In the Prince Consort's Mansion!
When King Shen Zhao Bai explained his intention, Wang Shen still said with a look of indignation:
"It's not that I am using my power to bully others, but I really can't stand it. His Royal Highness Duan Wang is young and doesn't understand the affairs of men and women, and he was almost taken advantage of by such a brothel girl. As an elder, how can I just sit back and watch."
Zhao Bao frowned slightly. From the royal standpoint, what Wang Shen did was not wrong. This was also the reason why Wang Shen had the confidence to force Li Shishi to become the king's concubine.
However, the influence of "Du Shiniang Sinks the Treasure Box in Anger" is now so great that it directly reverses the public opinion of the government and the public, and the royal family has naturally changed its attitude.
"Now that the eleventh brother has stated that he has nothing to do with Master Li, I have been asked by Mr. Fan to ask the consort to expose this matter. After all, it has been spread that the royal family bullied a brothel girl, which is detrimental to the royal family's face." Zhao Bai said peacefully.
Wang Shen immediately promised: "His Royal Highness King Shen personally came forward to mediate, so naturally I will give him face. Since His Highness Prince Duan has let go of his worries, I will naturally not cause any trouble."
Wang Shen's banner was to stand up for Zhao Ji. Now that even Zhao Ji has vetoed the relationship with Li Shishi, Wang Shen naturally has no excuse to embarrass Li Shishi.
"Now that the matter has been resolved, I will take my leave!"
Zhao Bai nodded, stood up and left immediately.
Now that the blood relationship between the Prince Consort and the royal family has been severed, and Zhao Bai was not familiar with Wang Shen, he naturally did not want to stay longer.
"His Royal Highness Shen, walk slowly!"
Wang Shen smiled apologetically and sent Zhao Bai outside the gate of the Prince Consort's Mansion.
After Zhao Bai's figure disappeared, Wang Shen suddenly said with a gloomy look on his face: "How could you, Fan Zheng, ruin my good deeds!"
The reason why he tried so hard to please Zhao Ji was to increase his political capital. Shenzong had passed away, and his misdeeds back then were gradually forgotten. Now, although he has returned to Kaifeng City, he has been idle, eager to Find a real shortage.
Now that Zhao Ji was blamed by the royal family and banned, this time he stole the chicken but failed to lose the rice.
Although he lost Zhao Ji's line, Wang Shen did not give up on his quest for an official position. In the end, through various connections, he finally found Zeng Bu, the Privy Councilor, and asked him to intercede for him.
"Master Zeng, please give me your kind words regarding Wang's matter!"
In Zeng's mansion, Wang Shen saluted solemnly.
Nowadays, the official reform is underway, and the new party is in full swing. With the official position of Privy Councilor, and Zeng Bu's recommendation, his quest for an official position will be more effective with half the effort.
"I will naturally go all out for the king's consort. It just so happens that the official family is short of someone to carry out the mission. Zeng is going to recommend you to the official family. I don't know if the emperor's consort will be satisfied." Zeng Bu agreed.
"Accept the decree!"
Wang Shen was immediately overjoyed. The person who accepted the order was a Hanlin scholar. He was ranked among the scholars and could handle all the major edicts, major abolitions, and important political affairs. It could be said that he was in a high and powerful position. This made Wang Shen, who regarded himself very highly, receive the order. I couldn't help but be overjoyed.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Zeng! Wang will definitely be rewarded in the future." Wang Shen solemnly promised and thanked him repeatedly before leaving Zeng's house.
After Wang Shen left with satisfaction, Wang Di appeared from the back hall of the Zeng Mansion, frowning and saying: "The position of Cheng Zhi is extremely important. Wang Shen is a person who fails more than succeeds and fails. Do you really want to use him?"
He came here today to discuss with Zeng Bu the candidate to take over the mission. This position is extremely important. If it is controlled by the new party, it will be extremely beneficial to the new party.
Zeng Bu shook his head and said: "Wang Shen is a relative of the emperor after all. There is no need for us to offend him. If I had recommended him as an ordinary official in ordinary times, it is naturally impossible to recommend him to carry out the imperial decree."
"Then why do you still promise to elect Wang Shen for such an important position?" Wang Di asked in confusion. Now that he has promised to elect Wang Shen, if he fails to get things done, wouldn't it be just making an enemy for nothing.
"Because Chengzhi's position is so high and powerful, it is impossible for Wang Shen to be elected. I only need to wait until Fan Zheng is by His Majesty's side to be elected. By then, if Wang Shen loses the election, Fan Zheng will be the biggest suspect." Zeng Bu sneered.
Fan Zheng and the medical party have grown up enough to make the new party taboo. In particular, Fan Zheng has won the trust of officials, which makes Zeng Bu extremely afraid.
It happened that Wang Shen was at odds with Fan Zheng because of Li Shishi's affair. Taking advantage of Wang Shen's request for an official position, Zeng Bu's design to frame Fan Zheng could be said to be smooth sailing.
"Wonderful! Wang Shen is arrogant and arrogant. He and Fan Zheng will definitely become mortal enemies in the future, and they will be against each other everywhere in the future. And Wang Shen is the consort. Even if Fan Zheng is favored again, I am afraid there will be nothing he can do to Wang Shen." Wang Di shouted Jue Dao.
Sure enough, Zeng Bu found an opportunity and deliberately recommended Wang Shen as the emperor in front of Fan Zheng.
"Wang Shen!" Fan Zheng frowned. Having experienced what happened with Master Li, Fan Zheng had a very bad impression of him.
"Wang Shen!"
Zhao Xu couldn't help but frown when he heard Zeng Bu's recommendation. Zhao Xu is the oldest among the princes, the other princesses are not yet married, and the only one who is the consort is his aunt.
He had heard about Wang Shen, the bastard prince-in-law, who allowed his concubine to treat the eldest princess of Shu disrespectfully, so he was dismissed from his official position.
The prince-in-law of the Song Dynasty was not taken seriously, and rarely received attention, let alone a idiot with a bad reputation like Wang Shen.
Sure enough, Zeng Bu's proposal was rejected by Zhao Xu.
In the end, he reluctantly gave Wang Shen an official position in the Ministry of Etiquette out of respect for his elders.
Although Wang Shen was a fool, he was chosen as the prince's consort. His appearance could be said to be upright, and he could be used as a facade, responsible for receiving envoys from various countries, so he was able to make the best use of his resources.
"What? The officials asked me to go to Honglu Temple."
In the Prince Consort's Mansion, Wang Shen was immediately in an uproar after receiving the news from Zeng Bu.
The imperial edict was due to the high authority of the emperor's close ministers, and Honglu Temple was an institution under the Ministry of Rites, and was only responsible for receiving envoys from various countries. In addition, the Liao and Xia were powerful, and the envoys from the two countries were often arrogant and bossy. The temple is a doormat.
Zeng Bu deliberately angered Wang Shen and said: "Zeng recommended you to carry out the decree, and His Majesty had no objections. However, Fan Taicheng did not agree. You also know that the officials obeyed Fan Taicheng's words, and Zeng could do nothing. He could only retreat and do the next best thing." You seek to create a real shortage of Honglu Temple."
"Fan Zheng!" Wang Shen gritted his teeth.
Zeng Bu comforted him hypocritically: "Don't be discouraged, the king's consort. Now the Song Dynasty is attacking Qingtang, and envoys from Liao and Xia are coming one after another. It is the time for Honglu Temple to hire people. In the future, the Song Dynasty will have strong soldiers and horses, and Honglu Temple will He will definitely hold an important position in the imperial court, and he will be able to live up to the trust of the consort."
"Thank you, Mr. Zeng!" Wang Shen pinched his nose and said.
After Zeng Bu left, Wang Shen was furious and said bitterly: "Fan Zheng, I and you are incompatible with each other."
Wang Shen secretly held a grudge against Fan Zheng, but he did not give up his position in Honglu Temple. Although Honglu Temple was a Qingshui Yamen and was often annoyed by the Liao and Xia countries, it was still better than his previous idle position.
In addition, what Zeng Bu said is true. Now that the Song Dynasty has a thunderous power, it is gradually gaining confidence. Although the Song Dynasty is currently unwilling to break up with the Liao Kingdom, it no longer needs to be coy about Xixia.
……………………
"I am reporting to the officials that the Battle of Hehuang has not been won for a long time. The Liao and Xia envoys have been putting pressure on us. If the delay lasts for a long time, things may change."
In Chui Gong Hall, Wang Shen could not wait to express himself as soon as he took office.
In the Battle of Hehuang, the Song Dynasty took advantage of winter sneak attacks to capture Qingtang City and gain the upper hand.
In order to help Qingtang and contain the Song Dynasty, envoys from Liao and Xia frequently came to Kaifeng to put pressure on the Song Dynasty.
"The Battle of Hehuang!"
Sitting on the dragon chair, Zhao Xu couldn't help but frown.
Although the Song Dynasty broke through Qingtang City and captured the Prince of Qingtang for blind expedition, Aligu escaped. He assembled the troops of the Tubo tribes, received some assistance from Xixia, and began to harass Qingtang City repeatedly.
Zeng Bu echoed: "Let the officials know that Ali Gu is a great threat. Please also ask the officials to order Zhong Pu to take the initiative to kill Ali Gu and completely capture Qingtang."
Zhao Xu was immediately moved. The Song Dynasty's military strength was not strong and its rear force was insufficient. Many foreign wars were won first and then defeated. It would be great to be able to solve Qingtang in one go.
However, Fan Zheng stood up and objected: "I believe that the officials do not need to act rashly. The so-called generals will not accept the orders of the foreign emperor. The situation on the battlefield can change in an instant. The officials are far away in Kaifeng and rashly intervening in the frontline affairs may be counterproductive."
The biggest problem of the Song Dynasty's foreign wars was not the weak force, but the weird operations of successive emperors. All marches and battles must use formation charts. The most famous one is Taizong's "Pingrong Ten Thousand Entire Formation". The results are according to this In a formation that was victorious in every battle, Taizong was defeated twice in a row. In the end, he relied on the drift of the donkey cart to save his life!
Renzong was even more bizarre. He continuously innovated on the basis of formation diagrams, made array diagrams of various shapes, and sent them to frontline soldiers to arrange their troops. As we all know, Renzong suffered successive defeats in foreign wars.
The reason why Tiefu Tu and Guaizima won consecutive battles was partly because of their advanced weapons, and partly because the Privy Council had not yet had time to match the corresponding formations.
"The army is outside, how can the court ignore it!" Zeng Bu frowned.
Zeng Bu's words immediately aroused the echo of many courtiers. The Song Dynasty valued literature over military affairs and had natural defenses against generals. Now Zhong Pu led the Song Dynasty's most elite 20,000 cavalry far away in Qingtang, which naturally attracted the attention of the court. alert.
Seeing this, Fan Zheng sneered: "Zhong Pu led the cavalry to defeat Qingtang's 100,000 troops head-on. It can be seen that in terms of force, the Song Dynasty was superior to Qingtang, and the biggest trouble in attacking Qingtang was the air plague. If you want to Avoid the harm of air plague."
"Air plague!"
Zhao Xu nodded slightly, Qi Plague was indeed Qingtang's biggest back-up.
"The doctors boasted that they had found the cause of the Qi epidemic! They had also prepared corresponding drugs. Why are they using this as an excuse to defend Zhongpu now?" Wang Shen sneered.
Fan Zheng retorted: "Rhodiola is only a relief, not a complete cure. If the Song army wants to win, it must use medicine to adapt to the plateau climate as soon as possible. Aligu cannot defeat Zhongpu head-on, so he will definitely use the air epidemic to help his generals." Zhongpu leads to the highlands, and once the Song army adapts to the plateau climate, it will be time to defeat Ali Gu."
Zhao Xu suddenly fell into silence. After thinking carefully, he finally followed Fan Zheng's suggestion.
"Okay, send orders to the front lines, and all obey General Zhong's military orders!" Zhao Xu said loudly.
After all, even the powerful Tang Dynasty had been defeated by the Qi epidemic. The Song army, which was lagging behind in military force, could not be too cautious. Now Qingtang did not know that the Song army had found a way to break the Qi epidemic. By surprise, the Song army The army's chances of victory are greatly increased.
Zeng Bu couldn't help but sigh. Zhao Xu had too much faith in Fan Zheng and actually changed the previous emperors' guard against generals. This was also the reason why Zeng Bu was quite afraid of Fan Zheng.
Wang Shen even frowned. Seeing Zhao Xu obeying Fan Zhengyan, he firmly believed that Fan Zheng must have secretly caused him to lose his important position.
"Report to the officials! How should the Liao Xia envoy explain it?" Wang Shen asked.
Zhao Xu shook his head and said: "The envoys from the two countries have come all the way. Let's entertain them well and hold them back first. After the army destroys Qingtang, the raw rice has been cooked and they have nothing to say."
"The officials are wise!"
Fan Zheng nodded.
"I accept your order!" Wang Shen nodded helplessly.
Wang Shen is not good at doing business, but he is proficient in eating, drinking and having fun. This task is not difficult for him at all.
That night!
Wang Shen held a banquet at Honglu Temple and was responsible for entertaining Liao and Xia envoys.
Fan Zheng had always been responsible for negotiating with Song and Xia. In order to paralyze the Liao and Xia envoys, he personally hosted the banquet.
"Qingtang and Liaoxia are in the same spirit, please ask the Song Dynasty to think twice!" The Liaoxia envoy accepted the advantage, but still favored Qingtang.
Fan Zheng said deliberately: "Qingtang is a bitter and cold place, and the Song Dynasty did not care about it. However, Ali Gu has repeatedly offended our Song Dynasty, and must be severely punished. The Hehuang Valley has been Chinese territory since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and Qingtang must be punished severely." Return it to the Song Dynasty."
Hearing that Fan Zheng only requested to occupy the Hehuang Valley, the Liao and Xia envoys looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief.
The Hehuang Valley is the core of Qingtang, and Aligu is naturally unwilling to lose it. In this way, he can continue to drag the Song army into the quagmire of war.
When Wang Shen saw that he was clearly responsible for entertaining the Liao and Xia envoys, but all the limelight was taken away by Fan Zheng, he became even more jealous and angry.
When the banquet was over, Wang Shen openly slandered Fan Zheng for using his official name during the banquet, and wrote a letter to impeach Fan Zheng, which made the whole court aware of the incident.
"That's nonsense!"
When Fan Zheng heard the news, he was furious and immediately went to Wang Shen to argue.
"I heard it with my own ears, am I still wrong?" Wang Shen sneered. In this era, there was no recording equipment. As long as he insisted that Fan Zhengzhi was favored and arrogant, and called Zhao Xu by his first name, no one could do anything for him. Fan Zheng testified.
As for the Liao and Xia envoys, haha! Both countries now hate Fan Zheng deeply. Now they have the opportunity to drive a wedge between Fan Zheng and the Song Dynasty official family, so they will naturally not miss this opportunity.
Wang Shen and Fan Zheng each held their own opinions, so the matter could only be left alone.
After Su Dun heard this, he shook his head helplessly and said: "There is no way to prove one's innocence for such rumors."
He has cracked many cases over the years, but he can't help but be helpless in the face of such cases that are framed out of thin air.
Although Wang Shen is now the most marginalized consort, to maintain his status as the only royal relative, the role he has always played is to vigorously maintain the dignity of the royal family.
He helped Zhao Ji force Li Shishi to become a concubine, and he directly slandered Fan Zhengzheng and called the emperor by his royal name. Therefore, many people believed him.
In addition, Fan Zheng is now in the limelight, and the old and new parties who can't stand him take the opportunity to cause trouble and continue to impeach Fan Zheng.
With all the talk, Fan Zheng is afraid that if the mud falls into his crotch this time, it will be either shit or shit.
This matter is slightly adapted from the history book.
Chunli Shen Yi was upright, and Zeng Bu was worried about it. He provoked Wang Shen, the prince-in-law, and said: "If the superior wants to remove the emperor and inherit the decree, Fan Youcheng cannot do it." "Xu Nu. The Liao envoys at Huishun Hall presided over the banquet with pure etiquette, but often made false accusations and denounced the imperial name.
(End of chapter)
