As the New Year is approaching, the people of Bianliang are celebrating the New Year with increasing joy.
Thanks to the great blessing of His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, although the Great Zhou Dynasty is not yet rich, and its border neighbors are not very peaceful, and some disasters occur from time to time in the territory, and the Tibetan people in Qingzhou have not settled down, but the people of Bianjing seem to be able to May you live a peaceful and peaceful New Year in comfort.
The elders say that the current situation of the Zhou Dynasty can compete with the prosperity and peace of the Mingzong period, even though the new Zhou Dynasty only lasted two years.
The seals submitted by vassals from all over the country all praised Emperor Guo Wei for being the present-day Yao and Shun. The upcoming first month of the lunar month was Guo Wei's birthday, and auspicious signs continued to emerge from all over the country. Guo Wei was so happy that he finally had the financial resources to give each official of fifth rank and above in the country a winter robe.
However, in this peaceful season, there are always some disharmonious things that bother some people.
What happened in Jinju at this time last year is still fresh in people¡¯s memories. At that time, the Jinzhou Incident was in full swing. Han Yi detained Wang Jun, the prime minister of the dynasty, and staged a "general evil". The government and the public were shocked, and neither the emperor nor the courtiers had a good year.
Although this year is not as good as last year, Han Yi "caused" trouble again.
Guo Yanqin, the governor of Qingzhou, deserves to be killed. Zhang Jianwu, the governor of Ningzhou, seems to have died. However, these two governor-level figures died one after another. They were crushed to death like a grasshopper in Han Yi's hands, without even a chance to resist or even defend themselves. This greatly shocked the official circles of the states along the border of Shaanxi.
One of the sequelae is that under the rule of the Jingnan Army Jiedushi, the Yuanzhou governor asked him to be appointed governor, while the Huanzhou governor simply resigned and returned home.
In addition to Zhe Congruan who still holds the post of governor of Pizhou, the positions of governor of Qing, Ning, Yuan and Huan prefectures were suddenly vacated along the border of Shaanxi Province. A country cannot be without a king for a day, and a state cannot be without a governor for a day. The ministers in the DPRK and the Central Government all know that this is due to Han Yi's thunderous methods, but Han Yi has thousands of reasons why corrupt officials should be killed. Not only is there no fault, but it is Contribute to the well-being of the community.
The post of governor is the leader of a state and has great power. He manages the military, the people and the finances, and is only a few steps away from the festival of a town. In the past, such a vacancy would have been stared at by countless people, but now no one dares to take office in these four states. Of course, those with bad deeds were afraid of following in the footsteps of Guo Yanqin's followers and becoming the target of Han Yi's sword. The few who thought they had a clean slate were afraid of offending Wang Jun.
When thousands of homes in Bianliang City were lit up with lights, Liu De, a famous "idler" in the court, visited Wei Renpu, the deputy envoy to the Privy Council.
It is said that Liu De is an idler because he is recognized as Han Yi's best friend. Therefore, since Zhaoyi resigned from office and returned to Que, he has been unable to get a real job because of Wang Jun's opposition, but this does not hinder him. Walked around a lot with ministers.
"Brother Li came to the door in person today. I wonder if you have any advice?"
After the guests and hosts were seated, Wei Renpu asked straight to the point. Don't look at the monk's face and the Buddha's face. As long as Wang Jun is in power in the court, Wei Renpu and Han Yi can only be political allies, so he respects Liu De quite a lot.
"My husband is serious. You have many things to do every day, and it is rare that you have free time. Liu is just here to reminisce about old times. I'm sorry to bother you." Liu De greeted.
"Brother Li, I'm afraid you don't mean what you said? If it's just to reminisce about old times, why do you need such a heavy gift? Wei will not be rewarded for his merits." Wei Renpu flipped through the gift list and threw it back to Liu De.
Liu De came with a request, and Liu De didn¡¯t care whether Wei Renpu accepted the gift or not, he smiled and said:
"It's Liu who is too tacky and forgets that my husband is a man of integrity and loyalty to the country."
After a pause, Liu De continued: "Master Yang resigned from old age and returned to Luo Luo before. His old house in the capital was quite good and has been empty. It is also a waste of time to keep it empty. He asked his family to sell the house. I heard that my husband took a fancy to it yesterday. However, when your husband is fair, he is too fond of helping his subordinates and fellow countrymen, but he is very shy about his own money. It is inevitable that his wife and daughter will not blame him for this. Alas."
Wei Renpu said "Hey", pretended to be nothing, and said with a smile:
"Haha, only three or two people know about this matter. Wei asked the housekeeper to do it last night. Brother Li will know it tonight. You are really well-informed. Although the humble abode is humble, it is better than your Beihai Marquis in Qingzhou. Running around in the ice and snow outside the city is much better, people have to be content."
"That's what my husband said. You are a well-known filial son. Now you are serving in Beijing. You want to take your virtuous mother to live by your side. In addition to your official duties, you can also serve as a filial piety at your mother's knees. This is also human nature. You need to support your son. But without my father, we, the Marquis of Han, would not be as lucky as Duke Wei. He lost his parents one after another when he was young, and he still has not been able to return to worship his ancestors. This is unfilial. Well, look at my mouth. I say dejected words. I should be beaten. . It would be a happy event for Wei Gong Gaotang to come to Beijing to spend his old age. Most of the old people like to be lively and enjoy living together with their close relatives.The mansion I live in now seems too small. You must know that Xianggong is in a high position, so there are too many people visiting him every day, and the house is too small, making it inconvenient to go in and out. "
Liu De continued:
"No talent, Liu took the lead and bought Young Master Yang's old house today. You know, when Young Master Yang was in Beijing in the past, Young Master got along well with my Han Hou, young and old. The calligraphy he gave to my Han Hou was priceless. I don't know how many people have it now. I want to get it. So, because of this relationship, Master Yang¡¯s old house was half sold and half given to me. I also heard that Li Gong, the salt-grabbing envoy of Ling Yue Qian¡¯s Jiezhou Province, heard that my husband had been short of money recently, so he wanted to give it to him. It's a great gift. It happened that Liu had served as a soldier under Mr. Li's tent when he was young and had violated military laws. Because of his kindness, I didn't move my head. Now that I am considered rich, I gave this house to him. In order to repay the kindness of saving my life in the past. Guild Li must have donated the house to your husband."
"It seems that there are no secrets in this world. You know even my family affairs very well." Wei Renpu was surprised, with a somewhat unhappy look on his face. "Brother Li, if you have something important to do tonight, you might as well go straight to Say. You know, my relationship with Zizhong is pretty good at the moment. As long as it is a serious matter, I will help if I can. If Brother Li wants to use this to amuse me, then my relationship with Zizhong will be over."
The reason why Wei Renpu has a good relationship with Han Yi is that Han Yi was kind to him when he was in trouble, and the two of them have no conflict so far. More importantly, they both have Wang Jun on their heads. Such a big mountain.
The common political enemy made them feel the need to support each other.
Liu De quickly stopped the teasing expression on his face and said seriously:
"Liu was sent here by the Marquis of Han, and I hope to get my husband's full support for something."
"I think it must be about Shaanxi?"
"Exactly"
"I wonder if your family, Marquis Han, has any advice?"
"Don't dare." Liu De took a memorial from his arms and handed it to Wei Renpu. Wei Renpu took it and saw that it was a memorial written by Han Yi himself. The signature was signed with the names of Zhe Congruan and Han Yi. It was obvious that they were still there. It was not delivered to Guo Wei.
Wei Renpu read it carefully, put down the memorial, and thought deeply:
"Zizhong first wanted to rebuild the frontier army to ensure the deterrence against the Tibetan people in Shaanxi. Second, he wanted a large amount of money to train troops for war. Third, he wanted the court to appoint the governors of the four states as soon as possible. Needless to say the latter, the first two can actually be classified as One thing is money and food. If you have money, you can accomplish anything. Zizhong was very generous and asked for three hundred thousand guan. Although the court is a little richer this year than last year, please ask yourself, Marquis Han, whether such a large sum of money can help the court. Is it possible?"
"Xiangong Mingjian, it is because the court has no money, so Han Hou hopes that Xianggong can help to complete the last thing. At present, there are vacancies in the four provinces of Shaanxi Province. Even though my family, Han Hou, is talented, he has no skills. I ordered the soldiers and horses under my command, Although it is not much, it is enough to keep it. As long as the two coaches work together, they are not afraid of changes in Gyeongju, let alone defeat. But if there are not even officials who are close to the people, how can we talk about governance and how can we call it the people's heart? What about stability? This is probably not in line with the wishes of the emperor and the princes in the court."
"It is not that the imperial court has no one to send. Every year, there are countless officials waiting to be appointed. They are like crucian carps crossing the river. Wang Xianggong listed twenty or thirty ministers to be appointed. The emperor used Fan Xianggong's words of 'choose people carefully when matters of great importance' And postpone the imperial approval. Duke Fan has thought carefully. He doesn't want to hear that the officials sent by Wang Xianggong died under the sword of Han Hou. If there is no coordination between the top and bottom, when will the Qing and Ning states be able to achieve long-term peace and stability?"
"My Hanhou will never accept any candidate proposed by Wang Xianggong. This is a matter known to everyone. Therefore, this list must be proposed by others."
"For example, Wei?"
"Exactly." Liu De nodded and said, "Firstly, Mr. Xianggong's status is important enough and his status is comparable to that of Xianggong. You can count them on one hand. Secondly, the emperor attaches great importance to Xianggong Jin. Conong Long's great achievements, Duke Wei also Take the previous share. Needless to say, Xianggong Li, he naturally wants to avoid suspicion because of his relatives. As for Xianggong Fan, he is willing to accept it. If Xianggong Wei proposes it, as long as he does not object too much, the matter will be successful. half."
"Haha, it seems that Zizhong has already chosen a candidate. Brother Li, why don't you tell me and listen?" Wei Renpu smiled, feeling a little complacent.
"Zan Jurun, Shen Yilun, Liu Xigu and Xue Juzheng."
"So that's it." Wei Renpu suddenly realized, because these four people can be regarded as direct descendants of Han Yi, and these four people are all civil servants, not military generals, which can avoid some criticism.
In the era of military commanders¡¯ autocratic power, it was what Guo Wei and his prime ministers had always wanted to do, to let civilian officials know state affairs and transfer local power to military commanders. Han Yi pointed out that these four people are all first-rate figures in terms of character, knowledge, experience and official reputation.
"These four people are all good ministers, but XueJuzheng's qualifications are too young, and he is just a doctor in the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Is it inappropriate to be promoted to governor suddenly and promoted several levels in a row? "
"My Xianggong is right. My Hanhou has a backup choice, and that is Chen Guan, the privy scholar. But when it comes to the court discussion, it should be proposed by Xianggong Li."
"Chen Guan?" Wei Renpu was stunned and laughed, "What a plan."
Chen Guan is Wang Jun's confidant and is a direct bachelor of the Privy Council. Han Yi proposed that Chen Guan go to be the governor of any of the four states. It seems that he means to promote the virtuous and not avoid the enemy. It seems fair and can also be blocked. Some people's mouths. It is estimated that Chen Guan would never want to go there and provoke Han Yi.
"However, Wei still thinks that Marquis Han may not be able to do what he wants. Is Mr. Wang willing to nod?" Er, Wei Renpu questioned again.
"To prevent Prime Minister Wang from objecting, he needs to be able to watch the fire from the other side. It should be noted that Gyeongju Guo Yanqin was corrupt and perverted the law, and committed all kinds of evil. It is said that he paid a lot of tribute to Prime Minister Wang, and his subordinates collected many of his relatives from his residence. The letters sent to and from the ministers contain treacherous words"
"And Zhang Jianwu, the governor of Ningzhou, was appointed governor of Ningzhou because of Wang Xianggong's recommendation"
Liu De told his trump card in detail. Wei Renpu sighed for a long time and said:
"Do you think you can bring down Mr. Wang in this way?"
"No, it's just to show the world where the reason for the chaos of Qingzhou comes from. Today, the Marquis of Han Dynasty's use of Qingzhou complements and cooperates with Duke Zheling. As long as given time, the people of Hengshan will surely surrender to Wang Hua. There is no one here. I Let me tell you the truth to Wei Gong, Han Hou has a very big plan in Qingzhou, and it is not just a barbarian tribe. This has been tacitly approved by your Majesty in advance, otherwise how would he want to go there."
"Oh, I kind of understand. No wonder His Majesty wants to transfer the Zhenbei and Caiqi armies to the middle of the river." Wei Renpu suddenly realized, "So he wants to plot Xiazhou."
Liu De was unwilling to confirm his guess. Wei Renpu added: "If I propose this proposal, Xianggong Li will naturally agree, and Xianggong Fan will not object. There is still one person missing"
"Mr. Zheng?" Liu De asked. The few important ministers in the court, except Wang Jun, were Fan Zhi, Li Hub, Wei Renpu and Zheng Renjie. If the latter four had reached an agreement in advance, then even Wang Jun, who had overwhelming power in the court, would have to think twice before making any decision. OK.
"Renjie works with me in the Privy Council. Like me, he needs to look up to the king for everything, and he is very angry in his heart. If brother Li can visit his house for a while, Wei believes that he will be happy to have a kick. ." Wei Renpu admitted frankly.
"To be honest, Liu just came out of Zheng Gong's house." Liu De said with a smile, "He is easier to talk to than Wei Gong. At least he fully accepted the generous gifts I prepared."
Zheng Renjie is different from Wei Renpu. Although Zheng Renjie is not a huge corrupt person, he will not abandon the money given to him. In comparison, Wei Renpu is much more cautious and kind.
"If there is nothing else, let's talk about this tonight. However, Wei has something he hopes Brother Li can convey to the Marquis of Beihai."
"Liu is all ears"
"If the Marquis of Beihai one day becomes as powerful as Wang Xiufeng, with power overwhelming both the government and the public, please be sure to look back on today's situation." Wei Renpu warned.
"Liu will definitely bring your good advice to me." Liu De stood up and said goodbye, walked to the door of the study, stopped, turned around and said, "The Marquis of Han has good intentions and great ambitions, how can he be compared to those who are greedy for power? However, there are If you don't change it, you will be encouraged; if you go too far, you will suffer a loss; things will turn to the extreme, and the Marquis of Han will definitely keep Wei Gong's good words in mind."
Liu De left Wei Mansion with satisfaction. Wei Renpu sat in the study for a long time. He was thinking about what the situation would be like in the government and the public if Wang Jun really fell one day. Wei Renpu was loyal to His Majesty the Emperor, but it did not mean that he did not want to take further steps in his official career.
is it possible? Wang Jun's power now is far greater than before he was dismissed due to the Jinzhou Incident. As prime minister and privy envoy, he also holds the post of Jiedushi of a large town. He has no say in the matter in the court. Recently, he has become more arrogant and domineering, suppressing him. Fan Zhi and others were breathless.
Excessive profit leads to loss? Things must turn against each other? Wei Renpu couldn't imagine the meaning of what Liu Defang said when he left.