The rabbit is not dead yet the dog is cooked

Author: Gongsun Wujiu

The rabbit is not dead yet the dog is cooked

What Huo Guang said was true. At this time, Prime Minister Che Qianqiu had written in handwriting to Zhang Anshi and others.

After Zhang Anshi read the letter, he felt quite embarrassed. He first invited Du Ling to his mansion.

"How does Mr. Du think XX should do this?"

Zhang Anshi asked while handing Che Qianqiu's letter to Du Ling.

Zhang Anshi still had absolute trust in Du Ling and did not hide anything from Du Ling.

Du Ling did not answer immediately, but fell into deep thought.

His fingers tapped on the boxes unconsciously.

Zhang Anshi felt that every time Du Ling struck, he seemed to be beating his heart.

Time passed like this little by little, and when the backflow incense on the incense burner nearby was about to burn out, Du Ling finally spoke.

"General Right, why do you think the Prime Minister would do this?"

Du Ling's question suddenly stunned Zhang Anshi.

Before receiving Che Qianqiu's letter today, in his heart, Prime Minister Che Qianqiu had always been a firm supporter of the emperor.

In fact, since the Shangguan incident, Che Qianqiu has been taking actions to restrict Huo Guang's actions and continuously strengthen the emperor's power.

Without Che Qianqiu's support for the emperor, the emperor would be nothing more than a puppet now.

Zhang Anshi thought about it and said, "The Prime Minister must be trying to achieve a balance in the court!"

Du Ling shook his head and said: "If the Prime Minister is still in good health, doing this can still maintain the balance of the court... But now the Prime Minister is seriously ill... If he does this, it is likely that the Emperor will really become a puppet..."

After Zhang Anshi thought about it for a while, he found that it was indeed what Du Ling said.

He thought carefully in his heart and said: "Duke Du clearly understands that the Prime Minister is probably choosing the lesser of two evils..."

Du Ling sighed, "The Prime Minister is a man of great wisdom..."The people are the most precious, followed by the country, and the king is the least important"..."

Zhang Anshi nodded slightly. Behind the virtuous literature were local powerful people.

The foundation of the Han Dynasty is that he is a son of a good family and a self-cultivator.

Liangjiazi and powerful men are naturally at odds with each other. If virtuous literature, which represents the interests of powerful men, comes to power, it will shake the foundation of the entire Han Dynasty.

From this point of view, Prime Minister Che Qianqiu chose Sheji between the Han State and the emperor.

Zhang Anshi sighed and said: "The emperor forced the prime minister to Huo Guang's side!"

Du Ling said: "The Prime Minister is really a role model for our generation. If the Han Dynasty wants long-term peace and stability, it must not allow powerful men to take power..."

Zhang Anshi nodded silently. At this time, he couldn't help but think of the late emperor, Liu Ju, and King Yan.

The former emperor had always been dissatisfied with the then crown prince Liu Ju, and he must have been worried about this.

After Liu Ju's death, the previous emperor did not pass the throne to King Yan but gave it to the current emperor. I am afraid that he was worried that virtuous literature would take power, which would allow powerful forces to control the Han Dynasty.

Seeing that Zhang Anshi had figured it out, Du Ling stopped talking and stood up to bid farewell to Zhang Anshi and return to the library.

Zhang Anshi did not try to persuade him to stay. He was now determined to act in accordance with what the Prime Minister said in his letter.

After Du Ling left, Zhang Anshi immediately sent people to guard Jinwu Ma Shijian, Zhonglang General Fan Minyou, Longyan Hou Han Zeng, and Shuiheng Commander Lu Pohu to his residence according to the arrangements of the prime minister.

Although the four people who received Zhang Anshi's notice were confused, they also went to General You's Mansion as soon as possible.

"My lords, now someone wants to disrupt our great Han Dynasty... What do you think we should do?"

Zhang Anshi asked bluntly after the four people arrived.

The four of them were all shocked when they heard this.

Yang Chang jumped up even more. He had just returned to Chang'an from Hexi, and he didn't expect to encounter such an incident right after he came back.

He was shocked and said: "Why did the right general say this?"

Zhang Anshi looked at Yang Chang and said bluntly: "Does Da Sinong really not understand?"

Yang Chang smiled and said: "General You is talking about a virtuous and literary person... This generation can only talk in vain, so why should General You care..."

Zhang Anshi chuckled, "Of course I won't pay attention to people who talk empty talk, but what if this person wants to commit a mutiny?"

Yang Chang was shocked, "How dare a virtuous literary person do this?"

Zhang Anshi chuckled: "Does Da Sinong not know what happened yesterday?"

Yang Chang smiled awkwardly. He naturally knew about Wang Kai and Xu Ren's visit to the Prime Minister and the Right General yesterday. Not only did he know about it, but he also went into detail about it.

I just didn't expect Zhang Anshi to respond so quickly.

He guessed in his mind that Zhang Anshi's finding of the four of him might be Prime Minister Che Qianqiu's intention.

He thought so, and Ma Shijian and the other two thought the same way.

Although the four of them knew Zhang Anshi on weekdays, they actually had very little contact with them.

Except for Fan Mingyou, the other three were also promoted on the recommendation of Prime Minister Che Qianqiu.

Sure enough, Zhang Anshi sneered at this time, took out Che Qianqiu's letter and placed it in front of the four of them.

After the four of them read the letter, they were silent for a while.

This matter is of great importance, and all four people have doubts about it.

It's easy to do this, but what really matters is the consequences afterwards.

There is a saying in virtuous literature that is true: the emperor is old and strong, and if there are no accidents, sooner or later he will fully grasp the power.

After the emperor takes charge, whether there will be liquidation of today's affairs is also an issue that must be considered.

However, the one who really holds the power now is Huo Guang, and it is difficult for the four of them to express their rejection clearly.

If he refused explicitly, he would be afraid of offending the three or four most powerful people in the Han Dynasty at the same time.

The four of them looked at each other in confusion, and finally Ma Shijian, the official responsible for the security of Chang'an, spoke first.

"What the Prime Minister said is very reasonable, but without His Majesty's edict, we would probably be labeled as rebels if we did this..."

Zhang Anshi listened quietly to Ma Shijian's words while slowly tasting the tea in the cup.

Naturally, he could understand the doubts of the four people.

In fact, he had the same mentality when he just received the Prime Minister's letter.

Zhang Anshi said calmly: "So, if there is an edict from His Majesty, would Zhi Jinwu agree to do this?"

Ma Shijian thought about it in his mind and said: "If there is an edict from His Majesty, I should follow it!"

Zhang Anshi nodded, then looked at Yang Chang.

Yang Chang also said: "I agree with Ma Gong. If the right general can invite His Majesty to give you an order, I should obey it!"

Shuiheng Captain Lu Pohu saw that both Yang Chang and Ma Shijian had agreed, so he naturally had no objections.

Zhonglang General Fan Mingyou is Huo Guang's son-in-law, and he has long been indignant at Xianliang Wenxue's recent actions. If Huo Guang hadn't stopped him, he would have called on him, so naturally he wouldn't have objected.

Zhang Anshi laughed loudly at this time, "Since none of you have any objections, let's just wait for His Majesty's order!"

When Yang Chang and the other four heard this, they felt quite conflicted in their hearts.

They not only hoped to wait for the emperor's edict, but also hoped that the emperor's edict would never come.

…

When Zhang Anshi said these words, Prime Minister Che Qianqiu was being carried into Weiyang Palace.

"Why did the Prime Minister enter the palace in person today... If you have anything to do, just send someone to inform..."

The emperor heard that Che Qianqiu had entered the palace and went to the palace gate to greet him personally.

Che Qianqiu forced a smile: "I don't have much time left. If I don't come here to see you, I'm afraid I won't have a chance..."

The emperor knew that there must be something important for Che Qianqiu to enter the palace, so he directly accompanied Che Qianqiu into the announcement room.

At the same time, the news that the Prime Minister had entered the palace again spread like the wind throughout Chang'an.

All the ministers, princes, and virtuous writers in Chang'an City were speculating on the purpose of Che Qianqiu's trip.

However, most people thought that this was Che Qianqiu's explanation to the emperor before his death.

Some people secretly speculated based on the Prime Minister's actions over the past year or so whether the Prime Minister was targeting Huo Guang again.

But the fact is contrary to what everyone thought. After Che Qianqiu and the emperor retreated from everyone, he persuaded the emperor to purge the virtuous literature in Chang'an area.

"Your Majesty, haven't you figured it out yet?"

Prime Minister Che Qianqiu reluctantly raised his head and asked the emperor.

The emperor said with a complex expression: "Is it really necessary to do this?"

Che Qianqiu said with a serious face: "Your Majesty wants to preserve the country? If your Majesty wants to preserve the country, you must do this..."
To be continued...