I served as an admonisher in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 261: If the emperor and his ministers are at odds, please go to Su Liang; if the weather lasts for a long time, please pray for rain from Zhao Zhen!

Inside the Daqing Hall.

The officials were confused.

The official left behind a sentence of "I have made up my mind", then rolled up his sleeves and left.

All the ministers knew that these were angry words, and they couldn't help but look at the two ministers, wondering whether they should continue to wait or disperse the court.

Prime Minister Wen Yanbo looked helpless.

Ouyang Xiu, Tang Jie, Bao Zheng, and Wang Yaochen still looked upright. If the officials insisted on building heavy cavalry, the four of them would definitely protest.

At present, it will be difficult to resolve this conflict unless both sides are brought to a standstill.

Wen Yanbo glanced towards the side hall and found a young Huangmen standing at the corner and nodded to him.

He understood immediately.

This shows that the official has not left yet and is waiting for the officials to give him a suitable step.

This matter has not yet spread out of Daqing Hall.

If word spreads about the Daqing Hall, it will probably become a farce in the court that is rumored among the people.

Zhao Zhen obviously didn't want to make things worse.

Wen Yanbo walked to the front. When everyone looked at him, he pressed down with his hands, signaling everyone to stay where they were and not to make any noise.

All ministers understand.

Then, Wen Yanbo looked at Su Liang and said, "Jing Ming, why don't you go talk to the official?"

In the entire hall, the official who liked Zhao Zhen the most was Su Liang, and Su Liang could always come up with some unexpected and good ideas.

After Su Liang thought for a while, he nodded slightly.

On the side, Wang Yaochen heard this and grabbed Su Liang's sleeve and said: "Jingming, remember, reason is greater than heaven!"

When Ouyang Xiu, Tang Jie, and Bao Zheng heard this, they all echoed: "Principle is greater than heaven!"

Wen Yanbo slapped Wang Yaochen's arm off and glared at the four of them.

There are fewer corrupt officials and traitorous officials in the current court.

But the stubborn official can count them with both hands.

Such officials are indeed capable, but sometimes their sincerity can make people half-dead.

not far away.

Xia Song looked at Su Liang's back thoughtfully.

He felt that if Su Liang went with the official family, he would benefit; if he went against the official family, he would be scolded.

……

About a quarter of an hour later.

Su Liang came over with a smile on his face.

Just when Wen Yanbo was about to ask Su Liang what the outcome was, a high-pitched voice from a young man came from not far away: "The court discussion continues!"

All the ministers were surprised and happy.

Su Liang was able to persuade the officials to come back in one fell swoop, which no one had expected.

They originally thought that Su Liang would go to negotiate the terms, and then come back to discuss with the ministers whether they could agree to the official's request.

I never thought that the official family would come back directly.

All the ministers stood back to their original positions.

Then, Zhao Zhen was seen walking in front of the throne with a smile.

Zhao Zhen looked down, coughed dryly, and then said loudly: "I was a little out of breath just now. I shouldn't have thrown away my sleeves. This kind of thing will never happen again in the future!"

what?

All the ministers were a little confused and looked at Su Liang in disbelief.

They couldn't understand what Su Liang said to make the official who always had a good reputation come back and apologize.

Zhao Zhen continued: "After careful consideration, I feel that it is too costly to build a 10,000-man heavy cavalry at the moment, but heavy cavalry is indispensable. I plan to combine the suggestion just made by Fan Xiang to first set up a team of 500 people." The heavy cavalry will be increased according to the situation when the national strength allows. What do you think?"

Wen Yanbo quickly stepped out of the queue and shouted: "I have no objection!"

Xia Song looked at Su Liang and frowned.

He couldn't figure out what method Su Liang used to not only make the official apologize willingly, but also make him compromise in just a quarter of an hour.

This ability is even more powerful than Concubine Zhang's pillow style.

At this moment, Xia Song did not dare to persist any longer.

If the official is so angry that he throws up his sleeves and leaves again, it will be his fault.

Moreover, the officials are still on his side and have not given up on building heavy cavalry.

As long as this strategy is not abandoned, he will have achieved great success.

Wen Yanbo turned to look at Wang Yaochen, Ouyang Xiu, Tang Jie and Bao Zheng behind him.

The meaning is obvious.

The officials have reduced the 10,000 heavy cavalry to 500. If you are still stubborn, you are too stubborn!

Wang Yaochen, the envoy of the Third Division, strode out, cupped his hands and said, "I have no objections from the officials. I was just impatient and disrespectful. I hope the officials will punish me!"

On the side, Ouyang Xiu, Tang Jie, and Bao Zheng also raised their hands and said: "I have no objection. I am disrespectful in front of the emperor. I hope the officials will punish me!"

Immediately afterwards, all the ministers raised their hands and said: "I have no objection!"

Officials have already given steps.

Anyone who is ignorant is really unreasonable.

Zhao Zhen nodded.

"When the court discusses political affairs, it is inevitable that I and the ministers will have tempers, but it is not a big deal to quarrel over state affairs. However, from now on, I promise that I will not throw away my sleeves again, but the ministers must not do the same. Open your mouth to resign!"

"I obey!"

All the ministers bowed their hands, and their respect for the official family increased a little more.

This magnanimity and magnanimity are actually the work of the Holy King.

"Then... let's end the discussion here today, let's disperse the dynasty!" After Zhao Zhen said that, he left Daqing Hall.

The officials dispersed.

After leaving Daqing Hall, Wen Yanbo, Zhang Fangping, Wu Yu and other ministers came to Su Liang and said, "Jing Ming, how did you do it?"

Su Liang smiled slightly and said: "Keep it secret!"

Only by retaining a certain sense of mystery can you have more say in the court.

Su Liang knew that as a Taiwan admonishment officer, he had to be upright.

But he also knows that if he wants to have a stable position in the court, he must make himself invisible to others.

In this way, others will not dare to provoke him easily, and more trouble can be reduced.

Although the officials did not inquire about the content of Su Liang's advice, they understood the truth: if the emperor and his ministers are not in harmony, please go to Su Liang.

In fact, the content of Su Liang's admonishment is not complicated.

He stated only two facts.

First, if this matter is left to the people to judge, Zhao Zhen will definitely fail.

Because planning to build 10,000 heavy cavalry is equivalent to raising more than 200,000 infantry, which is indeed a waste of people and money at the moment.

If there is no war for three years, the people will definitely criticize.

Zhao Zhen was particularly concerned about the people's opinions of him, and he knew that the reason for insisting on this matter was that private matters were more important than public affairs, so after thinking about it carefully, he would no longer be stubborn.

Second, in this dispute, the winner is the one who admits his mistake.

If you admit your mistake, you will not only gain the reputation of a wise king, but you will also be able to train five hundred heavy cavalry first, and then slowly plan for them.

Zhao Zhen knows how to be a king.

After Su Liang's little reminder, he naturally knew what to do to be more conducive to the stability of the imperial power and the stability of the Song Dynasty.

Su Liang was able to solve this matter because he knew Zhao Zhen very well, not only his temperament, but also his logic of doing things.

……

On March 16th, the weather was sunny but not rainy.

On March 17, the weather was sunny but not rainy.

On March 18th, the weather was sunny but not rainy.

……

The fields are dry, the wheat seedlings are short of water, and the drought is getting worse.

If it doesn’t rain in March.

The entire Jingdong Road, Hebei Road, and Kaifeng Prefecture's crops this season may be exhausted.

Wang Yaochen, the Third Chief of Staff, looked desperate. From time to time he looked at the dazzling sun in the sky and murmured: The gains from the reform in one year may not be equal to the losses from a drought. It is really difficult!

People in Kaifeng Prefecture began to use various methods to pray for rain.

Some ask Taoist priests to drive away drought demons to pray for rain, some ask wizards to perform dances to pray for rain, and some place snakes, lizards, and frogs in the Dragon King Temple or the City God Temple to pray for rain...

There are many ways.

At the same time, some rumors began to spread among the people.

Among them, the one that has spread the most and is believed by the people the most is that the drought was caused by the reform in the Song Dynasty that violated the words of the ancestors. Therefore, God gave a warning that the reform must be stopped immediately, otherwise the disaster may be more serious.

At the moment, such rumors are particularly convincing.

Not only the common people believe it, but also scholars, scholar-bureaucrats and officials, and even today's officials believe it.

Because the theory of "induction between heaven and man" has been deeply rooted in people's hearts.

If the emperor disobeys God's will, God will send down divine punishment; if a peaceful and prosperous era is created, God will send down auspiciousness.

Such as earthquakes, star changes, floods, droughts, locust plagues, etc.

All are damned.

The emperor has nothing but to solve the problem.

It is also necessary to reflect deeply, correct the gains and losses of government, and even write an edict against oneself.

After Su Liang heard these rumors, his first reaction was to find Wang Anshi and ask him to talk as little as possible.

If Wang Anshi said that "there is no need to fear changes in the sky" again, I am afraid he would really be demoted from Kaifeng Mansion.

present.

It is simply impossible for Su Liang to popularize the idea that natural disasters are natural phenomena and have nothing to do with human affairs.

……

In the early morning of March 20th, Zhao Zhen issued another edict.

Will pray for rain again in three days.

This is the third time Zhao Zhen has prayed for rain this month. If it doesn't rain again, he may really have to write an edict to punish himself.

Even the reform process will be significantly affected.

Drought.

The damage to Jiangshan Sheji is too great.

At that time, Song Taizong was in power.

Kaifeng Prefecture was once devastated by drought and locust plague.

Emperor Taizong prayed for rain many times but failed, and finally got angry and wrote an edict to Prime Minister Lu Mengzheng.

"This is the punishment from heaven. It is due to my immorality. You and I will build a platform in front of the Wende Hall. I will be exposed on it. If there is no rain for three days, you and others will burn me together to answer the punishment from heaven."

It means: God's punishment has come, and I have lost my virtue. If it doesn't rain in three days, you will burn me in sacrifice to heaven.

After this edict was issued, it rained the next day and all the locusts died.

Su Liang suspected this was a show. Si Tianjian must have detected the rain first, and then Emperor Taizong went to pray for rain, thus proving the imperial power granted by heaven.

Emperor Taizong undoubtedly proved successful.

But now, Si Tianjian seems to be a little inaccurate. Zhao Zhen prayed for rain twice, but no rain fell.

At this time.

Su Liang suddenly thought that there was a strange person in Baijia Academy named Wang Chu who was particularly good at observing astronomical phenomena.

He couldn't help but rush to Baijia Academy immediately.

It must rain as soon as possible, and it is best that Zhao Zhen prays for it.

Otherwise, when public opinion boils and more and more people oppose the reform throughout the Song Dynasty, it will not end well.

In the afternoon of that day, Su Liang appeared in Baijia College.

I heard the call from the prison.

Shen Kuo immediately brought Wang Chu to Su Liang.

Wang Chu, about fifty years old, used to be a Taoist priest, but now he still has a long braid hanging on the back of his head.

No wife, no children, no daughters.

He is not like Taoist Priest Yuyangzi who studies firearms, and he disdains any common things.

He is very low-key.

During the day, he was responsible for studying oval patterns, and at night, he studied celestial phenomena.

Baijia College called him a master because of his superb research and production of cleats.

Su Liang also heard Shen Kuo talk about this person, and also knew that there were people in Baijia College who could predict celestial phenomena.

Wang Chu has been studying astronomical phenomena for more than ten years.

He observes clouds, wind, and stars every day, and then constantly summarizes and looks for commonalities.

Su Liang asked anxiously: "Master Wang, the officials will pray for rain again in three days. Is it possible that it will rain in three days?"

Wang Chu thought for a while.

"I'm still... not sure yet. Can I wait until I see the sunset tonight before I give you an answer?"

Su Liang nodded.

……

An hour later.

The sun sets and the sky becomes dark.

Su Liang walked around Baijia Academy twice and chatted with Mr. Liu Qi for a few words before he arrived at Wang Chu where Guanyun had returned.

Wang Chu took his little notebook and said: "In three days, although there will be rain clouds, there will also be strong winds. There may be less than three levels of chance of rain."

Su Liang couldn't help but frown.

This is almost consistent with the news he heard in Sitian Monitoring.

But Si Tianjian had no choice but to pray for rain, so they chose the most likely time.

"Then...then...is there a way to make it rain?" Su Liang asked.

Wang Chu thought for a while and said: "There is a saying in "Lunheng": when the rain comes out of the mountain, it may be said to be carried by clouds. The clouds disperse and the water falls, which is called rain. The clouds are rain, and the rain is clouds. When it first comes out, it is clouds. Flooding clouds become rain. If there are rain clouds, there is a possibility of rainfall. If you want to increase this possibility, there are two methods you can try, but I cannot guarantee it!"

"Which two kinds?" Su Liang asked.

Whether it rains or not affects the progress of the reform throughout the Song Dynasty. Regardless of whether it works or not, Su Liang has to give it a try.

"First, igniting fire can produce rain, which can burn a large amount of grass and trees on the high ground. Use fire to attack rain clouds, and perhaps rain will fall."

"Second, make noises under the rain clouds. If there is lightning and thunder, it may rain."

As soon as these words came out, Su Liang slapped his head and suddenly remembered some memories from his previous life.

"I understand, lighting a fire to make rain means letting the fire carry the water vapor of the forest ashes to high altitudes. After the temperature cools down, convection will form, and then the rain will fall. The premise is that there are rain clouds in the sky. This kind of rain is convective rain. And you When it comes to making noise, it means causing friction among the clouds. When there is thunder and lightning, rain will fall easily, right?"

Wang Chu and Shen Kuo both looked at Su Liang in confusion.

"May I ask what convection is? What is friction?" Wang Chu looked puzzled.

Su Liang suddenly became happy and said: "I don't care about explaining too much. I will explain to you after it rains."

After saying that, Su Liang turned and left.

Wang Chu looked at Shen Kuo with some confusion and said, "Cunzhong, you read a lot. Do you know in which book you can find what Su Jianyuan said?"

Nineteen-year-old Shen Kuo touched his head and said: "Master Wang, you may not know about our prison. His head is like a library filled with strange books. You must hold it when chatting with him. Paper and pen, otherwise you may miss something interesting!”

……

The next day, Su Liang met the Holy Spirit.

Zhao Zhen was asked to prepare more than 20 gongs and drums before praying for rain. After beating them several times, he then prayed for rain.

After praying for rain, dry firewood is burned around the rain praying platform to offer fire to the sky.

Su Liang did not explain the principle of this, but said that the master from Baijia College told him that it could increase the probability of rainfall.

At that moment, Zhao Zhen was already seriously ill and sought medical treatment, so he immediately agreed.

……

March 23rd, nearly noon.

The sky was overcast and lead clouds were floating.

On the outskirts of the city, there is a rain praying platform,

The sound of beating drums resounded through the sky. After playing for a full quarter of an hour, Zhao Zhen came on stage to pray for rain.

After praying for rain, Su Liang ordered the people around him to light the firewood nearby.

For a time, the fire surged into the sky.

Zhao Zhen and Su Liang stayed not far away and waited for a quarter of an hour before preparing to leave.

Boom!

A muffled thunder sounded.

Zhao Zhen couldn't help but be overjoyed: "It's going to rain, it's going to rain," he murmured. "It seems that my sincerity has touched the heavens!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

After several thunders, it rained heavily.

The raindrops were as big as soybeans, crackling and hitting the dry land.

Su Liang couldn't help but take a long breath.

This rain may not solve the drought, but it can tell the people that the drought has nothing to do with the Song Dynasty's political reform.

this moment.

Zhao Zhen's pressure has also been reduced a lot.

The thunderstorm gradually stopped after falling for half an hour.

Although it did not completely alleviate the drought, it calmed many people's anxieties and extinguished many rumors.

……

March 25th.

Another nasty sunny day.

A piece of news suddenly spread in the tabloids of Bianjing City.

Fan Zhongyan, a political advisor, used his personal wealth to build a Fan family charity village in his hometown of Suzhou two years ago.

It includes a charity village, thousands of acres of charity land, and several charity schools, which can benefit all tribesmen.

As soon as this incident came out, it immediately triggered a big discussion among the people.

Envy, especially envy; admiration, especially admiration.

This is a great good deed.

When scholar-bureaucrats in the Song Dynasty were about to retire, they often purchased land in their hometowns to enjoy their long life.

But their money will only be given to family members, never to distant relatives or people of the same clan.

Nor would he directly use the money for charity like Fan Zhongyan to help his tribe in the form of a charity village.

This Fan Family Yizhuang can serve children, provide for the elderly, provide relief to the poor, provide relief to the poor, and provide relief for the sick...

Although it is only targeted at the Fan clan and surrounding neighbors.

But judging from the current etiquette, it is already great enough.

And it also set a precedent for charity.

Since the late Tang Dynasty, when the gentry system fell apart, the folk patriarchal system has become the mainstream.

In other words, lower-level management relies more on family, blood and in-laws.

Fan Zhongyan passed on his benevolent deeds to the whole family, and he respected others and regarded the country as his home. This is the Confucian etiquette.

In order to prevent fellow villagers, in-laws, and relatives from falling into poverty, it is righteousness to use grain and rice from the charity village to help.

In order to keep the Fan family prosperous and have many talented people, a free school was established, which is called filial piety.

Spending all one's personal wealth to buy charity land and rent it out, providing financial support according to needs regardless of whether rich or poor, is actually the transmission of the Confucian spirit of benevolence. This is benevolence.

Fan Zhongyan did all the etiquette, justice, benevolence and filial piety without making any announcement.

How can such spirit not be admirable!

One charity village is enough to solve the problems of hundreds of poor people.

If all officials in the Song Dynasty could learn from Fan Zhongyan, it would greatly reduce the pressure on the court.

After hearing this, all the officials praised Fan Zhongyan.

This move is to use a large amount of real money to do good deeds. Anyone who wants to impeach him for the sake of fame and reputation will have no excuse.

This is what scholar-officials should do.

Fan Zhongyan did not say anything about this righteous act, but the people would publicize it.

After this matter spread among the people, some officials and some big businessmen also followed suit and prepared for family righteousness.

This was of great benefit to the stability of the bottom level of the Song Dynasty.

soon.

The Taiwanese admonishers headed by Tang Jie, Ouyang Xiu, and Su Liang wrote a memorial about the incident and submitted it to the imperial court, hoping that the court would publicize such good deeds in newspapers in various state capitals.

On that day, Zhao Zhen agreed to the request of the Taiwanese admonishers.

He also wrote and splashed ink, intending to present Fan Zhongyan with a plaque of "Fan's Yizhuang".

As soon as Zhao Zhen finished writing, there was a sudden burst of thunder outside.

Then, the sky darkened and the rain poured down.

This time, the rain was heavy and continuous.

Zhao Zhen looked at the four words "Fan's Yizhuang" that were still inked on it, and murmured: "I didn't ask for this rain, it was a gift from God to Fan Xiwen."

It rained all day and all night.

Coverage is wide.

Heavy rainfall also occurred on Hebei Road and Jingdong Road, which immediately alleviated the drought in the northern part of the Song Dynasty.

After the common people knew that Zhao Zhen said, "I didn't ask for this rain, but God gave it to Fan Xiwen," they directly adapted this sentence into a commentary that said, "Officials send plaques to commemorate good deeds, and heaven rains because of Duke Fan." .

For a time, it became a good talk among the people.

In this world, some people believe in gods and some believe in ghosts, but everyone believes that if you do good deeds and accumulate virtue, God will not treat you poorly.

(End of this chapter)