Promotion and fortune in Song Dynasty

After nearly [-] days of absence due to illness, Wang Dan once again appeared in Zhongshu Province.

Although they knew that he must be seriously ill, but it was the first time for most of them to actually see the shattered Shoufu, and they couldn't help being secretly surprised.

Wang Dan seemed unaware of the many gazes they cast, and just sat back in front of the case in silence, dealing with the backlog of government affairs that had been shared by the secondary assistant during this period of time as usual.

Except for his shocking skinny appearance, his calm and unchanging demeanor and demeanor are the same as usual.

The only difference, I am afraid, is that the mouth of a Kongming bottle he brought with him is emitting a faint smell of medicine.

Wang Dan has been prime minister for more than ten years, and his authority in the Zhongshu Zhengshitang is by no means comparable to that of anyone in the court.

When I personally saw his return, it was like dropping a magic needle to calm the sea, so that everyone who had been following their thoughts during this period of time was infected unconsciously and calmed down.

Wang Dan was completely unaware of the subtle changes in the emotions of the people around him. He was only concentrating on screening the official affairs in his hands, holding a pen in his hand, and concentrating on annotating the priority matters listed before and after during the sick period.

However, the reason why his mood is calm is not because his illness is about to be cured - but because he knows that the medicine will not work, and he is really concerned about the unsettled affairs, and he is not willing to die in the lingering sick bed, so he would rather have a tiger wolf Take the medicine.

Since there is not much time in Japan, there is not much difference between a few days or a few days, so it is better to make the most of the limited days.

——There are too many people he needs to protect.

Wang Dan gave instructions one by one with a calm face, and asked people to implement them in detail. The efficiency was actually a little faster than before the illness.

As for his practice of skipping the step of questioning the emperor and being directly responsible for the big and small affairs that he had handled, since Chen Pengnian's lawsuit failed, few people would question it.

At this time, no one was bothering to bump into the muzzle of the gun.

After they secretly marveled at Wang Xianggong's illness and seemed to have become more vigorous, they all naturally chose to obey.

Wang Dan's return to the throne soon set off another undercurrent in the turbulent court.

Now that Wang Xianggong has recovered from his illness, with His Majesty's extreme favor to him, there is nothing else to do with him.

Kou Zhun, who was originally the most competitive for the position of chief assistant, felt somewhat dispirited, but he didn't mean to be unconvinced, but accepted it calmly.

He would not be convinced by anyone else, but when it comes to Wang Dan's stamina, he is really worthy of the position of prime minister.

However, Zhao Heng keenly sensed something was wrong, and he was not in a hurry to rejoice. Instead, after the morning court, he called Wang Dan, who was as thin as a bone, into the palace, and asked frightenedly, "Mr. , is it really all right?"

Wang Dan was silent for a moment, bowed his head, and chose to tell the truth: "Don't dare to lie to Your Majesty, I have at most half a month to live."

As soon as these words came out, Zhao Heng was stunned.

When he came back to his senses, he actually felt a bit of despair and fear like falling into an ice cave, staring at Wang Dan who was still apologetic with gentle eyes as usual, and murmured: "Then you, this is ..."

Wang Dan confessed frankly: "If there is no such disease, the ministers will have unfulfilled ambitions and are unwilling to leave easily. However, God's will is hard to change, and the only thing to do is to die and die."

Zhao Heng wanted to say something else, but after seeing the tranquility, relief and determination on Wang Dan's face, he couldn't help swallowing his words.

Wang Dan resolutely refused the reward he bestowed; the imperial doctor he sent was useless; and the chief culprit that caused Wang Dan to become sick from overwork, in the final analysis, had to fall on himself.

"Master Wang."

After a long while, Zhao Heng accepted the sad news with great pain.

He tried to cheer himself up, and considered more practical issues: "In your opinion, after half a month... who will be the chief assistant?"

Wang Dan said without hesitation: "There is no one who knows you, but the Lord chooses him."

Zhao Heng smiled wryly: "What time is it, do you still want to say such things?"

Wang Dan heard the obvious mourning in the emperor's words, how could he not be touched?

He was walking around, Zhao Heng saw his embarrassment, and simply threw out the candidates in his mind one by one: "How about Zhang Yong?"

Wang Dan was silent.

Zhao Heng knew that he disagreed, and said again: "How about Ma Liang?"

Wang Dan still did not answer.

Zhao Heng said helplessly: "Both Zhang and Ma are ministers, and they can both be candidates for the prime minister's peace. Since Wang Xianggong disagrees, who do you want?"

Wang Dan was silent at first, but before giving the answer, he gently waved his lower court wat in a tone of exclamation and regret, and said: "... If ten years later, Qiao Tong should be able to take up the job. "

He spoke too lightly, and Zhao Heng was so confused that he couldn't hear clearly, so he couldn't help asking: "Who is Wang Xiang talking about?"

Wang Dan said without hesitation: "Based on the humble opinion of the minister, the post of minister and assistant is more likely to be allowed by Kou Zhun."

Zhao Heng was caught off guard when he heard Kou Laoxier's name, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

As much as he loved Kou Zhun's talent, he hated Kou Zhun's temper.Thinking of Kou Zhun's domineering behavior for Xiangshi back then, he got a headache, how could he be willing to do it again for the other party?

He said helplessly: "Kou Zhun has always been headstrong and fierce, and the position of Zaifu not only assists in state affairs, but also needs to manage yin and yang. How can he take on this role?"

How could Wang Dan not know the problems pointed out by the officials?

However, Wang Dan has been thinking about this for a long time, and understands that there is no perfect solution in the world.

Even he, who has worked hard for decades, lost his body when he failed to stop the farce of the heavenly scriptures.

The subsequent painstaking efforts were nothing more than a remedy for the dead.

There will be waves in the future, and what is needed is not being smart, capable, good at digging people's hearts, and preserving oneself.

It's better to let Kou Zhun, who has a high reputation, high qualifications, fierce temper, and only occasional losses in small quarters, preside over the situation.

Before he spoke, he had already guessed Zhao Heng's thoughts, but he didn't give a second name like the other party wished, and just said bluntly: "I don't know about others."

Zhao Heng looked disappointed, Wang Dan had already bowed, and retreated first, citing physical discomfort.

"Ugh!"

As soon as Wang Dan stepped out, Zhao Heng, who was full of depression, sighed loudly: "Why are you going around, is it still Kou Laoxier?"

At the thought of making that person proud again, I was so aggrieved that I was criticized so much that I was often speechless, and was even pushed into a chair...

He is really not reconciled!

Also very tangled, there is Lu Ci who is far away in Fenzhou.

While Lu Ci was packing his luggage, he sighed and wrote letters to his friends.

Especially Yan Shu, he unceremoniously made people prepare to treat guests to dinner and clean up the dust.

After writing the letter, Lu Ci slumped limply on the rocking chair.

At the beginning, he accepted Wang Dan's kindness obsessively in order to live in a place far away from Emperor Shangao.

Looking at it now, it was a harbinger of the end of his leisurely days.

——The most indebted and difficult to repay in the world must be the debt of favor.

Not to mention his indebtedness, which has continued: after that, every memorial can be sent up smoothly, instead of being buried in many case files, allowing him to play at will in this perfect place that does not need to be assigned a judgment. The meticulous protection is obviously indispensable.

After packing his luggage and getting ready to be transferred at any time, when Lu Ci went to the hall during the day, he would transfer and finish important matters.

Even so, he did his best and obeyed the fate.

After all, the candidate to take over the affairs of Zhifenzhou is of course decided by the imperial court, and it is not his turn to worry about it.

He saves a lot of trouble, but the disadvantages are also obvious: the new policy he implemented, in addition to encouraging duck farming and the transformation of cash crops, can be regarded as stable and profitable, and it is also very simple to implement, except that it is unlikely to be abolished by the successor , other large and small states are more or less at risk.

Among them, what worries him the most is the division of the eight major departments that have just started.

Even though he received Wang Dan's instructions and recruited the first batch of students, Lu Ci paid close attention and knew that it was very feasible.

But there is no precedent for this in the whole Song Dynasty, and I don't know what the result will be.

If Xinzhizhou is an idea that wants to get a full salary smoothly and steadily, and get promoted with a Ph.D., it will be difficult to maintain it.

It's justifiable: this strategy was pioneered by Lu Ci, and he has already won the praise, and now it works well at the beginning.

This means that not only is it difficult for the later magistrate of Fenzhou to do well, but also if any mistakes are made, they will be compared with the previous magistrate, which is extremely difficult to please.

With such a balance, it is not surprising that the other party will quietly abolish this policy.

When Lu Ci realized that he had been worrying about this for several days, and that he couldn't even get back a good mood with stewed beans and noodles, he couldn't help but shudder.

When did he become a saint with cabbage money and worry about Bai Fen's heart?

Without waiting for Lu Ci to adjust back to his previous mentality, Wang Dan's results of risking his life and working hard are quickly coming down.

As the news spread that Wang Xiang was retiring due to illness again, it was the great news that His Majesty had finally confirmed that the prince, Zhao Zhen, would be the crown prince of the East Palace.

One moment Lu Ci lamented Wang Xianggong's strength when he broke out, and announced the matter on the official list, and the next moment he received the news that he was promoted to Prince Zuo Yude and returned to Beijing to take up his post today.

Zuo Yude?

Lu Ci was startled.

If he didn't know that Wang Dan was a noble and virtuous person, he might have suspected that Wang Dan had given the emperor drugged soup.

Ever since he assumed the title of the titular 'Prince Sheren', he deliberately learned about the position in the East Palace, so he is quite familiar with the position of the prince Zuo Yude.

According to common sense, there will also be You Yude, who will take turns with him to be on duty at that time, explaining a subset of classics and history to the East Palace.

After being a Prince Sheren without a prince, Lu Ci would not be surprised to be Zuo Yude without You Yude's colleague.

What really surprised him was Zuo Yude's grade.

——It is under the fourth rank.

Lu Ci rubbed his eyebrows.

Even if it's not an official rank, it's just a job, and the speed of promotion is so fast, I'm afraid it can be called rare among the ancients.

He is full of calculations, he has only been an official for a little over a year, and when many people are still stuck in the first position, his career has jumped all the way from the seventh rank to the fourth rank, and he still holds such a position Plum……

I only imagined the reactions of others, even if I thought I had a thick skin like Lu Ci, my eyelids couldn't help but twitch wildly.

...Wang Dan asked him to go to Beijing to repay the debt of favor. Could it be that he was made a living target for jealousy, in order to share the hatred of Kou Zhun who was elected by him as a prime minister?

The author has something to say: Notes:

1. Part of the dialogue between Zhenzong and Wang Dan was revised from the historical fact "300 Years of the Great Song Empire 7"

2. Zuo Yude is one of the officials of the East Palace, not permanent, but there is a crown prince, and it will be fine after the crown prince succeeds.There is no office, just a staff member, most of them are part-time officials.Or he and the prince's left and right concubines went to the palace to be on duty in turn to provide stories, or spoke to the prince on behalf of the lecturer.In the early Song Dynasty, the grade was the fourth grade. ("Song Dynasty Official System Dictionary")