No war in the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 43: The Prime Minister's Downfall (More Updates, Please Read!)

Word had spread outside. Su Ze sounded the drum to report the incident and presented the painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival, exposing the crimes of the prime minister's son and other officials, including Lü Gongbi, who had colluded with Feng Shiyuan, the head of the shop and house guild, to seize and hoard Bianjing's real estate and make a fortune.

This incident made the emperor furious, and he sent the Censor-in-Chief Bao Zheng to investigate. All the officials, including Lu Gongbi, were detained in the Dali Temple Prison and interrogated by Bao Zheng personally.

Wang Anshi couldn't help but look back at the Imperial Examination Hall. During the lockdown, the hall was cut off from all news. He wondered what the chief examiner, Lu Yijian, would feel when he came out and learned the news.
It was an iron rule of the imperial court to lock the examination hall. Although the Lu family members were anxious, they did not dare to risk their lives to enter the examination hall to deliver the news.

Two days later.

At this time, Lu Yijian was arguing with Ouyang Xiu.

Ouyang Xiu held a scroll in his hand and said to Lu Yijian:

"Mr. Lu! This poem is tragic yet poignant, and generous yet orderly. Why can't it be number one?"

As the chief and deputy examiners, Lu Yijian and Ouyang Xiu certainly could not directly correct the test papers.

The imperial examinations in the Song Dynasty were also reviewed by a number of examiners, who would select the passing papers and hand them over to the chief examiner to determine the ranking.

When Ouyang Xiu saw this paper, he couldn't take his eyes off it. As an advocate of the ancient prose movement, he liked this kind of poetry and prose that praised the present and reminisced about the past the most.

Moreover, this poem contains many ideas of seeking reform, which is similar to many of the ideas of the reformists.

However, Lu Yijian, who was in charge of the imperial examinations, chose another paper.

In Ouyang Xiu's view, although the article that Lu Yijian liked was ornate in words, the whole article was empty and was just a poem written in accordance with the rules for the imperial examination.

Lü Yijian was very calm. He pointed at the paper in Ouyang Xiu's hand and said:

"This article uses inappropriate allusions and has flaws in rhythm and rhythm."

Ouyang Xiu immediately lost his temper. After all, Lu Yijian was the chief examiner, so he could only lower his head.

"Take off the names and copy the list and send it to the palace."

The clerks came forward one after another and opened the covered names in order.

Ouyang Xiu looked at the opened name on the paper and saw that the owner of the paper that was favored by Lu Yijian, who was also the first in this Ministry of Rites examination, was a scholar named Yang Zong.

Ouyang Xiu had heard of this man's name.

But Lü Yijian had a better memory, and he said:

"Yang Zong ranked first in the Imperial College exam, right? He's the first in this dynasty to have won both the Jieyuan and Huiyuan titles, right?"

Ouyang Xiu then remembered Yang Zong, and he also said:
"This man is the younger brother of Yang Cha, the runner-up in the first year of Jingyou. If the brothers could both pass the first place, it would be a wonderful story."

Ouyang Xiu continued reading and found that the candidate on the paper he was interested in was named Wang Anshi.

Ouyang Xiu wrote down this name. The third and fourth places were Han Jiang and Wang Gui respectively, who were also famous talents in Bianliang City.

Ouyang Xiu sighed deeply. Su Ze, the student he valued the most, had his qualification as a student suspended because of Song Qi's previous corruption case, and could not take part in this Ministry of Rites examination.

Ouyang Xiu glanced at Lu Yijian beside him. It was very likely that this man was responsible for Song Qi's case. He thought that this group of people had delayed a talent like Su Ze because of party disputes.

Ouyang Xiu didn't want to say anything more to him. He ordered the scribe to copy the list, and the chief and deputy examiners confirmed it with their seals respectively, and immediately sent the ranking of this Ministry of Rites examination to the palace.

At this point, the lock-up is over.

As soon as the gate of the Imperial Examination Hall opened, a servant from the Lu Mansion rushed in.

Lu Yijian was somewhat displeased. As the prime minister, he had to be graceful in everything he did and was very strict in managing his household. Yet, this servant had been following him for a long time, yet he was so impulsive.

But the servant ignored him and rushed to him, then whispered to Lu Yijian what had happened in the past few days.

At this moment, Lu Yijian no longer cared about the Prime Minister's demeanor. His pupils contracted violently, and he grabbed the servant's hand and asked:

"really!?"

"Husband! How dare I say such nonsense! Please go back home quickly!" Lu Yijian's body suddenly trembled, and then he fell backwards.

Ouyang Xiu was quick to support Lu Yijian and quickly called the medical officer from the Imperial Examination Hall.

"Close the gates of the Imperial Examination Hall! Send someone to the palace!"

After all, Lu Yijian was the prime minister of a country. If he had any health problems, it would cause a great shock in the court.

Although Ouyang Xiu despised his behavior, he still stepped in to control the situation for the sake of the overall situation.

Lü Yijian's face was ashen and his breath was weak. The doctor felt his pulse for a long time and said to Ouyang Xiu:
"Master Ouyang, the Prime Minister, the Prime Minister."

"What happened to the Prime Minister?"

"The Prime Minister has suffered from a stroke."

Ouyang Xiu was also surprised. There had been rumors in recent years that Lu Yijian was in poor health. Originally, Ouyang Xiu thought it was just a trick of this old villain.

But he suddenly fell ill, which must have been caused by the stimulation. Ouyang Xiu called the servants of the Lu family and asked him what he had said to Lu Yijian.

"What?! You said that the scholar Su Ze from Kaifeng Prefecture beat the drum to present a picture and impeached your Second Lord?"

Ouyang Xiu also felt dizzy. The courtyard had been locked for only five days, yet so many things had happened?
Then Ouyang Xiu became happy again. Lu Gongbi was imprisoned and Lu Yijian was ill, which meant that the conservatives collapsed overnight. What about his ideal of implementing new policies?

Ouyang Xiu was a gentleman after all. Thinking of Lü Yijian who had suffered a stroke, he suppressed his thoughts and said to the servant:

"Hurry back to the Prime Minister's residence, find a safe carriage, and take Prime Minister Lu back to the residence."

"I will enter the palace immediately!"
-
In Zhang Xiuyuan's palace, the maid was helping Zhang Xiuyuan to dress up.

The maid used tweezers to pick up the small pearls and stuck them one by one on Zhang Xiuyuan's cheeks from the base of her eyebrows down.

This is the most popular pearl makeup among aristocratic women today.

Because the main pearl producing areas today are all areas controlled by the Liao Kingdom, these pearls are all brought from the Song-Liao trade and are very expensive. Only the women in the harem and the nobility would use such makeup.

The maid then put Zhang Xiuyuan's hair into the Yamaguchi crown and fixed it with a jade hairpin. Finally, the face of a beautiful and elegant lady was completed.

Outside the screen, Zhang Yaozuo was waiting quietly. He came to report to Zhang Xiuyuan about Lu Yijian's downfall.

"Uncle shouldn't help Su Ze like this."

Zhang Yaozuo was startled, and only heard Zhang Xiuyuan say:

"How could Su Ze, a commoner, find out the owners of properties in Bianjing City? And even compile such detailed data? The emperor should know by now that it was all thanks to my uncle's help."

Zhang Yaozuo broke out in a cold sweat. He himself was a treacherous villain, so he was better at guessing the emperor's thoughts.

The emperor may be unhappy with the queen and Lu Yijian, but he would not like himself to conspire with Zhang Xiuyuan and he hates the harem interfering in politics.

Zhang Xiuyuan said lightly:

"Uncle, please tell the emperor the truth about the demon book case. It's not too late to ask for his forgiveness now."

Zhang Yaozuo immediately said:
"I will submit a letter of apology as soon as I return! The evil book was written on my own initiative and has nothing to do with Xiu Yuan!"

Zhang Yaozuo raised his head again and asked:
"What about Suze?"

Zhang Xiuyuan said calmly:

"Such a talent should naturally be befriended. I would also like to ask my uncle to arrange his marriage with Chu Lan."

"I understand!"

(End of this chapter)