The prince is more stable

Chapter 43 Public enmity and private grudges

Things really got out of hand.

Liu Zhi's identity was not simple. The Empress Dowager relied heavily on him at that time. Many specific policies for implementing the old laws were formulated by Liu Zhi and a group of old party ministers.

It is no exaggeration to say that he is a leader of the old party.

Now that the government has abolished the old and restored the new, Liu Zhi was demoted to the position of Huangzhou Tuanlianshi. Although he was demoted, he was still a leader of the old party, which had little to do with whether his official position was high or low.

The Prince of Chu killed Liu Zhi's horse in the street, smashed Liu Zhi's carriage, and escorted him to Kaifeng Prefecture, and then wanted to sue him.

To the court officials of the old party, Zhao Xiaoqian's move was simply lawless. It was a humiliation to the entire old party, and the old party exploded.

In Funing Palace, before Zhao Xu could figure out the whole matter, a eunuch came to report that the two ministers, Fan Chunren and Lu Dafang, were asking for a meeting outside the palace.

Zhao Xu rubbed his tired face irritably, sighed, and ordered the two to be summoned.

Fan Chunren and Lu Dafang were also prime ministers.

There were more than one or two prime ministers in the Song Dynasty. Basically, anyone with the title of "Left Pushe", "Right Pushe" or "Privy Councilor" could be called a prime minister.

There is also a "Sanzhi Zhengshi", which is also an official title, slightly lower than the prime minister, and is usually called the "deputy prime minister".

There is a "Political Affairs Hall" in the Forbidden Palace of the Song Dynasty. In short, those who can enter the Political Affairs Hall to chat and read memorials are basically "prime ministers".

During the Yuanfeng period of Emperor Shenzong, the officialdom underwent a vigorous reform. Under the leadership of Wang Anshi, the court organization was greatly adjusted.

The prime minister, who originally held absolute power, had his power fragmented after the reform.

Why do so many people still resist the new law and support the old law today?

Friends who often serve as prime ministers must be very clear that the power of the prime minister is divided among the Secretariat, the Six Ministries, the Censorate and the Privy Council. Aren’t you anxious?
Therefore, the old party will always have followers in the court and its camp will always be huge.

Today, Zhao Xiaoqian killed horses and smashed carriages, which not only hit Liu Zhi in the face, but also the face of the entire old party. This shows how serious the matter was.

When Fan Chunren and Lu Dafang entered the Funing Palace, the two prime ministers looked somewhat dejected, and their hearts were extremely heavy.

There have been frequent personnel transfers in the Bianliang court recently. After Zeng Buzhangdun, several New Party officials who had been demoted were transferred to the capital by the Ministry of Personnel in succession over the next few days.

The old party that originally controlled the government was collapsing and weakening day by day. Fan Chunren and Lu Dafang, who were also leaders of the old party, knew deeply that the court had changed and could no longer accommodate them.

As early as two days ago, Fan Chunren and Lu Dafang had submitted a memorial to Zhao Xu requesting local appointments.

Since this is the general trend, it is better to leave on your own initiative rather than being driven away by others. This is more decent.

According to the rules, the emperor and his subjects must request and decline three times, and they must do their best to save face. Otherwise, how can they show the spirit of a wise emperor and virtuous subjects to the people of the world?

Zhao Xu had already issued an edict yesterday to sincerely retain the two of them. With two more resignations left, they would probably be approved to serve as officials in other places.

It is impossible for me to resign from my official position. It is impossible for me to resign from my official position in this lifetime.

Keep yourself useful until the old party rises again... What if you wake up tomorrow morning and find that all the new party officials have died suddenly?

Today, Fan Chunren and Lu Dafang went to the palace to meet the emperor because of Zhao Xiaoqian's killing of horses and smashing of carriages.

The news spread so quickly that it had spread throughout Bian Jing within an hour of the incident.

The old party was furious, pointing to the sky and cursing in the streets, and the person they were cursing was naturally Zhao Xiaoqian.

At this moment, a group of old party officials were gathered outside the palace gate. Fan Chunren and Lu Dafang were representing the old party to enter the palace to file a complaint.

When they met the official Zhao Xu, they saluted and stood in silence.

Zhao Xu forced a smile, but it was a fake one. After all, he was young and not very familiar with the ways of the world, and he couldn't completely hide his likes and dislikes.

Yes, Zhao Xu didn't like Fan Chunren and Lu Dafang, both publicly and privately.

Publicly, Zhao Xu admired Wang Anshi's reforms, despite their numerous drawbacks and drawbacks. However, after weighing the pros and cons, he concluded that they were generally beneficial to the Song Dynasty, though they affected the personal interests of many. Personally, Zhao Xu was deeply dissatisfied with the old party, especially its prime ministers.

Four years ago, the Empress Dowager was still in power and the old party controlled the court.

Zhao Xu was already sixteen years old that year. Logically, the Empress Dowager should have handed over power to the Emperor by this time.

Unfortunately, from the Empress Dowager to the civil and military officials in the court, no one mentioned this matter, as if they had forgotten that the world belonged to the emperor, not the Empress Dowager.

No one mentioned it, and it was impossible for Zhao Xu to bring it up on his own initiative. Starting four years ago, Zhao Xu had been enduring and persevering until the old lady died. Only then did the power of the world finally fall into Zhao Xu's hands.

The public and private grudges from the past are still there. How could Zhao Xu possibly like this group of old party officials who turned a deaf ear and were full of selfish motives?
In the matter of dismantling the old and renewing the new, Zhao Xu might have had the intention of taking revenge on himself.

Standing in front of Zhao Xu, looking at the official's fake smile, Fan Chunren and Lu Dafang sighed sadly.

Times have changed. Who could have imagined that after the death of the Empress Dowager, the emperor who was in charge of the government would turn against her so quickly.

You can at least pretend for another two years.

Zhao Xu, with a friendly face, smiled and asked the two prime ministers why they came to the palace.

Lü Dafang tumbled to his knees and said, "I beg the Emperor to severely punish the thief who humiliated Prime Minister Liu!"

…………

Kaifeng Prefecture in Bianjing.

This was Zhao Xiaoqian's first time to come to the lobby of Kaifeng Prefecture. After entering the hall, Zhao Xiaoqian looked at the various furnishings in the hall with curiosity.

I was a little excited, because the former scholar of Longtu Pavilion and the governor of Kaifeng Prefecture, Mr. Bao Zheng, was sitting in the lobby of Kaifeng Prefecture.

It’s a pity that Mr. Bao passed away thirty years ago, otherwise Zhao Xiaoqian really wanted to see Mr. Bao’s elegance.

Liu Zhi, who was held by the imperial guards on both sides, hung his head listlessly. Zhao Xiaoqian beat him hard twice, not only slapping him in the face but also kicking him in the stomach. An old man in his sixties or seventies probably couldn't bear it.

Zhao Xiaoqian, however, put his hands behind his back and looked around.

Suddenly, a line of lyrics popped up in my mind, "My Lord, come closer and take a closer look. It says that Qin Xianglian is thirty-two years old..."

I have this inexplicable feeling of being a middle school student yet having my blood boiling.

By the way, what about the legendary dragon-head guillotine, tiger-head guillotine and dog-head guillotine?
If they were still in the lobby of Kaifeng Prefecture, they would definitely use the dog-head guillotine to scare that old man Liu Zhi, scare him so much that he wet his pants, and call him a bad-mouthed person.

The plaintiff and the defendant had already entered the lobby of Kaifeng Prefecture, but the Kaifeng prefect had not yet come out.

Officials are not stupid. Since the matter has become so serious, the Kaifeng prefect must have received the news long ago.

This is not a dispute between the crown prince and the former prime minister, but another confrontation between the old and new parties.

The Kaifeng prefect was only a low-ranking official. How could he dare to handle this case?

So the prefect decisively hid in the back hall and refused to come out even if he was beaten to death.

After waiting for a long time, Zhao Xiaoqian became a little impatient. I was planning to go into the brothel today to save the suffering girls, but I was delayed by these crappy things.

"Is anyone there? Where is the Kaifeng prefect? ​​It's time to get to work!" Zhao Xiaoqian shouted.

The Kaifeng government hall was empty, with only the lingering sound.

Not only did the prefect disappear, but even the constables were nowhere to be seen. The entire Kaifeng government office was like the Jiangnan Leather Factory, where all the officials had absconded with the sister-in-law and the money.

Zhao Xiaoqian was extremely annoyed and scratched his head angrily.

With such service attitude and bureaucratic style, the imperial court really needs to reform.

(End of this chapter)