bookrandom Chapter 1274: Dengfu
Chapter 1274: Dengfu
Chapter 1274: Dengfu
It was sunny and windy in Bianjing in July.
The news that the Song army had won a great victory over the Dangxiang in Pingxia City had spread from top to bottom.
Before the good news spread, more than a hundred ministers had already arrived at Zhang's residence, accompanied by a constant stream of carriages and horses.
Accompanying them were officials from the various temples in the capital. From a distance, officials in red and purple robes stood in front of the door, asking questions and greeting each other.
The officials in the court today either follow the king or the edict.
An official could not help but sigh: "The swallows that used to fly in front of the Wang and Xie halls have now flown into the Zhang family. The two Hans and one Lu in the past could never have the glory of the Zhang family today."
Not to mention Zhang Dun, Zhang Zhi, Zhang Qie and others, Zhang Yue alone was the pillar of support for the Zhang family.
Now that Wang Gui and Cai Que were meeting in front of the gate of Zhang's mansion, officials from both the Wang Party and the Emperor's Party followed them.
The officials of Zhang's party had already arrived here earlier without any explanation.
Now when the two groups of officials met in front of the gate of Zhang's mansion, they understood everything in an instant and greeted each other with smiles on their faces.
All the years of experience between them were temporarily put aside with this smile.
Following Wang Gui, Cai Que walked to the government gate, and all the officials stepped aside.
After the two men entered, all the officials were polite to each other, saying "you please, I please" and so on, and finally they entered one by one according to their official rank.
Wang Gui looked at the pavilions and towers in Zhang's mansion, which were arranged in an orderly manner. The personal attendants in the mansion were also polite and were not at all flustered when they saw so many officials coming.
Wang Gui said to Cai Que who was walking in Qi: "Zhizheng, you always say that the only thing Bi Duzhi lacks is a good father-in-law."
“That makes sense.”
Cai Que said: "You can talk about this when you are complaining. Duzhi first studied, then achieved fame, and finally chose friends and married a wife. Each step was taken properly and the order was correct."
"The greatest benefactor in Duzhi's life is actually himself."
Wang Gui stroked his beard and nodded.
At this moment, Zhang Yue had already arrived at the middle gate to greet him and said, "Mr. Zhaowen!"
After Wang Gui exchanged a few pleasantries with Zhang Yue, he said, "There are still a few people who haven't arrived yet. Let's wait for a while."
After a short wait, Wang Anli, Su Song, Lu Gongzhu and others arrived, and Wang Gui and others entered the mansion.
Except for Sun Gu who was ill today, the other six ministers gathered and sat down in the central hall.
The rest of the officials who came to congratulate sat outside the hall. Zhang's personal attendants brought in benches for the hundreds of officials to sit on. Some officials even sat in the corridor, so there was enough space for them to sit for a while.
The most prominent officials always sat at a table with eight seats wherever they went, but in Zhang's house they only sat on an ordinary small bench. However, they were quite proud to witness the scene of so many officials gathered together.
In the hall, six ministers were drinking tea. Wang Gui and Zhang Yue sat side by side facing south, and the other four ministers sat facing east and west. Under the eaves, many officials were sitting. They could not hear what was said in the hall, but they could see the expressions and movements of the ministers clearly.
Wang Gui put down his tea bowl and said, "I just went in and saw the pavilions and towers in the mansion. I also saw the green grass in the courtyard."
"I can't help but think of one of my favorite sayings from the historian: 'Although I know the universe is vast, I still pity the green grass and trees.'"
“Thus, those who have accomplished great things throughout history must have had the youthful spirit of unswerving determination in their hearts.”
Youthful spirit... Zhang Yue said: "Mr. Zhao Wen, you are too kind. There is no such thing as youthful spirit. I am just a pedantic country boy with a natural temperament."
Cai Que at the side added: "In the community opera, Zhou Gongjin called Kong Ming the village master! But from now on, no one will look down on the village master!"
Several ministers laughed when they heard this.
Zhang Yue glanced at Cai Que. The two were classmates and had been very close.
As his official position became higher, the differences between the two grew, and now they hardly interacted with each other.
Cai Que used to treat Zhang Yue as his younger brother and always acted like a senior brother. Later, when Zhang Yue's official position gradually became higher, Cai Que never addressed Zhang Yue in accordance with his official position.
Today, Cai Que accompanied Wang Gui to the palace in person, the first time in many years.
Cai Que continued, "The battle of Pingxia City can determine the fate of the dynasty. Since the beginning of the Ren Temple, the humiliation suffered by the Tanguts can be avenged today!"
"Mr. Historian is so good at planning and strategizing. I really admire him!"
"Congratulations to the two Prime Ministers!"
Cai Que stood up and was the first to congratulate.
Hearing Cai Que's words, he felt that he was making peace with him, and it was also the first time that he finally admitted that he was not as good as himself. Seeing this, Zhang Yue smiled slightly.
Zhang Yue said: "I have been ill these days, and it is only thanks to your efforts that I was able to win this battle against the Tanguts."
Several officials stood up and said, "If it weren't for Prime Minister Zhang's decision, how could we have accomplished this unprecedented feat!"
Wang Anli said: "The great victory in Pingxia City is entirely due to Zhaowen and the two ministers of the History Museum. They planned and planned. Now the Tanguts are no longer a threat! Anli congratulates the two prime ministers for this!"
Su Song said: "The Emperor is the most benevolent, but the Western bandits bully the Emperor the most. This battle will avenge our ancestors' shame, all thanks to the two prime ministers' wise planning!"
After the three chancellors finished speaking, the last one, Lu Gongzhu, said, "The battle of Pingxia City was truly a remarkable victory! I was really short-sighted in the past. Congratulations to the two prime ministers!"
As everyone knows, before mobilizing the battle of Pingxia City, Lu Gongzhu was the only prime minister who clearly opposed starting a war here. Now he was slapped in the face in public and even had to congratulate Wang Gui and Zhang Yue.
But compared to Sun Gu who kept claiming to be sick and stayed at home, Lu Gongzhu at least had a magnanimous character and was willing to admit defeat. If we lose, we lose, and we take the initiative to admit our mistakes.
Wang Gui immediately said, "Don't talk about this, Lord Lu. If it weren't for your judgment, we would have been careless and reckless."
Zhang Yue also said: "Shen Cunzhong reported earlier that Pingxia City was almost lost, which shows that this battle was extremely dangerous. It was all thanks to Lu Gong's advice in the court that we did not make the mistake of advancing rashly."
Following Wang Gui and Zhang Yue's words, several councillors all said: "You are all arguing about state affairs, what's wrong with that?"
The officials below looked at the officials in the hall pushing and shoving each other, especially Lu Gongzhu, Zhang Yue and Wang Gui, who all stood up and supported each other, as if they were pouring out their heartfelt feelings to each other.
No one knew what was happening.
An official said: "Lian Po asked for forgiveness by carrying a thorn stick on his back, which led to the harmony between him and Lin Xiangru."
Another official said: "With such virtuous prime ministers as Lu Gong and Zhang Gong in the court today, there is no need to worry about the Tanguts not being defeated, the Liao Kingdom not being destroyed, and the world not being at peace!"
Seeing that Wang Gui and Zhang Yue thought so highly of him, Lu Gongzhu slowly sat down with a look of delight in his eyes.
He suddenly remembered the past. When Han Jiang and Zhang Yue recommended Lu Gongzhu to go to the capital, Sima Guang repeatedly opposed it.
He still remembered that it was at a banquet hosted by Jia Changheng for the two of them.
Sima Guang said to Lü Gongzhu: "State affairs are already like this. Even if you come out of retirement, you will not be able to achieve anything."
Sima Guang advocated that the New Party, which had always advocated reform and attacking the Tanguts, should be left to hit their own wall.
But your return to the capital, Lu Gongzhu, has undoubtedly dispersed the strength of our old party.
If you go back to help, not only will it damage your reputation, but the New Party will also have something to say whether you win or lose.
We, the old party, should withdraw completely and let the new party take charge, and finally consider ourselves defeated. When the new party is powerless to turn the tide, we, the old party, will come out to clean up the mess, reorganize the world, and thoroughly eliminate the remaining poison of the reform.
Facing Sima Guang's repeated objections, Lu Gongzhu could not help but say, "If you just lie idle, what good will it do to the world?"
Lu Gongzhu's meaning is, yes, although I am against the reform, how can I bear to see the country decline like this without doing my part?
Even if it ruins my reputation, I will do it.
Sima Guang was very disappointed. He thought that if it had not been you, Lu Gongzhu, who did it, but someone else, he would have thought that the other person was greedy for power.
From then on, Sima Guang and Lu Gongzhu no longer exchanged letters.
After that, the emperor summoned him several times, but Sima Guang always refused to go.
Thinking of the friendship among the Four Friends of Jiayou, he, Lu Gongzhu, had completely severed his friendship with Wang Anshi, but he wondered if he could still maintain his friendship with Sima Guang in the future?
After Lu Gongzhu entered the court, he knew that he had to endure humiliation and bear heavy burdens. For the position of Deputy Privy Councilor, he insisted on his own views that were not recognized in the prime minister's team full of New Party members, and was always isolated and excluded.
But Lu Gongzhu still did what he was supposed to do and did what he could.
Although he was not understood, he still worked hard and called for people not to underestimate the Dangxiang.
At this moment, with the great victory of Pingxia City in sight, Lu Gongzhu still said to the five ministers: "You all say that we are all for the sake of state affairs. I am ashamed to hear this."
"Lü was short-sighted and could not have predicted the victory of Pingxia City, but I still want to say something on behalf of Junshi. He opposed the reform for the sake of the country and the world."
Seeing that Lu Gongzhu still said this.
Zhang Yue lamented that the difficulty, cruelty and speechlessness of the line struggle were also reflected here.
In another time and space, in the fifth year of Yuanfeng, after the defeat of Yongle City, the emperor lamented that there were no talents. At that time, Pu Zongmeng, the left chancellor, said that half of the world's talents were ruined by Sima Guang's evil teachings.
The emperor stared at Pu Zongmeng for a long time and then cursed, "You say Sima Guang is a treacherous person, but as for the resignation of the post of Deputy Envoy of the Privy Council, I have only seen Sima Guang do it. Even if others forced him, he refused to leave."
At that time, most people in the world were on the side of the old party.
Although I have won the battles of Lanzhou, Liangzhou, and Pingxiacheng, there are still some who oppose me. They have all kinds of excuses and reasons to oppose me, and there are also many who lie with their eyes open. But as I said, those who believe will always believe, and those who don't believe will always not believe. I just need to win over the faction in the middle.
Zhang Yue said, "You don't need to say more, Lord Lu. I already know everything you said."
Zhang Yue and Lu Gongzhu looked at each other and nodded, then stood up and offered tea to each other. Lu Gongzhu returned the tea, and all the words were said in this cup.
I respect your position, but I also have my own position, but we know that your starting point and mine are both for the country and the world.
After drinking a cup of tea, Zhang Yue and Lu Gongzhu both laughed, and all the past grudges were wiped out in this laugh.
Everyone sat in Zhang Yue's mansion and truly sat together to discuss state affairs.
Today, the six ministers in the hall have put aside their past grudges. Although everyone knows that this scene is only temporary, it is also very precious. It has been many years since there has been such a scene.
The officials below watched the six ministers above them serve the emperor respectfully and work together on government affairs, and they thought that since the Puyi and Xining Reforms, the court had been divided into two factions. The government also advocated different opinions and the ministers attacked each other.
However, it has been a long time since such a scene has occurred among the ministers. Everyone can sit down and discuss state affairs calmly. I am afraid that such a scene only appeared during the Jiayou period.
The emperor, the prime minister and all the officials could live in peace, at least they did not have to argue or be excluded over each other's positions.
And today, there is finally hope. This is also the most harmonious and united time among the ministers in the court since Jiayou.
Wang Gui was able to take the initiative to humble himself as prime minister and lead all the officials here.
Cai Que and Zhang Yue had been at odds for many years, but it also came to an end.
That's why Lu Gongzhu can let go of his prejudices today.
The ministers drank tea and chatted.
The officials below were also smiling. Since the bosses above you don’t fight, we below don’t have to stand in fear and take sides.
Some people even wishfully hope that there will no longer be a distinction between the new party and the old party, and that everyone will discuss politics and state affairs for the good of the country and the society. How great would that be?
No matter what, everyone respected the ministers today.
At this moment, only Sun Gu was absent, and his fate was also determined.
"The Western bandits have been defeated miserably, and their elite troops have all been wiped out. They won't be a threat for the next ten years! Regarding the negotiations with the Liao Kingdom, I wonder what instructions the two Prime Ministers have for you?"
Su Song finally mentioned this matter.
Zhang Yue did not comment on this, and everyone looked at Wang Gui.
Wang Gui said slowly: "I came here today to congratulate you on your victory and for this matter!"
Zhang Yue said, "Prince Zhaowen, I have been ill these days and cannot handle government affairs. Please discuss this matter among yourselves!"
Wang Gui said, "Mr. Zhang, the reform has been decided. I recommend you to serve as Shangshu You Pushe and Zhongshu Shilang. From now on, all matters related to imperial decrees will be handled by Zhongshu. Menxia and Shangshu are not allowed to monopolize them. We will listen to Mr. Zhang's plan!"
The Three-Province System means that the Secretariat drafts government orders, the Shangshu executes them, and the Menxia reviews them.
The Menxia Province is said to be responsible for reviewing government orders and is nominally on par with the Zhongshu Province, but in fact this power becomes very useless when you are not strong enough.
Did Wang Gui dare to deny the drafting of the decree by the Secretariat?
So Wang Gui completely gave up the real power to Zhang Yue.
In the future, Zhang Yue will serve as the highest official of the Secretariat from now on.
Wang Gui said: "Mr. Zhang, learn from the events in the west. Don't go back and forth on the Liao issue. This matter should be decided by you!"
Several ministers said: "The Liao Kingdom has insulted our dynasty so much that it is even worse than the Tanguts. Today, we all follow Lord Zhang's lead!"
All the officials outside the door stood up from their stools and said, "We all follow Lord Zhang's lead!"
On the Liao issue, no matter whether Zhang Yue decides to fight or make peace, they will unconditionally support him.
Just imagine the oppression and humiliation that the Liao Kingdom had inflicted on the Song Dynasty during those days. It was also at this moment, after the defeat of the Dangxiang in Pingxia City, when a pincer attack from the Dangxiang and Liaodong was no longer possible, all the officials became united and worked together.
Zhang Yue sat on the chair, looking around with emotions secretly surging in his heart.
Duke Han Wei, Duke Ouyang, are you seeing this scene if you are still alive in heaven?
Zhang Yue seemed to see the scene when he first met Ouyang Xiu when he came to Beijing.
It was snowing heavily and he was holding an umbrella to send Han Qi off.
There was also Fan Wencheng, a man whom I had long heard of but had never met.
The relay and hard work of generations of prime ministers.
Their era has passed, and the scene of their lives has long ended. Now I have taken over their place and become the person standing on this stage, holding a big pen to write the history and complete their unfinished business.
Zhang Yue looked at all the officials and asked, "Since you are so kind, I will not refuse!"
"I strongly advocate the matter with Liao!"