Promotion and fortune in Song Dynasty

Zhu said that at first Liu Qi was quite dissatisfied with Liu Qi who came here without invitation while talking to himself.

However, with his gentle and introverted temperament, even if he has some opinions on people, he will not show them kindly.

Liu Qi seems to do whatever she wants, doing her own way, but in fact she has a sensitive and delicate mind. It is natural to see that Zhu Shuo does not welcome his sudden joining.

He didn't bother about it.

In fact, among his group of friends, there are very few people who can hit it off with him right away.

In the final analysis, the relationship between people depends on getting along slowly.

On the contrary, Lu Ci, who was a year older than Zhu Shuo and looked more delicate and handsome than he had ever seen before, was hard for him to see through his thoughts.

Only when he purposely hid the two of them, quietly boarded the boat, and announced that he and the two would be traveling companions, Lu Ci raised his eyebrows slightly, showing a bit of surprise.

Afterwards, he generously invited him to sit at a table, took the initiative to chat with him, and after showing full kindness, he also appeased Zhu Shuo by the way.

From Liu Qi's point of view, Zhu Shuo is more serious, he studies hard and can be a good friend; Lu Ci is full of wit and wit, and is exquisite.

It made him not regret this impromptu decision.

What Liu Qi didn't know was that Lu Ci actually had an admiring attitude towards him.

Liu Qi came from a well-known scholarly family, and his ancestors had many prominent Confucian officials. As the youngest son of his family, he was highly expected and loved. He spends a lot of money when he is away from home, and his family has never been short of him.

Therefore, wherever he went, he would subconsciously use money to manage it properly, not to mention extravagance and waste, at least to live his life comfortably.

He pays so much attention to enjoyment, although it is not in line with Zhu's idea of ​​self-discipline and self-discipline, it is very much in line with Lu Ci's mind.

Sleeping in the flowers, sleeping in the willows, listening to songs, buying and laughing are not necessary, but the rest of the style of not being tired of eating fine, not tired of fine, and never tired of luxury, fits Lu Ci's ultimate pursuit of studying hard and doing business in his spare time.

What's more, it's rare to travel far away. Apart from sightseeing and gaining knowledge, isn't it mainly to get inspiration, make friends, and broaden your network?

Lu Ci readily accepted Liu Qi as a new friend, and also repeatedly affirmed in his heart that he would be a strong opponent in the examination room.

Most of the time, Liu Qi, who thought the time on the boat was long and boring, would come to her on her own initiative.Later, if Lu Ci didn't see him for a long time, he would look for him in person.

Zhu said that naturally he didn't want to be pulled down like this, so he changed his attitude slightly.

Liu Qi reciprocated, and was extremely enthusiastic about the slightly softened Zhu Shuo, and deliberately avoided talking about Fengyue.

He was handsome and handsome, with clear features and clear eyes. When he was not in a lazy state, his speech was bright and funny, but also profound and sharp.

From Lu Ci's point of view, although Zhu Shuo and Liu Qi are very different in character and style, they both have talent and will in essence, and have been deeply influenced by the traditional Confucian thought of worrying about the country and the people.

In contrast, the one who only pursues being alone is the one who is out of place.

The facts were just as Lu Ci expected, after abandoning his prejudice, Zhu said that he was able to chat with Liu Qi better than him.Especially when it came to the signing of the Chanyuan Alliance, both of them were indignant and outraged, hating the country and not fighting.

Before Liao general Xiao Darin was shot and killed by a powerful crossbow, the battle might be reversed and there was nothing to do, the officials actually signed such a humiliating peace treaty because they were afraid of war.

Although the land has not been ceded, whether it is the government's need to respect the Empress Dowager Xiao of Liao as an aunt, and the Liao Lord's brothers and sisters, or the heavy burden of donating 10 taels of Liao silver and 20 pieces of silk every year, I am afraid it is just the beginning.

He continued to cut the flesh of his own people to fatten up the hungry wolf, and let the Song army be corrupt and the soldiers slump.

If the trend of ebb and flow continues for a long time, it can be described as unimaginable!

A rich country but not a strong army is no different from a child walking in a busy city with red gold in his arms. Except for a very few hard-line main fighters, the most important thing that the court should lack is educated people. Celebrating with forehead and hand while breathing, instead of bursting into anger and cracking eyes, is it considered a great victory?

Zhu said solemnly: "As Wang Xianggong said, 'The alliance under the city is ashamed of by the Spring and Autumn Annals. There is nothing more disgraceful than this in the act of Chanyuan.

"It is indeed a great shame and a great shame!" Liu Qi said when he was excited, he couldn't help feeling angry, and said with righteous indignation: "Because this was the first of its kind that day, all the enemies knew that Song Dynasty was a bully, and even the party members were coerced by speculation. Thousands of taels of silver were rolled up, and thousands of bolts of silk were sent away. The court only knew how to raise soldiers, but did not care about training them. There were countless officials who were corrupt, borrowed official wealth to do business with the people, and filled their pockets. If decisions were not made as soon as possible, they would be How long?"

Hearing the impassioned speeches of the two young men, Lu Ci only took a sip of tea in silence.

What Zhu Shuo and Liu Qi said was right. Although he didn't remember much about Song history, he still had a good impression of the humiliation of spending money to buy peace.

I also know that even if I want to buy this peace, I will buy it soon.

Knowing that the people of the Song Dynasty are rich, why do the rising foreigners obediently wait for some of them every year instead of taking them all in person?

Before the invading forces turned against Da Song, Da Song couldn't hold it anymore.

At first, it was the imminent financial crisis, so reforms had to be carried out hastily, and the reforms did not go smoothly. Coupled with natural and man-made disasters, in the end foreign enemies took advantage of the vacancy, and they were completely defeated and had to retreat to Vietnam.

In the end, with Hangzhou as its capital, the Southern Song Dynasty lingered on for a while, but it was inevitably destroyed.

But Lu Ci also didn't think that the court was really a bunch of blind people who only cared about the short-term peace in front of them and ignored the long-term development.

I am afraid that the problem still lies with the emperor.

The official family in power now does not have the domineering spirit of his father and uncle. The menacing approach of the Liao army earlier scared him so much that he almost moved south.

If the Prime Minister Kou Zhun hadn't been so courageous and courageous, even the officials would have dared to "hold him hostage" and force him to go to the front to stabilize the morale of the army. The Northern Song Dynasty might have been overthrown a few years ago.

Song Taizu was determined to be aggressive, he was warlike but could not win, and had no choice but to retreat to the defense. His heir was terrified and would rather not fight when he could, but pay for peace.

Peace can be bought, so why waste people and money and take risks to fight it?

The huge expenditure of heavy troops is much lighter than the annual tribute "gifted" to the Liao Dynasty in exchange for returning soldiers.

As for the expansion of the army, it must be done to bring some sense of security to the officials; but when it comes to military training, he has to grant stable military power to generals, and he is not happy.

Isn't it because of the fact that the old Zhao family's yellow robe is added to the body because of the military power.Knowing that military power is so important, they will deliberately cut it again and again. After all, the prosperity of the country, and even the integrity of the land, are not as important as the stability of the Zhao family's rule.

The courtiers are all good people, and they must have seen this, so they all agreed to negotiate a peace.

It's not that Liu Qi and the others are as blind-eyed and short-sighted as they think they are.

Just because Lu Ci knew that it was unsolvable from the beginning, he was so calm early in the morning. He didn't even think about bumping into the southern wall of saving the country and the people, or trying to interfere with the progress of history.

He sighed inwardly, poured a cup of hot soup for the two who had their mouths and lips parched from the discussion, and continued reading with the book in their hands.

Liu Qi and Zhu Shuo didn't stay on this topic for too long.

They are all partial to the pragmatic school, knowing that even if they have thousands of ambitions and all kinds of pride, showing a white body is still a person who speaks lightly, and has no effect on the country or the people.

Compared with having a hearty discussion with like-minded people, the most important task is to study hard and get out of the game as soon as possible, hoping to be named on the gold list, so as to have a chance to realize the ambition in your chest.

What's more, it's not enough for them to be ready, they have to wait for the court to continue to pay tribute.

When the two came back to their senses, they saw Lu Ci, who had not participated in the discussion from the beginning to the end, was concentrating on flipping through the books in his hand.

They couldn't help being stunned for a moment, feeling a little embarrassed and ashamed.

Liu Qi, in particular, was even more embarrassing, and had a rare introspection: He has lived for nearly 20 years, and in the end, he is not as stable as this young gentleman!

Lu Ci didn't know what the two of them were thinking, nor did he notice when the conversation stopped.

He patiently gnawed at the book for a while, and felt bored, so he stood up and wanted to go for a walk on the deck and blow some air to change his mood.

Unexpectedly, as soon as they stood up lightly, the other two raised their heads from the pages of the book in unison, and looked at him with piercing eyes.

...What's wrong with this?

Lu Ci had no choice but to invite, "Will you two go outside with me?"

The two readily agreed.

The day was covered with dark clouds, the wind was howling, and a heavy rain was about to come. Except for the sand gulls flying around in a hurry, there was no good scenery to enjoy.

Lu Ci only felt like he had two tails, one big and one small, on his back. He felt a little inexplicable, but it was an invisible pressure.

He quickly walked around to the kitchen worker, and after confirming the contents of the dinner, he didn't wander around outside much, but returned to the cabin.

Liu Qi's faction followed in as a matter of course.

Even Zhu Shuo is used to this point.

Liu Qi asked with a smile: "Lu Lang only said that this trip is important, but I don't know why? Brother Yu, can you help me?"

Guessing is guessing, after all, it is not easy to make public, Lu Ci only stated the reasons on the surface: "Ten days ago, I received a letter from my grandparents and grandchildren's family. Not good. I will go there on my own initiative, and do my filial piety for my mother."

Liu Qi did not doubt that there was him, but when he heard this, his expression was slightly different.

Seeing that he was hesitant to speak, Lu Ci asked, "Brother Liu?"

Liu Qi hesitated for a moment, but reminded as tactfully as possible: "Maybe Lu Lang doesn't know that the Song Dynasty inherited the ancient system, and those who are poor are not allowed to take the exam... Be careful, so as not to accidentally violate the prohibition."

Even if it's just the lightest of the five suits, it can't be ignored.Once it is reported by others, or the government finds out, the punishment of copper service is still secondary, and the heaviest punishment is never to be admitted.

It's just that it's hard to say this too bluntly.Even among close friends, it is inevitable that there will be a bit of bad luck or cursing one's parents. Liu Qicai tried to be vague, so as not to offend Lu Ci's displeasure with his good intentions.

Liu Qi also shared his concern about last year's tribute examination: "Last year, there was a Jinshi Guo Yan, who was fined a bronze for applying for the exam at the time of mourning, and was never allowed to take the exam. , was fined and not allowed to go to the examination room for the next three times.”

Lu Ci's understanding of the qualifications for the examination is actually no less than Liu Qi's.

One of the reasons why he didn't prevaricate casually, but chose to go to Suzhou instead of his mother, was also because he wanted to confirm his grandfather's physical condition with his own eyes.

Even so, Liu Qi disregarded the taboo of exchanging shallow words and deep words, but also euphemistically reminded himself of the friendship about the qualifications for the examination, which is also worth cherishing.

Lu Ci was grateful for this kindness, and without saying anything, he just said, "Thank you Brother Liu for reminding me, I must be careful."

Liu Qi waved his hand, and laughed at himself: "Being able to understand these things can barely be regarded as the benefit of my failure in the first exam and my lack of fame in the gold list."

The author has something to say: Notes:

1. Liu Yong's family background:

Liu Yong's family background is a family of officials who pay great attention to Confucian morality.Liu Ao, the fifth patriarch of Liu Chongzhi, followed his uncle Liu Mian (an ancient writer and historian of the Tang Dynasty) to Fujian to serve as Sima of Fuzhou.Liu Yong's father, Liu Yi, and Liu Yong's five uncles were all officials in the Southern Tang or Song Dynasties, and his father was known for his filial piety at that time.Liu Yong has two brothers, the eldest brother Liu Sanfu, and the second brother Liu Sanjie (of course, the current timeline in the article is not there yet) also had academic fame.His nephew Liu Zhan and his son Liu Wei had both won Jinshi and served as officials. ("Ye Jiaying Says Liu Yong's Ci")

2. Miserable: that is, mourning.

Among the five obediences, beheading (death of parents) is the most important, and it takes three years to serve filial piety; filial piety is the most extensive (including parents-in-law and cousins) and the lightest, but it takes three months.

During the period of filial piety, one cannot take the imperial examination. ("General History of China's Imperial Examination System Song Dynasty Volume")

3. The fact that Jinshi Guo Yan went to the examination at the funeral comes from historical materials ("The Song Dynasty Volume of the General History of the Chinese Imperial Examination System")

4. For the signing content and specific process of the Chanyuan Alliance, please refer to "Yi Zhongtian Chinese History-Da Song Innovation" P149-154. It is true that the Liao and Song Dynasties ceased war for 120 years.But...

5. The husband:

The term "Xianggong" was not used casually in the Song Dynasty.In a narrow sense, "Xianggong" is limited to the respectful title of the prime minister, such as the famous "Kou Xianggong" Kou Zhun and "Wang Xianggong" Wang Anshi in the Northern Song Dynasty.In a broad sense, it can also be used as a respectful title for senior officials, such as Yue Fei is called "Yue Xianggong".

("Pretending to Live in the Song Dynasty")