The illiterate life in the Northern Song Dynasty

Wei Shiyi soon arrived at the Wang residence. When he went, it was Mrs. Wang who opened the door. When he saw Wei Shiyi coming, he knew that he was looking for Mr. Wang, so he said to Wei Shiyi: "Brother Shi, you first Sit outside for a while, the old man is writing in the study now, I'll call him."

Wei Shiyi naturally agreed, and sat outside waiting for Mr. Wang.

Mrs. Wang went into the study, and Wei Shiyi waited outside for a long time before seeing her before coming out. After Mrs. Wang came out, she asked Wei Shiyi to go into the study.Mr. Wang was working inside, and he had no other thoughts when he was doing things. It was Wei Shiyi who came, so he let him in to talk about it.

After entering the study, Wei Shiyi saw Mr. Wang was writing at his desk. He walked towards Mr. Wang, glanced over, and after a cursory look, he knew that what he was writing was nothing but the content of the law of reform. .

Of course, Wei Shiyi didn't take a closer look.Then, he stood aside, quietly waiting for Mr. Wang to speak.

When the thing in his hand was almost finished, Wang Anshi put down his pen and asked Wei Shiyi why he came to him today.

Wang Anshi knew that Wei Shiyi had passed the examination, so he should be busy running the clinic. He should have a lot to do, so why would he have time to come to him.

He also has to go to the Construction Supervision Bureau, so Wang Anshi has already prepared that Wei Shiyi will not come here often, not only that, but he himself is also busy now, so even if he is interested in Wei Shiyi's novel ideas Interested, they can't talk as freely as before.

Wei Shiyi also understood Wang Anshi's temperament, and knew that he didn't want to waste time on other things, things he wasn't interested in, so he didn't go around the bush, and directly talked about the newly promulgated law.

"Some time ago, a lot of new fruits appeared in Bianliang, and the price was much cheaper than in previous years. I saw many people buying them. The effect of the equalization method promulgated by the imperial court is really good."

Wei Shiyi used the method of equalization to stir up the topic, and sure enough, Mr. Wang's expression changed.Because there were too many thoughts in his heart and too many things to worry about, his face inevitably looked a little old, but at this time, some smiles appeared on Mr. Wang's old face.

He stroked the long white beard on his chin in satisfaction, and said: "This is the merit of the imperial court. In previous years, food shortages in other counties and counties caused prices to rise, and the people were struggling to survive. Now that the changes have been made, there will naturally be some effects. .”

Wei Shiyi listened, smiled, and showed respect for him appropriately.

He already knew some of Mr. Wang's experience. In his early years, when Mr. Wang was not an official in Beijing, he took these measures when he was the county magistrate in other counties and prefectures. The county, county and state governments have made some political achievements, and the local people respect him very much.

At that time, there was the predecessor of the uniform loss method, and now many regions in the Song Dynasty have implemented this uniform loss method, because the implementation is not bad, so the effect looks good.But the Young Sprouts Method did not go so smoothly.

Therefore, Wei Shiyi sighed, and called the joy on his face into anger and depression. He said solemnly: "Mr. Wang, the imperial court has made a lot of efforts for the people to live and work in peace and contentment. We ordinary people are also very happy. I heard a piece of news that wiped out all the joy in my heart at once."

"What's the matter?" Wang Anshi was in a good mood now, and also a little curious.

Wei Shiyi sighed and told Wang Anshi what Lin Chen said. He had told Zhou Yun once before, so he said it again this time without missing anything. I deliberately said something bad.

After finishing speaking, Wei Shiyi looked disappointed, "The court promulgated laws here, but the people below ignored the laws and exploited the people for their own selfishness. In this way, Mr. Wang, these new laws issued by the court did not solve the difficulties of the people. , On the contrary, it makes their life more difficult, which really runs counter to the original intention of the imperial court."

Wang Anshi was stunned for a full second, but he didn't expect that what Wei Shiyi said was related to the law.

"This is really... the law was originally promulgated to allow the people to live a good life, but now, it's fine if they don't live a good life, but they can't survive. If this continues, it will be considered that the law has changed and the country has changed. Not to mention going for the better, but it will become even worse."

After Wei Shiyi finished speaking this time, Wang Anshi did not remain silent. He thought for a while and said, "Then what do you think?"

Wei Shiyi didn't expect Mr. Wang to be so straightforward, but Wang Anshi continued: "Brother Shi, I know you well. Generally, you have your own purpose and rules when you do things. If you don't tell me about this, Then I definitely don't know. But if you tell me about it, then you want me to solve it, don't you?"

"Yes." Wei Shiyi paused, and said simply.

"Hmph!" Seeing Wei Shiyi's confession, Wang Anshi's face showed a trace of displeasure, "No matter how you say it, I can be considered your husband, I can be your husband, and I have taught you something, but you still talk to me. Beating around the bush, it's really grinding."

Wei Shiyi was a little embarrassed when he heard this.

He didn't know that the words he said were very boring, not only boring, but also polite.As a modern person, he is used to speaking the vernacular, but he is not used to saying these words of the ancients.

But he came here with a purpose, so he had to be more tactful so as not to arouse Mr. Wang's rejection.

Well, now that Mr. Wang has talked about this, Wei Shiyi is no longer tactful, he said directly: "Sir, I would like to ask, can you ease the reform of the law, and wait for these dirty After the matter is resolved, continue to promulgate new laws?"

Wei Shiyi thought about it, if Wang Anshi's reform was promulgated later, one decree was issued, and the bad influence caused by that decree was eliminated as much as possible, and then the next one was promulgated, then the bad influence caused by different decrees would not accumulate. Together, the chances of a successful reform will be greatly increased.

Wang Anshi's reform is no longer a secret, and everyone inside and outside the court knows about it, so he is not worried about how Wang Anshi knows he knows about the reform.

But when Wei Shiyi finished talking about his thoughts, Wang Anshi didn't give him an answer, but was silent for a while, then stood up from his seat and looked out the window.

"Brother Shi, do you feel safe and secure when you look at Da Song Jiangshan?"

Wei Shiyi stood up and replied almost without thinking, "It's not stable."

"The Great Song Dynasty is not stable. The root cause is that there was a problem with the previous policy of governing the country. Now the surrounding countries are staring at each other. If we continue to use the previous laws, the Great Song Dynasty will become weaker. Therefore, if we want to save the Great Song Dynasty, The only way is to change the law.”

"Now that time is running out, how can I slow down? At the beginning of the reform, losses and sacrifices are inevitable, but I believe that as long as Da Song becomes better, those small problems can be ignored."

It means that he will not stop. As for those small problems, when Da Song becomes stronger in the future, the small problems will not cause any hindrance to the foundation of Da Song.

Wei Shiyi was stunned, he didn't expect Wang Anshi to answer like this.

No, it should be expected, but he was...shocked when he heard it with his own ears.

Modern times also record some events during Wang Anshi's reform period, one of which is very shocking is that thousands of people wrote letters and broke their wrists to escape Baojia.

At that time, it was already at the end of the reform. Because there were too many problems in the reform, the people also changed from their initial support to opposition. Tens of thousands of people jointly signed a letter to abolish the reform. As for Baojia, the people could not pay taxes to support the army and join the army at the same time. , so can only escape.

Not only that, there is another thing, that is, there was a drought in a place in the Northern Song Dynasty. Some people said that it was caused by the political reform, but God disagreed.However, Wang Anshi said at that time that the drought was caused by the weather and had nothing to do with the political reform.

Of course, the drought had nothing to do with the reform. Wang Anshi's statement was correct, but his attitude and actions made people feel chilling. It was precisely because of this incident that Song Shenzong's attitude changed and he no longer insisted on the reform.

Wei Shiyi naturally knew that there were sacrifices in the reform, but if these sacrifices could be avoided, why not?If you let it go, one day it will cause disaster, such as the failure of the reform...

"Sir!" Almost without thinking, Wei Shiyi called Wang Anshi subconsciously.

When Wang Anshi turned his head, Wei Shiyi seemed to be looking at him or not, and said solemnly, "Sir, do you think this is a trivial matter?"

Wang Anshi didn't answer.

Wei Shiyi continued: "The saying that the embankment of a thousand miles collapsed in an ant's nest is so difficult that you don't know it?"

"The original purpose of the reform was to make the Song Dynasty better and stronger, free from threats from foreign enemies. But what is a country? There is a country with the people, and the country will be strong only when the people become strong. What do you think of the Song Dynasty now? Have the people become stronger?"

Wang Anshi's face changed slightly.

"Still, it's so hard for you not to know that it's not the entire Song Dynasty that has become powerful, but only the court of the Song Dynasty. The court has money, and the court has food, but all the money and food belong to the people. "

"You didn't make the Great Song Dynasty stronger, you just brought the people's wealth into the imperial court, and made a false appearance of strength!"

Wei Shiyi spoke quickly and anxiously, he was really angry at Wang Anshi's words, and there was nowhere to vent his anxiety, so the words he spoke were heavy.But he has no regrets, he has always known Wang Anshi's stubbornness, and he also knows that Wang Anshi can pay a lot for his purpose.

But he couldn't accept it, really couldn't accept it.

No wonder... no wonder Wang Anshi in history was called a monster, no wonder some people said that he and Song Shenzong had ruined the good scriptures.

Although Wang Anshi's reform has many flaws, those flaws are not impossible to correct, but now it seems that the biggest flaw of Wang Anshi's reform is not those flaws, but the attitude of the reform and the right and wrong implementation.

If the reform is successful in the end, it is very likely that the reform will continue in other directions.But if the reform fails at the beginning, then don't talk about continuing the reform in the future.

Some people say that the biggest problem in the Northern Song Dynasty is the system, and Wei Shiyi also thinks so, but when the system is currently unshakable, how to successfully implement the current reform is the biggest problem.

If this reform is successful, then the system may be touched in the future.

"I'm sorry, what I said may be very unpleasant." After a long breath, Wei Shiyi said: "But I don't regret it. If you think my words are unpleasant, sir, then just pretend I didn't say it. I still have something to do. I'll go first."

But his body paused, and he said: "But I still want to say one thing, if the people start to oppose the reform, will your reform really succeed?"

After speaking, Wei Shiyi left.

In the past, he would stay for a long time when he came to the palace, but today, he didn't even stay for half an hour.

When Wei Shiyi went out, he met Mrs. Wang, and he forced a smile at Mrs. Wang, ignoring Mrs. Wang's puzzled expression, so he left the Wang's house and went all the way back to Wei's house.

Wei Shiyi felt a little tired and a little dazed. From the beginning of the journey, he knew that the Northern Song Dynasty would perish in a few decades, and he had been preparing for it. Whether it was to make money or take the risk of giving weapons to Zhou Yun, he didn't want the Northern Song Dynasty to perish so quickly, even worse. The reader knows that this is a parallel time and space, and he is even more attentive, and even tried every means to keep the Northern Song Dynasty alive.

He also thought about Wang Anshi's stubborn temper. In the original world, Wang Anshi was so difficult to persuade, and Wang Anshi in this world is naturally like this, but he didn't expect that it would be so difficult to accept what Wang Anshi said in person.

If this continues, the Northern Song Dynasty...should be like the Northern Song Dynasty in his parallel world, destroyed and replaced.

"Brother Shi, why are you at home today?" Wei Shiyi was sitting in the yard when Li Sanniang suddenly walked in with a child in his arms and asked suspiciously.

Usually at this time, Wei Shiyi is either in the medical center, the Yuquan gymnasium, or other places, and spends very little time at home.Especially since it was noon, it was his busiest time.

Wei Shiyi put away his thoughts and said with a smile: "It's nothing, just come back and have a rest." Then he got up and looked at the child in Li Sanniang's arms. The child had a round face and big eyes, very pretty.

Wei Shiyi stretched out his hand, and the child stretched out his small hand to grab his fingers. The five small fingers made people feel pity.

This child is Li Sanjie's child, he is almost one year old, and he is very beautiful at this time, unlike the little old man who was just born.

"He's so cute." Wei Shiyi said.

Li Sanniang was very kind while holding the baby, and said with a smile: "Xiaobao is very beautiful, you don't know, every night we look at him and don't want to sleep, he is cute and obedient, and he doesn't cry randomly."

In the eyes of every parent, their own children are the cutest.Of course, Xiaobao is also really good-looking.

But Sanjie Li sighed as she spoke, Wei Wei listened wantonly and asked her why she sighed.Li Sanniang said: "What I'm worried about is what kind of wife Xiaobao should be when he grows up. Hey, Xiaobao is so cute, I really don't want to part with it."

Wei Shiyi: "..."

Wei Shiyi endured and endured, before he could bear the surprise on his face. Xiaobao is not yet a year old, and Li Sanniang is actually worried about his marriage.

Not only that, Li Sanniang also said to Wei Shiyi: "Brother Shi, Xiaobao is better, you have to be more careful at Shihuan, and you can't choose those who have bad conduct, like our third sister... hey, But I believe that with Shi Geer's vision, you will definitely find a good marriage for Shi Huan."

Next, Li Sanniang told Wei Shiyi how to look at people, how to choose Wei Shihuan's own opinion, and the most famous matchmaker in Bianliang, etc., because Li Sanjie's marriage failed, Li Sanniang can do nothing about it. Enough effort.

For a while, the somewhat gloomy atmosphere of the Wei family began to reconcile with Ning.

Li Sanniang was talking there, but Wei Shiyi's thoughts drifted away again.

If it is like what Li Sanniang said, then the Northern Song Dynasty must have been peaceful at that time. Only when the Northern Song Dynasty was peaceful, people would have a future and live such an ordinary but quiet life.

To have such a future, the Northern Song Dynasty cannot be destroyed.

Thinking of this, the gloom in Wei Shiyi's heart gradually disappeared, and then a high-spirited fighting spirit arose in his heart-to persuade Mr. Wang again.

It is really wrong for him to persuade Mr. Wang once and not go, and to say such heavy words. Since he already knows that it is not easy to persuade Mr. Wang, then he should be prepared for a long-term battle.

Thinking about it, Wei Shiyi tactfully asked Li Sanniang to go back to Li's house, while he himself walked towards the palace again.

If it fails once, it will be twice, if it fails twice, it will be three times, and if it fails three times, he will continue. He doesn't believe that Mr. Wang really doesn't care about those ordinary people, and he doesn't care whether his reform will succeed.

Going to Wang's house again, Wei Shiyi learned that Mr. Wang was not at home anymore.He was a little flustered, could it be that in this short period of time, Mr. Wang has already entered the palace?Was he impatient to issue the next decree?

Wei Shiyi was flustered, but Mrs. Wang who opened the door for him said magnetically: "Brother Shi, what are you doing in such a panic? He didn't enter the palace. Zhou Yuhou, who came to the house with you before, asked him to go out." Now, do you want to wait at home, they should be back soon."

Mrs. Wang was still thinking about Wei Shiyi's departure earlier, and wanted him to come in and ask why, but Wei Shiyi didn't think about it, so she didn't go in.

Zhou Yun came to see Mr. Wang?Why?Shouldn't he be in the palace at this time?How did you come to the palace?

Wei Shiyi was full of doubts in his heart, but he couldn't figure out why.He had no choice but to go to the Zhou Mansion and wait to see what Zhou Yun was doing with Mr. Wang.

Wei Shiyi waited until night, Zhou Yun didn't come back, so he had no choice but to leave a message, asking people from the Zhou Mansion to tell Zhou Yun about his visit.

The people in the Zhou Mansion were also very familiar with Wei Shiyi, so they naturally agreed with him.

Then, Wei Shiyi waited for Zhou Yun's news, Huang Tian paid off, and three days later, Zhou Yun sent someone to ask him to go to Zhou Mansion.

When they arrived at the Zhou Mansion, Wei Shiyi immediately asked about the events of that day, Zhou Yun did not hide anything, asked Wei Shiyi to sit down, and then began to talk about why he went to Mr. Wang.

It turned out that Zhou Yun decided to go to the palace to report the matter to the official family that day, but when he returned to the palace, he found that the official family was not in his palace, and then he asked a father-in-law who was serving the official family. I know that the official family has gone to the Empress Dowager's side.

Because Yingzong died young and Shenzong succeeded to the throne early, Yingzong's health has been poor, so Shenzong has always received great expectations when he was established as the crown prince.

At this time, both the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager were still alive, and Shenzong was also taught by them when he was a child. Perhaps because of Yingzong's death, the two women were very concerned about Shenzong, so Shenzong would spend a long time every month. The empress dowager and the empress dowager, every time he went, he would stay there until very late before returning.

However, the matter Wei Shiyi said was also very serious, so Zhou Yun could only wait, but after waiting for a while, he suddenly realized that he was the only one to talk about this matter. Because there are often other factions behind a county magistrate, they can't move easily.

So, he went out of the palace to find Mr. Wang.

At present, Mr. Wang is the most valued by the officials. If the two of them talk about this matter together, the possibility of solving it will be much greater.At the same time, Mr. Wang is also responsible for the reform. If he agrees, then Shenzong will pay more attention to this matter.

Then Wei Shiyi knew what happened next.

Immediately, he asked nervously, "Then what happened?"

Zhou Yun looked at Wei Shiyi with complicated eyes, and nodded, "It's done."

"It's done?" Wei Shiyi was stunned, and then asked more eagerly: "But Mr. Wang refused my request earlier, how did you convince him?"

Zhou Yun listened and told Wei Shiyi how he persuaded Mr. Wang.

In fact, it is very simple, that is to take Mr. Wang to see the people living at the bottom, and to see the county magistrates who oppress the people.

There are also county towns around Bianliang. Those county towns look peaceful, but there are still some county magistrates who oppress the people in private, but compared with those county magistrates in distant places, they are more subtle and less oppressive.When the Green Crop Law came out, these county magistrates naturally made some moves.

It was only because these people were not so blatant and some forces were entangled that the court did not execute these people.

But even if those county magistrates oppressed "lightly", the people living at the bottom are still very difficult.

Mr. Wang was a county magistrate, and he had done many good deeds for the people. The purpose of his reform was to make the Song Dynasty stronger and the people live better.He has long understood that there are sacrifices and losses during the reform.

But when I actually saw it, it was too much beyond expectations, and my thoughts were inevitably shaken.As long as the mind starts to waver, it is not difficult to start changing.

Then Zhou Yun took him to some places. That afternoon, they walked through two county towns and visited more than a dozen villages. At night, Mr. Wang's thoughts were no longer firm.

It is naturally not so easy for ordinary people to go to two counties, but Zhou Yun chose two very close counties, and he has inner strength, that is, light work. He drove a good carriage and took a person to visit more than a dozen villages. It is also easy.

And as for why there was no news after three days, it was that they had a discussion in the palace, during which Shenzong also went out without anyone noticing. Naturally, his trip was only for a morning or a few hours, and the There are also many masters protecting it.

After that, Shenzong discussed with Mr. Wang for a long time, and finally decided to let Zhou Yun secretly lead people to collect evidence of the county magistrate's corruption and enriching his own pockets. The reason for not knowing the investigation is also very simple. Ling made false appearances, and the second was to guard against some officials in Beijing.

Naturally, the first one was the county where the Wu Family Village was located.

However, by doing so, Shenzong did not mean to eliminate the power of some corrupt and perverted officials in the court.

Before the results came out, the progress of the reform was suspended. Since then, Wang Anshi's reform has also slowed down.

At this moment, Zhou Yun suddenly looked at Wei Shiyi and said, "I'm going to Beijing to investigate this matter, can you accompany me?"