RNP Chapter 1663: At an old age, one knows the will of heaven, so why should one fear war?
Chapter 1663: At an old age, one knows the will of heaven, so why should one fear war?
Chapter 1663: At an old age, one knows the will of heaven, so why should one fear war?
Shenjing City, Song Residence
Jia Heng sat down, and Song Jing's servant brought him a teacup. Then, he bowed, gradually stepped away, and served him with his hands hanging down.
While Song Yan was speaking, she also came forward and sat down, staring at the young man in the python robe.
Song Jing's fair, elegant face was filled with a prosperous smile, and he said, "Yan'er, come over and have some food together."
My daughter is now the prince's concubine.
While the two were talking, a servant walked into the hall quickly and reported, "Master, the fourth master is here."
Jia Heng smiled and said, "I was just saying I wanted to meet Fourth Uncle Song. You've come just in time."
Song Jing smiled and said, "I sent someone to invite my fourth brother to come earlier, but I didn't expect him to come just now."
After a while, next to the glass screen carved with a phoenix pattern, one could see a young official with a fair complexion and elegant demeanor, and it was Song Xuan.
"Zi Yu, I'm sorry for being late. Please forgive me." Song Xuan said in a low voice with a smile on his face.
Jia Heng said, "Uncle Song, you are too polite."
At this moment, Song Yan stood up, picked up a jade teapot, poured a cup of tea for Song Xuan, and said, "Fourth Uncle, please have some tea."
Song Xuan nodded and asked, "Yan'er is here too."
Song Yan said in a soft voice, "Come and see daddy and mommy."
Song Xuan smiled and said jokingly, "I never thought of coming to see my fourth uncle."
At this moment, Song Jing's wife Shen smiled and said, "Fourth brother, Yan'er has been shy since she was a child, please stop teasing her."
Song Xuan smiled and said, "This girl is really grown up."
Immediately, he sat down.
Meanwhile, Jia Heng looked up at the elegant Song Xuan and asked, "Fourth Uncle Song has recently taken up a new post in Jingzhao. What do you think of Jingzhao?"
Song Xuan put down the teacup in his hand and said, "Jingzhao is the land under the feet of the emperor, the best place among all the cities, and there are many dignitaries. I have some problems in governing Jingzhao Prefecture."
Jia Heng straightened his face and said solemnly: "If the powerful people in the capital are doing illegal things, you can deal with them impartially. I will support you."
Song Xuan looked at Jia Heng intently and said with a smile, "It's good to have Prince Wei's words."
Song Jing smiled and said gently, "Okay, let's have lunch together. If we don't start eating, the food will get cold."
As they were talking, the maids and the nannies hurried into the room, bringing in tables of dishes, which were placed on the lacquered wooden table.
Jia Heng came to the copper basin, washed his hands, and sat down.
Song Jing mentioned the recruitment of craftsmen in the Ministry of Works, and Song Xuan smiled and said, "Zi Yu plans to recruit more craftsmen in the Ministry of Works. I know someone who is knowledgeable and talented. He is good at studying Western firearms, astronomy, calendar, and water conservancy engineering."
Jia Heng asked, "A person who is familiar with astronomy, calendar, and water conservancy engineering? There are such talents."
Could he be some talented person in history?
Song Xuan continued to keep the secret, saying, "When I was the governor of Kaifeng Prefecture, I met such a talented person. He mentioned to me the renovation of the Yellow River embankment, and mentioned that the Yellow River embankment south of Kaifeng Prefecture also needed to be renovated, otherwise it would be difficult to resist the flood in a few years."
Jia Heng became more and more interested and asked, "What's his name?"
At the beginning, he temporarily ordered people to rebuild the Yellow River embankment along the Henan section for flood control and rescue purposes. After so much time has passed, the embankment has not collapsed.
But it is a temporary project after all, and over time, the dam may collapse again.
Song Xuan said: "His name is Xu Guangqi."
Jia Heng was shocked when he heard this.
Xu Guangqi? He was a famous minister in the Chongzhen period of the Ming Dynasty in a parallel universe, and a model of a country revitalized through science and education.
I originally thought that such a person didn't exist in this world, but I never thought... could it be that we have the same name?
Song Jing was good at observing people's expressions. He caught the change in Jia Heng's expression and asked, "Does Zi Yu know this person?"
Jia Heng nodded and said, "I have heard of this man's name for a long time. He is well-versed in both Chinese and Western culture. Why would he go to Henan?"
According to historical records, Xu Guangqi should be from Songjiang Prefecture, Shanghai, and should not have gone to Henan. However, he was the minister promoting sweet potatoes in the Ming Dynasty in a parallel universe. Perhaps this is the reason?
Song Xuan said: "Xu Guangqi was originally a famous and wise man in Shanghai County, Songjiang Prefecture. Not long ago, he went to Henan to observe the results of the new policy. He saw the high yield and bumper harvest of sweet potatoes. He also checked the Yellow River embankment in Kaifeng and carefully surveyed the geography to determine its strengths and weaknesses."
Jia Heng said, "Write a letter for me and send it to Kaifeng Prefecture, saying that I invite Xu Guangqi to work in the Ministry of Works in Shenjing, and I will take the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works as an opportunity to serve him."
Xu Guangqi opened the road to science and technology, recruited young children to study science and technology, started the process of developing the country through science and education, and reformed Confucianism.
Song Xuan said: "After dinner, I will write him a letter."
Then, everyone started to eat.
Then, after finishing his meal, he returned to the side room and sat down on the chair again.
Jia Heng gently placed the teacup on a small table at the side. Steam could be seen rising from the teacup, and the aroma filled the air.
Jia Heng said, "The affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are complicated. With the implementation of the new policy next year, the affairs will increase day by day. My father-in-law will have to spend more time on it."
Song Jing said: "Don't worry, Ziyu, there won't be any mistakes on the Ministry of Internal Affairs side."
Jia Heng nodded, then looked at Song Xuan and asked, "I heard from my men that the Jingzhao government has recently sent out yamen runners to restore order in the capital city?"
Song Xuan said: "It is inevitable that the power of the yamen runners of Jingzhao Prefecture will be insufficient. If we can cooperate with the spies and secret agents of Jinyifu, it will be more effective."
Jia Heng agreed, "I will ask the Jinyifu to help us investigate the criminals and bring order back to the capital."
It has been several years since the Five Cities Army Division eradicated the Sanhe gang's banditry, and inevitably there have been some new changes among the lower classes in Shenjing City.
Song Jingxu said: "Zi Yu, Emperor Guangzong's son was deposed before, and although Luo'er was restored to the throne after a period of restoration, there are still many civil officials in the court who have objections to the new emperor's succession."
Jia Heng was silent for a moment, and then said, "These things can only be changed with the passage of time. As for those officials who dare to slander the court and stir up trouble out of nothing, the court should punish them severely."
It's not that he hadn't thought about raising the butcher's knife and fabricating a wrongful conviction, but he had just started as regent and had few ministers under him, and he also lacked an excuse.
Due to the rebellion of Li and Xu, the opposition forces in the Shenjing court were almost wiped out, so he needed to contact the Song family's relatives and even win over Qi Kun, Zhao Yi, Liu Zheng and others again.
Now in the court, among the six ministers, the Minister of Personnel Yao Yu and other upright officials such as the Hanlin Academy and the Censorate are more respectful to him in appearance but not convinced in their hearts.
Previously, when Li Zan rebelled and established Chen Ze, they all submitted a petition to support the establishment of the eighth prince Chen Ze. It was so smooth.
But just as the chief minister of the cabinet Qi Kun obeyed the imperial edict, they were openly following the order of Empress Dowager Feng, and no one could find any handle against them.
He can't catch them all at once; that's simply unrealistic and the entire bureaucracy would be paralyzed.
Among the six ministries, there is the Minister of Revenue Qi Kun, the Minister of Rites Liu Zheng, the Minister of War Shi Jie, the Minister of Works Zhao Yi, while the Minister of Justice is vacant.
Zhao Mo, the former Minister of Justice, resigned from his post last year and returned to his hometown in Zhejiang to mourn his mother's death.
The officials in the court who were imprisoned for being involved in the Li Xu case were mainly Li Zan and Xu Lu's diehard followers, including Zou Jing, the right assistant minister of the Ministry of War, Zhang Zhi, the right deputy censor-in-chief, Rao Yizhou, the prefect of Jingzhao, and various censors of the Censorate.
Strictly speaking, these were upright ministers loyal to the Chen and Han dynasties, and had actively participated in the previous coup d'état.
On the contrary, some members of the Zhejiang Party, such as Zhou Tingji, who were aware of current affairs and were good at making compromises, were not implicated too much in past coups.
The Chu Party and Xu Lu represented by Li Zan were exactly the people who spoke for Jia Heng during the Chongping period.
The Zhejiang Party was a group of people who targeted Jia Heng in everything, but the latter remained strangely silent during the coup, or vied to curry favor with him.
Therefore, he had just settled the situation, and was still a long way from having all the officials in the court and the country bow down and ask the King of Wei to succeed the throne.
However, there will be no open opponents as long as he does not usurp the throne.
But the secret opponents are still hiding their claws and waiting for the opportunity to strike.
Even Qi Kun, Shi Jie, Liu Zheng and others would not support him in usurping the throne, but they obeyed temporarily due to the circumstances.
Song Jing looked at the young man in the python costume curiously and asked, "Zi Yu, what were you thinking about just now?"
Jia Heng smiled to himself and said, "I'm not thinking about anything. I was just thinking about something."
Then, he turned to look at Song Xuan and said, "Please write a letter for me later, Uncle."
Song Xuan nodded and said, "Don't worry, Ziyu. I will write a letter right away."
Then, Song Xuan called the servants to prepare pen and ink and began to write a letter.
……
……
Just when Jia Heng was about to use Xu Guangqi, thousands of miles away in Jiangnan——
Jinling, Hao's House
The former cabinet minister and grand tutor Hao Jiru is celebrating his 80th birthday today. The Hao family is celebrating it with great fanfare. The entire Hao residence is decorated with lights and is filled with joy as they entertain a group of visiting bureaucrats from Jiangnan.
In the house with the plaque of Rongchun Hall inscribed on it——
A wide variety of dishes are placed on the round lacquered wooden table, and cups, plates, bowls and chopsticks can be seen, and the table is clean and bright.
Seated on the pear blossom chairs on the left were Yuan Tu, the former Nanjing Minister of Rites, Kuang Chun, the Right Censor-in-Chief of the Nanjing Censorate, Mei Dunben, the Right Assistant Censor-in-Chief, Lu Jinyi, and other upright figures.
Seated on the pear blossom chairs on the right were the Minister of Works Yan Mao, Vice Ministers of Personnel Fu Xiye and Wu Hefei, Vice Minister of Justice Ying Yuanlu, Censor Guo Chao, and Director of the Nanjing Imperial College Lu Boqi.
The house is packed with guests and distinguished friends.
Everyone was recounting interesting stories from the Southern Province court.
Hao Jiru put down the teacup in his hand, and under his gray and white eyebrows, his old eyes were filled with thought. He said, "The Prince of Wei is now assisting the government and killing loyal officials. We have received great favors from the Han Dynasty. How can we sit back and watch?"
As soon as this statement came out, the expressions of everyone present changed.
The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Ying Yuanlu, suddenly changed his expression and said, "Grand Tutor Hao, be careful with your words. The court is now full of the followers of Prince Wei. I am afraid that your words will attract a search by the Jinyi Tiqi."
Hao Jiru slammed the cane in his hand on the floor and said in a deep voice: "That is Shenjing, this is Jinling. Even if the King of Wei is so powerful, he can't reach Jinling. Besides, I am already over 80 years old. I know my destiny at an old age, so why should I fear the sword?"
Ever since Jia Heng went to Jiangnan to supervise the new policy and used intimidation and bribery on the Jiangnan gentry, coupled with several previous conflicts, Hao Jiru and other Jiangnan gentry had long held resentment towards Jia Heng.
In addition, the Southern Province was originally the gathering place for retired officials of the imperial court. They had received the emperor's favor and most of them were loyal to the Chen and Han royal families. They could be considered conservative forces.
At the beginning, when the Gao family was in chaos in Bashu, they were just waiting and watching the situation. However, the imperial court put down the chaos in Shu very quickly, and did not leave much time for the bureaucrats in Jiangnan. They had already taken over the entire Bashu, and the gentry in Jiangnan had no choice but to stop.
After Jia Heng successively defeated Gao Zhongping, Li Zan, Xu Lu and other loyal ministers, the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River also felt a sense of grief.
In other words, Jia Heng originally only wanted to reach a temporary balance with the gentry in Jiangnan.
As the saying goes, dust will not go away without a broom.
When Emperor Chongping was still alive, whether it was the implementation of the Chongping New Deal in Jiangnan or the rectification of the administration in Jiangnan, Jia Heng simply reached a compromise with the gentry in Jiangnan.
Hao Jiru said angrily: "Emperor Shizong Xian trusted Prince Wei so much back then, promoting him from a commoner to a prince. His kindness was as deep as the sea. But who would have thought that Prince Wei would have such a wolfish heart, controlling state affairs, bullying orphans and widows, persecuting loyal officials in the court, and monopolizing power. If Emperor Shizong Xian was still alive, he would have regretted seeing treacherous ministers in power and causing chaos in the court."
Kuang Chun said: "Master Hao, now that the Prince of Wei is in power, even important officials like Li Gelao and Xu Zongxian are helpless, let alone us?"
It is said that Li Ge Lao and others were fighting against the rebellion in the capital and did not contact them who were in Jiangnan.
In fact, it is no wonder that Gao Zhongping and Li Zan did not call on the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River at the beginning.
Firstly, Nanjing is far away from the capital. When Gao and Li went to suppress the rebellion, things happened in a hurry and things changed suddenly. As the saying goes, distant water cannot quench nearby thirst. If they communicated through letters in advance and the situation was not kept secret, harm would be done.
Secondly, Gao Zhongping and the gentry in Jiangnan were also not on the same page. During his tenure as Governor-General of Liangjiang, he did not get along well with the gentry in Jiangnan.
Hao Jiru sighed, "Now we can only vent a few words of complaint, watching our great Han dynasty, which has been passed down for hundreds of years, fall into the hands of outsiders. Alas!"
Everyone present felt very uncomfortable.
Although he secretly agreed, but by accusing King Wei in public like this, wasn't he afraid of King Wei's powerful position?
Lu Jinyi added, "Prince Wei is only assisting the government, and Master Hao's words are alarmist."
"What's the difference between a regent and a co-ruler? Throughout history, all traitors and rebels have started as regents. Moreover, the country has an old ruler but does not establish one, but chooses a young ruler. You can tell what their intention is." Hao Jiru said in a loud voice, pretending to be indignant.
Minister of Works Yan Mao twisted his beard with his hand, a thoughtful look on his thin face, and said: "Duke Zhou and Duke Shao also assisted the government in the court. The King of Wei used the name of assisting the government, and his intention was to be like Yi Yin and Huo Guang. If so, he is also a man of high moral character."
Hao Jiru said: "If you want to be a loyal minister and general of the Han Dynasty, you should have appointed the eighth prince Chen Ze first. Why do you need to appoint a young prince? Wouldn't it make people all over the world suspicious?"
Hao Jiru pondered for a moment and said loudly: "If we talk about virtue and integrity, which one of Li and Xu is not a famous minister known for his integrity?"
At this moment, a servant in short clothes walked into the hall quickly and said, "Master, Mr. Jie, Mr. Tan Jie and Mr. Shen from the Ministry of Revenue have arrived at the door in their official sedan chairs."
Tan Jie, the Minister of Revenue in Nanjing, had a good relationship with Jia Heng because of the allocation of grain and fodder for disaster relief. After the Minister of Revenue Pan Ruxi was dismissed from office, he was promoted to the Minister of Revenue as he wished.
Shen Fang, a former provincial governor, was now the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and concurrently the Vice Minister of the Granaries.
It is worth mentioning that Liu Yuzhong of the Qi Party was the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.
Hao Jiru said to his son Hao Zhengyan who was serving beside him: "Help me to go and meet him."
The Minister of War Xie Yue sat in government office in Nanjing and had never been concerned with worldly affairs, but he and Hao Jiru had been friends since their early years.
As they were talking, Hao Jiru brought some guests to the ceremonial gate and looked at Xie Yue who came to celebrate his birthday.
Xie Yue was nearly seventy years old, with a sturdy figure and an ancient face. He came closer, bowed and said, "Your subordinate greets Mr. Hao."
Hao Jiru smiled and said, "It is a great honor for my humble home to have Young Master Jie visit me."
Not far away, Tan Jie, who was standing with him, bowed and said, "This subordinate greets Mr. Hao."
Hao Jiru's old face seemed to show a prosperous smile, and he said, "Master Tan, there is no need to be polite."
Then, Hao Jiru turned to look at Xie Yue who was standing beside him and said, "This is not a place for conversation. Please come to the hall for the banquet."
Xie Yue nodded, and then, accompanied by Hao Jiru, quickly walked into the hall.
After the host and the guest sat down, Hao Jiru looked at Xie Yue and asked casually, "Master Xie, do you have more affairs to deal with in the Nanjing Military Department now?"
Xie Yue said: "Since the two assistant officers of the Ministry of War were charged with corruption, all the affairs of the Ministry of War have been placed on me. I still haven't seen any officials from the court to assist me. I can only take care of the affairs on my own. I have been very busy recently."
Xie Yue is old and usually does not take care of ministry affairs. He spends more time leisurely strolling among the trees in Southern Province. However, since the two assistant officers of the Ministry of War were arrested, Xie Yue has had to personally step in to handle ministry affairs.
Hao Jiru said, "Master Jie, now that the King of Wei is in power, he is purging dissidents. Although we are in the Southern Province, the King of Wei has been jealous of us for more than a day. I wonder what Master Jie thinks of us?"
Xie Yue was slightly shocked when he heard this, but he remained calm and said with a smile: "Today is a birthday banquet, and the guests are all here. Mr. Hao, please don't talk about state affairs."
Obviously, Xie Yue did not want to get involved in the ups and downs in the court.
At this moment, Kuang Chun also changed the subject and said with a smile: "Master Hao, the guests have almost arrived, it's time to start the banquet."
Hao Jiru also realized that Xie Yue didn't want to talk more, so he stopped asking questions and said, "Let's eat first."
Everyone sat down around a table and started to eat.
……
……
Zhejiang, Shaoxing
To the south of the city lies a five-story courtyard with pavilions, towers, and houses, overlapping rockeries, and jagged rocks.
This place is the residence of Han Huang, the former Prime Minister of the Cabinet.
Han Yang has gray hair and an old body, but he is in good spirits. He holds a goat-hair paintbrush in his hand and sketches on the front of the rice paper.
The movements of dragons and snakes under the brush are clearly a copybook of calligraphy.
This Prime Minister during the Chongping period was actually only in his early sixties. After returning home to enjoy his retirement and playing with his grandchildren, he looked full of energy and vigor.
At this time, footsteps were heard from under the eaves. Han Hui, dressed in a colorful Sichuan brocade robe, stepped over the threshold and entered the study. He bowed to Han Huang and said, "Father."
Han Huang placed the brush in his hand on the pen holder beside him, turned his head to look at Han Hui, and said, "Hui'er, are you back?"
Han Hui held a court report in his hand and handed it over respectfully, saying, "Father, this is a court report. Did you read it before? The court's previous edict of succession has been annulled."
In the eyes of outsiders, the situation in the Han Dynasty during the first year of Jianxing seemed quite turbulent.
At the beginning of the year, Emperor Guangzong (Prince of Chu Chen Qin) was unexpectedly assassinated in his study in the heavily guarded Daming Palace.
Later, less than two months after Emperor Guangzong ascended the throne, the Gao family of Bashu rebelled.
The imperial court had just sent troops to quell the rebellion when the Taiyuan earthquake occurred. The chief minister of the cabinet, Li Zan, took advantage of the fact that Prince Wei was away from the capital and, citing doubts about the bloodline of the young emperor, replaced the emperor with Chen Ze, the eighth son of Emperor Shizong.
However, he was labeled a traitor by Prince Wei, who then made Emperor Shizong's legitimate empress and youngest son the heir apparent. Afterwards, Prince Wei assisted in governing the country and held all power in his hands.
Han Huang sighed and said in a low voice, "If Li Zan and Xu Deqing want to punish King Wei, they should work together while Gao Zhongping is here, and not let him defeat them one by one."
If we look back on it later, when Gao Zhongping's Gao family was preparing to raise the banner of anti-rebellion in Sichuan, Li Zan, Xu Lu and others should have responded in a timely manner.
But in fact, it might not be feasible, because Jia Heng was in the capital at that time, with more than 100,000 soldiers and horses under his command from the 12 regiments of the Beijing Camp. Jia Heng had just supported Guangzong's youngest son as an important minister, and regarded himself as a loyal minister, which could be said to be a good reputation.
Li Zan and Xu Lu had neither soldiers nor righteousness, and the result of joining the Gao family in rebellion was that they were wiped out together.
Han Hui frowned slightly, his eyes looking deep, and said, "Father, at that time, the rebellion of Prince Wei had not yet been revealed to the world. Elder Li and others were worried about the turmoil in the country and had doubts in their hearts, which was also human nature."
Han Huang shook his head, put down the brush he was holding, and said, "Li Zan and Xu Lu are too rigid and inflexible. How can they be a match for the treacherous Prince Wei?"
During the two years since his retirement, Han Yang has been looking back on his past encounters with Jia Heng, and he feels that Jia Heng is increasingly unfathomable.
Han Hui said: "Lord Qi also co-signed his name on the imperial edict."
Han Huang shook his head and said, "That was the Queen Mother's order. Qi Kun followed it. He was not the mastermind. It is reasonable for the Prince of Wei to let him take over temporarily since he is still the chief minister of the cabinet."
Han Hui was in doubt and said, "Father, does the King of Wei really want to...change the dynasty?"
Thinking of the young man he met in Hanmo Zhai seven or eight years ago, who has now become a powerful figure in the court, Han Hui felt mixed emotions.
Han Huang said in a deep voice: "No one can say, but with the current reputation of the King of Wei, even if he plots to usurp the throne, it would be like a monkey in a human costume, and the whole world would rise up to attack him."
To put it bluntly, the achievements are not enough.
It was considered a stretch for him to pacify Liaodong, preside over the new policy and be a regent, but if he wanted to usurp the throne, people in the world would not accept it.