In the Song Dynasty, there was no law or order.

Just after the Mid-Autumn Festival, the weather started to get cooler.

Recently, several charcoal fires have been added to the greenhouse of the political hall.

Lu Yijian was sitting on a chair, holding in his right hand a roll of official documents sent from Jiangnan West Road yesterday.

After looking at it for a moment, he rubbed the bridge of his nose twice, looking a little senile.

Wang Zeng, who was next to him, twisted a handful of spices in his hand and sprinkled them into the brazier at his feet. The fragrance instantly spread out.

Smelling the sudden fragrance, Lu Yijian raised his head and looked at Wang Zeng. The fragrance was tinged with light green smoke, and he suddenly said in a daze: "Xiao Xian."

"Um?"

"Do you think we were wrong?"

"What Mr. Lu means is."

"Zhao Jun's eyes have been recovering for almost two months now."

"Yeah, almost two months."

"But have you seen what big things he has done so far?"

"He has done a lot of great things."

Wang Zeng smiled and said: "Yesterday we arrested two Jinshi from the Ma family. Speaking of which, they are still your brothers-in-law."

The relationship between Ma Liang and Lu Yijian is Weng's son-in-law. Lu Yijian married Ma Liang's eldest daughter, and Ma Zhongfu is Ma Liang's youngest son. He is also in his forties and is still imprisoned in the Imperial City Division.

The Ma family had already approached Lu Yijian about this matter, but Lu Yijian didn't know how to face Zhao Jun.

Several sons also asked about their uncle. Fortunately, Mrs. Qin died of illness long ago. Otherwise, Mrs. Ma would definitely make trouble with Lu Yijian. Even now, Lu Yijian still feels a headache.

"I won't talk about this anymore. The two brothers from the Ma family deserve it."

Lu Yijian smiled bitterly and shook his head.

He didn't expect that the Ma family had done so many bad things.

However, his father-in-law was not a good official, and he had a lot of corruption in his hands. He also knew about this, so it was really hard for him to interfere in the Ma family's affairs.

The main reason is that Zhao Jun's three views are very different from theirs. For the monarchs and ministers of the Song Dynasty, corruption is actually not a big deal.

But Zhao Jun couldn't get rid of the sand in his eyes. Maybe it didn't matter if he just stole some points, but behind the scenes, it was their problem to support underground forces like Wuyoudong and Guifanlou that harmed the people.

The key is that they originally hoped that Zhao Jun, who was so murderous, would take the imperial examination and become an official, and be assimilated into the officialdom, so that even if he reforms in the future, he would be a little gentler, and even try to slow down the progress of the reform and simply increase productivity and engage in inventions and creations.

But now it seems that Zhao Jun is not going in the direction they want to go at all. Instead, the harder he is pressed by them, the harder he rebounds.

Now they found another way to find officials, obtained the authority of the Imperial City Department, and began to rectify the officialdom from another angle and direction, sweeping away the cancer in Kaifeng Mansion in Bianliang in one fell swoop. This was something they never expected.

The more they wanted stability, the more Zhao Jun took the wrong approach.

Wang Zeng was always smart, and he could understand what Lu Yijian meant with just a moment's thought, and said softly: "Prime Minister Lu must be regretting that he shouldn't have let Zhao Jun enter officialdom like this."

"But the officials also agreed."

Lu Yijian said that it was indeed him who instigated Yan Shu to find Zhao Zhen in this matter.

Wang Zeng shook his head and said: "The officials agree, but don't forget, Zhao Jun once said that officials have soft ears and are easiest to agree to back and forth. If he can promise us today, he can promise Zhao Jun tomorrow, and so on. Pulling each other down is not the same."

"well."

Lu Yijian sighed: "Then what should we do now? If this continues, Han Yi may not be able to survive."

"If you can't keep it, you can't keep it."

Wang Zeng said disdainfully: "You have always been too concerned about your own three-acre land. Zhao Jun is right. The desire for power is too strong. The more you are afraid of losing, the more you want to hold on. In the end, you are afraid that you will get nothing. "

Lu Yijian said dumbly: "You don't have to blame me, you are not the same? Isn't this matter what you are worried about?"

Wang Zeng fell silent.

Again, although he had conflicts with Lu Yijian, Zhao Jun's appearance did shake the foundation of their bureaucratic scholar-official class.

Nowadays, the power of the bureaucratic class is unprecedentedly strong, but Zhao Jun will shout and kill them as soon as he comes over. As the representative and leading figure of this basic base, he, Lu Yijian, including Wang Sui and others, do not want this to happen. matter.

The problem is that Zhao Jun was just talking about it at first, but when he came to the Song Dynasty, he saw some things and some people, which changed him. The excitement has turned into actual actions, which makes Lu Yijian and Wang Zeng even more frightened and worried.

If I had known this, I might as well have persuaded the officials to give Zhao Jun another title, such as Royal Scholar Number One Scholar or Wizard, and let him directly make the overall plan. It's better than now that someone is in charge of the Imperial City and raises the butcher's knife in his hand against the bureaucrats and scholar-bureaucrats.

"So what?"

Wang Zeng said: "Now that the matter is done, let's endure it for now. Maybe it's a good thing that he cleans up some corrupt officials."

Lu Yijian smiled bitterly and said: "Then won't he support Fan Xiwen's Qingli New Deal in the end? Do you think he is taking advantage of now to clear obstacles for Fan Xiwen?"

"this!"

Wang Zeng woke up suddenly.

yes.

Sixty-seven-eight out of ten officials in the Song Dynasty were corrupt.

Now Zhao Jun plans to spread the authority of the Imperial City Division across the country. If all officials across the country are investigated by him, a large number of officials may be dismissed.

Even if this process takes several years, the Qingli New Deal will only be a few years away.

If Zhao Jun quietly brought down a large number of officials in a few years, and Fan Zhongyan also won over more officials to support his new policies during this period, wouldn't the new policies be promoted throughout the country in the future?

At that time, their basic base would still collapse.

Thinking of this, Wang Zeng's head was buzzing for a while, and he didn't know what to do.

Now their relationship with Zhao Jun and the government is in a very special situation.

Because according to Zhao Jun, historically, this group of people would be replaced in the next two years.

Now they can stay in the position of prime minister well, because Zhao Jun is in the middle to maintain it.

As insiders, the government will not let them drift outside, nor will they let them leave this central area.

So it is precisely because of Zhao Jun's existence that they can still exist.

If Zhao Jun has any accident, no one knows what the government will do.

Therefore, from this perspective, they can't do anything to Zhao Jun.

Even if Zhao Jun makes a big fuss, they can only be forced to tolerate, or seek help from the government, or do some other small actions behind the scenes.

But according to the current situation, can they really persuade the emperor? Can they stop Zhao Jun by making small moves?

The more they persuade the emperor, the more he will be persuaded by Zhao Jun. Compared with their own descendants and the Song Empire, the scholar-official class itself is not important.

"What do you want to do?"

After thinking, Wang Zeng asked back: "The emperor has said it and persuaded him, but he was still persuaded by Zhao Jun. Can the power of the Imperial City Department be taken back?"

"So I ask you, did we make a mistake from the beginning."

Lu Yijian said: "If we fully support Zhao Jun from the beginning, he will not become like this now."

"Then who said that Zhao Jun was still young and needed experience, and let him enter the officialdom?"

"I am right, but isn't this the truth?"

"Do you remember what we said at the beginning? He needs experience and still needs our assistance."

"What do you mean?"

"I want to ask the emperor again to let Zhao Jun come to the Political Affairs Hall, so that he will stay with us and will not have the mind to do other things."

" You think too much. Zhao Jun will not stay in the Political Affairs Hall. Now look at his methods, he is decisive and decisive, and he swept Kaifeng Prefecture with thunder. Do you think he still needs experience? "

"Are you afraid after all?"

Wang Zeng sneered: "Is it because your Lu family has a dirty background, and you are afraid that Zhao Jun will find out?"

"No matter what you say, I am doing this for the Song Dynasty."

Lv Yijian lowered his head and glanced at the official document at hand, "Speaking of which, it seems that we haven't listened to new things with Zhao Jun like before for a long time. The previous things have been turned over and over again, and we have almost understood them. We are always worried that the Han people will be enslaved, but now it seems that we are actually enslaving ourselves."

It was an official document about another rebellion in Jiangxi Road. Zhang Jian, a citizen of Shicheng, led the people to revolt because he was dissatisfied with the heavy taxes.

Although this uprising was quickly suppressed, it was like a wave in the countless uprisings in the Song Dynasty. It did not cause any waves, and it was not even mentioned in history books.

But at least it also gave Lv Yijian another signal - if they did nothing, history would still follow its trajectory.

So Lv Yijian did regret it a little. He regretted that he shouldn't have framed Zhao Jun, fully supported him, and made a good relationship with him. Who knows, he might let his descendants go?

"Why, is this to show some goodwill to Zhao Jun? It seems that Lu Gong really regrets it."

Wang Zeng said with a hint of sarcasm: "I just don't know whether Lu Gong regrets that he shouldn't have let Zhao Jun leave the palace, or regrets that Zhao Jun is not following Lu Gong's wishes now, causing Lu Gong to lose two nephews."

"Both."

Lv Yijian did not deny that if Zhao Jun was given enough respect at the beginning, perhaps the two nephews of the Ma family would not have suffered such a disaster.

"Then are you willing to give up so many children of your Lu family who entered the officialdom through the influence of the family?"

Wang Zeng asked back.

You must know that Zhao Jun said before his eyes were restored that the problems of the Song Dynasty were difficult to reverse, and solving the three redundant problems was even just the first step.

And it was this first step that made Lv Yijian, Wang Zeng and others feel terrified.

Didn't the three ministers and three ministers, including Yan Shu, all support Zhao Jun's entry into the imperial examination and be assimilated by them?

Isn't it because every family has a large number of children who have entered the officialdom through family connections?

Once Zhao Jun supports Fan Zhongyan's reforms and sets off a huge wave, wouldn't the children of their families be hard to escape?

So everyone has their own little thoughts.

But now Lu Yijian has a twisted feeling in his heart.

He is worried that Zhao Jun's control of power will threaten their literati, and he is also afraid of the future demise of the Song Dynasty.

It is true that he has selfish motives.

But Lu Yijian knows that if he continues to let this selfishness fill his head, then the distance between him and the government will become farther and farther.

He said: "Do you think Zhao Jun can really get rid of all the literati? But don't you feel that the relationship between the emperor and us has become increasingly alienated? The emperor is no longer the emperor he used to be?"

Wang Zeng frowned and said: "What do you want to say?"

Lü Yijian shook his head and smiled bitterly: "It is true that we want to protect the literati, but think about it, what does the emperor want?"

"The Song Dynasty will not be destroyed."

Wang Zeng said without hesitation.

Because Zhao Jun has long said that the first concern of anyone in power is always the security of the regime.

Lu Yijian sighed: "Yes, so as long as Zhao Jun exaggerates the crisis of the Song Dynasty to the officials every day, the officials' fear will increase. And if he wants to solve the crisis, he must carry out large-scale administrative rectification, then If I try to keep the scholar-bureaucrats alive, I will inevitably end up on the opposite side of the government."

"I don't understand what Mr. Lu said, but it's really difficult to make a choice."

Wang Zeng also sighed.

Since they have reached this position today, it proves that their political wisdom is not too low.

Historically, Fan Zhongyan's Qingli New Deal was about to revolutionize most of the officialdom. They became opponents, not because they didn't realize that the Qingli New Deal was good for the Song Dynasty.

It was because they realized that the Qingli New Deal was good for the Song Dynasty that they became opponents.

Because it was good for the Song Dynasty, but for them and their family, it was a disaster.

So they hope that Zhao Jun will become one of their own.

But now it seems that not only Zhao Jun will not become one of them, but also the official family will drift away from them under Zhao Jun's deception.

When the time comes, the entire class of scholar-bureaucrats will become enemies of Zhao Jun and the officials. What will they do then?

"No matter how difficult it is, we must make a decision. Otherwise, if this continues, serious discord will break out between us and the officials. At that time, it will only force the officials to side with Zhao Jun. Our results will be certain. It won’t get any better.”

Lu Yijian suddenly had a realization at this moment and said in a deep voice: "I plan to go to the officials tomorrow and invite Zhao Jun to the palace to explain. Will you guys go?"

"Lets see."

Wang Zeng shook his head and said: "Let's see how the Han family is doing. If Han Yi is smarter and asks the officials for a favor, as long as the officials and Zhao Jun have different opinions, things may turn around."

"so be it."

Lu Yijian fanned the increasingly fragrant fragrance with his sleeves, then stood up and walked out while whispering: "Old man, old man. The future is the world of young people. I can no longer keep the scholar-bureaucrats of the Song Dynasty, you If you are willing to get into trouble, go ahead.”

"Humph, old man."

Wang Zeng snorted coldly.

It was their tacit decision to draw Zhao Jun into the game, and it was even Lu Yijian who started it.

But I didn't expect that this guy would be the first to rebel.

In the final analysis, Zhao Jun mentioned Lu Gong's work before when talking about Lu Yijian and Sima Guang, letting Lu Yijian know that the Lu family would have a prime minister in the future.

Fan Zhongyan's reforms were aimed at those who entered the officialdom and those with poor talents. Those who passed the Jinshi examination were often talented, and because the number of Jinshi each year was too small, it was basically impossible to be included in the elimination list.

Lu Yijian's eldest son and second son are also Mengyin, but the third son, Lu Gongzhu, will first be Mengyin and then take the imperial examination in the future, and his future is bright.

In other words, as long as Lu Gong is around, the Lu family will not decline because of the reforms launched by Fan Zhongyan and Zhao Jun in the future.

But the Wang family is different. The four sons of the Wang family are all on the elimination list, so naturally there are two attitudes today.

Lu Yijian could rebel, but Wang Zeng could not.

After all.

All for their own family.