Prime Minister

Chapter 1303: Wen Yanbo, who refused to take credit for his achievements

Chapter 1303: Wen Yanbo, who refused to take credit for his achievements

Shiwu Niang and Wen Jifu came to the Wu Mansion as guests.

Since the Xiangzhou case, Wu Anshi and Wen Jifu have been attacked by Cai Que.

Wen Yanbo was a very smart man. When he saw that the government was going to take action against them, the old ministers, he immediately withdrew his power.

All family members and nephews returned to Luoyang to live. They kept a low profile on weekdays and only set up an association for the elderly to expand their influence.

Wen Jifu, Wen Yanbo's most anticipated son and Wu Chong's son-in-law, resigned from his official position in the name of serving his father and returned to Luoyang to live in seclusion.

This time the emperor was seriously ill, and he summoned Wen Yanbo to Beijing almost in the tone of a "will", as if he was entrusting the country to him.

So Wen Jifu also followed Wen Yanbo to Beijing.

Shiwu Niang and Wen Yanbo also visited Wu Chong. However, Wu Chong was now old and not very mobile. He was happy to see his daughter and son-in-law whom he had not seen for a long time, so he immediately let them stay in Wu's house for a while.

At the same time, Shiqi Niang was also called back home.

After Wu Chong retired and returned to Beijing, he began to carry out major construction projects. He built a hall in the back house where guests were usually received, and also had side rooms and wing rooms in the front and back. Flowers and trees were also added outside, and the Wu Mansion gave off an even more luxurious and wealthy vibe.

The hall is filled with paintings of flowers, birds, and mountains and rivers, and all the jade ornaments are extremely valuable and luxurious.

Wen Jifu couldn't help but sigh when he saw this. The Wu family was different now that they had a prime minister as their son-in-law. At home, Wen Yanbo restricted everything, but he didn't dare to be so extravagant at all, for fear of being criticized.

This is the life that ordinary people can never dream of in their entire lives.

Looking at the leisurely conversation between Fifteenth Lady and Seventeenth Lady, Wen Jifu smiled. The Wen family had a lot of money, but it was never shown on the table.

Before Zhang Yue used troops in Xihe, the Wen family not only bought fields and land in Xihe, but also invested in the exchanges and textile merchants in Xizhou and Liangzhou.

Now Zhang Yue is organizing trade with Goryeo, and Wen Jifu has taken a fancy to this area, and is building a large number of ships to participate in the Song-Goryeo trade. He believes that with the relationship between Shiwu Niang and Shiqi Niang, Zhang Yue will never cheat his brother-in-law, so Wen Jifu actively participates in everything.

Wen Jifu had obviously hit the jackpot.

Using the names of the Zhang, Wu and Wen families to do business, Wen Jifu had already made a lot of money. He alone secretly earned 200,000 strings of cash a year, not to mention the other properties of the Wen family. It should be noted that there were only dozens of families in Bianjing with assets of more than one million strings of cash.

As a result, he was not very interested in being an official.

Fifteenth Lady said to Seventeenth Lady, "I also know that my brother-in-law and sister have no shortage of money. Now that my brother-in-law has retired and returned to his hometown, he will have a lot of money to spend."

"Please accept this money."

Shiqi Niang smiled and declined, saying, "Sanlang doesn't like extravagance, nor does he like to be in the limelight. He won't use the money."

"As for his relatives in his hometown..."

Speaking of this, Shiqi Niang showed a hint of disdain.

"No matter how high your position is, if you don't do something for them, they will gossip about you behind your back, no matter if you are the prime minister. I have been able to help you out over the years, but I have always been sensible."

"This time when he returned home, Sanlang decided to live in Chong'an, which is not far from his hometown and can also avoid the complicated social interactions."

"That's true." Shiwu Niang sighed, "It's not easy for my sister to manage such a big family. It's not like us girls who live a comfortable life."

Shiqi Niang shook her head and smiled, "It's not easy for a girl either."

She remembered that when she was a young girl, she wrote Zhang Yue's name on paper with ink again and again, wondering if he could understand her meaning.

Now that I have been married for many years, my life is so different from what I dreamed of when I was a girl.

Wen Jifu felt a little disappointed when he saw that Shiqi Niang was unwilling to accept it.

Zhang Yue Shiqi Niang has no shortage of gold and silver, and she is unable to repay them.

As they were talking, Shiwu Niang asked Shiqi Niang to see Wen Jifu's children. Shiwu Niang had only one daughter, and the rest were born to Wen Jifu's concubines.

When she was in front of her children, Shiwu Niang naturally changed her face.

The children dared not speak in front of Shiqi Niang, who knew that her sister was very strict. The concubines were not even allowed to meet Wen Jifu and his concubines in private, and they were kept by their side and disciplined strictly.

The children also knew that this aunt was the wife of the prime minister of the time, and they were all very respectful to her.

They followed Fifteenth Lady's instructions and greeted Seventeenth Lady one by one. When it came to a girl, Fifteenth Lady smiled and said, "This is Sister Jin, who is always respectful and filial."

When Seventeenth Lady heard Fifteenth Lady say this, she knew there must be a deeper meaning behind it. She looked at the other party carefully and admired her inwardly, finding her manners so graceful and elegant. It turned out that Fifteenth Lady had taught her very well.

The other party followed the instructions of the fifteenth lady and greeted the seventeenth lady. The seventeenth lady asked her a few questions, and the other party answered them one by one without any mistakes.

Shiqi Niang was very satisfied and took out a jade bracelet from her wrist and put it in the other's hand.

The other party looked at Shiwu Niang nervously before accepting it.

After the children left, Fifteenth Lady asked Seventeenth Lady, "Sister, what do you think of this Jin Jie'er?"

Shiqi Niang said, "You are very sensible. What is your biological mother's background?"

Shiwu Niang said, "She was originally a female doctor, but she passed away before she was a full-year-old. I have raised her since she was little."

Shiqi Niang sighed, "How pitiful."

When Fifteenth Lady knew that Seventeenth Lady was born a concubine, she remembered that she was also born a concubine.

She whispered, "I came here to ask my sister to find a marriage for Jin Jie'er?"

"I heard that the eldest grandson of the Han family is still unmarried. Can I..."

Shiqi Niang knew the eldest grandson of the Han family, Han Zhi, who was Han Qi’s grandson and the son of Han Zhongyan.

The Wen family intends to form an alliance with the Han family.

Shiqi Niang glanced at Wen Jifu standing aside and thought to herself, the Wen family has good vision. People always say, 'Don't mistake passers-by for kings. People with the surname Zhao are no longer like Han now.'

Shiwu Niang said, "Our Wu family and the Han family have a very deep friendship, and my brother-in-law and Han Da are very close."

That's right, Wu Anshi's son married Han Qi's daughter. And Zhang Yue was very close to Han Zhongyan.

Shiqi Niang asked with a smile: "If that's the case, why not ask mother to do it?"

Shiwu Niang had thought about it, but the Wu family was now in discord, with Lady Li and Wu Anshi's wife, Lu, quarreling with each other.

She smiled and said, "Aren't you more prestigious, my sister?"

Seventeenth Lady knew that Fifteenth Lady was flattering her, but she just fell for it.

She smiled and said, "Since our two families have known each other for many years, I will ask for you first."

……

Small hall at the east gate.

Today, Wen Yanbo, a veteran of three dynasties, came to the palace to meet the emperor.

Wen Yanbo arrived in front of the hall in a sedan chair, got off, and with the help of others, he entered the hall to pay his respects to the emperor.

The emperor was also moved when he looked at Wen Yanbo, the only one left among the three prime ministers of Jiayou. In fact, Wen Yanbo was appointed as prime minister earlier than Fu Bi and Han Qi, but neither Han nor Fu lived as long as Wen.

Wen Yanbo was already eighty years old, his hair and eyebrows were already snow-white, and he looked like a god.

Wen Yanbo had always been against the reform, so the government didn't like him. Although Wen Yanbo lived in Luoyang, he had been secretly trying to persuade the government to change its policies.

The officials still have some sense of propriety in their hearts, and they just hate it.

Wen Yanbo was summoned back to the court because he was seriously ill at the time, and a highly respected prime minister like Wen Yanbo, who had served for three dynasties, was needed to stabilize the situation and play the role of a stabilizing force to avoid any mistakes in the succession.

But now that the emperor's illness has recovered, he feels that there is no need for Wen Yanbo to come.

The royal family is ruthless. They use people as their priority and look down on them when they are not needed.

The emperor thought to himself, it would be better for you to stay in Luoyang, instead of making noise around me, which would cause me trouble.

But since they are already here, it would not be nice to ask them to go back now. We can only meet first.

The emperor exempted Wen Yanbo from the ceremony of paying homage and granted him a seat.

When the officials asked him about state affairs, Wen Yanbo answered them one by one fluently, and his mind was still as sharp as before.

The official laughed and said, "Although the Grand Master is eighty years old, he is still very articulate. Even a skilled young man cannot match his ability to manage common affairs."

Wen Yanbo replied cautiously: "When the country is prosperous, its ministers must have the blessing of being old. I am grateful to the prosperous times."

After a pause, the emperor got to the point and said, "In the third year of Zhihe, when Emperor Ren was in power, he suddenly fell ill and was helped into the palace. At that time, the palace was in chaos, and it was all thanks to the Grand Tutor that the situation was stabilized."

"When the late emperor was alive, he told me many times that he was made the crown prince and the heir to the throne because of the help of the Grand Tutor."

Wen Yanbo said solemnly: "Your Majesty has misunderstood. The late emperor inherited the throne at the will of the benevolent temple, and it was also the help of the Empress Dowager (Empress Cao). I dare not take credit for it."

"When the late emperor was made the crown prince and succeeded to the throne, I was not in the court. It was Han Qi and other ministers who followed the will of the emperor and acted according to the system. I have no merit at all."

The emperor was stunned for a moment after hearing what Wen Yanbo said, and then he said, "Although it is destiny, it also depends on human planning. The Grand Tutor was the first to propose the establishment of a crown prince, and he never said anything. This shows that the Grand Tutor has a profound character and never publicizes his own virtues. People with hidden virtues like Bingji are truly ministers who make decisions and are the pillars of the court."

Wen Yanbo said, "Your Majesty, people like Zhou Bo and Huo Guang are the ministers who make decisions. Since the Zhihe period, many people inside and outside the court have discussed the establishment of a crown prince. Although I have made suggestions, they have not been implemented. In the end, it was Han Qi who made the big deal, but Han Qi also relied on the court's rules and regulations."

After hearing what Wen Yanbo said, the emperor said, "According to what the Grand Master said, shouldn't there be any ministers who make decisions?"

Wen Yanbo said: "We, as ministers, only act according to your majesty's orders."

The official remained silent.

Wen Yanbo said, "I came from Luoyang to the west. I heard that Your Majesty has followed the Prime Minister's advice on the matter of establishing a crown prince. I am very pleased. The system has been established early, and the family rules of our ancestors have been set as an example for future generations. The people of the world are all looking forward to it!"

The emperor sighed secretly, with a rather bitter expression on his face: "I understand your advice."