Do you know: I am Yuan Wenshao

Chapter 230
"Although the Ai family is a woman, I have heard of going to war and fighting, and then fighting with friends. Now I have won the battle, but there is no benefit at all. Instead of fighting, it is better to give those barbarians some money and let them retreat. Compared with today's rewards and pensions , not worth mentioning at all." said the Queen Mother.

Yuan Wenshao looked at the Queen Mother in disbelief when he heard this. He did not expect that the Queen Mother would have such thoughts.

Yuan Wenshao did not feel that Emperor Renzong had made a mistake in increasing the annual coins of the Liao Kingdom.

To be honest, the original situation really could not support a war with the Liao Kingdom.

But Yuan Wenshao didn't think it was right to do so.

Although the small number of annual coins is nothing compared to the cost of fighting, once peace is obtained by increasing the annual coins, subsequent emperors and officials can follow suit, and after the Liao Kingdom tastes the benefits, it will find opportunities in the future. Will continue to force Da Zhou to increase his annual coins.

However, due to the situation at the time, it was helpless to do so.

But it is different now than at that time. At that time, the Liao Kingdom only pressed its army to exert pressure on the Zhou Dynasty.

Xixia, on the other hand, captured several important border cities in Zhou Dynasty under a sneak attack.

In this case, let alone peace talks with Xixia, whether Xixia will withdraw its troops, even if Xixia agrees, it will be a big deal.

And once you do this, the Western Xia and Liao Kingdoms will know that Zhou is weak and can be bullied. They will send you a large army to suppress the situation at any time, and ask you for money and food. What should you do?
The Queen Mother saw something wrong in Yuan Wenshao's eyes and frowned: "Isn't what the Ai family said wrong? The Ai family is not saying that they will always give in, but they want to take steps to stabilize Xixia and Bei Liao first. After the internal shortcomings are eliminated, the national strength will be strong. , it will not be too late to attack Xixia and Liao. If Gou Jian, the king of Yue, had not endured for many years, how could he have waited until the opportunity to destroy Wu?"

Yuan Wenshao was speechless when he heard this. Can this be compared?

At that time, the king of Yue was about to be beaten to the point of annihilation, so he had to submit to the situation and survive.

Dazhou has millions of soldiers and horses, and if others still come to knock on the door and still tolerate it, then it is really tolerant.

The Queen Mother's starting point was not wrong, but her knowledge was too shallow.

Yuan Wenshao was silent for a while and asked, "Does the Queen Mother mean to ask Her Majesty to implement reforms?"

"Yes, the late emperor had implemented reforms back then. Although the reforms had to be suspended due to too much resistance, the late emperor did not give up. Over the years, the late emperor has been suppressing the conservative faction and promoting capable ministers. He also restored Xianggong Han's position. , and promoted him to the title of Grand Prime Minister. Now that the time is ripe, the officials should focus on reform. Only by clearing up the long-standing shortcomings can they be able to deal with Xixia and Liao, instead of focusing on fighting. This will not only increase his power, What good will it do to the country to waste money and food?" said the Queen Mother.

Yuan Wenshao really wants to say that long hair means short knowledge.

The reason why the reform failed was indeed that the opposition was too powerful.

But the fundamental reason lies in the emphasis on civility over military affairs.

Reform will affect the interests of many people, and among them, the civil service system will be affected the most.

Although civil servants are not monolithic, their interests are the same.

Throughout the dynasties, there were checks and balances between civil and military forces. Even if the status of military generals was low, the emperor would set up other institutions to balance.

For example, in history, those relatives who monopolized power and eunuchs disrupted the government were actually used by the emperor to balance them in the beginning.

However, this dynasty is very strange. Not only does it suppress the military attachés, but it does not impose any checks and balances on the civilian officials.

Although civil servants have various partisanships, when their common interests are affected, they will unite to oppose.

This kind of opposition does not mean that it can be changed by suppressing some people.

Those who support reform do not mean that they support it because they are sincerely serving the country.

It's more because this is the emperor's intention, just to win the emperor's favor and gain greater rights.

But those who oppose it unite together to oppose it because their own interests are affected.

On one side, they are scattered and each has his or her own agenda, but on the other side, they are united as one. It is no wonder that the reform can succeed.

The Queen Mother said that Emperor Renzong suppressed the old party and promoted many capable ministers, and that the time was ripe for reform, which is even more ridiculous.

Those promoted officials are those with vested interests. Do you expect them to support the reform?

Zhao Zongquan had just ascended the throne and had not yet taken charge of the government. If he dared to propose reforms, he would be driven out in minutes.

Yuan Wenshao originally thought that someone like the Queen Mother, who had been caring for the world for many years, would have some political vision, but he didn't expect that she would be so naive.

"The Queen Mother, I am just a lord. Whether there is a reform or not, I can't help the official family with my words." Yuan Wenshao said.

He originally thought that the conflict between the Queen Mother and Zhao Zongquan was caused by the fact that the two were half-way mother and son, and were wary of each other and did not understand each other.

Now it seems that is not the case at all.

He was too lazy to talk to the Queen Mother anymore.

"The Ai family you are talking about also knows that the Ai family came to you naturally not to ask you to propose reforms to the officials. The late emperor valued you very much and transferred you to the western suburbs camp because he also wanted to leave you to the new king in the future. , you can't watch the officials make mistakes again and again. If the method of making colored glaze is in the hands of the officials, and the officials have money, they will inevitably start another war. The Ai family came to you and told you this because they want to You give the method of making colored glaze to the Ai family. As for the official family, the Ai family will tell you, and he won't blame you. And given the official's last words, he won't dare to blame you," the Queen Mother said.

"Empress Dowager, the problem is that I have already dedicated the method of making colored glaze to the officials." Yuan Wenshao acted accordingly.

He is not stupid. The Queen Mother knighted him before, which made Zhao Zongquan very distrustful of him.

What would Zhao Zongquan think if the method of making colored glaze was given to the Queen Mother again?
As for what the Queen Mother said about the late emperor's last words, Zhao Zongquan didn't dare to do anything to him, so he just listened to what he said.

If Zhao Zongquan wants to deal with him, he has many ways.

Those founding lords had iron certificates in the alchemy book, which could avoid death, but many of them had their homes confiscated and their families exterminated.

The iron certificate of the elixir says that except for major crimes such as rebellion and conspiracy, one can avoid death.

It's not easy for the emperor to accuse you of rebellion before he kills you.

"Does Marquis Zhongyong know that deceiving the Ai family is a capital crime? The Ai family saw it in the court, but you didn't offer it at the time. After the morning court, you didn't go to see the officials." The Queen Mother said calmly.

Yuan Wenshao stood up quickly and saluted: "I don't dare to expire the Queen Mother. To be honest, I am also a layman. The method of making colored glaze is so profitable, so I am naturally reluctant to give it away. But King Huan entertained me at a banquet yesterday, and his words hinted that the officials wanted it, so I naturally I didn't dare not to give it, so I had already handed it over to King Huan at that time. Today's morning court meeting was just a show."

It is true that he hasn't handed it over yet, but he doesn't dare to give it to the Queen Mother, so that's all he can say.

Anyway, it is impossible for the Queen Mother to confront Zhao Zongquan because of this.

"what?"

When the Queen Mother heard this, her face turned ugly and she said, "It's unreasonable for someone from a small place to ask for something from a minister. Don't worry, the Ai family will reprimand the officials. It's outrageous."

"The Queen Mother is benevolent. If there is nothing else, I will resign." Yuan Wenshao said.

"Go, Zhu Neiguan will send Marquis Zhongyong off for the Ai family," the Queen Mother said.

"Uncle Zhongyong, please." Zhu Neiguan said with a smile.

Zhu Neiguan looked like he was six or seventy years old, with a stooped waist, a weather-beaten face full of wrinkles, and a very scary smile.

Yuan Wenshao was furious when he saw this. He forced himself to remain calm and saluted the Queen Mother, and then followed Zhu Neiguan out of the hall.

"Guan Zhu is staying here. The Queen Mother still needs someone to serve her. Just find someone to guide me." Yuan Wenshao said.

"Haha, the Queen Mother ordered me to deliver the Fuyan Palace to the Marquis." Zhu Neiguan said with a smile. "Then it'll be hard work."

Yuan Wenshao couldn't refuse, and his smile made his skin crawl, so he could only speed up his pace.

"Don't take it personally, Marquis. The Queen Mother and the late Emperor have a very close relationship, and she can't bear to have the late Emperor's many years of hard work ruined in one day, so she did this. The late Emperor admired the Marquis very much when he was still alive, and that's why the Queen Mother conferred the title of Marquis on him." Zhu Neiguan smiled.

"The Queen Mother's great kindness will naturally be remembered in my heart." Yuan Wenshao said.

He naturally heard that Zhu Neiguan was nodding at him and told him that he was a Marquis named by the Queen Mother.

If it were someone from this era, they might be loyal to the Queen Mother or something like that.

But Yuan Wenshao wouldn't. The Queen Mother had no good intentions at all in making him a marquis, and he was not influenced by feudal ideas. How could he sacrifice his life for some small favors?

"Haha, I sent the Marquis here." Zhu Neiguan walked Yuan Wenshao to the entrance of Fuyan Palace and stopped.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Officer Zhu Nei."

Yuan Wenshao cupped his hands and turned to leave.

Zhu Neiguan watched Yuan Wenshao go away before turning back to the palace.

"People send away?"

The Queen Mother was deep in thought when she saw Zhu Neiguan coming back and asked.

"Back to the Queen Mother, she has been sent away." Zhu Neiguan said.

The Queen Mother sighed and said, "It seems that he and the Yi family are not of the same mind."

How could she not hear Yuan Wenshao's previous excuses, but she couldn't confront Zhao Zongquan about this matter.

"Old slave Guan Guan's family is cautious, and the people in Yuzhou are the ones they trust the most. In the future, Bohou Zhongyong will naturally know which side he is on." Zhu Neiguan said.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple. The Ai family is just temporarily listening to the government behind the curtain. Sooner or later, the government will return to the officials. All civil and military officials know this. Everyone seems to respect the Ai family, but in fact, they don't treat the Ai family. Take it seriously." The Queen Mother shook her head.

Faced with such a topic, Zhu Neiguan didn't know how to answer it, so he could only remain silent.

The Queen Mother said to herself: "Ai Jia is not a person who is greedy for power, but he can't bear him to destroy the great situation created by the late emperor. There is no one among the hundreds of civil and military officials in the court who has not received the kindness of the late emperor. Not long after the late emperor passed away, these people will The late emperor forgot about it and everyone rushed to curry favor with the new emperor. This is how people feel. Originally, he thought that making him a marquis would make the officials suspicious of him and win over someone who could be used. Now he has figured out how to make colored glaze. Dedicate it to the officials, who may have to reuse him."

"Queen Mother, I have an idea," Zhu Neiguan said.

"Oh? Tell me." The Queen Mother said.

"I heard that Marquis Zhongyong only has one wife and two concubines, one son and one daughter. How about the Queen Mother select a few of the maids serving around her and give them to Marquis Zhongyong as concubines," Zhu Neiguan said.

The Queen Mother's eyes lit up when she heard this, and she smiled and said, "This is a good idea."

This would make Zhao Zongquan jealous of Yuan Wenshao, and the maids around her would be very loyal to her.

The maids in the palace are all carefully selected, especially those who serve around noble people. Many of them are poor ladies who were not selected.

Even if those ordinary women selected by the people enter the palace, they can only be ordinary palace maids.

All of them are talented and beautiful women who can become beautiful women. If they are given as concubines to Yuan Wenshao, then it would be nice to have some fun with them.

The more the Queen Mother thought about it, the more she felt that this was a good idea, and said: "Tomorrow you will pass on the Ai family's decree and summon Mrs. Zhongyong Hou into the palace."

"Yes!" Zhu Neiguan responded.

……

Yuan Wenshao did not know that the Queen Mother was already thinking about giving him a concubine.

When I got home and changed my clothes, I wrote down the method of making colored glaze, and then went to the orange grove.

The Queen Mother's eyes were everywhere in the palace. He told the Queen Mother that the method of making colored glaze had been given to King Huan. If he entered the palace at this time, the Queen Mother would definitely know about it.

But when Gu Tingye moves, King Huan will definitely come, so he can just give it to King Huan when the time comes.

Gu Tingye knew what the official meant. He didn't hold a big banquet this time, but only invited a few close friends.

However, whoever works as an official in Bianjing is not a good person. Gu Tingye is a popular person in the eyes of the officials. They had no legitimate reason to give gifts before, but now that they have the opportunity, they will not give it up.

When Yuan Wenshao came, there was a lot of traffic at the entrance of Orange Garden and it was as lively as a city.

Gu Tingye was at the door dealing with people who came to give gifts.

Seeing Yuan Wenshao coming, he told those people, asked Shitou to take charge of the reception, and came over.

"You're here, come on, go in quickly, King Huan and Uncle Shen are here," they're waiting for you. "Gu Tingye laughed.

"Okay, I think many of them seem to be matchmakers. It seems that it won't be long before we can have a wedding with Commander Gu." Yuan Wenshao said with a smile.

"Oh, I'm bored to death. Stop talking like this and come in with me."

Gu Tingye pulled Yuan Wenshao and walked inside.

When he walked to the door, he said loudly: "Everyone, please go back. I am not opening a mansion, I will not hold a banquet, and I will not accept gifts."

After speaking, he ordered Shitou to close the door and pulled Yuan Wenshao into the house.

"This house is nice."

Yuan Wenshao entered the house, looked around and said with admiration.

Orange Park is different from a traditional house, it is more like a vacation place, so the house does not have much yard.

Although it has not been taken care of for a long time, the scenery is very good.

"When you go to Feiyun Village and see it, you won't say that." Yuan Wenshao said.

"If you say so, I'm going to Feiyun Village to have a look. I have decided to take my wife to Feiyun Village to stay for a few days tomorrow and soak in the hot springs." Yuan Wenshao said with a smile.

"I happen to be fine, why don't you take me with you, and then bring some of the girls from the Sheng family with you?" Gu Tingye rubbed his hands and said.

Yuan Wenshao rolled his eyes at him and said angrily: "What are you thinking about? You didn't even mention the kiss, and you still want to see the sixth sister."

"It's a matter of time anyway. Changbai is here too. I'll tell him later." Gu Tingye said.

"Don't think about it. Do you think Changbai's temperament can agree?" Yuan Wenshao said.

He didn't know how the two of them got together, one young and mature, the other a wild-tempered one.

(End of this chapter)