Meishan Su family, Su Yun is the most virtuous

Chapter 409: Mr. Cheng, the stubborn one!
This debate did not reach a final conclusion for a while, and the meeting ended in a bad mood.

After the court was adjourned, undercurrents in the entire court suddenly surged.

In the imperial study, the candlelight flickered, stretching the figures of Zhao Xu, Cheng Yi and others to varying lengths.

Zhao Xu paced back and forth with a frown on his face, while Cheng Yi and a group of his close associates sat around the desk with solemn expressions.

"This personal expedition is a great opportunity to regain power, but the Queen Mother is in charge of logistics. If I can't handle it properly, the battle on the front line will be restricted everywhere, and my ambitions will be difficult to realize."

Zhao Xu stopped and looked at Cheng Yi, his eyes full of anticipation.

Cheng Yi stood up and presented a document that he had drafted long ago with both hands, saying solemnly: "Your Majesty, after careful consideration, I would like to present the 'Eight New Policies'.

If these eight points can be implemented, they will surely weaken the Queen Mother's power and help Your Majesty take control of the overall situation."

After saying this, he unfolded the document and explained it in detail one by one.

"First, reform the imperial examination system for selecting officials."

Cheng Yi's eyes were sharp, "In the future, the imperial examination will restore the current affairs policy theory added during the temple period, focusing on examining the scholars' views on current military and political affairs, people's livelihood and economy, and abolishing the privilege of the children of imperial patronage to directly participate in the imperial examination.

In this way, the talents selected are those that Your Majesty needs, and the Queen Mother’s way of placing her confidants in the court is cut off.”

Zhao Xu nodded slightly, with a hint of approval in his eyes: "This is a very good idea. I am worried that there are many people in the court who are just sitting there doing nothing and relying on favors to get to the top. This way, I can let the truly knowledgeable people serve me."

Cheng Yi continued: "Second, reorganize the Privy Council.

The Privy Council holds military power, which determines the success or failure of wars.

I suggest that some of the people who were appointed by the Queen Mother and who do not understand military affairs but hold high positions be dismissed, and that generals who are trusted by Your Majesty and familiar with military tactics be selected to fill the positions, so that military decisions can be directly reported to Your Majesty and not be constrained by the Queen Mother. "

Zhao Xu's eyes lit up when he heard this. What Cheng Yi said was exactly what he had thought.

"Third, the financial power will be returned to the three departments." Cheng Yi continued, "The collection and allocation of taxes in various places will be managed by the Duzhi Department, which is only responsible to Your Majesty.

In this way, the Queen Mother will not be able to manipulate food and supplies at will in the name of logistics and interfere with the war on the front line."

Zhao Xu clapped his hands and praised: "Excellent!"

“Fourth, streamline the bureaucracy.

Eliminate idle official posts and cut unnecessary government offices."

Cheng Yi looked serious, “Over the years, the Queen Mother has been adding more official positions and placing her cronies in positions to consolidate her power, causing the bureaucracy to become bloated and inefficient.

This move can not only save financial expenditure, but also eliminate the Queen Mother's followers."

Zhao Xu's face grew slightly gloomy.

It would be a good thing to dismiss Empress Dowager Gao's followers, but it might also arouse conflicts between the Emperor and the Empress, so this might be difficult.

"Fifth, military system reform." Cheng Yi raised his voice, "Abolish the 'changing garrison system' and implement the 'camp farming system' that pairs generals and soldiers for a long time.

Soldiers are under the long-term command of generals, so that they can enforce discipline in wartime and enhance the combat effectiveness of the army. In addition, the generals are appointed and dismissed by Your Majesty personally, so as to avoid the Queen Mother using military power to check Your Majesty. "

Zhao Xu suddenly hesitated. This was a bit like... Yes, Wang Anshi's reform!

Zhao Xu frowned and said, "The Hou Party is most afraid of the new law making a comeback. Our methods are actually the same as the new law. I am afraid it will trigger even greater disputes."

Cheng Yi sneered and said, "We are just changing with the times. This time is different from that time. Wang Jiefu's adoption of these measures was not in line with the current situation. However, the current situation is strong and the Song Dynasty is at a critical moment of life and death. We can no longer afford to be indecisive!"

Zhao Xu took a deep breath.

Cheng Yi's eyes became a little wandering.

He didn't know there was a saying: "Question Wang Anshi, understand Wang Anshi, and become Wang Anshi." If he knew, he would understand why he felt a little strange.

But he immediately put the thought aside and continued, "Sixth, local governance reform."

Cheng Yi said slowly, "The government should take the initiative to shorten the term of office of county chiefs to three years, and they cannot be re-elected.

Moreover, the government should directly supervise the inspectors and monitor local officials, and the inspectors should report directly to Your Majesty.

In this way, local officials will only know how to be loyal to Your Majesty, and it will be difficult for the Queen Mother to build up power in the local area. "

"Seventh, limit the power of maternal relatives."

Cheng Yi's eyes were firm, "We must strictly prohibit the interference of external relatives in government affairs, and abolish the privilege of external relatives to hold important positions without examination.

The Queen Mother's clan is very powerful, and this move can cut off their tentacles reaching into the court."

"Eighth, establish an intelligence monitoring network."

Cheng Yi finally said, "Your Majesty should place spies inside and outside the court and in the army to monitor the words and deeds of officials and the movements of the army. Your Majesty will be informed of any disturbances in the first place and can respond in advance to any unusual movements of the Queen Mother and her followers.

Of course, when the emperor has complete control over the imperial court, this monitoring network can be used to deal with Su Ni."

After hearing this, Zhao Xu paced back and forth in the hall excitedly, his eyes full of light: "Mr. Cheng, these 'Eight New Policies' are exactly what I want!
With these eight points, I will be able to control the overall situation and turn the tide of the war."

While the emperor and his minister were talking, Cheng Yi's trusted adviser Ban Chang smiled slightly.

The night was as dark as ink, and the candlelight in Wang Yansou's residence flickered in the thick darkness.

Wang Yansou, who had just returned from the court, looked exhausted. Just as he was about to undress and take a rest, he heard a servant report that a mysterious person outside the door had delivered a secret letter, saying that it was related to the safety of the court.

Wang Yansou's heart tightened, and he quickly walked to the door and took the secret letter.

With the help of the dim candlelight, he hurriedly unfolded it, and the words "Eight New Policies" came into view.

As he read deeper, his face became increasingly gloomy, the paper in his hand trembled slightly, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

"This... This is simply uprooting the foundation that the Queen Mother has worked so hard to build! This is putting us loyal ministers to death!"

Wang Yansou muttered to himself, not daring to delay even a bit. He immediately ordered a carriage to be prepared and rushed to the palace overnight.

Inside Empress Dowager Gao's bedroom, the flickering candlelight illuminated her lazy yet dignified face.

When Wang Yansou hurried into the palace and knelt on the ground to present the secret letter, Empress Dowager Gao realized that something was very serious. She reached out to take the secret letter, her eyes quickly scanned the words, her face turned pale in an instant, her body trembled slightly, and the secret letter in her hand almost slipped.

"Great Zhao Xu, Great Cheng Yi!"

Empress Dowager Gao gritted her teeth and spoke word by word, her voice trembling slightly with anger, "How dare you use these 'Eight New Policies' to destroy all my years of hard work in one fell swoop!
Reforming the imperial examination system, reorganizing the Privy Council, taking back financial power...everything is aimed at me!"

Wang Yansou kowtowed to the ground, his voice heavy: "Empress Dowager, Zhao Xu and Cheng Yi's plan this time is very aggressive.

Once these decrees are implemented, the Queen Mother's power in the court will collapse, and there will be no place for the Queen Mother in the court! There will be no place for loyal ministers like us, and the foundation of the Song Dynasty will collapse!"

Empress Dowager Gao took a deep breath, tried to calm herself down, and paced back and forth in the hall.

After a long while, she stopped and said with a sharp gaze: “We can’t just sit back and watch this happen.

Tomorrow in the court, you must join hands with other ministers to refute with all your strength and stop Zhao Xu from implementing the new policy.

At the same time, we must secretly contact various forces to consolidate our foundation and never let them succeed!"

Wang Yansou took the order and withdrew.

Empress Dowager Gao sat alone on the couch, looking at the flickering candlelight, with a lot of thoughts in her mind. She thought about how she had worked hard for the Song Dynasty for many years, but she didn't expect that Zhao Xu and Cheng Yi would force her into such a situation.

"I must not lose!" Queen Mother Gao clenched her fists, a trace of determination flashing in her eyes.

At the same time, in Zhao Xu's imperial study, Zhao Xu, Cheng Yi and others were still enthusiastically discussing the details of the new policy, unaware that Empress Dowager Gao had already learned of their plan.

A more intense court struggle was rapidly approaching, like the dark clouds before a storm. The next morning, the sun shone on the streets of Bianjing, but the court was filled with a tense atmosphere.

When Zhao Xu proposed to implement the "Eight New Policies", Wang Yansou was the first to stand up and refute fiercely: "Your Majesty, the war in Guanzhong has not been settled yet, and the situation in the court is unstable. Implementing new policies at this time will undoubtedly disrupt your own position!

These new policies seem to be for the sake of the country, but in fact, Cheng Yi and others are trying to mislead Your Majesty in an attempt to stir up disputes in the court and shake the foundation of the Song Dynasty!

"I believe that Cheng Yi must be a spy sent by the traitor Su to disrupt the court of the Song Dynasty. I beg you to execute the traitor Cheng Yi!"

These words were like a bolt from the blue, and immediately the entire court was in an uproar.

Other ministers who supported Empress Dowager Gao echoed her opinion, and the court was thrown into chaos.

Zhao Xu's face turned pale, and Cheng Yi was so angry that he was shaking all over.

Cheng Yi was so angry that his whole body was shaking. He took a step forward and pointed his spear at Wang Yansou. His voice trembled slightly with anger: "Wang Yansou! You are slandering me!
I, Cheng Yi, am devoted to the great Song Dynasty and to saving the people from disaster, so I present the 'Eight New Policies' to Your Majesty.

You don't think about how to deal with the current crisis, but instead you maliciously slander me. What is your intention?"

Wang Yansou snorted coldly, his eyes like knives, scanning the court, and raised his voice and said: "Cheng Yi, you are so eloquent!

The reform of the imperial examination system was clearly intended to cut off the path for many children of aristocratic families to serve the court, thus shaking the foundation of our dynasty;
The reorganization of the Privy Council is to place your cronies in positions of power and control military power;
In order to take back the financial power, he even attempted to prevent the imperial court from allocating supplies, thus leaving the soldiers on the front line isolated and helpless!
Which of these things, one by one, is not to flatter Su Ni? "

At this time, a young official who supported the new policy stood up and said, "Minister Wang, the new policy proposed by Minister Cheng is aimed at reforming the government and improving the court's ability to deal with crises.

Now that Su Ni's army is approaching Chang'an, if we don't reform, how can we break the impasse and save the Song Dynasty from danger? You are making groundless accusations, I'm afraid you have other intentions!"

Wang Yansou's face darkened, he glanced at the young official, and refuted sharply: "You are a young boy, what do you know about the affairs of state!
The stability of the court and the fighting on the front line rely on the rules and connections accumulated over the years.

The rash implementation of new policies will only make the situation more chaotic.

You people, deceived by Cheng Yi, will sooner or later push the Song Dynasty into an irreparable situation!"

Zhao Xu suppressed his anger and looked at Wang Yansou coldly: "My Lord, if you don't have solid evidence, you can't slander the ministers at will.

The 'Eight New Policies' proposed by Cheng Qing are all for dealing with the current crisis. I have made up my mind, and the new policies must be implemented!"

Empress Dowager Gao had been watching coldly, and finally spoke up at this moment: "Your Majesty, in the court, everything needs to be considered carefully.

The current situation is unclear, and rash implementation of new policies may lead to many unexpected events.

I suggest that we put the new policy aside for now and focus on dealing with Su Ni. Once the situation stabilizes, we can discuss reforms.”

Wang Yansou immediately knelt down and echoed loudly: "The Queen Mother is wise! We should focus on the overall situation at this time, first lift the siege of Chang'an, and then discuss new policies.

If the new policy delays the war, how will Your Majesty explain to your ancestors and the people of the world? "

In the court, the two factions supporting and opposing the new policy each held their own views, argued fiercely, and refused to give in to each other.

Zhao Xu frowned and thought to himself that Empress Dowager Gao, Wang Yansou and others had a tough attitude. If he put the matter on hold, his ambition to regain power and save the Song Dynasty would be difficult to achieve.

But if the new policy is forced through, it may cause division in the court, which will be detrimental to the war on the front line!

After all, he was young, and for a moment he looked hesitant.

Seeing Zhao Xu's hesitation, Cheng Yi became anxious and knelt down again: "Your Majesty, this opportunity cannot be missed!
The Su rebels have invaded and Chang'an is in danger. This is not just a military crisis, but also a total outbreak of the accumulated political ills of our Song Dynasty.

Nowadays, the court is filled with people who are just sitting there doing nothing, which makes it difficult for government policies to be implemented and resource allocation to be obstructed everywhere.

If we don't implement the new policy now, integrate the forces of all parties, and fight against Su Ni?"

He raised his head, tears in his eyes, and looked directly at Zhao Xu: "Take the reform of the imperial examination system for example. The court is full of sons of imperial favor, most of whom are just sitting there doing nothing and have no ability to govern the country.

However, the truly knowledgeable and resourceful scholars from poor families have no chance to serve their country because of their humble origins.

If this continues, the court will be filled with mediocre people. How can they formulate a strategy to defeat the enemy?

The reorganization of the Privy Council is even more urgent.

Today, the Privy Council is controlled by countless incompetent people, military decision-making is slow, and the transmission of intelligence from the front line is hindered.

If we don't replace them with generals who are proficient in military tactics, how can we command thousands of troops and repel Su Ni?"

Cheng Yi became more and more excited as he spoke, and he stood up and paced around the court: "If the financial power is concentrated in the three departments, countless parasites will manipulate food and supplies at will in the name of logistics.

The soldiers on the front line fought bravely, but they might fail due to lack of food and fodder.

Streamlining the bureaucracy will not only save fiscal expenditure, but also eliminate those who are just sitting there doing nothing and improve administrative efficiency.

Only in this way can the imperial court's orders be implemented smoothly and all resources can be accurately allocated to the front line."

"Military reform is also urgent!" Cheng Yi raised his voice, "The 'Changing Garrison System' has caused the separation of soldiers and generals, resulting in chaos in wartime command and a significant reduction in the combat effectiveness of the army.

Implement the "camp-farming military system" and let the soldiers be under the long-term command of the generals, so that they can enforce discipline in wartime..."

Cheng Yi knelt again and said earnestly: "Your Majesty, the Song Dynasty is now at a critical juncture of life and death. The implementation of the new policy may encounter resistance, but this is our only hope to break the impasse.

If we hesitate and miss this opportunity, once Su Ni has pacified Chang'an and marched eastward, our Song Dynasty will be ruined forever. How will Your Majesty face your ancestors and the people of the world? "

Empress Dowager Gao, Fan Chunren, Lu Dafang and others all looked extremely unhappy.

Cheng Yi did not criticize them by name, but they had been in power for as many as six or seven years. After the Yuanyou Reforms, all the officials in the court and local governments were arranged by them.

At this time, Cheng Yi refuted these people and said they were worthless. This was no different from pointing at their noses and cursing at them.
Empress Dowager Gao's face was so gloomy that water seemed to drip out of it. Her well-maintained hands were tightly gripping the armrests of the chair, and her knuckles were white.

She stared at Cheng Yi, with flames of anger burning in her eyes, but she suppressed the anger in her heart. After all, she had to maintain the dignity of the queen mother in the court.

Fan Chunren's brows were twisted into the shape of a "川" character, and his face turned red and white.

He opened his mouth, as if wanting to refute, but couldn't find the right words for a moment.

For many years, he believed that he was impartial and worked hard for the Song Dynasty. Now that he was accused by Cheng Yi, he felt both wronged and angry.

Lu Dafang put his hands behind his back, his body trembling slightly, and veins bulged on his forehead.

He looked around the court and saw that everyone's eyes were on him. He became more and more angry and said angrily: "Cheng Yi, you keep saying that you are doing it for the Song Dynasty, but in fact you are slandering the important officials of the court.

Since the Yuanyou Reform, we have been working day and night, worrying about the country and the people. The court is clean and honest, and the people live and work in peace and contentment. This is obvious to all!
You are saying that everything is worthless. What is your intention?"

Upon seeing this, Wang Yansou immediately stepped forward and echoed, "Prime Minister Lu is absolutely right!

Cheng Yi, you clearly have ulterior motives and are deliberately disrupting the court and misleading the emperor's mind.

The Queen Mother and the other gentlemen have worked so hard to get to this point. How dare you slander their years of hard work? Your crime is unforgivable!"

The ministers who supported Empress Dowager Gao began to criticize her, and the court was suddenly plunged into noise again.

(End of this chapter)