As the prime minister, Wang Gui's residence is located in Lirenfang, which is considered luxurious in the entire Bianjing capital.
Although Lirenfang is not as good as Xuanhuafang.
However, next to Xuanhuafang is Yushitai.
Wang Gui didn't want to hear the crows chirping every night.
He was too old to hear the noise.
The night has fallen, and in Wang Gui's house, young dancers are dancing gracefully.
Amidst the sound of silk, bamboo and wind music, Wang Gui squinted his eyes and leaned on the couch.
Two maids knelt in front of him, gently beating his waist and legs.
It's a bit cold tonight.
But in Wang Gui's back house, it was as warm as a warm spring noon in March.
In the room, there are braziers. In the brazier, the charcoal burned red.
There are servants who are constantly observing and adding charcoal to the brazier to maintain the temperature in a range that is comfortable for Wang Gui.
This is the magnanimity of the prime minister's family.
Just heating this room this night may cost ten thousand.
But the Wang family wouldn't even blink an eye.
Because all expenses, including the wages for servants and maids, do not require the Wang family to pay a penny themselves.
All are the burden of the court.
Emperor Songyou meets a scholar-bureaucrat!
An official begins on the day he obtains a personal report from the Ministry of Civil Service, which contains his past history, place of origin and age, as well as the commissions, honors and titles he has been awarded.
He is already superior to everyone in the world!
Belong to the scholar-bureaucrats!
Rule the world together with the officials!
Even a Jinshi who has just been released and obtained an official position will still enjoy the full range of official salary benefits including salary, additional expenses, job land, and ministerial money according to the regulations.
This is enough to ensure that an official with a decent background can keep his family well-fed without corruption.
And Wang Gui is already at the top of the list of ministers.
For the official family, he was worshiped as Shangshu Zuopushe and his servant. He was granted the title of Duke of Xi State and was transferred to Shangzhu State.
He is the one who truly shares the world with the Emperor!
Just every year, the official money that can be withdrawn at will without any written report has reached 10,000 yuan!
And this is just one of the countless benefits of being a prime minister.
Therefore, the extravagance of the Prime Minister's family of the Song Dynasty is unimaginable to outsiders.
It is also the driving force for scholars all over the world to strive for fame.
Wang Gui lay on the soft couch, listening to the singing girl singing softly.
"The lights have been dimmed for the first half of the first month, and the flowers in the south and north of the mountain are in chaos. I heard that the new water in the Pavilion is flooded, and I ride on my horse and cross the clouds to find my companions. But the monk's bed is plain, and the spring breeze is full of thousands of rocks and valleys. A sad sound of pine trees is heard. If you are in a hurry, your dream will be broken. When you look out the window to the west, the day seems too short..."
In the soft and soft humming, Wang Gui seemed to see Wang Anshi in the Jiangning Mountain Garden, wearing a raincoat, walking in the mountains and forests, singing leisurely.
"Wang Jiefu is old!" Wang Gui sighed leisurely.
Then he picked up a bright mirror placed next to him, looked in the mirror at his hair that had turned gray on his temples, and that he was starting to get wrinkles. He was no longer young, and he couldn't help but feel: "I am also old!"
Just as I was feeling pregnant, there was a creak and the door was pushed open.
Wang Gui looked up and saw his eldest son Wang Zhongxiu walking towards him with something in his hand.
"Sir!" Wang Zhongxiu is nearly forty this year, but he is still respectful and childish in front of Wang Gui.
"What's the matter?" Wang Gui glanced at his eldest son and asked.
Wang Zhongxiu came up to Wang Gui and said in a low voice: "My lord, I was traveling with the staff member Wai Lang Xingshu on Maxing Street. I heard something, so I came back in a hurry to report to your lord!"
"Uncle Xinghe?" Wang Gui sat up when he heard Xingshu's name.
Because this person Xingshu is amazing!
He belongs to a very small number of outliers in this city of Bianjing.
He can either talk about reforms and eradicate the old in front of the new ministers, or he can be treated as a guest of honor in the homes of the old party ministers in Luoyang.
The Minister of the New Law considered him to be the person to serve as governor.
The old party felt that he was a gentleman who endured humiliation and infiltrated into the new party.
But in fact, both the old and new parties know this very well.
Xingshu is a broker!
A ladder used to connect the new party and the old party and compromise with each other.
After all, the ministers of the old party were all important ministers of Jiayou, Zhiping, and Xining.
Already successful and famous, most of them have gone into official positions.
No matter how displeased the princes in power are with them, there is nothing they can do about them.
However, the descendants of these people are still in the officialdom!
Wouldn't it be a fool to revert to party fighting and affect the career of his descendants?
Fu Yanguo, Wen Kuanfu, and Sima Junshi, do they look like fools?
Therefore, there is a living space for people like Xing Shu.
Like the political strategists during the Warring States Period, they jumped repeatedly between the new party and the old party, and also moved left and right amid the changes in the new law and the old law.
"What did Uncle Xinghe say to you?" Wang Gui asked after waving away the two maids who were serving him.
"Xingshu and his son were talking about Wang Chuan..."
"Wang Chu?" Wang Gui was stunned at first, and then thought about it: "Is this Wang Chu who worked under Gao Zunyu's account back then?"
Gao Zunyu was the uncle of Empress Dowager Gao. He was also a general in the imperial court. He once established military exploits in the northwest and was promoted to a horizontal class.
It was once the bridge between the emperor and Empress Dowager Gao.
And Wang Yan was the most trusted aide under Gao Zunyu in the past.
Wang Zhongxiu nodded: "That's exactly the person!"
"Xingshu told his son that this person seems to be seeking a comeback..."
"Come back?" Wang Gui rubbed his palms.
In the fourth year of Yuanfeng, there was a five-pronged expedition against Xia. Although the Song Dynasty's official army fell into serious internal strife and mutual disputes due to chaotic command and inconsistent leadership.
But it was still a triumphant song all the way.
In the face of absolute crushing power, the Western Thieves were about to be defeated.
In particular, Liu Changzuo's troops on Huanqing Road, commanded by Gao Zunyu, and Liu Changzuo's troops on Jingyuan Road, as well as Li Xian's troops starting from Qinfeng Road and Xihe Road, were unstoppable along the way.
The two armies, like two iron pincers, smashed directly into the west thief's life gate from the left and right directions.
Li Xian's troops captured Lanzhou and went down to Tiandu Mountain, burning the Xia bandit's palace.
Gao Zunyu's journey is even more remarkable.
The soldiers and horses on the Jingyuan Road commanded by the vanguard Liu Changzuo swept all the way, defeated the famous generals of the Western Bandits, and quickly arrived at the gate of Lingzhou City.
Because of the speed of the advance, Lingzhou City had no time to close its doors, and all the forward cavalry of the army had already rushed into the city.
Seeing that Lingzhou was about to be captured by the Song Dynasty, Gao Zunyu strictly ordered Liu Changzuo to stop attacking the city - to wait until he arrived before attacking again.
It was this order that ruined the whole situation.
The Western bandits took advantage of the time when the army stopped attacking and dug up the Yellow River, flooding the Seventh Army.
The five-pronged attack on Xia ended in failure.
Except for Li Xianbu, the other four groups either suffered heavy losses or were at odds with each other and retreated into the territory.
Afterwards, the emperor was furious, and Gao Zunyu was removed from all official positions and demoted on the spot to deputy envoy of Yingzhou regiment training.
All the staff under his account were also implicated and were either suspended or put under supervision.
Now, Wang Yan is actually seeking a comeback?
Since he is seeking a comeback, is Gao Zunyu also seeking a comeback?
And Xing Shu specifically told Wang Zhongxiu this matter, was he using Wang Zhongxiu's mouth to tell him?
Wang Gui fell into deep thought.
Wang Zhongxiu was nearby, observing his father's expression, and said cautiously: "Sir, this is a great opportunity!"
Wang Gui nodded subconsciously.
Although, after the defeat of the Five-Road Expedition to Xia, news came out from the palace that the Queen Mother of Baoci Palace seemed to be extremely disappointed with Gao Zunyu and was very angry.
But can one write two tall characters in one stroke?
What's more, Madam Gao is still here. Even if Queen Dowager Gao is angry again, for the sake of Mrs. Gao's face, she should forgive her uncle.
Wang Gui thought about it and finally said to Wang Zhongxiu: "In this case, you can make an appointment with Xingshu tomorrow and ask Xingshu to introduce Wang Chu to you..."
"If possible, I will go and see Gao Zunyu under Wang Chu's recommendation!"
Wang Zhongxiu nodded: "That's exactly what my son thinks!"
The Gao family is a relative!
Now, the emperor has suffered a stroke, and is seeing his condition worsen day by day. Once the palace chariot is driven away, the world of the Song Dynasty will be in the hands of Empress Dowager Gao.
At that time, Queen Mother Gao's decision will be crucial!
Of course Wang Gui wanted to take advantage of this line. He used Gao Zunyu to get close to the Empress Dowager Gao and express his feelings to the Empress Dowager Gao - I, Wang Gui, would like to be the queen mother's king, Zeng Wang Xiaoxian!
This is a very critical thing.
It is also something that Wang Guiru thinks about and wants to do, but has no way or channel to express his feelings.
"That's right!" Wang Gui stopped his son and told him: "Remember to be careful and don't leak the news, otherwise you and I, father and son, will have no place to die!"
…
Note: Lirenfang is located in the first wing of the right army of the old city. There are eight squares in this wing. Lirenfang is located on the north bank of Bianhe River. There is Meng Chang's old residence in the square. According to records, during the Taiping and Xing Dynasty, Taizong moved the Shangshu Province to Meng Chang's old residence. At this time, Yuanfeng restructured the Shangshu Province and returned to its loyal imperial city. Lirenfang faces the right gate of Xuande Building in Zhihuang City to the north and connects to Yujie to the east. Many prime ministers and ministers of the Northern Song Dynasty settled here.
Note 2: Official money given to officials is public money given to officials by the court. In theory, it needs to be used for official entertainment. In fact, it is free to use, because no one supervises how you use the money. In addition to the official money given to the envoy, there is also the envoy's money. The envoy's money is raised by Yousi himself, and then... Yousi opens pharmacies, pawnshops, buys, and trades in the name of the envoy's money. He tries every means to make money and transfers the envoy's money. Money became a small treasury for officials in the Northern Song Dynasty.
