I served as an admonisher in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 454: Shameless in clinging to power! Being a prime minister is difficult, and being the last prime minister is even more difficult!

October 22nd, nightfall.

A heavy snow covered the entire city of Bianjing.

After dinner, Su Liang soaked his feet and then got into bed with Tang Wanmei.

You must go to bed early tonight.

There will be a court meeting tomorrow morning, and it will be a grand one. I cannot miss it, but I cannot be late either.

The Song Dynasty will be divided into three types.

The first was the tribute ceremony, namely the New Year's Day court meeting, which was held once a year.

The second is the Grand Court.

That is, all court officials in the capital had to attend the court meetings held in the Daqing Hall at least once a month, and the time was decided at the last minute.

The third is Chang Chao.

It was held every day in the Chuigong Hall. Sometimes the emperor did not need to show up, and the ministers of the Secretariat could preside over it.

The event of tomorrow's court session will be for the Privy Council officials to report on the results of the large-scale military training over the past two months.

Zhao Zhen ordered that all civil and military officials must be present.

……

The next day, at four o'clock in the morning, the snow had stopped and it was very cold.

The clerks of Kaifeng government and the soldiers of the imperial guards had already cleared more than half of the snow on the main streets of Bianjing City.

Su Liang, wearing a brocade jacket and official uniform over it, ran towards the Forbidden City.

About half an hour later.

Civil and military officials gathered in the Daqing Hall.

The Daqing Hall was tall, large, and drafty. According to past practice, a charcoal brazier should have been prepared by now.

But today, there is nothing.

It is said that the Ministry of Internal Affairs would never make such a naive mistake.

At this time.

Zuo Youding, the Minister of the Honglu Temple, shouted to a eunuch not far away, "What's going on? The emperor is almost here, but the charcoal basin is not ready yet. How can we hold a court meeting in such a cold weather?"

This last person in the Double Ninth Festival outing was afraid of heat and cold, had a weak body, and was always pretentious, which made him famous in the court.

The eunuch had not yet replied.

The voice of Prime Minister Wen Yanbo was heard from behind.

"Left Temple Minister, it was the Secretary's idea to remove the charcoal basin. In the past winter, when the charcoal basin was placed, the palace was too warm and all officials were prone to sleepiness. The Secretary then pleaded with the emperor to remove the charcoal basin. If you feel cold, you can ask the eunuch to find a hand-warming pot for you!"

Wen Yanbo, Zhang Fangping, Wu Yu and other ministers strode over, and all the officials bowed to them.

"No need! No need! I am worried that the emperor will be frozen. I quite agree with Zhongshu's move. The cold wind will make you more energetic!" Zuo Youding said with a smile, then stepped aside.

Zuo Youding has been in the court for so long.

The position of the Minister of Honglu Temple has always been stable, thanks to his ability to bend and stretch.

After a while.

All the civil and military officials stood in line and stood straight.

The men over fifty years old are not cold, so how dare other officials feel cold?

Even if it's cold, you have to endure it.

Su Liang was wearing thick clothes, and his heart was burning with energy from going in and out of the military camp these days, so he didn't feel the cold.

Lean slightly.

Zhao Zhen strode over and sat on the throne.

Today's protagonist is the Privy Council.

Privy Councilor Di Qing, Deputy Privy Councilor Zeng Gongliang and Liang Shi puffed out their chests and could not wait to report.

immediately.

Zhao Zhen got straight to the point and said, "Now let the Privy Council report on the results of the military training over the past two months!"

Di Qing strode out, took out the documents he had prepared long ago, and began to report seriously.

"Since the implementation of the "General Guidelines for Military Training" on August 20, the Privy Council has worked with the three government offices to launch hundreds of special training programs for the Central Imperial Army, Northwest Imperial Army, Hebei Imperial Army, Southern Border Imperial Army, and the Wing Army. Among them..."

At present, the political affairs report of the Song Dynasty court.

It is required to focus on data and facts, less description, and not to exaggerate.

Di Qing finished his speech in less than half an hour. His speech was clear, his data was solid, and there were no empty words.

Thereafter.

Zeng Gongliang and Liang Shi each took a quarter of an hour to make supplementary remarks.

In less than an hour, the Privy Council had reported all the information.

If these contents were to be reported by some civil servants who like to add extra details, it is estimated that the report would take until the afternoon, and all the heroes involved in the matter would be mentioned.

It is common to say that a person has seven points of merit when he has only three points of political achievements.

After the three members of the Privy Council finished speaking, each minister also gave a brief summary.

Large-scale military training is something that the entire court is paying attention to right now.

The progress is currently good and there are no omissions.

Zhao Zhen nodded with satisfaction, and then summarized a few sentences.

All the civil and military officials in the court were very happy.

In the past, a "grand court" would last until at least noon, but now it will be over in more than an hour. The efficiency is really high.

Zuo Youding was even more delighted.

His feet were so frozen that they had lost all their temperature. He couldn't wait to get into a room with a charcoal fire to warm them up.

Just as Zhao Zhen was about to ask the eunuch to announce the end of the court meeting, Bao Zheng, Grand Secretary of Longtu Pavilion and Governor of Kaifeng Prefecture, suddenly strode out and came to the center of the hall.

All the officials looked at Bao Zheng at the same time.

Every court meeting.

Bao Zheng never spoke easily, but when he did, it was always something important.

"Your Majesty, I have something to report!"

At the age of 55, Bao Zheng still had a loud voice, which could be heard clearly throughout the hall.

Zhao Zhen sat up straight and said, "Mr. Bao, please speak!"

Bao Zheng bowed and said, "Recently, Kaifeng Prefecture uncovered a case of forging imperial edicts to elect people for official positions. After investigation, it was found that the mastermind was Zhang Yanfang, a retainer of Lady Yue, the nephew of Vice Minister Song Xiang, and a close friend of Song Chen, the son of Governor Song Qi of Xuzhou."

As soon as these words came out.

The hall suddenly became quiet, and even the sound of breathing seemed to have stopped.

Imperial edict.

That is, the certificate issued by the imperial court to officials, with which they can be appointed to office.

Forging an imperial edict is a capital crime.

Bao Zheng added so many relationships to the mastermind Zhang Yanfang, and it is obvious that this matter may be related to all of these people.

Lady Cao of Yue State is the biological mother of the current Concubine Zhang.

Song Xiang and Song Qi were two brothers, one was the prime minister of the dynasty and the other was the prefect. Their sons/nephews were involved with the mastermind and they were also suspected.

This kind of capital crime is a serious crime.

Even the imperial concubine's mother and the current vice prime minister are not exempt from responsibility.

this moment.

Everyone looked at the Vice-Chancellor Song Xiang.

This was not the first time that Song Qi's son had gotten into trouble.

As early as three years ago, his son Song Chen was punished for making friends with bandits, and Song Qi was also exiled to the local area.

then.

Song Chen still stayed in Bianjing City and lived in Song Xiang Mansion.

If Song Chen also participated in the forgery of the imperial edict, then Song Xiang's guilt might be even greater than Song Qi's.

An imperial edict is difficult to forge, and even more difficult to convince the verifier.

Only by relying on the power of a high-ranking official can one pass off fake things as genuine and conceal the truth.

Su Liang looked at the Vice-Chancellor Song Xiang and frowned slightly.

If Song Xiang was unaware of this, and heard Bao Zheng putting his name together with the mastermind behind the forged imperial edict, his normal reaction would be to strongly refute it and quickly distance himself from the matter.

But now he lowered his head, which meant that he probably knew about it.

Zhao Zhen's face also turned gloomy.

About it.

Either it involves the harem, or the Secretariat, or both. This is extremely destructive to the stability of the court and the harem.

Bao Zheng continued, "This case concerns the prime minister and vice prime minister of the dynasty. Kaifeng Prefecture cannot investigate alone, so I report it to the emperor and ask him to make a decision!"

"In addition, just yesterday, Prime Minister Song sent his subordinates to urge the judge of Kaifeng Prefecture to execute Zhang Yanfang as soon as possible!"

As soon as these words came out.

If Song Xiang doesn't come out to explain, it would be tantamount to acquiescence.

Song Xiang walked quickly to the center of the hall.

"Your Majesty, I know for sure that Zhang Yanfang forged the imperial edict, and I also know that my nephew has a close relationship with him. I have questioned Song Chen, and Song Chen told me that he did not know about this and would never dare to do so!"

"I sent my subordinates to inquire in order to know when Zhang Yanfang would be executed. I did not urge him. Moreover, my urging was useless to the officials of Kaifeng Prefecture."

"I am asking this question for selfish reasons. I am worried that this matter will affect my official career. I absolutely cannot be in league with such a villain and forge an imperial edict. Please investigate!"

……

At this moment, Song Xiang's face was covered with sweat.

He was afraid.

Afraid of losing the current position.

Zhao Zhen naturally could not just listen to one side's opinion.

He thought for a moment and said, "The Dali Temple and Kaifeng Prefecture will jointly investigate this case. Prime Minister Song, you don't need to go to the Secretariat again until the case is solved!"

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty obeys!" Song Xuang bowed helplessly.

Then the court meeting was adjourned.

After a while.

Su Liang and Zhao Yan walked towards the Censorate together.

Zhao Yan said to Su Liang, "Jingming, do you think Prime Minister Song will be dismissed?"

Su Liang was stunned.

"No way! I know Prime Minister Song's character. He can't forge an imperial edict, nor does he have to. It's likely that the mastermind borrowed his influence through his nephew, or perhaps, this was all Madam Yue's idea and has nothing to do with the Song family!"

Zhao Yan shook his head.

"No, even if it has nothing to do with Prime Minister Song, he is still suspected of failing to raise his nephew. What's more... he is probably going to be sent away!"

"What's more...what?" Su Liang was puzzled.

Zhao Yan looked around and saw that there was no one around. He whispered, "What's more, his performance is average and the officials all hope that he will be transferred to another post. I hope that Scholar Ouyang can replace him!"

"what?"

Su Liang was stunned at first, then he understood.

Among the ministers of the Secretariat.

Wen Yanbo and Fu Bi, one was the prime minister and the other was the deputy prime minister, were the most stable because they both had made great political achievements in carrying out reforms and also had military merits.

There is a saying among the people that "a government that enriches culture and creates a prosperous era."

Fan Zhongyan's position as deputy prime minister, who was assigned to the northwest, was also very stable.

He is a pillar of the northwest and is deeply trusted by the government. He will definitely not be deposed in a short time.

Zhang Fangping's position is relatively stable.

In addition to being in charge of the Ministry of Rites, he was also quite proficient in the affairs of the Three Departments, and the entire Song Dynasty's reform could not have been done without him.

Only Song Xiang was in charge of the imperial examinations and the compilation of history in the imperial court.

They are old, have few political achievements and are weak in ability, making them most likely to be replaced.

In fact, all the officials in the court have seen the abilities of the ministers.

Now, Ouyang Xiu was in full swing and constantly proposed new laws. He could do what Song Xiang could do.

Therefore, Song Xiang made a mistake.

Officials all felt that Ouyang Xiu might take his place.

The Song Dynasty is currently running at full speed, and those leaders who are running too slowly naturally cannot be allowed to get stuck in front.

Su Liang thought for a while.

I also think that Ouyang Xiu would be a better candidate as Vice-Chancellor than Song Xiang.

Song Xiang was too rigid. Although he made no mistakes, he also did not make any significant achievements, and sometimes he really held the team back.

……

Two days later.

The joint investigation between the Dali Temple and Kaifeng Prefecture produced some results.

First of all, although the mastermind Zhang Yanfang was a retainer of Lady Yue, he was completely unaware of the fact that she had forged the imperial edict.

The Lady of Yue was only blamed for not disciplining her children strictly.

Moreover, Zhang Yanfang borrowed the power of Song Xiang, the Vice-Chancellor, rather than the name of Concubine Zhang.

The power of the deputy prime minister is naturally more useful than that of the imperial concubine in the local officialdom.

Afterwards, Bao Zheng and Zhao Gai interrogated Song Xiang's nephew Song Chen.

After careful investigation, he was not involved in the forgery of the imperial edict. However, because he and Zhang Yanfang often went in and out of the Washe Restaurant, he was used by him, making the person who bought the imperial edict mistakenly believe that Song Xiang was the backer behind the scenes, which led to his lawless and rampant behavior.

soon.

The joint case file of Kaifeng Prefecture and Dali Temple was sent to Zhao Zhen.

The Master of Yue was responsible for not disciplining his children strictly, and Master Song was at fault for not educating his nephew strictly.

This crime is not serious, because in Kaifeng Prefecture over the years, there have been many cases of "using important figures in the court as backers to seek personal gain."

Gentlemen such as Wen Yanbo, Fu Bi, and Zhang Fangping have all inexplicably become the "backers" of some illegal forces.

to this situation.

The most Zhao Zhen did was to admonish Song Xiang and severely punish his family members.

Will not resign.

Just when Su Liang was rejoicing that Song Xiang had escaped, Song Xiang made a stupid move.

After reading the case file, Song Xiang did not sincerely admit his mistake as usual, but instead listed all the contributions he had made to the court since he became the Vice Prime Minister.

He was so afraid that the government would demote him, so he directly praised his achievements in the memorial.

If Song Xiang did better than other gentlemen, it would be fine to boast about his achievements, but the key point is that he is not as good as other gentlemen in everything.

Such boasting made many officials feel that he was just seeking fame and reputation.

For a while.

Officials submitted impeachment memorials one after another, saying that he refused to admit his mistakes and instead took credit for his achievements, which was not the behavior of a good official.

Afterwards, the censors of the Censorate also impeached him.

In addition to impeaching him for poor parenting, he also used a particularly damaging word.

"It's shameless to cling to your position."

This word means: He is showing off his achievements in order to occupy the position of vice prime minister for a long time, which is very shameless.

His shameless attempt to cling to power immediately exposed Song Xiang's true intention.

Then, the officials began to discuss his merits and demerits.

Song Xiang always seeks to be cautious in doing things. He is a typical traditional scholar-official and has no problems with his personal morality.

However, his brother Song Qi loved romantic life, feasted excessively, and was obsessed with the beauty of singing girls, which was known to the whole court.

The reason why Song Qi became like this.

This was because during the imperial examination that year, Song Qi's essay was originally better than Song Xiang's, but Song Xiang was his elder brother, so he finally chose him as the top scorer, and Song Qi became the tenth.

After that, Song Xiang was promoted all the way and his official position became higher and higher, while Song Qi had to avoid suspicion. Even though he had talent, he could not be a powerful official in the capital, so Song Qi became a local official who was addicted to alcohol and sex.

This is also the main reason why Song Xiang doted on his nephew.

Gradually, many people also dug up Song Qi's faults, saying that this was due to Song Xiang's backing behind the scenes.

For a time, Zhao Zhen's desk was filled with impeachment memorials seeking to dismiss him from his position as prime minister.

Three days later, the Secretariat issued an imperial edict.

Because Song Xiang's family tradition was not good and his nephew was suspected of being involved in forging imperial edicts, he was dismissed from his post as vice-chancellor and sent to be the governor of Jiangning Prefecture.

Song Qi was demoted one level and appointed as the governor of Bozhou.

at the same time.

Because of his repeated contributions in offering advice and suggestions, Ouyang Xiu was promoted to the position of Vice-Chancellor, and He Tan was appointed as the Director of the Censorate.

As soon as this imperial decree was issued, it was greeted with applause from the court.

In fact, everyone knew that Song Xiang was at fault and should not have been dismissed from his position as prime minister.

But the new generation is chasing the old generation, and there are only a few positions in the Political Affairs Hall. If the outstanding people want to move up, he can only move down.

This is the court, this is politics.

(End of this chapter)