The Seventeenth Mother couldn't help but ask Zhang Yue carefully what happened in the palace today?
Zhang Yue then explained everything to his wife.
When the Seventeenth Mother heard this, she immediately changed her face and said with anger on her pretty face: "What a foolish king. Officials scold you well. I would scold you too if it were you."
As soon as Zhang Yue heard the word "hunger", he quickly went up and covered his mouth and said: "Madam, don't talk nonsense, we can also say this."
Well!
The Seventeenth Mother was furious when she saw Zhang Yue covering his mouth to prevent her from speaking. She broke away from Zhang Yue and said: "You are obviously a foolish king, how can you say that in our own family?"
Zhang Yue saw Seventeenth Mother acting like this. He felt a little guilty towards Seventeenth Mother and felt that he had failed her. Now he couldn't help but said: "Madam, you don't blame me."
The Seventeenth Mother said: "What's wrong with an official working so hard to do things for the court? I'm lucky I wasn't in the palace today, otherwise I would have scolded him too. This offended official won't do anything if he doesn't do it."
Zhang Yue sighed: "Madam, you don't need to comfort me with these words. I also know that I was impulsive today, so I contradicted the official. But I was really angry at that time."
The Seventeenth Mother showed her face and smiled and said: "What kind of person is the official? How can I, a woman, comfort me? It's just that I say that the official scolds well, not without reason."
"Oh? Please invite me, Madam."
The Seventeenth Mother said: "When I went home to visit my sister-in-law a few days ago, I heard my mother say that the official family had postponed the discussion on King Pu becoming the emperor's uncle. Now many courtiers are worried that the official family's refusal was because of their plans. After the power and position are stabilized, King Pu will be renamed Huang Kao."
"Once it's the imperial examination, I'm afraid there will be a big chaos in the court."
Zhang Yue suddenly realized that this was not Pu's suggestion.
Yes, I was worried about how not to get involved in this matter, but now I don't have to think too much about it.
Zhang Yue said: "This matter may not be as the lady thinks, right?"
The lady smiled slightly and said, "Why don't the officials believe my judgment? Have you forgotten your colleague in the Liyuan, Uncle Lu Jin?"
Lu Xiaqing?
Zhang Yue remembered that Lu Xiaqing's life was indeed difficult recently.
It turned out that on the day of Emperor Renzong's burial, not a single tear fell on the emperor, so Lu Xiaqing creatively invented a word about crying at death, which was covered up by the officials.
Lu Xiaqing knew Taichang Liyuan, and as a ritual officer he had the authority to interpret etiquette.
The matter was originally forgotten, but later when Fu Bi returned to the court, he found out that the always good-tempered Fu Xianggong actually cursed others, and it was Lu Xiaqing who he cursed.
The general idea is that it is understandable that the officials did not cry bitterly during the funeral. After all, it is possible that they cried before and after. But it is disgusting for officials to forcefully make excuses for the emperor.
Then one time Lu Xiaqing met Fu Bi's good son-in-law Feng Jing. Feng Jing didn't give Lu Xiaqing any face, and severely beat her up in public.
Lu Xiaqing became so angry that she became bedridden for several months.
Zhang Yue could roughly understand what Fu Bi meant. It was the emperor's will whether he cried or not, but it was disgusting for officials to rationalize the emperor's behavior.
For example, it is as if an official shot a few arrows at random on a wooden board, and then a group of officials came up to draw a target with the official arrows, and then the arrows all hit the red heart.
Lu Xiaqing's job is to draw arrow targets.
This is the so-called "sage" who hits the target. With such an official, who is afraid that he will miss the target?
But in the eyes of mainstream officials such as Fu Bi, this move was wrong. The character of the scholar-bureaucrats in the Song Dynasty had not reached this level of kneeling and licking the emperor without any bottom line. This operation of yours, Lu Xiaqing, lowered everyone's bottom line. In other words, the imperial power was not strong enough to make officials speak unconscionably.
If there are officials who speak out of conscience, everyone can attack them.
Therefore, considering whether King Pu is the emperor's uncle or the emperor, the officials are now looking for officials who can draw arrow targets for him.
However, Fu Bi's intention is very clear. If any official dares to be as shameless as Lu Xiaqing, then we officials will attack him together.
When Zhang Yue heard this, he couldn't help but said to his wife: "You said the officials won't find me, right?"
The Seventeenth Mother smiled and said: "Not necessarily, but we have to be on guard. Today's officials have been acting quite ridiculously since they came to the throne. The officials should have known this for a long time, otherwise they would not have resigned from the post of banquet officials early."
Zhang Yue smiled. Having such a smart wife put a lot of pressure on him.
Zhang Yue sighed: "Madam, you are right. I have only been an official for a few years, and my qualifications are still relatively low. As the saying goes, a small boat can easily turn around. If things don't go well, there is no harm in resigning or going out to serve as an official for a few years. But now I am worried." It's Uncle Ouyang and the others who are the most important. When they reach their position, they are unable to advance or retreat."
Seventeen Niang pursed her lips and said with a smile: "I think Uncle Ouyang is more open-minded than you. Before, he often said that my brother-in-law didn't make progress and failed to live up to his expectations. He couldn't even pass the Jinshi exam and lost the face of his generation. But now Uncle Ouyang is He never scolds my brother-in-law anymore, and often says peace is a blessing to my sister. Now he can retire smoothly, and I am lucky not to be scolded in the future."
Zhang Yue said: "It's so cold at high places. Uncle Ouyang is in this position. I'm afraid he needs a decent home now."
After Zhang Yue finished talking to Qi Niang, the couple took a rest immediately.
Zhang Yue looked at the peaceful face of the lady sleeping in his arms, and couldn't help but feel his thoughts.
The politics of the Song Dynasty were somewhere between a republic of scholar-bureaucrats and an imperial dictatorship. There was no telling who was stronger or weaker. Generally, when an emperor first came to the throne, it was a republic of scholar-bureaucrats, but over time, imperial power would inevitably come to dominate it.
But the most important thing is to see whether the emperor can live that long.
Jiajing reigned for more than forty years, so after the great etiquette was completed, he won.
Zhang Yue inevitably had trouble sleeping that night, and Seventeen Niang, who was sleeping with him, also woke up. She looked at her husband's frown and knew what he was thinking, so she didn't say anything. She just stretched out her hand and held Zhang Yue's hand.
Zhang Yue saw that he had woken up the Seventeenth Niang, and couldn't help but feel a little apologetic. Then he took the Seventeenth Niang's hand and put it on his chest. The couple spent the night in silence.
A few days later, Zhang Yue thought about it and decided to write the words and prepare to go through the process.
Anyway, the matter of handing over to prison is now on the right track, so there is no harm in withdrawing at this moment.
However, when I arrived at the court meeting, I saw that every court official was enthusiastic when meeting me. They not only took the initiative to say hello, but also came up to chat with them.
Zhang Yue couldn't help but be confused, what happened?
This is completely different from the attitude of the previous court officials towards themselves.
Zhang Yue was a little flattered by the sudden enthusiasm. From a distance, he saw Lu Hui nodding to him with an ambiguous smile, and then chatting with his colleagues.
Zhang Yue thought to himself, it is not a glorious thing to confront the emperor. Why are the officials so enthusiastic about him?
There must be something famous in this.
Zhang Yue's poems had already been written, so he suddenly came up with this trick for himself.
Why did everyone suddenly have such a good attitude towards me? There must be something fishy in this.
Zhang Yue asked several familiar officials to inquire, but they were all very cryptic and refused to explain.
Zhang Yue finally went to Lu Ji, who laughed and said, "Du Zhi, please thank the queen properly. This time you are a blessing in disguise!"
