Prime Minister

Chapter 1352 Killing someone with a borrowed knife

Chapter 1352 Killing someone with a borrowed knife

In the winter of the eighth year of Yuanfeng, the situation in the court of Bianjing suddenly changed. As the news spread that Cai Que was dismissed from his post as prime minister and Zhang Yue was appointed as the minister of state, Sima Guang's direct subordinates Liu Zhi, Liang Tao, Wang Yansou and others successively submitted memorials of impeachment, which set off a storm in the Zizheng Hall.

The reason was that since the Dangxiang lost Liangzhou, in order to capture Xingqing Prefecture, they not only hesitated to move the capital, but also concentrated their forces to guard Lingzhou, Xiazhou, Yinzhou and other key places, and their power in Hexi became increasingly weak. Aligu gradually captured Ganzhou, Suzhou, Guazhou and Shazhou, which were originally occupied by the Dangxiang.

After Aligu took control of the four counties in Hexi, he allied with the Uighurs in Xizhou in the north and his power grew day by day. He was full of rebelliousness and sent troops to attack the Qingtang Dongjian tribe many times and plundered the people. At the same time, he sent envoys to pay tribute many times and then made huge demands, asking for this and that. At the same time, he demanded the title of King of Xiliang from the Song Dynasty.

The Song Dynasty did not agree, but instead asked Aligu to stop harassing Qingtang.

Aligu was so angry that he marched to the city of Liangzhou and negotiated peace with the Dangxiang.

It was Zhang Yue who suggested letting Aligu go to Hexi, and he provided him with money, food, and military supplies on many occasions. Therefore, Liu Zhi impeached him, saying that Aligu was demanding too much and was becoming unruly. Zhang Yue's decision-making on the northwest could be described as "driving out the wolf from the front door and letting in the tiger from the back door."

Liang Tao also bitterly stated in his memorial that Duke of Wei Zhang Yue had strongly advocated providing Aligu with money, food, and weapons, saying that it could check and balance the Dangxiang. Looking back now, it was actually nurturing the enemy for their own benefit!

Wang Yansou then brought up the past, saying that Chen Mu's acceptance of a bribe of 300 strings of cash from Aligu was "just the tip of the iceberg", implying that Zhang Yue had made a profit of "no less than 10,000 gold coins" from it, and that he had taken kickbacks from the money and grain that the Song Dynasty had provided to Aligu.

At the same time, the Liao Dynasty repeatedly attacked the Song Dynasty in the name of harboring the rebel prime minister Yelü Yixin. It was Zhang Yue who advocated the escape of Yelü Yixin.

Liang Tao seized on the incident of Yelu Yixin as an excuse for the Liao Kingdom to invade the south, and pointed out that Zhang Yue's acceptance of the Liao Kingdom's rebel prime minister was "provoking trouble with neighboring countries", and that his achievements in obtaining Lanzhou and Liangzhou were not worth boasting about.

These impeachments were by no means accidental but carefully planned. The old party created public opinion in Beijing and criticized Zhang Yue verbally and in writing.

The north wind blew the impeachment documents from the Censorate across the streets of Bianjing.

The memorials of Liu Zhi, Liang Tao, Wang Yansou and others were printed into books by people with ulterior motives and distributed everywhere in Zhouqiao Night Market.

"Have you heard? The great victory in Liangzhou was just a fluke!" a scholar shouted, "Mr. Zhang was secretly in collusion with the Tibetan barbarians."

After speaking for a while, the scholar was immediately taken away by the inspectors of the Imperial City Bureau.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg.

In the teahouse south of Zhouqiao in Bianjing, the steaming water vapor enveloped the hustle and bustle of the market. Several porters unloaded their loads and gathered around a rough wooden table to quench their thirst with cold tea.

"Have you heard?" A weather-beaten porter wiped his sweat and said, "Those blue-robed gentlemen from the Censorate have submitted another memorial. This time they even dared to impeach Lord Zhang Wei!"

He tapped the tabletop with his rough fingers. "Cai Que and Zhang Dun are fine, but you're even biting the hero who helped recover Liangzhou. Isn't that just the barking of a mad dog?"

"That's right!" The old man selling pancakes nearby shook his head and sighed, "Mr. Zhang won a victory in the northwest and captured Liangzhou, which made the Tanguts dare not invade the border again and steal our wheat. Now it has become a crime? A hero has become a sinner, what a world!"

"Humph, what do they know?" A young man dressed as a scholar sneered and said in a low voice, "When Prime Minister Zhang was in power, he reformed the new policy and reduced and exempted excessive taxes, so that the lives of us common people became better. Now that he is about to be appointed as the Minister of the Court, some people are eager to drive him out. Who do you think is speaking for us common people?"

"Of course it is Sima Xianggong who speaks for the people."

"No, it's Mr. Zhang."

In the teahouse, a medicinal herb merchant in a silk shirt suddenly sneered: "You all probably don't know, right? How many merchants have been harmed by the Market Exchange Law? The wolves in the Market Exchange Bureau were condoned by Zhang Yue!"

"If it weren't for Sima Xianggong abolishing this evil law, I would have been forced to jump into the Bian River!"

"Bullshit!" The storyteller stuffed the wake-up stick into his bag and pointed it at the merchant's nose. "I saw it with my own eyes when I was telling stories at the Tianshui County Prince's Mansion. The steward of Mr. Zhang's mansion paid cash for even a scallion."

He spat, "Some people are hoarding goods as soon as the Market Exchange Law is abolished!"

The Tea Master came over with a copper kettle to refill the water. Hearing this, he interrupted, "Calm down, both of you. I have been selling tea in Bian Jing for forty years. I have seen Fan Zhongyan's new policies and Wang Anshi's reforms." He added boiling water to each table.

"I can't tell right from wrong, but I think that Lord Zhang and Lord Sima are both concerned about the country."

"What do you mean you worry about the country? I heard that those censors who impeached Zhang Xianggong are all Sima Xianggong's men! They said Zhang Weigong aided the enemy and harmed the country!"

The scholar just now spat, "You keep repeating 'the laws of our ancestors' all day long, but can the laws of our ancestors give us enough food to eat? Mr. Zhang cultivated land in the northwest and made the border troops self-sufficient, saving a lot of people's money? But now it has become a crime?"

"Alas, how can we, the common people, have a say in the affairs of the court?" A teacher sighed, "But Mr. Zhang is really unworthy of being the Minister of the Court. This world... I'm afraid it will become even more chaotic..."

After a few people chatted, they were all sighing.

After a moment of silence, a commotion suddenly came from afar. It turned out that several students were making passionate speeches, denouncing the treacherous officials in the court for ruining the country. The people gathered around and their blood boiled. Some even shouted, "Prime Minister Zhang is innocent! The court should investigate!"

The people in the teahouse were arguing with each other, some expressing their dissatisfaction for Zhang Yue and some cheering for Sima Guang.

……

In the Qingfeng Pavilion on the south lane of Zhouqiao, several officials in casual clothes were sitting in a private room by the window. While the teahouse outside the window was noisy, the only sound inside was the sound of boiling tea.

Several officials in casual clothes sat around celadon teacups with frowns on their faces.

Zhang Kangguo, who had just returned to the court to report his position, slammed the table and sneered, "How powerful were Liu Zhi and his gang of censors when they impeached Minister Zhang on weekdays? Now that the Liao envoys have deployed troops in Baigou to demand a million yuan in tribute, they are hiding in the Censorate and dare not even fart! Yesterday, Wang Yansou was still quibbling in his letter about 'Zhang Yue aiding the enemy and harming the country', why didn't he write a single word about how to repel the enemy today?"

Another person said: "Not only that, they even said that the victory in Liang Province was a 'lucky achievement'. If we follow this line of argument, Huo Qubing would probably also be impeached for 'provoking a border conflict' when he conquered Langjuxu!"

He suddenly lowered his voice and said, "I heard that the old party secretly made up a story, saying that Minister Zhang was 'raising the enemy to protect himself' in Hexi..."

An official suddenly choked and said, "Ridiculous! Why didn't they jump out when the Tanguts slaughtered and plundered Huanqing during the Qingli period? Although Aligu has established himself, he is at least dealing with the Tanguts in Hexi. Now it has become Zhang Gong's fault!"

He suddenly slammed the teacup on the table: "If you ask me, this kind of speech is the real self-destruction of the Great Wall!"

The official sitting in the corner sighed and said, "Do you remember the Qingli period? When Fan Zhongyan reorganized the military, wasn't he also criticized as 'ambitious'? Now this memorial..." He pointed to the copy of the memorial in the hands of the vendor outside the teahouse, "How is it different from the 'Record of Factions' that Xia Song forged back then?"

A moment later, the hawker was also taken away by people from the Kaifeng government office.

Zhang Kangguo sneered, "You all missed the point. I heard that the Empress Dowager used Lord Zhang to get rid of Cai Que, and now she is getting rid of him."

"What a good plan to kill someone with a borrowed knife!" The officials couldn't help but shake their heads.

Just then, a team of postmen galloped by, splashing mud and water that wet the teapot. Everyone fell silent, and only the postmen shouted, "Urgent news from Xiongzhou! Liao cavalry broke into the Juma River!"

Several people turned pale when they heard this.

Zhang Kangguo stood up suddenly and pointed to the street outside, saying: "Look! This is what happened to them for impeaching Lord Zhang!"

He grabbed his futou and slammed it on the table. "We have to wait until the Liao army is stationed on the Yellow River before these people will know."

"The backbone of our Song Dynasty has always been supported by hard-working officials like Duke Zhang Wei, not these censors who are just buzzing around like flies."

……

When impeachments were pouring in like snow and the people were gossiping about it, Zhang Maoze arrived at Zhang's residence for the second time with the imperial edict in his hand. He learned that Zhang Yue had opened a new vegetable garden outside the Wei Mansion to grow crops.

This time when Zhang Maoze arrived at Zhang's residence, there was no imperial guard to block the way, nor did he order the servants of Zhang's residence to inform.

Zhang Maoze, the chief of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, went straight to the vegetable garden and saw Zhang Yue bending over to loosen the soil in the vegetable patch. There was new mud on his cloth clothes and he had a half-pulled wild wormwood between his fingers.

The people around him were about to step forward and talk.

Zhang Maoze waved his hand, handed the imperial edict to his attendants, and personally walked to the vegetable patch and said respectfully, "Duke Wei!"

Zhang Yue raised his head and laughed, "Yes, you know it. Excuse me for being rude."

Zhang Maze presented the imperial edict with a smile. Zhang Yue stood up from the field, walked to the well, stopped, scooped up a bucket of clean water to wash the dirt on his hands, and finally casually wiped his hands on his lapel, and a dark water mark immediately spread on the coarse cloth clothes.

Holding up the purple silk edict, Zhang Yue's gaze lingered on the words "Shizhong and Shangshu Zuo Pushe" for a long time.

“I am terrified.”

After saying this, Zhang Yue returned the imperial edict, put on his clothes and left.

Zhang Maoze took a step back and followed him, saying, "In the past, Duke Wei was worried that his reputation was not enough, so he recommended Wang Jiefu, Han Zihua, and Wang Yuyu one after another. Now the world is looking forward to seeing you as a prime minister, and you have recommended Wen and Wang. In fact, in my opinion, Duke Wei should not have such concerns."

Zhang Yue said: "I have done my best to fulfill the orders given by the Empress Dowager, and now Cai Que has been dismissed."

"I am honored to be recognized by the Empress Dowager and Your Majesty. I am willing to do my best to repay this kindness, but I must take public opinion into consideration."

Zhang Maoze asked, "Regarding the matter of Aligu, Duke Wei, do you have anything to tell me to report to the Empress Dowager?"

Zhang Yue was slightly angry. Given his current status, why should he explain to a woman like you? Isn't this Aligu obvious?

But Zhang Yue thought about it and said patiently: "Everyone knows that if you want to accuse someone of something, you can always find a pretext. Let those who are in charge of affairs know that money, power, and loyalty cannot be obtained at the same time."

"If you give them money, they will be like the imperial guards of this dynasty, with generous salaries and support; if you give them power, they will be like the feudal lords in the late Tang Dynasty, who were allowed to grow stronger. If you give them both money and power, loyalty will become a luxury."

"One should not seek perfection in planning, but should leave some gaps. When Aligu was sent to Hexi, the most important thing was to cut off the right arm of the Dangxiang and block their way to the western regions."

Any organization is an impossible triangle of money, power and loyalty.

Zhang Yue said slowly: "Aligu is a natural born hero. People on the grassland value heroes the most. He has countless people willing to die for him. I can't send a coward to Hexi!"

Zhang Maoze said sternly: "Don't worry, Duke Wei. The Empress Dowager can see clearly who is working for the country and who is fighting against dissidents."

Zhang Yue said: "I don't blame Sima Junshi and the others. You know, if you want crops to grow well, you have to work hard and rest at the right time. The court is balancing between reform and old laws, isn't it the same for governing a country?"

Zhang Maoze was overjoyed. Zhang Yue's words also showed that he was willing to make certain concessions and compromises to Empress Dowager Gao on the matter of the new law.

Zhang Maoze immediately returned the favor and said, "The Empress Dowager has repeatedly said that when Wei Gongfeng was in power, he was always helpful to the new laws and was based on leniency and benefiting the people. He was much better than Cai Que and Zhang Dun."

Zhang Yue said: "Thank you for the praise from the Empress Dowager. I have to say something from the bottom of my heart to Zhang Duzhi. I don't have to speak for Cai Que and Zhang Dun this time, but I am afraid that they will..."

Zhang Maoze sighed, "In the final analysis, Duke Wei is still suspicious. The Empress Dowager asked before that Duke Sima had resigned as the Deputy Privy Councilor. Is Duke Wei going to resign as the Minister of the Court now?"

Zhang Yue said: "How dare I compare with Sima Junshi? Please report to the Empress Dowager that I am willing to go to the northwest or Hebei to defend the court against the Liao Kingdom or the Tanguts."

"If I am appointed, I can immediately go to the border to repel the enemy, but if I have to return to the court to govern, I will not be able to do it!"

"I cannot explain to the Empress Dowager about Duke Wei's actions. The Minister of the Central Secretariat Zhang Zhi has repeatedly submitted petitions requesting to leave the capital," said Zhang Maoze.

Zhang Yue paused and thought for a moment before saying, "Please ask the Grand Empress Dowager to speak well of me so that there will be someone available in the court. If there is a shortage of people, the former Minister of Revenue Huang Lu can be used."

Zhang Maoze was stunned for a moment, then he smiled. After the crown prince was appointed, the emperor was very passive. After the emperor recovered from his illness, the first person he dismissed was Zhang Yue's confidant Huang Lu.

Zhang Maoze said: "Mr. Wei is really a man who cherishes the past."

"I have been in the court for many years, and I only have a few good friends like these." Zhang Yue sighed, "Not only good friends, but also relatives."

Zhang Maoze nodded and said, "I will report the truth to the Grand Empress Dowager. There is one last thing. The Ministry of Rites drafted the late emperor's temple name. The Grand Empress Dowager ordered me to submit it to Duke Wei for his review first."

Seeing Zhang Maonze handing over a proposal from his sleeve, Zhang Yue said, "It is not my place to ask about this matter."

"It is said that the merits and demerits of a person will be judged by future generations. I have served the late emperor for twenty years and watched him do many things, but the late emperor never did anything for himself in his life!"

Zhang Maze and Zhang Yue were both sighing.

After Zhang Maozhe left, Zhang Gen, Zhang Cheng, and Peng Jingyi, who were waiting in the distance, immediately stepped forward.

Zhang Gen looked anxious, but he saw Zhang Yuexian instructed Peng Jingyi: "Prepare 100 taels of gold and send it to the prefect Zhangdu overnight."

Peng Jingyi asked, "It is well known that Zhang Duzhi is honest and incorruptible, and does not take external things. I am afraid he will not accept this money."

Zhang Yue said: "It is unreasonable for an eunuch not to accept money. Even if he gives it away as alms, he must be polite. The more reputable a person is, the more polite he must be in secret."

Zhang Gen said, "Father, everyone in the court is looking forward to your return as prime minister, just like longing for rain after a long drought. Why did you still refuse?"

Zhang Cheng said: "Second brother, I think there is nothing wrong with Daddy doing this."

Zhang Gen scolded: "Dad, you have no right to interrupt in front of my brother."

Zhang Cheng muttered, "Second brother, if you think I'm in the way, it's okay to cut yourself off."

Zhang Gen said sternly, "Father, you don't have to worry too much about the Empress Dowager's suspicion. You can slowly shift the focus after you take power and expel Sima Guang and others."

"The Empress Dowager is a woman, if you don't take it now, you will suffer the consequences."

Zhang Yue said to Zhang Gen slowly, "Throughout history, there have been emperors who gave up their kingdoms. So what's wrong with me giving up a chancellor?"

"Besides, is this world your father and mine?"

Zhang Gen said: "Daddy, but not the Empress Dowager."

Zhang Cheng said immediately: "Second brother, the late emperor's will may not be of any use... If it weren't for the defeat at Yiling, why would Emperor Zhaolie of Han have entrusted Shu Han to Zhuge Kongming?"

Zhang Gen was furious... Zhang Yue said, "Okay, you two brothers don't have to quarrel anymore."

Zhang Gen was furious when he saw Zhang Yue and Zhang Cheng standing on the side, and said angrily: "Dad, you don't want the position of prime minister, just give it to me."

After saying this, Zhang Gen turned around and left.

……

Liu Zhi put down the teacup in his hand heavily and laughed loudly: "Just as I expected, Zhang Yue is a man who cherishes his life while doing great things!"

Zuo Zhengyan Zhu Guangting immediately agreed: "It was all thanks to Liu Shiyu, Wang Yushi, and Liang Jianyi who risked their lives to impeach Duke Zhang Wei and created public opinion in the capital, that his path to returning to the position of prime minister was cut off!"

"Now that Cai Que is gone, Zhang Dun has been impeached and is staying at home. I guess this is what the Empress Dowager wants." Liu Zhi stroked his beard and said seriously, "This is the general trend. Cai Que was in power before, and we had to stay out of the spotlight. Now that Cai Que is gone, Zhang Dun has been impeached and is staying at home. It's time to settle accounts." He paused meaningfully, "I think this is also the Empress Dowager's deep intention."

Upon hearing this, Zuo Sijian Jia Yi immediately complimented him: "The Imperial Censor is very observant and can see through the secrets of the Empress Dowager!"

Liu Zhi's face stiffened slightly at these words. In the court, it was common to use allies and then strike back.

Previously, Cai Que held the position of prime minister and Zhang Dun was the privy councilor. Empress Dowager Gao joined forces with Zhang Yue and Sima Guang to depose Cai Que and Zhang Dun.

Now that Cai Que was dismissed, Zhang Dun submitted a petition to resign and saw that these two had been dealt with.

Empress Dowager Gao fulfilled her promise and reinstated Zhang Yue as prime minister, and even further promoted him to be the minister of the imperial court, pretending that she was keeping her promise and respecting the late emperor's will. At the same time, she hinted to Sima Guang's generals Liu Zhi, Liang Tao, and Wang Yansou to defeat Zhang Yue.

This kind of imperial mentality played the ministers in the palm of his hand.

Now that Jia Yi had pointed it out so bluntly, it seemed like they had become a knife in the hands of the Empress Dowager.

Although Liu Zhi, Liang Tao, and Wang Yansou became knives in the eyes of others, they were happy to do so. With the fall of Cai Que and Zhang Dun, they were promoted to higher positions, which was also a real benefit.

What's more, Liu Zhi, Liang Tao and Wang Yansou did not admit that they were the executioners of Empress Dowager Gao.

Seeing this, Liang Tao immediately smoothed things over, saying, "It's clear that Zhang San broke his promise first! He said something about a five-year agreement during the Yuanfeng period, but in fact he had long been trying to control the government. Fortunately, the late emperor was wise and successively dismissed his followers Huang Lu and Chen Mu, forcing him to leave Beijing." He sneered, "Now he refuses to repent and is plotting to become a prime minister. We are exposing his evil plot to eliminate harm to the country!"

All the imperial censors echoed the sentiment, and the hall was abuzz with discussion. Wang Yansou suddenly turned to the old man with white hair and beard and said, "Mr. Sun and Mr. Zhang Wei are from the same school. I wonder what you think about this?"

Everyone looked at the other person. This elderly official was none other than the Right Counselor Sun Jue.

Everyone's eyes fell on Sun Jue, the Right Counselor. The old minister stroked his beard slowly and said thoughtfully: "The old man and Lord Zhang Wei have long been strangers. However..." He looked around at everyone, "I'm afraid the real trouble in the court right now is someone else."

Liu Zhi, Liang Tao and Wang Yansou looked at Sun Jue for a moment. If he said a word for Zhang Yue, they would attack him immediately.

When they impeached Zhang Yue before, Su Che said a few words for Zhang Yue and was immediately expelled from the circle by them, thinking that they were ungrateful and betrayed Sima Guang's recommendation.

"That's right, as long as Zhang Yue doesn't plot to become prime minister again, we can let him go. After all, Zhang Wei Gong Yuanfeng has made contributions to the country, unlike Cai Que, who Zhang Dun regards as a nobody." Liu Zhixuan said again.

Liang Tao felt that something was wrong. He wanted to continue to pursue Zhang Yue and dig deeper into the matter of Aligu, but when he saw Liu Zhi speaking, he didn't know what to say.

Zhu Guangting and Jia Yi exchanged glances and immediately agreed: "Han Zhen is the real vicious one!"

As soon as this statement came out, everyone agreed.

Liang Tao frowned, he felt that Zhu Guangting and Jia Yi were in sync with Sun Jue on this matter, and seemed to be deliberately guiding him. But it was difficult for him to go against the will of the people, not to mention that Han Zhen was a double-faced person. He relied on Zhang Yue's recommendation to be the acting Privy Councilor, and then fell out with Zhang Yue.

Later, Liang Weijian wanted to get close to Empress Dowager Gao by currying favor with Zhang Maze, but Empress Dowager Gao did not appreciate him. Although he tried his best, the old party still did not regard him as one of their own.

Jia Yi said: "Han Zhen was cruel and violent. It is said that when he was the Privy Councilor, he issued an order that the ceremony of subordinates meeting their superiors should be held every five days, which caused dissatisfaction among his subordinates. Someone wrote a poem to complain: "The ceremony is held every five days, just like the daily routine. The prime minister sits facing south, but he is just waiting for the audience to come."

How can we tolerate such a person who uses evil to gain power? "Liu Zhi slammed the table and stood up, "Please ask Brother Zhu and Brother Jia to jointly submit a petition with me, and we must get rid of this traitor! "

After some discussion, Jia Yi, Zhu Guangting and Liu Zhi each submitted a petition to impeach Han Zhen.

……

At the end of the eighth year of Yuanfeng.

Xiang Qi stood in the corridor, looking at the few carriages and horses in front of the door. Not long ago, this place was crowded with people, but now there are only a few sparrows pecking at food in front of the steps.

Cai Que was dismissed from his position as prime minister, Zhang Dun was in danger, and even Han Zhen was dismissed from his position as deputy privy councilor.

Xiang Qi had a premonition when Tsai Que would fall. On the one hand, he strongly advised Tsai Que not to resign voluntarily, and on the other hand, he was secretly looking for a new job.

Han Zhen seemed to be very close to the Empress Dowager, and there was even a possibility that he would become the Prime Minister.

It just so happened that Xiang Qi had some friendship with Han Zhen, so he took out most of his life savings, all of which came from years of corruption and bribery, and put them all on Han Zhen.

Xiang Qi knew that he had offended too many people over the years. He was also involved in forcing Chen Mu to death. If he didn't have someone to support him, he would definitely not have a good ending.

This money can not only change your family's fortune, but also buy you peace, so you must not be stingy on this matter.

But a few days ago, Han Zhen also fell.

Xiang Qi still clearly remembered that when he visited Han Zhen a few days ago, he told him that Cai Que had been dismissed from his post as prime minister and Zhang Zhi had resigned, and that he would take over Zhang Zhi's position as the Secretary of the Central Secretariat.

Han Zhen said this with great confidence, talking about how close he was to Liang Weijian and Zhang Maozhe.

Xiang Qi immediately expressed his loyalty to Han Zhenmi and expressed his willingness to be attached to the tail wing. Han Zhen gave Xiang Qi an official title and made a wish on the spot, allowing Xiang Qi to be promoted to a higher rank.

Xiang Qi was overjoyed. After returning home, he gave Han Zhen another 500 strings of cash and then went back home to wait for good news.

Xiang Qi also felt that he was very decisive and he was never stingy when it came to spending money.

As a result, news came that Han Zhen was dismissed from office.

Han Zhen's dismissal from office not only meant that he no longer had Xiang Qi to rely on, but also that all his wealth was lost.

Xiang Qi wiped away his tears at home and immediately ordered his servants to prepare horses to go to Han's house.

Twilight fell.

The vermilion lacquered door of Han Zhen's mansion was closed.

Xiang Qi wrapped his cotton robe tightly around himself, asked the servants to wait by the side, and rang the door knocker himself.

Finally, a servant opened the door a little and saw it was him. He said with a flash of contempt in his eyes, "Sir, the Prime Minister has said several times that he will not see guests today."

Xiang Qi angrily kicked the door shut. He didn't care about anything else. He said in a hoarse voice, "Prime Minister Han owes me three thousand strings of cash for saving his life. If you don't see me today, I will go to Wutai to talk to him..."

Xiang Qi sneered and said, "I don't know what he has done in these years."

The servant was about to say something but stopped himself and said, "I'll report it to you again."

Xiang Qi paced anxiously in the corridor, and after a while he was brought into Han's house by a servant.

The lanterns in the corridor flickered, illuminating the scattered boxes and cages in the yard, where servants were loading valuables onto the carriage.

Finally, Xiang Qi saw Han Zhen’s gloomy face in the living room.

The once majestic Han Xianggong was now only wearing a shirt with wine stains on his collar.

The lanterns in the corridor made his eye sockets look as sunken as a ghost.

"Xiang Qi," Han Zhen said with a sarcastic smile, "it's reasonable to ask for a gift back when it's delivered to your door."

Xiang Qi's face instantly turned pale when he heard this. He suppressed his anger and said, "Prime Minister Han, you promised me that if I helped you with all my money, you would guarantee me a promotion. Now that you can't protect yourself, won't all my money go down the drain?"

Han Zhen sneered, "Xiang Qi, haven't you made enough money following Cai Que over the years? Now that the wind has changed, you should admit defeat. I, Han Zhen, have ended up in such a mess, and you, a mere lackey, still want to get away with it?"

Xiang Qi was so angry that he was shaking all over. He pointed at Han Zhen and said, "Okay, very good! In this case, don't blame me for being ruthless. I know everything about what you have been plotting over the years. If I report this to the Censorate..."

Han Zhen's eyes turned stern and he said, "Do you think that what you say is true, a stray dog ​​like you?"

"Don't forget, how did Chen Mu die?

Xiang Qi was hit in the sore spot, his face turned pale, and he struggled to say: "Mr. Han, we are now in the same boat, we must stick together."

"Who is on the same boat with you?" Han Zhen cursed.

"Now Sima Guang is gaining power, and if Zhang Yue is reinstated as prime minister, if he settles the old scores, neither you nor I can escape!"

Han Zhen suddenly laughed wildly upon hearing this, his laughter was filled with madness: "Zhang Yue? Do you think he will let you go? I'm afraid Liu Zhi and Wang Yansou have been eyeing you for a long time!"

Xiang Qi said bitterly: "Mr. Han, I don't want anything else, I just want my money back."

"If you want money." Han Zhen pulled out a dagger from his boot and stuffed it into Xiang Qi's hand, "Why not just peel off my skin and pawn it!"

Even Han Zhen was in such a state of disgrace.

Seeing Han Zhen, who was once powerful and influential, fall to this state, Xiang Qi had no choice but to return home.

The scenery of Bianjing remains prosperous.

Along the way, Xiang Qi thought of many things, including how he was young and poor, and how he was looked down upon by his classmates.

Later, he studied well and was praised by his fellow villagers.

I came all the way to the Imperial College and met Cai Que and Zhang Yue.

Then he passed the imperial examination and finally got a marriage proposal, but his wife's family never looked down upon him.

On weekdays, Xiang Qi has to watch his wife's mood at home and be careful to put on a smiling face.

In the end, the Yue family gave most of the property to his brother-in-law. He had worked hard to serve him for half his life and had endured so much humiliation. He really felt unworthy of his efforts.

"I'm just poor, what have I done wrong?"

"We all come from humble backgrounds, why am I always inferior to others?"

"Is it destined to be like this if you were born in a poor family?"

When Xiang Qi returned home in a daze, he saw that a group of soldiers in black clothes had surrounded his mansion, and torches lit up the night sky.

The leading guard glanced at Xiang Qi and said, "Is it the Imperial Court Doctor Xiang Qi?"

"You colluded with the treacherous party of Cai Que and Han Zhen, embezzled public funds and people's property, bribed the government, and took advantage of your connections to disrupt the government. You also spied on the secrets of the imperial court and used your power to threaten the emperor. You also lent money at high interest rates and exploited the people, causing their families to go bankrupt. You are hereby dismissed from your post and brought to justice. Your property will be confiscated!"

Upon hearing this, Xiang Qi collapsed to the ground and was immediately captured by the soldiers.

At this time, he saw soldiers breaking down his door, arresting his wife and children, and standing on the street in the cold wind.

His wife cried, "My Lord, all the corruption and abuse of power were done by my master alone, why did you implicate us?"

"Please have mercy, Master! Please have mercy, Empress Dowager!"

Xiang Qi was furious when he saw this. He struggled to his feet, pointed at his wife and cursed: "You all did the usury behind my back. I have nothing to do with it!"

"I don't admit this!"

After saying that, Xiang Qi and his wife started arguing loudly in the street.

The guard watched this scene and laughed, "It is true that husband and wife are birds of the same forest, but when disaster strikes, they fly away separately."

……

There was a burst of hurried horse hooves sounds outside the yard, mixed with the clanging of armor.

Cai Que was instructing the servants to pack up the boxes and crates. He paused for a moment when he heard the voice. He then smoothed the wrinkles on his sleeves and said, "It's the Palace Guards who are here to take over the house."

Cai Wei and Cai Shuo both knew that Cai Que's house was a gift from the emperor. When Zhang Yue conquered Liangzhou, Wang Gui and Cai Que both made contributions, and the emperor gave them a house.

After he was dismissed, the court actually took back the house.

Moreover, he actually took it back on the day he left Beijing, without even waiting a moment.

It was indeed a great humiliation to the former prime minister.

"This is too much!" The jade belt around Cai Shuo's waist rustled, but he was stopped by his father's eyes. He saw a team of imperial guards rushing into the courtyard, and the leader clasped his fists and said, "Mr. Cai, I am ordered to take back the house you have been granted." His eyes swept across the boxes on the ground, clearly urging him.

Cai Wei's face turned pale: "My father has not yet set off, how dare you——"

Cai Que interrupted with a cough, put his skinny fingers on his son's shoulder, and turned to the guard, "Please wait a moment, I will pick up some old things and leave."

The officer glanced at Cai Que, stretched out his hand to stop his men from trying, and said, "Yes, I am sorry for being so rude. Besides, there is no rush."

Although the other party left, Cai Wei, Cai Shuo and others were still very angry.

Cai Que, however, was very calm.

"Zhang Yue can't be reappointed as prime minister, and Han Zhen can't be saved! Zhang Dun can't save himself!"

Cai Que said: "This is just the beginning. I don't know what's waiting for me next. How long will I have to wait?"

"The late emperor's hard work has been completely wasted." Cai Shuo couldn't help but say.

Cai Que took out a stack of poems from his study and asked, "Dad, Wang Jinggong even burned the Diary, these..."

The diary is Wang Anshi's diary, which contains his writings when he was in power, including conversations between the emperor and his ministers, as well as details of the reform. Now even Wang Anshi is afraid of being implicated, so he burned the diary.

"What are you afraid of?"

Cai Que heard this and said, "I will never burn my poems. Let others read them."

"Every word of these poems is from my heart."

After Cai Que finished speaking, he suddenly coughed violently. Cai Wei hurried to support him, but felt that his father's back was as bony as a knife.

He still couldn't help but say: "Dad! I have been fired these days..."

However, Cai Que had been hearing news these days that someone had been dismissed, most of whom were followers of Han Zhen or Zhang Dun who had followed him over the years.

Cai Que smiled and said, "Let them say whatever they want. I am Cai Que loyal to the late emperor, and there is absolutely no word in my poems that goes against my will. Let these old party members check it out."

After saying this, Cai Que left the house and walked to the mule cart and sat down. His chest was breathing heavily and then he closed his eyes.

As the mule cart slowly drove away, Cai Que took one last look at the words "imperial construction" on the plaque. The wheels rolled through the streets of Bianjing, and the people along the way pointed and talked.

……

On the gatehouse of Nanxun Gate, Zhang Yue watched Cai Que's carriage leave the capital.

He tapped the battlements with his fingertips and said to his attendants, "Cai Que and I have known each other for a long time. He is leaving Beijing today, and I am here to see him off."

Accompanying Zhang Yue were Su Zhe and Lu Tao.

Zhang Yue said to the two of them, "Let's stop with Cai Que's matter. Don't add insult to injury."

Su Che and Lu Tao both agreed.

Su Che and Lu Tao were also members of the old party, but they were expelled from the circle because they were too inclined towards Zhang Yue in front of Liu Zhi and others.

Su Che straightened his hat that was blown askew by the wind and said, "Lord Wei is generous. But Liu Zhi and others dismissed 37 officials of the New Party, and even Han Yuru's nephew was not spared."

"The situation in Beijing is gradually getting out of control."

Zhang Yue knew very well that half of them were impeached by Sun Jue, Jia Yi, and Zhu Guangting at his instruction, including Han Zhen and Xiang Qi.

It was a good opportunity to use the old party to clean up a group of people, and as for those in the new party who were inclined towards him, Zhang Yue would protect them in secret if possible. If that didn't work, he would let them be punished and then recalled them to their original positions in the future. In this way, he could gain double their loyalty.

Generally speaking, this cleanup of the New Party did not go beyond Zhang Yue's scope, so he won't have to do it himself in the future.

Zhang Yue said to Su Che with great sorrow, and Lu Tao sighed: "I can't do anything about it. There are constant impeachments in the court."

"People like Liu Zhi and Wang Yansou consider themselves gentlemen and want to suppress all new parties."

"I will never coexist with them."

Su Zhe and Lu Tao thought to themselves that Zhang Yue was too concerned about his own reputation and was too soft-hearted.

Su Che and Lu Tao were also very uncomfortable being excluded and isolated these days. Although Liu Zhi and his men seemed to be in power, as they united with their faction to attack the dissidents for a long time, the dislike for them was secretly growing in the old party.

Su Zhe and Lu Tao said at this moment: "These two are confusing right and wrong. We will follow whatever the Duke of Wei proposes."

"Please Lord Wei come out as soon as possible and accept the imperial decree to take charge of the situation."

Zhang Yue heard this and said slowly: "Don't worry, the Empress Dowager will definitely give justice to the world. Since it was Liu Zhi, Wang Yansou impeached him again and again, so I am suspected."

"It is not appropriate to take office before the truth is revealed."

"To avoid disputes between the government and the public, I decided to take refuge in the Dingli Temple."

Zhang Yue said this and watched Cai Que's carriage go away.

……

In the back garden of Cishou Palace, Empress Dowager Gao was trimming a crabapple tree with golden scissors. Branches kept falling, and she suddenly stopped and asked, "Did Zhang Yue really move to Dingli Temple?"

Zhang Maoze took two steps forward holding a spittoon in his hand. "It is absolutely true. Han Zhongyan led more than a hundred officials to stand in front of Zhang's mansion for half a day. Even Cai Jing and his brothers went there. Finally, Zhang Yue moved into Dingli Temple."

"It's just a show." Empress Dowager Gao cut off the slanting branches. "I want to see how long this 'three refusals and three declines' will last."

Amid the sound of broken branches falling to the ground, Zhang Maoze lowered his voice even lower: "Your Highness, the more I read the letter, the more frightened I am."

"Ridiculous!" The golden scissors closed, and Queen Mother Gao cut off another branch. She laughed and said, "What is he afraid of?"

"Do you really think that as the government and the public are talking about, I used Zhang Yue to deal with Cai Que, and then I dealt with Zhang Yue in return."

"What a great plan to kill someone with a borrowed knife. You can even stage a play for me to watch. I am not that smart. I just want to ask, when the late emperor was alive, would Zhang Duzhi dare to make such excuses?"

"I dare not speculate." Zhang Maoze paused and said, "But I think this time Ling Zhang knows how to be fearful. It is also good to know who is the real leader of the Song Dynasty."

Empress Dowager Gao said, "I am the queen and many of the ministers below are dissatisfied with me."

Zhang Maoze said, "That's right. This is to prevent Zhang Yue from thinking that he has the late emperor's will and acting recklessly."

"I thought he was the second Han Qi of the Song Dynasty."

Empress Dowager Gao nodded and said, "This Yan Da cannot be used. The general who leads the imperial guards in this palace needs to be replaced."

"Over the years, our Gao family has lost many generals in the army. Fortunately, I have found a few."

Zhang Maize nodded.

Empress Dowager Gao fiddled with the flowers and trees for a while and suddenly asked, "Where was I just talking about?"

"General of the Imperial Guards?"

Empress Dowager Gao said, "No, the previous sentence."

Zhang Maoze said: "It's Zhang Yue."

Empress Dowager Gao said, "Yes, let's put it this way. The Imperial City Department has arrested dozens of people who have been slandering Zhang Yue by name in the streets these days. They will all be exiled for the crime of slandering important officials. This will give him justice."

"Also issue an edict to reprimand Liu Zhi and the other three, and forbid them to speak ill of Zhang Yue again."

"Finally, I will issue an imperial decree and send it to Dingli Temple. I will definitely appoint Zhang Yue as the Minister of the Interior."

Zhang Maoze said: "Everything is as arranged by the Empress Dowager."

Empress Dowager Gao laughed and said, "What do you mean by arrangement?"

"I don't know how to govern a country, but I always remember two things: one is that the people are the foundation of the country, and the other is that the prime minister should employ talented people."

"Zhang Yue is a person that both Emperor Renzong and the previous emperor value. I don't trust their judgment. The matter of governing the country and maintaining peace still needs Zhang Yue to do it."

"Liu Zhi and his men should just give Zhang Yue a warning to let him know the limits. Don't go too far. Continuing to be suspicious will only chill people's hearts. Zhang Yue wants to inherit the late emperor's will, continue the new law, and destroy the Tanguts. He said before that the Jiayou law can slightly supplement the Yuanfeng law, so I will listen to him for now."

"But I want to watch him the whole time, whatever he is going to do!"

At this point, Empress Dowager Gao sighed slightly and said, "I suddenly remembered that if the late emperor had continued to use him as prime minister, there would have been no defeat at Yongle City!"

While they were talking, the eunuch came in and said, "Your Majesty! The Liao envoy Xiao Xi has arrived at Chenqiao Posthouse and said he wants to present the letter in person!"

Empress Dowager Gao, who had been calm and composed just now, felt her fingertips tremble when she heard the words, and the crabapple branch broke with a sound.

"I know you must accompany me to burn incense!"