Volume 5 Chapter 10: Means
"Name?"
"Zhou Bin."
"Which village head is this?"
"The first village of Xihejiazi in Heyin County, Zhengzhou..."
On the last day of February, in front of the third gate on the west side of Xuande Tower, many people turned their heads, including a middle-aged official in a red robe passing by, because of the appearance of a special number, but soon turned their heads away again. After all, there must be this first village with the character "甲", and it should be located in Heyin.
This is because after the government recaptured Tokyo, it held a military parade and a grand gathering in Heyin.
"When did you settle down?" The clerk in charge of recording immediately returned to normal. "Where is your original place of residence?"
"March of the third year of Jianyan, originally from Ruzhou." The village head named Zhou Bin responded cautiously.
"The time is right." The clerk finally put down his pen again and frowned. "But Ruzhou is so close, why don't you go home?"
This question caused the official in red robe next to him to look at him curiously again.
"Let this bailiff know that there are two reasons for this." The village head named Zhou Bin saw the high official next to him, and although he was afraid, he answered fluently, as if he had read books. "One is that I was forced into the army of the traitor Zhang Yu, and was pardoned and resettled, and I had no choice but to go; the other is that later in the fourth year of Jianyan, I returned to my hometown, and after asking around, I found out that the entire town in my hometown had been taken away by Zhang Yu, and there were only a few men and women left, so I simply settled down nearby and started a family there..."
The clerk in charge of registration sighed slightly after listening to this, then lowered his head to record: "It was like this for several years. It seems like a long time ago, but in fact it was only three, four or five years... From your appearance, you must have studied and married a woman from Hebei, so you were promoted to the head of the village?"
"Yes." The village head surnamed Zhou answered straightforwardly.
"I know that people like you have gone through all that and have lost all thoughts except settling down." The clerk continued to record with his head down, but sneered at me. "Yes and no?"
"Yes." The village head was still straightforward.
"Well, that's how it is now." The clerk of the Ministry of Revenue put away his smile and said seriously. "We have handled interest-free land loans in Kaifeng Prefecture before, and we know that there are still few village heads like you in the riverside villages. Most of them are retired soldiers from the imperial camp, and they are not easy to talk to. Since you are well-educated and know their feelings, you can stay here and negotiate for us for two days... It won't delay you from getting the loan in three days, and food and accommodation are provided. There is a kind of announcement job in your county. One person is responsible for ten villages, and he specializes in announcing government orders and summarizing the village heads of military and civilian villages. The money is not much, but the work is not much either. It is more or less an errand, and there are free court reports... Do you want to come?"
"If you give me face, why don't you come?" Zhou Zhuangtou responded quickly.
It was at this moment that the middle-aged official in a scarlet robe who had been watching from the side for a while finally turned around, but after crossing the bustling Imperial Street and entering the Dibao Courtyard diagonally opposite, he forgot about the scene that had just happened.
The official in the scarlet robe was none other than the Imperial Censor Li Jing.
Moreover, there has been a saying since ancient times that all officials avoid censors. Moreover, in the Song Dynasty, the Censorate, which had the ability to control the prime minister, had a very important status, and Li Jing was already the highest-ranking Censor in the Censorate?
Therefore, as soon as he entered the courtyard, many officials gathered in the courtyard bowed and saluted him, but they were unable to make way for him.
Li Jing, who was only in his thirties, was quite embarrassed, but he had no choice but to follow the path that everyone had left until someone called out from afar:
"Is this Shuyi (Li Jingzi)? Come and sit here."
Li Jing looked carefully and saw that it was the Minister of Personnel Chen Gongfu who was sitting alone on a long bench in the corner of the courtyard. He was overjoyed and hurried forward to greet him... and an official in a red robe opposite Chen Gongfu also stood up with a smile and naturally gave his seat to Li Jing.
Although Chen Gongfu was the one who opposed Taoism the most vigorously, he opposed it from the very beginning instead of changing his stance later. This made Chen Gongfu still maintain an indecisive attitude towards many minority groups in the court, including the Li Gang brothers.
And no matter what, both sides are still fellow villagers in the southeast (Li Gang and Li Jing are from Shaowu, Fujian, and Chen Gongfu is from Linhai, Taizhou), and they still have political ties. In addition, Chen Gongfu is now an official in the Ministry of Personnel, with a prominent and important position, and although he has a free and honest personality, he is a bit old. Therefore, the relationship between the two sides has always been relatively respectable.
"Mr. Chen, do you, a dignified official, have to condescend to wait for the imperial report?" After sitting down, Li Jing immediately changed to a southeastern accent, asked with a wry smile, and was unusually polite in his words... This politeness was more due to Mr. Chen's age rather than his official position.
"If the Imperial Censor can come and wait in person, why can't I, a court official, come?" Chen Gongfu responded casually, still with his carefree personality. "Besides, look at this courtyard full of red and green, how could it be missing you and me?"
"That's right." Li Jing also sighed as he looked at the officials in the courtyard. "Rather than saying that so many people have condescended to do so, it's better to say that the weight of the court report is no longer comparable to the miscellaneous affairs of the Honglu Temple... Mr. Chen, doesn't the Ministry of Personnel have any explanation?"
"Of course there are theories," Chen Gongfu answered frankly. "But they were all refuted by the provincial government. I think the government is keeping a tight rein on this and is reluctant to interfere. They also believe that Hu Quan is a useful person."
"If that's the case." Li Jing held his knees and thought. "It should be two years later, when Hu Quan has enough experience, he will gradually promote the Dibao to a department, and then to a supervisory office... It won't be a ministry at all... But such a key position, held by one person for a long time, will inevitably be mixed with some personal tendencies."
"The emperor is trying to take advantage of Hu Quan's personal inclinations to control the court reports." Chen Gongfu still spoke his mind, and his words were so straightforward that it was unbelievable. "Before the Northern Expedition succeeds, there should be no changes, just like the several prime ministers, Zhao Xianggong consolidated his power, and Zhang Xianggong moved forward..."
Li Jing finally fell silent for a moment, then couldn't help but smile bitterly: "Does Mr. Chen also know these two sentences?"
"Although I don't know what the court report will say today, these two sentences have already spread everywhere." Chen Gongfu also laughed. "Prime Minister Zhang is not a man who can keep his composure. Didn't Shuyi come here early to wait and see what was going on because of Prime Minister Zhang's hint?"
Li Jing was silent for a moment and did not respond.
Chen Gongfu smiled and turned to look at the courtyard.
As time was getting closer to evening, more and more officials flocked into the court gazette, waiting for today's impressive court gazette to be printed... Unlike in the past, the court gazette now had its own printing workshop. Except for some specific supplements, there would be a special summary printing every ten days, with sixteen neat sheets of paper, which would collect all the information of the ten days and be printed on a large scale to reduce costs.
However, because of the proofreading, typesetting, and engraving before this kind of printing, various information is bound to be leaked in advance, so it is unlikely that the phenomenon today will occur.
This time, there is a reason:
First of all, of course, there is Zhang Jun and Zhang Deyuan's big mouth... After this guy told Emperor Zhao about his impressions after reading "Water Margin" that day, he received an overwhelming comment, and he really couldn't help it, so throughout February, Zhang Xianggong had revealed the comment given to him by the emperor dozens of times in various formal and informal occasions.
Correspondingly, everyone probably knows that Prime Minister Zhang seems to have made an extraordinary conversation between the emperor and his ministers and made a big news, but the emperor has something to say and it is not easy to disclose it for the time being.
Immediately, several other ministers present, as well as Chief Censor Li Guang, Prefect of Kaifeng Yan Xiaozhong, and many close ministers present at the time, all verified the news... and almost all of them also said that the emperor should have given clear instructions that Prime Minister Zhang's memorial would only be published in the official gazette after the implementation of the mulberry-based fish pond as a public property of the villages and towns was on track.
Finally, it was the end of February, and the court bulletin of March 1st was about to come out. Not only were the students involved in the proofreading not allowed to leave without permission to receive news, but the palace also sent out the imperial guards to guard the printing room. These actions also verified the previous statements - Prime Minister Zhang really made a big news!
"It should have been printed long ago." His eyes swept over several fully armed imperial guards, and the gray-haired Chen Gongfu turned back to Li Jing in front of him. "It's just that Hu Quan is deliberately stalling for time..."
"How long can he drag it out?" Li Jing, who was no more than thirty years old, looked at the sky and sneered.
When Chen Gongfu heard this, he was slightly moved, but suddenly changed the subject: "Shu Yi is also wearing a red robe now."
Li Jing was slightly startled, then smiled again: "It's all thanks to the grace of the government."
"That's true." Chen Gongfu nodded, and then suddenly asked again. "In this case, do you have any plans to be sent to a provincial governor?"
Li Jing was shocked and opened his mouth to respond, but his mind was in turmoil and he could only remain speechless.
When Chen Gongfu saw the other party's reaction, he realized what was going on, but he did not ask any further questions. He just waited for the official report to be released.
Speaking of which, the last few words from the two, although seemingly few, truly hit the nail on the head where Li Jing was feeling the most pain.
You must know that before the reform of the Censorate, there was only one person in purple robe and one in red robe, namely the Chief Censor and the Assistant Censor in charge of miscellaneous affairs... The former was the de facto director and the latter was the de facto deputy director, but the position was not permanent... The rest were all in green robes.
However, as everyone knows, the reigning Emperor Jianyan has always been generous in some aspects. Ever since he moved to Nanyang, the Song Dynasty court has been carrying out intermittent official system reforms in the direction of matching name with reality, and the Censorate is naturally no exception. Not only has the Chief Censor been promoted to the third rank, the previous position of Assistant Censor in charge of miscellaneous affairs has also been directly abolished and turned into a formal Junior Censorate, which is the third rank and also wears a purple robe.
As the saying goes, rising water lifts all boats, and as a result , the Imperial Censor was directly promoted to the fifth rank and wore a scarlet robe.
So what Li Jing said was the grace of the government was absolutely correct.
However, the key to the problem is not the robe, but that since Li Jing has become the Imperial Censor, there is still a vacant position of Deputy Director in front of him, but it is unreasonable to go from the fifth rank to the third rank, from the scarlet robe to the purple robe. So generally speaking, at this time, there is no reason for an Imperial Censor like Li Jing not to ask for a post outside the capital.
Especially Li Jing, who has achieved the prestigious position of Imperial Censor at the age of just over 30. He has a bright future ahead of him:
If you are lucky, you can follow the path of Ma Shen, the Minister of Justice. If there is some trouble somewhere, you can ask to go out to pacify and supervise, and take advantage of the opportunity to stay and become a governor based on your merits, and then come back to be a minister.
And if Ma Shen happened to catch up with the special period of three years as Shangshu and five years as Prime Minister, then at worst, considering Li Jing's current situation, if he asked for an ordinary post outside the capital, it would definitely be to a top prefecture, and when he came back he could also be a Shilang, and then easily ascend to the Secret Council.
Of course, official robes and other items will definitely be purple by then.
At that time, Li Shuyi was probably less than 40 years old... What else could a Purple Robe Secret Council official under 40 want in his life?
But who made Li Jing have another identity?
Everyone knows that he is Li Gang and Li Boji's third brother! And everyone also knows that the two are very different in age, and the relationship between them is more like that of father and son than brothers.
At the same time, everyone knew that although Li Jing had passed the imperial examination more than ten years ago, the reason he was able to rise to prominence and fame was essentially because he was Li Gang's third brother.
Whether it was Emperor Zhao or Li Gang who was far away in the southeast, they both regarded Li Jing as a tool, a mouthpiece of Li Gang in the court.
So, is it his own business whether he releases it externally or not?
Just as the two fellow villagers from the southeast, one Hong and one Zi, were thinking about things face to face, as the sun set, the shadow of the wall of the Official Gazette Courtyard gradually spread over the entire courtyard. Suddenly, the doors of the printing workshop were opened, and then countless laborers came out carrying dozens of baskets, and in the baskets were copies of the official gazettes that still smelled of ink.
Immediately, the lower-ranking clerks and some green-robed minor officials in the Dibao Court rushed forward, and bumped into the students who were responsible for registration. The two sides began to hand over the documents in the corridor... Individuals were not qualified to receive the Dibao. They needed to report their official titles and the departments they represented in order to receive a fixed number of Dibao.
Chen Gongfu was the Minister of Personnel, so of course he didn't need to queue up in person to receive it. Soon, a clerk from the Ministry of Personnel took the official newspaper and hurriedly delivered it to his own official. Li Shuyi didn't care about etiquette and stood up and walked behind Chen Gongfu to take his newspaper.
However, Minister Chen opened the court bulletin on the bench and glanced at it for a few seconds. After a moment, he stood up and left with his hands behind his back, holding the court bulletin. Only the pale-faced Attendant Censor Li Jing and the gradually boiling court bulletin court were left behind.
Let's not talk about when Li Jing reacted and when he went back to write a report to his brother. It's just that the Grand Secretary Chen Gongfu walked out of the Imperial Report Courtyard with his hands behind his back, carrying the imperial report, and came to the Imperial Street. He found his own donkey cart on the side of the road and got on it directly. The cart started with its owner, but he did not go home, but went to the residence of another court official.
When they arrived, the owner of the house had not returned yet, but Chen Gongfu entered the back hall of the family as if he were alone and sat at the guest table. Not only that, the hostess of the family came out to meet Chen Shangshu and left her three sons to serve in the back hall.
It was obvious that Chen Gongfu had a very close relationship with the owner of this family, and their friendship had reached a certain level.
After waiting for about two quarters of an hour, the owner of the house came back. Hearing the report from his family, he seemed to have expected it. Then he went straight to the back hall to see Chen Gongfu... who was none other than the then Chief Censor Li Guang Li Taifa.
When the two met, they didn't exchange pleasantries. Chen Gongfu put down the official report in his hand, picked up the tea and took two sips. Then he said to each other: "No wonder Taifa didn't want to tell me that day. Zhang Deyuan really turned the sky upside down?!"
Upon hearing this, Li Guang sat down and smiled bitterly, ignoring his three sons standing by his side. "In fact, it's not just because of how much trouble Zhang Deyuan caused this time, but the emperor had instructed me in person that day that an official should be more particular... Of course, Zhang Deyuan did make a big fuss, so much so that I was stunned on the spot and couldn't defend myself for a while."
"It's true that we can turn the world upside down, but we don't necessarily have to argue against it." Chen Gongfu shook his head. "Although some of the provisions are too extreme, the reason for insisting on the Northern Expedition is still right, and the reason that the Northern Expedition is related to the foundation of the country is also right... Why should we be so demanding?"
Li Guangxi was stunned for a moment, then sighed: "What else can we do now?"
Chen Gongfu frowned and said, "Compared to this, let me talk about another thing first... Are these five suggestions really the work of Zhang Deyuan himself?"
"Of course not." Li Guang sighed again. "I've been thinking about this for many days. This is what I think... The expansion of the army and the alliance are obvious, so there's no need to say more. The so-called pacification of the queen is to send Quan Bangyan and Guo Zhongxun, two of Zong Zhongwu's old subordinates, to Jiangxi to lead the troops, but it's a bit cruel. I'm afraid it was Lu Zhi's idea. And the fifth thing, building up wealth, is to plan the progress of the Northern Expedition for three to five years in advance. It should be the idea of Minister Lin. He is talented... Only the fourth thing, which is to rectify the name, I really can't figure out whose idea it was. After thinking about it, Liu Ziyu is more likely. It can't be Qu Duan, right?"
"I'm afraid that only Zhang Deyuan can explain this matter clearly, but he will never explain it clearly." Chen Gongfu also shook his head. "But it doesn't matter. No matter who came up with the idea, it means that after the internal and external exchanges, Zhang Deyuan has someone in his pocket who can and dares to come up with these ideas. And Zhang Deyuan himself dared to expose these five points in public, which can really be said to be for the sake of the government and the overall situation... From now on, no matter who it is, he can no longer be regarded as a means for the government to clamp down on Prime Minister Zhao, but as the real Prime Minister of the West Mansion."
Li Guang was silent for a while before nodding heavily.
"Are you thinking about how to explain to Prime Minister Li of Southeast?" Chen Gongfu looked at his old friend's expression and suddenly asked again.
"Yes." Li Guang sighed again and again. "It's difficult... Let's not talk about other things. How can I explain to Lord Li about the two matters of empress dowager and rectification of the name? I was clearly in front of the emperor that day, but I didn't say a word and let these two matters pass?"
"What do you want me to explain?" Chen Gongfu sneered and shook his head. "You are two years younger than me, but you still have such old-fashioned thinking... Just because you have the kindness of Li Gongxiang, do you want to be his vanguard for the rest of your life? If we really want to talk about kindness, isn't the current emperor also kind to you?"
"The official is the emperor..."
"To repay the emperor's kindness, you must die for his advice. To repay the prime minister's kindness, you must become a slave?" Chen Gongfu was getting more and more impatient. "Do you know that even his own brother couldn't stand Li Boxi's tyrannical style? You are still holding on to the so-called Li Gongxiang faction, and you want to be a leader? Little do you know that this so-called Li Gongxiang faction has long disappeared. Even if it exists, it is no longer the party with the world's reputation in the past, and it is not your turn to be a leader!"
Li Guang was stunned for a moment, but then he shook his head: "It's not just to explain to Prime Minister Li, it's mainly because I'm worried. Let alone other things, what will the Supreme Yuansheng Emperor say? After all, he is also the Son of Heaven who has been kind to you and me..."
"Again, if we talk about the grace of recognition, then the current emperor is not being kind to you?" Chen Gongfu seemed to have expected this question. "Besides, how shallow is the grace of the Supreme Emperor Yuansheng to you? You had the merit of supporting him at the beginning, and he also wanted to use people who advocated war to win people's hearts, so he promoted you to the position of Imperial Censor, but when he wanted to negotiate peace, he demoted you to the position of Tingzhou Liquor Tax... Such indecision, using talents as bargaining chips, is this the demeanor of a monarch? On the contrary, the current emperor promoted you again and again, and in two or three years, you became the director of the Imperial Censorate, and you enjoyed the honor of half prime minister for many years. He even did not forget to retain you during the White Horse Incident. On the contrary, it is not considered a grace of recognition?"
Li Guang was silent again.
"Do you know why I came to see you today?" Chen Gongfu pursued closely.
Li Guang shook his head with all his strength: "Aren't you here for these five things about Prime Minister Zhang Shu in the court newspaper?"
"Yes and no." Chen Gongfu finally sighed. "Taifa, I came here for this matter, but what I really want to say is not about these things, but I am worried about you..."
Li Guang was finally stunned.
"If you ask me, you have a profound knowledge, high talent, and great reputation. You are a famous official, but you have two big flaws in your character." Chen Gongfu said sternly, directly exposing Li Guang's shortcomings in front of his three adult sons. "First, you are angry and want fame. You know the general right and wrong of things, and the good and bad of people, but you always argue and fight over small details for a little reputation, doing meaningless things!"
"I know this problem too." Li Guang raised his tea bowl awkwardly to cover it up. "You're not the only one who said this. I'll try my best to change it..."
"That's fine." Chen Gongfu ignored the embarrassment of Li's father and son and continued to speak coldly. "The key is that you don't know the big picture! It's fine to be angry for fame in small matters, but you still want to be angry for fame in big matters. You don't know that you will ruin the overall situation for a little fame. You may end up being a clown in the history books in the future, but you are still complacent."
Li Guang finally couldn't bear it anymore: "Brother Guozuo, please don't slander me... When have I ever done anything to ruin the overall situation?"
"Let me ask you, is the Northern Expedition right or wrong?" Chen Gongfu was not afraid.
Li Guang opened his mouth to speak, but unexpectedly the other party asked directly: "Is it the overall situation?!"
Li Guang wanted to say more, but Chen Gongfu had already asked again: "The court newspaper reported the original text. The emperor said that after the matter is published in the newspaper, we will see who has something to say... Have you already written the relevant memorials these days, and revised them countless times, and are ready to go and say tomorrow that there is something wrong with Zhang Shuxiang's third and fourth things?"
Li Guang's face finally changed drastically, and below him and Chen Gongfu, his eldest son Li Mengbo also changed his face... Others didn't know, but Li Mengbo knew very well that his father had such a memorial, and it was indeed revised many times. After all, it was he, the eldest son, who helped to polish and copy it every time.
"What's wrong with that? Don't you think that if you don't speak up, you will be criticized by your former colleagues in Jiangnan, and then lose the support of public opinion?" Chen Gongfu sat still and threw the teacup in his hand to the ground, smashing it to pieces. "In the final analysis, it's still about seeking fame and reputation, or trying to please both sides! Li Taifa! Do you think that in this situation, you can still be a bright person?!"
Li Guang's three sons were already speechless with shock, and Li Guang looked at the broken pieces of the porcelain cup on the ground. Although he was also pale, he still tried to argue: "Brother Guozuo, why are you so serious? Since the emperor compares Zhao and Zhang to Fang and Du, can't he allow me to be a Wei Zheng?"
"Did Wei Zheng gain his reputation by speaking well of Li Jiancheng every day, or by persuading Emperor Taizong not to fight the Turks?" Chen Gongfu joked. "Let me make it clear to you today, Li Taifa, your actions this time may seem straightforward, but in my eyes, you are trying to please both sides, which is despicable!"
"Brother Guozuo!" Li Guang was furious. "We have been friends for decades, and it must be true that we knew each other when we were young, right? Why do you keep saying such bad things today?"
"It's good that you still know that our decades-long friendship is genuine." Chen Gongfu sighed as he twisted his gray beard. "Li Taifa, tomorrow at the court, you'd better not submit that memorial for the sake of our decades-long friendship, otherwise I will naturally follow up with a memorial impeaching your personal morality, and then a letter of breaking off the friendship, which I will submit to Lu Benzhong's tabloid..."
At this point, Chen Gongfu stood up, picked up the newspaper on the table, and put it behind his back. He turned his head and said the last words to his old friend who was already dumbfounded: "Taifa, if it weren't for our friendship of several decades, why would I rush here today and say such bad words? I hope you will think about it carefully."
After saying this, the Minister of Personnel left with his hands behind his back, holding the official newspaper.
“Daddy!”
After Chen Gongfu left, Li Guang was stunned on the spot, but his eldest son reacted quickly and still saw him off in person, then hurried back to the back hall to face his own father. "Uncle Chen is gone."
Li Guang finally came to his senses and looked at his son in a daze: "What does he mean? Why does he want to break up with him?"
Li Mengbo lowered his head and thought for a while, then answered carefully: "My son roughly guessed that Chen Shibo's intentions were severalfold... One is that Prime Minister Li in the southeast has been idle for many years and has long been ineffective; the other is that Chen Shibo was persuaded by Prime Minister Zhang Shu that it was time to stabilize the country and make alliances with the outside world, and he was determined to launch a northern expedition. He really believed that my father's advice at this time was somewhat contrary to the overall situation... Otherwise, why would he say that he would break off the friendship?"
Li Guang remained silent... Although he remained silent, he already felt in his heart that what his son said was right.
As an old friend of several decades, Chen Gongfu understood him, and he also understood each other. Li Guang knew very well that Chen Gongfu was not a villain who changed his mind according to the situation. A villain who changed his mind according to the situation would not insist on criticizing Chengxue for decades when Taoism was flourishing, and would not see the light of official career in his fifties or sixties like himself because of opposing Cai Jing and advocating war.
But then again, just as Chen Gongfu believed that Li Guang was just being irrational and seeking fame, Li Guang had also long noticed a big problem in Chen Gongfu's character - perhaps because he had wasted a lot of time in his early years, this person was often willing to compromise on some small issues for the sake of the so-called overall situation that he approved of in his heart.
This is exactly what happened. Chen Gongfu was probably persuaded by Zhang Deyuan and agreed that the Northern Expedition was related to the foundation of the country's survival. He believed that the Northern Expedition was the top priority at the moment. So for the sake of this overall situation, he was willing to accept various extraordinary actions such as asking the two saints to write a letter of apology and sending troops to the south to suppress the opposition in order to facilitate the smooth implementation of the matter.
Relatively speaking, Li Guang was also somewhat convinced by Zhang Jun and recognized that the Northern Expedition was the trend of the times, but his problem was that he was unwilling to accept those extraordinary actions.
The two have had such personalities for a long time, and similar differences have always existed, but what Li Guang could not have imagined was that this difference would actually reach the point of severing their decades-long friendship.
Am I really wrong?
Or was Chen Gongfu wrong?
Or maybe both of them are right, but Emperor Zhao's attitude towards Zhang Jun's words has already indicated that the situation has reached a new point, one where Emperor Zhao must abandon the opposition in order to carry out the Northern Expedition, or maybe the opposition has already reached the point where it is no longer a force to be reckoned with?
Of course, it is possible that Chen Gongfu was deliberately trying to scare me, right?
In short, Li Guang couldn't sleep all night.
The next day, the first day of March, was the day of the grand court meeting, so although he was not in good spirits, Li Guang still got up early and prepared to go to court. But at this time, the Chief Censor was surprised to find that the memorial he had prepared long ago but which had brought him great trouble had disappeared.
The memorial that was placed on the table in his study disappeared out of thin air.
Li Taifa was stunned at first, then he felt relieved, and finally under time pressure, he hurriedly put on his official uniform and walked out of the door. Looking at his three sons waiting at the door, he finally came to his senses... It turned out that Chen Gongfu came here yesterday not to scare him, but to scare his sons?
An old man who is almost sixty years old is bullying three young men who have just reached adulthood. Does he still have any moral principles?
However, on this morning, Li Guang once again refreshed his understanding of his old friends. Some people really did not abide by the ethics of martial arts - this Minister of Personnel was the first to step forward and submit a memorial after the court meeting began, suggesting that several censors who had served in the Censorate for a long time be transferred out of the prefectures and counties, and then new people be promoted to the Censorate!
The first one was Li Jing.
What’s interesting is that Li Jing did not object, but went with the flow and accepted the arrangement of the Ministry of Personnel to be the magistrate of Xingqing Prefecture.
In addition, at the grand court meeting that day, because the Minister of Justice Ma Shen wrote a letter saying that the memorial submitted by Prime Minister Zhang Jun was inappropriate, Emperor Zhao issued an edict in court, ordering the important ministers of the Secret Council and all officials to discuss the matter publicly.
Among them, 27 important officials of the Secret Cabinet agreed with Prime Minister Zhang Jun, and 6 thought it was inappropriate; among the officials, 136 agreed with Prime Minister Zhang Jun, and 17 thought it was inappropriate.
Immediately, Emperor Zhao showed the list of those who agreed to the proposal to those who thought it was inappropriate, and officially issued an edict: "The court has reached a conclusion. We will act according to what Prime Minister Zhang Jun said."
