Promotion and fortune in Song Dynasty

Sober people like Lu Ci think that the officials have finally given up on the naughty year name 'Dazhong Xiangfu' and changed it to the auspicious but quite satisfactory 'Tianxi'. good sign.

Judging from the results alone, as long as the officials are not so keen on praying to gods and worshiping Buddhas, the country will naturally not be so active in building temples and supporting monks who are not involved in production.

The people's power is exhausted, and they really can't stand more troubles.

Lu Ci's thoughts are unprecedentedly consistent with Wang Dan's.

Not long after Wang Qinruo, the instigator of the creation of gods in heavenly scriptures, was reprimanded by the court that day, Kou Zhun's party came to make things worse, and ended up being exiled from Beijing.

Although being an official in Beijing often has ups and downs, everyone knows that if Wang Qin wants to come back, it may not be so easy this time.

The reason why it was so easy last time is that although Wang Qinruo was demoted, the new job given to him was to major in "Taoist Canon", which coincided with the emperor who was passionate about Taoism, and he was often able to see the holy face.

Now Kou Zhun has also learned the lesson of the past, and sent him away in one fell swoop, making it difficult for this cunning and immortal millipede to have a chance to make a comeback.

... If it wasn't for Wang Dan who couldn't stand it and blocked him, the vengeful Kou Xi'er would have to appeal to His Majesty and implore the officials to send him out of the country - such as Daliao and other places.

When Wang Qinruo walked away in despair, his party members headed by Lin Te had no choice but to choose to go dormant under the eyes of the high-spirited Kou Zhun.

In the past few months, Kou Zhun has been thriving. Wang Dan checks for him from time to time and fills in the gaps to stabilize the overall situation.

However, the good situation that made people in the party except Wang Qinruo feel dissatisfied, only lasted until June [-]th of that year, and was completely broken.

Wang Dan, who has been overworked all the year round and his physical condition has never recovered, has occasionally felt a cold in the past few days.Because he was concerned about his official duties, he didn't put his own illness on his body too much, so he just invited a doctor casually, took some side effects, and continued to deal with government affairs.

However, the illness came down like a mountain, and he couldn't even get out of bed the next day, so he had to ask for leave for a while.

Zhao Heng was not too worried at first, he only issued an edict to express his condolences, and asked his servant to send some precious medicinal materials.

Unexpectedly, on June [-]th, he did not wait for Wang Xianggong, who was recovering and in good spirits, but received a piece of paper pleading for his appointment.

"Master Wang!"

Zhao Heng cried out involuntarily.

He was so frightened that he had no intention of doing anything, so he quickly changed into his regular clothes, and was escorted out of the palace by his servants, heading straight to the prime minister's mansion.

At this time, the servants in the official residence have already started to clean up Wang Dan's belongings - after successfully resigning from office, the official residence will naturally have to be vacated for the next prime minister to live in.

Apparently Wang Dan was very determined to become an official, and he was sure that the emperor would agree.

After Zhao Heng broke into the master bedroom anxiously, before he could speak, he was almost suffocated by the strong smell of medicine that filled the room.

"His Majesty?"

Hearing the noisy movement outside, Wang Dan, who was lying on the sickbed, coughed weakly, struggling to get to the bed.

"What kind of ceremony is there at this time?" Zhao Heng looked at Wang Dan, who had lost his shape in the past few days, and his face was exhausted. When he is up, let someone push him back to the couch.

Wang Dan really didn't have any strength in his body, so he tried to get up again, but he couldn't get up, so he had to give up.

He said helplessly: "Your Majesty needs to take good care of your body, please get out quickly, it's nothing more than a minister's sickness."

Zhao Heng waved his hands, stared at him carefully for a while, sighed deeply, and asked with concern, "Why did this happen?"

Wang Dan coughed again, and wrote lightly: "It is the minister who was negligent and underestimated the minor illnesses, ready-made serious illnesses, coupled with his advanced age, it is not so easy to cure."

Zhao Heng looked at him, worrying not only for himself, but also for Wang Dan.

No matter how confused he is, he also knows the importance of Wang Dan, and he loves him even more because of his high moral character, good character and integrity, and he puts the overall situation first.

Because of this, when he reused and loved Wang Qinruo for his obsession with making gods, he never really listened to Wang Qinruo's criticism of Wang Dan, and he trusted Wang Dan for more than ten years.

Also because of Wang Dan's opposition, Wang Qinruo coveted the position of deputy prime minister for many years but failed.

After suddenly realizing the fact that Wang Dan might leave at any time, Zhao Heng felt at a loss for the first time.

He hesitated for a long time, and said: "...How about I open an altar to offer sacrifices and pray for you, Mr. Wang?"

Wang Dan was in a daze, but he heard these words, he almost didn't fall out of bed, and objected loudly: "It's absolutely impossible!"

It was not easy to see that His Majesty was sober and made up for the mistakes of many years. If his illness caused him to return to the evil way of burning incense and worshiping gods, he would not die.

Zhao Heng was also in a hurry to go to the doctor, and he regretted it when he said it. Hearing the words, he said "Oh" in embarrassment, and then said: "In my opinion, Wang Xianggong's illness is still cured, so let's not mention the matter of becoming an official for now." .”

Wang Dan was taken aback, and just about to persuade him again, Zhao Heng got up and was about to leave: "I have made up my mind, Mr. Wang, don't say too much. If it is because of a small wind and cold, I will agree to your request to dismiss me. How will the people of the world treat me if you are so disrespectful to your subordinates? You can rest in peace for a few months, there will always be deputy prime ministers who are busy with the affairs of the court, and they have the right to take over your duties."

Of course, this is just rhetoric on the surface.

Wang Dan knew Zhao Heng's true intentions well.

Once he is dismissed, he will immediately move out of the official residence where the prime minister can live, and find another place to live. Even the number of serving servants will drop sharply.

Besides, Wang Dan has been a clean and honest official for many years, so it can be said that his family has no long-term possessions. It is not easy to find another residence in the capital where every inch of land is expensive.

As a result, Wang Dan's living conditions have declined greatly, lack of salary subsidies, and he has to worry about moving during his illness, which will definitely make his illness worse.

Wang Dan had mixed feelings in his heart, and he didn't know what to say for a while.

It wasn't until Zhao Heng stepped out of the threshold with one foot that he gently closed his eyes and said in a low voice, "Thank you, Lord Long En."

Zhao Heng didn't hear Wang Dan's complicated words of thank you. As soon as he left the mansion, he returned to the palace worried.

With Wang Dan's spirit and appearance, even if he doesn't understand medical principles, he can tell that the momentum is not good.

If Wang Dan is gone, who can replace him, what will the court look like?

Zhao Heng sighed deeply.

Let him practice immortality and pray for Buddha, the sky will send a fire, and then the plague of locusts will fall.

He stopped building palaces and temples, but Wang Dan, who had always been regarded as a barrier, was about to die soon.

The officials were depressed, and they returned to the listless state they had been a long time ago in the early court.

But other people in the officialdom, headed by Kou Zhun, became excited.

If Wang Dan were to retire, the vacated position of Chancellor would undoubtedly be the opportunity they dreamed of.

However, Wang Dan hates scrambling and instigating, and is rarely involved in party disputes. Even recommending capable people is extremely low-key, and he does not want to take credit for himself.

As a result, in many cases, even the beneficiary referees did not know Wang Dan's role, and only thought that His Majesty had seen their talents and was very grateful to His Majesty.

Several times, it was Zhao Heng himself who couldn't stand it anymore, and took the initiative to talk to the other party.

The most unbelievable thing is that even though Wang Dan has been acting like this for decades, never asking for credit and flattery, he has always been an extremely stable minister and has been the Prime Minister of Taiping for more than ten years.

Even Kou Zhun, who made great contributions in the Tanyuan Alliance, or Wang Qinruo, who "made the greatest contribution" in the world under the Book of Heaven, has been ups and downs all the way, and has not been able to surpass this model of a gentleman.

What they couldn't understand was that even Zhao Heng, who acted absurdly and seemed to be confused, would pity and admire such a perfect person who was rare in a hundred years with both ability and integrity.

The news of Wang Dan's illness did not reach Fenzhou, where Lu Ci was located, until ten days later.

It was Wang Dan who wrote a text message to Lu Ci himself when he was struggling with his sick body one day when his health was a little better.

In this letter, in a calm tone as if he had nothing to do with himself, he briefly explained that he was ill. I am afraid that after a short time, he gave Lu Ci three suggestions on the way out.

One is that Wang Dan will propose to His Majesty in the near future that the crown prince should be established early, so that Lu Ci, who has been serving as the crown prince since last year, can be recalled to Beijing.

The second is that Lu Ci will continue to stay in the place and wait for a while with peace of mind. After Kou Zhun takes power, he will definitely try to recall him who has always been valued.

The third is that if the establishment of a prince fails...

After Lu Ci finished reading, he was at a loss for a moment, and then only smiled wryly.

The importance of Wang Dan in the court is obviously completely underestimated by everyone, including the officials who are quite worried about it.

Lu Ci knew that the painstaking efforts of this hard-working, firm and flexible, decisive and alert Wang Xianggong was the biggest reason why Song had been able to maintain the superficial prosperity after more than ten years of tossing around.

Although he didn't express it clearly, Wang Dan's meaning was very straightforward: he had a hunch that after his death, no one in the court would be able to control the overall situation.

However, no one is available, after choosing the lesser of two evils, he is still planning to recommend Kou Zhun to His Majesty as his successor.

However, the situation is not optimistic.

Although Wang Qinruo has been demoted from Beijing, Kou Zhun's party alone cannot suppress the opponent's resurgence.

It's not because of Wang Qinruo's supernatural powers, but Kou Zhun's ability to get carried away easily, especially his ability to irritate officials who have little patience for him, is not ordinary.

In this way, it won't be long before Wang Qinruo and the others will make a comeback.

——That was the most unimaginable scene.

Knowing that this matter was difficult to stop, Wang Dan had no choice but to retreat and ask the officials to establish a prince as soon as possible.

Even if there is chaos in the future, there will be a backbone after all.

As for Lu Ci and other young talents who are still young, even if they have the ability to be entrusted with important tasks, they are too young to convince the public because of their qualifications. The best protection ever.

Lu Ci could see the shockingness in Wang Dan's calm tone, and also saw that he spared no effort to protect himself in understatement, even in the case of terminal illness, he didn't care about his health, and he was still thinking hard about his non-kinship. Those who are not friends, do your best to make arrangements...

How can he repay?

Lu Ci threw the secret letter into the brazier, and watched it being quickly licked by the flames and turned into ashes, the heavy oppression in his heart still made him suffocate.

He naturally understands.

Wang Dan's soul is tied to one thing.

Lu Ci quietly closed his eyes, but Wang Dan's smile of admiration and anticipation appeared in front of his eyes during the narration in the prime minister's mansion that day.

——Da Song Antai.

The author has something to say: Notes:

1. Wang Dan's work style:

Wang Dan was directly responsible for doing things in the Zhongshu Zhengshitang, and he often carried out instructions after receiving documents.In the eyes of Chen Pengnian and several colleagues, this matter is unavoidable, and it is possible to execute it without asking the emperor for instructions.Therefore, after he participated in political affairs, he put forward this opinion to Wang Dan.

Wang Dan was extremely confident, he just expressed his gratitude for their criticism, but he was determined not to change it.

Afterwards, these colleagues did not retreat when they played to the emperor.

After Wang Dan left, Zhenzong found that they were not leaving, so he asked, "What's the matter with you, why aren't you with Wang Dan?"

Several people told the emperor that Wang Dan had approved the decree without the emperor's preview.

If this happened to Qin Shihuang, Han Wudi, Ming Chengzu, Qing Shizong, Wang Dan would probably be in danger, but Zhenzong's trust in the Zaifu of the dynasty was really immeasurable.After hearing this, he said to the complainants:

"Wang Dan has been in the court for many years, and I know that he is in the government. He has never had any selfish desires. Since the Eastern Seal, I have told him that some small matters can be adjudicated by himself. You should go and follow them respectfully and carefully." 300 Years of the Song Empire 7")

2. The next pattern in the history of the Song Dynasty:

In 1017 AD, on June 61th of the first year of Song Tianxi, Prime Minister Wang Dan was finally overworked, mentally and physically exhausted, and resigned due to illness.On October 28th of this year, he died.At the age of 1013; on August 27, Wang Qinruo made a comeback. He broke the rule that the southerners of the Song Dynasty were not allowed to be prime ministers, and became the prime minister of the Song Dynasty; Sealed as queen.

In this way, the structure of the Song Dynasty became a situation in which the emperor was sick, the prime minister died, Kou Zhun was demoted, the prince was young, the empress was smart and capable, and the treacherous people like Wang Qinruo and others advanced bravely and climbed to the highest peak in the political arena.

3. Kou Zhun's temper is supplemented

Kou Zhun is a bully, it is really difficult to gain Kou Zhun's respect.History has long proved that it is impossible for you to be his boss, he will even find a way to destroy you; it is even worse for you to be his subordinate, he will call you around like a servant, like a cao; if you are the emperor, he will Can push you into a chair, not to mention that he is your benefactor, and you are still humble...Only if you have both talent and principles (don't be a personality, otherwise you will be pinched), and you have to respect yourself, so that you can It's so difficult to get Kou Zhun's bow - such as Wang Dan.

("If This Is Song History 2")