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

Chapter 138 Zhao Yunrang's Test

The newspaper became an instant hit in Bianliang.

Because the above content is aimed at different audiences, including those who love current affairs, poetry, and articles, it is naturally popular.

Moreover, the call for papers above also attracted many people, such as Ouyang Xiu.

Ouyang Xiu was a big troll, but historically he could only write memorials and articles, which were published in Zhazi and Dibao, so it was difficult to spread among the people.

After seeing the news in the newspaper, I was so happy that I wrote an article "On Officials" and submitted it to the editorial department.

The core idea of this "Lun on Officials" is to resolutely safeguard the political policy of the Constitutional Yuan in rectifying the administration of officials, and express appreciation for the officials' strong support for the Constitutional Yuan, saying that Zhao Zhen is simply a holy emperor and so on.

The editorial department of the printing house was established, with Meng Chengqi as the chief editor. When he saw the famous Ouyang Xiudu coming to contribute, he quickly included it in the next issue of the newspaper as a backup.

Although Ouyang Xiu is only thirty-two years old this year, he is not yet a literary master. But his writing style was sharp and he became famous very early. As early as more than ten years ago in the first year of Tiansheng, when he came to Bianliang to take the imperial examination at the age of seventeen, his poems and songs were already praised by the people of the time.

Afterwards, he was admitted as a Jinshi, and often traveled with Yin Zhu, Mei Yaochen, Su Shunqin, etc. to discuss ancient literature together, and his literary reputation flourished. Therefore, although he was not yet a literary master, he was already a recognized leader among the younger generation of scholars. .

At noon that day, Zhao Jun went to Qiaobeifang again, and Meng Chengqi gave him the "Lun on Officials" to read. After he read it, he told Meng Chengqi not to print it, and left with the "Lun on Officials."

This move made Meng Chengqi confused, but Zhao Jun's actions should have deep meaning. He didn't dare to ask, so he could only sigh secretly that it was a pity for such a good article with excellent diction.

The Constitutional Courtyard was exceptionally quiet this afternoon. It was obviously early winter, but because the weather was getting warmer, the white sun was shining in the winter. The wind cooled it without feeling cold. The yard was covered with evergreen trees such as camphor trees, osmanthus trees, cypress trees, and long-leaf privet trees. Cover the sky.

The sun shines through the branches, and the trees are mottled, reflecting two long reflections.

Zhao Jun and Fan Zhongyan walked slowly in the courtyard of the political courtyard. From here, they could also see the majestic Daqing Palace in the south. On their right side were the arches leading to the Third Division, the Privy Council, the Political Affairs Hall and other centers. .

Trees are planted inside and outside the arch, under the edge gallery, and on the left and right sides of the marble floor. Although it is early winter, there are still evergreen shrubs planted in the yard, and the autumn grass is slightly brown, but it has not completely dried up.

"Now more than 90% of the evil forces in Bianliang City have been wiped out, and the people are actively reporting them. The Kaifeng Mansion and the Imperial City Division combined may have arrested more than 10,000 people."

Fan Zhongyan had his hands behind his back, but his waist was not stooped like an ordinary old man, but straight. His face was serious and upright. That's what he was.

On the contrary, Zhao Jun is not so solemn. Since the early winter is getting colder, he likes to put his hands in his sleeves and lean forward slightly, which will be more comfortable.

He glanced forward and caught a glimpse of the grass in the nearby garden that was showing signs of withering. He said, "The wild fire will not burn it out, but the spring breeze will blow it again. These people are like grass, and they must be cut down and rooted out."

"Um."

Fan Zhongyan nodded and said: "The remaining people have also hid underground. At least the order and security in Bianliang are much better than before, and there are even fewer fights."

Zhao Jun said with a smile: "The Imperial Guards receive so much salary every year and can't do anything to eat. They might as well patrol the streets to maintain public order."

The reason why public security is good now is because Zhao Jun asked Zhao Zhen to send people from the Dianqian Division to patrol the streets.

The Song Dynasty had a serious redundancy of troops. Most of the troops were stationed in Hebei and Guanzhong. However, there were more than ten or two hundred thousand troops around Bianliang. They had to make the best use of them. Instead of letting them do nothing, it was better to find something to do for them.

"Then what are you going to do underground?"

Fan Zhongyan asked.

Zhao Jun frowned, then relaxed: "Follow the plan, break its skin first, remove its bones, and then divide its flesh. The skin has been broken, is it still far to remove the bones?"

"You're talking more and more like an ancient person."

Fan Zhongyan said with a smile.

Zhao Jun rolled his eyes and said: "Those who are close to vermillion are red, and those who are close to ink are black. Lao Fan, don't your words sound a bit like those of later generations?"

"Hahahahahaha."

Fan Zhongyan laughed.

Zhao Jun threw away the "Li Lun" in his arms and said, "Let's take a look at this."

Fan Zhongyan took it and took a look at it, and praised it: "Uncle Yong's writing style is still so sharp, this thing suits my taste."

"But now is not the time to take it out."

"Why?"

"Because we cannot reveal our intention to attack officials, scholar-bureaucrats, and landlords all over the world."

"Can the outside world know about this "Li Lun" alone?"

"Many things are uncertain. At least when it comes to Lu Yijian and others, our statement must be more gentle. Do you still remember how the Qingli New Deal failed in history?"

Zhao Jun shook his head and said: "In Ouyang Xiu's "On Clique", you compare yourselves to gentlemen and the opposition to villains, and you are so proud that gentlemen should become cronies. In the end, isn't it true that you have formed a clique? ?”

"Forehead"

The appreciation on Fan Zhongyan's face temporarily stopped.

Zhao Jun continued: "Officials hate cronies the most. The publication of "The Theory of Cronyes" will play into the hands of the opposition. Who will die if you don't die?"

Fan Zhongyan said awkwardly: "Uncle Yong also has good intentions."

"Sometimes you are not afraid of opponents who are like gods, but you are afraid of teammates who are like pigs."

Zhao Jun smiled and said: "Fortunately, I established an editorial department, otherwise I would have been tricked to death by him this time."

Fan Zhongyan also laughed: "Your temperament should have been the same as Uncle Yong's before, but why are you now more like Lu Yijian and the others?"

"I used to have a high vision but a low hand. Many things were just theories learned from books. How did I know that this was the Song Dynasty?"

Zhao Jun smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Originally, in order to solve the problem of the Song Dynasty, in addition to killing people, we still need to have political methods. You are all my teachers. I have been with you for more than half a year. I should have learned Something.”

"yes."

Fan Zhongyan sighed: "Unconsciously, it has already been half a year."

The two men looked at each other and smiled.

In this palace, apart from Zhao Zhen occasionally bringing some family-like warmth to Zhao Jun, only Fan Zhongyan could bring him some friendship.

After all, Lu Yijian and the others seemed to be standing together with Zhao Jun, but they were only standing together temporarily.

They have their own interests and their own ideas. Now everyone's interests are the same. They safeguard their own interests while safeguarding the interests of Song Dynasty, so they support him.

But now it is just a small fight, there has not been a real killing spree, nor has it really begun to rectify the officialdom, so the two sides have not completely turned against each other.

But once it starts, no one can say what choice Lu Yijian, Wang Zeng and the others will make. At least before that, their relationship was just that of allies.

"The Song Dynasty is in a terrible state. The official is not the founding emperor, and he does not have that much perseverance and ability to make decisions. All of this cannot be done without you."

Zhao Jun said: "I am planning to leave Bianliang at the beginning of next year to see the world. You will also go to the northwest next year to replace Fan Yong and take charge of the military and political affairs in the northwest. Whether you can make a good turnaround depends on your ability."

"I see."

Speaking of this, Fan Zhongyan's expression became more serious.

Because so far, Zhao Jun has not done anything earth-shaking. Rectifying the Kaifeng Mansion is nothing, and eliminating the evil forces in Bianliang is nothing.

Their real enemies are the bureaucrats and scholar-bureaucrats all over the world, the huge landlord class and the Xixia and Liao kingdoms.

There are more obstacles waiting for them in the future.

Zhao Jun had no choice.

There is really no way.

Even if he went on a killing spree now, the consequences would be turmoil inside and outside the court, and the people would be even more miserable.

By then, if it threatens the interests of bureaucrats, scholar-officials and big landowners, it is very likely that before the Xixia and Liao Kingdoms come to fight, uprisings will occur in various places, and civil unrest will overflow.

Just like Wang Mang's reforms and Wang Anshi's reforms, the situation in the Song Dynasty became worse.

So when he actually encountered these problems, he discovered that when encountering people who are seriously ill, they must not give strong drugs, but should slowly improve in a gentle way.

At least now more than one-third of the people in the court support him, and the public security in Bianliang has been much improved.

The power that originally belonged to the scholar-bureaucrats was gradually taken away by the Imperial City Division. As long as they had evidence of their crimes, they would have the power of life and death over them.

Therefore, many things cannot be rushed and can only be done slowly.

The most important thing now is to deal with Xixia and Liao first, and then with the power of victory over Xixia and Liao, with the support of Zhao Zhen, Fan Zhongyan presides over the reform.

As for what Zhao Jun wants to do.

That is to say, during this period of time, support Fan Zhongyan in defeating Xixia and Liao Kingdom, and then help him clear some obstacles.

As long as the New Deal is completed and the Song Dynasty is on track, the future will be much easier.

But this step.

It is also the most difficult road.

．

In the evening, after finishing today's class with Zhao Zhen, Lu Yijian and the others, the carriage slowly left the Xihua Gate and headed towards Qingtai Square.

Outside Xihua Gate is Xiangding Tower. Outside the building, under the big green tree, someone is waiting quietly.

When the man saw the carriage going out, he ran away quickly and ran all the way to the carriage.

Di Qing and other bodyguards around him stopped him immediately, and the guards hiding on the left and right were reaching for their waists, ready to rush at any moment.

It was just that the man could be seen clearly at a glance. He was wearing a clean silk robe and did not carry any weapons. Judging from his dress, he looked like he belonged to a wealthy family.

"Zhiyuan Zhao, my master wants to invite you."

the man shouted.

Zhao Jun turned his head to look and waved for him to come over.

Di Qing and others surrounded him and came closer.

Only recently did I notice that this man was a middle-aged man, with a flattering smile on his face, and he cupped his hands and said, "I have met Zhao Zhiyuan."

"Who is your master?"

Zhao Jun asked.

The middle-aged man hesitated and said, "Zhiyuan will know it once he sees it."

"What's the point of hiding your head and showing your tail?"

Zhao Jun lowered the car curtain to leave.

The middle-aged man had no choice but to say: "It's Da Zongzheng. I have something to ask the magistrate."

Zhao Yunrang?

Zhao Jun touched his chin to figure it out.

It is a taboo for courtiers to come into contact with the clan.

When Li Di wanted to bring down Lu Yijian, he falsely accused Lu Yijian of being friends with Jing Wang Zhao Yuanyan. However, it was found out that this was not the case and Li Di was dismissed.

This shows how strict the Song Dynasty was in guarding against the friendship between clan members and ministers.

However, because Li Di returned from Yanzhou a few days ago, which is not far from Bianliang, and he was eager to return home, Li Di quickly accepted the position of deputy envoy of the Third Division, so Zhao Jun checked Li Di's situation.

He couldn't understand why Li Di, who had been in the officialdom for decades, chose to falsely accuse such a low-level mistake.

Is the struggle in the officialdom so plain and simple?

You think that the struggle in the officialdom is a battle of wits and courage, looking for each other's weaknesses.

The actual struggle in the officialdom is to tell tales in front of the emperor, and to tell tales in the form of false accusations?

Outrageous.

Zhao Jun narrowed his eyes and looked at the Xiangding Building in the distance. There seemed to be a pair of eyes staring at this side by the railing on the second floor.

He has been in the officialdom of the Song Dynasty for two or three months now. He is no longer as ignorant as he was at the beginning. Naturally, he has to think clearly about the other party's intentions.

Zhao Yunrang has been a spare tire all his life, but in the end, the throne was taken away by Song Zhenzong.

His son is also a spare tire.

So what is Zhao Yunrang most worried about?

Naturally, whether his son's position is stable.

If Zhao Zhen gave birth to a healthy son, I am afraid that both father and son will be psychologically distorted.

Now Zhao Zhen is still childless, and Zhao Jun suddenly appeared, and his surname is also Zhao. Will it pose a threat to his son's position?

Even if Zhao Jun is not a member of the royal family, with the power given to the Political System Council, he can completely influence the selection of the crown prince.

You must know that in addition to Zhao Yunrang's family, there are also other branches of the royal family.

So Zhao Yunrang came to him this time, most likely to test his attitude and see if he is willing to support Zhao Zongshi.

So what is Zhao Jun's position?

No position.

All this depends on whether Zhao Zhen can give birth to a healthy son.

What if Zhao Zhen can't give birth to a son?

Therefore, Zhao Jun has no intention of offending Zhao Yunrang's family now.

It's just that since the other party came to test him, it's not good to do nothing, which is easy to arouse jealousy.

But if he goes, the court officials will have a handle in the future.

Maybe this is Zhao Yunrang's strategy.

Deliberately waiting for someone at the palace gate, there will be a handle in the hands of the other party in the future.

Zhao Yunrang could find a reason, such as hearing that Zhao Jun was a member of the royal family, and came to ask about it.

But Zhao Jun couldn't do that. He was not allowed to meet the royal family because he sat in that position.

So he couldn't go.

But he couldn't offend the other party too much, lest there be trouble in the future.

If Zhao Zhen couldn't give birth to a son, and Zhao Zongshi would still succeed to the throne in the future, that would be a lot of fun.

Even if he wanted to offend him, he had to wait until Zhao Zhen was sure to give birth to a healthy child.

Thinking of this, Zhao Jun pondered and said, "The emperor hates ministers making friends with the royal family the most, so forget about the meeting."

The middle-aged man was Zhao Yunrang's housekeeper, and it was not easy to find Zhao Jun.

His schedule was tight and his whereabouts were unclear, so he could only come to the door at his fixed time after get off work, and hurriedly said: "The Grand Master wants to see the Court of Imperial Secretary for serious matters, not for private communication, and the emperor will not say anything."

"Forget about the meeting."

Zhao Jun thought for a while and said: "But you can tell the Grand Master of the Imperial Secretary a message for me."

The housekeeper bowed and said: "I'm all ears."

"Come closer."

Zhao Jun waved his hand.

The housekeeper came over.

Zhao Jun whispered a few words.

The housekeeper hesitated slightly, and finally nodded and left.

Then the carriage slowly left.

Upstairs in the Xiangding Building, Zhao Yunrang sat by the window, waiting quietly.

On the table were the newly served meals.

The tea was not cold yet.