The new era of chaos begins in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 320 Li Momei Resigns

Ergou said with emotion: "I have only been on the throne for a few years. In the past, I lowered my curtain to the Queen Mother, and it was difficult to express my feelings. The Queen Mother died of illness two years ago, and the official family was shackles. There were old treacherous servants like Cai Jing around me, so it was right to take the throne. When authority is established.

Looking at the officials in both the court and the public during the Song Dynasty, they can be divided into three groups. The new party headed by Zhang Dun was mostly former officials of Zhezong and was the most powerful.

The conservative faction opposed the new party and all reforms. However, he and others were suppressed during the Zhezong era. They have long since faded and their power has been greatly reduced.

Then there is the middle faction with the disciples of the Su family as the core, including many officials from the periphery who are unwilling to participate in party struggles. Its power has long been stronger than the conservative faction, second only to the new party, and the leader of this faction is It's you, father-in-law!

Zhang Zihou's demotion was the first step for the officials to establish their authority and divide and gather the new party.

And the [Monument of Yuanyou Party Members] is the trump card for the new party officials to continue to attack the old party and seize power wantonly after the official family stabilized and lost the leader Zhang Xianggong!

So the new party has taken over and the old party has completely lost power.

Your Excellency, who do you think the officials should deal with next? "

After hearing Ergou's analysis, Li Gefei felt like he was enlightened.

Li Gefei is an upright gentleman. If he is asked to write a book or write an article, he can slip away better than anyone else. However, he does not have the ability to analyze the general trend and unravel the fundamentals.

This is not because Li Gefei is not smart enough, but because the education he received did not include these things.

What is this?

This is the ancient version of dragon-slaying (little) art that has been regarded as taboo knowledge by the royal family since ancient times.

By the way, some of the knowledge taught in modern nine-year compulsory education textbooks are the real dragon-slaying skills! The only good thing in the world!

Of course, Li Gefei is not good at classical power struggle planning, but it does not mean that there are no other people in the current Song Dynasty who are good at it.

For example, Cai Jing is a good player, and he has no lower limit.

Of course, Zhang Dun is also considered one, as is Lu Huiqing, who was also an official in Hangzhou. Lu Huiqing was originally doing military exploits in the northwest frontier, but because Zeng Bu was at odds with him, he filed a complaint saying that Lu Huiqing pretended to be a frontier exploiter, and then Lu Huiqing was demoted to be the general magistrate of Hangzhou.

Zeng Bu, another leader of the New Party, can only be counted as half.

Li Gefei listened to Ergou's analysis, but he sighed to himself: "I have always wondered why the officials trusted Cai Yuanchang and suppressed our loyal people. It turns out that this is the root cause!

Just as you said, the government wants to take back authority, gather the new party, and abandon the old party. Now it is suppressing neutral officials like us. At this time, I cannot retreat in this situation! If I go, I'm afraid the many officials who hold the position will be even more vulnerable! "

Ergou asked with a smile: "In the face of today's official suppression, what do you think is easier to protect yourself, fame or power?"

Li Gefei said hesitantly: "It should be power! If I had not held the power, the officials would not have any scruples!"

Ergou laughed and said: "In the past, Prime Minister Zhang had all the power in the government and the opposition, and he was the sole prime minister. He could be said to be inferior to one person and superior to ten thousand people. How do you think your father-in-law compares to him?"

Li Gefei shook his head and said: "Zhang Zihou is good at shaping the sage. He is so famous that he has never been comparable since the founding of the Song Dynasty. My power is far behind!"

Ergou asked, "Zhang Zihou is more powerful than you, how is he doing now?"

Li Gefei asked hesitantly: "Could it be that reputation is the foundation of a minister? But in the past few years..."

What Li Gefei was talking about was an old incident during Shaosheng's reign. At that time, many famous and upright ministers did not end well in the hands of Zhe Zong. The most typical representative among them was Sima Guang, who was highly regarded by the world.

Ergou said: "As the saying goes, there is one emperor and one courtier.

The Xianzhe Sect was not interested in false fame, but only pursued practical benefits. Therefore, although his ministers were famous writers, they were unable to help the Song Dynasty prosper, and they would be despised by their superiors, and they would not be able to protect them in the end!

However, today's officials are not like that. They are greedy for false fame, greedy for good reputation, and they are obsessed with great power. They also often blame others and cover up their evil deeds.

The official had some scruples about his father-in-law. It was not the minister's left servant who shot Li Gefei, but actually Li Momei, who was full of pure energy. "

To be honest, based on Song Huizong's method of rectifying Zhang Dun, Zhang Dun had no ambition to rebel and usurp the throne. If Wang Mang, Cao Cao, Sima Yi and others had taken the opportunity to overturn the table and usurp the throne of the Song Dynasty, of course this failed. The probability is very high.

Of course, there are also solutions with a high success rate.

For example, if Zhang Dun had the courage of the future chief ministers of the Ming Dynasty, he could change the Song Dynasty to a junior emperor with just a few tricks, as long as the emperor's surname was Zhao.

When Li Gefei heard this, he suddenly realized that he seemed to have sacrificed himself to save his mentor, and was very loyal, but in fact he was digging his own foundation and destroying the future of the Su clan.

Once Li Gefei came to his senses, he made some decisions of his own, but he asked: "I don't think I can see clearly as a junior like you! It seems that I have found the right son-in-law! Didn't you say that you have a mentor's letter? ? Why don’t you submit it quickly!”

Ergou took out a handwritten letter from his pocket, which was sealed with paper and sealed with lacquer.

Of course, this letter was written by Su Shi himself, so it cannot be considered a forgery.

Li Gefei took the letter, first looked at the seal, then scraped it open with a paper knife, pulled out the letter inside, and read it carefully.

"Uncle Wen personally said:

I recently heard that Uncle Wen was trapped in the capital, burdened by his decayed love, and was in a dilemma. I am very ashamed to know that! The current situation is not peaceful, the wind is high and the waves are violent, and disasters often occur. You should make plans early.

Or you can bravely retreat from the rapids to save your useful body for future effects. "

At the end is the fake writing time and Su Shi's nickname "Dongpo Jushi".

After Li Gefei finished reading the letter, he sighed and said: "My mentor has treated me with great kindness and kindness. I wish I could serve you around, as a whole teacher!"

In fact, without Ergou's persuasion, even if he took out this letter, he would not be able to make Li Gefei change his mind.

But with Ergou's previous foreshadowing and the weight of this letter, Li Gefei was completely determined.

He first collected Su Shi's letters, and then shouted to Ergou and Li Qingzhao: "I will serve you with pen, ink, paper and inkstone!"

Ergou and Li Qingzhao looked at each other and smiled. Then one laid out rice paper, the other washed inkstones and polished ink, and quickly prepared the Four Treasures of the Study for Li Gefei.

Li Gefei wrote quickly on rice paper as soon as he picked up his pen. His literary talents need no introduction, and a long memorial can be said to be completed in one go.

In this memorial, Li Gefei first commented on the current situation of the dynasty, criticized the officials for being deceived by others, and issued the "Monument to the Yuanyou Party Members". In particular, he denounced Cai Jing and others as treacherous people.

In the end, Li Gefei said that he had little talent and little knowledge, so he would not be able to associate with Cai Jing and others, let alone stop the "Monument of Yuanyou Party Members", so he was willing to resign from his position as Minister Zuopushe and use his full name.

Of course, unless the officials were willing to destroy the "Monument of Yuanyou Party Members" and denigrate Cai Jing's party, he, Li Gefei, was willing to devote himself to the emperor until his death.

Over the past few days, the reason why Li Gefei has been reviled by hundreds of officials and people is not entirely because he refused to resign, but rather because he never said a word in the face of the perverse actions of the officials and Cai Jing and his gang. This was a compromise reached secretly between the officials and Li Gefei.

Earlier, before the official launched the "Monument to Yuanyou Party Members", they had communicated with Li Gefei. The official promised not to list Su Shi on the Yuanyou Party Member Monument in exchange for Li Gefei's silence on the matter.

And for this kind of thing, not opposing means supporting.

As the initiators, Cai Jing and others' reputation has long been ruined, and even a few scoldings from others are not painful, and may even lead to retaliation.

Of course, another prime minister, Zeng Bu, also kept silent about the "Monument to the Yuanyou Party" incident, but Zeng Bu was not easy to mess with. He was also famous for being petty and retributive.

It’s just that Li Gefei is a square-brained person. Not only will scolding him not have any side effects, but he can also become famous!

As long as North Korean and Chinese officials are not fools, they can't help but use Li Gefei as a target.

Now that Li Gefei has written this memorial, he feels as if a piece of his heart has been lifted, and he feels very comfortable.

He folded the rice paper and rolled it into a zazi (ancient official document) style, tied it with a silk ribbon, then came out of the study, asked his servants to prepare a car, and rushed all the way to the imperial city.

Today was not the day for the court meeting, but Li Gefei couldn't wait any longer. He entered the Xuande Gate and communicated with the Xiaohuang Gate guarding the Daqing Hall to request an audience with the officials.

The little Huangmen didn't dare to delay. They immediately entered the palace and reported to the chief eunuch. Then the chief eunuch passed the news up one level at a time, and finally reported to the father-in-law in charge. The chief eunuch communicated with the officials to report Li Li. A matter of seeking an audience with my husband.

While waiting, Li Gefei was not idle either. He went to the province of Zhongshu and prepared memorials with Zeng Bu, Chen Guan and others who were on duty. However, the officials were impressed by the contents of Li Gefei's memorials. Shocked.

Even Zeng Bu, the minister's right servant who didn't have a good eye with Li Gefei, also advised with some worry: "Uncle Wen has written such a fierce memorial. I'm afraid he will offend me. I personally think it's unwise!" Think deeply about it.”

Other officials also tried to persuade him. Many of them had scolded Li Gefei for being greedy for power before today. Even now, they were really sincerely advising Mr. Li.

The reason why they are so inconsistent is simple.

There is a relatively unique situation in the officialdom of the Song Dynasty, that is, the number of officials far exceeds the positions. Often, several officials hold the same position at the same time. For example, the position of Kaifeng Fuyin was really held in the fourth year of Shaosheng's reign. The official position is Lu Jiawen, but there are also Xie Wenguan, Huang Lu and other officials who have the power to know the Kaifeng Prefecture Yin, that is, they serve temporarily.

This also means that for every dispatched achievement in the Song Dynasty, there are many officials who are eyeing it.

But this is not about eating from a big pot, and it is impossible for everyone to share it equally. The only way is that those who work more will get credit, and those who work less and those who don’t work will get less or even no credit.

But how do these officials, who are paid but do not work, present themselves so that they can be promoted?

The only way is to take the job of Taiwan's admonishment officials and impeach other lawless officials, which means scolding people and making snitches.

Not being truthful can bring down the target, but officials and officials can hear your upright voice and know your character.

But this job is risky. When you scold someone, you must have an accurate target and never hit the iron plate (such as Wang Anshi during the Shenzong period, Zhang Dun during the Shaosheng period, etc.), otherwise you will easily get scolded. .

Li Gefei is really the best target in the entire court, with great reputation, high status, and upright character. As long as you don't violate the bottom line, you can scold him or impeach him without any trouble.

If there was no Li Gefei in the court, how could he live such a fat life again?

It's a pity that Li Gefei had already made up his mind, and he said with emotion: "Li has been favored by Zhe Zong since the reign of Shaosheng, but he has never had the opportunity to repay his favor.

It is truly deplorable that the Holy One has been deceived by Cai Jing and other treacherous people, and has been awarded the monument of party unity and opposition. Since the [Monument of Yuanyou Party Members] was born, I have been lamenting day and night, wishing that I could not win the favor of the officials and bring order to the chaos.

Yesterday, I received a letter from my mentor, scolding me for being too lazy, which made me extremely ashamed.

Today I went to tell you something, but I thought I would be benevolent if I didn't succeed. If he couldn't win back the official's favor, Li Gefei would rather give up his official position and return to his hometown to be a teacher at a private school, rather than join the evil and evil! "

Li Gefei made an announcement in front of Zhongshu's gate. At that time, he was on duty at Huangmen, but he came to report to him. The officials summoned Li Gefei in Chui Gong Hall.

Li Gefei immediately bid farewell to the officials, held the memorial in one hand, and entered the Dechui Gong Hall under the guidance of the small yellow gate.

After Li Gefei entered the palace, he saw no official figure. He only waited for nearly half an hour before he saw Zhao Guan family hurriedly entering the palace.

Li Gefei, who had been waiting for a long time, bowed down and performed the salute. At this time, officials generally did not kneel down to worship the emperor unless there were special occasions.

Zhao Ji is only a twenty-two-year-old young man. His appearance is not ordinary, he is thin and handsome, and he looks very refined.

He sat on the dragon couch in the center of the hall and took a few breaths, then asked with a smile: "Li Qing suddenly asked to see me, but I don't know what's important?"

Li Gefei immediately submitted a memorial and said: "Since the Holy One promulgated the [Monument of Yuanyou Party Members], I have thought about it day and night and always felt that something was wrong. Today I finally woke up. Lao Chen is unwilling to settle for nothing, but he hopes that the officials can take it back. Accept the order and destroy the [Yuanyou Party Monument]! Criticize Cai Jing and his gang for their evil ways of deceiving the Holy Spirit!"

Zhao Ji had not read the memorial, but he became angry as soon as he heard what Li Gefei said: "You said that I was deceived by Cai Jing and others. Doesn't that mean that I am a fool and was played by Cai Jing and others?!"

Li Gefei couldn't continue as soon as he heard this.

What could he say?

If you say yes, you are pointing your finger in the official's face and calling him stupid.

But if he said no, wouldn't it mean that Li Gefei was spreading rumors and causing trouble on his own, making trouble unreasonably? !

Zhao Ji opened the memorial and read Li Gefei's complaint, but he could no longer bear it. He immediately announced on the spot that Li Gefei had been dismissed from his post as Shangshu Zuopushe, and he was punished by the officials, and then demoted and left the capital.

No one expected that Li Gefei would give away people's heads so neatly. Even Zeng Bu and even Cai Jing and others did not expect that Li Gefei would be so insane and why he would irritate the officials in such a hurry.

However, Zhao Ji wanted to save face anyway, so he issued a new edict the next day to release Li Gefei.

After all, Li Gefei was just reporting to the imperial court, which was not a big mistake. If Zhao Ji had directly accused and punished a top-notch official like him for no reason, then he, the great calligrapher of Zhao, would really be remembered in history.

Of course, Li Gefei's position as Shangshu Zuopushe was still eliminated, and the official Jinkou Yuyan could not be ignored at all.

In this way, Li Gefei lost his job and was left with only the second-grade title of Doctor Jin Ziguanglu. He lost his power.

Li Gefei's experience spread throughout the capital in almost a short period of time, and all officials and people, both in the government and the public, felt sorry for his plight.

Of course, Li Gefei returned home happily and shared the fun with the waiting Ergou and other family members.

It's a pity that Li Gefei was not happy for long, not even half an hour.

Because Ergou told him the "tragedy" of Su Shi and Zhang Dun falling into the water in Lanxi.

(End of this chapter)