Li Cong wanted to take control of the court before Xue Bai conquered Fan Yang, but the premise was that Xue Bai would not suddenly flip the table. After all, he was not confident in using force to deal with Xue Bai yet.
During this period, although he longed for power because of Dou Wenyang's plan, he was actually very guilty and feared that he would offend Xue Bai, intensify the conflict, and get out of control.
Therefore, once Yan Zhenqing showed a resolute attitude, Li Cong immediately became frightened and hurriedly asked Dou Wenyang to apologize and told him to win Yan Zhenqing back.
But in fact, Dou Wenyang was so panicked that he even thought that if Xue Bai came to Chang'an, he would definitely have his head chopped off.
This scene made his legs tremble, and he was unable to suppress the urge to urinate that was not easy to suppress.
"Go quickly." Li Cong urged.
Dou Wenyang finally came to his senses. Although he was reluctant, he rushed to Yanzhai as soon as possible.
The Yan family would not allow a eunuch to enter.
In the past, when Yan Zhenqing served as prime minister, he still took care of the court's face and was willing to talk pleasantly to the eunuchs. Now that he has resigned, he has returned to his aloof character.
Dou Wenyang had no choice but to wait outside the door of Yan's house. The longer he waited, the more he hated Yan Zhenqing in his heart, and finally he caught him in the evening.
"Yan Xiang, why don't you come to the province today? All the officials are waiting."
"I am not just showing off, I have decided to resign."
Dou Wenyang became even more panicked when he saw that Yan Zhenqing's intentions were very strong and did not seem to be a lie.
He begged hard and held on to Yan Zhenqing's sleeves. Finally, Yan Zhenqing put forward a condition - not to correct Shuo.
Dou Wenyang rolled his eyes, thinking that Yan Zhenqing was indeed threatening the saint, but actually wanted to talk.
Now that it is certain that King Yong and his family are not planning to start a war, there is nothing to be afraid of, so let's bargain. The achievements of a saint must be demonstrated, and Wei Shu must be punished for criticizing Chengyu in public.
The two finally discussed and decided to move Wei Shu to Yangzhou, and Yan Zhenqing reluctantly agreed not to resign.
Dou Wenyang hurriedly returned to the palace to report to Li Cong, and in an overjoyed tone.
"I have lived up to your majesty's great trust and got it done!"
"What's done?" Li Cong was surprised.
Dou Wenyang was very happy and said: "Yan Zhenqing is willing to approve your majesty's decree; demote Wei Shu out of the capital, this matter has been accomplished!"
"real?"
Li Cong was overjoyed. This was the first time he successfully issued a decree and demoted a minister. He immediately felt the pleasure of power, and a smile immediately filled his scarred face.
Dou Wenyang felt Li Cong's joy and was very excited. He took off his robe and knelt down solemnly.
"Since Hu Ni's rebellion, Your Majesty has suffered humiliation in order to revitalize the country and allowed powerful ministers to control the government. Now that he is finally able to punish the disobedient, I will make Your Majesty feel proud!"
Li Cong was touched when he heard this, his eyes were sore, he stepped forward to help Dou Wenyang up with his own hands, and said with emotion: "Thank you!"
"Even if my body is shattered to pieces, I will never let these people who sell their reputations insult Your Majesty!"
"Dou Qing is my number one hero in reviving the Tang Dynasty. I should make you prime minister."
This was their first successful counterattack against Xue Bai's forces, and the significance was naturally different. Both the monarch and his ministers were very excited.
Once this obstacle is removed, they can continue to plan their major events.
A few days later, Li Cong issued his edict to change the Yuan Dynasty.
The third year of Yingshun was changed to the first year of Shangyuan, with November of the lunar calendar as the beginning of the year, and the sequence of the months was named after the twelve chen points pointed to by the handle of the Big Dipper.
After writing the edict, Li Cong was looking forward to future generations using his Zhengshuo to remember his achievements; at the same time, he was anxious and worried about Xue Bai's reaction.
With this worry, he would half-dream half-awake at night, always feeling excited. But every day when he opened his eyes, he would ask if the news about Fan Yang had come back.
~~
Fan Yang.
Ever since he received Yan Zhenqing's letter, Xue Bai had been thinking about bringing his family with him. However, Hebei had just been decided and he was worried about the safety on the road, so he was still struggling.
Within two days, Li Cong issued an edict, changing the Yuan Dynasty to Shangyuan Dynasty, with November as the beginning of the year.
For such a big matter, the saint made decisions without permission while Xue Bai was in Fan Yang. It would inevitably make people think that the saint had taken over the power of the court. Yan Zhuang was surprised and immediately asked to see Xue Bai to discuss the matter.
"What does it matter?"
Xue Bai's reaction was very dull, and he was playing with the object Yan Yan sent him from Yangzhou. It was a small domino with a red bean embedded in it. According to Shixing's saying, the red bean expresses lovesickness, so it was embedded in the domino.
Here, it means "loving you deeply".
This made Xue Bai feel a little numb in his heart, and at the same time, his guilt became deeper.
For two years, he said it was to put down the rebellion, so he placed Yan Yan in Yangzhou, but they never met her. That was all. Now that the rebellion was put down, he still couldn't bring her back. He felt that he had let her down deeply.
"Mr. Lang?"
A call brought Xue Bai back from his thoughts. Yan Zhuang had actually talked a lot about the political impact of Li Cong's correction of Shuo, in order to answer Xue Bai's question "What does it matter?"
Xue Bai was distracted just now and didn't bother to listen again. He said: "A saint wants to establish authority. This is what he should do. Why should he be surprised?"
"But Langjun's ambition..."
"Can I compete with the saint for position?"
Yan Zhuang was stunned for a moment, suddenly realized, and a smile appeared in the corner of his eyes. He soon understood that Xue Bai was only in his twenties, but Li Cong was already over fifty, and his health was not in good condition.
Although Xue Bai's contribution is great now, his foundation is still shallow. If he waits for a few more years, it will be too late to kill Li Cong.
At that time, the stubborn veterans in the court will die and retreat. How can Li Qiu and his brothers compete with Xue Bai?
Thinking about it this way, Li Cong's various little actions are like floating clouds at the moment.
"Lang Jun still has a long-term view." Yan Zhuang said, "Only if Wei Gong is demoted, will some of our people be shaken?"
Xue Bai believed that the actual situation would be the opposite. Wei Shu's relegation would only make the knowledgeable people in the court dissatisfied with Li Cong's behavior of being close to eunuchs and suppressing the virtuous.
He was very curious about something and asked: "Did the stars really look different that night?"
Yan Zhuang responded: "No one I have asked has ever seen a comet. This matter is manipulated by powerful officials. Those people are unscrupulous in doing things, and it is most likely a fake."
Xue Bai pondered and said: "If the third year of Yingshun is changed to the first year of Shangyuan...the next year it will be changed to Yuan, there are still four months left."
"Lang Jun, it's two months." Yan Zhuang reminded, "This year's Zhengshuo is in November."
"I'm afraid that before the New Year's Eve, the saint's prestige will fall to the bottom."
Since Xue Bai dared to stay in Fan Yang temporarily, he was mentally prepared for Li Cong to take power. However, he was a little disappointed with Li Cong's methods when he only looked at the correction of Shuo.
In fact, Li Cong can safely and boldly dismiss officials and do whatever he wants. As long as it does not cause irreversible serious consequences, Xue Bai is unlikely to raise an army.
As a result, taking such a big risk made many wise ministers feel discouraged, but they could only gain some false fame.
"What a pity."
Xue Bai thought about it and finally made a decision.
He sent out the Diao brothers who had been guarding him, and personally selected the most elite soldiers to go to Yangzhou and bring his family to Fan Yang.
With his current status, every move he makes is closely watched by interested people. What he does will actually make interested people think that he has the intention of separatist rule in Fan Yang.
But he didn't care. After thinking about it, he rarely chose to pursue private interests between public and private affairs. This was a very rare thing for him on the road to progress.
~~
During these days, officials from Hebei Province promoted and appointed by Xue Bai arrived one after another.
Among them, Du Fu was appointed as the Secretary of Academic Affairs.
Before that, Du Fu was still serving as the county magistrate in Hedong. Someone asked him, "I always heard that you had a close relationship with King Yong in the past. Now that King Yong is in the ascendant, why haven't you been reused?"
Du Fu reacted indifferently, saying that King Yong just redressed his injustice and recovered his life, and saved the country in times of crisis. He was not the prime minister, so how could he manage official appointments.
Others said that the prime minister was King Yong's father-in-law.
"Mr. Yan is a man of merit. How could he appoint me because of my friendship with King Yong?"
Du Fu ignored these external voices and continued to care about the sufferings of the people.
But sometimes he also wonders if he really has no talent, which is why he is not reused. After all, Yuan Jie and Huangfu Ran, both of the five sons of Chunwei, are now in high positions because they are good at money and food. Only those who have no ability
Du Wulang, whose official position is lower than him.
Du Fu also knew that he really didn't know how to manage accounts, so even though his salary was not low, he was living so tightly that it felt like there was leakage between his fingers.
When he received the appointment, he was passing by a house to take care of and asked for a bowl of water. He saw an old woman holding her grandson, but she didn't even have any complete clothes. He took out twenty dollars from his sleeve.
Put it on the table.
Then, when he came out of his home, his family members came over with messengers and happily announced his appointment.
According to custom, Du Fu had to give some reward money to the messenger on the way, but he felt around and couldn't find any money.
That's it, let's take office.
The postman who was traveling with him saw that Du Fu was riding a bad horse, so he lent him his own empty horse, and finally arrived at Fan Yang.
Xue Bai and Du Fu had not seen each other for many years, so they were naturally happy to meet up.
Compared to when he was in Chang'an, Du Fu looked much older, dark, thin, and with sparse hair.
They have known each other for many years, and they are like brothers. In the past, Du Fu seemed to be one generation older than Xue Bai, but now he looks like two generations older.
"Brother Zimei, do you have any new works?"
"have!"
Du Fu immediately took out a book of poems, threw it to Xue Bai, and continued to drink and eat.
Xue Bai saw that the poems were all good ones handed down from generation to generation, but there were not a few that he was familiar with, so he asked: "When the army recaptured Henan and Hebei, you didn't write a single poem?"
“Why write poetry about this?”
"Not happy?"
"I'm so happy, but the people are living so hard, how can they be in the mood to write poems about it?"
Du Fu responded casually, then picked up another pot of wine and poured it for himself.
Xue Bai then asked: "Suddenly there was a message outside the sword that Jibei was being collected. When I first heard about it, my clothes were covered with tears. Aren't you so happy?"
Du Fu looked at him deeply, with doubts in his eyes, as if he was exploring something.
"King Yong, could it be that you want me to write some works of praise?"
Xue Bai was surprised, couldn't help but smile and waved his hands, saying: "No, no, no."
"Does King Yong have a continuation of that poem just now?"
"have."
Chatting with friends, Xue Bai read the entire poem regardless of the occasion.
Du Fu listened carefully, with a look of surprise on his face, and praised the poem. But for him, the Anshi Rebellion, which was put down in less than two years, did not make him so happy.
He is more concerned about some important matters of people's livelihood.
"It's a good saying, 'Singing during the day requires drinking too much.' Come on, bring me a drink too."
"I won't drink anymore. I have to talk about business later."
Xue Bai poured himself a glass of water. His boring look did not look like someone who could write this poem.
He observed Du Fu's reaction to these poems with great interest.
When Du Fu talked about rising, he raised his hand to stroke his bun from time to time. Because the hair in the middle of his head was sparse, his bun was shaky and seemed to fall off from time to time.
Xue Bai couldn't help but said: "The hairpin is shorter when the white head is scratched, and the lust is overwhelming?"
"wonderful!"
Du Fu drank another glass of wine, slapped the table and struck the knot, and said: "Xue Lang actually has such a poem that fits the situation. Can this sentence be a complete poem?"
He was in such high spirits that he completely forgot that Xue Bai's name was now Li Qian, and he used the previous title again.
Xue Bai laughed dumbly. It seemed that this poem had become his own again.
Anyway, now that the war is over, Du Fu can no longer see the situation of "the country is broken, the mountains and rivers are still there, the city is springy and the vegetation is deep", so he accepted it with a smile.
There must be more popular poems that he needs to pass on to Du Fu.
And Du Fu will also write more other poems.
"Let's get down to business. Brother Zimei, do you know what the official position of the 'Secretary of Academic Affairs' is?"
"As the name suggests, it's about rituals, music, school, and exams."
Du Fu was not happy about this official position and seemed a little disappointed. His ambition was to manage the world and benefit the people and do practical things for the people.
"Does King Yong also think that I only have a reputation for poetry but no talent?"
Xue Bai was not polite and said bluntly: "Brother Zimei is really not good at finance, taxation and economics. He is not tactful in dealing with people. He is not the character to make progress as an official."
Although Du Fu had already realized this in his heart, he was still disappointed when he actually heard Xue Bai say it.
Just from the fact that he came to Fan Yang to take up his post, he has already committed many taboos among officials.
He felt lost in his heart, and a look of sadness could not help but appear on his thin cheeks.
The next moment, Xue Bai asked: "Brother Zimei, does he know what rank this position is?"
Du Fu only wanted to serve the people. He had not considered the question of rank and could not answer it, so he asked: "How many ranks?"
"From the fourth grade."
"What?!"
Du Fu was shocked, stood up suddenly, and waved his skinny arms, not knowing what to do.
He had never worn a red official robe before, but he didn't expect that he would jump up and be three levels higher than the red robe. How can you believe it?
Xue Bai said: "Now the imperial court is trying to divide the Jiedushi's power into four. Although the Academic Affairs Department has lower authority than the Transportation Department, the Prison Department, the Changping Department, and the Appeasement Department, they all belong to the same group of officials."
Du Fu had also seen the words "Promote the Academic Affairs Department of Hebei Province" on the official document before, but he did not think it was such an important position. After all, this official position was very unfamiliar.
He unconsciously arranged the old clothes on his body, held his neck, and waited patiently for Xue Bai to entrust him with the important task.
Xue Bai paused and said in deep thought: "Hebei is a place where Hu and Han people live together, and there are a large number of Hu tribes inside. It is necessary for them to absorb the customs of the Han family and understand the learning of the sages. This is what the Hebei Academic Affairs Secretary and him
Everywhere is different.”
Du Fu nodded, feeling that there was some burden on his shoulders.
Xue Bai continued: "Since the imperial examination, the desire of ordinary people from poor families to become officials through studying has become stronger. However, there are still a large number of people in the court who are recommended, and even local official positions are passed down from father to son. Talented people have no way out.
Either they join the family of the powerful, or they serve in the army. If the imperial court wants to give poor people a way out, it must reform the system, improve the imperial examination, and even the entire official selection system. Improving the imperial examination cannot be achieved by a single decree of a saint, and it needs to start from the local level.
County schools, state schools, and Taoist schools, how to select talents as fairly as possible is the responsibility of the Academic Affairs Department."
Du Fu felt the burden on his shoulders became heavier and nodded gloomily.
Xue Bai said: "I met Zhang Zhongzhi from Yingzhou a while ago. He was the Pinglu Jiedu envoy appointed by the puppet Yan. He was recommended by An Lushan as a shooter and served as a guard in the palace. An Lushan
As soon as he rebelled, he fled back to Fan Yang from Chang'an. Now that we have successfully suppressed the rebellion, he has surrendered. How does Brother Zimei view such a person?"
"The barbarians don't know loyalty and are only interested in profit, and they do it over and over again."
"They say they don't know loyalty, but they also know how to be grateful and take advantage of the situation." Xue Bai said: "When he was at his most humble and downcast, An Lushan recommended him, so he was most grateful and loyal to An Lushan. And the place
Academic officials have to do the same thing, to recommend talents to the imperial court. But academic officials are not An Lushan, and the recommendation and selection is not to make them rebel, but on the contrary, it is for the purpose of cohesion and prosperity."
After hearing this last sentence, Du Fu couldn't help but glance at Xue Bai with complicated eyes.
He had long heard various rumors about King Yong and his conspiracy to usurp. At this time, he could not help but secretly wonder in his heart. Isn't this really an attempt to cultivate power and party members?
Xue Bai really didn't have such thoughts. Since he aspired to the entire Tang Dynasty, there was no need to form cliques. From now on, everyone would be his subjects.
Facing Du Fu's suspicious eyes, he smiled faintly and patted Du Fu's thin but strong shoulder without any explanation.
When Du Fu came to his senses, he secretly thought that it was inappropriate for him to speculate on King Yong's intentions since he had not repaid the favor he had received from King Yong.
"My whole life has been in vain, and it is difficult to realize my great ambitions. Now that I have gained the trust of King Yong, I will live up to it even if my body is shattered to pieces."
"They are all working for Sheji Shengli."
The two of them talked and dispersed late at night. At the end of the night, Du Fu, still unfinished, picked up the wine pot and offered a toast to Xue Bai.
"In the past, I was wandering the streets of Chang'an and didn't know the dignity of King Yong. I just drank this pot to express my gratitude to King Yong for his kindness."
"Why do you and I need to talk about thanks?" Xue Bai smiled and said, "I have already received too many gifts from Brother Zimei."
Du Fu was stunned and didn't know what this meant.
He came empty-handed, so there was no gift for him.
"I have nothing to offer, and I have nothing to thank King Yong..."
"Stop being polite. Although official matters must be handled publicly, private friendships remain unchanged. If you call me 'No Blame', I will call you 'Brother Zimei'."
"No blame."
After Du Fu called out, he looked up at Xue Bai's gentle face as before, but shook his head again.
He seems to be a little drunk, or has returned to his former bold and unrestrained manner, or even shows his madness.
"No, no, no, King Yong would be better off calling me 'Duti Xue'."
"Dutiexue?"
"Hahaha." Du Fu laughed and said, "I haven't heard enough yet, I haven't heard enough yet!"
"Dutty learns, it's Duti who learns!"
It was the end of August in a blink of an eye, and a group of teenagers were busy in the backyard of the state school. Some were piling up the classics and historical records in a pile, while others were slaughtering roosters. Suddenly, a schoolboy rushed over and shouted.
"The academic officer is here, run, run."
After hearing this, the group of young people were not in a hurry. They happily packed up their various belongings and even waited there for a while until they saw a thin figure appearing at the entrance of the courtyard from a distance.
"Zhang Weicheng, Zhang Weiyue!"
Du Fu had been chasing for a while, and he had to stop and rest while panting and leaning on his cane, shouting: "I know you are the one taking the lead, so why don't you come over and confess!"
A teacher should be deeply respected, and a fourth-grade academic officer is even more prominent. However, Du Fu has never been such a high-ranking official, and he did not show off his majesty. He was seen through after more than ten days in office, and everyone knew
He has a weak character.
In addition, Fan Yang's folk customs were fierce and the rebellion was initially suppressed, but people's resentment towards the imperial court had not dissipated, so they were naturally hostile to him, who spoke favorably for the imperial court.
Zhang Weicheng and Zhang Weiyue are two brothers. They are both the sons of Zhang Zhongzhi, the former puppet envoy of Yan Pinglu and now the general of Guide in the Tang Dynasty.
Since the news of Shi Siming's death came, Zhang Zhongzhi led his people to surrender. Many people in the court thought that he should continue to be appointed as the military envoy of Pinglu, and that he should be appointed as the minister of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the Duke of Liao.
Xue Bai strongly opposed this matter, and his words were unqualified.
"For a rebellious and surrendered general, it is a gift to spare his life and give him a chance to change his ways. How can there be a reason for rebellion and promotion and rewards from the court?! If this continues, how can the country not collapse?"
Many officials were worried that such remarks would force Zhang Zhongzhi to rebel, and that the rebellion, which had finally been calmed down, would happen again.
When these remarks reached Fan Yang, Xue Bai was furious and said that if Zhang Zhongzhi had any objections, he would raise troops to attack him now!
As a result, Zhang Zhongzhi personally rushed to Fan Yang to surrender to Xue Bai and resigned from the post of military envoy.
Although he resigned from his post and surrendered, he still had a high prestige in the Hebei army. Xue Bai treated him very kindly. As soon as the state school was established, Zhang Zhongzhi's three sons were allowed to enter the school to train them as talents for the court.
The ancestors of the Zhang family were barbarians and had never had the concept of teaching their children to read. Among them, the third son, Zhang Weijian, was young and had limited academic performance. Zhang Weicheng and Zhang Weiyue hated academics and led the generals in the state school to do mischief all day long.
Today they killed the rooster that crowed in Zhouxue and prepared to roast the chicken from the Classics and History Collection.
After plucking the hair and bleeding it, when he saw Du Fu arriving, he made a provocative face and left in a hurry.
"Wait!"
Du Fu shouted, but he said it to the officials who arrived behind him.
"They are still children, don't hurt them!"
After hearing this, Zhang Weiyue not only showed no gratitude, but turned around and shouted arrogantly: "Who can hurt me?!"
He was stubborn and did not study, but he grew up in his father's army. He was familiar with bows and horses, his fists and feet were good, and his tendons were very strong.
He despised Du Fu, a skinny academic officer, and did not want to be loved by him. He simply rushed back, smashed the dead cock in his hand on one of the servants' heads, and beat the others.
The screams continued, and Zhang Weicheng returned with a group of disciples over there.
He held a kitchen knife in his hand, which immediately frightened the school officials and the servants ran away with their heads in their hands, leaving only Du Fu standing there.
"Hahaha."
The naughty boys laughed but did not dare to touch Du Fu. They picked up the dead chicken on the ground and ran away.
The pages of the book were left scattered on the ground, swept up by the autumn wind at the end of August, with a sense of disarray that disobeys Wang Hua.
Du Fu was very angry and continued to chase him. He couldn't catch him before he left the county government office, so he had to rest with his stick.
If you want to curse something, it sounds like poetry.
"A group of children in Hebei bullied me because I was old and helpless. I couldn't control all the rules. They openly hugged the book and walked away. My lips were burnt and my mouth was so dry that I couldn't breathe..."
At this moment, neat shouts sounded in the distance.
I saw a group of soldiers returning with the survivors, led by the young general Hun Yao.
"Duti's discipline in controlling the class is too lax. If he cannot subdue these scoundrels, he will eventually be willing to do it for him."
Du Fu turned around and saw Xue Bai standing there.
Xue Bai also heard Du Fu's poem, and a little smile appeared on his face.
Although the poem is still a sad poem, the situation is very different, and the future of Du Fu and the future of the Tang Dynasty will also be very different.
They are teaching knowledge now for the sake of stability, for future compensation, and to answer that question——
"With tens of millions of mansions, it can shelter all the poor people in the world and make them happy?"