When Huang Lu entered the east hall of Zhongshu, he felt a little unfamiliar.
Nine out of ten times when he came to Zhongshu, he went to the west hall to discuss matters with Zhang Yue. As for the number of times he went to the east hall, he could only count on his fingers.
But it has come, not to mention the letter from Zhongshu and the Prime Minister Wang Gui personally passing it down.
When Huang Lu arrived at the East Hall of Zhongshu, Wang Gui treated him with great courtesy and handed over the case.
After the court official presented the drink to the two of them, Huang Lu just took a sip when he heard a bang and Wang Gui placed the bowl heavily on the table.
Wang Gui said: "Is it possible that the Third Division is so destitute that it can't even come up with the 50,000 yuan allocated to the National Information Institute!"
The National Information Office is a government agency responsible for receiving Khitan envoys. It is affiliated with the Privy Council. Its full name is the National Information Office for Guangou. It was established in the fourth year of Jingde reign of Emperor Zhenzong.
This time, in order to receive the team of Khitan envoys who came to "accuse their guilt", Wang Gui ordered the National Institute of Information and Information to receive them well. There were all procedures for banquets, banquets, and banquets. In addition, gifts, pommel horses, and returns were all carefully arranged.
He also approved a sum of 50,000 guan for the third department to disburse.
But when Guo Xin Guan went to the Third Division to withdraw money, he was turned back by Huang Lu.
Guan Gou went back to report to Sun Gu, and Sun Gu informed Wang Gui. Wang Gui couldn't help being furious and summoned Huang Lu himself.
Wang Gui said: "Your Majesty has repeatedly said that the Liao envoys cannot be polite to others, so they are left to the host and guest to decide the right and wrong. How dare you be rude!"
Seeing that Wang Gui lost his temper, Huang Lu remained calm.
He is no longer the high-spirited university student he once was. After years of fighting in the officialdom, he understands the truth that when your boss loses your temper and scolds you, you must not lose your temper.
Otherwise you will be scolded in vain.
On the contrary, Huang Lu said calmly: "Reporting to Prime Minister Zhaowen, according to the story, the number of envoys entering Khitan cannot exceed a hundred, and the number of envoys sent by our government to Khitan cannot exceed a hundred. But this time there are more than 200 Khitan envoys, which is not in accordance with the system."
"I cannot accommodate so many people, so please forgive me for not being able to allocate enough money."
Wang Guiren was old and frail and didn't want to argue too much, so he could only bite the bullet and said: "This is because Khitan etiquette is more important than mine. At the same time, more troops and horses must be sent to protect the safety of the envoys."
Huang Lu said: "I heard that although the envoy Han Shipu was released, there were no gifts for him when he returned home. He was not allowed to eat and was only given bad water during the three days of imprisonment in Liao. Even Tong Guan, who was the deputy envoy, was actually imprisoned when he was in Youzhou.
Seized by the Liao Kingdom."
"I didn't know that this kind of etiquette existed from ancient times to the present! I would like to ask Mr. Zhaowen to make it clear!"
Cai Que said on the side: "Xiongzhou has come to report that the Liao Kingdom is gathering at the border frequently, and it is very likely to go south. Once the Liao Kingdom's cavalry goes south, what will happen? The imperial court can travel thousands of miles from Xihe Road and Shaanxi Five Roads
Are you going to send elite troops back to help?"
"This time the Liao army attacked our Xiaonanhe village in Cangzhou and killed thousands of our soldiers and civilians. It was more than just a warning."
Huang Lu said: "Reporting to Da Shen, we must not be arrogant and respectful now. Once we take the initiative to show weakness, the Liao envoy will know the truth."
Cai Quedao: "That's better than such a bluff! Once the Liao Kingdom invades the south, Hebei will not be able to hold on. The imperial court has spent too much money on Xihe Road and Shaanxi in recent years. As a result, Hebei's military equipment has been depleted, and only now is it being reorganized.
Isn’t it too late to set up three auxiliary armies due to military skills?”
Wang Gui said: "If the Liao army really goes south, it will be too late for us to negotiate peace. It is better to take advantage of now... when the Liao's demands are not too excessive."
"As far as I know, Lord Yelu Hongji of the Liao Dynasty is still a reasonable person."
Huang Lu said: "On the contrary, as far as I know, the Lord of Liao, Yelu Hongji, is not a good person. He can even kill his wife and children. How can he be called a good person? Now the Liao Kingdom has put the sword on our necks."
Now, the imperial court cannot hope to win forgiveness from the Liao Kingdom by making concessions."
Wang Gui said: "The etiquette matters will be decided by the meeting. Will Anzhong allocate the money?"
Huang Luze said: "Report to Xianggong Zhaowen, how did Kou Zhongmin deal with the Khitan in the past, and also ask Xianggong how to deal with the Khitan today! We must not be appeasement, the Liao Kingdom will really let us go."
"It's not that the Third Division of Finance is empty, but I would rather use 50,000 guan to summon a thousand troops to camp than use it to feed the wolves of the Liao Kingdom."
"I'm resigning!"
After speaking, Huang Lu stood up and walked away, leaving Cai Que and Wang Gui looking at each other.
Wang Gui said angrily: "This Huang Anzhong clearly doesn't take the truth into account."
Cai Que took his time and said: "I have long persuaded the Prime Minister to recall Lu Jiawen, Deng Wan and others to the court, but the Prime Minister did not listen."
"Now that both the DPRK and China are members of Zhang San's party, how can we advocate?"
…
In Dingli Temple.
Zhang Yue has already settled in, and he is enjoying himself talking with the monks and Li Kui in the temple about scriptures and Taoism every day.
Although he was in seclusion, officials such as Huang Lu and others still wrote down important official matters on paper to let him know.
Although Zhang Yue dealt with it as "I have read it and can't read it back," he still knew the inside and outside very well while living in the Zen room.
Among the many disciples, Li Kui followed Zhang Yue the longest. When he first fought on Xihe Road, he followed Zhang Yue from beginning to end. He made great achievements in battle and was awarded an official title. Li Kui later passed the imperial examination and passed the imperial examination in the second year of Yuanfeng.
Become a Jinshi.
Li Kui's ability was not outstanding among his disciples. Although he was not as good as Cai Bian and Chen Guan, Zhang Yue trusted him the most.
Zhang Yue's semi-hidden move away from the hustle and bustle also made him follow him.
The courtyard where Zhang Yue lives in the temple is covered with lilacs. There are also several sparse bamboos mixed in, and the bamboo leaves are green.
The whole garden is full of spring.
Every morning bells and evening drums cleanse people's hearts.
It's really a good place to hide away from the world.
In the past few days, Zhang Yue also lived like a monk, getting up at the morning bell and going to bed at the evening bell to rest, which smoothed his biological clock.
After a good night's sleep, Zhang Yue played chess with the wise elders of the temple in the courtyard today, while Li Kui watched.
Listening to the sound of the chess pieces tapping on the chessboard, looking at the lilacs in the garden, Zhang Yue stroked the cold chess pieces, and couldn't help but think of the poem written by Wang Anshi here, "Diligently untie the lilac knots, let the branches spread and bloom the spring".
Zhi Zhi is the younger brother of Master Zhiyuan. I don’t know if they are brothers, but their temperaments are very similar. Zhang Yue never thought of meeting him in this scene.
Zhang Yue asked: "Why is it so quiet inside and outside the temple these days?"
Elder Zhizhi said: "Kaifeng Prefecture's Su Zhifu sent troops to blockade the nearby streets, and there were people guarding the streets every few places. It can be said that there is no water leakage."
"Nowadays, even pilgrims don't dare to come to our temple."
Zhang Yue looked apologetic and said: "I was hiding here to find a place to escape from the world. Unexpectedly, I disturbed the purity of your temple."
"I'll ask Magistrate Su to evacuate the people."
The wisdom master smiled and said: "Prime Minister, it goes without saying that all living beings are equal, but in fact how can all living beings be equal? The Prime Minister who goes into seclusion is still the Prime Minister!"
Zhang Yue nodded and said, "Master is right."
The wisdom master sighed: "In fact, there is no place in the world that is truly born, otherwise we monks would not need the worship of believers."
Zhang Yueluozi said: "Master, as a scholar, in fact, scholars are struggling between officialdom and seclusion... Reclusion is not to escape the world, but to find a quiet place for one's own heart!"
Just like Zhang Yue was entangled between staying at home and not staying at home before traveling through time.
In his previous life, Zhang Yue thought that in this day of getting money and not having to work, there would be such a good thing.
But now Zhang Yue is not in this state of mind. Can a dignified prime minister want this?
Avoiding social interaction and fearing social interaction are not out of the ordinary.
The world that scholars pursue is like what is written in "Walden Pond", where they truly follow their inner thoughts. The further away from the world, the closer they are to themselves.
If you can understand your mind and your nature, you can finally return to the world.
Zhang Yue stared at the chess game and continued slowly: "I have been in the position of prime minister for three years, and all the affairs of the country, big and small, have been decided by you. It seems that the world cannot do without you even for a moment."
"It is said that those who have achieved great things in the past and present are mostly people with a strong mind, but such a mind is also extremely tired!"
The first half of Zhang Yue's sentence is correct, but the second half is not mentioned.
He takes this opportunity to leave the court for a period of time and look back to see if the people you follow and the legal system you have established can run smoothly. From the perspective of a bystander, an outsider, see if there are any problems.
Your choice to leave actively and to leave passively are completely different things.
Zhang Yue sometimes thinks that he doesn't want to hold on to power. If someone can really destroy the party and regain Youyan for him, he can succeed and it doesn't have to be mine.
But when Zhang Yue thought about it carefully, he still felt uneasy about letting others take care of things like this.
After the wisdom master made his move, he said: "In fact, it is not difficult to be reborn in the world. To be in the world to the extreme is to be reborn in the world."
"Being born into the world is the process of refining the heart. The so-called king's hegemony is also the result of refining the heart to the extreme."
"Prime Minister, among the masters of the past and present who talk about worldly matters, Liuhou is the first to be recommended!"
Among the lilacs filling the court, Zhang Yue's gaze slowly rose, he glanced at Master Zhi, smiled and said: "Master doesn't know something, and there are two levels of ministers."
"The first class is like Liu Hou, who is a counselor and staff, and Liu Bang is the only prime minister. He can withdraw at any time and hide his merits and fame."
"The other ones are Xiao He and Han Xin. They want to support the whole world and not just one person."
After finishing the chapter, the next word dropped.
The wisdom master looked at it carefully for a moment and said: "The Prime Minister really solved my confusion with one word. Just like the Prime Minister's falling, although it fell gently, it was like a thunderous thunder."
"The poor monk heard thunder from the silence! The poor monk lost!"
Zhang Yue stood up and shook off the flower petals on his body and said: "I have been studying for thirty years, just like Liuhou, although he attacks Renjun's south face technique, he doesn't bother to use it. Just like Liuhou, he has mastered the world and entered the world.
It’s difficult, but after all, it is Huang Lao’s teaching, not the true meaning of Confucianism.”
Master Zhi said: "What is the true meaning of Confucianism?"
Zhang Yue said: "This is what Master Fang Cai said, to live in the world to the extreme and seek the knowledge of transcending the world. Just like us, all living beings, what do we seek after working hard all our lives? It is not to change the fate, but to be prepared when the real storm comes.
The confidence to deal with it, the calmness and ease at that time."
Master Zhi said: "I understand, the poor monk, it seems that the Prime Minister is not Zhenyin!"
Zhang Yue's eyes flashed, and the wise master smiled bitterly and said: "Prime Minister, don't worry too much. The poor monk is seriously ill and will not die soon. Besides, the poor monk does not talk casually."
Zhang Yue said: "I knew it a long time ago."
"When I see the master, I can't help but think of the master Zhiyuan. Does the master know that he died because of me?"
Master Zhiyuan Heshi said: "Prime Minister, the poor monk only knows that Master Zhiyuan was killed by Gui Zhang and died for the country. After his death, Buddhism was promoted in Xihe and Hexi."
"Although the body dies and the Tao disappears, my long-cherished wish in this life has been fulfilled, and I can smile happily."
Zhang Yue sighed: "This matter has been on my mind for many years. Now the master's words can alleviate my sin a little."
…
In the afternoon, after Zhang Yue took a short nap, Zhang Cheng came to deliver a change of clothes.
Zhang Yue casually checked his article. He read it for a long time, looked at Zhang Cheng and said: "These days, you know your shame and become brave. You must have put in a lot of hard work!"
Zhang Cheng said in surprise: "My child hasn't been working too hard lately."
Zhang Yue shook his head and said: "I can tell if you work hard or not. Your hard work in less than a month is worth what you did in the past year."
Zhang Cheng couldn't help being surprised and happy when he heard this.
Seeing his expression, Zhang Yue was silent for a moment and said, "Actually, I don't want you to work so hard!"
Zhang Cheng asked: "Dad, why?"
Zhang Yue said: "You haven't liked studying since you were a child. It's just because of your mother's orders."
"Actually, the path you take will never be better than mine. If I teach you personally, taking this path will only make you another me. You have to go your own way and be yourself.
.Don’t go against your will because of failure or your parents’ orders.”
"Perhaps you have something to hide?"
Zhang Cheng said: "After my child failed the exam, he felt unsatisfied when he heard Zhang Zihou's ridicule. That's why he got excited!"
Zhang Yue heard this and thought, Okay, what does this mean?
Zhang Dun's son ridiculed my son. He has heard about Zhang Dun's sons, and they are all outstanding in talent and learning.
It has to be said that the Zhang family has good genes and is good at studying. Even Zhang Kai's sons are very outstanding figures. He originally expected that the children in the family would have the tendency of chasing each other in academic competitions, but he was mocking the failure.
What family tradition?
The grudges of the previous generation are carried over to the next generation.
Zhang Yue was secretly angry when he heard that Zhang Cheng was being ridiculed. Zhang Cheng quickly said: "They did not mock the child in person, but a few friends relayed them to the child's ears. The child knows that he is embarrassed and has failed his parents' expectations."
"So I plan to work hard."
Zhang Cheng said the word "hard work" in a very low voice.
Zhang Yue said: "In that case, just make your decision with your heart! No matter what you decide in the future, my father will support you!"
Zhang Cheng was overjoyed when he heard this and said, "My dear, thank you daddy!"