Kou Zhun is capable and easy to use, but he is not irreplaceable.
At least, Emperor Zhao Heng of the Song Dynasty always thought so.
Even if Empress Dowager Li didn't tactfully remind him tonight through Liu E's mouth, he would realize after the tension passed that he had relied too much on Kou Zhun recently.
After he realizes this, he will alienate Kou Zhun for a period of time and try to find a way to share the other party's power. No matter whether the other party makes a mistake or not.
This is the basic quality of an emperor. He has long been self-taught.
However, from the perspective of a minister, Bi Shi'an, the political advisor of the Song Dynasty, had a very different view from Zhao Heng.
After learning that Zhao Heng did not discuss with the central officials, he directly sent Wang Qinruo to Qingzhou to temporarily serve as the economic and strategic pacification envoy to deal with the assassination of Zhang Wengong. He also planned to appoint Ding Wei, the minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, as the transit envoy for Jingdong East Road.
Bi Shi'an, the political counselor, immediately stood up in a hurry and said, "Why are the officials so anxious? Zhang Wengong has been assassinated, and there has been no civil uprising on Jingdong East Road. After planning with the officials, there should be no delay in sending an economic emissary to appease them.
thing."
"This..." A bit of embarrassment immediately appeared on Zhao Heng's face. After thinking about it, he smiled and tried to find a reason for himself, "I once met Zhang Wengong. He was a rare talent. The thief assassinated him in the street. It was really embarrassing.
My heart aches.”
"Heartache, it shouldn't be like this!" Bi Shi'an frowned, unwilling to give up. "Otherwise, what's the point of waiting for me?"
"I'm just impatient for a moment. Didn't I invite you all to come to the Wende Hall for discussion immediately?" Zhao Heng's face became more and more worried, and he frowned and asked. "You can't let me send people to chase Wang Qinruo back!"
"If you can bring him back, of course it's better to bring him back. Ten Wang Qinruo are not as good as one Kou Zhun!" Bi Shi'an was anxious and added with a frown without considering Zhao Heng's face at all.
"Your Majesty, please calm down. Bi Shen is in politics, and you don't have to control Kou Zhun all the time!" Wang Dan, the de facto prime minister of the Song Dynasty who knew the affairs of the Privy Council, noticed that Zhao Heng's expression was wrong, and quickly stood up to smooth things over for both parties, "Wang Qinruo
Scheming but not good at making judgments. When big things happen, he often throws himself into disarray. Bi Shenzheng was worried that he would not handle things properly after he left, but he was thinking about the country and the country of the Song Dynasty. Although his tone of voice was a bit harsh, he was commendable for his loyalty.
.”
Without waiting for Zhao Heng's response, he quickly added, "However, since the Holy One has prepared to send Ding Wei to assist him, it can also make up for his shortcomings and prevent major changes on Jingdong East Road. Besides, Kou
He is far away on Yongxing Military Road, so if he is transferred to Jingdong East Road now, it would be difficult to quench his thirst by far water."
"I'm not angry, I was just a little anxious after what Bi Qing said!" Zhao Heng quickly put away his anger and shook his head with a smile.
All officials who serve as members of the Privy Council and participate in political affairs have the right to refute the emperor's decision face to face, and even join forces to refute the imperial edict. This was a rule established by his uncle Zhao Kuangyin back then, and it cannot be changed easily.
Even if the emperor resents the high-ranking officials who hold these two positions and does not give him face, he can find ways to demote them or drive them home to take care of themselves, but he cannot punish them just because their words are not listened to. Let alone
, kick them away, keep your word!
So far, the Song Dynasty has been prospering under this rule.
Therefore, no matter how angry Zhao Heng was with Bi Shi'an at the moment, he could only follow the slope given by Wang Dan.
"I was rude just now, please don't blame me, Your Majesty!" Bi Shi'an, the political counselor, also knew that his attitude was too harsh just now, but unlike Wang Dan, he knew how to advance and retreat, so he quickly apologized to Zhao Heng, and then continued to add, "But
, Wang Qinruo and Ding Wei joined forces, but the ministers did not think it was an appropriate arrangement. Ding Wei, the minister of the Ministry of official affairs, was the best at making superficial remarks. This was the case in Kuizhou back then. He used money and official positions to buy off traitors and people.
The barbarians made the local officialdom a mess. As a result, he left office, and the rebels and barbarians began to gather in the mountains and forests again! The officials asked him to help Wang Qinruo investigate the case, and I am afraid that he will soon be able to hand over a
Pile the assassin's head. As for whether the assassin is real or fake, and who is behind the scenes, we can never hope to find out clearly."
"Ding said that he actually did such a thing, how come I didn't know about it?" Zhao Heng was shocked when he heard this. He immediately ignored the embarrassment and frowned to Wang Dan for confirmation.
"Ding said that he always insisted on being gentle when dealing with rebellious people and barbarians, but he did not intend to create a trap for his successor." Wang Dan once served as the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and it was inconvenient to blame his subordinates too much. After thinking about it, he changed his response.
Although this statement defends Ding Wei to a certain extent, it also proves Bi Shian's conclusion that Ding Wei likes to make superficial remarks and is not good at solving problems fundamentally.
Therefore, when Zhao Heng heard this, he suddenly felt a sudden shock in his heart. However, he did not forget that he had promised to repay Liu E's favor first, so after frowning and thinking twice, he smiled and made excuses for himself again, "Zhu barbarians
They are also my subjects. If we can use gentle methods to make them obey the government orders, there is nothing wrong with them. As for the matter on Jingdong East Road, let Wang Qinruo and Ding Wei work together to stabilize the situation first, and then I
Let’s discuss with the three Qing families about a more suitable candidate to take over the case of Zhang Wengong’s assassination. What do you think?”
Wang Dan heard this and immediately guessed that Zhao Heng had probably promised others to use Ding Wei. He sighed and settled for the next best thing, "Although the official method is slower, it is still safe. However,
If similar things happen in the future, I hope the officials will convene ministers to discuss it before making a decision."
"I will definitely remember it!" Zhao Heng was worried that the ministers would catch him for his mistakes, so he decisively agreed. "Bi Shenzhi, do you have a suitable candidate that you can recommend?"
"Back to your Majesty, I need to take some time to think carefully. I dare not make a recommendation rashly, lest the recommendation be inappropriate and delay the state affairs!" Bi Shi'an was very dissatisfied with Wang Dan's weakness. However, he could not continue to fight with Zhao Heng on his own.
He also sighed and reminded him in a roundabout way.
"This is what an old man said to plan for the country!" Zhao Heng immediately breathed a sigh of relief, on the one hand, because he escaped Bi Shi'an's entanglement, and on the other hand, because he lived up to Liu E's admiration.
"Some time ago, the officials advocated for the Criminal and Prison Department to be separated from the Transportation Department. I think this is a good strategy. We might as well send another person to Jingdong East Road to take up this position." Although Wang Dan was saved.
Although he lost Zhao Heng's face, he did not forget to perform his duties as prime minister. He thought about it and made a suggestion.
"That's true!" Zhao Heng immediately turned his eyes to him, smiled and clapped his hands, "Let Wang Qinruo and Ding Wei first stabilize the situation. I will then appoint someone to take charge of criminal matters and be responsible for the thorough investigation of Zhang Wengong's assassination.
What do the three ministers think of the case?"
"The Holy One is wise!"
"This is a good idea!"
Wang Dan and Bi Shian thought for a while and responded impartially.
Among the people present, there was another important minister named Lu Mengzheng, who had been sitting on a chair and said nothing. At this moment, he finally heard Zhao Heng's question. He opened his dim old eyes and looked at it, and then gently held his hand and said, "Your Majesty is wise, veteran minister."
I think this is a good policy. Moreover, all approaches in the world should implement it as soon as possible."
"Does Lu Qing recommend a suitable candidate?" Before Zhao Heng asked the question, he had expected Lu Mengzheng's answer, smiled, and deliberately asked the other party again.
"Please forgive me for being old and unable to think of anyone at the moment!" Lu Mengzheng did not give any useful answer as Zhao Heng expected.
"Then I can only wait patiently for Wang Qing and Bi Qing's recommendation." Zhao Heng smiled and made a decision softly, "You two, please let me know the candidates as early as possible.
"
"I obey the order!" Wang Dan and Bi Shi'an both understood that Zhao Heng was trying to make up for his mistakes in disguise, and they both bowed and saluted.
"Treating the head when you have a headache, and treating the feet when the foot hurts is not the answer after all!" Lu Mengzheng suddenly opened his old eyes again and commented with some emotion.
Zhao Heng's eyes were immediately attracted to him. He was stunned and asked in a low voice, "Did Lu Qing talk about setting up a punishment department? Didn't Lu Qing just say that this is a good idea?"
"This is a good strategy, but it is only suitable for checking and filling in the gaps after things happen! Or to prevent local officials from being too corrupt and bending the law to harm good people." Lu Mengzheng suddenly sat up straight and said in a deep voice, "But, I want to
To prevent things like Zhang Wengong’s assassination from happening, and to prevent this sect and that sect from sprouting up everywhere like weeds, we must take nip in the bud.”
"Of course it's better to take precautions before they happen!" Wang Dan frowned and finished his words in a low voice, "But how can we take precautions in a hurry?"
"We have a Crane Control Division in the Song Dynasty!" Lu Mengzheng glanced at him, shook his head and added, "It's just that the people inside are not doing business, which makes the Crane Control Division useless."
"This..." Wang Dan was immediately speechless.
As the de facto prime minister, how could he not know about the corruption of Kong Hesi?
The Controllable Crane Company was jointly founded by the former emperor Zhao Guangyi and the late Zhongwu Gong Han Chongyun. In his later years, Zhao Guangyi personally weakened it into what it is now.
As a veteran who served Emperor Taizong Zhao Guangyi, it was really inconvenient for him to casually criticize and criticize his decisions in his later years.
"Konghesi is a sharp sword. In his later years, Emperor Taizu was afraid that he would not be under control, so he ruthlessly chopped him into pieces." Lu Mengzheng already knew that Wang Dan had a soft temper, so he curled his lips.
, added with a smile, "However, the official family is at its peak in the Spring and Autumn Period (the prime of life), so it is natural to recast the sword and hold the hilt in the hand. Otherwise, it will be messed up by the Feilong envoys of the Party and the assassins of the Liao Kingdom.
There are wars everywhere, but we, the Song Dynasty, are unable to fight back. Isn’t it extremely depressing?”
"Recast the sword?" Zhao Heng felt that Lu Mengzheng had said what he said to his heart. He smiled and repeated in a low voice, "Jiang is still old and hot, but I don't know where to start? Lu Qing is willing to do it for me.
To shed some light on the puzzle?"
"Wherever there is a need, start there first. Try it in local areas first, and then organize and summarize the experience in the center, and then promote it to other places. If the shelf is already rotten, just cut it down and build another one. If problems are found, continue step by step.
Perfect. Emperor Taizong did this back then. Your Majesty can just check the archives of Yousi, there is no need to ask the old ministers." Lu Mengzheng changed his sleepy look before and quickly gave the answer.
