bookrandom Chapter 1286 Banquet
Chapter 1286 Banquet
Chapter 1286 Banquet
Since Lu Huiqing took office as the magistrate of Taiyuan, he has made outstanding achievements.
The situation is completely different from when Lu Huiqing first arrived in Taiyuan to today.
After Lu Huiqing took office, he vigorously reclaimed uncultivated land in Lin, Fu and Feng prefectures, making the military supplies in Hedong increasingly abundant. At the same time, he vigorously promoted the cotton industry and the cultivation of military farms, saving the court tens of thousands of strings of cash in transportation costs every year.
However, within two years, not only was the Hedong Road successfully built, but the people were also governed well, which was enough to convince people all over the world that Lu Huiqing was an able official.
Lü Huiqing inspected the city wall of Taiyuan, and his entourage included Li Ji, the deputy envoy of Hedong Road, and his brothers Lü Wenqing, Lü Heqing and others.
Lu Huiqing looked at the scene outside Taiyuan City and said, "As one of the three capitals, Taiyuan is a place where dragons and tigers lie."
"The West Mountain and the Fen River are to Jinyang what the Mang Mountain and the Luo River are to Luoyang, and the Zhong Mountain and the Yangtze River are to Jiankang."
All the generals said: "General Jie led the Jiajie of Jinyang to guard Taiyuan, resisted the Khitan in the north, and defeated the Dangxiang in the west. His achievements are unparalleled!"
Lu Huiqing nodded and said, "No need to flatter me. The city of Taiyuan is forty miles in circumference, so I still need you to keep a close eye on it. Don't blame me for saying it in advance. If anyone makes a mistake, don't blame me for being ruthless."
After receiving the order, the generals left together.
Li Ji said: "Although the Liao Kingdom has hundreds of thousands of soldiers behind the mountain, the teacher is still able to talk and laugh freely. I really admire him."
Lu Huiqing said: "There are no hundreds of thousands of troops, only tens of thousands of soldiers and horses."
Lu Heqing said: "I think the Khitan's intention is not to march south in large numbers, but to delay our attack on the Tanguts and take the opportunity to renegotiate."
Lu Wenqing said, "That's true. They have already taken half of this year's tribute. Do they want more next year?"
Lu Huiqing said: "Whether the Liao Kingdom will invade in large numbers can only be determined after autumn. What do you think of the court?"
Li Ji said: "Reporting to the commander, the six ministries and temples of the court have all adopted the performance evaluation system, but it has not yet reached the provincial level. It seems that it is only being implemented in the capital."
Lu Wenqing said: "Lord Zhang Jiangu is forcing this matter forward because he will leave office next year. I think this method is also good. Let Lord Jiangu do this offending thing. After he retires, you can use his method when you return to the court!"
Hearing what Lu Wenqing said, Lu Huiqing smiled slightly, and the others did the same.
Returning to the court, taking charge of government affairs, and carrying out reforms again have always been Lu Huiqing's dream.
As Lu Huiqing paced the city walls, Lu Shengqing said, "I think Zhang Jiangong's original intention in promoting the performance evaluation system was not simple."
"Who will replace the mediocre officials left behind by the examination? Of course, it will be his cronies from the Zhang Party."
"No matter who in the Zhang Party inherits the power of Duke Jiang, they must carefully consider Han Zhongyan's intentions."
Upon hearing this, Lu Huiqing turned around, and Lu Shengqing and Lu Wenqing held hands and stood silently.
Although the two were Lu Huiqing's younger brothers, they did not dare to act rashly in front of each other.
Lu Huiqing said: "Mr. Zhang Jiangong wants to reorganize the government with officials from the Imperial College. Whoever becomes prime minister in the future will have to listen to the opinions of this group of people."
The two were stunned.
"He, Zhang Duzhi, has gone one step further than Jing Gong and has a vision ten steps further ahead."
Several people asked, "Can we take this seriously, Marshal Jie?"
Lu Huiqing said: "About five or six points!"
Lu Huiqing stroked the battlements, looked at the scenery below Taiyuan City and said, "Mr. Zhang Jiangong is quite courageous. While the Liao army was invading the border, he also implemented the performance evaluation system in the court!"
Li Ji's eyes flickered as he asked in a low voice, "Are you going to let the Liao army in?"
Lu Huiqing waved his hand and said, "How can I do something that has nothing to do with the overall situation?"
"We can't do anything that has no benefits. We must get Zhang Jian's promise and then return to the court to change the prime minister!" Lu Shengqing said.
Lu Wenqing said: "Yes, we have made an unprecedented contribution here, and we will not be replaced unless we are the prime minister!"
"We have done a lot of things for Zhang San over the years."
"Now that the Liao army is heading south, how can Zhang San be able to serve as prime minister properly? There are things that the imperial court will not give you if you don't want them!"
……
On that day, a grand banquet was held in the Jiying Hall of the palace.
At the banquet, the Minister of Personnel Li Qingchen sang the "Bian Capital Fu" presented by the Imperial College student Zhou Bangyan.
The emperor was smiling as he listened at the banquet. Zhang Yue, who was sitting next to him, looked at the emperor's expression and also sat at the table and listened.
Since the victory in pacifying Xiacheng and the successful reform, the government has become more and more fond of such official articles praising the emperor's achievements.
However, Zhang Yue also admired this talented man named Zhou Bangyan. Whether this Bian Du Fu had the talent of Sima Xiangru or not was not clear, but the uncommon characters in the Fu were quite out of the ordinary.
A man of such talent as Li Qingchen did not recognize many characters when he recited "Bian Du Fu" for the first time. That's right, he did not recognize them and could only read half of the characters.
When Li Qingchen finished reading, Wang Gui was the first to raise his glass and congratulate him: "I didn't know what the scene of the two capitals was like when I wrote the two capitals fu. Today I know."
When the ministers heard what Wang Gui said, they all praised: "A prosperous era must have a masterpiece that will be passed down from generation to generation. This poem "Fu on the Capital of Bian" is enough!"
The official was overjoyed when he heard this.
The ministers did not dare to mention at this time that the Liao army was attacking Hedong. Wang Gui had already expressed his position, let alone others.
The emperor said, "Although Zhou Bangyan's talent is not as good as Ban Gu and Zhang Heng who wrote the two capitals and two capitals, I think he is not far behind. How about rewarding him with an official position?"
Wang Gui and Zhang Yue did not speak, but Cai Que rushed to say: "Your Majesty is right. Zhou Bangyan was a student of the Imperial College. So he should be awarded the title of Imperial College Principal and the post of Chief Clerk of the County."
The official said happily: "Very good."
The emperor said, "I have the support of all of you ministers, who have made contributions to the country. I would like to visit Mount Tai this year."
Zhang Yue said, "The Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai is a great event in ancient and modern times, and it should be held with great ceremony. This year we have done it in a hurry, and the treasury does not have enough money and materials. It is better to wait until next year!"
The official said with some regret: "That's what you said."
Among the three prime ministers, who follows the emperor's words and who does not is clear to all the ministers at a glance.
Just at this moment, the emperor stood up and said, "I will go change my clothes first!"
All the ministers stood up to see him off. Cai Que looked at Zhang Yue and said, "Right Prime Minister, His Majesty's decision to hold a ceremony at Mount Tai was made a long time ago. Why are you trying to spoil His Majesty's mood?"
"I know that the Right Prime Minister is certainly worried about the Liao Kingdom's attack on Hedong, but wouldn't it be a good opportunity to intimidate the Liao people by offering sacrifices to the gods at Mount Tai at this time?"
Zhang Yue said: "Zuo Cheng is thinking too far ahead. Fengshan on Mount Tai is a matter of communication between heaven and man."
"What does it have to do with the Liao people?"
"Instead of worrying about the Fengshan Ceremony for His Majesty, the Left Prime Minister should think about how to place Zhou Bangyan. I have never heard of Ban Gu, and Zhang Heng was given an official title for writing the Two Capitals and Two Capitals!"
Cai Que was secretly angry when he heard this, but he said on the surface: "What the Right Prime Minister said is right."
A moment later, the emperor was seen walking slowly into the hall with a child of eight or nine years old, followed by Cai Bian and Cheng Yi.
When the ministers saw this, they all stood up quickly.
All the ministers were looking at the child. At this moment, Zhang Yue and Cai Que both showed expressions of surprise and joy, but after looking at each other, they immediately returned to their normal expressions.
But the official said to the child with a gentle and loving face: "Don't be afraid, Sixth Brother, let the ministers take a good look at you."
As the head of all officials, Wang Gui immediately stepped forward to take a closer look at the child.
Zhang Yue, Cai Que, Wang Anli, Lu Gongzhu, Su Song and other ministers also stood solemnly on the left and right to carefully observe the appearance of the sixth prince.
This is something to be carefully borne in mind.
Because there is an allusion to this.
When Emperor Zhenzong first entered the palace after ascending the throne, he received the court officials behind a curtain. When Lü Duan led the officials to the palace to meet him, he stood at the foot of the palace and did not bow. The empress asked Lü Duan why he did not bow. Lü Duan said, "Roll up the curtain and let the prince sit in the right seat so that we can see clearly before bowing."
The Queen allowed Zhenzong to take the throne as Lu Duan had said.
After seeing clearly, Lu Duan led all the ministers to kneel down and shout "Long live the emperor".
At this time, if you recognize the wrong person, or if a prime minister with face blindness comes, then the scene...
Among the ministers here, it is hard to say which one will be the future Lu Duan.
Many ministers realized at this moment why so many ministers came to the grand banquet in the Hall of Heroes today. The important ministers from all over the country were summoned back to the palace by the emperor almost at the same time.
Sometimes it is in the unspoken words.
The ministers were most concerned about the orderly succession of the throne, and were even more anxious about this than the emperor himself. Just like Lü Duan, being able to stand up after the emperor had passed away thousands of years was the first merit of the country.
After Wang Gui read it, he immediately led the congratulations. The emperor just said, "I share your joy in celebrating the royal family. I am deeply delighted."
Seeing that the emperor was calm, the ministers did not dare to show any excitement, otherwise the emperor would misunderstand something. This was a test of the officials' acting skills, so everyone immediately pretended that nothing had happened and returned to their seats at the banquet in a solemn and normal manner.
The emperor said to the sixth prince, "Just stand here and wait for me."
The sixth prince agreed, and then the ministers continued the banquet.
Halfway through the banquet, Wang Gui and other ministers went up the steps in groups and bowed again one by one. This was because they were afraid that they had not seen it clearly just now, so they went up to the stage to watch it again.
Zhang Yue was also filled with emotion as he went up the stairs. He toasted the emperor and then returned to the banquet room.
When the ministers toasted the emperor, they all glanced at the Sixth Prince standing beside him in the name of toasting, but they did not dare to look at him a second time.
The Sixth Prince also remained silent throughout the entire process. The ministers saw him standing beside them. Although he was a little thin, he looked like he could bear the weight of the world.
After the banquet, Zhang Yue walked out of the hall.
Looking up, the weather outside was as clear as yesterday, but in the calm, it seemed as if there were waves coming out without any wind.
Zhang Yue sat on the sedan chair and was about to leave. Many officials stood beside him to see him off. But when he looked back at the palace, he saw many ministers approaching Cai Que to talk. Cai Que stood at the foot of the palace with arrogance, responding to the crowd with his long sleeves dancing.
This scene made him feel a little lost.
Now that arrangements have been made for the Sixth Prince and the Emperor, it seems that it is time for him to end his tenure as Prime Minister.
Su Che said at the side: "Prime Minister, let's see how long this man can be so proud. I wonder how many people in the court would like to eat his flesh."
Zhang Yue looked at Su Zhe and asked, "Ziyou, what do you mean?"
Su Che said: "Prime Minister, it's nothing. I have been in the court for many years and have realized a truth: a gentleman fighting a villain is like fighting a tiger with bare hands."
"So if you use the methods of a gentleman to fight a villain, you will never be able to defeat him."
Zhang Yue asked: "But if a gentleman uses the methods of a villain, is he still a gentleman?"
Su Che said solemnly: "Didn't the Prime Minister say that we should judge by deeds rather than by heart, and judge by heart rather than deeds?"
"Zhe believes that judging by deeds, no matter what one's heart is, as long as one does good things, he is a gentleman."
"But in terms of heart, as long as the intention is good, no matter whether the action is good or bad, one is still a gentleman!"