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

It was almost seven o'clock in the evening when the content of Jingyou's reform was confirmed.

Everyone should go back to their homes.

According to past practice, Zhao Zhen would send Zhao Jun back.

The grandfather and grandson chatted while walking. The content of the conversation was usually not about court affairs, but about daily life.

Sometimes Zhao Zhen would ask whether Zhao Jun was used to the Song Dynasty, whether he should find a wife earlier, or how convenient life would be in future generations.

Communicate with each other and exchange feelings.

This can also be regarded as an opportunity for both parties to increase their friendship.

But today, Fan Zhongyan followed suit and followed suit.

Although strictly speaking, Fan Zhongyan's family is also in Xicheng, in Daguan Lane in the West Outer City, and they are on the same road as Zhao Jun, both in the west.

But usually Fan Zhongyan would go first, and he didn't go through Xihua Gate. Instead, he went east out of Linhua Gate out of the Back Garden, then north out of Gongchen Gate, and then went directly to Liangmen from Liangmenli Street in the west. direction to go.

If he takes the Xihua Gate, he has to go south to the Palace Gate first. After exiting the Xihua Gate, he goes to the Liang Gate in the northwest. In terms of distance, it will take a lot of detours.

So today's move is obviously abnormal.

Zhao Zhen finally figured out that this guy probably had something to say to Zhao Jun. When he walked to Yanfu Palace, he said to Zhao Jun: "Dasun, I will send you here today."

"good."

Zhao Jun nodded, and then said: "I should spend more time with the queen during these days. Even if she doesn't like it, she is still the queen of the palace. She may give birth to a prince in the future, so she should be treated well."

During this period, their relationship was relatively in place, and they were treated equally. In history, Lu Yijian and Bao Zheng were even more rude when they tried to persuade Zhao Zhen.

So even if this is considered interfering with Zhao Zhen's family affairs, at least it is nothing to people like Zhao Jun, Lu Yijian, Bao Zheng and others.

What's more, the emperor's family affairs are not trivial matters, especially issues related to the prince. Every year, the ministers have to give Zhao Zhen a few words of advice.

Zhao Zhen tapped his chin and said: "I understand, don't worry, Grandson, I will go to Kunning Hall later."

"Then I'll go back first."

Zhao Jun waved to signal him to leave.

He walked in front. Fan Zhongyan bowed to Zhao Zhen and followed him with small steps.

Wang Shouzhong sent them to Xihua Gate on behalf of Zhao Zhen, but Wang Shouzhong followed them obediently, about seven or eight meters away, not far or close, and it seemed that he could not hear their voices.

Fan Zhongyan came to Zhao Jun's side and asked in a lighter tone: "This restructuring is good. It seems to solve the problem of low efficiency of officials."

"Hard to say."

Zhao Jun shook his head: "The responsibility system has only been temporarily determined, but if these people are not motivated, rewarded and punished, they may not be able to implement the policy in the future."

"Then why are you still helping the evildoers?"

Fan Zhongyan frowned and said: "We promised to support my Qingli New Deal and change the phenomenon of redundant officials in the Song Dynasty. Now you have given so many officials positions. Doesn't it make redundant officials worse?"

"Wrong." Zhao Jun raised a finger and said: "First of all, I don't call it helping the emperor to abuse, but I call it that there is no rule."

"There are no rules without rules?" Fan Zhongyan was confused and didn't understand what it meant.

"good."

Zhao Jun responded: "If you want to solve the problem of redundant officials, you and the gang of friends behind you can't do it alone. A certain method must be used, and now, I am establishing a set of my own rules."

From the time Lu Yijian first asked Yan Shu to encourage Zhao Zhen to call him to be a fellow Jinshi, he had slowly begun to enter the officialdom of the Song Dynasty and learned about the officialdom of the Song Dynasty.

Later, through various things, I gradually realized the rules and understood them, and then began to establish my own rules.

In a sense, this is thanks to Lu Yijian, from whom I learned a lot of intrigues, and from Yan Shu, Wang Zeng, Wang Sui, Song Shou, Cai Qi, Sheng Du and others, I learned the political principles reason.

Lu Yijian and the others wanted to enter the officialdom just because they wanted to enter their world of rules. Then why not set up another set of rules to delineate this political system?

This is what Zhao Jun has learned these days. Some are slowly groping, and some are flashes of inspiration. Compared with before, he has grown and matured a lot.

Fan Zhongyan was not an idiot. He thought for a moment and asked tentatively: "Is this restructuring just a set of rules?"

"certainly."

Zhao Jun spread his hands and said: "Think about it, how many redundant officials did the Song Dynasty have?"

"More than ten thousand."

"After my restructuring, a large number of idle officials got errands. Do they want to thank me?"

"That's right, I am them, and I have to thank you too."

Fan Zhongyan teased: "It used to be that I only had an idle official position, and I didn't get much money every month. After I got a job, my monthly salary doubled, and the expenses of the redundant official became even more."

"It's still wrong. This is my second point."

Zhao Jun raised his second finger and said, "I am not doing this to make redundant officials worse. On the contrary, I am doing this to solve the problem of redundant officials."

Fan Zhongyan looked at him silently.

In fact, after Zhao Jun's explanation, he didn't understand the difference between Wang Anshi's reform and Yuanfeng's reform.

But the problem is that his Qingli New Deal is different from Wang Anshi’s reform.

Wang Anshi's reform was to change the situation of poverty and weakness in the Song Dynasty. He hoped that through government intervention in private lending, he could alleviate the increasingly acute internal conflicts.

The Qingli New Deal dealt with the problem of redundant officials, formulated a strict system, dismissed a large number of idle officials, and dealt heavy blows to officials who had joined the officialdom, thereby solving the problem of tens of millions of dollars in salary expenditures that the imperial court had to pay to so many officials in the Song Dynasty every year.

Although Zhao Jun is currently reorganizing the officialdom, it is completely different from his Qingli New Deal.

After Jingyou's restructuring, the number of redundant officials not only did not decrease, but increased, allowing those officials to have positions.

Isn't this nonsense?

It turns out that the more than 10,000 officials were just sent as salary officials. Without dispatch, they lost an important salary income, and the court could also reduce expenses.

Now that there are errands, and with the addition of paid officials and casual officials, wouldn't it cost more money?

It doesn't make sense.

But Fan Zhongyan also knew that Zhao Jun would definitely give him a reasonable explanation.

So he waited quietly.

Sure enough, Zhao Jun continued: "After Jingyou's restructuring, it seems that the problem of redundant officials has intensified, but first of all, after the rules of the officialdom are formulated, the order will no longer be as chaotic as before, and there will not be unclear responsibilities, buck-passing, and even one's own boss." It’s a phenomenon that no one knows about.”

"Um."

Fan Zhongyan nodded slightly. After the restructuring, the responsibilities were indeed clarified.

Zhao Jun put his hands behind his back and said: "In this case, I have established rules for them, a systematic basis to follow. If problems arise when promoting a new policy at this time, should we How about following the new rules?”

"you mean?"

Fan Zhongyan subconsciously touched his beard, narrowed his eyes and said, "After Jingyou's restructuring, we will be able to promote the Qingli New Deal. When the New Deal is implemented, if those people violate the new rules, is there a reason to depose them?"

"correct."

Zhao Jun had a teachable attitude and said happily: "Lao Fan, you finally know how to turn a corner. Don't always be stubborn and stubborn like in history. You have to learn to think about problems from a different angle."

"The problem of redundant officials is serious. If you just dismiss them, isn't that asking for punishment?"

"There are tens of thousands of officials, and there are so many who have joined the officialdom. The officialdom is intricate and complex, and the network of relationships is complicated. If you want to remove them all, it will make everyone in the officialdom feel in danger. It would be strange if they don't fight with you."

"Everything must be done by each teacher. Why did Prime Minister Zhuge of Jihan Expedition to the North? It was because he wanted to revive the Han Dynasty. This is the slogan of justice."

"And if we want to solve redundant officials, we must also pay attention to the fact that teachers have a reputation. So tell me, what is the most reasonable reason for dismissing officials?"

What is the most reasonable reason for deposing an official?

Fan Zhongyan thought for a moment and then said: "If the official himself is not at fault, then he has done nothing, or has done nothing well?"

"That's it."

Zhao Jun said: "It turns out that the officialdom system is chaotic. You don't even know who your boss is. There are even a large number of redundant officials with nothing to do. If you want to remove them, the reason is not sufficient."

"Because people have reasons to say that I don't even know who my boss is, I don't even know what my responsibilities are, and I don't even have a mission or authority. Why do you dismiss me from office?"

"What can you do then?"

"So everything must be justified. You are an official. You can't do things that are corrupt and bend the law. If you are caught and discovered by everyone, you will be dismissed or even imprisoned. That is a matter of course. No one can say anything."

"Now I am reorganizing the officialdom to confirm this status. Let everyone in the officialdom sit in the positions they should sit in, confirm their powers, and clarify their responsibilities."

"Then you, Lao Fan, will carry out reforms and start implementing policies. The officials below will have to perform their respective duties and promote the policies you issued."

"If they can't do a good job, isn't it their problem? Isn't there a reason to remove them? You think so."

At the end of the conversation, Fan Zhongyan suddenly became enlightened.

He came to his senses and said, "That's it. It turns out that this is what is right and righteous."

As he spoke, he praised Zhao Jun full of praise: "Hanlong, you are indeed a wise man, and your ideas are really unique."

"It's all the wisdom of future generations, I'm just learning from it."

Zhao Jun smiled.

How did Zhang Juzheng carry out his reforms?

That is to first establish the examination law in 1573 AD, rectify the administration of officials, clarify the responsibilities of officials, and then formulate performance assessment to trap them.

Then the military system was reformed, and finally in 1581 AD, when the officialdom was almost done, the king's whip method was introduced. By this time, the opposition in the officialdom was much smaller, and the direct policy reform was successful.

So Zhao Jun is just learning from Zhang Juzheng.

After he finished speaking, he said to Fan Zhongyan: "I think your Qingli New Deal still needs to be changed."

"How to say?"

Fan Zhongyan asked.

Zhao Jun said: "Believe it or not, my Jingyou reform can be implemented smoothly."

"Well"

Fan Zhongyan thought for a moment and said, "I believe it."

"Jingyou's reforms did not remove officials, but also gave many redundant officials positions, and he did not touch the Privy Council. The only people who are dissatisfied are probably the officials in the Third Division."

Zhao Jun said: "For most redundant and scattered officials, they are afraid to welcome it with both hands. So guess why the Qingli New Deal failed?"

"snort."

Fan Zhongyan snorted coldly: "Conservative interest groups won't agree."

"That's it."

Zhao Jun raised his head and saw Xihua Gate in the distance, and said softly: "So the Qingli New Deal cannot directly stipulate the elimination and reduction of officials. You can refer to the Zhang Juzheng reform I gave you at that time. First, implement the performance evaluation system to kill those people, and then promote the new policy. Wang Anshi's reform, the single whip system, and the land tax can all be studied. After that, when they can't do anything, find an excuse to dismiss them, isn't it?"

"But."

Fan Zhongyan frowned and said: "There are already many officials in the world, and now there are many departments and the new policies are complicated. I am afraid of supervision. Not enough."

"Then send more censors to inspect."

Zhao Jun said: "All censors from all regions will be dispatched to all counties and prefectures every month. Now there are so many officials, it is normal to have 20 to 30 censors in one region. Let them go on business trips every day to supervise the implementation of new policies in various places. You can protect one person, but it is impossible to protect everyone, and you can't kill them all!"

"This"

Fan Zhongyan opened his eyes wide, then raised his thumb and squeezed out a few words from between his teeth: "Awesome."

During this period of time, he has also known the meaning of these two words.

Now these two words.

It can be regarded as his sincere praise for Zhao Jun.

However, Zhao Jun's face was not happy, he just said: "There are definitely many problems with doing this, such as so many imperial censors running around. It is not easy to make a trip because of the inconvenient transportation. The counties have to receive them. Obviously, a lot of public funds will be wasted, and the finances will be tight. Even if the politics of the Song Dynasty becomes clear in the future, it is not a long-term solution to continue to spend so much money."

"Yes."

Fan Zhongyan sighed: "What I am afraid of is that if you continue like this, the treasury will be empty. There is already a big problem of redundancy. If this continues, won't the redundancy be even more serious?"

"But compared with the redundant soldiers, this is nothing. It's nothing. "

Zhao Jun shook his head and said, "The annual salary of all officials in the Song Dynasty is only more than 10 million guan. I have calculated that the redundant officials are basically middle and lower-level officials. Even if they are sent, the annual expenditure will be at most one or two million guan. Cutting the salaries of those senior officials by half will still make back hundreds of thousands of guan. This consumption can still be sustained. The key is the redundant soldiers. "

"I dare not move in history."

Fan Zhongyan said angrily, "This problem is indeed difficult to deal with."

"It has to be done even if it is difficult."

Zhao Jun has walked to the gate of Xihua Gate. There is a carriage outside the gate. Di Qing and others are waiting for him.

He stood there and said to Fan Zhongyan, "The key to whether it can be done is whether you can deal with Xixia and Liao. If you win, your prestige in the Song Dynasty will be unparalleled. With the support of me and the government, it is natural to start a new policy. If you lose, you can go to hell. Neither I nor the government can protect you. "

This is really not Zhao Jun speaking rudely to Fan Zhongyan.

Instead, he has told Lao Fan all the future moves of Xixia and Liao. If Lao Fan still can't win, he can only hit himself to death with a brick.

At that time, not to mention that Lu Yijian and his group will not let him go, I'm afraid even Zhao Zhen will be angry to death by Lao Fan.

So it's the same sentence.

To achieve the goal, the first thing is to inspire people.

As long as Fan Zhongyan can defeat Xixia and Liao, especially Liao, after returning from the north with these two great victories, the hat of the alternate Tongzhi of the Political System Council can basically be taken off and replaced by Tongzhi of the Political System Council, and his status may be higher than that of Lu Yijian now.

At that time, let alone the new policy, with this prestige, even the problem of redundant soldiers can be touched.

"I understand."

Fan Zhongyan nodded with a serious face and said seriously: "Next year, if you leave Beijing, I will leave Beijing too. You go to various places to understand the grassroots situation of the Song Dynasty. I will go to the northwest to rectify military affairs and defeat Xixia and Liao. Victory or defeat depends on this. If I lose, I will commit suicide and never live in vain."

"Okay."

Zhao Jun walked towards the carriage and left a sentence: "Just do your best, don't give yourself too much psychological burden, see you tomorrow!"

"See you tomorrow!"

Fan Zhongyan put his hands in his sleeves, looked at his back as he left, and stood motionless under the imperial city.

And behind Old Fan, in the distance in the Xihuamen city gate, Wang Shouzhong still stood in the same place.

So Zhao Jun's carriage slowly left.

Fan Zhongyan's sedan chair was at Gongchen Gate in the north. He had sent guards to notify them before, and now they came slowly.

Waiting for Fan Zhongyan to sit on the sedan chair and disappear in the street, Wang Shouzhong quietly retreated back to the palace.

There are some things that the official can not say, but he cannot not do.

The condition is slightly stable. I have received an IV drip. I hope to recover soon. Everyone should also take care of their health.