Dawn of the Empire

Chapter 35

Shao Wu saw a sudden change at the ceremony. It seemed that the officials of Honglu Temple intended to use the newly transferred Duting Xiyi supervisor as a scapegoat. He thought that Li Ruobing was also a leader among young officials. He was about to come out and say a few words for him, but he was reprimanded by Deputy Prime Minister Zhao Zhifu: "The national ceremony is not over yet, why are you arguing here? It's really inappropriate."

Prime Minister Cai Jing also came out to play and said: "Your Majesty, it is a matter of state affairs. Li Ruobing, the supervisor of Duting West Station, should be ordered to punish him. After the department finds out the details of the situation, we can make a decision."

Zhao You saw Yelu Dashi, the envoy of the Liao Kingdom, standing aside expressionlessly, as if he was watching the jokes of the monarchs and ministers of the Song Dynasty. The anger that had just been suppressed suddenly burned again. Bai's young Duting Xiyi official glanced at him and said in a deep voice, "As Prime Minister Cai said, we will discuss this matter later!"

Amidst the cheers of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians around the Linshui Palace, this discordant episode was only a short moment. After that, the officials in charge of various celebration ceremonies became more trembling, for fear of making a mistake. , touched the emperor's wrath, but fortunately everything went well after that, except for Li Ruobing, the new supervisor of Duting West Station, who went home to wait for the crime, the dragon boat bidding ceremony of the Dragon Boat Festival ended in a peaceful and peaceful atmosphere.

After the ceremony, the new Imperial Supervisor Yang Shibing said: "Your Majesty, for the big exam of the Taixue Shangshe this time, please ask Your Majesty to come up with questions." Because the students who go to school and go to the dormitory with the best grades in the examination can be directly appointed officials, the questions of the big exam are all It is proposed by the emperor himself, and the ranking of the outstanding ones is also determined by the emperor himself, which is equivalent to passing the imperial examination in the imperial examination, and they are also regarded as disciples of the emperor.

Zhao You was thinking about building a ship to go to sea to guide the envoys of various countries to enter the court. Hearing this, he said casually: "Let's make a policy discussion on the topic of 'Connecting the Four Seas, Huaiyuan Country'."

Yang Shi frowned slightly, but he couldn't object to the topic set by the emperor himself, so he accepted the order and withdrew.

The emperor suddenly bestowed a marriage on the third prince during the grand ceremony, which made Zhao Qi's popularity in the East Palace soar. The officials who supported the crown prince Zhao Ke couldn't help but get nervous. Yan and others gathered at the Prince's Mansion that night to discuss countermeasures.

After dismissing the servants and maids, Prince Zhao Ke couldn't bear the anger anymore, reached out and grabbed a teacup from the firewood kiln, and smashed it to pieces with a bang.Veins burst out on his head, his face was gloomy, and he said angrily: "Give Cao Di's daughter to the third child, does the emperor really want Yi Chu?" I thought to myself, since I became the crown prince, I have been extremely cautious in every word and deed, for fear of being criticized. In the end, how could my father be so mean to me? Could it be that the appearance and personality of the third child are more similar to Father, or was it because the mother died early that father was bewitched by Concubine Zhang's charming son, or was it because the third child had a clever younger sister who liked father and emperor to talk to him?

"Cao Di holds 15 elite troops from the Xijing camp, and it's only a few days away from Bianjing." Luo Ruji frowned, worried. With Di's support, he ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor. At that time, even if everyone wanted to support the crown prince, they would have no choice but to do nothing.

"The key is the official's intention for this move. Is it a whim, is it hoping to win over the Cao family in Xijing, or is it implying the intention of easy storage?" Qin Hui turned to look at the crown prince's companion, Zhao Yan, and said in a deep voice, "Guang Shi, such a situation Can't be ignored, what countermeasures does Prime Minister Zhao have?"

Hearing Qin Hui's question, Prince Zhao Ke also looked expectantly, Zhao Yan said: "My father's meaning, knowing the official's will is the key. The prince can report to the official. Bernard's second daughter is well-known, so she asked the official to give her a marriage, and she was registered as the crown prince and concubine."

"Zhu Berna?" Prince Zhao Ke's eyes lit up. This Wukang Army Jiedu envoy is in charge of the imperial duty, and he is His Majesty's most confidant general.

Today, when the official family was still in the East Palace, the prime minister Zhang Dun had all the power in the court.After the death of the first emperor, both the Empress Dowager and the Prime Minister Zhang Dun believed that although the prince Zhao You was known for his talents, he behaved frivolously.Not only that, but the Empress Dowager and Zhang Dun kept the funeral in secret. First, they gathered all the trusted officials and rushed to the Daqing Hall with Zhao Zuo, the fourth son of the former emperor, from Xuanhemen, trying to force the fourth prince Zhao Zuo to ascend the throne.It was all because Zhu Bona, the commander of Yulongzhi at that time, led the guards to guard the main hall used for enthronement to prevent everyone from entering, and the eunuch Tong Guan, the imperial supervisor and seal, secretly handed over the imperial edict to the prince of the East Palace. Just like waking up from a dream, with the support of Zeng Bu, the political adviser who supported him, he rushed to the Daqing Palace with the officials who supported him, and holding the last emperor's edict.The empress dowager and Zhang Dun's party saw that the general situation was over, so they gave up their plan to support the fourth prince.Immediately after ascending the throne, Zhang Dun was exiled and rewarded for his meritorious deeds, and the tens of thousands of imperial guards guarding the palace were handed over to Zhu Bona for command.

"If the official family marry the daughter of Zhu Bona to His Highness the Crown Prince as his concubine, it means that the official family does not have the heart to keep it easily. If the official family does not agree to this proposal, then His Royal Highness the Crown Prince needs to take another countermeasure."

As soon as Zhao Yan's words fell, Qin Hui and Luo Ruji were both thinking, and the crown prince Zhao Ke asked eagerly: "If the father does not agree to grant the marriage, then what?" The prince has long developed the habit of thinking about defeat before winning, and when he thinks that his father refuses to bestow the marriage, the intention of Yi Chu Donggong is clearly revealed, and he can no longer hold back.

Zhao Yan glanced at Qin Hui and Luo Ruji, and said in a low voice, "It's good for His Highness the Crown Prince to keep himself clean all these years. But in the eyes of the officials, it is indeed more than cautious, and it is not enough to forge ahead. In addition, the officials intend to let His Royal Highness King Jing participate in the competition." In the imperial examination, with the help of that 'treacherous' chancellor Cai Jing and his gang, it is not difficult to come to the imperial examination to win the first prize. At that time, King Jing's prestige will rise greatly, and with Cai Jing and his gang helping the flames, the officials will most likely take advantage of the situation and easily become the East Palace."

Zhao Yan actually represented his father, Zhao Zhifu, to analyze the current situation to the prince. Every time he said a word, Prince Zhao Ke's brows frowned, and finally they were almost knotted. , but heard Zhao Yan's tone change: "If the officials want to change their minds, the crown prince needs to show more courage and vigor. The officials have long cherished the ambition of being a master. If the officials refuse to grant a marriage, His Royal Highness When I ask the emperor to inspect the Hebei camp and watch the frontline situation, it will be better if I urge the troops to make military achievements. The ministers should try their best to show the prince's great achievements in Bianjing, so as to change the official's impression of the prince. After all, Yi Chu is It is a major national event, the prince has not done anything wrong, and he is popular, so if you want to come to the government, you will be cautious about it."

After Zhao Yan finished speaking, he exchanged glances with Qin Hui. After all, most of the officials in Qingliu advocated a cautious northern expedition, but Qin Hui sighed as an objection.Cai Jing and other 'treacherous' parties have gained today's power just because they catered to Shang's wishes everywhere. If Prince Zhao Ke didn't do some expedient measures here, I'm afraid they would really offend Yi Chu, the official.

Prince Zhao Ke also heaved a sigh of relief, nodded, and bowed to Zhao Yan: "It's good to have a countermeasure, and I will trouble Prime Minister Zhao for the detailed arrangements."

After finishing the deliberation, Luo Ruji came out of the prince's mansion. Luo Ruji took a few steps back, stayed beside Zhao Yan, and said in a low voice, "Mr. The eldest son of the family, Li Ruobing, falsely reported that the envoys of the Liao Kingdom wanted to bow down to the emperor, and he has already been suspended from his post and punished."

"What?" Zhao Yan was stunned, staring at Luo Ruji and said, "Li Ruobing has always been shrewd and capable, how could this kind of trouble happen, could it be that someone framed him?"

Luo Ruji smiled speculatively and said: "Young Master, don't ask, maybe in a few days, the Li family will beg you to come to you. Let's see how noble they are still pretending to be at that time."

Zhao Yan was taken aback for a moment, hesitated for a while, but did not pursue further.

Li Ruobing, the eldest son of Li Gefei, a doctor of Taixue, has always been the pride of Li's family. Already shrouded in a gloomy mist.

"As the saying goes, the Qing is self-clearing. Uncle Wen, rest assured, we will work together to resolve this matter." Chao Buzhi, who heard the news and came to discuss countermeasures, comforted Li Gefei, "The above Qing Qing will give up He is the first official in the exam, and he always comes up in the evaluation of foreign appointments. He is too sharp and attracts people's envy. The setbacks this time may not be purely bad." What he didn't say in his heart was that if Li Ruobing has been performing so well, sooner or later If it attracts the attention of the officials, if it is feared by the "treacherous" party in power, it may not be so simple to frame it.

Qin Guan, a good friend who came with Chao Buzhi, said: "The ministers and young ministers of Honghe Temple are eager to put the charges on Qingqing's head. It is obvious that the 'treacherous' minister ordered Honglu Temple to investigate this case of impoliteness at the ceremony. It is selfish, Uncle Wen should argue with reason, and it is best for Yu Shitai to sit in on the investigation together, there are still many honest and honest people among the officials admonishing Taiwan, who dare to disobey the 'treacherous' prime minister and complain for the nephew."

Chao Buzhi said from the side: "That's exactly the case. Zuo Sijian Chen Guan and Supervising Censor Shao Wu have always been upright and outspoken. Let me ask them to speak to the officials. Don't fall into the trap of foreign envoys and 'treacherous' officials." , Destroy the rookies of Shilin."

There was some uncertain tone in his words. When the official came to the throne, Chen Guan strongly advised the empress dowager not to interfere in politics. The official was very grateful to him, but in recent years, he has been alienated by the official because he is too upright.When Li Ruobing was framed, Shao Wu, the inspector censor, was in the Linshui Palace, and he didn't say a word at that time, it's unbelievable.

Li Gefei cupped his hands to Qin Guan and said, "Thank you, brother Shaoyou. If there is any news from the government and the pavilion, please let brother Shaoyou know in advance, so that my family can make some preparations."

Although Qin Guan is only a loose official of Xuan Fenglang, he usually serves as an attendant in the Imperial Academy and drafts embellishment edicts for the officials. But he is still quite clever, he has always valued friendship the most, and immediately said to Li Gefei after hearing the words: "Uncle Wen, don't worry, I will do my best."

At this moment, Song An accompanied Li Ruobing out of the study, and said solemnly: "This matter is a bit strange. I heard what Brother Qing said. On that day, the officials of Honglu Temple and the servants came to Duting West Station to urge us to discuss the ceremony. However, the documents arranging the meeting etiquette of foreign envoys were deliberately placed in a pile of files related to royal etiquette by the subordinate staff, so that Brother Qing Qing had no chance to verify face-to-face with the envoys of the Liao Kingdom and signed them in a hurry. The subordinate staff disappeared ten days ago."

"It was really framed by someone?" Li Gefei's face darkened, and he said: "It's just that we and the Yuanyou Party members are always disliked by the officials. Even if we want to defend Qingqing, we have not seen the officials. This is a chance for my family." He paused, and said bitterly, "When the government allowed Yuanyou to become an official, I thought that these 'treacherous' parties would not let me go easily, but I didn't expect such despicable methods." He He said to Li Ruobing: "Since I have become an official, these factional strife in the court will come sooner or later. The so-called wind knows the strength of the grass, and the more frustrated the better, the true gentleman."

Li Ruobing nodded and said: "Father's lesson is. Compared with the seniors in Qingliu, this small setback Ruobing suffered is nothing." He had completely calmed down at this time, and he also cupped his hands to Song An: " Brother Song. If you can find the escaped subordinate, let it be. If you can’t find it, then you should learn this lesson even if you don’t keep secrets.”

Song An waved his hand and said: "Etiquette matters can be big or small, and how to punish them all depends on the officials. Unfortunately, we are not allowed to see Tianyan and tell His Majesty the twists and turns in it."

Song An's worries, such as Li Gefei, Chao Buzhi, Qin Guan and others who have been in the ups and downs of the officialdom for many years, could not have imagined it.It's just that the officials who have made friends with each other many times, and the Yuanyou Party members have always been hated by the officials, there are not many who can talk to the officials.Your Majesty has been surrounded by a group of "treacherous" ministers known as the New Party, and the government is upheld by the "treacherous" ministers. People like Li Gefei and Chao Buzhi, who are full of knowledge and talk about state affairs, are eloquent. Some are helpless.

At this time, Song An's breaking of this festival immediately made the atmosphere in the front hall a bit dim, and everyone's faces were flickering like candles. Instead, Li Ruobing, the person involved, smiled and said: "Boy, if you don't do things well, it will only make father and I The two adults are worried." He intentionally changed the topic, then turned to Zhao Xingde who was beside him and said, "This is the first time I meet Yuan Zhi, so I am laughing at you. I heard that the latecomers of Taixue established a Neo-Confucianism Society today , claiming to 'tomorrow's best principles, wide sages' learning', Yuan Zhi is one of the founders, it is really a formidable young generation."

Li Ruobing's words were full of praise and appreciation, so that Zhao Xingde felt embarrassed, and hurriedly said: "It's just a gathering for the late graduates to discuss economics and academic theory. The elder brother is the first in the imperial examination. pillars of the country."

He also wanted to say a few words to comfort Li Ruobing, but he couldn't find the right words anyway. He boasted that he had knowledge beyond this era for thousands of years, but he was so powerless when it came to a specific trouble around him.This feeling made Zhao Xingde feel a kind of humiliation from the bottom of his heart, even a little fear.The political struggle in the imperial court is the cruelest. Once one loses, the world is so big that there is no place to stay.An encounter like Li Ruobing's will happen to him one day, can he have a way to resolve it?What should I do if I am framed by powerful officials?Do you have to go far away?

Thinking of this, Zhao Xingde fell into deep thought, and the people in the hall couldn't hear clearly what they were discussing next, and their minds were only in a mess.This feeling of weakness and powerlessness made Zhao Xingde desire to control his own destiny more than ever, in addition to humiliation and fear.