I served as an admonisher in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 447: Traveling with You! It’s great to have a son during the Double Ninth Festival
A word from the emperor is worth ten thousand words from the generals.

Ever since Zhao Zhen gave a speech in the military camp south of the city while wearing armor, the soldiers were as excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood.

Training enthusiasm is at an all-time high.

All kinds of soldiers, including cavalry, infantry, archers, firearms soldiers, etc., trained hard in accordance with the "General Principles of Military Training".

at the same time.

The informants trained by the Imperial City Bureau to specialize in gathering military intelligence were also scattered throughout the Liao, Western Xia, Goryeo, Japan and other countries, making arrangements in advance.

Zhao Zhen's emphasis on military generals led to a renewed surge of martial spirit among the people.

The number of young people enrolling in martial arts academies in various places is increasing day by day.

There were even some people who gave up literature and took up military service, hoping to achieve unprecedented achievements like Di Qing.

……

September 7th, near noon.

The Secretariat, inside the Council of State Affairs Hall.

The five ministers Wen Yanbo, Fu Bi, Zhang Fangping, Song Xiang and Wu Yu gathered together and looked at a document in Wen Yanbo's hand.

Everyone had a bright smile.

"Your Majesty, you are really fair! No, you are understanding of the feelings of us civil servants. I think your Majesty still favors us in his heart!" Zhang Fangping said with a smile, stroking his long green beard.

"That's what I said! Our Song Dynasty has always treated scholars and officials with favor. No matter how much the government values ​​military commanders, it is impossible for them to have a higher status than civil officials."

"Yes, yes. Any decree issued by the Privy Council must be reviewed by us. The emperor's mind is as clear as a mirror. This outing list is the best proof!"

……

The document in Wen Yanbo's hand was a list of outings for the Double Ninth Festival.

The full name is: Traveling with You·Outing List.

Zhao Zhen invited court officials to accompany him for an outing and climbing on the Double Ninth Festival.

in the directory.

There were nearly a hundred chief and deputy officials from the Secretariat, the Three Departments, the Censorate, the Kaifeng Prefecture, the Academy of Scholars, the Dali Temple, the Imperial College and other government offices.

They are all civil servants.

The last time Zhao Zhen gave a speech on the battlefield, civil officials did not participate.

However, not a single official from the Privy Council or the Three Yamen came for this outing.

Wen Yanbo and other ministers did not reject or complain about Zhao Zhen's last decision.

But there must be some waves in my heart.

It is normal for civil and military officials to have conflicts.

Especially in recent days, Zeng Gongliang and Liang Shi, two civil servants, have been raising their noses to the sky.

This list.

It made all the officials feel the emperor's grace in an instant. The emperor was really thoughtful!

……

In the admonition courtyard.

Su Liang looked at the "Outing List with You" and felt a little amused.

The list of people going on this outing includes all the chief and deputy officials of various government offices. The lowest one is of fifth rank and none of them are younger than 40 years old.

However, apart from the emperor himself, there are three exceptions.

First, the eldest prince Zhao Xun.

Second, the prince’s study companion was Su Zimu.

Third, there is Su Liang, a relative of Su Zimu, the prince’s study companion.

It is normal for the officials to go outing accompanied by the princes, and for the princes to accompany their studies as well.

The second prince Zhao Han recently caught a cold and is not on the list.

But when Su Liang saw "Su Liang, the relative of Su Zimu, the prince's companion", he couldn't help but smile helplessly.

I didn't expect that I would benefit from my seven-year-old son.

Su Liang thought about it carefully and felt that it was not so abrupt.

Su Liang did not meet the requirements whether he participated in the outing as a seventh-rank civil official, Zuo Sijian of the Censorate, or as a fifth-rank military official, the Surveillance Commissioner of Qingzhou.

On the contrary, it is most suitable as a family member.

"It's not shameful at all because I'm benefiting from my son's influence. I can eat, drink and play for free. Everything is paid for by the royal family. It would be a waste if I don't go!" Su Liang murmured with a smile.

This outing.

The emperor ordered that all carriages, horses, food and tea be prepared by the imperial court.

Participants only need to wear clothes and boots suitable for hiking.

……

The ninth day of the ninth month, Double Ninth Festival, is around five o'clock in the morning.

Su Liang and Su Zimu were woken up by Tang Wanmei. After washing up, they changed into comfortable clothes and boots.

When going out, in front of Su's house.

Tang Wanmei instructed: "Mu'er, mother knows that you have good physical strength, but when traveling with the official prince, you must not be reckless, and you must not strive to be the first in everything. Pay attention to safety, don't go to dangerous places, don't pick up sticks on the road, and don't kick the grass in the wild..."

As Tang Wanmei was giving instructions, Su Zimu suddenly walked up to her and motioned for her to squat down.

Tang Wanmei squatted down with some doubts, and then saw Su Zimu kissed her forehead hard. After the kiss, he ran to the carriage, then turned around and said, "Daddy told me that when mother is nagging, just kiss her!"

After saying that, Su Zimu got into the carriage.

Tang Wanmei looked at Su Liang and glared at him, "Husband, am I nagging? I..."

Before Tang Wanmei could finish her words, Su Liang hugged her and kissed her fiercely. He then got into the carriage at a speed slightly slower than Su Zimu.

Then, two hands, one big and one small, stretched out from the carriage and waved towards Tang Wanmei.

Tang Wanmei wiped the saliva off her face and said loudly, "Go early and come back early!"

After the carriage left, Tang Wanmei turned around and saw Tang Ze and Su Qinyi standing behind her.

"Dad!" Tang Wanmei shouted.

Tang Ze nodded and said, "Sometimes, I am indeed a bit long-winded!"

Su Qinyi, who was standing by, nodded seriously.

"Su Qinyi!" Tang Wanmei raised her hand with both anger and laughter.

Su Qin stuck out her tongue and quickly pulled Tang Ze towards home.

The present Tangze.

With Su Zimu and Su Qinyi's company all day long, his health is getting better and better.

……

In front of Xuande Gate.

The carriages were lined up neatly.

Although he was traveling in plain clothes, it was an official trip after all, so the necessary guards, medical officers, food, tea, imperial chefs, etc. were all necessary.

Moreover, the road ahead had already been arranged in advance by the imperial guards.

Double Ninth Festival.

The people of Bianjing either admired the chrysanthemums and feasted in the city, or went to the suburbs to climb mountains.

This time of year.

There were huge crowds of people outside the city of Bianjing, and a constant stream of carriages and horses. Sometimes the road back to the city would be congested at dusk.

This time, the government only said that they were going for an outing and climbing, but no one knew exactly where they were going.

now.

There were five people in the carriage that Su Liang and Su Zimu were in.

In addition to the two of them, there are Ouyang Xiu, Bao Zheng and Sun Fu.

A quarter of an hour ago.

When Su Zimu knew that he was going to ride in a carriage with these three people, he almost jumped out.

Ouyang Xiu, Sun Fu and Bao Zheng all claimed to be Su Zimu's teacher.

Regardless of whether Su Zimu was willing to learn or not, they often invited Su Zimu to their home, gave him special guidance on his studies, and even gave him homework.

Ouyang Xiu is relatively interesting.

Sun Fu and Bao Zheng always looked serious, and Su Zimu wanted to run away when he saw them.

However, after learning that he couldn't run away, Su Zimu was still very polite and called out to all three of them: Teacher.

This made Ouyang Xiu, Sun Fu and Bao Zheng very happy.

As soon as the carriage started on the road, the three men couldn't help but teach Su Zimu.

However, the three people had different teaching concepts, and they began to debate while teaching.

This made Su Zimu very happy!

Influenced by Su Liangtai's professional attributes as a censor, what he liked most was watching the scholars and officials quarreling.

At this moment, the view outside the window is still of the city, there is nothing to see.

Su Liang also listened with great interest.

……

About an hour later, the carriage finally left the city.

It’s autumn now.

The weather is cool, the grass is slightly yellow, and the leaves have not fallen.

As soon as you leave the city, you will feel relaxed and happy.

There were endless horse-drawn carriages on the official roads and country roads outside the city, most of which were carried by people with children out for an outing.

The people of Bianjing City may be the most entertaining and the most skilled in having fun in the entire Song Dynasty.

No matter how busy.

There are festivals to celebrate, scenery to appreciate, and seasonal delicacies to eat, none of them will be missed.

The convoy moved forward in the southeast direction.

After walking for about half an hour, they suddenly stopped.

Su Liang thought he was going to hike and enjoy the scenery, but when he got off the car, he saw that there was no beautiful scenery around him, and there were only a messy forest on both sides. At this time, everyone received an order to assemble in front.

After a while.

Nearly a hundred officials who were invited to the outing gathered together. Su Liang, Su Zimu and the eldest prince Zhao Xun stood together.

Zhao Zhen was wearing a light and breathable black silk robe with a buckled belt, looking very capable.

He smiled and looked at the officials, saying, "Everyone, our destination for today's outing is Cangwang Temple in the southeast, which is about ten miles away and requires climbing over three high slopes."

"This time, I hope everyone will hike together and complete this challenge with me. After arriving at Cangwang Temple, we will have lunch. Later, each person can receive a water bag!"

"I believe that only a healthy body can help you do your job well. I hope you will work hard and not give up halfway!"

Say it.

Zhao Zhen took the two water bags and walked forward holding the eldest prince's hand.

Su Liang and Su Zimu also took the two water bags and hurried over.

The officials were stunned.

Their understanding of outing is to take a horse-drawn carriage to a scenic spot, enjoy the scenery, recite poetry, drink tea and chat.

Who would have thought that it would be hiking!
For an ordinary person, a journey of more than ten miles can be completed in about an hour.

But for these officials, it might take two hours or even more.

Seeing that all the officials were stunned, Wen Yanbo said, "If you can't even reach more than ten miles, how can you have a long career? How can the government trust you to use you?"

After saying this, Wen Yanbo strode forward.

Wen Yanbo is very good at keeping healthy and exercises all day long. He did not feel any pressure at all during this hike.

Civil servants have always been thoughtful and have a lot to think about.

After hearing this, they instantly understood that the government's move was to test their physical condition.

If my health is not good, I might be in danger of retiring early.

Suddenly, the officials became motivated and headed forward.

The front.

Su Liang turned his head and looked at the officials walking towards him quickly, and he couldn't help but laugh.

The emperor's move is really interesting, and he also hopes that these old ministers can always follow him.

This move is intended to remind civil servants to exercise regularly.

At this time, Zhao Zhen turned his head.

"If no one can catch up with me, then all of you can catch up with me in your carriages!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the officials were instantly motivated, and soon someone ran past Zhao Zhen and his two companions.

Some officials are in no hurry.

For more than ten miles, what matters is endurance, not explosive power.

Prime Minister Wen Yanbo walked steadily without taking a breath. He was in better health than all the other ministers.

And the ones at the end are almost left behind.

One was Zuo Youding, the Minister of the Honglu Temple, and the other was Zhao Gai, the Minister of the Dali Temple.

They are not old.

Instead, he has been eating and drinking excessively for a long time, which has caused him to gain weight. He always takes a car when he goes out, and has never exercised so much.

soon.

Zuo Youding, who was last in the last place and out of breath, caught up with Zhao Gai, who was second to last and out of breath.

Zuo Youding looked at Zhao Gai and said, "Brother Zhao, this hike is a test from the government! This is not an outing, but a test of our career. If we finally reach Cangwang Temple, I'm afraid we will not only have no chance of promotion in the future, but the government will also think that we are too old and unable to handle the heavy responsibility. We must do our best!"

"Yes, yes, we can't compromise! Look at Minister Wen, Minister Zhang, and those old guys like Master Bao. They may not be stronger than us physically, but they fight harder. Let's fight too!"

Immediately, Zuo Youding and Zhao Gai encouraged each other and gradually increased their speed.

Half an hour later.

The eldest prince Zhao Xun and Su Zimu ran to the front.

At the age of six or seven, people are full of energy.

In addition, these two people often climbed up and down, ate and drank a lot, so Zhao Zhen couldn't outrun them at all.

There are imperial guards following them along the way, so their safety will naturally not be a problem.

Su Liang always accompanied Zhao Zhen in jogging. Zhao Zhen was like most officials.

Run for a while, walk for a while, and rest for a while.

Zhao Zhen was determined to lead the army in person, but he also wanted to exercise his body.

Therefore, even if your face is covered in sweat, you should still persist and try to run in the front of the queue as much as possible.

As for Su Liang.

He was young and practiced martial arts intermittently. If he put all his strength into it, no official here could outrun him.

Besides, he is a "family member" and is not among the competitors.

this moment.

The civil officials were particularly glad that the military generals did not come.

If Di Qing and the generals from the three yamen were here, they could at least beat them by a mile.

An hour later.

Everyone has already seen Cangwang Temple on the high slope in the distance.

Smoke was already rising from the Cangwang Temple, and the imperial chefs in the palace had already set up camp nearby and were cooking.

At this moment, nearly a hundred officials were already very scattered.

The eldest prince Zhao Xun and Su Zimu had already disappeared.

Those who are strong are truly strong.

Like Wen Yanbo and Fu Bi, these two people are neither hurried nor slow, and always run in the front.

Ouyang Xiu’s speed was not slow either.

When he saw the surrounding scenery, he would occasionally stop and hum a few lines of poetry.

Zhang Fangping, Song Xiang, Wu Yu, Wang Yaochen and others were not in good condition. They were getting farther and farther away from the officials in the front. They had to sit down and rest for a while after walking two or three hundred meters.

What surprised Su Liang was Bao Zheng.

Bao Zheng was a little overweight, as he often stayed up late, and he was already 55 years old.

Su Liang thought he would be at the end, but he didn't expect Bao Zheng to be ahead of Wen Yanbo and Fu Bi.

Bao Zheng's speed was not fast, but he was able to maintain it almost without stopping.

And this moment.

Zhao Zhen was also exhausted. He walked and stopped frequently and wanted to give up.

Su Liang on the side quickly encouraged him.

"Sir, the northwest in autumn has very beautiful scenery. There are countless cattle and sheep, lush grasslands, and the water of the Yellow River is still clear. The mutton there is delicious when roasted over a fire and simply added with some salt!"

"If the emperor leads the army to the northwest, in addition to tasting mutton, he must also try the noodles there. The noodles there are very chewy..."

Hearing the words "the emperor will lead the army in person", Zhao Zhen suddenly regained his strength and started to speed up.

Zhao Zhenyi accelerated.

Some officials following closely behind him also quickened their pace.

……

Nearly two hours later.

Zhao Zhen and Su Liang finally arrived at the camp in front of Cangwang Temple.

And ahead of them were thirty-five people.

Zhao Zhen was very satisfied with this result.

This shows that the emperor is in good health and the civil servants under him are also physically fit.

Zhao Zhen and Su Liang just stopped.

The eldest prince Zhao Xun and Su Zimu, who were not far away, ran over with wet towels, water bags, and snacks in their hands.

At this time.

The benefits of having a son became apparent.

Zhao Zhen had a son in his old age and got rid of the worries of being childless. At this moment, he was in a very good mood as he looked at the greenery in front of him and his eldest prince.

Su Zimu is very intelligent.

Later, Ouyang Xiu, Sun Fu and all the teachers who had taught him came to him one after another.

He passed out water and food, making these people very happy.

At last.

Zuo Youding and Zhao Gai, who were ranked last at the same time, finally arrived at the camp with support.

The two men were motivated, but their legs were weak. Despite their best efforts, they were still last.

Zhao Zhen ordered the eldest prince Zhao Xun to personally bring them water, which made the two so excited that they could not tell whether the water on their faces was sweat or tears.

Then, the main banquet began.

The king and his ministers all sat on the ground, eating, drinking and chatting.

Zhao Zhen also told his officials that there would be no punishment for this outing, nor would it be used as a criterion for official promotions, but he hoped that everyone would strengthen their physique.

Zuo Youding and Zhao Gai let out a long sigh and smiled more.

Such occasions are most likely to strengthen the relationship between the monarch and his subjects.

Zhao Zhen confided his true feelings to the officials, and the officials also expressed their attitudes to Zhao Zhen.

It was not until dusk that everyone got on the carriage and returned to the city.

This time, the officials also realized that health comes first.

Only by developing a good body can one's career be brighter and do more for the Song Dynasty.

Officials were all very clear that the current reform throughout the Song Dynasty was just a process.

The Song Dynasty will soon usher in the moment of harvest, and this moment will be enough to make them famous in history.

No one wants to be absent.

(End of this chapter)