Prime Minister

Chapter 1338: The New Party’s Counterattack

Chapter 1338: The New Party’s Counterattack

When the imperial edict arrived in Jianzhou, it was already April.

The remaining branches of the Wuyi Mountains stretch out for a long time, the vegetation on the mountains is gradually turning green, and the tea gardens are layered like green waves.

Jianxi, Songxi and other rivers have turned green due to the spring rain, reflecting the shadows of bamboos on both sides; the terraces are filled with water like mirrors, and occasionally farmers in straw raincoats can be seen driving cattle to plow the fields, just like an ink painting.

In the Jianyang Paper Mill, paper craftsmen make paper from bamboo.

The scenery of "green all over the mountains, white all over the river, rain like smoke in the sound of cuckoos" makes the red gate of the government office even more solemn.

"Imperial edict to the court: I have heard that Zhang Yue, the governor of Jianzhou, is well-known for his ability to make decisions and has been sent to the border many times. I am concerned that you have been away from home for a long time and you should be promoted to a higher position. I have specially summoned you to the imperial court to consult on border affairs."

"You can return quickly by post, and the prefectures and counties along the way are not allowed to spend lavishly to welcome and see you off. Therefore, I have issued this decree, and I hope you will be aware of it."

"Your Highness Zhang Yue accepts your order!"

In the rainy night, after the gatekeeper's shrill voice suddenly stopped, Zhang Yue chuckled.

This is not the ceremony of the prime minister being summoned back, and he is not given a saddle or horse.

There is no need to use terms like "qi fu" or "xuan ma" which are used by prime ministers.

The post was relayed by horse rather than by car.

It is not the edict of white hemp or jute.

The one who came to announce the decree was just a gatekeeper.

He also specifically ordered the prefectures and counties passing by not to be extravagant in welcoming and seeing off guests and not to exceed the rules.

After receiving the order, Zhang Yue asked Huang Haoyi to take all the servants to rest.

The officials waiting in the corridor exchanged glances with each other. When they heard the repeated admonition of "not extravagant reception and farewell", a few of them had already withdrawn their hands that were about to congratulate.

The officials in the government office were all well versed in officialdom. Not to mention the officials, even ordinary people understood the meaning of the imperial edict after hearing it. The imperial edict said the same thing from top to bottom: summoning Zhang Yue back to the court was not to reinstate him as prime minister, not to reinstate him, not to reinstate him.

Say the important thing three times.

I’m not afraid that Zhang Yue doesn’t understand, but I’m afraid that others don’t understand.

The officials in the government offices had previously been thinking of making Zhang Yue the prime minister again, and were trying hard to curry his favor. But when they saw the contents of the imperial edict, they immediately gave up all hope.

Is it Empress Dowager Gao, who is now in charge of military and state affairs, or You Pushe Cai Que, who does not want Zhang Yue to return to the court?

"Please take good care of the tea taxation."

Zhang Yue gave general instructions to the officials in the office.

He looked up from his desk, and could see clearly what was going on in the officials' minds. Zhang Yue didn't pay much attention and continued, "Aristocratic families are not allowed to annex other lands beyond the rules. The newly opened tea fields in the mountains should be given to the people..."

"When tea buds sprout next year, tea farmers should keep 30% of the tea for their own sales..."

After guaranteeing an annual profit of more than 100,000 strings of cash in Jiancha, the imperial court tried its best to pass on the benefits to the people. The wealthy families were not allowed to grab too much and take too much, and tried their best to give the people a chance to thrive.

Now the people have been pacified.

His purpose as an official is to benefit the people during his tenure, and he doesn't care about the treatment.

"The tea tax quota of 150,000 strings of cash per year shall not be changed within three years."

After hearing Zhang Yue's instructions, the officials obeyed them one by one.

Zhang Yue checked off the items one by one and assigned them to the people, and the officials dispersed.

After putting down his pen, Zhang Yue raised his head again. The thirty or so officials in green robes who were waiting in the corridor all bowed down. Raindrops dripped from the eaves in front of the corridor onto the green bricks, and white steam rose up.

These thirty-odd people were all children of poor families who were promoted to officials by him.

Zhang Yue waved his hand to signal them to leave. Looking at their backs as they retreated into the rain, he thought carefully and said to himself, this return to Beijing was probably Cai Que's intention. He wanted me to compete with Sima Guang.

Zhang Yue finally dealt with all the accumulated official business.

The officials looked at the lights in the lobby of the government office which remained on until three o'clock in the morning.

……

Following the imperial order to go to the capital, Zhang Yue suddenly felt light-hearted when the city walls of Jianzhou gradually disappeared into the mountains.

From Jianyang to Pucheng, and then to Yuliangyi, Zhang Yue looked at the Xianxialing Mountains shrouded in clouds and mist. Here he received Zhang Zhi's family letter and understood the whole story. Only then did he truly see the context of the political situation in Bianliang.

It was the emperor who left a letter to the prince. Empress Dowager Gao seemed reluctant to return to the capital, but Cai Que expressed his support.

On the contrary, in the case of Sima Guang, Wang Gui and Cai Que used the same protocol as the governor of Chenzhou to summon Sima Guang back to the court through the Ministry of Personnel rather than through the Secretariat.

This was originally a stopgap measure to give the old party a way out, but Sima Guang, who had refused to return despite being summoned by the government many times before, actually came back. He packed up and went to the capital, but he only submitted a memorial to Wang Gui's palace before returning to Luoyang.

When Empress Dowager Gao learned of this, she angrily reprimanded Wang Gui and Cai Que, and immediately ordered her trusted eunuch Liang Weijian to chase Sima Guang back to Luoyang with a purple clay edict.

When Sima Guang returned to the court, the people climbed trees and rode on houses, and the streets were deserted.

It can only be said that the new law was implemented for nineteen years. Although there were gains in recovering Lianglan and opening up Xihe, everyone from officials to common people were tired.

The way of heaven is like a drawn bow. Politics also has its peaks and valleys. The higher the peak, the deeper the valley.

I have flattened the peaks a little, but the troughs will still come.

Judging from the specifications of the imperial edict, it would be difficult for Zhang Yue to make great achievements even if he returned to the court to serve as prime minister, whether from the Empress Dowager Gao or the people's opinion.

However, Cai Jing ranked Zhang Cheng's essay first in the Imperial College examination. The essays of the four classes of people attracted much attention among the scholars, and even the old scholars in the Bureau of Classics and Interpretation agreed with it.

In Hedong, Lu Huiqing ordered General Zhe Kexing to lead 25,000 infantry and cavalry to attack the Dangxiang Juxingpo, and won a great victory over six camps including Ge Luolang.

The foundation of the New Party's 20 years of operation shows signs of loosening, but the New Party is fighting back hard.

Neither Cai Que nor Lu Huiqing were the kind of people who would sit and wait for death.

The political situation he faced was just like the stream at Yuliangyi that had swelled green after the spring rains - calm on the surface but turbulent underneath, with the New Party's hard-working faction and the Old Party's clean-up faction wrestling with each other. But he had to go back, otherwise he would be disobeying the emperor's orders.

As for speed, just take the post but don't rush, but don't be too slow either, otherwise it would be disrespectful.

The peach petals in the stream were swirling. Thinking of the words "don't be extravagant in welcoming and seeing off", he felt angry in his heart. He was just an ordinary official, but he, the retired prime minister, spoke like this.

The person who drafted the decree was Zhang Dun, the Minister of the Imperial Court.

Zhang Yue gently brushed away the spring rain on his clothes and turned back to the inn.

……

In the capital hall, Cai Que, Zhang Dun and Han Zhongyan sat down to discuss matters.

Zhang Dun said: "At this point, there is really no need to summon Zhang Yue back to the capital. Without him, Sima Junshi will not be able to turn the situation around."

Cai Que glanced at Zhang Dun, and insisted on adding a sentence "do not spend lavishly to welcome or see off" in the imperial edict summoning Zhang Yue back to the court.

Cai Que said slowly, "I am not afraid of Sima Twelve, but the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother...heard Sima Guang and others say that the new law is not good, so she wanted to abolish it."

Zhang Dun said sternly: "Sima Twelve has been studying in Luoyang for fifteen years. What does he know about government affairs now? It's just hearsay."

"Has he ever been to the west? Besides writing books and articles, has he ever done anything since he became an official?"

Cai Que said, "So what if you haven't seen it? So what if you haven't done it?"

"There is no telling how many officials and people across the country want the new law abolished. People have long been tired of it."

"For now, let Sima Junshi toss around for a while. When he hits the wall and feels the pain, he will know to turn back."

Zhang Dun shook his head and said, "This is just like what Zhang Duzhi said. He doesn't stand up to the world's wrongs, but spends his days doing petty things. Even if such a person becomes prime minister, his family will be ashamed."

"If the world cannot wake up until your Majesty and I have destroyed our life's work, then such a wake-up call will be too late."

"I would rather die on the stairs than see this scene."

Cai Que was so excited by Zhang Dun's words that he trembled all over. He said angrily, "Okay, Zihou, you go and die for your remonstrance, and I will go and die for your remonstrance too. We will die together on the steps to repay His Majesty for his kindness to you and me."

Seeing that Cai Que and Zhang Dun were about to quarrel, Han Zhongyan stood up and said, "You two should calm down and listen to me."

Cai Que and Zhang Dun each drank tea.

Cai Que knew how determined Empress Dowager Gao was to abolish the new law. If he went against her forcefully, all the New Party officials in the court would be wiped out. It would be better to temporarily follow her wishes and contact Zhang Yue to return to the court to fight together.

But Zhang Dun was such a fierce person that he would rather die in glory than live in disgrace.

Cai Que had this thought in mind, and at worst he could just risk his life to repay the emperor's kindness, which was better than being humiliated now. However, he was now the hope of the whole court, and he had to take charge of the overall situation, so he had to compromise.

Han Zhongyan looked at the two men's faces and said, "It is a fact that officials and businessmen are trapped by the new law. It is not necessarily what people want to abolish the new law."

"There are many students who support the new law."

Cai Que and Zhang Dun nodded. The students of the Imperial College were always a force for the new law, and they could stand up and oppose Sima Guang's abolition of the new law.

In recent years, Cai Que and Han Zhongyan have both made arrangements in the Imperial College.

Tai students are passionate and idealistic, unlike most people who only care about their own wallets and interests after entering the society.

Han Zhongyan said: "There is another thing. The Queen Mother is a woman after all, and her ideas are easily influenced by others. She is also not good at governing the country, so she wants to rely on Sima Junshi."

"I think it would be better to let the Queen take charge of the government."

"Queen?" Cai Que and Zhang Dun asked at the same time.

Cai Que shook his head and said, "Before this matter, when the crown prince was appointed, some people advocated it. Difficult!"

"How can the Empress Dowager and the Empress hold court together and handle state affairs together?"

Han Zhongyan said: "Why don't I submit a petition and give it a try. Even if I can't have the power to listen to the government, I can still gain some support."

"We can't just sit there and wait for death. We must at least talk to the Queen Mother about our actions."

Zhang Dun said sternly, "Prince Yong has been in the palace many times these days. The Crown Prince has been appointed. The Queen Mother may not intend to appoint Prince Yong, but isn't she trying to weigh her weight with us?"

"I'll take care of this!"

Han Zhongyan couldn't help but say, "Zihou is serious!"

Zhang Dun said, "I don't know why you are still hesitating. Lü Jifu dared to send troops to the Tanguts without fear of criticism."

"If the new law fails one day, I will die in front of the three armies."

"Instead of just standing by and watching in fear!"

(End of this chapter)