The morning starts with noise and ends with silence.
After Zhao Zhen issued an edict that he would severely punish those officials who were corrupt, committed crimes, and bent the law for personal gain, he went down to the court and left.
Not long after, by noon, the news of the morning had spread throughout the Bianliang market.
Nowadays, Zhao Jun's reputation is very unpleasant in the official circles, but in the hearts of the people, it has gradually spread, and even Zhao Qingtian has a good reputation.
Because Zhao Jun knew the importance of the public opinion war, he was very careful every time he made a move. He first used the evidence provided by Fan Zhongyan to bring down the Kaifeng Mansion, and then continued to dig deeper and captured two horses.
And in the morning, while Han Yi was going to court, he sent people directly to the Sansi Yamen, took away Han Zong who was on duty, and then quickly announced his evidence of guilt.
In the past, officials still maintained superficiality, and scholar-bureaucrats also impeached each other, but it was often superficial, and the culpability was lightened.
For example, when Han Qi impeached Wang Sui, Chen Yaozuo, Han Yi, Shi Zhongli and others, he minimized the big issue.
In fact, after Han Qi's investigation, the crimes they committed included corruption and bribery, personal use of public weapons, and malpractice in the imperial examinations, allowing Chen Yaozuo's son and Han Yi's four sons to all win Jinshi.
However, due to the face of the court, Han Qi only hinted to Zhao Zhen about their malpractice for personal gain. The official impeachment was that they were incompetent officials and had no political achievements.
Normally, the Song Dynasty was full of incompetent officials. If this charge were true, at least 10,000 redundant officials who had nothing to do at home and only received their salaries without dispatch would have to be dismissed.
But these people were impeached for being incompetent, and then were dismissed by Zhao Zhen.
From here we can know that in fact they are not doing nothing, but have committed something, and it is just about the face of the court.
Zhao Jun took advantage of this to declare a large number of crimes, set off a public opinion offensive, and occupy the moral high ground. It can be regarded as forcing Zhao Zhen to clear up the officialdom and rectify the officialdom in terms of public opinion.
Under such circumstances, Han Zong was dismissed from his post. Han Yuan, who was serving as the magistrate in other places, had someone from the Imperial City Division go to arrest him with an order. Han Yi himself was forced to submit a letter to plead guilty, and Zhao Zhen took advantage of the situation and removed him from the official position of Tongzhi Privy Envoy. , was dismissed as deputy envoy of Yongning Army Jiedu without real power.
For a time, many officials in the court were worried. Under such an offensive of public opinion, no one dared to risk their reputation and reputation to excuse those people. As a result, there were few people in the government and the public who wanted to take back power from the emperor. A lot.
In the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang passed the "Hu Weiyong Case" and killed more than 30,000 people. He dismissed the prime ministers and abolished the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. The prime minister system strengthened the autocratic imperial power and consolidated his imperial power status.
Zhao Zhen also passed the "Kaifeng Mansion Case" this time, killing more than a hundred people and arresting more than a thousand people. The follow-up personnel are still being arrested, and it is expected that the Imperial City Division and Kaifeng Mansion will continue to clean up the remaining culprits in the next few months.
Although the situation did not extend to the "Hu Weiyong case", Zhao Zhen also took advantage of the situation to obtain the power of arrest and trial, and changed his previous tolerance for officials.
This was an unprecedented thing in the reign of Song Renzong and Zhao Zhen, who was famous for his "benevolence" in history.
After the officials left the court, they each returned to their own government offices to work. Lu Yijian, Wang Zeng, Wang Sui and other ministers also returned to the political hall. It's just that everyone's expressions were different today, and the political hall was so quiet that no one spoke.
Today is a great victory for the officials, but it is a disastrous defeat for the scholar-bureaucrats. The officials strengthened the imperial power, but deprived the scholar-bureaucrats of their rights, which made everyone feel very uncomfortable.
Even after Zhao Jun arrived, they had already thought about this day. But I didn't expect it to come so quickly and suddenly.
"Prime Minister Lu!"
At this time, the right-hand admonishment official Quan Yushi Zhongcheng Jia Changchao appeared sneakily outside the door of the political affairs hall and poked his head in.
Lu Yijian thought for a moment, then got up and walked over, asking in a low voice: "What's the matter?"
Jia Changchao asked, "Can you lend me a moment to speak?"
"Be careful what you say and be careful when you are alone!"
Lu Yijian waved his hand, signaling for him to go back.
Jia Changchao looked thoughtful when he saw his behavior, so he cupped his hands and left.
These days, Lu Yijian and other three ministers and three ministers are living in seclusion and rarely interact with other court officials and colleagues.
In the past this was impossible.
Therefore, recently Xia Song, Chen Yaozuo, Jia Changchao, Wang Gongchen, Zhang Dexiang, Chen Zhizhong, Liu Yuanyu, Wang Deyong, Han Yi, Cheng Lin and other senior officials have also smelled something.
Han Yi did not allow Han Zong and Manchu officials to report because Lu Yijian and others behaved too abnormally, allowing people like him to see some clues.
As a result, the Shangguan family in the court was really angry today and dismissed Han Yi. While Han Yi was disheartened, he couldn't help but feel a little lucky.
I'm afraid if he had followed his son Han Zong's wishes, he would not only be dismissed, but his family would be confiscated and his family exterminated.
What happened in the official family that caused his temperament to change so drastically?
Jia Changchao and others were not sure, so they wanted to come to the political hall to have a look. However, they did not expect that Lu Yijian and others still did not want to talk to them alone and privately, so he had no choice but to leave.
There were several other people waiting outside. Seeing that Jia Changchao had returned without success, these people gathered together to chat for a few words, sighed a few times, and then dispersed.
When Lu Yijian returned to the political hall, Wang Sui came over and asked worriedly: "Prime Minister Lu, what should we do?"
As soon as he spoke, the conversation started.
Sheng Du and Song Shou also came over and looked at Lu Yijian with worried eyes.
Lu Yijian used to have a eloquent style in the political affairs hall. In the past, Wang Zeng and him bickered and opposed each other. Cai Qi and Song Shou each supported one side, and Wang followed Sheng Du to watch the play.
But now that I encountered a big problem, I finally turned to Lu Yijian to make the decision.
In the final analysis, in the past, they were mostly based on different positions, and most of the debates were about different opinions on some local governance arrangements.
But now we are almost at the stage of life and death for the entire bureaucratic class, and the situation is different. Naturally, they can only find someone who can make decisions to take the lead.
Why didn't Lu Yijian know what they were thinking? He pointed at himself mockingly and said, "I'm a conservative interest group. Why don't you ask me?"
Wang Sui smiled awkwardly, showing his old teeth.
During the time when Zhao Jun's eyesight was not good, in addition to the fatuous emperors of the Song Dynasty, he also scolded all the bureaucrats and scholar-bureaucrats in the Song Dynasty.
They have now become the conservative interest group that Fan Zhongyan talks about, and they have become the opposite of Zhao Jun.
"No matter what, it's up to Prime Minister Lu to make the decision on this matter."
Sheng Du stepped forward and said: "Under Zhao Jun's instigation, the officials became increasingly harsh and acted like a solemn court. Although this may not be a bad thing, it may not be a blessing for the Song Dynasty."
He said it more tactfully, but everyone understood what he meant.
Lu Yijian sighed: "There are some things that others can say and do, but we can't. This is the sorrow of Zhizai."
"Yes, if you say it, you will be alienated from the officials. If you do it, you will be on the same level as the officials. Because the officials cannot let the Song Dynasty perish, and we cannot let the Song Dynasty perish."
Song Shou shook his head.
"Everyone understands these principles, but the scholar-bureaucrats cannot be destroyed in our hands."
Wang Sui spread his hands and said: "Besides, Zhao Jun advocates force and advocates suppressing scholar-bureaucrats and improving the status of warriors. Are you worried that he may reform military law and restore the Han and Tang military systems in the near future?"
After saying this, everyone fell into silence again, because this was still the rebellion of scholar-bureaucrats.
The abnormal policy of suppressing military force and emphasizing civility in the Song Dynasty originated from the over-indulgence of the warriors of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. After the Song Dynasty was established and the literati gained power, they spared no effort to suppress them, which made the military men of the Song Dynasty humble to the core.
But Zhao Jun is an advocate of force and advocates restoring the martial spirit of the Han people.
Now that his eyesight has recovered, he is gaining power step by step and is already suppressing the scholar-bureaucrats. What should he do if he uses military men again?
No one spoke, and no one continued.
Lu Yijian sat back on his desk, lowered his head and read the official document, but couldn't read it.
Looking around, he saw that Wang Zeng was also upset and threw his pen aside.
Everyone is not in the mood to work.
The official's attitude changed drastically today, which made everyone feel a sense of crisis.
The current status of the scholar-bureaucrats was achieved through three dynasties. However, the appearance of Zhao Jun now made the officials have other thoughts.
Seeing that if things continue like this step by step, they scholar-bureaucrats will be doomed, who will still be in the mood to work.
"well!"
Lu Yijian suddenly let out a long sigh, looked around and said, "I have a method that can be delayed but not stopped. Do you want to hear it?"
"Oh? Prime Minister Lu really has a plan?"
Wang Sui and others immediately became energetic and stood up from their respective positions and walked to Lu Yijian.
Even his old enemy Wang Zeng cast his gaze over, wanting to hear what he had to say.
Lu Yijian smiled bitterly and shook his head: "It's not really a trick, it's just about getting things back to their normal state."
"What method does Prime Minister Lu have, please tell me?"
Wang Sui urged.
Lu Yijian looked around. The political hall was heavily guarded, and the imperial guards in front of the hall were waiting outside the door.
Originally, there were some lower-level officials in the political hall who were waiting for orders, such as Kongmu, Li, Hu, Bingli, Xing and other five rooms to check and make corrections. Now they have all been driven out, leaving only a few clever little eunuchs. Serve.
Seeing his appearance, Song Shou said knowingly to the young eunuch not far away: "You guys, please go out first."
"yes."
The young eunuchs withdrew.
Although it is a bit outrageous to conspire in the political hall, in fact they all know that some things cannot be hidden from the officials.
Zhao Jun had analyzed the political system of the Song Dynasty so clearly to the officials. The officials had long known what the scholar-bureaucrats hoped to gain and what they were afraid of losing.
How could the officials not know about a few casual complaints?
Maybe it was just for the officials to hear.
However, the current conspiracy involves Zhao Jun, and many things are not convenient for outsiders to hear, so it is natural to proceed with caution.
After everyone had gone out and only a few prime ministers were left in the room, Lu Yijian whispered a few words.
"There is already a barrier between us and the officials. If the officials want to ensure that the Song Dynasty will not be destroyed, then they will definitely turn to Zhao Jun."
"So if we want to ensure that the scholar-bureaucrats do not perish, we can't just think about integrating Zhao Jun into the scholar-bureaucrats, but we need the scholar-bureaucrats to try their best to get closer to Zhao Jun and let the scholar-bureaucrats become weapons in Zhao Jun's reform hands."
"As Zhao Jun said, no matter what policy, it is inseparable from the administration of officials. Reforming the administration of officials is actually not a bad thing. Even if our students are old officials and future generations will suffer because of it, the officials are soft-hearted. If we move closer to the officials , if you stay close to Zhao Jun, you might not be able to protect our descendants."
"Perhaps we thought wrong from the beginning. The Song Dynasty is no longer what it used to be. Now that we have a smooth road with a bright future, we cannot block this road. That is just a mantis trying to use a car as a chariot. In another way, maybe we can OK."
"I plan to make suggestions to the officials to establish a department for the Song Dynasty to coordinate the country. Zhao Jun will be in charge of planning and we will assist. He will plan the future development of the Song Dynasty and coordinate the construction of industry, commerce, and law."
"Human energy is limited. Can Zhao Jun coordinate national affairs and manage world affairs?"
"What's more, once he enters the officialdom, he will have to deal with all officials. As long as he uses the right method, this way, at least the scholar-official will not have any major problems for twenty years."
After Lu Yijian finished speaking, he looked around and said: "Even in a few years, the Qingli New Deal may be fine. At most, a large number of incompetent and corrupt officials will be dismissed. This is not a bad thing for us, the Song Dynasty. It ruins the foundation of scholar-bureaucrats."
After everyone listened, everyone suddenly became thoughtful.
They understood what Lu Yijian meant.
The method they chose before was actually vaguely semi-confrontational.
He hopes to draw Zhao Jun into his camp and turn him into a scholar-official, thus preventing him from destroying the lives of the scholar-officials.
But Zhao Jun obviously had no such intention. Even if he took part in the imperial examination, who knows if this was a way to fool them?
At least he did not follow their arrangements step by step, nor did he follow their guidance honestly. Instead, he kept fooling the emperor and asked the emperor to bypass the officialdom and give him other powers.
So what can Lu Yijian and the others do?
There is no way.
Unless Zhao Jun is assassinated.
But this is tantamount to a complete break between the entire scholar-bureaucrat class and the official family.
With the current level of attention that officials attach to Zhao Jun, once something like this happens, Song Renzong will probably become Taizu of the Ming Dynasty.
Therefore, Lu Yijian and the others did not dare to gamble, nor did they dare to really become a life-or-death situation with Zhao Jun and the emperor.
What's more, they have been with Zhao Jun for so many days, and they know that Zhao Jun is a person who takes the soft side rather than the hard side. There is really no need for the two parties to get to that point.
So.
Since Zhao Jun can't blend in with them.
Why can't they integrate into Zhao Jun?
If you can’t beat it, then join!
As long as you have a good relationship with Zhao Jun and establish a deep friendship, you can talk a lot.
For many things, they can also find ways to influence Zhao Jun by themselves.
Even if I am gone in the future, for their sake, it is impossible not to take care of the descendants of my old friends.
Isn't this a kind of human connection?
But the only difference is that before, they were a little superior.
Even if Zhao Jun is from later generations, they prefer Zhao Jun to be their successor, not to be above them.
Comparable to self-interest.
Sometimes, lowering your profile is not a bad thing.
For a time, everyone's thoughts suddenly became clear.
As soon as I think of Touzhao, I feel that the world is vast!
(End of chapter)
