Volume 5 Chapter 25: Making Choices (Part 1)
No one cared about Mr. Zhao's self-conceited and hypocritical analysis, and he didn't mention it to outsiders.
Even if Concubine Pan became Concubine Pan Xian, it would not shake the overall situation of the court... Quite the contrary, in the eyes of the prime ministers, the demotion of Concubine Pan would be a rare boost to the overall situation. It would make the pattern of establishing a crown prince without setting up an eastern palace as proposed by Emperor Zhao clearer, thus making the court more stable.
Stability is the natural pursuit of bureaucrats, especially those in power, and has little to do with whether they are radicals or what relevant propositions they have.
As for the fact that Zhao Jiu also confiscated two million strings of cash and beheaded a "Hanlin scholar", it was not a big deal at all... You have to know that Cai Mao and his group are really the dregs of history, lambs to be slaughtered. You can see this from the fact that they were ignored by those in power and targeted by speculators as soon as they came back.
In a sense, this incident may not have caused more shock than the flashy big balloon.
As for the fact that Emperor Zhao used some tricks to transfer Ma Shen away, it was not because he was worried that Ma Shen would have too much involvement with this group of old dignitaries... They were all good in the southeast, and they were all frustrated people, but the Taoists were not comrades-in-arms with the old dignitaries. Things like what happened to Wang Ciweng back then were relatively rare.
What's more, even if other Taoists were considered frustrated, Ma Shen, the chief official of the Ministry of Justice, was definitely not considered a frustrated person.
It was just that Emperor Zhao was remembering the previous experience and was worried that Ma Shen would resort to procedural justice, just in case.
After Ma Shen returned to the court, he did not do anything. He just wrote a letter to advise Emperor Zhao and then went back to work.
To put it bluntly, the real life and death situation for the court was the Northern Expedition, and the real problem caused by the Northern Expedition was the huge financial hole faced by the ruling Northern Expedition radicals. When it seemed that this hole could be plugged through a series of measures, the situation would of course be very good.
As a result, all the voices of doubt and opposition also subsided, and Emperor Zhao and his ruling team became more arrogant.
At this moment, nothing seems to matter.
In fact, in the spring of the eighth year of Jianyan, the entire court and even the entire society were in a high-spirited attitude. In February, the court struck while the iron was hot and launched a new policy, which was a reform aimed at the royal family.
The so-called royal family reform was nothing more than reducing the supply of money and grain, and relaxing restrictions to allow and encourage royal family members to engage in production activities. For example, those who wanted to do business would be directly given a royal operating qualification, or be given empty promises such as shares in a maritime trade company that was actually still being established. Those who wanted to become officials would be given certain extra points in the upgrading examinations of the Imperial College, State College, and County College.
In a sense, this matter is actually a natural outcome.
You know, the management of the royal family in the Song Dynasty was not as healthy as imagined. On the contrary, huge problems were revealed as early as the reign of Emperor Shenzong. The situation was complicated and the management was chaotic... But fortunately, the Jingkang Incident occurred.
The Jingkang Incident not only eliminated the problem of redundant soldiers and officials in the Song Dynasty, but also helped the Song Dynasty solve the problem of royal family members in an unprecedented way. Because even if Emperor Zhao later brought these close relatives back, they still lost their most basic political influence. Moreover, because of Emperor Zhao's inexplicable alienation from them, these people directly lost the protection of the imperial power.
Therefore, considering that the royal family's heirs were safe and the position of the crown prince was secure, plus the court's general political task of increasing revenue and reducing expenditure, this matter was of course as logical as dealing with the old nobles who fled to Yangzhou.
According to the final result, even the dozens of brothers of Emperor Zhao's family had to make their own livings because of their previous demotion in Shaoxing.
For a time, the argument that the government was cold-blooded was once again raised, but it no longer caused any waves.
By early March, another financial matter was completed - with the fleet heading to Goryeo returning with a full load for the second time, the re-export trade had indeed achieved the expected success. Emperor Zhao officially announced the establishment of the Great Song Royal Maritime Trade Company in front of the public pavilion outside the Xuande Building and under the vertical banner hung on the hot air balloon.
This company has been in the works for more than a year, from the time Emperor Zhao proposed the plan to Zhang Jun in the winter of the year before last to its official establishment... But there is nothing that can be done about it, because this is a new thing and many people are confused about it. A simple statement of making money by doing business with Emperor Zhao is not enough to put everyone at ease.
Even Zhang Jun, who had been a general in Lianghuai for so long, had to spend a lot of effort to facilitate such a one-time maritime trade activity, let alone such a large-scale and institutionalized company?
In fact, when the financial hole seemed to be endless, this matter had no chance of success. It was only when the profits from maritime trade were shown, this joint action was successfully carried out many times, and a prestigious monarch made a strong push for it in the court, that it became possible to actually carry it out.
But no matter what, it was successful in the end.
This company included the royal family, clan members, several wealthy silk and satin merchants in Lianghuai, all the famous porcelain kilns in the Central Plains, and almost all large-scale large sea merchants north of the Yangtze River. It also dragged in almost all the wealthy merchants from the Central Plains, Guanxi, and Jiangnan temples and other industries who participated in the Qingmiao loan, and automatically subsidized close clan members, members of the Secret Council, the Public Council, and the various commanders and governors of the imperial camps in the form of dry shares... And this kind of setup automatically monopolized China's traditional East China Sea trade with Goryeo and Japan almost as soon as it was established.
At the same time, all these people were only qualified to participate in investment and dividends, while the specific operations were left to the maritime merchants, silk merchants, and official kiln owners themselves. The only person who represented Emperor Zhao and the public cabinet to take charge of the overall situation was called the company's president, and he was the former Taichang Wang Shuzhan, who had been unemployed for a long time.
Now that things have been done, according to Emperor Zhao, this is just the beginning. If this method works properly, then in the future, it may be possible to establish a royal shipping company in the direction of Nanyang and a royal land transportation company in the western and northern borders.
It is imperative that the benefits are evenly distributed so that more people can enjoy the fruits of maritime trade.
Of course, everyone knows that the last sentence is bullshit!
Because everyone can guess that when the time comes , Emperor Zhao will definitely take away everyone's capital and profits and use them for the Northern Expedition!
But how to say it?
We have even bought the Northern Expedition national debt, let alone this matter?
Compared to the national debt which already has zero interest, this company might be able to make money in the future, right? However, the prerequisite is that the Northern Expedition will be successful!
According to the words of some students in the Imperial College, what Emperor Zhao did this time was not so much to set up a maritime trade company, but in fact, it was no different from other incidents. He was setting up a Northern Expedition Company!
But having said that, I have to say something more in a roundabout way. Since the Northern Expedition Company has been successfully established, it also shows that everyone's confidence in the Northern Expedition is actually gradually increasing.
The situation is indeed improving...and more and more people are willing to take a chance.
Now, looking back, since the financial policy was established in the middle of last year despite numerous difficulties, there have been many things, such as the emperor's illness, the harem, the prince, the hot air balloon, the old nobles, the royal family, the company... one by one, each thing seems to be so worrying, but in fact, it is just a daily routine of this huge central country.
The imperial court was still the imperial court after all. Even if it had lost the two rivers that had always been its traditional core area, it was still a great country with thousands of miles of central territory. Therefore, even the daily life of this country was worthy of the attention of all those inside and outside the country.
Just a few days after the company was established, another incident attracted the attention of the government and the public.
"Who wrote the letter?"
"Hanlin scholar Li Ruopu!"
"It turned out to be this person? He has always been a gentleman. Doesn't he understand that it is a bit suspicious for him to write a letter to report this matter with his identity?"
"No suspicion... Li Xueshi was sent to Jingdong East Road as a general. The document passed through the Ministry of Personnel the day before yesterday, and I saw it with my own eyes... It is obvious that he had prepared it in advance, and in order to avoid suspicion, he specially wrote a letter to express his opinion recently."
"That's right. Moreover, Li Xueshi clearly had the convenience of internal control, but he did not make suggestions directly to the emperor, but instead submitted a letter publicly, which was even more appropriate."
"That makes sense... But what is the government's attitude? I'm afraid the ministers won't be able to interfere in this matter, right?"
"Yes, I'm afraid only Li Zhongcheng (Li Guang) is suitable to speak on it, but it still depends on the emperor's intentions."
"That official..."
"Who can tell what the emperor is thinking right now?" Hu Quan, who had been busy eating a salted duck egg at the bow, finished eating and threw the eggshell into the lake, interrupting the meal with a sneer. "This is a matter of great importance. I'm afraid all the secret cabinet officials are worried. How can we get a glimpse of it... We just have to wait for the result."
"That's true." The person who asked the question immediately laughed, and the rest of the people on the boat also laughed.
It was March, the time of spring, and Emperor Zhao opened the Jinming Pond to allow people to enjoy themselves. From the Jinming Pond to the Yuetai Memorial Temple and the Cuju field in the north of the city, the roads outside the city were almost filled with tourists.
As today was a day off, Hu Quan and his gang naturally wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to get together. They found a black lacquered flat boat from the Bian River in the city and sailed all the way to the Jinming Lake for a cruise.
On the distant shore, there is a stage, where the nearby Taoist temple is performing "The Legend of the White Snake"; in the nearby lake, there are often small purple-curtained boats carrying ladies coming and going, and their sweet laughter can be clearly heard; and at the bow of the boat, the boatman's wife helps to prepare the dishes... The so-called salted duck eggs, pickled snails, water-boiled mung bean sprouts, apricot slices, and green plums are all easy and cheap seasonal items, and of course, a pot of pickled plum wine is indispensable.
However, since they were grouped together for team-building, they could not avoid revealing some information to each other and discussing some hot issues in the court. What everyone had just said was exactly the biggest thing that had happened in the court recently - before Hanlin scholar Li Ruopu was transferred to an external post, he suddenly wrote a letter to the emperor, pointing out the emperor's improper use of personnel... This improper use of personnel did not mean that a specific prime minister was not good, or which minister was a villain, or which Hanlin scholar was a filler, but that the emperor liked to form small circles, which led to excessive concentration of power.
As for the Prime Ministers, there were only four; as for the Shangshu, there were only six, and the position of Vice Minister was not permanent; as for the Censorate, from the Supervisory Censor to the Assistant Censor and the Assistant Censor of the Palace, there were very few people; as for the Hanlin Academy, there were only a few people, and the emperor's close attendants were even fewer, basically those few people.
Therefore, Li Ruopu suggested that the number of prime ministers should be appropriately increased, the positions of left and right vice ministers of the six ministries should be permanent, and at the same time, the number of censors, Hanlin academicians, Zhongshu Sheren, and cabinet gate attendants should be increased.
Only in this way can officials avoid listening to one side only and ensure that they have a reliable and large governing team.
This matter directly concerns the quota of more than a dozen important ministers at the level of the Secret Cabinet. Isn't it a big deal for the bureaucrats in the court? No wonder everyone is talking about it, and everyone is discussing it... Even though Hu Quan and his gang know that they can't reach it at the moment, they can't help but say something.
Without further ado, Hu Quan returned to the present. With a laugh, he lowered his head and drank half a bowl of warm tea brought by the storekeeper. He continued to speak casually, "But having said that, I roughly guess that the government may approve the increase in the number of assistant ministers and censors in the six ministries. It's hard to say about the eunuchs, and I'm afraid that the number of prime ministers will not increase in nine out of ten cases... at least not at this time."
"What do you mean?" Mei Li, the direct attendant, asked curiously... He couldn't help but be curious, because his uncle said the same thing last night. Although he had some guesses about this, he was eager for someone to confirm it.
"Nothing else." Hu Quan's expression became more serious. "The position of the prime minister is important. Any addition or deletion will cause changes in the court structure. The emperor's mind is still on the Northern Expedition. Before the Northern Expedition, the court structure will not be shaken."
Mei Li nodded immediately, this was what he thought.
"That's right." Someone nearby laughed again. "Let's not talk about anything else. If the number of prime ministers is really increased, will Prime Minister Lu Yihao and Prime Minister Yuwen Xuzhong come back? If they don't come back, will they feel wronged? But if they come back, like Prime Minister Yuwen, we are not afraid that he will get involved with Prime Minister Zhang because of his in-laws. We are only afraid that he will try to smooth things over all day, and then Prime Minister Zhao will be softened. What will we do then? And if Prime Minister Lu enters the court, the other prime ministers will be fine, but will Prime Minister Zhang still have a way out?"
Everyone laughed again.
The personalities of Lu Yihao and Yuwen Xuzhong are really interesting, and it is also interesting that the emperor uses these two people to go to the northwest and southeast respectively.
Of course, this person also wanted to take the opportunity to tease Lord Zhao and Lord Zhang. Although everyone was on the boat, it was not appropriate to laugh too much.
Therefore, everyone soon returned to normal, and put the matter aside in the distant tone of "The Legend of White Snake", and then continued to talk about other information while eating some spring vegetables.
And this kind of chat naturally covers everything.
"Minister Lu struggled for a long time and finally stayed, but Wu Min also went to Jingxi East Road."
"In fact, both Shuimu and Shuimu factions are relatively concerned about the overall situation. Only Minister Lu is the most aggressive. It is not for Prime Minister Zhao to want to drive him away before."
"That's right. In my opinion...if...I mean if there was really a party dispute between the two parties, and the two gentlemen Zhao and Zhang really turned against each other, it must have been caused by this person."
"The emperor is sitting in the highest position, how could there really be a factional struggle? Zhang Deyuan prides himself on being the emperor's most trusted confidant, and Prime Minister Zhao is a true loyal minister and gentleman. Although he disagreed with the emperor's words, he still gave up Taoism and changed his original school of thought."
"Let's stop talking about this kind of thing..."
"Speaking of which, since the last two million strings of cash, has the Ministry of Revenue said anything about the construction of the finances?"
"Of course there is... According to this calculation, I'm afraid that the 30 million hole will be filled before the end of next year, and after the autumn harvest, the overall situation will be stable."
"It's a pity that Chao Gongwu hasn't been here recently, otherwise I would have been able to laugh at him in person."
"Don't mention him."
"But it's not just about money... The Ministry of Industry said that even if we have money, we need to exchange it for weapons and food to fight the war. At present, although we have a piece of cloth and a bucket of rice trade with South Vietnam, we can directly send rice to Jingdong, but what about weapons? There is no rush."
"The country is so big, is there still a shortage of craftsmen?"
“How can we not lack?”
"Besides, the matter is not as simple as a military device. There are also military supply warehouses along the river, food supply routes and so on, which also take time to do."
"Come to think of it, isn't Xiao Yu Tanhua doing this? It would be nice to ask him, but unfortunately he's not here."
"It was precisely because he was going to do this that he was away just now."
"Have you heard that the government has found a new thing? It is said that it was directly distributed to the military governors and commanders... I heard that it is made of crystal."
"In this case, we have no way of knowing even if we want to know."
"Did you know that the Jin Kingdom recently changed the law? When Nianhan was in power, because of the swarming rebel army, ordinary people were not allowed to leave their place without permission. Even merchants with a pass were not allowed to travel more than 30 miles a day... After Nianhan left, this law was abolished last year. As a result, the rebel army flourished. There was nothing I could do. The other day I saw in the Jin Kingdom's official report that they had changed back to the old rules and set up a baojia system. If one family escapes, ten families will be punished together."
"The Jurchen dogs deserve to die, and so do the surrender dogs who gave them advice."
"Speaking of the Jurchens, Shanzhou is going to send troops to Hezhong Prefecture again, right? I heard that the Minister of War led the Minister of Water Conservancy Liu (Liu Hongdao) to the west."
"It must be so."
"The government is not stopping for a moment. The busy spring season has just passed and they are already sending troops..."
"It is definitely necessary, and it will only become more frequent in the future. First, it is to train the troops, and second, it is to alert people both inside and outside. We must not forget about war when we are at peace."
"But if we just set up an ambush in Hezhong Prefecture, even if we say we don't forget to fight, after a few times, people in the world won't take it seriously."
"That can't be helped... In fact, instead of worrying about this, we should worry that the Jurchens will suddenly go all out to capture Pinglu, or give up Hezhong Prefecture. That would be troublesome."
"You are just talking about war on paper... Pinglu has been able to be preserved repeatedly because there is Zhongtiao Mountain between this city and Hezhong Prefecture. The Jurchens have to go through the pass to advance and provide logistics, while Pinglu and Shanzhou Prefecture are only separated by a river and are currently connected... As for giving up Hezhong Prefecture, then just take it. If the Jurchens come back and try to annihilate them, why not abandon that place? The emperor and the military governors are used to using soldiers, so they won't be too fussy about this matter."
Everyone laughed again, but some of them were laughing awkwardly. The leader of the boat, Hu Quan, had just been eating and didn't say a word.
Mei Sheren, who was standing by, was also laughing, but he knew very well what was going on.
Moreover, only one year had passed since he joined this small group, but things and people had already changed... Chao Gongwu, who was talented but had different opinions from others, had gradually stopped coming; Yu Yunwen, the talented and learned young scholar, had not been promoted at all, but like the big brother Hu Quan present, he was the kind of person who would soar to the sky when his qualifications and opportunity were right. Recently, he had been increasingly busy, moving around in various military camps and Qingmiao loan points... Under such circumstances, it was inevitable that there were some mediocre people who made up the numbers, which made the banquet gradually lose its interest.
"Does anyone have anything interesting to say?" After a long pause, seeing that all the food in the store had been eaten up by a group of young officials in their prime, and that only a large basin of water with mung bean sprouts was served, Hu Quan, who was a little impatient, wanted to turn back and simply asked again.
"There is one thing... it's not important, but it's a little strange... maybe it's worth talking about." A fairly reliable official from the Ministry of Justice frowned and replied. "Do you remember when someone knelt down in front of the gate of the Imperial College to file a complaint to the Emperor during the Imperial College's political consultation a few years ago?"
"Yes...Is this matter still unresolved? Could it be a major case?"
"The case is from Fujian. It took two months to go back and forth. Besides, it's not a sinister thing like killing a relative or fighting over inheritance. It's just a ridiculous little thing."
"I see. Then what's so strange about it?"
"The story is this: there have always been foreign merchants living in Quanzhou, and perhaps they built their own foreign temples in the area. Recently, a foreign temple was built opposite the county school of a county under Quanzhou. However, the foreign temples have to chant scriptures, which inevitably affects the students' classes, so the students reported it to the county magistrate... Who would have thought that such a simple matter was just fooled by the county magistrate, and finally angered the locals. They thought that the county magistrate might also believe in foreign religions, so some local scholars and officials found their old Fujian people in Dongjing City and asked them to help make the matter bigger so that they could deal with the county magistrate and demolish the foreign temple."
Hearing this, Hu Quan, who was holding a large bowl of bean sprouts, already knew what was going on. However, he glanced at Mei Sheren who was staring at the bean sprouts and sneered, "If my guess is correct, the Minister of Justice Ma must have sided with the local scholar-officials, asking the county magistrate to explain and then demolish the foreign temple. As a result, the Fujian local government was just perfunctory and repeatedly defended the county magistrate. This is how things went on, right?"
"That's right... People in Fujian generally support the magistrate." The deputy director of the Ministry of Justice immediately became alert.
"Mao Xiu (Mei Li's pen name), what do you think?" Hu Quan indeed asked Mei Li.
Mei Li smiled bitterly and shook his head upon hearing this: "Why? The court is now focusing on finances, and everything is done around building up finances. Political performance also depends on this... Let alone a county under Quanzhou, even the whole of Fujian is counting on Quanzhou's foreign merchants to make more trips... Moreover, the foreign merchants in Quanzhou were very upset after the government issued a strict order to refuse foreign merchants from receiving royal documents and flags. At this time, the local government in Fujian naturally doesn't want to interfere! If the commercial tax is really reduced, and it affects the official career, who will be responsible?"
Everyone suddenly realized.
"Besides that, there is another layer." Mei Li continued with a wry smile. "Since the Jingkang period, the turmoil has spread from the north to the south, and Taoism has also moved southward. After the Baima Shaoxing incident, Taoism has gained the support of many scholars and officials, so that there are many academies in the southeast. The county schools are okay, but the so-called local scholars and officials are mostly involved with Taoism... The reason why the Grand Marshal (Liu Ziyu of the Ministry of War) took his brother out of Fujian was because he was afraid that he would follow the path of Taoism... So in my opinion, this matter fell to the Grand Minister of Justice (Ma Shen of the Ministry of Justice). Otherwise, anyone would have suppressed the matter out of consideration for Fujian's difficulties."
Yes, someone nearby applauded and responded: "But after all, it has fallen into the hands of the Grand Secretary, and the matter is ultimately the fault of the local scholar-officials and the Grand Secretary. The local people in Fujian can only go around in circles with the Ministry of Justice. Sooner or later, they will be unable to bear it, and then they may even report it to the provincial governor or even the government."
Everyone became more and more confused.
However, the official from the Ministry of Justice hesitated for a moment, and then added a little more seriously: "This matter is roughly as Brother Hu and Mao Xiu said, but I think it is a little strange. There is another thing, which is that the prefect of Quanzhou is different from the people in Fujian. He advocates severe punishment and demolishing the temple immediately."
"He may be a Taoist, what's so strange about that?"
"If this is the case, it will only make the matter more serious, and it may even be reported to the prime minister or the emperor... But it is ultimately a trivial matter and has nothing to do with the court."
Everyone nodded and said no more. The matter was over. At this time, even the bean sprouts in the basin of water had been eaten up. Everyone looked at Hu Quan and waited for the leader to speak. Then they would disperse and prepare to turn back by boat, find a place to release the water, and then go home...
However, for some reason, Hu Quan was silent for a while. After a moment, he laughed and sighed, and rarely took the initiative to speak: "What you said reminded me of the matter of Li Xueshi's suggestion to expand the regulations on important officials in the Secret Cabinet. If you say that he had selfish motives in this matter, I don't believe it, but he himself did not have any. The people who gave him advice or persuaded him to make such suggestions may not be without selfish motives..."
"What do you mean, Brother Hu?" Everyone was slightly stunned, and then someone became curious.
"Two theories... First, there are only six chancellors inside and nearly twenty envoys outside. The court talks about the shift between the inside and the outside, so it is a bit narrow for the outside world right now; second, the court is generally stable, and will launch the Northern Expedition after the money and grain are stored and the military equipment is sophisticated. The places where meritorious deeds are made are all in the north and the center. At this time, it is possible that some envoys from the south are ready to move and want to take the opportunity to be transferred back." Hu Quan said calmly with a smile, and everyone was stunned, and then thought quietly.
At this time, Hu Quan had already turned around and asked the boatman to turn around and dock.
By the way, Hu Quan still had some capital and channels. Only five days after the meeting at Jinmingchi, the emperor issued an edict. Just as he said, the prime minister would not be expanded for the time being, but the six ministries would be given priority in handling world affairs. The left and right vice ministers would be permanently appointed, and the number of staff in the Censorate would be expanded. The number of Hanlin academicians, Zhongshu Sheren and cabinet attendants would be slightly increased.
Soon, the province immediately began to select and promote virtuous and capable gentlemen in accordance with the government's wishes... This cannot be achieved overnight, and I don't know how long it will take for the Shuimu party to reach a compromise on this personnel matter.
But almost at the same time, the case of the foreign temple in Fujian was finally brought to the imperial court...and to everyone's surprise, Emperor Zhao issued an edict with almost no hesitation, fully supporting the Minister of Justice Ma Shen, dismissing the county magistrate, reprimanding the governor of Fujian, and ordering local officials to immediately demolish the foreign temple that affected the county school.
It was only after Prime Minister Zhao Ding's strong persuasion that he agreed to allow the foreign merchants to rebuild the foreign temple elsewhere.
Without mentioning some other twists and turns of this matter, let's just say that after this incident, Gou Longruyuan, a senior official from Sichuan who was in charge of Quanzhou affairs, officially entered the sight of the ministers in the court, and was immediately recommended by his fellow villager Zhang Deyuan. Then, without any effort, this person became the first beneficiary of this reform - he was transferred to the Minister of the Ministry of Works and came to Beijing.
In late March, the war in Shanzhou broke out again, and tens of thousands of troops, including Wang De's troops in the imperial camp, once again surrounded Hezhong Prefecture.
In early April, the first batch of promoted officials including Gou Longruyuan arrived in the capital. Almost at the same time, the Song army withdrew again because Wanyan Balisu led Yelu Mawu as the vanguard to cross Jishan first.
In late April, as Wang De returned with his troops, Emperor Zhao personally led all officials out of Yuetai to review the troops.
