Promotion and fortune in Song Dynasty

Regarding Wang Qinruo's release, Lu Ci does not know for now.

Just before the arrival of the new year, at the end of the busiest year, a group of rare visitors came to Bianjing—envoys from Korea who traveled long distances.

Because of their arrival, not only did the palace need to prepare for the reception of the envoys, but also the post offices outside the palace became busy. Even the ordinary people who heard the news were looking forward to it.

Of course, for them, what is most worth looking at is not the similar appearance, nor the weird language that they can't understand at all.

And it's more to win over these fat sheep who are not very picky, who are quite rare about ordinary things, and are even willing to pay a lot of money for it.

The Korean envoys who came this time did not disappoint them who were waiting eagerly: while waiting for the Song court to send people to pick them up into the palace, they only settled in the post station for a while, and they went out one after another, shopping around to bring them back. Koryo went to the object.

Because the rulers of Koryo had always attached the most importance to the classics and works of the Song Dynasty, the first thing they went to was the large and small bookstores located in the market.

On the surface, everything seems to be as usual, but in fact, the stores have already made full preparations for their arrival. They greeted them warmly, rubbed their hands with a smile, and recommended a lot of books that they said were the best-selling books in Beijing and China in recent years. , all sold out.

Of course, these Korean envoys only dubiously believed his words, but they had an order from the king, and they were pressed for time, so they had to listen to the advice for the time being and moved the piles of books back to the post.

Because of the long distance between the two countries, it is undoubtedly a dream to bring all these books back. In the next few days, they will try their best to browse through as much as possible, so as to classify the books that are really worth taking away.

While reading and reading, several people invariably turned to the series of stories written by 'Liu Yuanyuan'.

"Liu Yuanyuan?"

Jin Ti, who had the highest official position among the envoys, was taken aback for a moment, and he couldn't help feeling curious.

At first glance, it is the woman's name, and I know what a wonderful book it is, and it took more than 20 copies to be printed.

He simply opened it, but he was fascinated by reading it. It was only when the lanterns first came on that he suddenly woke up from his subordinates calling him.

"This script!"

He frowned without saying a word, and put down the book reluctantly.

After realizing the time, that point was still unfinished, and he was immediately banned by shock.

If I really want to sum it up, it is obviously just talking about the entanglement between children, but because of the unbelievably beautiful writing, the delicate and elegant poetry, and the vivid and vivid characters, it becomes indescribably brilliant.

He couldn't release the paper even though he was serious about his business.

... It is no wonder that so many copies have been printed, and it is also a bestseller in the city.

Just when Jin Ti, who dismissed his subordinates, was wondering whether to turn on the light to finish reading this pile of scriptures to relieve the itching feeling like a cat's claws scratching his heart, the little emperor in the palace also summoned the royal servant who will take office tomorrow. Doctor Shi Lu Ci expressed his inner tension.

Lu Ci heard him talk a lot of nonsense, and couldn't help asking, dumbfounded: "The Korean envoy who came from afar and shouldered a heavy responsibility has never been nervous. Why is Your Majesty, the lord of a great country, getting restless instead?"

Hearing what he said easily, Zhao Zhen said shyly: "It's the first time I've received envoys from Korea. I'm afraid I don't know. Ask them to compare it with the situation of the first emperor and make a joke."

There has always been a very close and friendly exchange between the Song Dynasty and Goryeo. Not only did they often send envoys to exchange visits, but also students from Goryeo came to study at Taixue and Guozijian.

It is not uncommon for some people with excellent grades to stay here to serve as officials after being elected, and it is not uncommon for them to be summoned by the leader of the Koryo Kingdom.

It's just that since Zhao Zhen succeeded to the throne, the Koryo envoys who clearly visited several times during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong have never appeared, which inevitably made the little emperor feel a little bit worried.

As a result, after the Korean people really came, the little emperor inevitably panicked, fearing that he would lose the prestige of a great country if he didn't grasp the measures properly.

Lu Ci smiled and said: "The officials are worrying too much. In the view of the lower officials, the officials only need to take out seven points of the prestige of the court, add a point of seriousness, and return gifts as usual."

Seeing that Zhao Zhen was still frowning, Lu Ci enlightened again: "Besides, there are other reasons for the envoys from Korea to come, and it has nothing to do with the official family."

Zhao Zhen wondered: "Is this true?"

Lu Ci nodded: "There is a Liao country between Goryeo and Song Dynasty. The situation in the Central Plains is unclear, and if the relatively weak Goryeo wants to survive, it must either be a weed that falls on both sides, or it has to pretend to be deaf. Dumb, watching from the sidelines."

Although Goryeo has always treated the Daliao and the Song Dynasty "equally" and mainly sought calligraphy, painting, sculpture, skills and religion, even if there were exchanges, there was no military assistance at all.

But in the sensitive period when the war was about to break out, in order to survive safely, Goryeo would definitely not want to offend this behemoth that was close at hand, and had to avoid suspicion.

After Zhao Zhen heard it, he suddenly realized, and then he didn't know what to think of, and he became even more puzzled: "Although the situation in the Northwest War has gradually become clear, the distance between us and Khitan is still frozen. How could they dare to come up at this juncture?" gone?"

Lu Ci smiled: "I heard that this group of Korean envoys set off as early as two months ago. If they really came all the way to Bianjing, even if the road is rough and difficult, after all, it's not the icy and snowy winter. How could they be delayed on the road for so long? Although they didn't want to make any noise at the moment, they probably went to Liao Kingdom first to show some attitude there, so they dared to go south and come to us."

Because Yelu Longxu, the leader of the Khitan Kingdom, knew that it was not too long before he broke his face with Li Yuanhao, a cheap son-in-law. It became a top priority to repair the relationship with Song, who had not really turned his back, and ensure that he would not be attacked at critical moments.

It's just that the relationship between the two sides has not really broken down, and it's just that the two sides know it well, so it's not easy to come to the door openly-especially the Khitan king also claims to be the lord of a powerful country, how can he be willing to be the young Song lord of his grandchildren? Zhao Zhen bent down first?

Only then did they come up with the plan to use the mouth of the Korean envoys to first have a hint of back and forth with Song Ting, and then formally send envoys to the door.

Seeing Zhao Zhen's face puffed up, and he fell into deep thought again, Lu Ci remembered to add: "These are just a few guesses made by the lower officials, what is the idea there, and I suggest that your majesty should use you as the prime minister. The results of the auxiliary discussions are the main ones."

"Of course I will listen to what they say." Zhao Zhen waved his hands old-fashionedly: "I have to listen to what my little master has to say."

Regardless of whether it was true or not, Zhao Zhen, who was still a little anxious, suddenly felt at ease when the words of the little master came to the bottom.

It just so happened that the Ministry of Rituals had already made preparations, and the night after tomorrow, a grand banquet would be held in the palace to entertain Jin Ti and his party who came from afar.

All promoted officials were required to attend this palace banquet, and Lu Ci, as a second-rank imperial historian, was naturally included in the banquet.

Because he had only been in Yushitai for one day, the little emperor who had guaranteed him a promotion to the doctor's authority had not had time to take concrete actions. Lu Ci, who had been in that empty position with only a title for a day, , actually felt unprecedented leisure.

It also made him feel awkward—unknowingly, he was used to the first day of taking office, and he would be in a state of being overwhelmed and exhausted.

Perhaps it was because he was afraid that he won the Sacred Heart, even if the censor did not need to be concerned with Chief Bai, except for the stern face and necessary salutes and greetings in the face of the airborne doctor, he completely avoided Lu Ci's censor Zhongcheng Han Jiang. However, the other censors still treat him respectfully and dare not neglect him.

Lu Ci saw that their words were wrong, so he was not in a hurry, and only responded with a slight smile.

By the end of the day, although he was not yet fully familiar with the work of the censor, he already knew the basic situation including the correspondence of everyone's names and faces.

It's just that after taking a bath and changing clothes, Lu Ci, who was going to the palace for the banquet, was led by his servants. When he was about to take a seat, he looked at Wang Zengshi, the political counselor, who was smiling and nodding at him, and couldn't help but be at a loss for words.

"This is you," Lu Ci looked helplessly at the young servant with a tender and raw face who didn't dare to look directly at him. He had a faint guess in his heart that the other party was instigated by someone to conspire to make him sit out of order, so he reminded him politely. Said: "Did you make a mistake?"

Before the waiter could speak, Wang Zeng explained with a smile: "He didn't make a mistake, this was an order from the official himself. Moreover, the official guessed that you are careful and won't sit down easily, so they specifically explained to me. made such a sound."

What does the little emperor want to do again?

Lu Ci frowned slightly, and complained helplessly: "The king is in politics, why don't you persuade His Majesty?"

"It's not a big deal, just sit down." Wang Zeng smiled very relaxedly, and after almost pulling Lu Ci to sit down, he said: "In terms of official rank, you are also a second-rank doctor; You are the head of the Yushitai who even Kou Xier's violent temper is respected three points, why can't you sit?"

If it were someone else who said this, it would inevitably reveal some sarcasm, but Wang Zeng's expression was relaxed, his tone was friendly, and he was somewhat friendly with Lu Ci, so it was impossible for Lu Ci to really misunderstand.

Lu Ci sighed, glanced at the vacant seat, and sat down slowly: "In this case, I can only follow the good advice."

Wang Zeng glanced at him with a smile, but said nothing.

What he thinks is that although the official family is young, they have a lot of thoughts.

He would advance Lu Ci's seat by seven or eight seats, and there should be more than one purpose for arranging this rather conspicuous position beside him.

I'm afraid it's not only to make up for the Xuanma scenery missed when Lu Ciyao was named Jiedu, but also to show off in front of the Korean envoys, who is the most proud and beloved talent.

Wang Zeng never treated people too far or too close, and he made it clear that he was a pure minister who did not get involved in the party and government. Even when facing Lu Ci, whom he admired relatively, his attitude did not change much.

After saying a few words when persuading Lu Ci to sit down, he only had occasional conversations with Lu Ci during the waiting period.

The civil and military officials were quickly led to their seats in an orderly manner by the servants, followed by the Korean envoys sitting at the guest seats.

After everyone had arrived, Zhao Zhen, the lord of the Song Dynasty, and Queen Guo arrived, all dressed in grand ceremonial attire.

Seeing that Zhao Zhen accepted the crowd to stand up and salute as usual, and after the banquet, he calmly and naturally talked with the Korean envoy and gave gifts, Lu Ci couldn't help blinking.

Look at Zhao Zhen's unbelievably mature and calm appearance...

He actually couldn't connect the other party with the little man who was so nervous last night that he couldn't help crying.

The author has something to say: Notes:

1. Communication with Korea:

According to incomplete statistics, from October of the third year of Jianlong (13th year of Emperor Guangzong of the Goryeo Dynasty, 962) to March of the second year of Longxing of Emperor Xiaozong of the Southern Song Dynasty (18th year of Yizong's reign, 1164), during the 67 years, Goryeo sent envoys to the Song Dynasty. There were 34 times, and the Song Dynasty officially sent to Korea more than 1012 times.Through informal diplomatic channels, from the fifth year of Song Zhenzong's Dazhong Xiangfu (the third year of Xianzong, 1278) to the first year of Southern Song Emperor Bing Xiangxing (the fourth year of King Zhonglie, 260), in these 130 six years, the Song Dynasty, the merchants and the people In the form of trade, he went to Korea [-] times, with more than [-] people.The exchanges between the two countries are frequent, and economic and cultural exchanges are important aspects.

The cultural exchanges between Song and Li are diverse and extensive, and the exchange of classics (including printing) is an extremely important content.The exchange of classics between China and the Korean Peninsula has a long history.According to historical records, as Chinese characters were introduced to the Korean Peninsula, Chinese books were widely spread.

2. Goryeo envoys buy books:

At that time, Koryo envoys often came to ask for books when paying tribute, and Song Emperor successively donated many important classics to Koryo.The two sides also treat books as a kind of cultural masterpiece as "tribute" and "gift".Goryeo asked for books, and the Song court not only gave them gifts, but also opened up the book market, allowing Goryeo envoys to buy books themselves.For example: during the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song Dynasty (1023-1032), envoys who paid tribute to the Song Dynasty once went to Guozijian to buy books.From the Song Dynasty to the early Ming Dynasty, a large number of classics obtained by Goryeo through secret channels were stored in the Secret Pavilion and Yushu Pavilion of the National Library of the Goryeo Dynasty for reference.

The exchange of Song Li classics was not limited to official channels. The Goryeo Dynasty also collected and purchased Chinese books through monks, overseas students and folk trade.

In the first year of Emperor Renzong of the Yuan Dynasty (1314), Goryeo not only received a large number of books from Emperor Yuan, but also sent people to Jiangnan to buy books. Although the ship failed to arrive, they still bought [-] volumes of classics in Nanjing and returned them.

3. International students

China and Korea have had close exchanges since ancient times, and there have been many exchanges of talents, which is unrecorded in history.According to incomplete statistics, from the time of Taizu of the Goryeo Dynasty to the time of Emperor Xiaozong of the Southern Song Dynasty, there were 16 Chinese literati (including famous Jinshi) and warriors who went to Goryeo and served as officials or settled down in the Goryeo Dynasty. There are also 18 person-times.For example, in September of the fifth year of Zhenming in Houliang (919, the second year of Emperor Taizu of Goryeo), and in June of the third year of Longde in Houliang (923, the sixth year of Emperor Taizu of Goryeo), Yangui and Pu Yan, the scribes of the Wuyue Kingdom, returned to Korea successively. .In the third year of Xiande in the later Zhou Dynasty (956, the seventh year of Emperor Guangzong of Goryeo), Xue Wen, the former inspector of the Wusheng Army of the Later Zhou Dynasty, who was entrusted with Zhou and envoy Xue Wen, met Goryeo and stayed due to illness.Emperor Guangzong "loved his talents", and asked for permission to stay in Korea in the later Zhou Dynasty, and was promoted to a Hanlin bachelor. In less than a year, he was awarded a literary handle and a tribute.

The scribes from Goryeo to Song Dynasty were mainly foreign students sent by Goryeo Dynasty.For example, in the first year of Emperor Jingzong of Goryeo (976, the first year of Taiping Xingguo of Song Taizong), Jin Xingcheng was sent to study in Song Guozijian.In the following year (977), Xingcheng was promoted to the rank of Jinshi, awarded an official, and became a prime minister in the palace in the Song Dynasty.Goryeo Chengzong once came to express his request to return to his country, but Xingcheng refused to return to his country.In the early years of Chunhua, Emperor Taizong of Song Dynasty, he passed the sentence of Anzhou and died in office.Xingcheng had two sons: Zongmin and Zongna.Song Ting gave his son Zong Min the official Taimiao Zhailang.In the fifth year of Song Taizong's Taiping Xingguo (980), Kang Jian, a Korean, took the Song imperial examination and became a Jinshi.Kang Jian was the son of Kang Yun, the Minister of War of Goryeo, who fought against Khitan.During the Kaibao period of Emperor Taizu of the Song Dynasty, Jian followed Gao Libin to study Chinese studies in the Song Dynasty. In this year (980), he became a Jinshi, became an official in the Song Dynasty, and became a doctor in the Ministry of Industry.

4. About Goryeo being afraid of the Liao Kingdom and not communicating with the Northern Song Dynasty:

Yitian (1055-1101) was commonly known as Wang Xu, and his style name was Yitian. Because he avoided the taboo of Song Zhezong Zhao Xu, he practiced with words.He is the fourth son of Emperor Wenzong (Wang Hui) of Goryeo Dynasty.When Wenzong was alive, Yitian asked to study Fa in Song Dynasty, but Wenzong refused.In the first year (1084) of Xuanzong (Wang Yun, Yitian's brother) ascended the throne, Yitian sincerely invited him to join the Song Dynasty many times.Because there was a powerful Liao Dynasty (or Northern Dynasty) in northern China at that time, Goryeo was afraid of offending Liao, so the officials discussed, "It is extremely unacceptable", and was never allowed to visit Song Dynasty.Yitian then sent a letter to Xuanzong and Empress Dowager Renrui on the night of Gengwu in April of the second year of Xuanzong (the seventh day of April in the eighth year of Song Yuanfeng, May 1085rd, 5 AD), and secretly served with his disciple Shoujie and others to Zhenzhou. Song Shang Lin Ning boat left Korea.The ship he took landed at Banqiao Town, Mizhou, Shandong, and then entered Bianjing by land.

(All of the above are from "Cultural History of the Song and Song Dynasties")