The accompanying officials all looked like they were listening attentively, thinking that Zhang Yue was definitely a private person in the fortress.
Zeng Gongliang, who was following the officials, was now sitting on the sidelines. He had always wanted to replace Han Qi as the minister of state and civil affairs. Now, if an official went beyond him to recommend talents to the emperor, this would make him very dissatisfied.
Zeng Gongliang had secretly calculated in his heart that if the person recommended by Zhang Yue did not agree with him, if he could object in person, his objection would also demonstrate his authority as prime minister. If he could not object, he could also learn from Li Linfu.
When Li Linfu was the prime minister, the ministers did not dare to go beyond him to recommend officials to Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. If anyone dared to do so... Where did the idiom of talking sweetly and speaking with swords come from?
Zhang Yue said: "The person I am recommending is Lu Huiqing, the current colographer of Jixian Palace..."
After hearing Zhang Yue's words, the official looked very surprised. Zeng Gongliang on the side was surprised and happy. This guy really knows the current affairs. He knew that Lu Huiqing was the person I just promoted, and now he recommended it to the official.
...Well, this guy must have taken the initiative to show his kindness to me through such means.
After misunderstanding that Zhang Yue took the initiative to get closer, Zeng Gongliang was overjoyed.
The official had obviously never heard of Lu Huiqing's name, so Zhang Yue gave a rough summary of his resume.
Seeing the official's suspicious look, Zhang Yue explained: "This man and I are both from Fujian, so we have some kind of hometown friendship. His brother Lu Xiaqing and I also worked together in Taichang Liyuan, so we know each other very well, but I
He was recommended solely because of his talents."
It is impossible to say that there is no connection at all when recommending officials. Which official these days can recommend talents without avoiding relatives? This is a public matter.
Zhang Yue did not need to explain, but he still took the initiative to confess his personal relationship with Lu Huiqing to the emperor.
The officials didn't know about Lu Huiqing, but when they mentioned Lu Xiaqing, they knew that his father Yingzong didn't shed a single tear during the funeral of Emperor Renzong. It was Lu Xiaqing who went through the ritual books to find a reason for his father to cry.
Respect.
The official knew something about it and asked Zeng Gongliang: "What does the prime minister think of Lu Huiqing?"
The appointment of officials must go through Zhongshu, so the officials asked Zeng Gongliang for advice.
When Zeng Gongliang heard Zhang Yue recommending Lu Huiqing, an attendant at the side said in a low voice with disdain that he was another "Fujian son".
Zeng Gongliang said: "Reporting to your Majesty, this Lu Huiqing is also a fellow countryman of the minister. As Zhang Shi said, he is indeed good at Confucian classics and has quite outstanding achievements in local politics. However, it is difficult for officials from remote and small places to get on the stage.
I cannot see the majesty of the heavenly family."
The official smiled and said: "Prime Minister, why should you belittle yourself? In my eyes, people from the south and people from the north are all subjects of the Song Dynasty. I know that many ministers in the court look down on southern scholars. Now I just asked the attendants about a few southern officials.
There are rumors that I will use a southerner as prime minister to apply for business. What are the intentions of people who say such things?"
All the officials did not dare to speak after hearing this.
Zeng Gongliang knew that these rumors were directed at him, so he immediately said gratefully: "I would like to express my gratitude to Your Majesty on behalf of the southerners."
The official paused and said, "Since the prime minister is using his abilities, let Lu Huiqing be the storyteller for Chongzheng Palace."
Storytelling in Chongzheng Hall was Zhang Yue's mission in the past, and now Lu Huiqing is also the official of the banquet.
After Zhang Yue informed Lu Huiqing of the matter, Lu Huiqing was extremely happy and kept expressing his gratitude to Zhang Yue.
Zhang Yue talked about the implementation of the exemption law, and Lu Huiqing patted his chest and said that this matter would be taken care of by him.
Half a month later, Lu Huiqing came to give a lecture at the imperial palace. Lu Huiqing was able to observe people's emotions and was good at catering to them. After a few words, Lu Huiqing was really appreciated by the emperor.
Lu Huiqing was appreciated and was given a bag of silver fish the next day. When the news came out, there was a sensation in the officialdom.
In addition, Wang Anshi had been recommended before, and the officials were very happy with Zhang Yue and praised him for his ability to understand people.
Previously, Wang Tao and Sima Guang also recommended a number of officials, and the emperor himself asked his eunuchs to ask around for which ministers could be used. However, the officials were not satisfied with the recommended officials. They felt that they were mediocre or their names were too real.
But Lu Huiqing, whom Zhang Yue first recommended, was highly praised by the officials.
As a result, Zhang became more knowledgeable, and Bole's name spread like wildfire in the officialdom.
The official circles of the Song Dynasty were suddenly confused. What is the shortcut to Zhongnan? There is no need to go to Zhongnan Mountain to find it. The Zhangyue in front of them is a Zhongnan Mountain that exudes golden light!
But for Zhang Yue, another trouble came.
Bole, after the name of Zhiren spreads, more and more people come to ask for connections and introductions. In addition to officials, many of them are hermits.
The custom in the Song Dynasty still respected hermits. For example, Lin Bu, the wife of Meizi Hezi, was a true hermit. As for coming to the house to ask for help, could it be a true hermit? They were just looking for a hermit's head.
Zhang Yue had met a few of them, and when they met, he would get very excited and say, "Zhang Zhengyan, do you know the rise and fall of the world?" Or he would say, "I have a plan that can guarantee the peace of the world for a hundred years."
Anyway, everyone is so awesome, as if the world can't survive without you.
Zhang Yue lost interest after seeing a few of them.
In fact, Zhang Yue didn't have much insight into people. He knew that even if he hadn't recommended them, Wang Anshi and Lu Huiqing would still be favored by the emperor.
If he didn't recommend Zeng Gongliang, he would recommend him.
Both of them saw that the emperor was determined to do something, so they were eager to seek talents. But what exactly did the emperor do? No one knew.
No one even knows how determined the emperor is.
But an incident in July showed the officials' determination.
On this day, there will be another sutra feast in Yiying Hall.
Zeng Gongliang, Sima Guang, and Lu Huiqing all met their fate. Lu Huiqing gave the lecture, and Zhang Yue accompanied him. Lu Huiqing was determined to win the appreciation of the officials, and she would never miss this opportunity to give lectures.
Zhang Yue was also willing to be lazy, let Lu Huiqing speak, and simply let his light overshadow him. As for himself, he would just be a Bole.
Lu Huiqing has been going smoothly since becoming a banquet official, but it has not been without setbacks.
Officials above the imperial service system discussed the pros and cons of Li Zheng Ya Qian and Xiang Hu Ya Qian. This was also a precursor to reforming the service law in the future.
Lu Huiqing didn't say a few words, but was opposed by Sima Guang.
The fledgling Lu Huiqing's political ability is now only eighty, but Sima Guang is a figure close to one hundred. When he persuaded Emperor Renzong to establish a heir, Zhang Yue thoroughly saw Sima Guang's ability, and he could only act as a younger brother and shout, "Big brother!" 666', and finally took a sip of soup.
As for Lu Huiqing and Sima Guang, after a debate in the palace, Lu Huiqing was defeated miserably and could be said to have died without a burial place.
Zhang Yue could see that Lu Huiqing was not defeated in terms of skills, but in terms of momentum, and Sima Guang had many fans in the court, and they were all cheering for him in the service system, and the officials also appreciated him very much.
After all, the first ministers appointed after the official ascended the throne were Sima Guang and Lu Gongzhu. They were appointed Hanlin bachelors, and then it was his turn.
Seeing this, Zhang Yue did not go up to help Lu Huiqing, otherwise he would be killed. It seems that he can only withstand it when Wang Anshi comes back.
Of course, Sima Guang won the debate, and the reform of the service law was dropped. Han Jiang, the third minister who advocated the matter, was so angry that he turned blue in the face.
That day, Lu Huiqing finished his lecture. The officials were very happy and gave Lu Huiqing twelve taels of gold in court.
After the lecture, the officials brought the matters discussed in the palace back here for discussion.
The palace is equivalent to a small circle of decision-making teams.
Matters that cannot be decided in the palace will be discussed after the banquet, and decisions will be made after thorough discussion. This is also the consistent way for the monarchs and ministers to discuss matters in the Song Dynasty.
What everyone was discussing was what Shaanxi transshipment envoy Xue Shangzhuo told him.
Suizhou, Shaanxi Province was trapped in the Xixia for decades. The local Tibetan tribe Wei Mingshan and the Weiyishan brothers were dissatisfied with the Xixia's exploitation, so they made an agreement with Zhong'e, the Qingjian guard general of the Song Dynasty, to surrender.
At that time, both the Song Dynasty and the Xixia Dynasty tried their best to win over the Tibetan tribes in order to compete for important areas like Hengshan.
Those who supported the Song Dynasty were called Shubo, and those who supported Xixia were called Shengfan.
Zhong'e was the fifth son of Zhong Shiheng, a famous general in the Western Army. He could be described as brave and resourceful. After Zhong'e surrendered Weimingshan and Weiyishan brothers, he gained tens of thousands of his troops and took advantage of the situation to attack Suizhou.
So the question arises, what should be done about this matter?
Faced with the tens of thousands of Tibetan troops in Weimingshan and Weiyishan brothers, as well as the treatment of their hometown of Suizhou, the ministers of the DPRK and China launched a fierce debate.
The first was Wen Yanbo, the Privy Council envoy. He believed that the peace between the imperial court and Xixia was hard-won, and the Song Dynasty should move forward and cherish it. This Suizhou had been lost for decades, and bringing it back would not help. Instead, it would anger Xixia. If you give the opponent an excuse to attack, why not return this place?
After listening to Wen Yanbo's suggestion, the officials sent people to Han Qi's residence to inquire.
Although Han Qi took leave at home and did not go to Zhongshu to discuss matters, he was still dedicated to Western affairs. He believed that it is not good for us to ask about this matter, and it is not good not to ask. It is better to accept the surrender of brothers Wei Mingshan and Wei Yishan first, but if Xixia raised an army to attack Wei Mingshan. Brothers Wei Yishan, let's just ignore him and let him fend for himself.
However, Guo Kui, who served as the deputy privy envoy as a military general and guarded Shaanxi, had completely opposite opinions to Han Qi.
Guo Kui believed that Suizhou City must be rebuilt and troops defended. If he sat idly by and ignored it, no border residents would seek refuge with us in the Song Dynasty.
However, as a military general, Guo Kui spoke softly. On the contrary, the officials in the court expressed their intention to condemn Zhong'e and bring him to Bianjing for questioning. Who told you to find trouble to surrender some Tibetan tribes or provoke some Xixia people?
The behavior of making unauthorized opinions after asking for instructions will never be tolerated.
The officials advocated severe punishment for Zhonge, and at the same time they arrested Wei Mingshan, and the Wei Yishan brothers were sent back to Xixia, leaving the Xixia people to their fate.
Xue Xiang couldn't stand the news of Shaanxi's transfer. He wrote in a letter that he must support Zhong'e's move, and at the same time continued to induce the Hengshan tribe to surrender, and at the same time offered five strategies for peace and summer.
The official was moved after hearing this. He had already heard of Xue Xiang's reputation, and immediately issued an edict asking Xue Xiang to return to the court to discuss the matter of Pingxi.
However, Sima Guang objected, saying that Xue Xiang was not a true pillar of his family and could not be used by the emperor.
The officials in the palace were so quarreled just now that their faces were red and their ears were red, and they couldn't make a decision.
Now the officials decided to continue discussions after the feast.