novelonline Chapter 1192 Making things worse
Chapter 1192 Making things worse
Chapter 1192 Making things worse
Within the Zhang Mansion.
It was already three o'clock in the morning, but the lights were still on.
Peng Jingyi stood down and bowed, reporting to Zhang Yue one by one.
Peng Jingyi asked, "Then Prime Minister, what should we do next?"
Zhang Yue said: "Li Ding personally investigated Su Shi's poetry case. His methods were very powerful. After the case was solved, he told everyone that Su Shi was a real genius."
"We have to beat this guy to death with one blow. I think it's better to give him some more evidence. The more evidence we give him, the faster he will die. The bigger the incident becomes, the more it will shock others."
"After all, if people want to know their own ignorance, they also need to accumulate a lot of knowledge."
After hearing this, Peng Jingyi thought to himself, the Prime Minister is the same, not only killing people, but also destroying their hearts.
He immediately said that he would go down to make arrangements.
After the other party left, Zhang Yue picked up a jade pendant from the table. It was given to him by Su Shi. Next to the jade pendant was a letter he wrote to himself.
In the letter, Su Shi encouraged himself a lot in his reform.
Having been in officialdom for many years, Su Shi deeply advised Zhang Yue that reforms were not easy.
Of course Zhang Yue understood.
Before, when Wang Anshi was carrying out reforms during the Xining period, he first proposed a law, and then people rose up in opposition. Then Wang Anshi dismissed some people, sent some people away, and then insisted on implementing it.
He now changed the order. Instead of knowing that he would be opposed in advance, it is better to identify and distinguish the loyal and the treacherous in advance and get rid of those who will oppose him first.
First dismiss the people, then make laws. This way there will be much less resistance when implementing them.
But things are not that simple.
Every government office, every case, and even every small official position has two sets of rules, explicit and implicit. Officials all over the world live by these two sets of rules. If you use and master the rules wisely, you can use your smallness to control the bigness, and challenge the entire officialdom like Hai Rui.
Those who don't know the rules will be eaten up by the rules.
Therefore, many officials are studying these two sets of rules, first understanding the rules and then using the rules, without exception.
But when you issue a new law, both the explicit rules and the implicit rules will be broken.
So there is definitely resistance, and it is huge.
Now Zhang Yue wants to change the baojia system. Local banditry was indeed serious before, but local public security has indeed improved after the implementation of the baojia system.
At first glance, it seems to be effective, but maintaining the Baojia system not only disturbs the people but also costs a lot of money. Just like the vicious circle in the last years of Chongzhen, raising taxes to suppress bandits seems to be useful for a while, but it forces more people to break up their homes and join the bandits, and finally the more bandits are suppressed, the more they become.
The public security in the middle and late Northern Song Dynasty was extremely poor, and the number of thieves in the world was unimaginable.
For example, the heavy law for heavy places, the heavy law for harboring thieves and the baojia system can temporarily solve the problem of thieves.
But it only treats the symptoms rather than the cause.
Is the Baojia system really useless? It is still useful. After the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty, some scholars and officials once reflected that if the Baojia system had been maintained, the cavalry of the Jin Dynasty would not have been so unstoppable.
But the hardest thing in the world is persistence.
In his letter, Su Shi suggested to Zhang Yue that if he wanted to carry out reforms, he should "put in effort without waste".
It's like everyone has procrastination. Wang Anshi's method is to make great determination and perseverance. When he couldn't finish reading, he would prick his legs with a needle and tie his hair with a rope.
Where there is a will, there is a way. There is nothing that is impossible if you set your mind to it.
For example, if you believe that procrastination is unsolvable and you want to achieve a balance, then you need to know how to strike a balance.
What should you do if you can’t finish your studies?
Don't force yourself, do some sports you like, take a turn and then come back to study. Later you will find that not only can you continue to study, but you will also win the championship because of sports.
Everyone has their own opinion on the difference between Su Shi's method and Wang Anshi's method, but there is no difference between them.
Although Zhang Yue still tends to agree with Su Shi's point of view.
……
Reading Su Shi's letter, Zhang Yue missed Su Shi who was in Huangzhou even more.
In addition to his suggestions and proposals for reform, Su Shi also talked about his own life.
Now he and his eldest son Su Mai live in Huangzhou, and later his family and Chao Yun arrived in Huangzhou one after another.
Huangzhou was a very poor place, and when Su Shi arrived in Huangzhou, he first lived in a temple. Huangzhou Governor Xu Dashou did not make things difficult for Su Shi because the emperor disliked him, but instead treated him warmly.
Su Shi was now in charge of Huangzhou. He had nothing to do every day. He went to bed very late, then took a walk at the foot of Dongshan Mountain and went for a stroll along the Yangtze River.
Even though he was in exile, Su Shi's letters made Zhang Yue feel as if he was traveling to Huangzhou.
Su Shi said that when he woke up from a nap, he forgot where he was for a moment. He opened the curtains and saw sails going up and down on the water. In the distance, the water and the sky met, forming a vast expanse.
Su Shi said to Zhang Yue, I live very well here. The river is filled with snow water from Mount Emei. I can take it and drink it. Why should I think about returning home?
You see, the river, the beauty of the moon have no owner; only those who are free are its owners.
Sometimes I would hire a small boat and spend the day with the fishermen and woodcutters. The happiest thing was that no one here knew me.
Sometimes I cross the river and stay for a few days at a good friend's house. The wine in the nearby villages is not bad, and the fish and crabs are free.
At this point, Su Shi did not forget to brag, your life in the capital may not be as good as mine.
Zhang Yue smiled as he read Su Shi's letter, but he couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
Only at this moment did he understand why so many people like Su Shi?
Anyone who works in the system has more or less experienced being excluded and suppressed.
He didn't do anything wrong, but just said a few inappropriate words, and then he was banished to the cold palace.
What Su Shi experienced is also what many people have experienced.
At the same time, when my official career was dark and there was almost no light, I saw myself in Su Shi.
Maybe what you said is wrong, or it is indeed inappropriate, but scholars should always have their own integrity. Even if you know you are being suppressed and excluded, you must stick to your principles.
Thinking of this, Zhang Yue thought to himself, if that's the case, then let's deal with Li Ding and vent Su Shi's anger!
……
Li Ding sat in the Censorate.
Huang Yan and He Zhengchen were both standing beside him reporting to him.
"According to actual investigation, in addition to accepting Yelu Yixin's jewelry, Yelu Yixin also sent a son to contact Prime Minister Zhang, whose whereabouts were previously questionable."
"Now we have verified that he lives in a manor outside of Bianjing."
"It is said that this man's name is Yelu Hong, and he is the illegitimate son of Yelu Yixin."
Li Ding was furious when he heard this and said, "What a good Prime Minister Zhang! He actually dared to take in Yelu Yixin's son. This further proves his crime of treason."
He Zhengchen asked, "Should we capture Yelu Hong now? Otherwise, if the news leaks out, I'm afraid we won't be able to overthrow Prime Minister Zhang with just a box of Northern Pearls."
Li Ding nodded and said, "We must take him down. Beizhu alone cannot bring down Zhang Xiang. We still need witnesses."
"Yelu Hong must be captured alive."
"But if we want to arrest someone, we have to go through Kaifeng Prefecture. Our Censorate cannot make the decision!" Huang Yan said.
"Now the prefect of Kaifeng, Su Song, can wear the same pants as Prime Minister Zhang."
Li Ding said: "If we leave Kaifeng Mansion, the news will definitely leak out. Let's do it from the dark. If we can capture Yelu Hong alive, we can confront him in the Golden Palace."
"With witnesses present, there is no need to worry about not being able to bring down Prime Minister Zhang."
At this moment, Li Ding felt both nervous and excited. If he could defeat Zhang Yue, it would be the most noteworthy thing in his life.
Li Ding sneered, "What about a prime minister from a humble family, what about being honest and self-reliant, it's all bullshit."
"Compared with Jing Gong, who is considered perfect in private, he is far behind."
Huang Yan hesitated and said, "But if we arrest a prime minister, if we catch the wrong person, the three of us will be in big trouble."
"Speaking of Zhongcheng, I still can't believe that Zhang Sanlang would do such a thing. Given his current status, why would he do this? He is already second only to one person and above ten thousand people."
"Isn't his wife's family wealthy? How could they ruin their reputation because of a box of northern pearls?"
He Zhengchen said, "When the box of northern pearls was taken, Prime Minister Zhang was still the deputy prime minister. It's possible that some minister in the court or some concubine in the harem liked it."
"In fact, I have been keeping an eye on Prime Minister Zhang since I entered the Imperial Censorate. I have learned about his background and there is nothing I cannot see through. It is inevitable that people will make mistakes in their lives. There must be at least 8,000 people who want to give gifts to Prime Minister Zhang. He often walks by the river, so it is inevitable that he will get his shoes wet."
"Being confused for a moment or being dazzled by the box of northern pearls is both unexpected and expected. I have also seen a few officials who usually uphold morality, but when they are given a woman, they don't care about anything."
"Perhaps this box of Beizhutehezhangxiang's thoughts are a token of my appreciation."
Li Ding said: "That's true, but Prime Minister Zhang is indeed honest and self-disciplined. If it weren't for this incident, I wouldn't have thought of it. It's like being a widow for ten years and then losing your chastity in one day."
"It's hard to say, but we, the censors, are responsible for reporting rumors and are the eyes and ears of your majesty. How can we not report what we know?"
"Besides, we have more than one box of Northern Pearls. We also have Yelu Hong, who has been in the Song Dynasty for many years. I don't know how many secrets he has spied on us. If we don't take him down, the whole Liao Kingdom will see us clearly."
After hearing what Li Ding said, Huang Yan nodded.
Li Ding said: "Then I will take charge and arrest the person. If you are afraid, you can withdraw."
He Zhengchen hesitated for a moment and said, "This Yelu Hongding is the son of Yelu Yixin. I am willing to follow the Zhongcheng."
Huang Yan said: "I will withdraw, but I will absolutely keep my mouth shut."
Li Ding's face was filled with anger, and he immediately said, "Everyone has their own aspirations. I, Li Ding, never force anyone."
……
In a farm outside Bian Jing.
Yelu Hong looked at his wife and children.
Although these children were of Khitan descent, they did not have bald heads, but tied their hair into a bun like Han children.
Yelu Hong knew that his identity had to be kept secret, so he let the children follow the local customs.
After Yelu Yixin asked him to follow Zhang Yue, Zhang Yue first arranged for him to live in Xihe Road for three years, where he met his current wife.
In the past two years, he returned to Bian Jing.
But he has no freedom and is always being watched.
He remembered that Zhang Yue had promised him that he would either give him freedom or let him return to Liao or go somewhere else.
He didn't know whether what Zhang Yue said was true, but he had no choice.
Now he made a small bow and arrow for the child using the Khitan bow method, and the child was very happy to see it.
Yelu Hong looked at the child's smile and his heart was filled with joy.
At this moment, a large group of people had surrounded the farm.