"We will accept its beauty and rescue its evil, so the superiors and subordinates can be in love with each other." [The Classic of Filial Piety·Serving the King]
Once upon a time, Huang Wan believed that he was closer to the emperor's policy ideas than his fellow scholars Sun Rui and others. He could even quickly figure out the emperor's thoughts and take corresponding measures. He once believed that his existence was of great significance to the emperor.
It was very important because he had enough ability and experience to assist the emperor in making decisions, and he could also use his reputation to maintain relationships with multiple parties, adjust interests, and mitigate excessive reforms.
Even Huang Wan could take the initiative when the emperor thought of it but did not do it for a while, or was concerned about various reasons, such as sending people privately to lobby Yizhou and Jingzhou to surrender. But it was not until now that Huang Wan woke up like a dream, and the emperor passed his hand
It set off the prelude to investigating cases and purging officials, hindering the momentum of the Kansai scholars' revival, and once again separated the relationship between them and the Dong family. After all this was done, the situation changed, and the emperor began to abandon him without caring.
Got him.
The reason is not that Huang Wan is not important enough, but that he makes himself too important.
The emperor would not tolerate the excessive growth of certain forces in the court. Once the Kansai scholars showed signs of resurrecting and uniting with the Dong family, the emperor would lend Huang Wan's hand to give them a blow. Huang Wan was in the spotlight when he blocked his political opponents.
And if he refuses to contribute to the new policies of the imperial court, he will naturally be expelled.
On the sick bed, Huang Wan was thinking about when the emperor decided to depose him, but he has been using him until now. He summed up the lessons and taught his family member Huang She earnestly: "I am no longer safe now, but I, the Huang family of Jiangxia, cannot
There is no successor! Although my father is worth two thousand stones, he is already old and has no talent for further advancement... From now on, the glory of my family still depends on you. You need to remember everything, don't force yourself to stand out, let alone be smart!
"
The Jiangxia Huang family has been passed down for a long time, and numerous branches are scattered in the counties of Jingzhou, such as the Nanyang Huang family. Among the more outstanding ones are Zhonglang General Huang Zhong under the command of Zhennan General Xu Huang, and Xiaowei Huang Gai under the command of the Lieutenant Governor Sun Ce.
However, the Nanyang Huang family has long been estranged. Whether there is any kindness or interest involvement between them is not enough to rely on Huang Wan's support.
"Ming Gong, are things really out of control?" Huang She was suddenly entrusted with an important task, and he was both excited and frightened. Although the two of them didn't get along for much, Huang Wan was always the big tree behind him that shielded him from the wind and rain. Now,
The big tree is about to wither and it has not grown yet, so what can you do!
"Go and draft a memorial for me." Huang Wan didn't seem to want to say more. Not only did the emperor and the Guanxi scholars express their opinions, but Xunshi secretly added fuel to the fire. Now that I think about it, if he hadn't tried to force him some time ago,
Xun joined him in admonishing the policy of purging officials and deposing Guo Gong. How could he have suffered such a bitter fruit?
"Thank you." Huang She responded, tucked Huang Wan into a quilt, and was about to go down. Suddenly he seemed to remember something, and turned around and asked, "What will happen to Laijun and the others?"
Huang Wan stared blankly at the beams of the roof and sighed softly when he heard this: "As long as I leave, nothing will happen to them."
Different from Yang Qi's resignation, the emperor agreed to Huang Wan's begging for his remains without any reservations.
Jia Xu, who was officially appointed as Zhongshu, personally drafted the edict and solemnly declared that Situ and Lu Shangshu served Huang Wan Gong loyally to the country and were the heroes of the resurgence of the Han Dynasty. In order to restore the Han Dynasty in the past few years, he cooperated with the imperial court in private
Although some of his actions were unseemly, they were commendable, so they will not be held accountable for now. Huang Wan was dismissed from his post and returned to Jiangxia to rest in his old age.
In just a few months, Yang Qi, Huang Wan and other old ministers resigned from the court one after another. The emperor was dissatisfied with the current team of prime ministers and was determined to rebuild an effective and enterprising central government.
After Huang Wan was deposed, his position as Situ became vacant. He was about to arrive at Zhengdan, and all kinds of great gifts could not be missing without the three princes. So the emperor did not delay and quickly decided on the candidate for the new Situ, Guang Luxun Yang. Biao succeeded.
In fact, as early as when Yang Qi left, he had a close relationship with Yang Biao and would exchange various costs for the Yang family to gain another position as the Three Lords, including this time sitting on the sidelines of Huang Wan. This was a deal with the emperor. , now that the policy document was issued, Yang Biao resigned as usual but still refused to obey the order and insisted on giving up the position of Situ to Zuo Feng Yi Zhongfu.
Zhongfu was born in the Zhong family in Henan. His father Zhonghao served as Situ during the reign of Emperor Xiaohuan. He himself replaced Xun Shuang as Sikong in the first year of Chuping. Later, he was dismissed due to the earthquake and was transferred from Jiuqing to the county governor. Zhongfu He was quite famous in office, and he was also a capable minister valued by the emperor in the early years. However, there was never a place for him in the court, which caused Zhong Fu to waste a lot of time.
Everyone thought that this was a routine resignation by Yang Biao, but Yang Biao was adamant and seemed to insist on giving up Situ to Zhongfu. Logically speaking, Zhongfu had a family background and reputation, and had once served as a third official. It makes sense to succeed Situ, but what good will this do to Yang Biao?
Even a smart man like Yang Xiu didn't understand. On a bleak autumn night, he asked about this matter in his study: "Although the breeding public has enough qualifications, he is not close to us. Now Aweng will be the three public servants." Jean, is it really a good thing?"
"When a person gets old, all he cares about is his reputation during his lifetime and his affairs behind him." Yang Biao leaned against the table and raised his hand, indicating that the other party should take a seat. There were several volumes of "Tao Te Ching" and "Zhuangzi" scattered on the table. Recently, I have been very interested in Taoist theory, and I have a great desire to transcend the world: "Who can still uphold the great ambitions I set when I was young? The world will change, and people's hearts will also change. I remember that when I was in Luoyang, I When I met the Yuan Benzhu brothers, how smug and ambitious were they? But what happened next? But not yet..."
Seeing that the other party seemed to be talking more and more about the topic, Yang Xiu hurriedly stopped and said, "Ah Weng!" He stretched out his hand and started to collect the Taoist classics on the desk, sorting them out one by one: "Why bother? Such late-life words? Now is the time when the Emperor of Tomorrow is on the throne and the wise people in the world can do a lot."
"So I was right at the time." Yang Biao muttered, seeming to find it a little funny.
He seemed to be affected by the recent ups and downs of the situation, but his brows were still full of energy and confidence.
Yang Xiu held the scroll in his hand and didn't speak for a while. He seemed to be relying on his intelligence to think about the deep meaning of his father's stubborn resignation to Situ. If getting the position of Situ would bring benefits, then rejecting this position should also bring benefits to others. It's only good to get it. And what's the value of Zhongfu? He's old, his energy is not as good as before, and he is destined to play the role of a vase in the court. So he has chosen the Zhong family in Henan?
His mind flashed for a moment with the names of Huangmen Shilang's Zhongji, Chen Guoxiang Zhongshao and other Zhong's children, and it seemed that he had gained something.
"Uncle Zhong Ying is old." Yang Biao couldn't help showing a look of relief when he saw his son thinking seriously. He said warmly: "I heard that his eyes are so blind that he can't even see the documents clearly. Whenever he handles official business, he is handled by the county. Cheng, the chief clerk was assisting him. He was not in good health, but he had to walk around the streets and alleys in the city after meals every day. The matter of checking the household registration made him even sicker. The Tai Hospital had sent people to visit several times. This time Zuo Fengyi... You said that if he didn't want nothing, why would he still stay in Zuo Fengyi's position at his age? "
"Are you worried about your children?" After saying this, even Yang Xiu himself didn't believe it.
"A minister of Huangmen and a prime minister of Chen Guo, all members of the Zhong family have the character of being upright, loyal to the emperor and caring for the people. What else can he be worried about?" Yang Biao said. He reached out for the teapot to pour himself tea, but he couldn't.
Yang Xiu took it. Seeing his son put the neat scroll aside and poured tea skillfully, Yang Biao's eyes showed kindness: "Do you still remember You Fufeng Fu Rui? What did he do?
Resigned on your own initiative?"
"Fu Gong is doing it for his son, Fu Xun, the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs." This happened not long ago. Yang Xiu said in detail: "The Master of the Ministry of Civil Affairs has done a good job in the exam, but there is no son in the world who has passed the examination of his father's merit in the school."
It's the right thing to do, so in order not to be rude, Mr. Fu also wanted to let him..." At this point, Yang Xiu was suddenly stunned. He immediately put down the teapot and said as if he understood something: "Is it possible that the breeder
The same thing? For Prime Minister Chen?"
"Father and son are tied for two thousand stones..." Yang Biao laughed in a low voice, took a tea bowl from the table, slowly brought it to his mouth and took a sip: "After all, he is also a man who has been the third prince, and now he wants him
No matter how upright you are to serve as an official with the same status as your son, you won't be happy in your heart, right?"
Yang Biao has a thorough insight into people's hearts. As he said at the beginning, when people get old, they will care about their reputation and their affairs after death. Zhong Fu is still holding on to the two thousand stone Zuo Fengyi, just trying to survive a capable person.
Give him the opportunity to be promoted. Just look at the time when Dong Chengguan was a Taiwei. How many people said that his position was not upright and asked the emperor to remove him and make way for someone more worthy. Behind this, there were many voices and expectations.
"Now that Aweng has given him exactly what he needs, what will he do to Aweng in the end?" Yang Xiu thought to himself. Zhong Shao, Zhong Ji and others were all given important responsibilities by the emperor at a young age.
, it can be seen that they are all in the emperor's heart, or because of his character and ability, the emperor has not been able to get compensation from the three princes for a long time.
"There is no need to repay anything." Yang Biao seemed to see through the other person's thoughts at a glance, and slowly put down the tea bowl, with a hint of warning in his eyes: "Yang's ability to get to where he is today has never relied on other people's 'repayments'
."
"Wei." Yang Xiu lowered his head slightly, as if he reluctantly agreed with the other party's statement, but he couldn't help but said regretfully: "But exchanging a favor with a 'Situ' is a bit too much."
"Uncle Zhong Ying will not stay in this position for too long." Although his son is smart, he is very paranoid about certain things. Seeing that he still can't figure it out, Yang Biao had to look at Yang Xiu deeply and said softly.
He took a breath: "As I said just now, he is old from the inside out. I give him the position of Situ to fulfill his long-cherished wish for the rest of his life, so that he can return to his hometown for retirement as soon as possible. If he is wise, it won't take long for Situ to be
The position will be returned to me."
In fact, there is another layer that Yang Biao has not said, that is, he does not want to take over the position left by Huang Wan at this time. Just the case investigation and household registration issue has made Huang Wan disgraced and disgraced, both inside and outside. Yang Biao is worried
He will also encounter such a dilemma, so he considers temporarily giving up the benefits to others who are not a threat to him. After a while, at least after the Chinese New Year, things cool down and there are new things to do in the New Year, then
Even if the emperor entrusted the matter to him, Yang Biao could handle it calmly.
Of course, what Yang Biao considered ultimately depended on whether the emperor was willing to cooperate. After he made several firm remarks, the Weiyang Palace was silent for a while. Perhaps it was because he could not find another more suitable person, or perhaps he respected Yang Biao's choice. , the emperor sent someone to brush down the policy book to Zuo Feng Yizhong.
Zhong Fu had been waiting for this moment for a long time, and after a moment's refusal, he happily obeyed his orders, and the pain all over his body was no longer so unbearable. He took a bus from Zuo Fengyi to Chang'an, and suddenly became the most prominent member of the Han Dynasty. One of the personal characters.
At this time, there was less than a month before the end of the year. Amidst the falling snow, Situ Zhongfu, Sikong Zhao Wen, and Lieutenant Zhu Jun successfully completed the Zhengdan Dynasty in the sixth year of Jian'an.
This year's Zhengdan Dynasty summarized the achievements of the past year and reiterated the importance of farming, water conservancy, and case registration. Compared with last year, there is nothing new. But the Zhengdan Dynasty was completed. For Zhong Fu, this important ceremony was like the final end of his official career. His spirit soon collapsed. When he met Yang Biao on the steps of the front hall of Weiyang Palace, he His voice was even less breathtaking: "We are both ministers of the country, so regarding this matter, I don't know where to start."
"Then there is no need to say more. Uncle Ying, you deserve everything." Yang Biao said with a smile as he stood in the cold wind. The red silk left by the Zhengdan Dynasty greetings was still hung on the eaves and corners of the surrounding palaces. It became a rare gleam of color under the leaden sky.
"The prince's master was lost in pride, Uncle Ma Weng was lost in foolishness, the scholar Sun Junrong was lost in carelessness, and Huang Ziyan was lost in strength." Zhong Fu didn't seem to be afraid of the slight cold wind, even though his body was shaking uncontrollably. , he said word by word: "The car in front is overturned, and the car behind is broken. I hope you will not lose anything in the future. This is my New Year's wish for you."
"Thank you." Yang Biao whispered. He turned sideways and shielded the other party from the cold wind.
"I can't blow the wind anymore." Zhong Fu said this, but his steps seemed to have taken root and he was still standing on the same spot: "I don't know if I have nourished myself well when I take a rest. If I still can't nourish myself well in the end..." His words were weak, and his unfinished meaning quickly dissipated in the cold wind.
Yang Biao raised his head and looked at Zhong Fu, and then they both left without speaking.
Soon, Zhong suffered from the cold wind and complained of illness after returning home. It was not until March in Yangchun that he wrote several times to get the emperor's permission to let him go home as a beggar.
In just three months, Situ's position became vacant once again. This time, Yang Biao did not give in. Instead, after an absence of nearly ten years, he returned to the position that belonged to him, the Third Duke.