White-robed Minister

Chapter 211 0209 [The Borderlands Living on a Tight Budget and the Court Engaging in Intensified Political Struggles]

"Mingyuan, come with me to greet our old friend." Xu Lai pulled Liao Zhenggu away.

Liao Zheng went out in a daze, only to see Zhang Shangying standing there. He was overjoyed and said, "Haha, it's Brother Tianjue! It's been several years since we parted in Tokyo."

All three were Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) in the second year of the Zhiping era. Now, due to Xu's invitation, they have reunited in the border region, and upon seeing each other, they are all overjoyed.

Xu Lai invited Zhang Shangying into the General's Hall. Just as they were talking, Yang Shu actually abandoned his brother and fiancée and rushed over to meet his classmates.

Yang Shu became even more enthusiastic and hugged Zhang Shangying tightly.

Seeing Zhang Shangying's astonishment, Xu Lai and Liao Zhenggu both burst into laughter.

Liao Zhenggu explained, "Yang Jiezhi was in charge of building fortified villages and pacifying the Qiang tribes. Before the snow, he traveled to various Qiang tribes and picked up their habits. When I first arrived, he hugged me and patted my shoulder."

"Hahaha, I see." Zhang Shangying laughed along.

Yang Shu said, "I was so happy to see an old friend again that I couldn't contain my joy. I'm sorry that Brother Tianjue made a fool of himself."

After catching up with each other, Zhang Shangying couldn't wait to ask about the important matter at hand.

He first inquired about immigration and then shared his observations from his journey.

Xu Lai explained, "Among the households that have migrated here, there are many who are just pretending. But they are still usable. The clerks I send to distribute the money are not stupid. They will ask about the agricultural situation before distributing the money, in order to prevent the ruffians from the city from sneaking in. If they look too old, unless their whole family has migrated, I will make them do somersaults and run around on the spot."

"How many archers and civilians have come?" Zhang Shangying asked.

Xu Lai replied, "The count from half a month ago was over 5,300 archers and over 62,000 civilians. The elderly, women, and children are also included in the civilian population."

Zhang Shangying asked in surprise, "So many people? Can we afford the money and supplies?"

Xu Lai said, "We still have enough money, but we're running out of grain. Deputy Transport Commissioner Zhang (Zhang Heng) said to try to transport as much as possible and to use it sparingly. Another batch can be transported after the snow melts and before spring plowing. But the real large-scale grain transport will have to wait until next year's wheat harvest. The court has approved the Xihe Pass to enter the Central Plains, so merchants can also transport grain next year."

"Then we'll have to hold on for a few more months," Zhang Shangying said.

Liao Zhenggu said, "Now, in all the prefectures of Xihe, officials, soldiers and civilians alike are given a fixed amount of grain. It is necessary to reserve enough seeds and food for the spring. Even Xu, the military governor, does not eat much each day, and eats the same meals as the other officials in the military governor's office."

Zhang Shangying remarked with emotion, "It was truly hard work."

Xu Lai waved his hand and said, "What's so hard about this? The food will come after the snow melts. The soldiers and civilians stationed on the border and building fortresses are the ones who are really working hard. No matter how much I cut back here, I will still make sure they get enough rations."

Yang Shu said, "Some time ago, I inspected various stockades and arrested more than twenty officials who were embezzling grain and fodder. The military officers involved must serve their sentences and be punished accordingly; their crimes will be recorded first. As for the civil officials involved, none of them will be spared; they will all be exiled to work as tenant farmers for archers!"

"That's how it should be," Zhang Shangying nodded.

Liao Zhenggu chuckled and said, "Actually, without becoming tenant farmers, the border villages lacked literate people, and the local military officers redeemed the civil officials who had been forced into tenant farming."

Xu Lai said, "Anyone caught embezzling twice will be executed without mercy!"

While they were chatting and laughing, Xu Lai said to Wang Hou, "Chudao, go and invite your father here."

Before long, Wang Shao strode over and bowed to his colleagues in greeting.

After exchanging pleasantries, Wang Shao said, "I just received an official document that two eunuchs have arrived. They are currently in Qin Prefecture and will come to Xi Prefecture after the spring. One is Wang Zhongzheng, the traveling official, and the other is Li Xian, the official in charge of official business."

Xu Lai was both amused and exasperated: "His Majesty was worried that we didn't have enough manpower, so he sent his two trusted eunuchs who were good at military affairs to help us."

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Everyone smiled wryly, hoping the eunuch wouldn't make things worse.

Wang Zhongzheng, that guy, is definitely a humanoid creature; he's never done anything good.

At this time, Li Xian was still quite inexperienced and had many bad habits, so he was bound to have conflicts with the civil and military officials of Xihe. However, after suffering setbacks, he learned to be patient and learn, and his potential for growth was extremely high. After a few years of honing his skills, he would have the qualities of a famous general.

Xu Lai then summoned Ding Zhengchen, Wang Chunzhong, Yu Shanyuan, Gong Fugui, and others, and held a winter meeting directly in the Jinglue Hall.

We had a simple lunch, without any drinks, just enough to fill our stomachs.

Xu Lai, holding up a bowl of water, said, "Today's meal is simple and plain; I apologize for neglecting you all. I offer this bowl of water in place of wine, and we'll hold a celebratory banquet next year after our great victory over the barbarians!"

"Dry!"

Everyone raised their bowls and drank heartily.

Although the food was terrible, the atmosphere was fantastic, and everyone was eager to make a name for themselves.

Today, Xihe is not only facing a severe shortage of food, but also a severe shortage of civil officials and clerks.

Take Xizhou, where Xu Lai concurrently served as prefect, for example. Only one official from the prefectural government came; the rest claimed illness and refused to take up their posts. As a result, Xu Lai's military command staff often had to handle prefectural government affairs on their own.

Xu Lai originally wanted to bring over the former Tongyuan Army officers, but Hou Ke, who was now the prefect of Gongzhou, refused to release them. In particular, Xu Lai found Lian Ding, the registrar, extremely useful, and he was determined to get Lian Ding over next year.

After lunch, everyone dispersed.

Xu Lai left Ding Zhengchen alone and said, "Brother, please settle your sister first. This matter is not urgent. We can discuss it after Yang Shisanlang gets married. I will prepare the marriage certificate and betrothal gifts."

Taking a woman from a respectable family as a concubine also requires preparing a marriage certificate and betrothal gifts.

Hearing Xu Lai's words, Ding Zhengchen felt reassured. Both he and Xu Lai were in an awkward position; a slight misstep could have escalated the situation.

A few days later, Yang Shu got married.

The scene was very lively, but the banquet was very meager. There were no drinks for the guests, only the newlyweds could drink the nuptial wine, and the food was served in fixed quantities according to the number of people.

Inside the bridal chamber, Yang Shu felt quite apologetic: "I've really wronged my wife."

Zhao Nanjia had only met Yang Shu today, and the more she looked at him, the more she liked him. She smiled sweetly and said, "My husband has expanded the country's borders, doing something that will be remembered for all time. The fact that there is a widespread shortage of food is not my husband's fault. I am honored to have been a part of it."

Upon hearing this, Yang Shu was overjoyed, for his beloved wife was so understanding.

A few days later, Xu came to take a concubine.

There wasn't much of a grand affair this time; there was just a beautifully decorated carriage to pick up Ding Xiaomei from Ding Zhengchen's house.

No banquet was held to avoid embarrassing Ding Zhengchen, since he still needed to interact with his colleagues.

The red candles burned, and Xu Lai lifted the gauze veil.

Ding Xiaomei looked even more radiant and charming today. Even though Xu Lai was a master of self-control, he couldn't help but feel his heart race upon seeing her.

"Zhaohua————" Xu Lai already knew Ding Xiaomei's full name when he wrote the marriage certificate.

Ding Xiaomei lowered her head shyly and said, "My family calls me Xiangxiang, and my nickname is Dingxiang."

Xu Lai said with emotion, "Xiangxiang, it must have been hard for you to come all this way."

Dingxiang smiled and said, "To marry a hero is my lifelong wish; everything else is insignificant."

Xu Lai said with a smile, "When you set off from Guangzhou, I hadn't yet made any great contributions."

As Dingxiang spoke, her shyness vanished, replaced by a confident and poised demeanor: "Upon first meeting you, sir, I was immediately struck by your goodwill. Sir, guess when I fell for you?"

Xu Lai asked, "Did I become the top scholar in the imperial examination?"

Dingxiang shook her head: "My lord led many classmates to Pujian Mountain to investigate water conservancy. My elder brother returned from Pujian Mountain and recounted the trip in detail. At that time, my father commented that the students from other prefectures were like ignorant children, but only Xu Sanlang had extraordinary talent and great ambition. It was at that time that I fell in love with you."

"Haha, I was fooling around back then too." Xu Lai also recalled the past.

Dingxiang said with a serious expression, "How can you call it nonsense? The people inside and outside Guangzhou no longer have to drink salty and bitter water. Although the dike was built by the government, it wouldn't have been built without you, sir."

It was a bit hot inside by the fire, so Xu Lai took off her "wedding robe".

Dingxiang remained motionless, simply sitting there smiling at him.

Xu Lai then helped Dingxiang take off her wedding dress, and then helped her take off her shoes and socks.

This winter, the political landscape at court has changed once again.

Chen Xu (Chen Shengzhi), Wang Anshi's top political ally, began to have conflicts with Wang Anshi not long after Wang Anshi helped him to become prime minister.

Now that Chen Xu had become prime minister, he no longer wanted to manage the Three Offices Regulations Office. His reason was that the position of the Regulations Office was too low-ranking, and it would be improper for the prime minister to hold it concurrently.

Wang Anshi was simply politically slow-witted, or rather, he couldn't quite see through people.

He genuinely believed Chen Xu was dissatisfied with the low rank of his official position, and even went so far as to nitpick over the character "司" (si). Wang Anshi said, "The character '后' (hou) reversed becomes '司' (si), '后' (hou) represents the way of the ruler, and '司' (si) represents the way of the minister. The Three Dukes of ancient times are the same as the Three Offices of today—blah blah blah."

Wang Anshi, a man of great learning, analyzed a great deal for Chen Xu, from texts to history.

All this talk is useless; Chen Xu is determined not to take on the role again.

The Bureau for Regulations and Establishments of the Three Departments indirectly controls central finances and is currently the core institution for reform. Why didn't Chen Xu want to continue holding this position?

Because so many people opposed Wang Anshi, the reforms were very likely to fail under these circumstances.

If Chen Xu were to step down from this post, he would no longer have a direct connection with the reform movement. If the reform succeeded, he would also have contributed to the success of his premiership.

If the reform fails, it will have nothing to do with Chen Xu!

Wang Anshi never expected that before the reforms had even truly begun, his biggest ally would abandon him.

After returning home, Lü Huiqing came to visit and gave Wang Anshi a thorough analysis.

Wang Anshi then realized the truth, and angrily denounced Chen Xu as a treacherous villain, thus breaking ties with Chen Xu from then on.

Chen Xu had already been promoted to prime minister by Wang Anshi, which meant that Wang Anshi had essentially created a political enemy of prime minister level for himself.

Su Zhe was a trusted confidant promoted by Chen Xu, and naturally, he had a very unpleasant falling out with Wang Anshi.

As a result, Su Shi was also resented.

Not only because Su Shi and Su Zhe were brothers, but also because Su Shi had stood up to oppose the reforms when Wang Anshi reformed the imperial examination system.

Zhao Xiang was planning to promote Su Shi and Sun Jue, and asked Wang Anshi for his opinion on the two men.

Wang Anshi countered by asking the emperor, "Does Your Majesty consider Su Shi a worthy candidate for reward?"

Zhao Xu said, "Su Shi was proficient in literature, and I found him to be a very peaceful person. Sima Guang, Han Wei, and Wang Cun also gave Su Shi this evaluation."

Wang Anshi stated without reservation: "Su Shi is a treacherous person. This is not an unfounded slander by me, but a fact proven by facts. Su Shi once wrote 'On Jia Yi,' saying that Jia Yi should calmly plan and secretly infiltrate, first becoming close friends with ministers such as Zhou Bo and Guan Ying, and then seizing power in the court when the time was right."

"Su Shi himself did just that. He had previously risen through the ranks by currying favor with Ouyang Xiu. When Ouyang Xiu wrote 'On Legitimacy,' Zhang Wangzhi refuted his views. Su Shi then wrote an article refuting Zhang Wangzhi, and his rebuttal was completely unreasonable."

"When Su Shi's father died, Han Qi and others offered him money and travel expenses, but he refused, seeking fame and fortune. However, he secretly transported several boatloads of sappanwood from the capital to Sichuan for profit, using the very same boats that had been used to transport his father's remains!"

Zhao Xu exclaimed in surprise, "There's such a thing as using funeral ships to transport sappanwood for profit?"

Wang Anshi said, "Everyone knows this! Sima Guang impeached Lü Huiqing for accepting bribes, yet he praised Su Shi for being peaceful. This is truly a slander against Lü Huiqing."

The Sumu incident is entirely fictional.

It was Xie Jingwen, the brother-in-law of Wang Anshi's younger brother, who deliberately framed Su Shi in order to curry favor with Wang Anshi. When Wang Anshi heard about this, he did not bother to verify it, but instead developed a strong dislike for Su Shi.

It's only being said privately now, but in two or three months, Xie Jingwen will publicly impeach Su Shi, falsely accusing him of using his deceased father's funeral boat to transport and sell sappanwood for profit.

Su Shi was so angry that he requested to be transferred to a post outside the capital, unwilling to serve as an official in the same court as certain people.

The emperor sent people to investigate for several months, and ordered the six supervisory offices along the route the funeral boat passed to investigate as well. They even arrested and interrogated the boatmen and sailors who had driven the boat for Su Shi.

Ultimately, no evidence was found, and it was purely a malicious slander.

The officials Wang Anshi is currently appointing are quite outrageous. For example, Xie Jingwen, who framed Su Shi, is about to become the second-in-command of the Censorate, representing the reform faction.

Wang Anshi used these shameless villains to gradually gain control of the Censorate and eliminate dissidents.

Cheng Ti, who had returned to the capital to serve as a censor, was still on good terms with Wang Anshi at this time. He secretly approached Wang Anshi and said, "Your Excellency wishes to implement the new laws, but the officials are hesitant about their feasibility. You should first dispel their doubts; how can you appoint a group of sycophants to important positions?"

Wang Anshi replied, "At the beginning of the implementation of the new laws, the old officials were unwilling to support me. I could only temporarily appoint a group of capable people. Once the new laws are in effect, I will dismiss them and let experienced and prudent people safeguard the results. As the saying goes: the wise act, the benevolent safeguard."

Cheng Hao said, "If petty people gain power, how can they be easily dismissed? If you drive away those petty people in the future, they will surely become your enemies. And the virtuous ministers who are ostracized by petty people will also become your enemies. Whether the new laws succeed or fail, you will have enemies all over the world."

Wang Anshi remained silent.

Wang Anshi understood many of these principles, but he didn't want to consider the consequences.

He only wanted to reform the country, and he was willing to use any means necessary!

That winter, Wang Anshi summoned Lü Huiqing and others to begin a closed-door discussion on the feasibility of the "Green Sprouts Act".

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