Zhao Zhen and Su Jin stood and sat, one standing blankly looking around, the other fishing leisurely; the sea breeze blew slowly, the sun dyed the blue sea with a layer of golden scales, and crab shells slowly wriggled on the shoals of the sandbank,
The sound of the waves was soothing and everything was calm and peaceful, which was in sharp contrast to the storm in their hearts.
"You and I, the monarchs and our ministers, could have been a legend for a generation, but why did we become like this? Ask yourself, have I ever treated you badly? When you were still a student, I entrusted you with important responsibilities without sticking to one standard, so that you could enter the official career.
, I am also very tolerant to you. You have made many big mistakes, but I have forgiven you one by one. In just over ten years, you have become a very popular minister. Am I not good enough to you?" Zhao
Zhen sighed softly.
Su Jin said without looking back: "From a personal point of view, the emperor treats me quite well, but your starting point is not because I am Su Jin, but because I can bring you rewards. To put it bluntly, you
What is needed is my talent, not appreciation of me as a person; what I get is what I get in exchange for huge rewards, all of which are not even proportional; have you forgotten? After the food service, what you granted me was just
After the imperial examination, you had to send me out to the prefecture because of your words, but it was Weizhou, a war-torn place; the Northwest Fourth Road's financial supply for more than ten years, the imperial court did not pull out a penny.
I was responsible for the responsibility alone, and in exchange for the position of the Northwest Fourth Route Envoy; in the battles against Xia and Liao, I didn't take the lead and narrowly escaped death several times, so how could I have complained once? How could I have ever taken credit for it? "
Zhao Zhen said: "Because of this, you Su Jin have become the mainstay of my dynasty. I also rely on you and the ministers respect you. Isn't this enough? Do you want me to give you my country?"
Do you deserve these credits of yours?"
Su Jin smiled and said: "I'm afraid this is what the emperor is worried about day and night. You and I have known each other for more than ten years, and you don't understand what kind of person I am at all. At the beginning, I did have the idea of promoting my family and getting rich, but
Later, everything I did was not for one person, I did it for the millions of people of the Song Dynasty. I am from the Song Dynasty, I love the Song Dynasty, I love everything here, and I don’t want the people to live in embarrassment.
, I don’t want them to be trampled and enslaved by foreigners, and I don’t want them to be oppressed by corrupt officials, so I will try my best to do something for them. If the emperor thinks that I just work hard for you and then get promotion in the official position, then it’s okay.
so funny."[
Zhao Zhen said: "In that case, you can continue. Why are you hiding here to fish?"
Su Jin laughed and said: "Because, I am also an ordinary person. I can suffer, but I don't want to be angry, especially the suspicion of those who are just sitting back and enjoying the benefits. This is like a person who does nothing to farm and eats the hard work of others."
I grow rice, but I beat and scold the people who grow it. I, Su Jin, am not a bitch, so I quit, I give up, isn’t that okay?”
Zhao Zhen said: "Are you saying that I am the one who enjoys the success but is suspicious of it?"
Su Jin said: "Of course it is you. As the emperor, you cannot tolerate others; you want the world to be peaceful, but you are jealous of the virtuous and capable, for fear that others will steal your limelight; and you also want to be praised as a benevolent king.
But you also want the whole country to be silent lambs and let you order and scold them. How tiring must your life be?"
Zhao Zhen said sadly: "In your eyes, am I this kind of person?"
Su Jindao: "It's not just me, everyone in the world is a fool. Ever since you used Fan Zhongyan and Han Qi as a shield about the New Deal and didn't dare to openly admit that the New Deal is your responsibility, you have lost my respect; you just want to sit back and enjoy the results."
, but is unwilling to take any responsibility for this, and punishes his ministers when something goes wrong. Isn't it the behavior of a benevolent king?"
Zhao Zhen said angrily: "I am the emperor, how can I still sin on myself? A minister should share the king's worries. The king is like his father, and his ministers are like sons. What's wrong with a son taking over his father's faults?"
Su Jin dropped the fishing rod, turned around and looked at Zhao Zhen with bright eyes: "Tell me, apart from the fact that you are the emperor, are there any differences between you and me?"
"Different? What do you mean?"
Su Jindao: "How many eyes do you have, how many noses? How many hands and feet? Are you smarter than me? Are you a stranger to the world? Tell me, what is the difference between you and me?"
Zhao Zhen said: "I am not a monster, how can I have longer arms, legs, mouth and nose than you? I am not a god, how can I not eat the fireworks of the world?"
Su Jin said: "That's it. Since you and I are no different, why can you become the emperor, a superior person who decides the life and death of others, and enslaves others to work for you? You would say that it was your ancestors who won the country through bloody battles, but first
Does the late Emperor’s achievements have anything to do with you having a penny? Why can you enjoy everything with peace of mind?”
"How reckless. Your Majesty is the son of Heaven. He is ordered by Heaven to command all the people. Aren't you afraid of being punished by Heaven for speaking like this?" Zhao Zhen never expected that Su Jin would have such rebellious thoughts.
Su Jin waved his hand and said: "Don't scare me. Your method can be used to deal with the people, and it works perfectly for me. Let me tell you the truth. You are not the son of heaven. There are only the sun, moon and stars in the sky. No one can make decisions for you. You are just like us."
, what you eat is food, what you poop out is stinky shit and urine, there is nothing different about it; you can become the emperor entirely because the people have not understood this yet, but you understand it better than anyone else, and unfortunately
, I understand this; if I don’t want to scare you, you and I are on this desert island. I can end the life of you, the proud man of heaven, at any time, just with a crude stone. You don’t have to be afraid, I just
It's just an analogy; I just want you to understand that you do not have any special status to control the life and death of others, but that others are willing to be driven and enslaved by you, and they have not yet understood what I understand."
Beads of sweat rolled down Zhao Zhen's forehead. Su Jin's words were like a heavy hammer hitting his heart. Late at night, Zhao Zhen also thought about this question. Why is he the master of the world? What does he have to do with himself?
What is so special about him that he can command all the people? He understands that he is actually just an ordinary person. Without the halo around him, he is nothing. Because of this, he strives to maintain his imperial power and cannot let anyone threaten him.
status, perhaps this is a sign of guilty conscience.
"As early as the time of Emperor Taizong of Li Tang Dynasty, the then emperor Li Shimin knew the truth that 'water can carry a boat but also capsize it'. That is, he understood that he was just an ordinary person and could only secure his throne by relying on the support of the people. Therefore,
As the emperor, if you want to keep the throne stable, you only need to do one thing, and that is to do everything for the sake of the people's livelihood and contentment, so that they can live happily; the people don't ask for much, that's all, not
There is no such thing as suspicion, jealousy and suppression. I worked hard for the prosperity of the Song Dynasty, but you listened to the villain's slander and sent people to secretly investigate me. I don't want to be the second Fan Zhongyan, let alone work for someone who doesn't trust me.
So I can only come here to fish. From now on, you can do whatever you want, and I will never interfere. As you said, the country is yours. If it collapses, it is none of my business if you fail to become the emperor."
What Zhao Zhen heard today was the truth that he had never heard in his more than forty years. Su Jin was completely talking to him as a normal person. From the time he went to the sandbank to now, he only used "
He used the word 'I' instead of 'Chen'. That showed that he did not regard himself as a minister at all. Zhao Zhen understood that Su Jin was the kind of person that the emperor was most afraid of, the kind of awakened person.
People, some people in the pre-Qin Dynasty had also awakened. At that time, they rebelled and shouted the slogan, "Princes, generals and ministers should be content with their own kind." At present, Su Jin neither rebelled nor publicized this awakening, which is already a great kindness to himself.
Already.
"I am true to my words. I don't know how to refute you, and I don't want to refute you. But today I am willing to apologize to you for some of my words and deeds in the past. I promise you that I will no longer doubt you and fully support what you do. I am here to
Now I want to ask you to take up the post of Prime Minister and Fu of the Great Song Dynasty. You and I, our monarchs and ministers, will become great legends for a generation. Are you willing?"
Su Jin looked at Zhao Zhen for a long time and said softly: "Your Majesty, I have spoken to you today. How can you allow me to live in this world? I understand very well in my heart; from your perspective, I understand your
Behavior." Zhao Zhen's heart was beating wildly. The murderous intention hidden in his heart was still not noticed by Su Jin, which made him shudder. What would Su Jin do if he killed him? [
Su Jin put his hands behind his hands and looked at the sea level in the distance, counting the white alums flying in the sky, and said slowly: "I don't want the Song Dynasty to fall into chaos. Once you kill me, the Northwest Army to which I belong will definitely rebel, and the country may
This is not an alarmist statement. It is the common people who will suffer in the end. This is what I don’t want to see. So I sincerely discuss with you here. First, I will not tell you what I said.
I would not reveal even a single word of what I said to outsiders. This is why I chose to talk to you on the sandbank. When I speak here, only heaven and earth can learn from it. You don’t have to worry about the words being leaked."
Zhao Zhen's heart moved and he listened quietly.
"Second, you may not be able to kill me. To be honest, I have five thousand muskets on hand. Maybe you don't know the power of those muskets. I just want to say that five thousand firearms can defeat an army of 500,000 people.
If you force me to rebel, I will beat you to the point of running away with your head in your arms. Think about it for yourself. Who in the court can lead an army against me, Su Jin? Who can stop me?"
"Third, the best result is that you and I are in peace. I promise you to go back and take up the post of prime minister, because I promised the people that there are still a few unfinished things. After I finish them, I will give them a year at most.
Donate all of Su Ji's mines, silver village, and business to the court. Then I will disappear from the Song Dynasty and will never threaten your throne. I will also train some ministers who can manage the Development and Reform Department. After I leave, they can continue
I will sacrifice my life for you, this is all I can do for you, please make your own decision, Your Majesty."
Zhao Zhen was overjoyed. If Su Jin kept his promise, it would be a great thing for him. All the mining and bank business left behind by Su Jin would be enough to generate a year's tax revenue for the imperial court.
And as long as Su Jin disappears, he will be able to let go of his biggest worry.
"Where are you going? Xia? Tubo? Or the Uighurs?" Zhao Zhen asked.
Su Jin was full of contempt, but Zhao Zhen was still worried that he would become a hidden danger and that as long as he lived in the world, he would be a major threat to him. This idea could not be changed.
"No, I won't tell you the specific place. I don't want you to send troops to chase me, but I can guarantee that you will not find me. Do you agree?"
Zhao Zhen stretched out his hand and said, "It's settled, I'll give you one year."
Su Jin stretched out his hand to shake his hand and said, "Just one year, I won't stay for one more day."
Zhao Zhen sighed: "I feel very sad."
Su Jin smiled and said: "I am also very sad. Your Majesty expresses my condolences. Remember to write a letter of guarantee and stamp it with a jade seal. Otherwise, I may become the emperor's target as soon as I arrive in the capital. I will take your letter of guarantee as a reminder.
Where’s the shield?”
Zhao Zhen sighed and said: "I didn't expect that in your heart, I am already a person of your word."