Teng Zongliang's demotion was a heavy blow to Fan Zhongyan. From Zhao Zhen's eyes and tone, Fan Zhongyan clearly felt distrust. Fan Zhongyan knew that the emperor was doubting his own fairness. His rectification of officialdom had offended many people. people.
When he and Han Qi inspected the various state capitals that day, any official who heard of any wrongdoing was mercilessly written off. Fu Bi, who was not yet tough-hearted at the time, even said to himself: "Fan Gong, you have written off this crime." , I can make this whole family cry." At that time, he said righteously: "Yan Guo is itchy. If I don't make these officials and their families cry, then the people along the way will cry.
This incident was regarded as a good talk in the court at that time, and even Zhao Zhen also praised his classic saying "It is better to cry as a family than to cry together".
But now, his good friend is abusing public funds right under his nose. Although he does not know it, Zhao Zhen does not think so. Others who hate him to the core do not think so. They will think that he is turning a blind eye to protect Teng Zijing.
The jabs in the spine from the ministers were nothing. Fan Zhongyan had expected such a day since the beginning of the New Deal, and he had already been mentally prepared. However, Fan Zhongyan would definitely find it difficult to accept Zhao Zhen's suspicion. If he lost Zhao Zhen's trust, this would The New Deal may be dead in the womb. But the good news is that although Zhao Zhen was a little alienated from him, Zhao Zhen still approved all the New Deal proposals and showed hesitation, which more or less made Fan Zhongyan Feel a little calmer.[
The days passed peacefully, and the New Year of the fourth year of the Qingli calendar also passed in a lively manner. On the first day after the annual holiday, Fan Zhongyan went to court. He felt that Zhao Zhen's face became more gloomy. The emperor was an amiable person at all times and rarely got angry. , and rarely looked at others, but in the morning of that day, the emperor was kind to Yan Shu, Du Yan and others, but he was stern and cold to himself, Han Qi, Fu Bi and others, which made Fan Zhongyan feel that something was wrong.
After the morning court, Zhao Zhen left Yan Shu and Du Yan alone to summon him, which made Fan Zhongyan even more anxious. In recent months, it has been his own privilege to summon Yan Shu and Du Yan alone. Yan Shu, Du Yan and others rarely met the emperor alone. He left the hall as if running away, not wanting to say anything more, and Zhao Zhen didn't communicate with them much. However, on the morning of the first day of the new year, Yan Shu and Du Yan were left behind, but he was not among them. Fan Zhongyan felt inexplicable. of panic.
In the Chongzheng Hall, Zhao Zhenci sat down with Yan Shu and Du Yan, and warmly asked them how their New Year was and how their families were doing. Yan Shu and Du Yan were suddenly summoned for some unknown reason, so they had to respond carefully one by one.
After the greetings, Zhao Zhen suddenly fell silent and stared at Daliang in a daze.
Yan Shu and Du Yan looked at each other, and Yan Shu couldn't bear it anymore and asked softly: "Does the Emperor have anything to discuss with his ministers?"
Zhao Zhen turned around and looked at Du Yan and Yan Shu and said, "I have been on the throne for twenty years."
Yan Shu and Du Yan looked at each other, wondering why Zhao Zhen said this. Yan Shu nodded and said, "It has been twenty-two years. Your Majesty ascended the throne in the first year of Qianxing and took charge of the throne in the second year of Mingdao. It has been exactly twenty-two years so far."
Zhao Zhen nodded slightly and said: "It's so fast. Twenty-two years have passed in a flash. I was only thirteen years old when I ascended the throne. At that time, Prime Minister Lu and the Queen Mother were helping me. Now that Prime Minister Lu and the Queen Mother have passed away, when Time really flies by and time is not forgiving."
Zhao Zhenduan sighed with emotion, and Yan Shu and Du Yan couldn't answer the question, so they could only nod in agreement.
"You are the veterans who have been with me for the longest time. How do you think I have behaved as the emperor in the past twenty-two years? Have I insulted my ancestors?"
Yan Shu was horrified, stood up and knelt down and said: "Your Majesty is a wise and wise king. He is a kind, forgiving and merciful emperor. He is one of the few emperors in ancient and modern times. In the past twenty-two years, our Song Dynasty has gradually become stronger and stronger. It is a prosperous country. How could your Majesty do this?"
If it is an insult to our ancestors, even if Taizu Taizong was still alive, he would never criticize the emperor."
Du Yan also said: "Yan Xiang is right. Our Song Dynasty is unprecedentedly strong. All this is due to the emperor's ability to govern the country. The emperor is the first sage king in ancient and modern times, both at home and abroad."
Zhao Zhen smiled slightly and said: "I don't dare to be the first sage king in ancient and modern times, at home and abroad. Even compared to Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong, I also think that I am not as talented or as strategic as them."
Yan Shu said: "The emperor is the king who maintained the status quo, and Taizu Taizong was the king who founded the country. There is no comparison between the two. Taizu Taizong opened up the territory and established the foundation. Naturally, it is both ancient and modern. But when it comes to running the country and making it strong, you, the emperor, are better.
."
Zhao Zhen laughed loudly, raised his thick eyebrows and waved his hands: "Get up and sit down. I'm going to have a casual chat with you, so there's no need to be so serious about it."
Yan Shu and Du Yan thanked each other for getting up and sat down on the chairs again. However, as soon as their buttocks landed on the chairs, they were startled by Zhao Zhen's next words and fell to their knees again.
"However, some people say that I am not qualified, and they are plotting to ask me to give up the throne, saying that I am not suitable to be the emperor."
"This...this...who dares to talk nonsense like this? Your Majesty, please don't listen to hearsay. How can you listen to such words?" Yan Shu kowtowed and said anxiously.
Zhao Zhen sneered and said: "Is it just hearsay? It would be better if I heard it from hearsay. There is a letter here, which someone sent to me yesterday. Please take a look at it, both of you." [
Yan Shu was surprised, and Du Yan was happy. Yan Shu was shocked that someone dared to write such a letter in private. Du Yan was happy that the letter finally reached Zhao Zhen's hands smoothly. After much thought, he couldn't come forward, so he asked
Huang Peisheng helped deliver the letter to the palace, and it was successfully handed over to Zhao Zhen.
"Look, take a look. Yesterday, there was a letter in Huang Peisheng's residence. Huang Peisheng was so frightened after reading this letter that he handed it to me overnight. Only then did I realize that I was actually like this in the eyes of everyone.
I've been up all night, and I just summoned you two today to show you what this letter says."
/
Yan Shu gingerly pulled up the letter, took out the paper inside and unfolded it. He looked up at the first sentence and kowtowed quickly: "Your Majesty, I forgive you. Your Majesty, I forgive you. I don't know this. Although Fu Bi is my son-in-law, I still don't know."
I really don’t know what he is thinking..."
Zhao Zhen waved his hand and said: "Look, he is him and you are you, you don't have to be afraid."
Yan Shu rubbed his eyes, unfolded the letter and read: "My brother from the state of Yan, I have sent you a poem manuscript and I have read it. I am very talented and knowledgeable, and I have a lot of knowledge about the country and the world. I am ashamed of myself. This time I will give you a poem of rhyme and harmony."
, Brother, don’t make fun of me.”
"...My brother and Fan Gonghan's public new policies have enabled the evildoers in the court to escape and be supported by all the people. This is actually an immortal achievement. I am old and have poor talents and learning. I can't tie a chicken with my hands, but I have the heart to wave the flag and shout. I should do it."
Promote and cheer for you and others;... My brother's reply was very frustrating, saying that there are often traitors in the capital who are trying to kill the New Deal, and he also said that because of Teng Zijing's incident, the emperor seems to be suspicious of you and others.
The New Deal is difficult to achieve; I would like to comfort my brother here: Those who do great things must face great difficulties. Everyone in the world can do easy things, so how can I let my brother shoulder this heavy burden? The emperor saw that he was deceived by villains, and the three
The act of taking this position is for the sake of the eternal foundation of our Song Dynasty. How can we not be the mainstay at this time when we are sailing across the ocean?"
"...The sage king should be the first to serve the country and the country. The kings of Yao and Shun also had the precedent of giving up their high positions to make way for the sage. Today's sages can be called wise kings, but if it is not good for the ancestors and the country, why not follow the example of the ancient sage kings and choose the bright future, but with the
The three gentlemen all stepped forward to do things that were beneficial to our Song Dynasty. This is an act worthy of the emperor and the people..."
The eloquent letter of several hundred words, in addition to praising Fan Zhongyan, Han Qi, and Fu Bi, also implicitly expressed dissatisfaction with Zhao Zhen, and implicitly encouraged Fu Bi to join forces with Fan Zhongyan, Han Qi, and others to depose Zhao Zhen.
Another option is to express the support of a wise king. This is an out-and-out letter of conspiracy to rebel.
Yan Shu's legs and feet became weak, and he collapsed on the ground, muttering: "How is it possible? How is it possible? Although Yan Guo is stupid, he is never that stupid. There must be a hidden secret in this."
Zhao Zhen sighed and said, "Look at whose handwriting it is. This person has written a lot of poems recently, most of which are about government affairs. I knew that he and Fu Bi were very close, but I didn't expect that they had already talked about it in private.
I am very heartbroken about this matter.”
Du Yan said slowly: "Your Majesty, at the back of this letter is the signature of Shi Jie from the Imperial College. This font... is indeed Shi Jie's font. His handwriting is unique and different from others. I never thought that Mr. Shi Jie would dare to
For such a treasonous act, Fu Bi is so audacious that he actually conspired with others to rebel. Your Majesty, please issue an order, and I will immediately arrest the two for questioning, dig out their accomplices, and severely punish them."
Yan Shu's eyes were straight, and he had no idea in his mind. He was thinking that this was impossible. He also thought that if Fu Bi was unlucky, he, his father-in-law, might not have a good life.
Fu Bi's family is naturally not safe, and he himself cannot escape the implication. The sky is about to fall. This kind of thing is a taboo in the royal family, and it is impossible to explain it clearly.
(ps: In order to oppose the New Deal, Xia Song asked his maid to copy Shi Jie's handwriting and forged a letter to Fu Bi, which suggested abolishing Zhao Zhen; this is a historical fact, and those who are interested can check it, in case there is evidence of the party's
After getting to the bottom of it, I came up with this explanation. Of course, the content of the letter was made up by my younger brother.)