Bao Zheng replied respectfully: "It is a great honor for the common people to gain the trust of the prince, but the emperor will definitely not summon the common people so easily just because of the trust of the prince."
Zhao Heng said at this time: "There are three reasons for summoning you! The first is because you gave me one hundred thousand taels of silver, the second is because Kou Zhun said that you helped him find out many things related to the Moutian Society, and the third is because It¡¯s because of the prince.¡±[]
Bao Zheng was a little surprised after hearing Zhao Heng's three reasons. Although the emperor seemed to be seriously ill, he had always been concerned about various state affairs. He was already aware of the few things Bao Zheng had done.
Zhao Heng continued: "The prince is young now, and the court is complicated. My health is getting worse every day, and I'm afraid my time is running out. What I worry about the most is my only son." When Zhao Heng said this, it was His eyes were full of loneliness, as if he had many memories in his heart.
Bao Zheng knew that Zhao Heng had many sons, all born to Queen Liu¡¯s predecessor, Queen Guo, but they all died inexplicably when they were young. The only prince, Zhao You, finally reached the age of nine, but died suddenly. The virtuous and virtuous Queen Guo could not bear so many blows, and finally fell ill and died. The emperor Zhao Heng is now seriously ill and has only one young son. How can he not feel sad?
Bao Zheng said at this time: "Your Majesty, God bless you with your dragon body. It will naturally get better. Otherwise, the government and the public are planning to cause chaos. There are powerful enemies outside, and the court's cronies collude with corrupt officials. This situation makes the prince How to deal with it?"
After hearing Bao Zheng's blunt words, Zhao Heng squeezed out a wry smile and said: "Bao Zheng, I know that my body is not going to get better. But you are right on all three points, but there is only one thing missing. The thing that worries me the most, do you not want to say it or are you afraid to say it?"
After hearing Zhao Heng's words, Bao Zheng immediately gritted his teeth, fought hard, and replied: "The Holy One is most worried about the three forces. One is the queen coercing the young and relatives to interfere in politics, the other is the Eighth Prince, and the other is the clan. Side branch. Since Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty, there has been a precedent for the succession of the throne to younger brothers. The Eighth Prince has a reputation for being virtuous and powerful all over the world, but in his eyes, the Crown Prince is much weaker. And Emperor Taizong left behind the Golden Chamber To put it bluntly, it makes Taizu's side branches ready to move, which is also a great threat to the Crown Prince."
After Bao Zheng said all this, sweat broke out on his forehead. He was taking a gamble. If Zhao Heng was a hypocritical person, he would probably be dragged out and beheaded by the emperor for slandering his direct relatives in the royal family just now.
After Zhao Heng was silent for a long time on the dragon throne, he said in a calm tone: "Bao Zheng! You are indeed very courageous! Kou Zhun once said that you dare to speak out without any taboos. Now it seems that what you said is not true. Now you The points of analysis are exactly what I feel deep in my heart. Since ancient times, sages have said that the crisis is not outside, but within the walls. Among my royal relatives, there are these three evil tiger forces, which make How can I not worry about the prince?" When Zhao Heng said this, his face was full of melancholy.
Bao Zheng said at this time: "Your Majesty, there are still many old ministers loyal to the Holy Emperor in the government and the public. For example, Master Kou Zhun, as long as Master Kou assists the prince, things will be much better."
Zhao Heng replied calmly: "Kou Zhun is weak after all, so it is extremely difficult for him to complete this task alone. So I found you this time to ask you and Kou Zhun to assist the prince."
Bao Zheng immediately knelt down and replied: "Bao Zheng, a common man, can receive the emperor's order, so he will naturally sacrifice his life and help the prince with all his heart. However, the common man is just a commoner. He is weak and weak, so I am afraid he is weak."
After hearing what Bao Zheng said, Zhao Heng said immediately: "Okay! Bao Zheng! You listen to the seal now! Bao Zheng has made great contributions to saving the prince's life in Luzhou. I specially grant you the title of Xuanfeng Lang and the general magistrate of Kaifeng Prefecture."
Bao Zheng immediately said: "Bao Zheng, a common man, accepts the order! Thank you Lord for your kindness."
Zhao Heng said with a smile on his face: "I will ask someone to prepare a decree immediately. Bao Zheng, you have no fame now. If I make you a high official, I'm afraid it will be difficult to convince the public. After the spring examination, as long as you are a Jinshi If you succeed, I will definitely give you a high-ranking official position and let you assist the Crown Prince with all your heart."
Bao Zheng nodded in agreement. Nowadays, if officials in the Song Dynasty rely on connections to get promoted, it will definitely not work. Even if you can become an official in the court, you will be squeezed out by many people and it will be difficult to achieve great things. Now Zhao Hengfeng's two official positions are both seventh-grade minor officials, but they are beyond reproach. Bao Zheng thought to himself, it seems that if you want to be high and powerful, the imperial examination is indispensable.
Zhao Heng called some eunuchs and maids in. There were already eunuchs who had written the imperial edict dictated by the emperor. In the blink of an eye, the imperial edict was written and stamped with the jade seal. Zhao Heng asked someone to call Bao Zheng's hand.
Bao Zheng couldn't help but feel overwhelmed when he took his first official decree. Perhaps starting from this first imperial edict, Bao Zheng's official career in the Song Dynasty officially began.
Zhao Heng had a look of tiredness on his face at this time.??Immediately said: "Bao Zheng, I have nothing to do with you now. It's just that you have to keep in mind what I just said to you. If you have nothing to do, just leave first!"
At this time, Bao Zheng replied seriously: "Your Majesty, Bao Zheng has something important to say!"
Zhao Heng had a look of surprise on his face and immediately said: "Bao Zheng, you have just taken up the new position, is it possible that there will be something to deal with?"
"Bao Zheng said sternly: "It's not that I have something to report, but that the emperor's people have something to report." As Bao Zheng said this, he took out the book of people from his arms and went forward.
Zhao Heng's face was solemn. He took the Wanmin Book and read it carefully. When he saw it, his face turned livid at the end. He immediately threw the Wanmin Book on the table angrily. However, it may have been too hard, but it provoked him for a while. Severe cough.
After Zhao Heng got a little better, he said angrily: "Liu Chenggui is so brave! He has no way to teach his son, and he actually let his son get into so many things in Luzhou. I will give an order now and let the Luzhou government handle the case with full authority. Handed over to Kaifeng Mansion for trial. Bao Zheng, if you act in person, you will definitely give justice to all the people who wrote this letter on my behalf! As the general judge of Kaifeng Mansion now, you have the right to intervene in anything that happens in Kaifeng Mansion. Although this general judgment is only A seventh-grade official, but his superiors can control the emperor's powerful ministers, and his subordinates can control the unruly people. You must understand my painstaking efforts, and you can take care of yourself after you go back."
Zhao Heng asked someone to quickly write a second imperial edict, but it transferred the Luzhou case to Bao Zheng with full authority to handle it. Bao Zheng only received two imperial edicts in his hands during this moment, but he was a little shocked. As Zhao Heng said, Bianjing is in the Kaifeng Prefecture. As an official of the Kaifeng Prefecture, he can manage the affairs of the entire Kyoto. A small general judge is really a small official but a big scene! This position of Kaifeng general judge, in the 21st century, is the director of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, the director of the Justice Bureau, and the president of the Procuratorate.
Bao Zheng took the two imperial edicts, resigned, left the upper study, and was led by the eunuch to the entrance of the palace.