The prince is more stable

Chapter 290 Old Friends
Zhao Xiaoqian sees some things very clearly, not because he has lived two lives, but because his current position determines the height and breadth of his view of the problem.

The purpose of the court suddenly recalling Su Shi back to Bianliang was not to let him show off and attend various banquets everywhere.

What Zhao Xiaoqian was certain of was that when Su Shi returned to Beijing from Huizhou, what awaited him would be exile to a more remote place.

In real history, Su Shi was further exiled from Huizhou to Danzhou, Hainan Island, where he lived in a sea view apartment.

Hainan Island during the Song Dynasty was not a scenic tourist area, but a truly barren and deadly land.

Don't forget that Su Shi originally stood in the old party camp, but now the new party is in power, especially Zhang Dun, who is so narrow-minded, he will definitely destroy the old party.

As an official of the Old Party and a leader in the literary world, it was inappropriate for Su Shi to attend the banquet in such a high-profile manner just after returning to Bianliang.

This is also the reason why Zhao Xiaoqian is reluctant to attend various banquets recently.

Although he had reached a private reconciliation with Zhang Dun and agreed to keep out of each other's way, Zhao Xiaoqian did not want to cause trouble for himself. The current situation had reached a balance, and Zhao Xiaoqian did not want to break it.

His personality is different from Su Shi's. Su Shi is more suitable to be a typical literati, talented, unrestrained, free and easy, and he likes to drink salty tofu pudding.

Such people often speak and act as they please, without regard for the consequences, and are oblivious to the dangers lurking in the court and officialdom.

Su Shi learned a lesson in the Wudai Poetry Case that year. The charges against him were "ridiculing the government" and "slandering the emperor."

To sum up, it is a typical case of trouble coming from the mouth.

Su Shi had experienced the ups and downs of officialdom for many years and had learned a lot, but when he returned to Bianliang this time, he still underestimated the danger of the court.

Do you really think that attending a few banquets or gatherings of intellectuals will be fine?

You are wrong. Now is the time when the New Party and the Old Party are fighting the most fiercely, and Prime Minister Zhang Dun, as a member of the New Party, is very violent. The fact that Su Shi was once a member of the Old Party is a crime in itself.

Zhao Xiaoqian was sure that at this moment in the city of Bianliang, countless New Party officials were staring at Su Shi, watching him write poems and lyrics at various banquets and show off.

What Zhao Xiaoqian didn't expect was that Cai You's father Cai Jing also wanted to hold a banquet.

This thing is really...

Don't you consider the timing and occasion when you are being pretentious?
Of course, Zhao Xiaoqian could guess to some extent the purpose of Cai Jing holding a banquet for Su Shi.

By using Su Shi's name and inviting some famous scholars and literati, in this era that values ​​articles and poetry, he was also trying to build a foundation of personal connections in the officialdom.

As a typical political speculator, Cai Jing's mind is just like an internet celebrity trying to attract traffic. He invites a big star to interact in his live broadcast room to increase his followers, and in the future... live broadcast sales?
Fortunately, Cai You was also a smart man. When he heard the implicit reminder in Zhao Xiaoqian's words, Cai You immediately took it seriously. Obviously, once he was reminded, Cai You also thought of the crisis behind it.

"Thank you, Brother Zi'an, for your reminder. I will keep this favor in my heart and will repay you later." Cai You bowed deeply to Zhao Xiaoqian with a serious expression.

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and hooked his arm around his shoulder: "You and I are like brothers. Stop talking about gratitude all the time. How vulgar!"

Cai You was even more moved and was about to express his deep brotherly love, but Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly changed the subject and said, "If you convert your kindness into silver, put it in a box and send it to my house, it will look so special and it will brighten my eyes..."

Cai You was stunned, pondered for a moment, and decisively decided to ignore what Zhao Xiaoqian said.

Confucius said: Choose the good and follow it, choose the evil and don't listen to it.

Confucius is right!

The topic changed abruptly. Cai You looked at the grill in the yard. The lamb skewers on it were sizzling with oil and the aroma was fragrant.

"Why is Brother Zi'an suddenly roasting mutton in the Imperial City Office?"

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed, "Because mutton has a strong smell..."

Cai You was stunned again. What kind of answer was this?
Zhao Xiaoqian continued, "There's an old guy who loves to eat but doesn't know how to eat. He insists that mutton is only delicious if it has a strong smell. I don't agree, so the mutton I roasted today has a strong smell..."

Cai You was still a little confused: "What does it matter if the mutton has a strong smell?"

Zhao Xiaoqian said seriously, "I told him that mutton has a strong smell and even dogs won't eat it. ... Hey, the meat is cooked, and the heat is just right."

Grabbing a handful of roasted mutton and handing it to Cai You, Zhao Xiaoqian extended a warm invitation.

"Brother, try it?" Cai You: "…………"

To eat, or not to eat?

Eat it, you are worse than a dog.

If he didn't eat, it would be like not giving him face, and this was the Imperial City Division, his territory...

…………

Political Hall.

Zhang Dun was busy handling state affairs, but he was still feeling annoyed by the tedious and complicated official duties in various places.

As the prime minister of the current dynasty, while receiving grace and rewards, one must also bear the responsibilities of a prime minister.

Especially at this time of year, it is the time to suppress the old party.

But after the Yuanyou period, the court in Bianjing was basically composed of the old party. Now that the new party is in power, it is a very huge project to eliminate these old party members from the court.

Not to mention the charges and excuses, there were thousands of officials of the fourth rank and above in the city of Bianliang. It is easy to imagine how difficult it would be to eliminate such a large faction of the old party.

In fact, Zhang Dun was more anxious than Zhao Xu. He was eager to inherit Wang Anshi's will, to let people all over the world experience the benefits of the reform, and to end the factional struggles in the court so that there would be only one voice in the court from then on.

No one wants to fight endlessly. Zhang Dun sat in this position. No matter how many evil things he had done since he became prime minister, his original intention was to end the fight as soon as possible, restore the court and the world to normal, and achieve the goal of making the country rich and the people strong.

Human nature is complex and diverse. Zhang Dun is not necessarily a good person, but he is not entirely a bad person either.

When the Imperial Censor Cai Bian came over with a pile of memorials, Zhang Dun immediately gave a wry smile.

"Yuan Du, are you trying to tire me out today? It's almost evening, and you've prevented me from returning home tonight..."

Cai Bian smiled apologetically and said, "Mr. Zhang, you are a capable person and should do more work. After all, you are the prime minister of this dynasty."

After a pause, Cai Bian said cautiously, "Prime Minister Zhang, I heard...Su Shi was recalled to Bianjing by the court?"

Zhang Dun's hand holding the pen paused, and then he hummed lightly.

"Sir Zhang, don't you want to meet with Scholar Su?" Cai Bian asked cautiously.

Zhang Dun showed a complicated expression and remained silent for a long time.

This statement was not spoken casually.

Cai Bian knew that as early as the Xining period, Zhang Dun and Su Shi had been close friends.

The two were both successful candidates in the imperial examination and had a deep friendship as they traveled to scenic spots together. In the Wudai Poetry Case, Su Shi was almost killed. In the end, Zhang Dun came forward to plead for mercy to Emperor Shenzong, thus saving Su Shi's life.

At that time, Zhang Dun was a loyal member of the New Party, while Su Shi was a staunch opponent of the new law. Although their political views were opposing, Zhang Dun still pleaded for Su Shi without hesitation, which shows how deep their friendship was back then.

Many years have passed, and the old friends have become strangers.

It was Zhang Dun's idea that Su Shi was recalled to Beijing.

But Zhang Dun didn't want to see him at all.

It's not just the political views of the two camps, but also personal grudges.

Objectively speaking, this is Su Shi's fault.

During the Yuanyou period, the old party regained control of the government and the new party was expelled. Su Che at the time impeached Zhang Dun, causing Zhang Dun to be demoted and transferred to another place. However, Su Shi did not plead for Zhang Dun at that time, but remained silent.

Probably from that time on, Zhang Dun became disillusioned with this friendship and they became strangers.

Later, Zhang Dun returned to the center of the court and was appointed as prime minister. He was eager to suppress Su Che, and Zhang Dun's character gradually became darker. The reason is obvious.

This time when Zhang Dun summoned Su Shi back to Beijing, he had no good intentions at all, so how could he meet with Su Shi in private?
(End of this chapter)