Faced with Xiang Qi's words, Zhang Yue said: "Brother Xiang, I remember that we haven't had any contact since Liu Zuo's incident! I don't remember where it started. Maybe it was when I offended the late emperor in Zhiping years, right?"
Of course Xiang Qi remembered that Zhang Yue had offended the late emperor over the Bianjing flood, and was eventually forced to live idle.
Xiang Qi felt that Zhang Yue's move was too unstable, and thought he was rash, so he deliberately ignored him.
Of course, this is okay, and Zhang Yue can understand it. The emperor dislikes you, and no one dares to get close to you at this time.
After Xining, Zhang Yue recalled him to Beijing, but Xiang Qi had no intention of repairing the relationship with Zhang Yue.
Xiang Qiweng said angrily: "Duzhi, I'm here today to ask you to help me for the sake of my former classmates. Everyone knows that Shen Cunzhong now relies on you to take care of him. It's not difficult for you to be busy with this."
Zhang Yue didn't say whether he would help Xiang Qi through Shen Kuo, but changed the subject and said, "Yes, you remember Liu Zuo, right?"
Xiang Qi was stunned when he heard the name, and then said in silence for a while: "Is he still alive?"
Zhang Yue said: "Not only is he alive, but he has also served as the supervisor of the City Yi Division."
Liu Zuo committed suicide due to failed speculation in business dealings. However, Xiang Qi, who had been ill in bed since then, took advantage of this incident and organized Taixue classmates to rescue Liu Zuo.
Later, news of Liu Zuo's death came out, and Zhang Yue mistakenly believed that Liu Zuo had died of illness.
But in the end, Liu Zuo did not die, and he turned over again and took refuge with Wu Anchi.
Wu Anchi and Liu Zuo studied together at Taixue University, and they had known each other for a long time. After that, the City Yisi carried out "buying and reselling". Because of the poor operation of the officials, the City Yisi lost a lot of money.
Wu Anchi immediately found Liu Zuo, who was a businessman, and asked him to be the supervisor. He improved the loss-making situation of the City Yi Division and was even appreciated by Wang Anshi.
This was something Zhang Yue only learned about later.
After Xiang Qi heard about it, his face was uncertain and he said: "Liu Zuo, I helped him back then, why should I mention him?"
Zhang Yue said: "For a moment, I lamented the impermanence of things in the world."
Xiang Qi sneered when he heard this.
Zhang Yue said: "Why did you offend Shen Cunzhong?"
After telling Qi the reason, Zhang Yue understood the whole story. After peace, Xiang Qi continued to change mountains. Whenever his power and official position increased, he would change to another mountain that was more suitable for him.
He is good at management and his official career is relatively smooth.
In the seventh year of Xining, after Xiang Qidingyou returned to the court, it was the time when Zheng Xia was on the throne. He somehow managed to get in touch with Wang Gongchen, who had always been critical of the new law. He thought this was an opportunity to criticize the new party.
Unexpectedly, after Lu Huiqing saved the situation, he sent Xiang Qi to a remote place without saying a word.
That's all. Xiang Qi had a grudge against Lu Huiqing. After Lu Huiqing resigned as prime minister, he criticized Lu Huiqing's various measures in the weapons supervision. As a result, Xiang Qi's research was not serious and rigorous, and Shen Kuo's later measures in charge of military weapons supervision were put on the head of Lu Huiqing, and he was severely criticized.
As a result, Shen Kuo, now the third envoy, was furious.
Zhang Yue couldn't help pinching his brows after hearing this.
…
After Xiang Qi left, Zhang Yue opened the back door of the study and saw the smiling and angry Qi Niang.
Zhang Yue put his wife into his arms, patted the back of her hand and said, "The engagement with Anzhong's family is entirely up to my wife."
Seventeenth Mother raised her head and said, "This is also a good match, and I'm happy with it."
Zhang Yue paused and said, "We'll talk again later, and ask someone to find Chen Guan."
Seventeenth Mother looked at Zhang Yue and shook her head, then said, "Don't be so busy day and night as soon as you enter Beijing."
Zhang Yue smiled, then returned to the study chair and sat down.
Seventeen Niang took Zhang Yue to the door and left.
Zhang Yue is really busy now, and he has a lot of things to worry about after arriving in Beijing.
Cai Que's words before made him think a lot. In terms of his ability in officialdom fighting, Zhang Yue admitted that he could not keep up with Cai Que.
Zhang Yue thought carefully about Cai Que's words. Although he had his own selfish motives, what he said was correct and very prophetic.
He also thought about his relationship with Wang Anshi.
Of course, in the eyes of outsiders, Wang Anshi's power as prime minister is now stable and he is at the peak of his power. However, Zhang Yue and Cai Que are both calculating how long Wang Anshi can remain in power.
The difference lies in taking the initiative to replace it? Or wait for him to leave on his own?
Cai indeed asked Zhang Yue to take the initiative to replace him.
Zhang Yue understood that Wang Anshi did not reject him, but Deng Wan and Lu Jiawen would also reject him.
But unless you are ruthless enough and your methods are spicy enough, others will definitely be afraid of you.
This is not a turf war between the Young and the Dangerous.
When he returned to Beijing, the official family, Wang Gui, and other officials were watching how he handled his relationship with Wang Anshi.
Lu Huiqing had overturned a boatload of people before and was still released as his county guard. Feng Jing was driven away by Lu Huiqing yesterday, and he came back as Privy Councilor today.
This was the case in history until Cai Que was demoted to Lingnan.
Thinking of this, Zhang Yue took out a piece of paper and wrote down the names of several people in the new party except Wang Anshi.
They are Lu Huiqing, Zeng Bu, Zhang Dun, Yuan Jiang, Deng Wan, Deng Runfu, Shen Kuo, Cai Bian, Lu Jiawen...
Zhang Yue crossed out the names on the paper one by one, leaving only Shen Kuo and Cai Bian.
Zhang Yue thought when he saw this, that's it.
At this time Chen Guan entered, Zhang Yue said to Chen Guan: "There is something you must advise me on, advisor, come up with a statement!"
Chen Guan asked: "Tonight?"
Zhang Yue said: "Not tonight, but at this moment. I want it immediately."
Chen Guan didn't know why Zhang Yue was so anxious.
He didn't know that Zhang Yue had already thought about everything.
Now that he is participating in politics, he plans to become prime minister.
The position of prime minister is not the most important thing. The most important thing is to "rectify one's name".
This quote comes from the Analects of Confucius.
Zilu said: "The king of Wei waits for his son to take charge of the government, but the son will make fun of him first?" Confucius said: "It must be corrected!" "
Zilu asked Confucius, "The king of Wei asked you to be the prime minister. What was the first thing you did?"
Confucius said that the first thing is to 'rectify the name'.
When Chen Guan heard that "the name must be corrected," he also nodded and said: "To maintain good relations, the first thing to do is to correct the name. Otherwise, if the name is not correct, the words will not go smoothly; if the words are not smooth, the things will not be accomplished."
"Where does the unknown come from?"
What is name correction?
That is to come up with something ideological.
Regarding Wang Anshi's reform, there must be both inheritance and distinction; at the same time, it must inherit the official's intention and also provide some advice. The most important thing is to express his own political opinions and temporarily hide some aspects that may cause controversy.
This is Zhang Yue's "rectification of his name". In short, it is a contingency.
Chen Guan was stunned when he heard this. What Zhang Yue wanted to do by himself must be too difficult.
Chen Guan said: "Mr. Yuan, this matter cannot be done by Yuan Chang and Yuan Du. I am just an unnamed scholar. How can I be a writer?"
Zhang Yue's writing work in the palace has always been handled by Cai Jing and Cai Bian. However, Cai Jing and Cai Bian are officials after all, not their own literati, not to mention that this matter cannot be left to others.
Zhang Yue knew a lot about Chen Guan after being around him for many years. He had clear thinking and a clear understanding of the situation, and he also performed well when negotiating with Lu Huiqing.
Zhang Yue asked Chen Guan, "Have you read the New Meanings of the Three Classics?"
Chen Guan said: "I have read it."
Zhang Yue said: "That's enough."
Chen Guan thought about it carefully and thought that this was Zhang Yue's expedient solution to Wang Anshi, or that he was doing it in vain.
Wait until the day comes and 'as soon as the power is in hand, the order will be carried out'.
Zhang Yue talked with Chen Guan all night.
…
Although the next day was not a day of daily life once every five days, it was also Zhang Yue's first court meeting since he joined politics.
Hundreds of officials met with the new Councilor Zhang Yue at the palace gate.
Looking at Zhang Yue, who was dressed in purple robes, he was still ranked fifth after Wang Anshi, Wang Gui, Feng Jing, Yuan Jiang, etc., but he had completed the leap from the West Palace to the East Palace.
Among the officials, Cai Que watched Zhang Yue expressionlessly as he accepted the congratulations of hundreds of officials.
Huang Haoqian on the side asked Cai Que: "Zhizheng, at the beginning, neither you nor me expected that Zhang Sanlang would be what he is today! Remember that when you were in Taixue, you had a mediocre evaluation of Zhang Duzhi!"
Cai Que said to Huang Haoqian: "It's the same today. Zhang San is more resourceful than decisive. He is more than elegant and elegant, but lacks the spirit of a king. He is not the image of a prime minister, and he will not be a great person!"
Huang Haoqian seemed dissatisfied with Zhang Yue after hearing Cai Quezhi's words, and immediately did not dare to continue.
Zhang Yue met the emperor for the first time after becoming prime minister. The officials immediately proposed in front of all the prime ministers that Su Song, Chen Xiang and Zeng Bu should return to the capital.
Wang Anshi couldn't help but glare at Zhang Yue when he heard this. Zhang Yue pretended not to notice and turned his gaze elsewhere.
He knew that his proposal was definitely not in line with Wang Anshi's wishes.
Sure enough, in front of the imperial court, Wang Anshi rejected all three candidates Zhang Yue suggested to the officials. He just felt that it was not good-looking for him to refute the officials and Zhang Yue, and he still admired Chen Xiang.
The officials immediately proposed not to allow Chen Xiang to return to Beijing for the time being, but to promote him as a Privy Councilor.
Only then did Wang Anshi agree.
During the conversation, the officials did not mention the matter of changing the Yuan Dynasty that they discussed with Zhang Yue yesterday.
Afterwards, the officials returned to the palace to rest, and the ministers drank tea in the palace as usual.
Zhang Yue then said to Wang Anshi: "Yuandu has contributed a lot to my account this time. I intend to recommend him as the censor. I wonder what the prime minister wants?"
Wang Anshi cherished his reputation and had always been scrupulous about the use of his son-in-law Cai Bian. Seeing Zhang Yue recommending Cai Bian, Wang Anshi looked at him, as if wanting to explore his meaning and asked, "Why did Du Zhi recommend my son-in-law?"
Zhang Yue said: "I have no other intentions, I just really appreciate Yuandu's talent and ability."
"Yuandu asked me to tell the Prime Minister before that I wanted to take up a foreign post."
Wang Anshi was surprised: "Is this happening?"
Zhang Yue nodded and said: "That's true. Yuandu is the pearl in the box. If you don't know, it's hard to know his talent. As for why he wants to work abroad, I don't need to say more."
Wang Anshi also admired his son-in-law Cai Bian very much. He was his student as early as Jiangning.
At the beginning, he joked that he would also find a son-in-law like Zhang Yue in the future. Although Wang Anshi was making fun of it, it was also because his eldest daughter was unhappy after marrying into the Wu family.
Therefore, Wang Anshi wanted to find a son-in-law with an ordinary background, and Cai Bian looked like a "Zhang Lang" in all aspects.
At the same time, after Zeng Bu and Lu Huiqing, Wang Anshi also had a vague intention of entrusting him with the mantle. To put it more carefully, Wang Anshi was arbitrary in nature. Although Zeng Bu and Lu Huiqing came to power because of Wang Anshi, they were actually ministers in the same dynasty as Wang Anshi and could only be said to be allies.
But Cai Bian is different. He is not only a student but also his own son-in-law. Not to mention himself, his daughter always manages Cai Bian obediently.
Wang Anshi felt very uncomfortable when Zeng Bu betrayed him.
Wang Anshi asked Cai Bian what he thought, and Cai Bian said, "Don't be like a hungry eagle that flies when it's full."
This statement was deeply recognized by Wang Anshi.
But Wang Anshi didn't say this to anyone, because Cai Bian's official position was too low and he started too late, so it would be difficult to predict his career in the future.
Could it be that Zhang Yue saw his own unexplainable thoughts? Through this, does he mean that the other party will devote all his efforts to cultivating Cai Bian in the future?
No matter what, Zhang Yue revealed his kindness to himself.
At least in the other person's heart, how to get along with yourself is a top priority.
You must know that when Zhang Yue returned to Beijing this time, Deng Wan, Deng Runfu, Lu Jiawen and others spoke in front of him, saying that Zhang Yue would want to take his place instead, so that he could strike first.
But this does not mean that Wang Anshi completely trusted Zhang Yue. He asked: "What does the great counselor think of the plan?"
Zhang Yue knew that Wang Anshi hated Shen Kuo very much and denounced him as a "Ren man".
In a sense, Wang Anshi's evaluation of Shen Kuo is right. He has the same problem as Cai Jing, which is repeated speculation in politics.
No one likes a person who is not firm in his stance.
It's enough for you two to speculate once, and you have to do it repeatedly.
Just like the British proverb about rats on a sinking ship, as soon as they see a ship sinking, they abandon ship early and jump onto a ship.
Historically speaking, in terms of speculation, Cai Jing reacted faster than Shen Kuo, and he was one of those prophets whose golden wind has not yet moved.
However, Shen Kuo was slow to react and only took action after the overall situation was decided.
But to Zhang Yue, Shen Kuo was very important. One is that his son is the grandson-in-law of the other party, and the other, Shen Kuo, although not popular in general, still has a considerable status in the new party and can gather some people.
Zhang Yue said to Wang Anshi: "Shen Cunzhong has great talents, but he uses his talents without using his virtues. When using talents and virtues, they must go hand in hand. Either use talents or virtues."
"As for the true people with both talent and virtue, I'm afraid there are too few. Such wise men may not be able to serve in the court if they live far away from the world!"
Wang Anshi smiled after listening to Zhang Yue's words and said: "After all, it is better to be a hermit!"
Faced with Zhang Yue's admiration for Shen Kuo and Cai Bian, Wang Anshi believed that this was a first-class show of goodwill to him, but he did not fully believe it and could only continue to listen to his words and watch his actions.
At this moment, when Zhang Yue and Wang Anshi were talking, Yuan Jiang paid attention to everything here.
As for Feng Jing, Wang Gui glanced at Wang Anshi and Zhang Yue from time to time during the conversation.
…
Later, Zhang Yue went to the capital hall to pay his seal, and was officially promoted to the governor who participated in political affairs.
In the capital hall, the Zhongshu Jianzheng, the officials studying official affairs, and the post officials were all in the same hall. Wang Anshi and other ministers were also present.
Zhang Yue smiled and talked with everyone.
Lu Jiawen, who had always been wary and hostile towards Zhang Yue and worried that he would replace Wang Anshi when he returned to the court, asked Zhang Yue seemingly casually: "I wonder what Mr. Master thinks about the new law in five years or ten years?"
Faced with Lu Jiawen's inquiry, everyone pricked up their ears.
Although it was a first-class chat, there was no real chat in the capital hall.
Facing the question asked by Lu Jia, Zhang Yue looked around at the crowd and said with a smile: "Of course it's Heiwu Genceu!"
As soon as this sentence came out, Zhang Yue openly expressed his support for the new law!
(End of chapter)
