Promotion and fortune in Song Dynasty

Hearing that Lu Ci was here, Kou Zhun, who was full of irritability, couldn't help being a little happy.

It's just that the smile didn't hang on his face for a while, he purposely straightened his face again, and said to his wife: "It seems that although he was fascinated by those cunning southerners, this early court is not in vain. Anyway, I still remember that there is a Kou Xianggong in the Xiangfu."

Madam said helplessly: "You have such a temper, at least restrain yourself, or you will scare people away."

If it hadn't happened in the morning that Zhao Heng humiliated Kou Zhun in front of the officials, Madam's tone would have been more direct, and now she can only use a joking tone to persuade him gently.

"Hmph." Kou Zhun couldn't help but think about what happened this morning, his face darkened, but he didn't want to offend his wife, so he just stroked his beard: "Could it be that he can still be like an official, so he can accumulate grievances, and also You can't make me lose face!"

Having said that, when he saw the smiling Lu Ci, Kou Zhun still unconsciously curled his lips, led him into the main hall where distinguished guests were received, screened back left and right, and said in a casual tone: "When Xiang Wang lived in this mansion, he must have Have you been here often?"

Lu Ci told the truth: "Thanks to the invitation of the king, I have been here twice."

Kou Zhun snorted softly and said, "You usually only care about being inseparable from that kid in the south, and you even move your family to be next to him, but you don't take half a step here... If you come to the door now, you may have nothing to do but go to the Three Treasures Palace, right? "

When Lu Ci came, he was fully prepared that Kou Zhun would complain like a child, and after hearing what he expected, he felt a lot more relieved.

Kou Zhun didn't turn him away, and didn't maliciously speculate whether he came here with the idea of ​​watching a joke. The tone of this old score was full of intimacy, and he was obviously willing to treat him as a good person. .

Seeing that Lu Ci was still pondering, as if he was being questioned, Kou Zhun couldn't help but frowned. Just as he was about to urge him, Lu Ci finally spoke after deliberating for a while.

"Ms. Kou expected it." Lu Ci smiled slightly, and said in a calm manner: "I did come here on business."

Kou Zhun, who thought he was silent just now and was racking his brains to find an excuse, was stunned by his generous admission.

Lu Ci lowered his voice, and said straight to the point: "No matter what Zhou Huaizheng is planning, Kou Xiang must not get involved."

As soon as these words came out, Kou Zhun felt like a thunderbolt flashed in his heart, extremely shocked.

On the face, he only squinted his eyes and stared at Lu Ci closely.

At this moment, he has no intention of joking.

Faced with Kou Zhun's sharp scrutiny, Lu Ci's expression did not change at all, and he continued: "Zhou Huaizheng has always admired the gentleman, but there are very few people around him who can be used. From ancient times to the present, those who are most jealous of planning things are all venting. Before the end of the world, why bet your life on whether someone you have never met is trustworthy?"

The fact that Kou Zhun was ridiculed face to face by the emperor did not take long before it spread throughout the court and the public.

Even Lu Ci, who was lecturing in the East Palace, soon learned about it.

Lu Ci felt bad.

He could immediately imagine how wronged and angry Kou Zhun, who had a strong self-esteem, would be afterward, and what kind of violent reaction he would have.

Then get in touch with what I learned from Yan Shu not long ago that Zhou Huaizheng, a highly trusted minister beside Zhao Heng, has been sent to take care of the affairs of the East Palace for a long time. This person still has a bad relationship with Liu Shengren, but he appreciates Kou Zhun Lu Ci couldn't sit still anymore.

Although he had made up his mind at Wang Dan's bedside not to get involved in the party struggle between Ding Wei and Kou Zhun, but in the face of this potentially murderous situation, he couldn't stand idly by Kou Zhun who once cared for him a lot. Watching him make a fatal mistake.

——If you let him go like this, Kou Zhun might kill himself.

As for whether Kou Zhun listened or not, and how his attitude towards him would change, Lu Ci didn't care much.

He just wants a clear conscience.

Kou Zhun snorted lightly, but did not deny Lu Ci's words, but said proudly: "You are in the East Palace, how much do you know?"

People only see him as a man with great scenery and a great position, but they don't know that he has internal and external troubles and has to take risks.

Lu Ci smiled lightly: "Sister, why don't you try to listen and see how much I really know?"

Kou Zhun nodded proudly.

He wanted to hear what this young man, whom he admired a lot, had to say.

Lu Ci calmly threw out a shocking sentence: "Zhou Huaizheng's conspiracy is nothing more than abolishing the empress, Zen position, and practicing Zuo."

Kou Zhun's eyes widened slightly.

From his reaction, Lu Ci knew that his guess was not wrong.

At any rate, he met Zhou Huaizheng many times in the East Palace, and had some face-saving feelings. Lu Ci knew a little about this person.

This person is so utilitarian that even the sensitive and delicate Zhao Zhen can sense it.

The little prince who has always been considerate to his servants, but the only thing he doesn't like is this smiling "Brother Zhou"——Lu Ci went a little early to give a lecture, and saw Zhao Zhen venting his anger, messing around on the paper It reads the sentence of "Brother Zhou's brother cut it off".

After he bumped into Zhou Huaizheng by accident, he paid more attention to Zhou Huaizheng, and even tried out information about Zhou Huaizheng from Lin Neichen, who had become familiar with him again after returning to Beijing.

It's a bold one.

Lu Ci looked at Kou Zhun, and said slowly: "As for Mr. Wang, if he is most concerned, it must be the sage's monopoly. If Wang Qin is recalled, it must be him."

Kou Zhun was shocked beyond measure.

He frowned, and asked, "Is this also what Yan Shu said?"

He is clearly still considering Zhou Huaizheng's plan, and has not yet decided to actually support it.

The health of the officials became worse and worse, they were unwilling to govern, and they trusted Zhou Huaizheng, the minister by his side, extremely.

Zhou Huaizheng expressed confidently that when he could convince Guan Jiachan to be the prince, Kou Zhun actually believed it in his heart.

But the prince is too young, even if he succeeds to the throne, he will not be able to manage the government alone, but needs the assistance of a regent to preside over the overall situation on his behalf.

Kou Zhun had no doubts about this candidate, in the eyes of the impulsive emperor, he would be Liu E, a girl, rather than an important minister in the court.

Zhou Huaizheng wanted to abolish Liu E in one go, and then invite Kou Zhun to be regent—of course, it is not known whether he will gradually ask for a share of the pie by then.

But this is easier said than done, not to mention that there is a reason to avoid suspicion, even if he does his part, there will be a lot of resistance from the DPRK and China.

If a link is out of control, wouldn't it be self-defeating, and Liu E was entrusted with the position in vain?

Because of this, Kou Zhun was entangled in every possible way and couldn't make a decision for a while.

As Lu Ci spoke, he observed Kou Zhun carefully, not letting go of any changes.

From Kou Zhun's eyes, apart from being surprised, he didn't see any killing intent. He immediately made up his mind, and asked sharply: "How did I know this? For Mr. Xianggong, I'm afraid it doesn't matter. It's the real truth. Ding Wei, who has all-hands and eyes, ears and eyes all over the world, and regards Xianggong as an enemy, will find out this point more easily, so it is worth thinking about for Xianggong?"

Speaking of this, Lu Ci said meaningfully: "I know that Mr. Ding may not think highly of this person, but he is not as isolated and helpless as Mr. Xiang thinks."

With Ding Wei's thoughtful, secretive style, once a little bit of news leaks out, and there are clues, this conspiracy is doomed to end in tragic failure.

From ancient times to the present, countless conspirators have fallen on the word "event release"—especially this time, the person in charge was not Kou Zhun himself, but Zhou Huaizheng.

Matters related to wealth and life should not be done under the pretense of manpower. Why should Zhou Huaizheng be able to keep it secret?

Of course, from Lu Ci's point of view, Kou Zhun is not suitable for such delicate plots, as he is proud of himself when he is a little bit happy, and has a bad temper when he is a little bit explosive.

Kou Zhun fell silent.

Although he has a violent temper, he can still listen to some words when facing someone he has always liked, so that his relatives will not deny him.

Although Lu Ci's words were harsh, they hit the point.

This kind of intention to remind him at a critical moment is tantamount to sending charcoal in a timely manner, which is very precious.

Seeing that Kou Zhun was deep in thought, Lu Ci knew that his words had more or less worked, and if he stayed any longer, he was afraid that it would have the opposite effect, so he got up without hesitation, and left directly: "That's all I said, Please also take care, sir."

When Lu Ci had already stepped out of the threshold of the hall, Kou Zhun woke up and subconsciously called out, "Wait!"

Lu Ci pretended he hadn't heard it, and left straight away.

There are advantages and disadvantages for people who are meager - the advantage is that they will not be completely involved in it, and the disadvantage is that they want to do something, but they are powerless.

When Lu Ci returned home with mixed emotions, he was surprised to see a table full of sumptuous dishes in the living room, and Yan Shu was sitting on the side with a smile, without touching his chopsticks, obviously he had been waiting for a long time.

After Lu Ci came back to his senses, he sat down with peace of mind: "It seems that what happened today, just happened to prove to you that my words are right?"

Yan Shu gracefully poured a cup of tea for Lu Ci before asking, "How did Yu Yu guess it?"

However, Lu Ci sighed, patted Yan Shu's shoulder affectionately, and said with a smile: "I can't even be the master of the country, let alone the 'little family' of His Majesty who has been a lover for decades? "

Couples who are usually very affectionate quarrel, lovers quarrel, and even get to the point of divorce, and it is not the turn of subordinates to express their opinions to persuade them to divide.

Once the two reconcile, one can imagine who the unlucky person is.

Although Yan Shu made sense when he heard this, but from Lu Ci's eyes, he could see a bit of teasing and joking, and he couldn't help raising his eyebrows: "I don't want to think that although Yu Yu is not married, he can speak clearly and logically when it comes to lovers. .”

Lu Ci wrote lightly: "It's just a heart-to-heart comparison."

Yan Shu became curious: "I don't know, but Yu Yu already has her own heart."

Lu Ci wanted to agree so that the other party would not be a matchmaker for him in the future, but after thinking about it, let it go - it is not appropriate to make up such a person to make up a lie.

Lu Ci thought about it seriously, and said sincerely: "What I think is that one day I have someone I like, and I will be devoted to her. How can I be indifferent to her just because I listen to a few provocations from others."

The author has something to say: Notes:

Here is an excerpt from history about this event:

When Zhenzong was seriously ill and comatose, Kou Zhun came to see him in secret and made a major suggestion. He asked to "pass the throne" as soon as possible, that is, to complete the transfer of the highest power while Zhenzong was alive.

Kou Zhun's idea of ​​"abdication" was recognized by Zhenzong, and it was called "Shangranzhi" in history.

Kou Zhun was very excited, and immediately asked Yang Yi, a Hanlin scholar, to write a transitional document, asking "the prince to supervise the country".And I hope that Yang Yi can come to do political affairs and replace Ding Wei.

Yang Yi agreed with Kou Zhun, but he knew that this matter was of great importance, so he waited until the dead of night when he turned his screen to the left and right to start drafting the document.

History calls Yang Yi "an ignorant person at home and abroad" who wrote this article.

Dante said he still knew about it.

One said that Yang Yi was very excited after writing the manuscript, and couldn't help saying a word to his uncle Zhang Yan: "After a few days, it will be a new thing!" Then Zhang Yan was bragging with others, The matter was revealed in a mysterious way, but the theme of "Prince Supervising the Country" began to make noise in the circle of politicians.

One said it was Kou Zhun himself who revealed it.It is said that Kou Zhun himself was too drunk and "leaked what he planned".

Ding said that he was very afraid that Kou Zhun would do this, so he united with his party and vigorously criticized Kou Zhun, thinking that Kou Zhun was cursing the emperor and launching a coup.

Therefore, when Zhenzong's health improved and he went to court normally, he went up and asked to be disqualified from ruling Kou Zhun.

And Zhenzong also forgot the "promise between monarch and minister" with Kou Zhun. It is said in history that the emperor did not remember to "have a promise and promise" with Kou Zhun.In this way, the nature of the matter has changed, and it has become a political lie of Kou Zhun alone.

Zhenzong called Qian Weiyan (Liu E's ex-husband's uncle-in-law) to come.Qian Wei used a lot of ugly words in his draft edict, and tried his best to belittle Kou Zhun.This matter was despised by scholars and became one of Qian Weiyan's "stains".

But even though Zhenzong was ill, he only dismissed Kou Zhun from his position as minister, but gave Kou Zhun a higher honor: Prince Taifu, Duke of Lai.

Dante said he didn't stop there.

Afterwards, a shocking case occurred in the empire: "Zhou Huaizheng plotted rebellion".

In the fourth year of Tianxi (1020), Zhenzong's condition became more and more serious.Once, he was lying on the lap of the great eunuch Zhou Huaizheng, making it difficult to sit upright.On Zhou Huaizheng's lap, Zhenzong suffered from a headache, but he still thought of the fate of the empire.Kou Zhun was dismissed a month ago. According to Ding Wei, Kou Zhun wanted the "prince to oversee the country" - Zhenzong couldn't remember it at this time, this was the result of his discussion with Kou Zhun - now that he thinks about it, it's really going to be like this, It seems good, at least I seem to be able to recuperate quietly.So he discussed the matter with Zhou Huaizheng.Zhou Huaizheng had always respected Kou Zhun, and was very happy to hear this discussion, so he revealed the secret to Kou Zhun.Kou Zhun thought the matter was important, and he had already resigned from the prime minister, so it was inconvenient to discuss it.Dante said that he knew the details again, so he wrote a letter to reprimand Zhou Huaizheng, to the effect that eunuchs should not be allowed to participate in politics.But at that time, Zhou Huaizheng was tutoring the crown prince Zhao Zhen, and he was also a great eunuch that Zhenzong liked very much, so Ding Wei hadn't hurt him yet.But Zhou Huaizheng was afraid and couldn't feel at ease.So, he decided to take the risk and do five things at the same time:

[-]. Murder Prime Minister Ding Wei.

Second, push Dai Kou to reunite.

[-]. Abolish Empress Liu.

Fourth, the prince practiced Zuo.

[-]. Zhenzong became the Supreme Emperor.

He thinks it can be done.

Therefore, he and his brother Zhou Huaixin, deputy envoy of protocol, made a plan to summon Yang Chongxun, envoy of the Hakka province, Yang Huaiji, the successor of the inner palace, and Yang Huaiyu, the only waiter of the pavilion gate, to discuss together.Finally, the incident was scheduled to take place on the 25th of that month.But on the 24th, in the evening, Yang Chongxun and Yang Huaiji became frightened, and they ran to Ding Wei's house to complain.Ding said that he changed into casual clothes in the middle of the night, and secretly came to Cao Li's mansion in a woman's car, and began to calculate the matter, drawing up Zhou Huaizheng's criminal evidence.When it was just dawn, Cao Li went to Chongzheng Hall first and made a secret report to Zhenzong who was planning to go to court.At this moment, Zhou Huaizheng was in the east verandah of the main hall.Zhenzong immediately ordered the guards to arrest Zhou Huaizheng.

2.

Zhao Zhen didn't like Zhou Huaizheng either.

It is said that when he took care of the crown prince Zhao Zhen, who later became Song Renzong as a great eunuch, Zhao Zhen also seemed to secretly dislike this "Brother Zhou".Only the little Zhao Zhen, who was in his teens, learned the good calligraphy of "Feibai" from his father, and some of his officials "begged for calligraphy" from him.Zhao Zhen wrote it casually, and there were six big characters:

Zhou's elder brother beheaded.

Later, this sentence actually became a prophecy.

("300 Years of the Great Song Empire 7")