such a person, let alone staying in the court. Even if he lived in the same place with him, he would not be able to bear it - this person is a bandit. A bandit in a high position is a shame to me. I swear I will never be on par with a bandit!
In addition to impeaching Zeng Zhao, Xian Yu Shi, Shangguan Jun and Su Che were also impeached by Wang Di.

But compared with Zeng Zhao, Wang Di's firepower in impeaching these people was obviously weaker.

So, the real Wolf Killers started to take action!
The Imperial Censor Lu Tao acted decisively and impeached Xianyu Qun, who was accused of bending the law to favor his relatives and friends in the past and giving them the green light to do business.

There is no need to investigate this matter.

Thanks to Su Shi, everyone in the world now knows that Xianyu Qun has a good reputation of "not violating the law above, not abandoning relatives in the middle, and not harming the people below."

And these things are all weighing at least 20 taels, and at least 1,000 kilograms.

The newly appointed Zuo Zhengyan Ye Zuqia also began to take action.

This good friend, who used to eat, live and sleep with Shangguan Jun, stabbed Shangguan Jun with a fatal sword.

Countless negative information was exposed by him.

Modern plastic brotherhood began to unfold in the Song Dynasty.

But then again, the two may have fallen out a long time ago.

Ever since Ye Zuqia picked up Shangguan Jun's top scholar award, these two people have probably become brothers in name only.

But the real fun is watching Cheng Yi's students biting Su Che.

Because when Su Shi returned to Beijing to report on his work, he satirized Cheng Yi at the Inner East Gate, comparing him to the contemporary Shusun Tong.

This matter has already spread.

Cheng Yi himself might not care, but in the Song Dynasty, a society that was centered around respecting teachers and honoring elders, people believed that serving a teacher should be like serving a father.

This was a great humiliation for Cheng Yi’s students!
If I can't get revenge, I'm not worthy of being a son!

And now, they have found their opportunity!
Although it was not Su Shi, but Su Zhe, everyone knows that the two Su brothers had a deep affection for each other.

Therefore, several students of Cheng Yi in the Censorate took action without hesitation.

Especially after they watched Wang Di's performance, they suddenly realized and started copying homework on the spot.

I also followed Wang Di's example and found all of Su Che's writings in Sherenyuan.

As for writers, how is it possible not to make mistakes in writing?

Although Su Zhe's personality was not like his brother Su Shi's, who was bold, unrestrained and reckless, he was instead introverted, steady and cautious.

But someone still found fault with the text and caught me by the chicken feet!

The breakthrough was found in the official examination.

Speaking of which, the imperial examination in the first year of Yuanyou was really a mess.

Before the exam, the Zhang Xu-Lin Xi cheating case broke out.

As a result, Zhang Xu was forced to resign and was sent to a local government. Lin Xi has been hiding in Hebei Road ever since and dares not return to Beijing.

During the exam, all kinds of unexpected things happened.

Now, even after the exam, I am still being used as a tool in struggle.

Theoretically, there is nothing wrong with the mistake Su Che made.

For this time's examination, Su Che was recommended by Lu Gongzhu as one of the examiners. He was mainly responsible for the fifth question of the examination, which was to set the questions for the policy essays.

The questions he came up with were pretty good - he wanted to emulate King Injo's loyalty and honesty, but was worried that officials might not perform their duties properly or even steal; he wanted to emulate the diligence of the divine examiner, but was afraid that supervisors and magistrates might not understand his intention and make mistakes due to excessive supervision.

It's impeccable.

But the problem is that there were mistakes in his supplement to the policy paper.

He said - Emperor Wen of Han was a kind and generous elder, and there was no record of him being on the verge of abandoning his post; Emperor Xuanzong carefully examined the names and facts, and there was no record of him making mistakes by over-inspection.

It was this sentence that Cheng Yi's student Zhu Guangting caught the chicken foot!

What do you mean?
He first mentioned the Injo Temple, saying that he wanted to "learn from the loyalty and honesty of Injo", but was worried that "officials would not perform their duties". He then mentioned the previous emperor, saying that he wanted to "follow the example of the gods and work hard", but was worried that "supervisors and officials would not understand their intentions" and feared that officials would "over-inspect".

But they used Emperor Wen of Han and Emperor Xuan of Han to drag down our Emperor Tianfa Dao Jigong Quande Shenwen Shengwu Ruizhe Mingxiao of the Song Dynasty (who was finally given a posthumous title in the sixth year of Yuanfeng of Emperor Renzong of Song Dynasty) and Emperor Liewu Shengxiao of the Song Dynasty!
This is no longer an innuendo!
It is a blatant slander against our ancestors!
The traitor has jumped out on his own!

This is Su Che!

To be honest, this is a literary inquisition, but Zhu Guangting stood on the moral high ground of political correctness.

The Song Dynasty ruled the world with filial piety!
What's more, Zhao Xu claimed to be "the most filial son in history".

And Su Che was the imperial lecturer beside Zhao Xu.

However, he made the mistake of comparing the late emperor with Emperor Xuan of Han and making Emperor Xuan of Han superior to the late emperor. So, everyone held their breath and looked towards the palace.

After Su Che learned about this, he was scared half to death!
Back then, during the Wudai Poetry Case, his brother Su Shi was imprisoned and almost executed for simply making a few sarcastic remarks about the court.

If it weren’t for Zhang Dun, Wang Anshi and many elders of the old party who came to the rescue.

His brother should be about eleven or twelve years old now.

But now, he was accused of "using his emotions to slander his ancestors and their great achievements, saying that they were not as good as Emperor Wen and Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty. This is disloyalty as a minister!"

If he's not careful, his whole family will have to think about how he'll die.

So Su Che quickly wrote a self-defense overnight.

Before he could even present his self-defense, the old party was already in an uproar.

The 29th day of the twelfth month is the last day of the first year of Yuanyou (the twelfth month of the first year of Yuanyou in the lunar calendar has only days).

A bunch of guys who called themselves "old ministers of King Injo" began to write letters to the Dengwen Drum Court, strongly denouncing Su Che's treason and disloyalty.

The three families of relatives of the emperor, Cao, Liu and Yang, also jumped up and cursed at Su Che.

This is their position.

They had no choice but to react.

……

While the outside world was in turmoil, Zhao Xu was in the Funing Palace, looking at the last gift of the first year of Yuanyou presented by Li Xian and his men - hundreds of portraits of Zhong Kui.

After the Song Dynasty, it became a folk custom to stick pictures of Zhong Kui on the doors every year to ward off evil spirits.

Starting from the Ren Temple, people in the palace also began to put up images of Zhong Kui to ward off evil spirits.

During the Yuanfeng period, the imperial court began to bestow portraits of Zhong Kui on its officials.

Because a large number of copies were needed, woodblock printing was adopted.

That is, the painters would first copy the portrait of Zhong Kui from the temple, then the craftsmen would carve it into plates, and finally it would be printed in large quantities and carefully mounted.

Only in this way can the needs of the royal family be met.

Because these portraits were not only given to ministers, but also in great demand in the palaces and residences of royal families.

This year's portrait of Zhong Kui was created using a brand new woodblock, ink and paper.

As a result, these portraits look more refined and clearer.

This was a benefit from the technological progress brought about by the Jiaozi trade between Song and Liao.

New engraving techniques, new ink materials, and new papers are constantly being developed.

With financial support, it has now gone through at least three generations.

Next year, the new issue of Jiaozi will have better paper, better ink, and clearer engravings.

Zhao Xu picked up a framed portrait of Zhong Kui, examined it carefully, and praised: "I didn't expect that Guo Xi was also quite good at painting Zhong Kui!"

"Not bad!"

"Guo Chongban, I have received such a great favor from everyone, I will certainly repay you with all my heart!" Li Xian flattered from the side.

Zhao Xu nodded. Last month, Guo Xi was transferred out of the East Class Department by Zhao Xu's special order.

He was promoted from the position of the Minister of Incense and Medicine to the Inner Palace Chongban, which was of the rank of Ambassador.

Although the Director of the Incense and Medicine Storehouse was a seventh-rank official in the Eastern Class, which was the twelfth rank among the Directors of the Eastern Class, he seemed to be in a high position with great power and prestige.

The Neidian Chongban was the lowest-ranking official among the ambassadors (although there was a lower rank, the Gemen Dihou, below it, but this rank was a transfer rank between the imperial attendants and the eunuchs), but it was only the eighth grade.

It seems that the status of the two is very different, but in fact, they are equal.

Both political and social status have been improved.

This was naturally to market horse bones, set an example, and inspire officials and craftsmen to devote themselves to the cause of Emperor Zhao better and faster.

If they don't work hard, when will Zhao Xu be able to live in a bright hall with glass windows, and when will he be able to eat fresh vegetables grown in greenhouses?
At this time, Feng Jing came in from outside the palace, stood in front of Zhao Xu, and reported in a low voice: "Everyone, the two palaces Cisheng invite you to the Qingshou Palace."

"Oh!" Zhao Xu nodded, put down the portrait of Zhong Kui in his hand, and asked, "Is it because of Su Zhe?"

"Yes."

Zhao Xu sighed: "These ministers, one by one, won't let me have a peaceful time even on New Year's Eve!"

Ever since Zhu Guangting caught Su Che's chicken feet, the most excited people were the New Party ministers in the court!
Otherwise, how did those memorials claiming to be from "old ministers of King Injo" enter the palace through Dengwen Guyuan this morning?
You know, this is not the beginning of the country.

At that time, the people of Bianjing City, even if they lost a pig, could run to Kaifeng Prefecture, submit a complaint, and ask Emperor Zhao to issue an edict and order the officials to send people to help find the pig.

Today's Dengwen Drum Court is no longer a place for ordinary people.

Even if a scholar or civil servant went to Dengwen Drum Court to submit a petition, he would be punished if it was discovered.

Moreover, under normal circumstances, the complaints from the people and letters from officials collected by Dengwen Drum Court would not be sent to the palace.

Those who can be sent into the palace are all authorized by the top leaders.

Today, the person in charge of Dengwen Drum Court is Cai Jing, the acting governor of Kaifeng Prefecture.

Therefore, it is clear at a glance what those people and those documents are about.

Zhao Xu even suspected that even those so-called "old ministers of King Injo" might have been instigated by someone with ulterior motives.

I'm just looking forward to a fight between the disciples of the Cheng brothers and the friends and fans of the Su brothers.

The harder you fight, the better!

Little did they know that this was actually doing more harm than good!

The stimulation of external enemies will inevitably lead to the originally loose political groups to band together and then form centripetal force and organization.

Maybe the Shu Party and the Luo Party will begin to take shape after this turmoil.

But that’s fine!

What the emperor fears most is that his subjects all form a clique.

Both the new party and the old party have too much power and influence!
It would be better to split them into seven or eight small groups with different positions and hostility towards each other.

In this way, Zhao Xu can use one faction to fight against another and support the team he needs anytime and anywhere.

This could force the ministers to compromise and obey Zhao Xu.

Because, if they don't bow their heads and compromise, Zhao Xu will use their political enemies!

This trick is still effective and popular even in modern times thousands of years later.

(End of this chapter)