I studied in modern times

Chapter 1012 Han Jiang Teaches His Younger Brother (1)

As evening fell, Han Wei returned to the Han family's ancestral home in Bianjing.

This house was bestowed by the Temple of Benevolence and is located in the first district of Yongji Ward.

Upon returning home, Han Wei went to Han Jiang's hospital room.

"Brother, are you feeling any better today?" Han Wei asked as he sat down in front of Han Jiang's sickbed.

Han Jiang, who had been bedridden for more than two months, chuckled and said, "To be honest, Chiguo... I had a dream this afternoon. I dreamt of my father, sitting in the main hall of the Changshe Ancestral Hall, as if he were waiting for me..."

"It seems..." Han Jiang said softly, "My time is not far off!"

Han Wei listened, his eyes reddening with emotion: "Brother, you are blessed with good fortune and have many skilled physicians to help you. You will surely recover well!"

Han Jiang smiled: "Chiguo, there's no need to comfort me... I know my own body!"

"Besides, I have no regrets in this life!"

As she spoke, Han Jiang leaned back on the pillow, her eyes becoming hazy.

Countless fragments of my life flashed before my eyes, and those once-blurred memories seemed to come alive again, imbued with color.

Childhood memories of playing in my hometown of Changshe, the time spent studying and practicing calligraphy with my brothers in the family school...

After growing up and entering Bianjing, I strolled with a friend for the first time in the night on Zhouqiao Bridge...

My first meeting with Sima Junshi...

My first encounter with Wang Jiefu in Yangzhou was when he was disheveled, unkempt, and had huge dark circles under his eyes...

This was my first time paying respects to Prince Ying, who was then the late emperor, at his residence…

Beneath the walls of Luowu City, those arrogant military generals and domineering Dangxiang bandits...

After returning to court and being appointed prime minister, he clashed with Lü Huiqing in the Hall of State Affairs...

In the end, everything was captured in the sincere eyes of the young emperor who was smiling at him.

"With your assistance, my esteemed advisor, I am like King Cheng meeting the Duke of Zhou..."

Han Jiang then smiled radiantly.

In the future, how many people will shine brighter than Han Jiang, Han Zihua, in the annals of history?
It was nothing more than a handful of people, such as the Duke of Zhou, the Duke of Shao, Xiao He and Cao Can, Zhuge Liang, and Guo Ziyi.

In the Song Dynasty, even Fan Zhongyan and Han Qi would probably have to rank after him!

If life is like this, what regrets are there in dying?
Seeing his brother's expression, Han Wei knew what Han Jiang was thinking.

In their twilight years, what do heroes seek most: a place in history for their achievements and blessings for their descendants?
And my brother, now he has it all!
Moreover, the more merits the emperor will achieve in the future, the higher his elder brother's evaluation will be.

Looking back at ourselves?

He appears to be in a high position of power and enjoys great merit and wealth.

Actually?
He couldn't even influence the government!
The chief ministers all treated him as an outsider, and when faced with his suggestions, they would either say, "Oh, oh, oh, the idea of ​​governing the country is very good. Let me discuss it with the relevant officials..."

Or perhaps it's simply—good! Holding fast to the throne is indeed a wise and experienced ruler! Alas, my words carry little weight…

In short, they made excuses and refused to let Han Wei participate in the major reforms of the Yuan You era!
Even the legendary "Yuanyou Grand Ceremony" bookstore couldn't get in!
Wen Yanbo, Zhang Fangping, and Feng Jing always smiled at him on the surface.

Han Wei sighed softly as he thought about these things, and couldn't help but shake his head.

Han Jiang looked at Han Wei's expression and knew what her fifth brother was thinking.

So, I couldn't help but whisper a reminder: "I have no worries about anything else!"

"I only worry about maintaining the country..."

"My loyalty goes unnoticed by the emperor, and my ambitions have nowhere to be realized..."

Since resigning as prime minister, Han Jiang had been worried about the future of his two younger brothers.

In particular, Han Jiang wrote letters repeatedly to Han Wei, urging him to closely follow the emperor and to constantly express his loyalty.

Ideally, a memorial should be submitted to offer congratulations on the first and fifteenth of each month.

Don't be afraid of being cheesy!
Don't be afraid of public criticism!
However, Han Wei remained aloof and refused to listen.

This is Han Jiang, who is deeply worried.

Hearing his brother's earnest concern, Han Wei immediately said with tears in his eyes, "I am not talented enough to trouble you, brother, even though you are bedridden, I still worry about you!"

"However, I do have something I'd like to ask you about today!"

"Ok?"

Han Wei said, "Today I went to the palace, met with the Emperor, and presented my report on the imperial examinations..."

Han Jiang stared wide-eyed at Han Wei in disbelief: "Chiguo entered the palace today to meet the Emperor and reported on the imperial examinations?"

He knew, of course, that Han Wei had been concerned about the imperial examinations since returning to the capital, and had often talked to people about the reforms to the imperial examinations this year.

But he never expected that Han Wei would actually go to the palace to show off his 'wisdom' before the emperor!
The senior officials and high-ranking officials in the capital dared not offer their wisdom before the emperor.

Han Wei dared to do it! Han Jiang was momentarily at a loss for words when it came to evaluating her younger brother.

Lowering his eyelids, Han Jiang sighed softly, "Does Chiguo know..."

"This is a move that greatly displeases the Emperor!"

Starting in the eighth year of the Yuanfeng era, Han Jiang became prime minister and presided over the work of the capital for a long time. He often had private audiences with the emperor to discuss state affairs.

Therefore, he was well aware of the mind of the emperor sitting in the Funing Hall—on the surface, he was humble and open-minded, able to accept advice and follow good advice, and acted as a sage ruler who could discuss everything.

In reality, once someone starts opposing what he has already decided to do...

Then everyone immediately realized that this emperor's heart was only the size of a grain of rice—those who offended him were at best relegated to a different table and made to sit at the children's table from then on.

More importantly...

Such as Li Ding, Zhang Chengyi, Wang Shen, Zhang Dunli, and others.

These people were either demoted to death in Lingnan, publicly executed, or secretly killed.

Not only will the person die, but they will also be accused of ten thousand crimes, and their entire clan will be implicated!
What do you mean by not punishing people for their words?

They can just fabricate a charge against you, and then it won't be considered a crime for your words.

Moreover, if he kills you, your clan and descendants will have to find ways to sing his praises—"Good job killing him! He killed you brilliantly!"

Just like Wang Shen's brothers—even now, they still have to submit congratulatory memorials every now and then, while also taking a jab at Wang Shen.

Otherwise, the Grand Master of Ceremonies will invite them to his residence for tea—do you have a problem with the Emperor?
The current emperor is humble and open-minded, and can accept any opinion.

Feel free to ask!

I vouch for you!
He's definitely not dead!

These are things that only those who are directly involved can truly understand.

The others, separated by the curtain of Bianjing City, could neither see nor understand.

Then there was the embellishment and packaging of the Bianjing Xinbao and Bianjing Yibao newspapers.

As a result, people all over the world actually believed that the current emperor was a holy emperor who could accept any opinion and listen to any kind of unpleasant but honest advice.

Therefore, during Han Wei's stay in the capital, Han Jiang kept reminding him and everyone in the Han household that if there was anything to report, they should consult with him first.

However, Han Jiang was ultimately a patient.

Moreover, he is very, very old, and his physical functions have been overdrawn by the high-intensity government work of the past three years.

Therefore, he often gets tired after waking up for a while and needs to rest in bed.

This morning, he slept until noon before waking up.

Everyone in the household was afraid of worrying him, so they didn't tell him about Han Wei.

So, he waited until Han Wei came to visit him before he learned that Han Wei had gone to the palace to show off his 'wisdom'.

This made Han Jiang's hands and feet instantly turn ice cold.

He wasn't afraid that the emperor would punish Han Wei.

Even if the emperor is furious, he won't punish him because of his reputation.

What he feared was that after his death, the emperor might think that Han Wei might not follow him.
That's trouble.

It should be noted that this year's imperial examination has a very high political dimension.

As the first imperial examination since the current emperor ascended the throne, this year's list of successful candidates is practically a declaration to the world of the future political direction of the Song Dynasty.

Therefore, even though Han Jiang was already bedridden, he still heard that the Emperor had discussed relevant reform matters with court officials before the imperial examinations.

The emperor, in his esteem, condescended to discuss matters concerning the imperial examinations with his ministers.

What for?
There must be a grand plan behind it.

Han Jiang was all too clear about His Majesty's attitude toward such matters—those who obstruct me shall die!

Li Ding initially only suggested abolishing the Bureau dedicated to manufacturing munitions.

This emperor directly used the name of the late emperor to label him a traitor and brought him a full package of demotions, including being placed under house arrest, removed from office, and suspended from office.

Moreover, he was directly demoted to Yingzhou!
We've passed Lingnan!
Li Ding thus became the second high-ranking official, after Cao Yong, to be demoted to Lingnan.

He eventually died in England.

Fortunately, after Han Jiang listened to Han Wei's introduction, especially after hearing about Han Wei's experiences in Anjiefang, he was able to recover.

He finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The Emperor, ultimately out of respect for this veteran minister, lent him a hand, showed leniency, and pointed out a clear path.

otherwise……

His fifth brother is unlikely to have a good end!
(End of this chapter)