first minister

Because the people from Beiliang had many followers on this trip and the weather was getting hotter and hotter, they simply did not stay at any inns along the way. Instead, they directly found a wilderness and camped for the night.

The nobles naturally did not need to work. While waiting for the entourage to set up the camp, they had nothing to do, chatting and moving in groups. Xue Wenlu was alone, randomly found a big tree, and sat under the roots of the tree in a daze.

Entering the border of the Southern Dynasty again, he felt that his breathing had become suppressed.

Xia Jingyun and Bai Yunbian were like two huge shadows on the horizon. Just looking at them from a distance made people feel gloomy.

But in fact, Xue Wenlu knew that what really made him uncomfortable was not just Xia Jingyun and Bai Yunbian, but the huge turning point in his life that was associated with those two trips to the Southern Dynasties.

Before going there, Daliang was a country of tigers and wolves with strong soldiers and horses; his father was the second most powerful man in the dynasty; he was one of the four great horses of Daliang with a bright future; and his fiancée was a well-deserved pearl of the prairie.

After he left, the great achievements of the Southern Dynasty and the Southern Dynasty, which relied on his personal political ambitions, became a joke; his father, who relied on his family's glory, suffered a humiliating defeat in Yinmayuan, lost his troops, and became a prisoner; and he His uncle, the powerful emperor who was in charge of Daliang, died in a coup, completely changing the future of the Xue family.

The world has become easier, and the situation has changed.

There are always new emperors, always new favorites, and always new people. The spring breeze is triumphant, and the sun is at its peak, just like the four seasons that are constantly changing in this world. They come and go in the spring breeze, summer rain, autumn leaves, and winter snow. They are eternal and unchanged, but some of the people in it are... But his body is already old and his mind is tired.

"Your Majesty, Master Xuanhui, please come over."

A guard came over and spoke respectfully.

The so-called Hui Envoy was Yelu De, the eldest son of King Yelv Shi of Dingxi. Since he was to serve as the official envoy of the mission this time, Yelv Shi arranged a high position as the Hui Envoy for his son who had always been quiet before. Everyone knew his intentions, but they couldn't say anything more and had no choice but to let him go.

Xue Wenlu stood up and slowly walked into the military tent over there.

There are already seven or eight people sitting in the tent, all of whom are powerful figures from the seven surnames who have come to represent the seven major surnames.

Seeing Xue Wenlu, Yelu De, who was sitting on the main seat, smiled and nodded at him. After he sat down, he looked at him and asked, "Wenlu, how far are we from Zhongjing now?"

Xue Wenlu was not the only one accompanying him as a guide. Yelu De simply picked up a topic at random. However, Xue Wenlu was calm and unconcerned with the world. He didn't bother to think about it at all. He just answered all questions calmly: "There are many of us, so we are going a little further." It’s slow, but it’s only two days’ journey from Zhongjing. You can take a break at the post station outside Zhongjing in the afternoon. You all can freshen up a little and enter Beijing early the next morning.”

Yelude nodded, "Wenlu is really familiar with me, thanks to you."

After giving him a compliment, he looked at the rest of the people, "Everyone, someone from the Embroidery Bureau just came and sent a piece of information, which is quite interesting."

"Jianning Marquis of the Southern Dynasty became the Prime Minister of the Southern Dynasty. After becoming the prime minister, he continued to implement the New Deal in the court and initiated a matter called "sharing people into acres". As a result, the Southern Dynasty's court and the public were in an uproar. The noble families of the Southern Dynasty took action one after another. Those who submitted the letter Submissions, rallies, and even some people planning to gather a group of Imperial College students to sit-in outside the palace gate, the whole city of Zhongjing is now in a state of chaos."

After hearing this, someone among the people who were among the high-ranking officials in the court immediately said, "Do these people want to join forces with us?"

Yelude shook his head, "Yes and no."

He looked at everyone and explained: "As far as the Southern Dynasty is concerned, we are an enemy country after all. After all, they still don't have the courage to contact us to do anything, and they will be charged with having their homes confiscated and exterminated if they fail. But, we Their whereabouts are not a secret. It is hard to say whether they have tacit intentions to communicate with me when they are acting at this moment."

Everyone was considered a big shot in the clan, and they all understood after hearing it. Someone immediately said with a smile: "Whether they think so or not, we must seize this opportunity."

"Yes! Now that he is in turmoil internally, we can take the opportunity to put pressure on him. Then Xia Jingyun will definitely give in."

"We chose the timing really well. I didn't expect that Xia Jingyun would actually catch fire in the backyard at this time. It seems that the reputation is hard to live up to, and it's not that scary!"

"How much ability can a kid with a yellow mouth have? The person in the Southern Dynasties who we really deserve to be afraid of is Jiang Yuhu. Then Xia Jingyun just has better luck."

Seeing everyone's faces beaming with joy, Xue Wenlu couldn't help but remind him: "Everyone, I suggest you not underestimate Xia Jingyun. If he is so easy to deal with, he will not be able to become Jiang Yuhu's confidant, nor will he let Nan Chao So many talented people bowed their heads to achieve such achievements.”

"Isn't Prince Zhong scared? You will be eaten to death by them, but we won't!"

"If he really had good skills and was capable enough, he wouldn't have caused chaos in the court. His other abilities may be good, but from this point of view, he clearly doesn't understand government affairs!"

"That's right. Who said that being in a high position will necessarily lead to disadvantages? Some people once held the military power of the world, but in the end, they lost to the fledgling young people and were driven away with their heads in their hands."

Xue Wenlu:

He simply shut his mouth. If you want to die, go ahead. That's all I have to say.

Yelu De smiled and came out to smooth things over, "Wen Lu also had good intentions. My father also said that Xia Jingyun is a hero in this world, so you must be careful. You should be more cautious."

Everyone would refute or even ridicule Xue Wenlu, but they did not dare to refute Yelu De and immediately nodded in agreement.

People's attitudes have never had much to do with right or wrong.

"In this case, why don't we just rush ahead and arrive in Zhongjing earlier so that we can take advantage of the chaos in the Southern Dynasties."

One person's suggestion immediately attracted everyone's approval.

"It makes sense. The so-called opportunity must never come again. If we let him solve the internal troubles and face us again, we will lose some advantages after all."

Yelu De was also a decisive person. After a moment of hesitation, he nodded, "Okay, that's it! Let's set off immediately!"

The whole camp became noisy again, and the scoldings of the guards echoed in their hearts for a long time, but the big shots couldn't hear it, let alone care.
-

The city of Zhongjing, which is no longer far away from this group of Beiliang people, is indeed in a state of excitement now.

The court officials asked for orders, and the memorials flew to the center like snowflakes;

The censors jumped on the matter and wrote memorials one after another, criticizing the New Deal for being too drastic;

The great Confucians debated scriptures and talked about the numerous contributions of the gentry to the dynasty and the importance of maintaining the stability of the world. The starting point of criticizing the New Deal was wrong;

Students gathered in the streets, alleys, and restaurants, all accused Marquis Jianning of being too harsh on the gentry of the world. There was even news that they were going to sit in front of the palace gate to ask the Queen Mother to take back her life.

"Today is the first time I see the power of the world's gentry. Mr. Xia is so reckless!"

In an elegant room facing the street of a restaurant, an old minister who had become an official was sitting with several younger members of his family, and sighed slowly.

Several younger generations were a little surprised when they heard this, and one of them asked: "Uncle, my nephew has something unclear. Previously, Prime Minister Xia implemented the New Deal in various states and cleared land, but there was no such fierce opposition. Why is this coming so fast? Swift?"

The old man smiled slightly. These are the younger ones in his family. Naturally, some words can be said a little deeper. By the way, this is also a rare educational opportunity. "In this world, especially in the court, the most important thing is that a teacher has a reputation. If the name is right, then the word will be right, and if the word is right, the deed will come true. Previously, Xia Xiang said that there are many wastes waiting for improvement, and there are many bad policies, so he needs to find out the family background. He did not say how the follow-up matters will progress. Although everyone knows that he will definitely take action. But at that time, it was certainly impossible to openly obstruct him, and there was no way to stop him. But now, after he has clearly stated his purpose, these people have a target to fight back. "

He made a slight stroke on the table, "Do the officials of the imperial court have the right to discuss politics? Is it their duty to have the censor speak about affairs? How can you still use your power to arrest people when great Confucian scholars debate scriptures? The participation of students in politics is also what the dynasty has always done The power given to them since then. Opposition does not necessarily have to be subversion. These aristocratic families are clarifying their attitudes and strengths, allowing the Queen Mother and Marquis Jianning to weigh them. Struggle in compromise, compromise in struggle, and finally reach a Another balance, this is the normal state of power struggle in the court."

Everyone seemed to understand but didn't understand what they wanted to ask, but they always felt that the words didn't express what they meant, so they had no choice but not to dwell on the in-depth things and asked another more intuitive question, "In your opinion, can this be done?"

The old man sighed, and he didn't know whether he was sighing for the lack of knowledge of his descendants, or sighing for the shattering of the myth of Marquis Jianning's invincibility, "It's difficult! Although the imperial power is supreme, it still needs these gentry to maintain the relationship between it and the people. Yes, if these big families who control the lowest level of the local area all stand against the imperial power, it may not be so easy to achieve anything."

Everyone took a breath, never expecting that Marquis Jianning, who had never failed to block the God of Killing since he was born, might face such a disastrous end as the first major event after becoming prime minister.

The same attitude is also born in the hearts of many high-ranking officials and dignitaries in the court.

"Look, many of the students who are making trouble like this are from humble backgrounds. Their clans don't have that much land, so why are they making trouble? It's because they will serve as officials in the future and after they become successful, they will become For people who have such extensive land accumulation, the benefits that they have not yet obtained are also benefits, and Xiang Xiang's knife will cause them to feel pain in their flesh. This policy has been carried out too hastily, and it will be difficult!"

"Although no one dares to rebel, the struggle between North Korea and China does not rely solely on force. After all, Marquis Jianning is young."

"With the general trend, there is no need to call for contact. People with the same ideas will naturally join in. If we don't take the initiative to put it out, it will be difficult to take any action in the future."

"The most fundamental thing is that this is going to cost the lives of these wealthy families. The momentum has grown. How can we suppress it? Since we can't suppress it, is it possible to hope that these wealthy families will wake up and stop on their own?"

"There is another problem. I heard that the people from Beiliang are coming. Then Prime Minister Xia will be in trouble both internally and externally. What should we do?"

"Innovation, reform, haha, easy to say, beautiful to think, how can it be so easy! I see, this state affairs, after all, it is a new year, an old year, and three years of patchwork, just make ends meet. ZTE is easier said than done!"

All kinds of rumors and judgments are spread by word of mouth in the streets and pavilions.

But at the center of the storm, the Queen Mother, Her Majesty and Xia Xiang all maintained an astonishing calmness.

Not to mention the Queen Mother and Her Majesty in the palace, Xia Jingyun, who appeared in front of people every day, was as usual, without any anxiety at all. He seemed to turn a blind eye to these things and turned a deaf ear to them. He never withheld the memorials and handed them over to the Queen Mother and Her Majesty honestly. He did not mobilize his own network to interfere with the debates of the Confucian classics. As for student gatherings and the like, he just The Jingzhao Mansion is strictly ordered to strengthen its security and there should be no stampeding, pushing or other bloody incidents.

But the other side of ignoring it is not taking it seriously.

He was like a rock in the waves, silent and determined, as if he didn't even realize what damage these seemingly turbulent and terrifying waves could cause to him.

In the meeting hall of the central courtyard, the other five central ministers looked at Xia Jingyun, who was sitting on the main seat, with complicated eyes.

Xia Jingyun didn't pay attention to these glances, and looked at the white clouds, "Lexian, according to the intelligence, the Beiliang people's delegation is coming soon. This time they are all powerful people, and they must have some agenda. You and Honglu Temple Lang Yukun cooperates and welcomes you as the main one, is there any problem?"

Bai Yunbian performed a play with him a few days ago, so that the wealthy people did not dare to make a desperate move. But now that he saw the movements between the government and the public, he was still a little worried.

Even though it was only a little bit, it was already a rare worry for him who was not afraid of Jiang Yuhu.

After listening to Xia Jingyun's words at this moment, it was even more impossible to blame him and cause trouble for him. He just pretended to be angry and said lightly.

"The rest is nothing. For all matters in the DPRK, let's just follow the direction just agreed upon."

After saying that, Xia Jingyun stood up and walked out, leaving Wei Yuanzhi and Li Tianfeng who wanted to say something else to sigh in vain.
-

After a day and night of accelerated marching, late at night the next day, the Beiliang people's team arrived at the inn on the outskirts of Beijing.

The nobles of Beiliang who were busy traveling did not want to live in tents anymore. Instead, they went into the inn that was barely up to their level to freshen up and rest.

After washing away their fatigue, everyone gathered in Yelu De's room again.

"The officials from the Southern Dynasty who came to greet us have not arrived yet. It seems that we have really caught them off guard!"

"It doesn't matter whether they were caught off guard, as long as the turmoil in the southern capital has not subsided."

"Don't worry, it won't be such a big thing. If we do this, it will make the Southern Dynasty panic. Then Xia Jingyun will just go out and provoke real civil strife!"

"When we see the Prime Minister of the Southern Dynasty tomorrow, what should we do?"

Everyone spoke one after another, and their words were filled with beautiful longings for the future and hopes for a great victory.

Xue Wenlu watched indifferently, as if there was a mirror in front of him, and when he looked at it, he saw himself as before.

Yelu De caught a glimpse of his expression from the corner of his eye and said, "Wen Lu, you have dealt with them. What arrangements do you think they will have?"

Xue Wenlu didn't have much to think about now. Anyway, I will answer honestly whatever you ask, so he said: "The scale of our trip is not small, and our status is sufficient. The Southern Dynasty should send one of their central ministers to lead Honglu Temple." People came to greet him. Of course, it could also be Bai Yunbian, the Marquis of Huai'an. If it is that person, everyone had better keep their mouths shut and say less."

As soon as these words came out, everyone who was arrogant and arrogant couldn't bear it anymore. Someone immediately retorted: "His Royal Highness, is he a little too timid? He doesn't even dare to say anything! We represent the majesty of the imperial court. Is it possible to return the favor?" Can you watch the wind and fall?"

Xue Wenlu did not argue, but glanced at Yelu De.

Yelu De stretched out his hand and pressed it, "Everyone, please calm down for a moment. Wen Lu, you can continue."

"Secondly, we should not be able to see Marquis Jianning right away. When he shows up, it should be time to decide the overall situation. I still suggest as before, it is best to make a decision before taking action, whether it is to show weakness or to be ambiguous. , it’s best not to say anything harsh first, otherwise it won’t be so easy when the other party reverses the situation.”

In response to him, there was another sneer.

Everyone felt a bit of contempt in their hearts. It seemed that this man was really frightened by the people of the Southern Dynasties. He was as useless as his father! Where is the mighty aura of a prairie man?

Yelu De also sighed secretly in his heart. It seemed that his former son-in-law was really hopeless.

"Okay, thank you for your hard work. Then go down and have a good rest. We will rely on you a lot tomorrow."

After hearing this, Xue Wenlu didn't hesitate or feel any shame. He stood up, bowed slightly, and strode out.

When the door was closed again, a few vague words like "trash", "terrified", "bloodless" and the like were heard through the door into Xue Wenlu's ears.

He laughed at himself, and at this moment, he actually understood many of the incredible behaviors he had seen in history books.

It turns out that it is under such circumstances that people grow suddenly.

The next day, early in the morning.

When people from Beiliang began to rise up one after another, officials from Daxia Honglu Temple finally arrived at the inn.

When he met Yelu De, the envoy on this trip, he smiled and saluted and said, "Your envoy has had a hard journey. I have set up a pavilion ten miles outside the city to welcome you. Please follow your envoy and follow me."

Behind Yelu De, a nobleman from Beiliang said coldly: "Since we are here to greet you, why don't you come directly to the inn? It's only ten miles away, how can you be sincere?"

Yelv De didn't stop him either. Some people were good and some were bad. These were all basic operations. He also wanted to see how the Southern Dynasty official would respond.

Who knew that the other party was not afraid or angry, but smiled lightly, "There are times when my emperor goes directly to the inn to greet him, but he is the king of another country, so I don't know if you can bear it."

Everyone was choked and speechless by these words, and Yelu De turned around and scolded him in feigning anger, and then said with a smile: "You are a rough man in the army, and you don't know the etiquette. Please forgive me, let's leave now?"

The team slowly set off towards the direction of Zhongjing City.

When they arrived ten miles outside the city, an official stood by the road covered with red carpet, bowed his hands and saluted, and said loudly, "Lang Yukun, the minister of Honglu Temple in Daxia, has been ordered by the Queen Mother and Your Majesty to welcome you. You have come all the way. Thanks for your hard work!"

Everyone in Beiliang reined in their horses and stopped, but no one dismounted.

One of the accompanying nobles chuckled, "Haha, I have heard that your country prides itself on being a country of etiquette and justice, yet you have sent such a small fourth-grade official here. It doesn't matter if you are embarrassed, but we cannot bear this humiliation!"

Lang Yukun looked a little embarrassed, but he was not panicked.

At this moment, in the pavilion on the side, a figure slowly walked over while waving a folding fan.

He closed his folding fan, tapped his palms, and read slowly: "The north wind blows away frost flowers, while the south sun is warm and new buds sprout. The wind is cold and biting, and melons bloom on the roads in the suburbs of Beijing."

Xue Wenlu's expression changed instantly.

Everyone in Beiliang looked at this scene in astonishment that shocked their life-long cognition.

Immediately, some people who knew something about poetry immediately shouted angrily: "Who are you? How dare you call us fools?!"

The visitor smiled faintly and said, "My officer, I am by the white clouds."

He looked at the other person and said, "Why do you think I scolded you?"

"I"

At the same time, Xia Jingyun slowly left the Prime Minister's Mansion in a carriage.

"Brother Chen, you will send someone to Honglu Temple later to inform Princess Anle and tell her the news about the Beiliang mission in advance."

"Okay. Master, let's go to the center now?"

"No, go to the Criminal Department."

Xia Jingyun said calmly, "After enduring them for so many days and waiting for them for so many days, everyone is here. It's time for us to fight back." (End of Chapter)