Faced with Lu Hui's words, Zhang Yue was at a loss. How could this be related to Empress Gao?
Seeing that Zhang Yue was confused, Lu Jie smiled and stopped talking. He looked like he was done and would not say more.
Zhang Yuexin played riddles with himself one by one, making it seem like he, the person involved, was the last one to know.
Zhang Yue was about to leave the palace and ask again, but unexpectedly two attendants stopped Zhang Yue.
Zhang Yue was extremely vigilant. The last time he was involved in Ren Shouzhong's incident, he had some psychological shadow. When he saw the servant coming to invite him, he couldn't help but be suspicious.
"Zhang Taichang even dared to offend the emperor, so why should he be afraid of coming with me?"
When Zhang Yue saw that it was Zhang Maoze, he couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "It turns out to be Zhang Douzhi."
Zhang Mao waved his hand to signal the two young men to step back, and then said to Zhang Yue: "These two people have been with me for decades, and they will not leak a word."
Zhang Yue said: "Everyone knows the way to govern, and I admire you."
"Let's go!"
Immediately Zhang Mao accompanied Zhang Yue to a small hall, which was the Rouyi Hall where Empress Dowager Cao once listened to politics behind the curtain.
But when Zhang Mao led Zhang Yue to a curtain, a woman's voice behind the curtain said: "Is this Zhang Taichang?"
Although Zhang Yue had expected it, he was still surprised by the loud voice.
Zhang Yue glanced at Zhang Maoze, but saw the other party wink at him.
Zhang Yue saluted across the curtain and said, "Your Majesty, Zhang Yue, is here to see the Queen."
It was obviously not in line with the rules for the queen to meet the minister.
But I heard Gao Tao talk: "Zhang Taichang, I remember this is the second time I met you. You had just gotten married at that time. I also asked you about your marriage to the Wu family. I heard that you had a baby a few days ago."
Zhang Yue said: "I would like to thank the Empress for your concern. I just gave birth to a boy seven months ago."
Gao Taotao smiled and said: "Very good, very good. The daughter of the Wu family belongs to a family of officials. She is willing to entrust her to you and give birth to a legitimate son for you. You must treat her well and you must not let her down in this life."
Zhang Yue was stunned and thought, why does the queen care about her marriage? Is the Seventeenth Mother related to the Queen?
Then I thought about it, by the way, Gao Taotao's niece and adopted daughter of Empress Cao was married to Zhao Zongshi, so she felt the same way for Qi Niang.
Zhang Yue said: "I have always remembered what the Empress told me at the time. After I and my wife got married, they were harmonious as husband and wife and respected each other as guests. I have always believed that cultivating one's moral integrity, managing one's family, and governing the country will bring peace to the world. If he cannot manage his family and fails his wife, then it will not be enough for him. Official, a herdsman for the imperial court.”
Hearing this, Gao Taotao smiled and said, "That's a good thing to say. It would be great if officials could think like you."
Zhang Yue was a little embarrassed when he heard this. He didn't know how to answer this.
However, Gao Taotao quickly continued: "Does Zhang Taichang still remember other words I said to you at that time?"
Zhang Yue said: "I remember that when I was at Prince Pu's Mansion, I remember that the Queen Mother once said that I am still young, and that in the future when the official family ascends the throne, the king and his ministers will be together for a long time."
Gao Taotao behind the curtain smiled softly and said, "Zhang Taichang remembers these words, and I always remember them too."
Zhang Yue said: "I have thanked the Queen, and I will do my best to serve the officials and the Queen."
Gao Taotao smiled and said: "That's right. A few days ago, you violated Yan Jin's admonishment, and the officials were furious. It was me who used you as Wei Zheng to persuade you."
Zhang Yue thought to himself, if you compare me to Wei Zheng, then the official family must be compared to Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, and then you will be Empress Changsun.
A virtuous queen is usually praised by others.
It seems that Gao Taotao is not willing to be a lonely woman. Are all the empress dowagers of the Song Dynasty so power-hungry?
However, with Empress Gao's words, Zhang Yue knew that no matter how much resentment the officials had against him, they still had to hold it back.
Otherwise, it will not live up to the reputation of his wife as a wise man.
Zhang Yue said: "I thank the Queen for taking care of me."
Queen Gao nodded and said nothing more, and Zhang Yue immediately resigned.
Only later did Zhang Yue know the whole story. It turned out that a chamberlain beside Gao Taotao accidentally let the matter slip and told the Duke's wife about it.
The Duke's wife was also a famous loudmouth in Bianjing, so the news spread like this.
The final result was that Zhang Yue gained the reputation of daring to give advice, the officials gained the reputation of accepting advice, and Empress Gao gained the reputation of a wise queen.
That's all for the official family and Zhang Yue. The most important thing is that the reputation of Queen Gao as a wise eldest grandson was spread among the scholars in Bianjing.
Only then did Zhang Yue realize that he and the official family had become a background, making Empress Gao's virtuous reputation even taller.
She is worthy of being called the woman of Yao and Shun by later generations.
However, although he became a foil, Zhang Yue gained a reputation in the court as an outspoken person. Although the Shang Dynasty still has the lowest official position among the officials in the Shang Dynasty, since then many officials who are decades older than Zhang Yue or have more seniority have taken the initiative to tell the affairs of the court and the Yamen to Zhang Yue's knowledge and take the initiative to discuss them. , obviously attaches great importance to his opinion.
Fame also comes gradually.
Zhang Yue, who was about to resign, took the words back and kept them in a conspicuous place in his study room at home, using them as lessons learned to remind himself not to be impulsive again.
Later, to Zhang Yue's surprise, the prince Zhao Xu also gave Zhang Yue a piece of writing.
The words are from the famous saying of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty: If you use copper as a mirror, you can straighten your clothes; if you use history as a mirror, you can know the ups and downs; if you use people as a mirror, you can know gains and losses.
The little prince also expressed his appreciation for his blunt advice to the king, but hoped that he could always advise him like this. Zhang Yue personally replied a letter to the prince. It is estimated that the young prince will study hard and make progress every day.
The letter talks about his reading experience.
Have you ever seen the harvest of the rich? Its fields are beautiful and plentiful, and its food is abundant...
In the letter, Zhang Yue encouraged the prince to be broad-minded and approachable in his studies, and to accumulate more knowledge and make more achievements...
Zhang Yue and the prince continued to exchange letters...
The prince often asked Zhang Yue for advice based on ancient poems and articles such as Han Yu's original teachings.
Zhang Yue also wrote back a letter to him based on his own understanding.
All in all, the prince's modesty and studiousness made Zhang Yue highly praise him.
In this way, the first year of Zhiping has passed, and the second year of Zhiping has arrived.
Li Liangzuo, the leader of the Xixia Kingdom, once again led his army to attack Shaanxi. The Song Dynasty fought and negotiated at the same time. While resisting, Wang Wuji, deputy envoy of Wensi, was sent to negotiate in the name of reproach.
Li Liangzuo wrote a letter to return home, accusing Zhang Yue and other three Song Dynasty envoys of being rude and arrogant, and demanded severe punishment.
Wang Wuji defended himself, and Li Liangzuo simply sent troops to invade again. Shaanxi Province was shocked overnight by the Western Xia soldiers.
Ouyang Xiu, who participated in political affairs, asked the Song Dynasty not to pursue defense blindly, but to turn defense into offense.
Ouyang Xiu suggested selecting a capable and important minister to unified command the five Shaanxi forces, and at the same time instigate rebellion against the Hengshan tribe and seize the opportunity to attack Xixia.
However, the officials refused to listen. He sent his eunuchs Wang Zhaoming and Li Ruoyu to take charge of Gou Road affairs. They neither chose generals to unified command nor counterattack Xixia. They just asked the eunuchs to bribe the Tibetan tribes with money as preparation for war. Use.
Han Qi resigned in disappointment, but the officials did not allow it.
At the same time, the officials also asked Cai Xiang, who had always disliked him, to go out to Hangzhou and remove himself from the post of third envoy. Lu Gongbi, Lu Yijian's son and father-in-law of Han Zhongyan, was appointed as the third envoy of Quan.
When Cai Xiang resigned, Zhang Yue went to Cai Xiang's house to say goodbye. Zhang Yue, Cai Jing and Cai Xiang had a big drink.
After Cai Xiang drank several glasses of wine with Zhang Yue, Cai Jing recounted how he was dismissed and said, "You all want to know why I was dismissed as the Third Secretary-General, right? In fact, the officials have wanted to dismiss me as the Third Secretary-General for a long time. Establish a crown prince. At that time, there were rumors that I proposed to establish another prince, and I even left a message."
"Han, the two prime ministers once explained to the officials about this matter that the rumors in the capital should not be taken seriously, but the officials asked, although there is no real evidence, how can they guarantee that there is no such thing. They also asked why the rumor mongers didn't ask others?"
Cai Xiang smiled bitterly as he spoke, but Zhang Yue became furious and defended Cai Xiang. After he was in the third division, he saw with his own eyes how Cai Xiang worked hard to save money for the court.
He also wrote a memorial on how to eliminate the abuses of the court and listed the use of money and food expenses one by one.
However, after the official ascended the throne, he repeatedly sent people to the Third Division to withdraw money, but Cai Xiang refused by saying that the procedures were not in compliance with the regulations. The officials hated Cai Xiang from then on, and this was the real reason why he was dismissed.
Cai Xiang took a sip of wine and continued: "Last month, the officials asked me in person why the court meeting only came four or five times out of ten times? The third minister is in charge of the world's money and food, and affairs are complicated. It seems like he takes ten days off and four or five days off. Why not use someone else?"
"At that time, I had made it clear to the officials and asked to resign. But Xianggong Han and Xianggong Ouyang knew that I had an eighty-year-old mother in the hall, so they defended me. The officials also said that Xixia invaded Shaanxi, and the three divisions had no money to reorganize the armaments. , I should have chosen someone else long ago.”
"Therefore, I resigned in court, and finally made my acquaintance with Hangzhou."
Zhang Yue thought to himself that Cai Xiang was an important minister after all, and the officials asked him to resign, and they simply didn't give him any face.
This was exactly the same as when the officials asked him to leave Jiaoyin Prison in person. It's just that he didn't accept the situation and confronted the emperor in person. As a result, he became outspoken and dared to remonstrate, and became Wei Zheng.
I have always blamed myself for being too impulsive. Thinking of Cai Xiang's experience, I feel that I really scolded him lightly in the palace that day.
Cai Xiang, as the dignified Third Secretary-General, did not leave him any kindness at all. There is also Zhang Sheng, the Privy Councilor, who somehow offended him and is now at a loss.
It really doesn't look like a human being.
Cai Xiang said to Zhang Yue: "You are very careful in your work in the third division. You don't need to be praised for your talents. I know that you are a minister who governs the country."
Cai Xiang had a high opinion of Zhang Yue.
"But after I leave, the officials will definitely instruct the new Third Division Envoy to ask Jiao Yinjian to provide financial support for the use of troops in the northwest."
Zhang Yue and Cai Jing looked at each other. Zhang Yue said: "Since the imperial court uses money, then I will do my best to hand over the money to the prisoner."
Cai Jing said: "I'm afraid it won't be easy to give me the money."
Zhang Yue thought that it was true that he had offended the official family. With his weird temperament, the other party must have made things difficult for him.
Cai Xiang said: "Although the official is the emperor, the money of the three divisions still has to be approved by the envoys of the three divisions. Lu Gong is an official...It's hard to describe in one sentence, but he has a tacit understanding with your father-in-law. After all, your father-in-law is now The third transfer envoy has been appointed. When he returns to Beijing, he can serve as the deputy envoy of the third division. Then your son-in-law can go about his official duties."
After Cai Xiang finished speaking, Zhang Yue calculated that it was indeed the case.
When I went to Shaanxi, I saw that Xue Xiangna and other Shaanxi transfer envoys were simply local emperors. However, my father-in-law served as transfer envoys for three times, and now he was finally transferred back to the capital.
