Do you know: I have a different surname: Wang, uncle Minglan.

Chapter 268: Instructing Sheng Changbai

Rather than saying that the initiation ceremony is mysterious and important, it is better to say that it is the future leader of Tubo showing goodwill to Wei Yuan.

Once Wei Yuan accepted the initiation, it meant that a certain relationship was established between him and Dong Zhen.

And this kind of relationship cannot be known to others.

After all, in the imperial palace, Dong Zhan had already said that he wanted to give the crown prince an initiation, and now he was giving Wei Yuan an initiation as well. Once this got out, I'm afraid the rumor would engulf Wei Yuan.

"why me?"

Wei Yuan asked this question when they were approaching the post station.

Dong Jian said bluntly: "You are the prince's tutor, and you will be the minister of state in the future. The emperor is old, and the prince is young, so they need someone to assist them."

"You will be in charge of the military and national affairs of the Great Zhou in the future, and diplomatic affairs have always been inseparable from military and national affairs. Both I and Tubo need a potential ally."

Wei Yuan was relieved, "What benefits can I get?"

Dong Zhan said: "When you need me to do something, I will fully support you."

Wei Yuan sneered: "Anyone can say empty words."

Dong Zhen lifted the curtain of the carriage, looked out at the bustling streets on both sides, and murmured:

"General Wei, you have been in Bianjing for so long, are you no longer brave enough to trust others?"

Wei Yuan was stunned for a moment, then he came to his senses and nodded slightly, saying, "The word 'dare not' is very appropriate."

Dong Jian smiled and said, "General Wei, I'm not in Bianjing. You can trust me."

Wei Yuan did not respond.

After sending him to the post station, Dong Jian looked around and saw that there were few people around, so he whispered,

"General Wei, think carefully. This world is not just full of intrigues and deceptions. I came to Bianjing today and met you for the first time. I felt like I had known you for a long time. I hope you feel the same way."

Wei Yuan asked curiously, "Do you trust others so easily?"

Dong Zhen said: "You have no intention of harming me, why can't I trust you?"

Wei Yuan thought for a moment and said solemnly: "How about I invite the governor to visit my house in two days?"

Dong Jian bowed and said, "Very good."

The two of them said goodbye for now.

Afterwards, Wei Yuan returned to the marquis's mansion alone in the carriage. Along the way, he was thinking about a question.

This was the first time he met Dong Zhan.

Why can the other party trust me so unscrupulously?
Or in other words, why choose to trust yourself?

What do you want?
Wei Yuan was puzzled, but he knew that this might be an opportunity.

After returning to the Marquis's Mansion, he specially called Sheng Changbai and asked with a smile: "Since you passed the imperial examination and entered the officialdom, you and I have not had a good chat."

It happened that Miss Zhao, who had been teaching Zhang Guifen the art of tea, was here today.

So Wei Yuan asked her to make tea.

Sheng Changbai was a little restrained, because this was the first time Wei Yuan had asked him to come to the mansion alone. He had a vague feeling that something was going to happen.

"I wonder what uncle wants to talk to nephew about today?"

Wei Yuan got straight to the point and asked, "Have you visited your teacher in the past few days?"

Sheng Changbai shook his head. "More than half a month ago, I was at my teacher's house to learn some strategies for governing the country. My teacher said that it was a critical time for the reform of the civil service system, so I should not look for him easily."

crucial moment?

Wei Yuan asked curiously, "To what extent has it been changed?"

Sheng Changbai said: "According to my teacher, one quarter of the civil servants in the country have been cut. The teacher's ultimate goal is to cut one third."

Wei Yuan nodded. "Now, most of the civil offices have been abolished. Is it time for the military office to take over?"

Sheng Changbai shook his head and said, "My nephew has not heard of this."

Wei Yuan said 'hmm' and then asked, "Did you go to the Yongyi Marquis's Mansion?"

Sheng Changbai said: "My eldest sister and the others have gone, so there is no need for my nephew to go."

Wei Yuan took a sip of tea and asked, "Have you heard any rumors recently?"

Sheng Changbai asked curiously, "What does uncle mean?"

Wei Yuan said: "Your eldest cousin, Xu Changqing."

Sheng Changbai said thoughtfully, "I did hear a little bit about it. What my cousin did was really annoying, but it wasn't as serious as the rumors said, saying that he was unfilial."

Wei Yuan smiled and said, "It's not important. When you go back, tell Minister Wang what I said today."

Sheng Changbai frowned and said, "But my teacher said that if I have nothing to do these days, I can't look for him."

Wei Yuan said: "Tell Wang Anshi everything I said, no matter how big or small. He won't blame you."

Sheng Changbai was puzzled, but he didn't dare to go against Wei Yuan's words.

After he left the Mansion of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, he went to the Mansion of the Minister of Personnel to ask to see Wang Anshi.

Wu Qiong told Sheng Changbai that the Ministry of Personnel had not yet dismissed its staff. In recent days, Wang Anshi had always been leaving early and coming back late, and it was unknown when he would return today.

Sheng Changbai was worried about missing Wei Yuan's important plan, so he simply stayed at Wang Anshi's house and waited patiently.

This was the first time that Wei Yuan took the initiative to talk to him about something. Although he was confused, he also felt that this was a serious matter and he dared not slack off in the slightest.

It was already three quarters past ten when Wang Anshi returned home.

At this time, Sheng Changbai had not left yet.

I heard from the servants in the mansion that he sat in the main hall for a whole half day and drank several cups of tea.

Wang Anshi thought he had something important to do, so he hurried to the main hall. When he saw him, he asked, "Why did you come to see me today?"

Sheng Changbai quickly stood up and bowed deeply to Wang Anshi, saying, "Hello, teacher. I went to visit my uncle today."

"Oh?" Wang Anshi sat upright on the chair and asked curiously, "What did they say?"

Sheng Changbai told Wang Anshi in detail about his conversation with Wei Yuan.

When the latter heard this, he smiled and said, "Tell your uncle tomorrow and tell him that I will submit a petition to the government."

Sheng Changbai was stunned, his eyes full of confusion, obviously confused.
"Did my uncle ask you to write a letter?"

Wang Anshi smiled and said, "Why? You don't understand?"

Sheng Changbai shook his head, "The students really don't understand."

Wang Anshi drank a sip of tea, stroked his beard and said, "Well, since you have been waiting here for a long time, I can't let you wait in vain, so I will talk to you."

After a pause, he began to speak at length.
"Everyone knows that the reform of the civil service system was carried out by the teacher. Even the imperial examination was postponed because of this."

"Last year and this year, many scholars criticized my teacher in the literary world, saying that my teacher ignored the country's years of hard work in nurturing scholars and was a sinner in the imperial examination system."

"Now, the civil service reform has begun to show results and is at a critical moment of completion. Since the officials of various departments are all cut, such as the Palace Front Department, the Infantry Department, and even the Ministry of War, there is no reduction in the number of officials."

"The clerks of the various civil departments that I have cut down, such as the many clerks in the former Ministry of Personnel, have been cursing me all the time."

"But cutting down the military clerks requires an opportunity. If I insist on cutting down the clerks, I am afraid it will cause a confrontation between the civil and military officials, making the situation in the court more complicated. At that time, I am afraid that the court will be in chaos."

"Your uncle is in charge of the Palace Front Department. If he takes the lead in cooperating, he will surely be able to effectively reduce the number of clerks in the Military Department. However, your uncle needs me to help Commander Xu to inherit the title of Marquis properly."

Hearing this, Sheng Changbai suddenly realized.

No wonder Wei Yuan first asked about the reform of the civil service system.

Sheng Changbai was a little confused at the time. How could Wei Yuan, a central minister, not know what was going on in the Ministry of Personnel?

Later, he talked about the situation of the "Military Division" and the Yongyi Marquis' Mansion.

The purpose was to let Sheng Changbai repeat the conversation verbatim to Wang Anshi.

In a word, if Wang Anshi had submitted a memorial to the emperor, saying that Xu Changqing was unfilial, then Xu Changqing would not have been able to inherit the title. If he had also said a few words in favor of Xu Changzhi, everything would have fallen into place.

But if Wang Anshi didn't say it, it would be impossible to cut down the number of military officials. In the entire court, there were only a few military offices, such as the Infantry Department, the Cavalry Department, and the Palace Front Department.

Wang Anshi did not necessarily want to cut down the Wusi, but if he did not cut down the three yamen, it would make scholars all over the world criticize him.

There was a political exchange between Wei Yuan and him. He helped Xu Changzhi to obtain the title, and Wei Yuan made Wu Si give in.

Sheng Changbai was a smart man. After hearing what Wang Anshi said, how could he not understand?

For a moment, he broke out in a cold sweat and muttered, "I was just thinking that my uncle would never just want to invite me for a few cups of tea."

"Why didn't my uncle tell you directly about this matter? Why did he have to ask the students to tell you?"

Wang Anshi smiled and said, "Your cheap uncle treats you well. He asked you to pass on the message. I guess there are two reasons for this."

"First, the government has many eyes and ears in the capital. If Wei Yuan saw me and I happened to be on the list, the government would definitely suspect that the civil and military officials were forming a clique, which is a big taboo in the court."

"Secondly, your uncle also wants to use me to tell you a truth. When you are an official in the capital, you should think twice before anything anyone says or does to you."

Hearing this, Sheng Changbai couldn't help but smile bitterly.
"If the teacher and uncle want to deal with the students, I'm afraid the students won't even know how they died."

Wang Anshi laughed and said, "It's not that serious. Your uncle and I are both officials who are responsible for our duties and we value the rules. Otherwise, your uncle wouldn't have asked you to tell your master."

Wei Yuan asked him to write the note because, in the eyes of the officials, his words carried weight.

In fact, it would be most appropriate to give this task to the Censor.

But Wei Yuan didn't get along with that group of censors and was worried that something might go wrong.

After much thought, Wang Anshi is the most suitable person to do this, as it does not owe anyone a favor and can also improve the relationship between them.

If Wei Yuan wrote the letter himself, it would inevitably be seen as an attempt to gain close ties with the emperor.

December 26, the sixth year of Jiayou.

Wang Anshi wrote a memorial accusing Xu Changqing, the eldest son of the Marquis of Yongyi, of being unfilial.

The emperor was furious and expelled the prince from the marquisate and banished him from the capital and sent him back to his hometown.

The title of Marquis Yongyi was one of the titles given to the princes. Later, Wang Anshi wrote another memorial, saying that the princes could not be without a crown prince for a day, just as the country could not be without a crown prince for a day.

Only when a country has a crown prince can the country be stable.

If a prince has no heir, his family will be in turmoil and it will be difficult for him to serve the country.

Zhao Zhen thought for a moment and then appointed Xu Changzhi as the heir apparent of the Marquis of Yongyi's mansion.

Thus, this dispute between the legitimate and illegitimate children ended with Xu Changzhi's complete victory through Wei Yuan's planning.

When Xu Changqing returned to his hometown, Xu Changzhi did not see him off.

Later, I heard that Xu Changqing was so depressed during the journey that he vomited blood and became seriously ill.

December 27, the sixth year of Jiayou.

Dong Jian came to visit the residence of Marquis Zhongyong.

Wei Yuan invited him to Chunyi Pavilion, and sent all the servants and maids outside the yard, handing it over to Xiao Yuming to guard personally, strictly forbidding anyone to enter or leave.

now.

In the courtyard of Chunyi Pavilion, Dong Zhan was performing a mysterious ritual for Wei Yuan.

Dong Zhan first used a special hand seal, muttered something, and walked around Wei Yuan.

Then he used a special kind of ghee and a magic tool to drip it on Wei Yuan's forehead.

It also went through some indescribable tedious processes.

The whole initiation ceremony is then considered over.

Wei Yuan didn't feel much, he just felt a coolness on his forehead, and his originally dizzy head suddenly became a lot clearer.

This kind of feeling can only be understood, not expressed in words. It is difficult to describe and is mysterious.

It was like he remembered something in his mind and suddenly had a lot of ideas, or maybe it was a psychological reason at work. In short, Wei Yuan felt a little bit weird.

Dong Jian helped Wei Yuan up and said earnestly:
"General Wei, I wonder if you have thought of a courtesy name for me?"

Hearing this, Wei Yuan held his wrist, and the two of them immediately came to a pavilion.

I saw that the four treasures of the study had already been prepared on the stone table in the pavilion.

Wei Yuan wrote down the two words "Tianjue".

"Tianjue?"

Dong Zhen murmured, curiously asking, "Why these two words?"

Wei Yuan said solemnly: "The Tibetan people regard your father as a son of Buddha, and you are also the next son of Buddha. In the culture of our country, Buddha and gods both represent the will of 'heaven'."

"As for the word 'jue', it means awakening and enlightenment. Whether you gave me an initiation or your father gave you an initiation, it can be understood as a kind of enlightenment."

Tianjue
Dong Jian smiled and said, "The name Tianjue is very good. Thank you General Wei for the name."

Wei Yuan bowed and said, "Thank you, Prince, for the initiation."

Dong Jian did not stay in the marquis's mansion. If Zhao Zhen knew that he had stayed here for too long, it would be bad.

After he left, Zhang Guifen came over and asked, "Why did this Tibetan prince want to give you an initiation for no reason?"

Wei Yuan smiled and said, "Whether I gave him a courtesy name or he initiated me, it was actually just a ceremony."

"The ultimate goal of the ceremony is to achieve a silent alliance."

alliance?

Zhang Guifen was very curious, but she felt that she should not continue asking.

December 28th, the sixth year of Jiayou.

Dong Jian gave the prince a baptism in the East Palace.

All the officials came to watch the ceremony in person.

As for the emperor and Zuo Silu, they had a long talk in a large hall.

At this moment, the East Palace.

The prince sat cross-legged in the middle of the hall in an orderly manner.

Dong Zhan was preparing the tools needed to give the prince an initiation.

Officials from various departments stood not far away and watched.

Many people had never seen an initiation before, so before the ceremony even started, they were already discussing:
“Have you ever seen an initiation?”

"No, it is said that after receiving initiation, a person can suddenly become enlightened?"

"Didn't they also say that only people with great wisdom and perseverance can inherit wisdom after passing the initiation ceremony?"

"If you say you have no feelings, then you have no wisdom and no perseverance."

"Hush! Be careful with your words. How dare you say such a thing? Aren't you afraid of being blamed by the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas?"

"What are you afraid of? I don't believe in Buddhism."

"."

To speak ill of the initiation in Tubo is like speaking ill of the saints in the Zhou Dynasty.

Wei Yuan ignored those voices, but stood beside Wang Anshi and whispered:

"Brother Wang, thank you very much for that."

Wang Anshi shook his head and said, "I should thank you. At least, some scholars have felt more balanced when they saw that I intend to cut down the number of military officials, and they don't scold me as much anymore."

Wei Yuan laughed and said, "Being scolded won't make you lose any more flesh. Brother Wang, do you still care about this?"

Wang Anshi said helplessly: "I am not afraid of being scolded, but I am afraid of being like a dog-skin plaster, scolded every day, and can't get rid of it."

Wei Yuan thought for a moment, "That makes sense."

(End of this chapter)