Prime Minister

Chapter 1118 Lü Gongzhu

Chapter 1118 Lü Gongzhu

Lu has been married into the Zhang family for nearly ten years, but she has never been satisfied.

Lu came from the Donglai Lu family. As the granddaughter of Lu Yijian and the daughter of Lu Gongzhu, Lu was taught by her family since childhood and was a good woman who could support her husband and raise her children.

However, no one is perfect, and Lu has a rather competitive personality.

She and Shiqi Niang were always at odds in the mansion, mainly because of who was the head of the family. Lu believed that she was the eldest grandson's wife, so she was the one who made the decision in the Zhang family, but Shiqi Niang was also a person who would not give in.

Later, the two families lived in different parts of the mansion, and there were fewer conflicts.

Although she had fewer direct conflicts with Shiqi Niang, she still compared her husband with her in her heart.

What woman in the world doesn't want her husband to become successful?

The Lu family is no exception.

Although Zhang Yue has always been supporting Zhang Zhi, she believes that Zhang Zhi may not be inferior to Zhang Yue in the future, and may even surpass Zhang Yue.

After all, she is also the legitimate daughter. How could the help that the Lu family gives to Zhang Zhi be less than the help that the Wu family gives to Zhang Yue?

Later, Zhang Yue was promoted to the position of prime minister, and finally to the position of prime minister. Although she was happy, she felt a little uncomfortable. In fact, Zhang Zhi also rose in official rank, and finally became the governor of Xihe Road and the direct scholar of Longtu Pavilion.

But people always think that the mountain is higher than this one. If it is higher, they want it to be higher. If it is higher, they want it to be higher.

The post of General Manager was definitely not the end of Zhang Zhi's official career. He had to at least be in power, or even become prime minister, to fulfill her wish.

Lu's grandfather Lu Yijian was prime minister, and his great-uncle Lu Mengzheng was also prime minister.

It took Lu Mengzheng only twelve years to become prime minister.

Her uncle, Lu Gongbi, served as Privy Councilor.

Even Prime Minister Wang Gui said that when it comes to the elegance of clothing in the world, the Lu family must be regarded as the most aristocratic family.

In this case, how could her husband not be the prime minister?

Mrs. Lu had a plan for Zhang Zhi's promotion. She had arranged which step and which position he would reach and which family member or student or former official would need assistance.

Unlike the Wu family, who almost ignored Zhang Yue and only helped out at critical moments.

When Zhang Yue recommended Zhang Zhi to be the governor of Xihe Road, he consulted Lu's opinion. Of course, Zhang Zhi was not the governor, but was transferred back to the capital to serve as the deputy governor of the Three Departments or to the Sinong Academy.

However, Lu felt that this promotion was too slow, as the court was currently expanding westward and emphasizing military merit.

After Zhang Yue returned from his post as the governor of Xihe Road, he was directly appointed as a Hanlin scholar and a Duanming Palace scholar.

Zhang Yu was even more amazing. He skipped the fourth level and was appointed as the official who signed the Privy Council affairs, which was almost on par with the ruling officials.

Xihe Road was the place where generals and prime ministers came from. Given Zhang Zhi's background and the fact that he was a childhood friend of the emperor, he would be able to take power right away if he returned from Xihe Road.

This puts her on equal footing with Zhang Yue, even surpassing her father.

But Zhang Zhi was surrounded in Mingsha City. Upon learning of this, Lu pretended to remain calm on the surface, but in her heart she was panic-stricken and at a loss.

Until a few days ago, news came that Mingsha City had fallen and Zhang Zhi's whereabouts were unknown.

Knowing that Zhang Zhi was in great danger, Mrs. Lu cried all night while holding Zhang Zhi's only daughter.

As for the fact that Zhang Zhi actually had a mistress in Xizhou, someone had already reported it to her. When Lu Shi found out about this, she was out of reach and could do nothing about it. Later, Zhang Zhi was trapped in Mingsha City.

She decided to bring her concubine back to Bian Jing and arrange everything herself, but she didn't expect that Zhang Yue's people arrived first and took her back to the capital first.

This put the Lu family in a passive position.

Mrs. Lu was no pushover either. She immediately took the excuse that her mother was unwell and took her daughter back to her parents' home for a short stay.

This is to express dissatisfaction with Zhang Yue.

Now Lu is uneasy.

Lu's brothers and sisters-in-law, such as Lu Xiji's wife, were originally the daughter of Wu Chong. They were good friends with Lu, but she died of illness a few years ago, which left the Lu and Zhang families without someone who could pass on messages.

Now several maids and the brother and his wife are speaking for Lu.

One person said, "Look at that Miao, she is also the daughter of a convicted official. In order to please her son-in-law, I don't know what kind of seductive tricks she used. How can we let such a woman into our family?"

Another person said, "Yes, our Lu family is so prestigious and has such strict family rules that even if we take a concubine, it must be a decent girl from a scholarly family."

"What's more, she is a concubine, and the daughter of a criminal official. How can they live under the same roof? How can they serve their parents-in-law together? Isn't this lowering your status? Not to mention that she has two children. It has been so long, isn't this the slave bullying the master?"

The last person said, "I think it's better to keep the son and let the mother go. I'll give her some money and send her away, and we won't see each other again."

Sitting next to him was Lu Xizhe's wife, who was the daughter of Zhang Pengzhi.

Seeing this, Zhang said with a sullen face, "You are getting more and more outrageous."

As the eldest daughter-in-law, Zhang had a lot of say, and several maids left immediately after hearing this.

Zhang said to Lu, "What do you think? Tell me."

Mrs. Lu said, "Sister-in-law, I don't have any idea in my mind. I came back to listen to my parents' wishes."

Zhang said, "You are now married into the Zhang family. Once you get married, you will be a wife and a daughter-in-law. How can you expect your family to make decisions for you in everything?"

"Whether this matter will succeed or not depends on your thoughts."

Mrs. Lu said, "I don't know. I haven't seen this woman yet. I don't know what kind of person she is. She could have charmed Ah Xi and even given him a son."

"Now I just hate him in my heart. Ah Xi is very measured and methodical in his work. He never hides anything from me, big or small, and never goes against my wishes. But just in this matter, he made the decision on his own."

"I don't know what's wrong with me. I take care of my husband and children at home, respect my parents-in-law, and plan his career. What does Ah Xi want from this woman?"

Zhang said, "What does this woman want? I don't know, but this woman has given birth to a boy for the Zhang family, and is pregnant with another one."

"I know what you are thinking, but although Empress Zhangxian of the previous dynasty did not tell Ren Miao about his life experience, she also treated his biological mother, Li Chenfei, well."

……

On this day, Lu Gongzhu resigned from his mission to negotiate peace with Xixia in the court, and wrote a memorial saying that since ancient times, no capable monarch has been able to govern without losing the people's hearts, nor has anyone been able to win the people's hearts by threats or strong arguments. We should cultivate virtue to keep the people safe.

This memorial really made the emperor lose face.

After Lu Gongzhu left the court, he met Zhang Yue.

Zhang Yue asked Lü Gongzhu, "Do you have time to chat?"

Lu Gongzhu agreed.

The two of them went to the teahouse outside the palace to rest, from where they could see the busy scene outside the Xuande Gate.

Lu Gongzhu was not only a Hanlin scholar of the time, but also a great writer and master of Confucianism.

Zhang Yue wanted to persuade Lu Gongzhu to accept the task of negotiating peace with Western Xia, but the other party had just resigned from the emperor in the court and scolded the emperor for being immoral and argumentative, which was actually useless.

It’s not easy to persuade him directly in person.

Zhang Yue thought for a moment and took a look. The young man standing outside asked with a smile, "Is this the inner disciple, Xing Jushi, who is known as a child prodigy?"

Lu Gongzhu nodded and said, "That's right. He is the son of Xing Heshu and has been famous for his writing since he was young."

Zhang Yue nodded and said, "I remember there is a line in this boy's poem, 'How can I find a brave man like Huo Piaoyao to capture Hu Han and make him a household member?' It is quite bold and is now being spread by the people in the capital."

"Lü Gong really has a good disciple."

Lu Gongzhu was different from ordinary officials. Ordinary officials would accept disciples and old friends from the same hometown under the name of promotion so as to form private cliques in the future.

Lu Gongzhu himself was a master of Confucianism. He used Confucian moral knowledge to teach and discipline his staff, and had the bearing of a founder. From this point of view alone, his vision and perspective were superior to those of other bureaucrats.

Lu Gongzhu asked: "Teaching students is just to impart some knowledge. Nowadays, there are many cliques in the officialdom. When recommending officials to the court, they don't look at their character and morality, but only look at whether they will repay their families in the future. They don't ask whether they can treat the people well, but only whether they can take advantage of opportunities. This is why the atmosphere in the court is getting worse day by day."

"Lü is incompetent, so I have no choice but to cultivate the moral character of my disciples. When they understand that the affairs of the world are based on 'cultivating the mind and nurturing the nature', I will recommend them to serve as officials outside the government."

When someone refuses, they always say it in advance. Zhang Yue said, "I appreciate what Lu Gong said."

Lu Gongzhu said, "I don't deserve it. I still need to ask the Prime Minister for more advice on my studies. I wonder if the Prime Minister has anything to teach me?"

Zhang Yue said: "Studying is the way to understand the essence and apply it. I have been using Su Shi's method of being attacked from all sides in my studies recently, and it has been quite useful."

Lu Gongzhu said: "I have heard that Su Shi said that when he read the Book of Han, the history book was as vast as the ocean, and it contained everything. One could not read everything at once, so he only read one example at a time, listing a few topics such as governance, personalities, geography, official system, and military tactics. He read with one mind each time and did not think about anything else."

Zhang Yue said: "Yes, when I was young, I read aimlessly and often gained nothing after reading it once. The sage said, 'If you study without thinking, you will be lost.' This is indeed the purpose of learning. But if you study without thinking, how can you think? The sage did not teach you that."

"But I have learned the method of facing enemies from all sides. I have gained some insights. I have achieved something by studying with a single purpose. The same is true for the affairs of the world. In the affairs of the world, one cannot have the way without the method, nor can one have the method without the way."

Lu Gongzhu said: "What the Prime Minister said is very true, but in governing the world, if you have the way but not the technique, you can still seek the technique, but if you have the technique but not the way, you will only be limited to the technique."

"To govern the world well, the first thing is the benevolence of the ruler, the second is the use of people, and the third is the system. These are related to the people's support and the destiny of heaven. This is the way, and everything else is just a technique."

Zhang Yue shook his head and said, "Lü Gong, I don't think so."

"To emphasize the Dao and neglect the art is the problem of Confucianism today. When it comes to governing a country, the emperor does not ask the prime minister; when it comes to economic stability, the prime minister does not ask the merchants; when it comes to military warfare, the governor does not ask the generals."

"Those in positions of power do not ask about facts, but are fond of making assumptions, and they make all decisions based on their own ideas. Wasn't this the fault of Duke Shu's reform during the Xining period?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Gongzhu took a sip of tea.

There is a problem in Chinese philosophy. In terms of methodology, it places too much emphasis on deduction and not enough on induction.

Everything in the world can be fit into a fixed formula, such as Yin and Yang and the Five Elements.

We didn’t think about what if the theory is wrong? Then all your research would fall into the trap, right?

Wang Anshi had great insight, but he also had this problem.

He believed that the problem with the reform was the execution, not his own method. However, the word theory he compiled was exactly the same as the problem with the reform. He insisted that there was a principle of "one word, one meaning", so there were jokes such as "waves are the skin of water, and slippery is the bone of water" and "whipping a horse with a bamboo is "deep", and whipping a dog with a bamboo, what's so funny about that?"

Although this book is indeed novel, it is full of far-fetched ideas and its insights stop there.

This is the drawback of only paying attention to deduction and not induction. Induction is to summarize the truth from the similarities and differences of things.

After listening to Zhang Yue's talk about induction and deduction, Lü Gongzhu felt refreshed and said, "Prime Minister, I'm afraid you're going to mention 'the more you practice, the more you know; the deeper your knowledge, the more you can practice'."

Zhang Yue said: "Use deduction to apply to the art, and then use induction to apply to the Tao, this is the way to understand the essence and realize the application."

"In fact, we are too particular about the Tao, but we don't know that diligence in skills is also the Tao. For example, people with great talent look down on those who work hard, but they don't know that hard work is also a kind of 'talent'."

Lü Gongzhu said: "What the Prime Minister said is indeed reasonable, but your Majesty and the Prime Minister are not truly determined to negotiate peace with Xixia, so what is the point of letting me do it?"

"Why would I, Lu, make such a useless move when I know it won't work?"

Zhang Yue said, "Lü Gong, didn't I say this when I entered the room just now? How can I find a brave warrior like Huo Piyao to capture Hu Han and register him as a householder?"

"Now without Huo Piaoyao, we are indeed unable to conquer Xia, but by negotiating peace, we can give the people of Qin and Jin a few years to recuperate before making plans. Isn't this in line with Lu Gong's original intention?"

After the defeat at Fuyan Road and the fall of Mingsha City, Lü Gongzhu submitted a memorial to the emperor, suggesting that the army should be sent to Shaanxi to attack Xia. As the people in the two routes of Hedong were exhausted, he did not recommend another attack on Xia.

What Zhang Yue said was exactly what he wanted.

Zhang Yue said: "Lü Gong, the emperor's intention to destroy Xia remains unchanged, but I believe that the weak should be used instead of the strong in worldly affairs. How can we force it to do so?"

"Besides, the two countries are fighting, and not every move is useful. Only one or two moves can really determine the winner. But every step should be done with all your strength. Although there are many people in the world who can negotiate peace with Xixia, Lu Gong is the most qualified candidate in Zhang's heart."

Lü Gongzhu said thoughtfully, "What if I can really make it through?"

Zhang Yue said: "If the negotiation is successful, then it is successful."

Lu Gongzhu looked at Zhang Yue and said, "If the negotiation is successful, then it is successful?"

Zhang Yue said: "Lü Gong, the court will give Xixia favorable conditions, including the restoration of trade and annual tributes. Even Mizhi Village can be returned to Xixia. But Xixia must return the prisoners this time."

Lü Gongzhuo's eyes fixed and he said, "This proposal has indeed moved the Dangxiang people. As far as I know, Li Bingchang, the ruler of Western Xia, has always been willing to negotiate peace. He admires the Song Dynasty and has sent envoys to express his feelings several times in order to get rid of the manipulation of his mother Liang's brothers and sisters. Before the attack on Xia, he even planned to cede the five states of Dingnan as a basis for peace."

"In fact, although our army was defeated in this attack on Xia, Xixia also suffered heavy losses. The country is in dire straits, the soldiers are tired of war, and the people are living in misery. If we can support Li Bingchang as the leader and eliminate the Liang brothers and sisters, the two countries will stop fighting from now on, and the matter of Song and Liao will not be a problem."

Zhang Yue sighed in his heart, many people are so wishful and naive. Did Lu Gongzhu really think that after Li Bingchang got rid of the control of the Liang brothers and sisters, Xixia would be able to make peace with the Song Dynasty?

Zhang Yue said: "What Lu Gong said is very true. Your Majesty must be very regretful about attacking Xia, otherwise you would not have thought of negotiating peace. I have always been a good person and I will never treat people unfairly. If the peace negotiation is successful, and the two governments are vacant in the future, I will fully support Lu Gong."

"Zhang will leave this matter to Lu Gong."

Lu Gongzhu nodded and said, "Prime Minister, your words are too serious. Let me go back and think about it again."

(End of this chapter)