I served as an admonisher in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 51 The flawless Bao Xiren

The next day, it was nearly noon.

Zhao Zhen summoned Prime Minister Du Yan, Deputy Prime Ministers Chen Zhizhong and Wu Yu, Privy Councilor Jia Changchao, and Third Secretary Zhang Fangping into the palace.

Zhao Zhen said straight to the point: "After careful consideration, I feel that the most suitable candidate to serve as Zhengdan envoy this time is Zhijianyuan Bao Zheng!"

"what?"

The five prime ministers were dumbfounded.

This result is really unexpected.

They even thought of Su Liang, but they didn't expect it would be Bao Zheng, who always had a straight face when meeting everyone.

Zhang Fangping, the third commander on the side, almost laughed out loud.

Because the first image that came to his mind was——

At the state banquet of the Liao Kingdom, Bao Zheng recited a congratulatory message for the Lord of Liao with an expressionless face.

At the banquet that followed, he refused to drink the wine the Liao people asked him to drink, and he refused to watch the Liao singers and dancers dance. In fact, when Bao Zheng saw the Liao people being disrespectful, he would angrily scold the Liao officials.

……

Followed by.

Zhao Zhen explained to the five people what Su Liang said: "Neighbors have no friends, kindness is easy to be bullied, and the Song Dynasty is not Xia Liao's pocketbook."

Du Yan and the five others are all old foxes who have been in the court for decades.

How could they not understand this truth?

They were surprised that the officials' attitude towards the Liao Kingdom had always been gentle and kind, but now they suddenly became tough.

Du Yan and Wu Yu were very happy.

In their hearts, they still advocate being tougher on the outside world.

Jia Changchao and Chen Zhizhong were very unhappy. They did not want to have any more disputes and just wanted to be peace officers for the rest of their lives.

As for Zhang Fangping, the third envoy.

He disliked anything that might lead to spending a lot of money.

After Zhao Zhen finished speaking, Jia Changchao immediately came out.

"The official family, I think it is inappropriate. Since the Chanyuan Alliance..."

Just as Jia Changchao opened his mouth, he was interrupted by Zhao Zhen extending his hand.

"Prime Minister Jia Shu, have you forgotten the increase in coins in the second year of Qingli? Have you forgotten how the envoys of the Liao Kingdom teased our envoys? I sent Bao Zheng as the Zhengdan envoy, not to provoke a war, but to Let me, the ministers of the Song Dynasty, know that there is no need to bow your head and flatter people when interacting with the Liao people. Are you bending too much and can't speak straight?"

Zhao Zhen amplified his voice at the end, with a hint of displeasure in his tone.

This made Jia Changchao very uneasy.

In the past, officials had never interrupted him so forcefully.

At this time, Du Yan walked out slowly.

"I think this is a very wise move by the officials. Bao Xiren is rigorous in his work. No matter in terms of qualifications, rank, personal ethics, or official reputation in the court and among the people, he is the best choice for Zhengdan envoy!"

"I second the proposal!" Wu Yu on the side immediately said with his hands.

Seeing that the officials had made up their mind, Zhang Fangping, the envoy of the Third Secretary, remembered the annual coins given to Liao, and couldn't help but stand up.

"Bao Xiren is mature, experienced and knowledgeable in military affairs. If he can also monitor border affairs, he is indeed the best choice!" Zhang Fangping also supported Bao Zheng.

Chen Zhizhong always regarded Zhao Zhen's wishes as his own.

He immediately stood up and said: "I second the proposal!"

Four of the five prime ministers agreed that Bao Zheng should be appointed as Zhengdan envoy, and it would be meaningless for Jia Changchao to oppose it.

He immediately raised his hands and said, "Officials and ministers have no objection!"

Zhao Zhen couldn't help but reveal a faint smile.

He found that if he was tougher and held the truth, these ministers who were tearing up the truth every day would be nothing more than paper tigers.

"Then Zhongshu will draft the decree. If there are any objections, it will be up to you to explain it!"

After that, Zhao Zhen left with a smile on his face.

Du Yan and others were stunned again.

Recently, officials have become more and more wise and able to control the overall situation.

The most difficult thing about this matter is not them.

But people like Wang Gongchen, Liu Shi, Qian Mingyi, and Li Ding.

If they knew that Bao Zheng would become the Zhengdan envoy, they would definitely oppose it.

At this time.Du Yan slowly came to Chen Zhizhong and said: "Mr. Chen, you have more contact with Wang Zhongcheng, Qian Zhengyan and others. If they object to it, the matter will be left to you!"

After that, Du Yan left without looking back.

As the saying goes, the official rank crushes people to death.

Du Yan was the Prime Minister, and what he said was reasonable. Chen Zhizhong really didn't know how to shirk the blame.

……

In the afternoon, the news spread that Bao Zheng of Zhijian Yuan would be appointed as Zhengdan envoy.

Su Liang was very happy.

This shows that his preaching to Zhao Zhen has had an effect.

Wang Gongchen, Liu Shi, Li Ding, Qian Mingyi and others were all dissatisfied and wrote to express their opposition.

Zhao Zhen returned all these memorials to Zhongshu Provincial Political Affairs Hall.

At this moment.

Chen Zhizhong's talent for smooth dealings was revealed.

privately.

He told some officials that the official appointment of Bao Zheng as Zhengdan envoy had profound meaning, which meant that the Song Dynasty's attitude towards the Liao Kingdom had changed.

On the bright side, he spoke out.

"If anyone thinks that he is far superior to Bao Xiren in terms of image, official rank, qualifications, etiquette, personal ethics, reputation, eloquence, etc., or if he can identify the shortcomings that make Bao Xiren unsuitable for the post of Zhengdan envoy, he can continue to recommend himself. It makes sense, I am willing to personally write a letter of recommendation for him!"

Chen Zhizhong’s two messages, one overt and one hidden.

It not only shows that what the official family needs is a tough-minded Zhengdan envoy, but also shows that if anyone wants to replace Bao Zheng, just find out his faults.

Some officials in the Song Dynasty were not very capable.

But he is a good hand at catching people's minor faults and making a big fuss about them.

But when they met Bao Zheng, these people were all dumbfounded.

In terms of image, it’s natural to have a crooked and cracked appearance when serving as an envoy to a country.

But Bao Zheng was tall and tall, with a clean and honest face, and he was quite majestic as a scholar-bureaucrat.

Except for Fu Bi, Han Qi, Su Shunqing and others who were sent abroad, other officials really did not have such majesty.

In terms of qualifications, official reputation, and personal ethics, Bao Zheng is a unique presence in the court.

As for eloquence.

Looking at the entire Song Dynasty, the only one who could fight Bao Zheng several times was Ouyang Xiu, a scholar of Hanlin Academy.

However, Ouyang Xiu's personal ethics was flawed. He emphasized literary talent but lacked momentum.

The person that all the officials in the court are most afraid of arguing with is Bao Zheng and Bao Xiren.

Bao Zheng was the only one criticized.

He is too upright and not good at dealing with the world.

But at the moment, what the officials need is an envoy who can show the prestige of the Song Dynasty.

These characteristics of Bao Zheng happen to be his biggest advantages.

Some officials who spoke out did not want to offend Bao Zheng. They were worried that if Bao Zheng caught him in the wrong, they would be impeached to death, so they did not dare to speak anymore.

There are also some officials who are dissatisfied.

Day and night, he used various connections to find Bao Zheng's faults.

Even Bao Zheng's distant relatives asked about it.

Even if they can catch the wind and find some rumors, they can still find out about it and impeach Bao Zheng.

Unfortunately, they were disappointed.

Bao Zheng is truly a white jade, invulnerable to fire and water.

It's like having an indestructible body in the officialdom.

It is simply a copper pea that cannot be steamed, boiled, pounded or fried.

Not only did these people fail to find out Bao Zheng's shortcomings, but they unexpectedly uncovered many good deeds that Bao Zheng had done when he was in power at the local level.

This became a joke among the people for a while.

After the matter was rife for six or seven days, the officials gave up.

　Thanks to book friends Totoye and Uncle Nanyang for their tips, thank you very much!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)