Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 427: Fireworks (for the Bubble Blowing Tiger SL Leader)

"I rejected your appointment as Supervisory Censor. Are you unhappy?"

In a private room on the third floor of a large teahouse, Wanqi Xie stood at the window, looking at the garden below, and said with a smile.

Flowers are blooming in the garden, and the roses have formed pink buds.

Next to the tea table stood a man in his forties wearing a Confucian robe, with thin features and a sharp look.

He said respectfully: "It is all thanks to Mr. Wanqi's great cultivation that my official is where he is today.

My lord, you have been so kind to me and gave me a new life. No matter how you arrange things for me, how could I dare to complain to you?

Moreover, I believe that there must be a profound meaning behind your action.

It's just that I am stupid and can't understand your intentions."

"Ha ha……"

Wanqi Xie laughed, turned and walked towards the tea table, and said to the man kindly, "Sit down, drink tea, and talk slowly.

I have never treated you as an outsider, so you don’t have to be too reserved in front of me.”

"Yes, I regard you as my own father, but I cannot always listen to your teachings, so I am a little nervous when we meet for the first time."

The man answered, took two steps back, and sat down on the chair with his butt half-raised.

This man was named Xiao Hongji. He was a Jinshi in the fifth year of Shaoxing. He was initially appointed as a clerk. He later served as the magistrate of Liuzhou and the instructor of Fuzhou. He has just retired after serving as the prefect of Zhangzhou for three years.

The Ministry of Personnel selected officials and decided to appoint him as the Censor-in-Chief, a noble position much better than being the prefect of Zhangzhou.

However, he did not expect that when the list was submitted to the prime minister, Wanqi Xie crossed out his name.

With nowhere to go for the time being, Magistrate Xiao had no choice but to continue waiting in Lin'an for arrangements.

Today, he was notified by the steward of Wanqi Xie's mansion, so he changed into casual clothes and came here quietly to keep the appointment.

Wanqi Xie sat down behind the tea table. Xiao Hongji quickly poured out his cold tea and refilled it with another cup.

Wanqi Xie looked at his actions with satisfaction and said, "You knew that I was blocking your way, but you never came to see me to ask why. I am very satisfied with your energy-cultivation skills."

Xiao Hongji smiled apologetically and said, "I was cultivated by you, sir. No matter what you do, it must be for your consideration.

I am stupid and cannot understand your intentions, so I just obey your orders and do what you say. I don’t need to think too much about it.”

Wanqi Xie smiled and nodded with satisfaction.

Xiao Hongji was one of his few confidants, whom he cultivated step by step by using his official resources.

When he first became the vice prime minister, he became too proud of himself and challenged Qin Hui's authority, but was beaten down by Qin Hui.

From then on, Wanqi Xie never dared to get carried away again, and he became more careful in cultivating this confidant.

On the surface, it doesn't look like the two people have a close relationship.

Wanqi Xie took the teacup and took a sip, then smiled and said, "If my prediction is correct, I will soon be demoted to a commoner and banished to a remote place."

Xiao Hongji was so surprised that he almost knocked over his teacup.

He hurriedly held it with his hands, and was unaware that the spilled tea scalded his fingers.

"My husband, you...where did you get this from?"

Xiao Hongji calmed down and said: "The Jin people are now aggressive and the government and the public are shocked.

Sir, you have always advocated peace, and you are a minister of the Song Dynasty whom the Jin people admire and value. The court should rely on you. How could it be... How could it be..."

Wanqi Xie laughed and said, "The Jin people are just making empty threats to express their dissatisfaction with the various actions of our Song emperor since he ascended the throne. They...will not send troops this time."

Wanqi Xie's eyes fixed, and he said, "Wanyan Liang usurped the throne, and the country has been unstable ever since.

In this case, he will not rush to invade the south. Once he uses his troops against the Song Dynasty, he must win the battle, otherwise it will be very bad for him. "

Xiao Hongji said solemnly: "In this case, my husband should keep a low profile during this period. Why...be so aggressive to the government?"

Wanqi Xie smiled faintly: "Who do you think the emperor is targeting for rehabilitating Yue Fei? Even if I don't move, the emperor will do everything he can to take me down.

Rather than doing this, I would rather go with the flow and let the official think that I have already planned everything and have been caught by him."

Xiao Hongji immediately understood Wan Qixie's hidden meaning and asked excitedly, "My husband, do you have a backup plan?"

Wanqi Xie said: "My backup is the Jin people. The Jin people will not go south this time, but they will definitely go south in the near future.

As long as they win this battle, the trend of begging for peace will be rampant again. By then, it will be time for the government to invite me out of retirement."

After a brief thought, Xiao Hongji realized that Wanqi Xie wanted to replicate Qin Hui's rise to power.

Qin Hui only served as prime minister for one year, and was not even the sole prime minister, before he stepped down in disgrace.

After only a few years of idleness, the Jin army gained the upper hand on the battlefield and the pro-war faction of the Song State lost Zhao Gou's trust. In order to make peace with the Jin State, Zhao Gou invited back Qin Hui, who had always been a clear advocate of peace and was highly trusted by the Jin people.

From then on, Qin Hui began his journey as prime minister for more than ten years, with even greater authority than before.

Wanqi Xie said: "It was I who proposed to appoint Wei Liangchen and Tang Situi as assistant ministers, and they must accept this favor.

With the two of them and Shen Gai around, it would not be easy to change the general direction of the court.

The emperor has just ascended the throne, it is impossible for him to replace all the ministers, as that would shake the foundation of the country.

As long as there is three to five years, the situation will be completely reversed..."

At this point, Wanqi Xie smiled slightly and said, "Your Majesty thinks that I want to remove Yang Yuan's banner.

"Haha..., the emperor underestimates me. Who is Yang Yuan? How can I, as the prime minister, regard him as an opponent?"

Wanqi Xie tapped the table and said, "The chess game I really want to play is to use the country as a piece.

I will let the official take charge first, and when the Jin army marches south, he will still ask me to come out and clean up the mess."

Wanqi Xie glanced at Xiao Hongji and said, "As for why I removed you from the list of new supervisory censors, it was to allow you to become the supervisory censor."

After hearing this, Xiao Hongji was a little confused.

Before he could figure it out, Wanqi Xie said, "The emperor will not easily touch the prime minister, but that does not mean the emperor cannot touch the censors.

Moreover, the government is sharpening its knives, and the first move is to rehabilitate Yue Fei and kick me out of office.

The second step must be to reform the censorate and purge the remnants of Qin Hui’s followers.”

Xiao Hongji understood all of a sudden and said excitedly: "I understand.

If I entered the Censorate through my husband's nomination, and the emperor was carrying out a massive purge of the Censorate, it is very likely that I would be kicked out before I could even secure my position."

Wanqi Xie nodded with satisfaction: "That's right! Now I have rejected your appointment.

When the government cleans up the censors, they will see you as someone who can be used and promote you to important positions."

Xiao Hongji stood up in a hurry, and said with tears of gratitude: "My lord, you have taken so much trouble for me. I really don't know how to repay you."

Wanqi Xie waved his hand and said, "After I retire, you can work in the Censorate with peace of mind.

The day when you can be of great use will be when I am invited back to the court."

Xiao Hongji said gratefully: "I understand. I will leave everything to your arrangement."

Wanqi Xie pondered for a moment, and then said: "Yang Yuan is a pair that I used to confuse the emperor. The emperor thought that I was targeting Yang Yuan and would definitely protect him.

It is unlikely that he will go to Jiankang. Even the government may make an exception and give him an important position just to teach me a lesson.

The emperor is dissatisfied with the fact that the censors have been Qin Hui's mouthpieces for many years. This time, the emperor is in urgent need of fresh water to purify the censors, and maybe the emperor will let Yang Yuan go to the Imperial Censorate. "

Xiao Hongji's eyes turned cold, and he said in a deep voice: "Whether he goes to the Censorate or not, I will not let him go."

Wanqi Xie smiled and nodded: "Shen Gai, Tang Situi, and Wei Liangchen are all people who advocate peace talks with Jin.

People deeply detest people like Yang Yuan who disregard the safety of the country and the people and seek personal fame and popularity.

If you can maintain your position, it will be easy for them to see you. In this way, you will have a guarantee when I am not in the court."

Xiao Hongji said: "Yes! I know what to do now."

He paused, and then continued: "I heard that the new scholars have been torn into two factions because of the arguments for war and peace.

The runner-up, Xiao Yiran, is determined to join Yang Yuan, but the third place, Lu Chengze, has gathered a group of people to form a new faction. I may be able to recruit them as my support."

Wanqi Xie said: "As for the specific details, you can handle them yourself. I trust you. As for me, haha, I am just waiting to step down now!"

……

Wanqi Xie gave some instructions to his confidant Xiao Hongji and then returned home.

Soon, a housekeeper came with a visiting card, saying that Zhang Mi, the Tongpan of Beiting, Lin'an Prefecture, wanted to see him.

Along with the greeting card, there is also a gift list.

Wanqi Xie took a look at the gift list, smiled slightly, and ordered a meeting at the library.

He knew Zhang Mi would definitely come.

Although Zhang Mi worked for Qin Hui, he was not considered a core member of the Qin faction, so he was not implicated in this purge of the Qin faction.

In fact, it was because Qin Hui had been in power for many years. If he was even associated with him, there would be too many people to be cleaned up, which would cause great turmoil.

However, as long as Wanqi Xie gave a slight hint to the current censors, memorials impeaching Zhang Mi would be filed one after another.

Then, Wanqi Xie used some channels to let Zhang Mi know that it was he who saved him, so there was no reason for Zhang Mi not to come and join him.

After all, he bears more or less the mark of the Qin clan, and he is a Beijing official, working right under the emperor's nose.

Although Shen Gai, Wei Liangchen, Tang Situi and others were in favor of peace, they were clearly separated from Qin Hui. They would not accept Zhang Mi, who was suspected of being a member of the Qin faction.

His value of winning over is not that great.

However, Wanqi Xie knew that he would step down soon, but he was like a dead pig that was not afraid of boiling water.

He received Zhang Mi with a smile, accepted Zhang Mi's offer of service, and gave him some pointers on his future official career. Only then did Zhang Mi thank him profusely and leave.

Zhang Mi is different from Xiao Hongji, who were cultivated by Wanqi Xie. He is not loyal to Wanqi Xie. It's just that he can't rely on other big trees even if he wants to. It's a bit like seeking medical help from all directions when he is desperate.

Wanqi Xie did not really want to recruit him, but he just wanted to put as many obstacles in the way as possible in the court during his "retreat period". Both sides got what they wanted.

As soon as Zhang Mi left Wanqi Xie's mansion and got into the sedan chair, his face turned gloomy.

Because of the conflict he had with Yang Yuan, and because Yang Yuan was so popular, his scandals were always brought up.

The nickname "buttocks-touching hands" has spread quickly in official circles.

Today, I met with Lord Wanqi, and I could hear him speaking in a half-joking manner. It was obvious that even the ministers knew about this matter.

This made Zhang Mi extremely ashamed and angry. He had already foreseen that his official career would come to an end because of Yang Yuan's existence.

As long as Yang Yuan was in the center and kept creating trouble to draw attention to his existence, Zhang Mi's past behavior would continue to be mentioned.

Is this a serious matter?
Not so.

However, because everyone treated it as a joke and kept making fun of it, his good reputation as an official could no longer exist.

No matter how diligently he works in the future, there will always be people who will remember this embarrassing incident of his because of Yang Yuan.

When the Ministry of Personnel was selecting and promoting officials, as soon as they thought of the three words "touching buttocks", for the sake of the court's dignity, they would not allow the person to make any further progress.

Yang Yuan...

Zhang Mi gritted his teeth and sneered.

As long as Yang Yuan steps into politics, he has to do things, and as long as he does things, there is a possibility of making mistakes.

The Song Dynasty almost never killed civil officials until the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, when the country was facing death, and the purge of the Six Traitors of the Northern Song Dynasty set a precedent.

However, the Song Dynasty still adopted a cautious attitude towards killing civil servants.

Therefore, Zhang Mi did not dare to expect that Yang Yuan would commit a crime punishable by death.

But... if I could kick him out of Lin'an City, it would be fine if he didn't serve as an official under the same sky with me.

Otherwise, Zhang Mi and his butt would be stuck.

Yang Yuan, I will keep an eye on you.

You'd better be careful and don't fall into my hands!
Zhang Mi thought about it and sneered secretly.

……

May 1st is the day of the court meeting.

Civil and military officials went to the Chuigong Hall to meet the emperor.

It wasn’t just the fifth-rank officials in the capital who entered the palace to meet the emperor.

Officials who have little to do with government affairs will not attend the "regular court", otherwise there will be no room for them in the palace.

However, there were also some officials whose rank was lower than fifth rank, but whose duties were related, so they also had to go to the palace.

For example, when Kou Zhun first entered the palace to attend the court meeting, he was still a sixth-rank official. But he was a counselor, so he could attend the court.

The civil and military officials performed the ritual of seven bows to the emperor and returned to their seats. Then, they saw that the seat of the Vice Emperor was occupied by someone. Yang Cunzhong, who was about to go out to make a report, was slightly surprised and stopped.

Zhang Jun, who had just returned to the court to serve as prime minister, originally wanted to wait for Yang Cun Zhong to make the first remonstrance, because Yang Cun Zhong was now the Privy Councilor and was in charge of military affairs, so it would be more legitimate for him to make the remonstrance.

This was a plan that the two of them had discussed beforehand to "put an end to rumors and correct the emperor's mind."

Now seeing Yang Cunzhong standing motionless in the class, Zhang Jun couldn't help but look at him in confusion.

Yang Cunzhong knew that Zhang Jun had been demoted for many years and had not been in Lin'an. He did not know the character of Jin Wang Zhao Yu, so he shook his head slightly at him, signaling him to wait and see.

Yang Cunzhong knew very well how negligent the Prince of Jin was in government affairs.

He either didn't go to court, and when he did, he either wanted to help his brother fight, or he wanted to find someone to fight.

In short, His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin is a night owl who only comes home for a night reason.

As expected, just as the imperial eunuch asked the officials what they had to report, Prince of Jin Zhao Yu stood up.

"Your Majesty, I have this memorial."

Zhao Yu took out a memorial from his sleeve and said to Zhao Yuan, "The 'selector' Yang Yuan submitted the 'Book on the Jin People's Southward Exodus' and asked me to present it to the emperor.

Your Majesty, please read it. Yang Yuan is now waiting for your order outside the palace. You can summon him into the palace at any time and ask him questions in person! "

When all the officials heard this, they immediately became energetic.

When Yang Yuan was still the newly appointed provincial governor, he fired a cannonball with his remarks in front of the palace. Not only has the repercussions not subsided to this day, but they have become increasingly intense.

Now, he is going to fire again!
(End of this chapter)