I studied in modern times

Chapter 872: Hinting to the Queen Mother that Zeng Bu was unfaithful (Happy New Year)
When Zhao Xu returned to Baoci Palace, Empress Dowager Xiang had just sent away a lady from the Xiang family who was coming to the palace for an audience with the emperor.

Zhao Xu asked his attendants and found out that the lady was Wang, the first wife of Xiang Zongdan, the transport commissioner of Quanjingxi Road.

"Xiang Gongmei? Zeng Bu's children and relatives?"

Zhao Xu pondered for a moment, and then he remembered why Zeng Bu stabbed Zhang Dun in the back, turned to the Queen Mother, and supported the bastard Zhao Ji in his previous life.

The historical records we see today are basically based on the relationship between children and relatives.

Zeng Bu had a beautiful idea.

By supporting Zhao Ji, he could not only defeat Zhang Dun, but also gain the credit of supporting him, and he could also consolidate his power through the marriage relationship between his own family and the Xiang family.

The only thing he wanted to miss was that the Zhao officials had problems with not only their own lifespans.

The same is true for the empresses dowagers of the Zhao emperors.

Since Zhangxian Mingsu, no one has lived to be over sixty years old.

Therefore, he was only proud for one year, followed by the death of Empress Dowager Xiang.

He also faced a reckoning.

Faced with Cai Jing's attack, he was at a loss and finally defeated.

A good swimmer will eventually drown, and a backstabber will eventually be backstabbed.

Thinking of this, Zhao Xu pretended to ask the Lady Zhang, the Shanggong of Baoci Palace, who was beside him: "Madam, I heard that the Jingxi Road Transport Envoy Zong Dan seems to be related to the current ruling official Zeng Xianggong?"

"Yes..." Zhang answered subconsciously when she heard Zhao Xu's question.

"How did Mr. Zeng get married to my mother's family?" Zhao Xu asked.

"It happened in the first year of Yuanfeng..." As Empress Dowager Xiang's close friend, Zhang knew all the family affairs of the Xiang family. She said softly, "At that time, Mr. Zeng was appointed as the governor of Guangnan East Road by the late emperor, and Zong Dan, the transport officer of Jingxi Road, was the deputy transport envoy and the official of the capital in Guangnan East Road... The two became good friends and exchanged engagement letters. Later, it was natural for their children to become in-laws..."

"Mr. Zeng married his third daughter to Zongdan's son, Zixin..."

"This couple loves each other very much. They have been married for only ten years, but they already have two sons and a daughter..."

Zhao Xu listened and thought to himself, "That's right!"

Zeng Bu's official career began to improve again after the first year of Yuanfeng.

I think the Xiang family played a role behind this.

These nobles and relatives of the Song Dynasty were all willing to invest.

It can even be said that they have the awareness of modern venture capitalists.

Most of the time, these people are actually more willing to help when someone needs it rather than add icing on the cake.

When they invest (marry off their daughter), they really look at the person rather than the family background.

In the Song Dynasty, countless poor scholars made their first fortune from wealthy families.

These people relied on their wives' dowries to survive until the day they achieved success.

It is for this reason that there are so many Bianjing drifters who are reluctant to leave.

Many people would rather starve to death in Bianjing City than return to their hometown.

Because, they have really seen these people, or even people they know - he was a poor man before and couldn't even afford to marry a wife in his hometown.

But, one day he was appreciated by others.

You can marry a beautiful wife in no time, with a large dowry.

Moreover, this kind of miracle happens every year.

You could even say it happens every month!
For example, outside the Imperial College, there were always a large number of horse-drawn carriages parked, filled with servants from the major noble families in Bianliang.

The main job of these people was to observe and record the words, deeds, appearance, character and reputation of the students of the Imperial Academy for their masters.

Therefore, these carriages are commonly known as "son-in-law selection carriages".

Every day, there would be students hanging around these carriages, and some would even perform like peacocks spreading their feathers.

In the hope of gaining the appreciation of the people on the bus and introducing them to the nobles.

Of course, sometimes, the performances of the students did not attract Taishan who wanted a son-in-law, but also a noblewoman who wanted a strong young man... or a wealthy businessman who wanted to borrow sperm...

For example, when Zhang Dun was young, he was kidnapped into a yard and almost became a stud horse...

Thinking of this, Zhao Xu suddenly remembered some things he had seen in modern times.

There are luxury cars parked in front of the art schools, with drinks on the roofs of the cars.

And it’s not just the wealthy and the second generation who do this.

And the rich woman...

So, when Zeng Bu was down and out and demoted, in the eyes of his family, this was a good investment opportunity.

At this time, arrange for a side branch to contact and make friends with Zeng Bu, then marry their children to him as in-laws, and then use this identity to help Zeng Bu turn things around.

Once successful, the benefits will be limitless!

The same is true!

Now Zeng Bu has been appointed as the regent, and has been ordered to preside over the trial of various cases involving illegal clerks in the prefecture, and he has become the center of attention!
The Xiang family's investment has finally paid off.

The benefits are more than ten times!

Zhang looked at Zhao Xu's thoughtful expression and asked in a low voice, "What is the emperor thinking about?"

Zhao Xu shook his head and said, "Nothing... just some emotion..."

"Ok?"

"I always thought that Mr. Zeng was my grandmother's man..." Zhao Xu said calmly.

Zhang raised her eyebrows and bowed slightly: "Your Majesty, this is wrong!"

"All the officials in the world are officials of the government!"

"That's right!" Zhao Xu smiled and nodded: "They are all my subjects..."

“You can know a person’s face but not his heart…”

"Who is a loyal minister? Who is a treacherous minister?"

"Who is a good minister? Who is a treacherous minister who will harm the country and the people?"

“I still don’t know!”

Zhang lowered his head thoughtfully and said softly, "This is the key to governing a country!"

"I, a woman, do not understand, but I have heard Your Majesty say that when employing people in the court, one should 'listen to their words and observe their actions'..."

"Good!" Zhao Xu nodded: "That's what my mother taught me!"

"I should learn more so that I can master the key to governing a country and employing people."

Zhang nodded again and dared not speak to Zhao Xu anymore.

……

Empress Dowager Xiang leaned back on the cushion and listened quietly to Zhang's report.

After a long while, she opened her eyes: "Did Sixth Brother really say that?"

"Yes……"

"It seems that Sixth Brother has something against Mr. Zeng!" Empress Dowager Xiang said slowly.

Zhang didn't dare to answer and just lowered her head silently.

Empress Dowager Xiang said to herself: "This child has always been thoughtful!"

"I'm afraid this time, he wants to use you to tell me... that he is dissatisfied with Mr. Zeng..."

"This is to keep the Xiang family away from Mr. Zeng!"

Naturally, Zhang didn't dare to answer.

Empress Dowager Xiang looked at her and said, "I think Xiang Zongdan can no longer serve as an official in Jingxi Road!"

"Let him go far away!" "It just so happens that Tanzhou is short of a governor. Let him prepare and go to Tanzhou to take up his post!"

"Yes!" Zhang bowed and accepted the task.

Empress Dowager Xiang continued to lean on the cushion, slowly closed her eyes and began to daydream.

Since the Xining period, Tanzhou in Jinghu South Road has been responsible for the court's management and stabilization of Jinghu, and served as a logistical fulcrum for military operations in the direction of Guangnan East Road and Guangnan West Road.

Last year, when Zhang Dun went on a southern expedition, the court urgently transferred Xie Jingwen, a famous official who had served as the prefect of Tanzhou and the transport envoy of Guangxi during the Yuanfeng period, to the important position of the prefect of Tanzhou to provide logistical support for Zhang Dun.

It was thanks to Xie Jingwen's efforts that the coins minted at Yongfeng Field in Tanzhou could be continuously transported to Guangxi and Jiaozhou, providing vital financial support for the Song Dynasty to stabilize Lingnan. From the first year of Yuanyou to the present, the money supervisors of Yongfeng Field in Tanzhou and Censhui Field in Shaozhou in Guangnan East Road, in accordance with imperial orders, had all the official copper produced by mining and smelting turned into coins (both from mining taxes and from purchases).

The total number of these coins exceeded two million strings of cash.

It was the influx of these minted coins that made Guangxi no longer short of money.

It also allowed Gao Zunhui and others to expand sugarcane planting in Jiaozhou on a large scale.

Now, the sixth brother is interested in appointing Cai Jing to replace Zhang Dun, who has returned to his hometown to observe the mourning period, as the governor of Guangxi and the protector of Annan.

And Cai Jing is Sixth Brother’s confidant.

At this time, letting Xiang Zongdan go to Tanzhou actually gave him an opportunity to get close to and make friends with Cai Jing.

At the same time, it was also to keep Xiang Zongdan away from the court and Zeng Bu.

If Zeng Bu is really struck by lightning in the future, the Xiang family will at least not be implicated.

……

Two days later, the Dali Temple and the Censorate entered the final stage of the trial of cases in which clerks in the prefecture harmed and tortured the people.

Not to say that the results are about to come out.

Instead, Zhao Xu issued an imperial decree, requiring that the case be tried based on the current scope of the case.

no way!
If there is no restriction, the crows will continue to bite and might implicate the ministers in the court.

It will be difficult to end it then!
You must know that in just ten days, the crows were trained into a prison in the Dali Temple through harsh punishments.

He pried open the mouths of one clerk after another.

The wealthy and powerful people in the prefecture were in great misfortune in an instant.

In the case of treason committed by Wang Deli, a clerk in Chenliu County, several officials in the prefecture who were related to him by marriage were imprisoned.

These people in turn affect their respective in-laws, causing a chain reaction.

In just half a month, more than a dozen prefectural clerks, county lieutenants, and county magistrates were dismissed on the spot or fled to other counties.

Coupled with the impact of other cases that were tried together, the county lieutenants and chief clerks in the 17 counties within the jurisdiction of Kaifeng Prefecture, who were traditionally hereditary officials of local gentry and strongmen, were almost purged.

Influenced by these people, almost all the county magistrates in the prefecture were also affected.

Either he was dismissed from office or he was demoted to another county.

Therefore, until now, those who can still sit safely in their positions are all capable people who have been tested and have political achievements.

This is a pleasant surprise!

"It is true that 'loyal ministers are revealed in times of turmoil, and strong grass is revealed in strong winds'!"

Zhao Xu looked at the list of officials in the prefecture who were still in office after the turmoil, which was compiled by Wang Zishao, and showed a look of delight.

Because, on this list, he saw several familiar names.

For example, Taikang County Magistrate Li Zhiyi was one of the few county magistrates who was surrounded by the crows of the Censorate and found fault with, but no problem was found.

Many people may not be familiar with this man.

However, most people should have heard of a poem he wrote - Bu Suanzi. I live at the head of the Yangtze River.

Yes, he is the author of the popular line "I live at the head of the Yangtze River, you live at the tail of the Yangtze River, I miss you every day but I can't see you."

For example, Zhao Tingzhi, the magistrate of Yangwu County.

This person was the great uncle (father-in-law) of the later great talent Li Qingzhao.

He is also an old acquaintance of Zhao Xu.

In Zhao Xu's previous life, during the Shaosheng and Yuanfu eras, he was very active.

He successively held important positions such as Zhongshu Sheren and Jieshi Zhong, and was considered one of the people around Zhao Xu.

According to what is known about Zhao Xu in modern times, he was later appointed prime minister during the reign of Zhao Ji and was an enemy of Cai Jing.

Of course, he is just a small shrimp now.

He couldn't even come close to Cai Jing, and he might not have even seen Cai Jing a few times.

Moreover, he is also an unlucky child.

Last year, when he entered the capital to wait for the imperial examination, he was selected to attend the Academy of Scholars to take the examination for the Imperial Library. As long as he passed the examination, he would be granted an official position in the Imperial Library, and his life would take off immediately.

As a result, the academic examination of the Academy that year was exposed in which Zhang Xu and Lin Xi secretly transferred information to each other.

The old party was filled with indignation, and Zhang Li's political enemies in the new party added insult to injury.

Later, there was a case in which the questions of the imperial examination presided over by Su Che were suspected of "slandering the saints and defaming the former emperor."

For a time, there was an uproar in the government and the country.

Zhao Xu was so annoyed by their arguing that he decided to take a one-size-fits-all approach and directly issued an edict to abolish the results of that year's imperial examination and not to retake it.

Zhao Tingzhi was immediately in trouble.

Fortunately, he had good political achievements, and as a young and vigorous member of the New Party, he was once singled out for praise by Wang Anshi.

So, when he arrived at the Ministry of Personnel, he was noticed by Wang Zishao.

With Wang Zishao's help, he was appointed as the magistrate of Yangwu County.

However, he did not expect that only one year after he took office as Yangwu, a conspiracy among the clerks in the prefecture would be exposed for treason.

He was almost caught and taken to Bian Jing for trial.

Fortunately, he had a solid political record and no one had caught him, so he passed the test smoothly.

Except for these two people, the other fifteen county magistrates were all dismissed or demoted.

This is enough to show its value!

Among the heads of clerks in the seventeen counties of the prefecture, only a few remained after this great purge.

In many counties, the magistrate, county lieutenant, bailiff, and chief clerk are now all in one place.

Therefore, those officials who have managed to hold on until now and are still in office have the opportunity to have their names seen by Zhao Xu.

"Fugou County bailiff Zhao Shicheng..."

"Xiangyi County Chief Clerk Wang Yong..."

"Li Siwu, the county lieutenant of Dongming County..."

They are all unknown characters.

But they were able to survive this great purge of the prefecture, which proves that they are gold that has been tested.

So not only that, his name reached the ears of heaven.

They will also have the opportunity to be recruited by Zhao Xu himself!
As long as you pass the interview, soaring to fame is just around the corner!

Putting down the note in his hand, Zhao Xu looked at Wang Zishao and instructed him: "Ministry of Personnel, Li Zhiyi and Zhao Tingzhi are diligent in their work, have made outstanding achievements, and have a firm stance. I highly commend them! Each of them will be given a three-year reduction in their terms, and I will appoint them as Jixian School Managers!"

"promise!"

"As for... the other officials..." Zhao Xu said, "The Ministry of Personnel will arrange a time to recruit them all to the capital. They will first be in the Ministry of Personnel, where they will be tested on matters such as criminal law, finance, and grain. If they are indeed talented, I will test them myself!"

"If he can still pass, why should I be reluctant to grant him the title of Jinshi?"

In the Song Dynasty, one's background was the key to determining the upper limit and ceiling of an official.

And being a Jinshi is a stepping stone to heaven for everyone.

Because, the only one who could grant someone the status of a Jinshi was the emperor!
(End of this chapter)