I served as an admonisher in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 26: The only person who can relieve my worries is Su Jingming (please follow up)
Su Liang read Ouyang Xiu's "On the Strike of Fan Zhongyan, Han Qi and Others" with a serious look on his face.

Read it.

Can't help but take a long breath.

There were thin beads of sweat on his forehead.

This was his first time reading an article, and he actually broke out in a sweat.

He is worthy of being the literary leader of his day.

So eloquent!

That’s too bold!
This article is Ouyang Xiu's protest against Fan Zhongyan, Fu Bi, Han Qi and Sun Fu who were released one after another.

He stated in the article:
"I heard that a scholar should not forget his own body but not be loyal, and his words should not be contrary to his ears and should not be remonstrated. Therefore, I do not avoid the disaster of the gnashing of teeth of evil people, and dare to do things that are difficult for one person to offend."

"When a righteous man is in the government, evil people will be jealous of him, and his advisers will not be used. This is a blessing to the enemy's country."

"Now the four of you will leave, and the evil people will congratulate each other inside, and the barbarians will congratulate each other outside. This is why Your Majesty cherishes this minister."

"A group of evil people are vying to slander Qiao, but the honest people continue to leave the court. It is the autumn when I forget myself to serve the country. How can I avoid sin by keeping silent? I dare to be stupid and blind, but your Majesty chooses it."

……

The full text can be divided into two parts, one for praise and one for criticism.

Praise Fan Zhongyan, Fu Bi, Han Qi, and Sun Fu for their character, reputation, and achievements during their official service.

It damages the pedantry, infighting, incompetence, greed and selfishness of the current court officials, and collectively refers to them as: group of evil spirits.

The edge of the pen carries murderous intent, and every word is like a sword.

One attack and the entire nest was attacked.

Although he didn't call Qun Xie by his name, anyone with a discerning eye would know who he was scolding.

After Su Liang finished reading, he felt refreshed.

It's like drinking a bowl of cool well water on a hot summer day, it's very comfortable.

But think carefully.

I feel that this article was probably written by Ouyang Xiu when he was angry, or he wrote it while drunk.

It feels good for a while when you write it, but it will lead to disaster later.

First of all, the current governors have made no mistakes and the court is very stable.

There is no reason at all for his removal.

Secondly, Fan Zhongyan, Fu Bi, and Han Qi all asked themselves to be released, but Sun Fu had violated the rules and could no longer hold the post of admonishment.

Therefore, Ouyang Xiu's criticism is simply untenable.

It's completely heartbreaking.

In the end, the conservatives could only find evidence against him and once again accused him of forming a secret party with Fan Zhongyan, Fu Bi and others.

Su Liang looked at Zhou Yuan.

"When the officials saw this remonstrance, they should have kept it in mind. Why did it spread?"

Zhou Yuan smiled helplessly.

"Uncle Ouyang Yong may have guessed that the official would leave the remonstrance in the inner court and ignore it. Therefore, when submitting it to the official, he copied another copy and submitted it to Zhongshu. Last night, the remonstrance arrived. Now Everyone should know it by now!"

Su Liang frowned slightly.

According to Ouyang Xiu's wisdom, it is impossible not to know that relying on this remonstrance will not only fail to trip up the current rulers, but will also create trouble for himself in forming cliques.

He still does this, there is only one possibility:
He was extremely disappointed with the court and wanted to be demoted and sent out to become an idle local official.

Not long ago.

Wu Yu, who was a Hanlin scholar and knew Kaifeng Prefecture, entered Zhongshu and became a member of the political affairs committee.

According to the rules, after Ouyang Xiu finishes his work report, he will definitely fill the gap of Hanlin bachelor's degree.

Suddenly, Su Liangquan understood.

Uncle Ouyang Yong's real purpose is to be demoted and exiled.

On the side, Zhou Yuan sighed: "Next, I'm afraid there will be another storm in the court!"

……

And this moment.

In the vertical arch hall.

Emperor Zhao Zhen looked furious and was so angry that he wanted to give up his job.

He originally thought of treating Ouyang Xiu's remonstrance coldly, but he didn't expect that Ouyang Xiu also submitted a copy to Zhongshu.This article has been widely known throughout the court.

"This...this...Ouyang Xiu, isn't...isn't he forcing me? Can I only be considered a wise king if I listen to him?"

"Every word is about loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, but in fact, it is all for the sake of one's own reputation and the reputation of a criticizing minister. Don't I know better than him about who is traitorous and who is loyal? Who is suitable to stay in the court and who is suitable to be a foreign official?"

"If he is capable, I will let him take on all the positions of governor in the court. I want to see what kind of achievements he can make and whether he can make our Song Dynasty court no longer have disputes!"

……

afternoon.

Jia Changchao, Wang Gongchen, Qian Mingyi, and the newly appointed censor Li Jing began to go to school.

These people have an extremely sensitive sense of smell. If they catch Ouyang Xiu's loopholes, they will naturally be ruthless.

They claimed that Ouyang Xiu's "On the Dismissal of Fan Zhongyan, Han Qi and Others" had ulterior motives and ordered the monarch to select the court officials based on his likes and dislikes. What a crime!
In addition, Ouyang Xiu said that the court was inseparable from Fan and Fu, and was suspected of being a secret party.

These two crimes were enough to suppress Ouyang Xiu so much that he couldn't even lift his head.

Followed by.

One after another, ministers began to complain, and most of them did not side with Ouyang Xiu.

Ouyang Xiu's diction is too sharp.

The attack surface is simply too large.

His article can be summed up in one sentence:

"The current prime ministers are all useless. Without Fan Zhongyan, Fu Bi, Han Qi, and Sun Fu, the court cannot function at all."

The offensive nature of this sentence covered almost all the officials in Bianjing City.

For most of the scholar-bureaucrats who believed in their superiority, this was a kind of naked contempt and insult.

Could it be that you, Ouyang Xiu, were the only virtuous and capable minister in the Song Dynasty?

Could it be that only Fan Zhongyan, Fu Bi, and Han Qi can serve as prime ministers?
Is it possible that the Song Dynasty will perish without you guys?

……

The ministers were furious and the memorials were as sparse as snowflakes.

Some people accused him of deceiving the world and stealing his reputation, some accused him of pretending to be noble, and some accused him of being a minister who harmed the country.

Some people say that he really has no great talent and only relied on his writing to achieve great success...

The scolders are like a cloud, and they are very vicious.

Before Ouyang Xiu arrived in Beijing, the pile of memorials to impeach him was five feet high.

……

At this time, Chuigong was in the hall.

Zhao Zhen, who had read many memorials to impeach Ouyang Xiu, couldn't help but be stunned. After thinking for a moment, he murmured: "Is it possible that Uncle Ouyang Yong's remonstrance is not to impeach others, but to demote himself?"

Zhao Zhen was thoughtful and suddenly thought of this possibility.

The more I think about it, the more I think that might be the case.

The day before yesterday, Zhao Zhen ordered people to draft the imperial edict to confer Ouyang Xiu as a Hanlin scholar.

Thinking of this, Zhao Zhen couldn't help but feel very chilled.

The wise ministers in the court are unwilling to serve in the court, but want to be sent out to serve as local officials.

Is his emperor so unbearable?
Zhao Zhen was angry and anxious.

But he was helpless.

There were many good officials and ministers in the court, but none of them truly understood the sufferings of his official family.

Zhao Zhen looked at the memorials on the table and his heart ached.

At this moment, a huge feeling of loneliness and helplessness was like a huge stone, pressing on his shoulders, making him almost breathless in pain.

He squinted for a moment.

After opening his eyes, he suddenly saw the memorial submitted by Su Liang.

Zhao Zhen opened the memorial and read it slowly.

After a while, Zhao Zhen's frown slowly relaxed.

After a while, a smile appeared.

He murmured: "Among the court officials, the only one who knows me well and can relieve my worries is Su Jingming!"

(End of this chapter)