Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 349 A True Man Cannot Be Without Power

"The Censorate is the mouthpiece of the upright officials and the eyes and ears of the emperor. Since the beginning of the Qingli Reforms, whenever there is a political struggle, the censors have been at the forefront. Now, even powerful figures like Liang Shi and Liu Hang have fallen under the weight of Wu Zhongfu's impeachments. No matter how deep Jia Changchao's influence is, he still fears this sword that hangs over his head every day."

After listening, Lu Beigu knew that Song Xiang's words were true.

As the Grand Chancellor, Jia Changchao was almost on par with the two prime ministers, Wen and Fu, in the Council of State Affairs. Ordinary officials did not even have the right to appear in court to present their reports, so how could they possibly shake his position in the slightest?
Only the censors, though of low rank, had the power to report on rumors and impeach officials, making them the fastest way for newly appointed scholars to get close to the core of power and make their voices heard.

"Moreover, because of the censor transfer policy promoted by Liu Hang before leaving office, almost all the people in the Censorate last year, except for Wu Zhongfu, who had the lowest official rank and was spared because he had not reached the minimum threshold for transfer to supervising censor, have been transferred due to this policy. This year, Ouyang Yongshu was newly promoted to acting censor-in-chief, which is exactly when he needs people. He appointed you as the provincial top scholar in the second year of Jiayou, and you can be considered to have a mentor-mentee relationship with him. Under his command, you will definitely have more room to show your abilities."

Song Xiang paused, looking at Lu Beigu's face, and said earnestly, "However, the Censorate is also the center of the vortex. Once you step into it, you will be attacked from both the open and the hidden, and there will be no peace. Now is the time to choose your future. You must think it through: do you seek temporary peace and proceed step by step, or do you take a risk and go straight for the central government?"

"The student hasn't thought it through yet."

Lu Beigu said, "However, I have already promised Zhang Fangping and Fan Xiang that if my ranking in the palace examination is acceptable, I will go to work for the Salt and Iron Bureau. Changing course so suddenly might be seen as breaking my promise."

"It's easy."

Song Xiang smiled slightly and picked up a cloth to wipe his mouth.

“Zhang Andao and Fan Jingong are both reasonable people. They value your talent and hope that you can manage the country’s finances and reform the salt administration, which is a good thing for the country and the people. However, there are treacherous officials in the central government who are confusing the emperor’s ears. If the court is not cleansed first, even if you have extraordinary abilities, they will hinder you at every turn and you will find it difficult to achieve anything. You just need to tell them the advantages and disadvantages frankly, and they will surely understand.”

Lu Beigu pondered carefully upon hearing this.

Instead of thinking about how to explain to Zhang Fangping and Fan Xiang, he pondered Song Xiang's motives for saying those words.

The suggestion that Song Xiang gave him before he was about to enter officialdom, although it was in response to his question about "how to bring down Jia Changchao", Song Xiang must have had his own considerations.

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, Lu Beigu believed that this was Song Xiang testing the waters.

For Song Xiang, although he still had many connections, these people were only truly useful to him when he was in power. As he lost power for a long time, many of these relationships became very delicate.

Even his former students and officials were included.

You can't assume that past relationships are permanent. It's not like people can't survive without their old boss; there will always be new bosses.

Therefore, after several years of being sent to other posts and nearly a year of being neglected after returning to the capital to await his new post, Song Xiang certainly didn't have many people at his disposal who could truly fight for him.

For Song Xiang, or any big shot, this was a very dangerous situation.

For powerful figures, reliable confidants are not only indispensable helpers in political struggles, but also essential tools for extending their reach of power.

After all, power is not something that comes naturally from a position.

Therefore, it is quite normal for Song Xiang to want to insert Lu Beigu into the Censorate during this major reshuffle and use him as a mouthpiece.

Moreover, according to the prevailing customs of the court at that time, Lu Beigu had received Song Xiang's guidance and protection, and a teacher-student relationship had been formed in effect. Since he was Song Xiang's disciple, it was only natural for him to serve him.

It doesn't make sense for them to be so eager to take advantage of others, but then shirk their responsibilities and back down when it comes to helping the teacher.
Of course, Lu Beigu also has the right to decide whether to accept the suggestion based on his own thoughts.

However, his subsequent choices will definitely affect Song Xiang's judgment of him.

"Moreover, entering the Censorate is not a lifelong commitment. Once you have eliminated the wicked and established your integrity, according to the current transfer system of the Censorate, it is impossible for you not to be transferred to continue serving as a censor. In the future, when you are transferred to an economic position, you will be able to make full use of your talents and move forward without any obstacles."

Seeing that Lu Beigu was still pondering, Song Xiang added a word, then said nothing more, leaving the decision to Lu Beigu himself.

Lu Beigu was also eating porridge while pondering how to make a decision.

Historically, in the third year of the Jiayou era, which is next year, the imperial court will undergo another major reshuffle.

Now that he and Jia Changchao are irreconcilable enemies, he naturally wants to get involved and try his best to bring Jia Changchao down.

Otherwise, if a ruthless old schemer like Jia Changchao were to continue plotting against him from the shadows, Lu Beigu would indeed be constantly on edge.

In the Song Dynasty's imperial court, the power of the prime ministers had grown increasingly stronger since the failure of the Qingli Reforms.

A person's career trajectory is completely different depending on whether they have a prime minister protecting them or not.

In his current social network, the only person who truly reached the level of a prime minister was Song Xiang.

In addition, the two were also "friends in adversity" in a certain sense. When Song Xiang took Lu Beigu as his student, Lu Beigu was just an unknown ordinary scholar. When Lu Beigu recognized Song Xiang as his teacher, it was the time when he was most neglected in his life. Due to Wen Yanbo's power, not even dogs came to his door.

Therefore, whether out of emotion or self-interest, making an effort to bring down Jia Changchao and give Song Xiang a chance to return to power is the best solution for Lu Beigu.

Of course, it's unrealistic to expect Lu Beigu to take down Jia Changchao all by himself.

He needs to wait for the right opportunity, and he also needs the help of important figures.

After careful consideration, Lu Beigu made up his mind.

After finishing his porridge, he stood up and bowed deeply to Song Xiang: "Thank you for your guidance, sir. I now know how to make a decision."

"Hmm." Song Xiang nodded. "The most important thing right now is to wait for the results of the palace examination. The higher your ranking, the easier your path will be after you enter officialdom."

"As for Jia Yan's matter, go and pick him up this afternoon, comfort him, and let him focus on recovering from his injuries. After this ordeal, he will certainly have to endure in the army for the time being, but there is no doubt that he may rise to a higher position because of this incident in the future."

Song Xiang's words were veiled, but they were actually a promise to Lu Beigu.

If he were to become the Privy Councilor for the third time, he would certainly turn around and promote those whom Jia Changchao had suppressed.

For a Privy Councilor who holds the power over personnel matters such as the appointment, dismissal, and promotion of officers, promoting a junior officer in the Imperial Guard would be incredibly easy; it would be as simple as saying a word.

That one sentence was enough to help Jia Yan overcome the hurdle that his family had struggled to overcome for three generations.

For military officers in the Song Dynasty, unless they were descendants of founding heroes, their military achievements, martial skills, and ability to lead troops were not the main factors for rising from junior officers to mid- to high-ranking officers. The only main factor was the appreciation of high-ranking officials in the Privy Council.

After finishing his breakfast, Lu Beigu bid farewell to Song Xiang and left the Song residence.

The spring sunshine was just right, shining on the streets and alleys of Kaifeng and dispelling the gloom of the past few days.

Lu Beigu first went out of the city to tell his sister not to worry anymore, then returned to the carriage shop in the city and hired a clean and spacious carriage. It was already noon, so he headed towards the Three Offices.

Upon arriving near the rear office of the Three Offices, he did not approach but waited outside.

After waiting for about half an hour, the door opened, and two soldiers helped a burly but unsteady man out. It was Jia Yan.

After three days apart, Jia Yan looked noticeably haggard, with bruises on his face, chapped lips, and no visible injuries below his neck, but the fierce and valiant spirit of a soldier remained in his eyes.

He was stunned when he saw Lu Beigu waiting outside, and his eyes immediately reddened.

"Brother-in-law!"

Lu Beigu quickly went to meet him and took Jia Yan from the soldier's hands.

The two soldiers had clearly received instructions from high-ranking officers in charge of the three military departments, and they knew that Lu Beigu had come to pick them up.

One of them clasped his hands in a fist salute to Lu Beigu and said in a low voice, "Provincial Governor Lu, Chief Jia has some minor injuries. He will recover after some rest. The superior has ordered that Chief Jia be granted a month's leave."

After saying that, he turned and went back.

Jia Yan grabbed Lu Beigu's arm with great force and asked in a low voice, "Beigu, are you alright? They keep pressuring me to confess about you."

"I am fine."

Lu Beigu helped him walk towards the carriage: "Brother-in-law, the matter has been investigated and cleared up. It was that villain Pei Degu who framed you and me. He has been arrested by the Imperial City Guard and confessed to the details of the framing. Your innocence has been cleared. Let's go home first. Your sister and nephew are waiting for you at home."

Upon hearing the name "Pei Degu," a flash of hatred crossed Jia Yan's eyes, but his expression softened upon hearing about his wife and children. He nodded, allowing Lu Beigu to help him into the carriage.

Inside the carriage, Jia Yan lay curled up, letting out a long breath, as if exhaling the humiliation and fear of the past few days.

He was silent for a moment before slowly saying, "That day... I really thought it was all over."

Does my brother-in-law hate me?

Lu Beigu handed him the water pouch and suddenly asked.

"Why should I hate you? This is a feud between the Lu and Pei families. I knew this calamity might befall me when your sister and I got married. Sigh, if it weren't for what happened before, how could someone from a family that has fought for three generations have the chance to marry such a wonderful wife?"

Afterwards, Jia Yan simply asked Lu Beigu to tell him in detail what he knew about the case.

The situation took an unexpected turn, and Jia Yan was deeply moved. He slapped his thigh, which aggravated his wound, causing him to wince in pain. "Good! Good! I knew you, Bei Gu, were destined for great fortune! This time, we owe it all to those benefactors."

Jia Yan took a few sips of water, wiped his mouth, and asked, "How did you do in the palace examination? Don't let this affect your palace examination; that's the most important thing."

"You did well. Now that the imperial examination is over, we just need to wait for the results. Don't worry, brother-in-law, we won't suffer this ordeal for nothing."

The wheels rumbled and rolled out of the city, arriving at the tofu shop where my sister worked.

Lu Nanzhi and her child were already waiting outside the door, their eyes filled with anticipation.

Jia Yan was helped down from the carriage by Lu Beigu. Lu Nanzhi rushed over, grabbed her husband's arm, and tears streamed down her face. She looked him up and down, choking back sobs, as if afraid he was missing a piece of flesh.

Young Jia An also clung to his father's leg, crying loudly.

Lu Beigu stood aside, watching his sister's family reunite, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He then helped Jia Yan into the house and closed the door.

Having heard Lu Beigu's message, Lu Nanzhi had already prepared warm water, towels, wound medicine, and clean clothes, and was now busy preparing food and wine in the kitchen.

After Lu Beigu personally cleaned and changed Jia Yan's dressings, Jia An was no longer as scared as before and ran around his father's knees and around the house.

Although the home was simply furnished, it was instantly filled with life upon the return of the male homeowner.

Jia Yan changed into a clean cloth robe. Although his movements were still slightly sluggish due to the pain, most of the gloom between his brows had dissipated.

He leaned back on the couch, looking at his busy wife and the young child in front of him, and sighed: "This time I really walked through the gates of hell! Heh, if it weren't for you two, I would have really wanted to fight to the death!"

Lu Nanzhi served a few simple but steaming dishes and a pot of cloudy wine. Her eyes were filled with tears, but she forced a smile and said, "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back! Don't say such unlucky things. Today our family is reunited, and Bei Gu is here too. We should have a drink to calm our nerves."

"Did you ask when you bought the wound medicine? Is drinking alcohol okay?" Lu Beigu asked specifically.

"It's alright. People in the army are used to it. Drinking a little alcohol can even improve blood circulation. As long as you don't use any medicine to treat sores, you'll be fine."

The three sat around a table, and Lu Beigu poured Jia Yan a full cup of wine.

Jia Yan suddenly asked, "We didn't talk about it in the carriage just now. How is that old killer Pei Degu doing?"

"It is said that the Imperial City Guard has already determined his guilt, but he took full responsibility in court and did not implicate anyone else. According to the law, he will probably be exiled to Shamen Island in the end."

"Exile to Shamen Island?"

Jia Yan sat up abruptly, which aggravated his wound, causing him to gasp in pain, but he still gritted his teeth and said.

"That old scoundrel got off too easy! To send him to Shamen Island to spend the rest of his life? I can't get over this humiliation! I wish I could eat his flesh and sleep on his skin!"

He was panting heavily when he suddenly lowered his voice and said to Lu Beigu, "Beigu, do you know what kind of place Shamen Island is? It's a living hell! The people in charge of the island are mostly ruthless and vicious men who have fought to the death. I have a brother in the army who's been through thick and thin with me. His surname is Lei, and he's currently working in the Eastern Route of Beijing, specializing in escorting these exiled prisoners to Shamen Island!"

Lu Beigu's heart skipped a beat: "Oh?"

A ruthless glint flashed in Jia Yan's eyes, and he lowered his voice even further: "That place is plagued by miasma and lacks medical care. It's common for one or two prisoners to die of illness every year! I'll have my brother bribe me with a lot of money, and it won't be difficult for that old scoundrel Pei Degu to fall ill on the way!"

Lu Beigu remained silent for a moment, without immediately responding.

He picked up the wine jar and refilled the two empty bowls. The sound of the wine falling into the bowls was clear.

"Brother-in-law."

He slowly spoke: "Pei Degu came for me, and you suffered this undeserved disaster for me. If you have the same intention, I will not stop you. This enmity is also my enmity."

Jia Yan stared at him, waiting for him to continue.

Lu Beigu then solemnly raised his glass: "Moreover, brother-in-law, you have suffered this great injustice because of me. I toast you, firstly to apologize, and secondly to calm your nerves."

"Bei Gu, what you said is wrong!"

Jia Yan grabbed his hand, his eyes wide with anger: "I'm your brother-in-law, we're family! What do you mean by 'involvement'? Pei Degu is our mortal enemy. If not this time, then next time! They're targeting you, which means they're targeting our whole family! I only hate that I'm of lowly status; I feel so aggrieved!"

After saying that, he tilted his head back and drank the wine in his glass in one gulp, the wine dripping down his stubble.

He was very agitated and drank several more cups, his face flushed, clearly as the fear, anger and humiliation that had been suppressed for the past three days surged into his heart.

Lu Beigu was moved and finished his wine. He said in a deep voice, "I'm glad my brother-in-law doesn't blame me. But after this incident, I feel even more strongly that in this world, having talent but no power is like being a fish on a chopping board! A true man cannot be without power for even a day!"

"Without the protection of power, let alone realizing one's ambitions, even protecting one's family would be extremely difficult. The reason they can frame others at will is simply because they hold power. And if they can frame my brother-in-law in the Privy Council today, they may very well come up with another evil plan in the future. Even if Pei Degu dies on the road, he still has people behind him. It's hard to guarantee that there won't be another Zhang Degu or Li Degu."

"What you say makes sense. A true man cannot be without power for even a day!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Yan's tense shoulders relaxed slightly. He sighed heavily, "I've fought in the army for over a decade, thinking my martial arts skills would surely earn me a place in the ranks. But now it seems it's all useless! Even if you can draw a three-stone bow and shoot an arrow through a willow leaf from a hundred paces, you'll only ever be a lowly constable who obeys orders for the rest of your life! Without connections, you're just a fish on a chopping block, your fate is not your own!"

Lu Beigu looked at him intently: "A true man should not let his fate be controlled by others. If it weren't for the fortunate coincidence and the help of a benefactor, we would probably be trapped in prison and doomed forever. One experience is enough to make you feel like you've entrusted your life and future to someone else's decision."

"Our path is to seize true power."

Then, Lu Beigu leaned forward, his voice resolute: "Only by seizing power can one truly control one's own destiny, protect one's family, and prevent such injustices from easily befalling innocent people. Brother-in-law, this revenge must be taken, but not in this way. What we must avenge is the complete severing of the mastermind's foundation."

Jia Yan stared blankly at his brother-in-law. The young man before him had clear eyes and a resolute expression, and his calm strength seemed to dispel the chill of the night.

His anger and resentment gradually subsided after hearing these words.

“Bei Gu, you’re right! It was my brother-in-law who was confused for a moment. He only thought about getting revenge and forgot that it would not benefit the overall situation if he took revenge on a dying criminal. On the contrary, it might leave hidden dangers. Now is the time for you to enter officialdom. We must not make any mistakes and give others a handle to use against you.”

Lu Beigu reached out and gripped his brother-in-law's uninjured forearm tightly: "Brother-in-law, don't worry, today's grudge will be repaid a hundredfold in the future, and it will be repaid openly and honestly!"

Jia Yan gripped his hand tightly, a firm hold conveying everything without words.

The oil lamp crackled softly, and the flame flickered.

Lu Nanzhi looked at her husband and younger brother, then got up and served them steaming hot fish soup.

"Alright, let's put the past behind us for now. Let's eat first. In a couple of days, Bei Gu will be waiting for the results, which is a huge matter."

The evening breeze swept through the courtyard, carrying the faint sound of a wooden clapper from afar.

The three sat around the table, saying nothing more, just eating their meal in silence, occasionally clinking their wine bowls together.

(End of this chapter)