As night fell, Yang Shidao appeared in front of Cui Junsu's house, escorted by more than a dozen personal guards. Cui Junsu was appointed as the official minister of the Sui Dynasty, worshiped Ziweitai as his prime minister, and was also knighted as the Duke of Qinghe County.
High vocational importance.
Cui Junsu was born in the Qinghe Cui family, but she was not the head of the Qinghe Cui family. She was slightly different from the Boling Cui family and the Fanyang Lu family. Although the Qinghe Cui family was also one of the Five Surnames and Seven Hopes in the World, because the Qinghe Cui family was in Gaojibo
The Cui family of Qinghe suffered a heavy blow as they were at the center of two major rebellions: He and Douzigang.
Its clan power is almost gone, and it is unable to form new clan interest groups. Compared with the powerful Fanyang Lu clan and Boling Cui clan, the influence of the Qinghe Cui clan in Hebei is already very small, even less than that of the Bohai Gao clan.
, it is for this reason that Cui Junsu did not become a member of the Hebei clique. He and Du Ruhui had a very good relationship, and they were called the Fengzhou clique by the court.
In fact, the Fengzhou clique is just a general term. Most of the officials have stayed in Fengzhou, but they have nothing to do with the Fengzhou clique. At first, one of them was the prefect of Wuyuan County, and the other was the governor of Fengzhou, and was in charge of Fengzhou.
The state's military and political affairs have always been Yang Yuanqing's confidant, so the Fengzhou clique is actually Yang Yuanqing's direct descendant.
When he heard that Yang Shidao was visiting, Cui Junsu personally welcomed him out. He laughed from afar and said, "Dear guest! Yang Xiangguo ordered the peaches in my house to shine. No wonder the magpies were chirping on the branches early in the morning. It turned out to be a response to this scene."
Yang Shidao also raised his hand and saluted: "I didn't make an appointment beforehand, so I feel uneasy. I hope Cui Xiangguo will forgive Yang for being presumptuous."
In terms of door-to-door visits, there are many taboos in ancient and modern times. For example, you cannot come to the door when the host is going to the toilet, and you should avoid these times during meal times or late at night, so you should send someone to deliver a greeting note in advance. If the host accepts
Next. Then you can come according to the agreed time, which will be convenient for everyone.
Especially visits between high-level officials carry a lot of political sensitivities. So they must make an appointment in advance. Like Yang Shidao's uninvited visit today, Cui Junsu welcomed him politely. But he felt a little uncomfortable in his heart, so Yang Shidao claimed to be uneasy.
, to express an apology.
Now that he is here, Cui Junsu must also receive him ceremoniously out of etiquette. There are two meanings of grand reception. One is high standard, such as all the main clan members coming out to greet him, opening the door, inviting guests into the guest room, etc. That is just a kind of etiquette.
Give him a grand reception and give him enough face.
Another meaning of grand reception is to value the visit. There is no need to open the door or the clan to greet you. Instead, please enter the study to talk. The study is a private place for men. It is a place for men to cultivate their minds and souls.
You will not let people enter easily. If you invite people into the study room, it shows how much you value your guests.
Cui Junsu was undoubtedly the latter. He knew that Yang Shidao came to visit him just to brag and chat, so there must be something important. In fact, Cui Junsu also knew why Yang Shidao came to see him.
The two of them entered the study and sat down. A concubine served them tea and then left. They were the only two people left in the study. Yang Shidao and Cui Junsu had a very good relationship. Many years ago, Cui Junsu had been Yang Xiong's wife.
The clerk of the account was already familiar with Yang Shidao at that time.
Later, Yang Shidao was ordered to serve as the prefect of Wuyuan County, and Cui Junsu was the chief official. The two worked together for several years, and they cooperated tacitly and developed a deep friendship. Therefore, Yang Shidao came to Cui Junsu, and Cui Junsu would not deliberately welcome him grandly, nor would he neglect him.
, but invited him into his study.
Although they had a good relationship in the past, they were both prime ministers now, and they were both coated with a golden light of power. This golden light of power covered up their former friendship. The two sat opposite each other for a long time, both silent, thinking
I'm looking for past friendships, but I can't find this feeling of friendship.
Finally, Yang Shidao sighed, "I have decided to resign from the position."
Cui Junsu did not speak. As Yang Shidao, he said it first in the meeting hall and then again here. This shows that he has thought deeply and will not change easily. It is meaningless to ask him to think twice, but Cui Junsu still wants to
Discuss it with him in a matter-of-fact manner.
"I can understand Brother Jingyou's mood. His Royal Highness, the King of Chu, went beyond the rules and killed an official this time. It was indeed inappropriate, but Brother Jingyou has to resign because of this. Isn't it a bit of a fuss?"
"You can say that I am making a fuss out of a molehill. I know very well that this matter is actually not that big. A dignified King of Chu, the actual creator and controller of the new Sui Dynasty, and the future emperor has the power to kill a corrupt official.
None, it all sounds a bit unbelievable, but if this matter is not serious and he is allowed to do whatever he wants, then how will the monarch’s power be controlled in the future, how will the prime minister’s power be extended, and how will the monarch’s power and the power of the prime minister check and balance each other?”
Speaking of this, Yang Shidao sighed again, "The fall of the old Sui Dynasty was due to the fact that the late emperor was stubborn and refused to accept advice or listen to the advice of his ministers. I have learned from the pain and gradually realized that unwillingness to listen to advice is actually human nature.
xing, loyal advice is hard to hear, and few people are willing to listen to it. The key to the fall of the old Sui Dynasty is that there is no prime minister's power to check and balance the monarch's power. Di Du must first take charge of all matters in the world. If there is a prime minister's power to check and balance the monarch's power, then he cannot do it all.
And again, the Goryeo War was launched again and again, and the second generation of the old Sui Dynasty died. This is a profound lesson!"
Cui Junsu pondered for a moment and said: "But on this point, His Royal Highness King Chu has done a very good job, don't you think?"
"Of course I understand that the King of Chu is willing to decentralize power with Ziwei Pavilion. Except for major military and state affairs, he appoints people from the third rank or below and has Ziwei Pavilion discuss and decide on them. He also implements the rotation of administrative documents to prevent one prime minister from monopolizing power. These are all very good, but
What if the king oversteps his authority? This is the key. If this cannot be determined, will his descendants still be able to tolerate the power of the prime minister a hundred years later?"
Cui Junsu nodded silently. He finally understood Yang Shidao's good intentions. He just didn't want the new Sui Dynasty to make the same mistake as Yang Guang. "You are right. His Royal Highness the King of Chu is the founder of the country. If he sets the system, all future generations will
I dare not violate it easily. It is really necessary for His Royal Highness the King of Chu to understand this. Brother Jingyou, I will support you, but I still don’t want you to resign from the position of prime minister because of this."
Yang Shidao shook his head, "Actually, I don't want to resign as prime minister. It is our luck to serve as prime minister in the new Sui Dynasty. However, in order to maintain the long-term peace and stability of the Sui Dynasty, I still have to argue for this statement. If His Highness the King of Chu agrees to my request,
I don’t have to resign. If His Royal Highness the King of Chu doesn’t agree, then I will take my resignation as a lesson and set a precedent for future Sui Prime Ministers.”
Cui Junsu paced back and forth with his hands behind his hands, thinking over and over again, and finally said resolutely: "I am the one who resigns. I also need an explanation from His Highness."
Yang Shidao came to visit Cui Junsu, hoping to get Cui Junsu's support, but he did not expect that he would be willing to resign with him. At this moment, Yang Shidao was filled with gratitude. He bowed deeply and said, "Thank you, Brother Cui, for working with me to safeguard the system!"
Cui Junsu smiled slightly, "Didn't we always cooperate like this when we were in Fengzhou?"
Yang Shidao felt a warmth in his heart. They looked at each other and smiled, and the feeling of tacit understanding returned to their hearts.
.......
At the same time that Yang Shidao visited Cui Junsu, Lu Yu was also invited into Cui Hongyuan's study in another Cui Mansion in Taiyuan City. Whether it was Lu Yu or Cui Hongyuan, they were not only pursuing family interests. If it was not involved
For personal interests, they will also actively do their best for the Sui Dynasty.
But if the interests of Sui Dynasty conflict with the interests of the family, the balance of interests in their hearts will naturally favor the family.
Both the Lu family and the Cui family have hundreds of years of history. They have gone through countless dynasties. Any court is just a stop in the history of the family. The interests of the court are short-lived, but the interests of the family are eternal.
But this time, they were not just doing it for the benefit of the family.
"Brother Cui, I got the news that Zhang Jibei, the governor of Zhao County, has been arrested and taken to Taiyuan. Do you know about this?" Lu Yu took a sip of tea and said calmly.
Zhang Jibei is a disciple of the Boling Cui family, and his wife is Cui Hongyuan's sister. This news surprised Cui Hongyuan, "Is Zhang Jibei also involved in the free warehouse grain case?"
"Probably! Xu Shouxin swallowed six thousand shi of grain from the Yigang granary. Zhang Jibei is his boss and won't take a share of the pie. How can he cope with this?"
"But...if the evidence is conclusive, it will be troublesome." Cui Hongyuan said worriedly.
"evidence?"
Lu Yu sneered, "Of course there is evidence, but whether or not there is evidence is one thing, whether he will be convicted or not is another matter. If Brother Cui insists on official business, then wait to collect Zhang Jibei's body!"
The reason why Lu Yu adopts a sarcastic tone is mainly because Cui Hongyuan is a little timid and is afraid of offending Yang Yuanqing. He seems not to be so willing to Lu Yu's suggestion that he resign to force Yang Yuanqing to give up tracing the grain in the charity warehouse.
Only because they were both from the Hebei clique, Cui Hongyuan reluctantly agreed to cooperate with Lu Yu, but Lu Yu could see that Cui Hongyuan would probably betray him as long as he was put under a little pressure.
He must find a way to tie Cui Hongyuan tightly to him, and Zhang Jibei's arrest is the best rope.
Cui Hongyuan was silent for a long time before sighing and saying: "Master Lu, in fact, the free warehouse grain case is not that serious. Not every county has a problem. It may be our guess. And even if there is a problem, let them make up for it."
That's it, why bother to confront Yang Yuanqing, or you might end up making the same mistake as the Wang family did."
Lu Yu looked at Cui Hongyuan. He didn't understand how Cui Hongyuan could be so timid and cowardly. How could Cui Hongyuan be the head of the family with such a character?
"Brother Cui, you must understand that the so-called free grain case is just an excuse. Yang Yuanqing is going to attack Hebei. If he takes Hebei, he will start to deal with the Wang family. So if he takes the Central Plains, his target must be the local officials of Hebei."
After a pause, Lu Yu continued: "You must know that after the Hebei Campaign, he hardly touched Hebei officials, but that was just his temporary compromise. It was impossible for him not to carry out purges. Now that the time has come, he threw out the Yicang Grain Case.
It’s a kind of temptation. If we remain silent, then large-scale purges will definitely be unavoidable. If we strongly oppose it, he will also be afraid of going too far.”
Cui Hongyuan sighed, "I understand what you mean, but I'm really worried about repeating the same mistakes as the Wang family."
"snort!"
Lu Yu snorted disdainfully, "From ancient times to the present, for hundreds of years, which court would attack the Fan Yang Lu family and the Boling Cui family?"