"Senior Brother, this memorial cannot be submitted. You are angry, so be careful."
In the morning, in the courtyard at the entrance of Yin Bing Zhai, a man dressed in red stopped him in front of Chang Shi, who was about to go out for duty.
The closed red umbrella in Xie Lingjiang's hand was placed horizontally, blocking Ouyang Rong's right hand, which was holding the memorial with his hanging arm.
The night before, after a night plot in the study room of Prince Xunyang, Xie Lingjiang could not help but frown and worry when he saw Ouyang Rong leave with a light joke.
Yesterday's imperial edict arrived immediately, and the senior brother accompanied him to receive the edict. His calm attitude as usual made her even more uneasy.
Maybe it was because there was a light rain in Xunyang City after the third watch at night, or maybe it was because of other reasons.
That night when he went back to his boudoir to go to bed, Xie Lingjiang tossed and turned and couldn't sleep.
Early the next morning, she carried a red umbrella and went out early. As soon as the curfew was lifted, she rushed to the Huaiye Lane mansion in Chaisangfang and stopped her senior brother who was about to go out.
In the courtyard, Xie Lingjiang, whose skirt was wet by rain, dew and mud, couldn't help but look at the memorial in Ouyang Rong's hand.
Sure enough, the senior brother may not have slept last night and was writing furiously at his desk.
Ouyang Rong looked calm and said to the worried junior sister:
"I'm not angry. I'm calm."
Xie Lingjiang shook his head: "Then why did you stay up so late at night and write a memorial to the court?"
"Couldn't it be written calmly?"
"..."
Xie Lingjiang said with a sullen face: "Elder brother, you are not allowed to quibble."
Ouyang Rong shook his head: "There is no quibble, it is the truth."
He took a second look at the noble daughter of the Xie family in front of him.
She seemed to have no time to put on makeup to cover up, and came here to stop him with a faint "panda eyes".
After a pause, Ouyang Rong asked:
"Little junior sister, didn't she dislike the imperial court's policies before? She always said that my senior brother's attitude was too indifferent and not impassioned enough... Why do you want to stop me now?"
Xie Lingjiang pursed his lips:
"I used to be alone and had nothing to do with the court. I just relied on my hobbies and grudges. I could say whatever I wanted without thinking too much.
"But it's different now. We are two people. Your career is the most important. We must seriously consider it..."
After a pause, Xie Lingjiang's eyes were slightly red, and he stared at him and said:
"I have to restrain my straight temper and not affect your judgment. We need to think carefully and carefully about everything. I...I don't want to be what others say is a naughty girl."
Her tone was stubborn and somewhat emotional.
Ouyang Rong was stunned for a while and then laughed: "So, now he is a good wife?"
"Of course!" Xie Lingjiang raised his snow-white chin and raised his braid a little: "Elder brother, just have fun secretly. Master Shandao read my fortune and said that I am the most prosperous husband in the world."
"..."
Ouyang Rong thought for a while and pondered: "Is the female benefactor of their Donglin Temple rich in prosperous husbands?"
"?"
Dodging the pink fist and kick of a certain virtuous wife, Ouyang Rong smiled and then turned serious:
"I understand Wanwan's concerns, but this memorial must be submitted."
"Why?" Xie Lingjiang looked a little confused:
"Didn't Senior Brother already know about the Donglin Giant Buddha being located in Jiangzhou years ago? Did he make preparations in advance?
"I heard from my aunt and Wang Caozhi that the strategy carefully prepared by Senior Brother to build Buddhas and control floods will not only save the people and money, but also benefit the people of Xunyang.
"What else does Eldest Brother want to write to? Is it something that concerns the Songde Center of the Great Zhou Dynasty? But according to the atmosphere created by the Wei family, opposing the Songde Center now is almost equivalent to opposing the legal system of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Isn't it clear to me, Eldest Brother?"
Ouyang Rong nodded: "Of course I know."
Xie Lingjiang stopped talking.
At this time, the senior brother also wrote a memorial, which almost showed his unsupportive attitude, which is no different from opposition.
Who knows whether this memorial will be used by Wei and other political opponents to attack Senior Brother.
After learning about the establishment of the Great Zhou Songde Center and the Buddha statues in all directions the night before, Xie Lingjiang smelled something quite familiar.
She roughly thought about the subsequent trend of public opinion and the earthquake in the court.
It must be another time for everyone to take sides and a reshuffle to eliminate dissidents.
Xie Lingjiang took a deep breath and tried to speak softly:
"The imperial edict has just been issued, and the situation in Luoyang is not yet clear. Senior brother, why don't we wait any longer and see what the master and others say and the direction of the government before deciding whether to submit a letter?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head: "Some things need to be done as early as possible."
He glanced at Xie Lingjiang and asked, "Little junior sister, do you know what I wrote in the memorial?"
Xie Ling pursed her red lips into a thin line, stayed quiet for a while, and nodded: "I can probably guess it."
Ouyang Rong looked at her and said seriously:
"I have indeed been prepared for it. Jiangzhou Hall has a good plan to deal with building Buddhas, but what about other places?
“There is not only one Jiangzhou in the world, and not all states have the conditions and luck of Jiangzhou.
"I have carefully read the imperial edict and the requirements of the officials of the Ministry of Rites. In order to cooperate with His Majesty's grand ceremony of consecrating Mount Tai this fall, the construction period for the construction of the center and the Buddha statue is so tight.
"Not to mention that the specifications of the Buddha statue set up by the gentlemen in the Ministry of Rites are also very high, with a restriction of no less than a thirty-foot-long golden Buddha.
"Jiangzhou Lobby, which has been prepared for such requirements for a long time, is tightening its plans now so that it can be completed ahead of schedule and reach this red line.
"But as for the other three state capitals that built Buddha statues, Yangzhou, Guizhou, and Taiyuan, except for Yangzhou, which has the strongest financial resources, the other states are under great pressure.
"The so-called 20,000 guan of powder money donated privately by His Majesty is not even enough to make a Buddha palm, but he has repeatedly emphasized that the people are not allowed to waste money... haha."
Ouyang Rong shook his head:
“There is also the so-called ‘praise of virtue’ center for the Great Zhou Dynasty. All states in the world raised donations for it. In the end, it still had to be shared equally among the people. How is this any different from adding an extra heavy tax?
"And from the local government to the center of the imperial court, this copper and silver had to pass through many hands and suffered a lot of losses. It was finally cast into this Song De Center. Isn't it full of 'people's fat and people's anointing'?"
"Although I am humble and have a long history, I can live alone, but I will never say a word."
He spoke calmly, bypassed Xie Lingjiang, took the memorial, and strode outside the courtyard.
Xie Lingjiang was moved by this, looked back at his back and asked:
"But in the study the night before, didn't eldest brother persuade uncle to leave and write a letter to express his support? Why did eldest brother today..."
Ouyang Rong did not look back:
"Because Prince Xunyang's palace is like a chopping block, and there is only one way to go. It is my responsibility as the palace's counselor to persuade the lord to write a letter of support.
"When I step out of the palace and put on this official uniform, I am the governor of the state. This is my unshakable responsibility."
Xie Lingjiang's eyes were fixed on watching the senior brother's leaving figure.
No more stopping...
In the morning, Ouyang Rong submitted a written memorial to the censor stationed in Jiangzhou.
He strode out of the office.
But not long after he left, a figure of a woman in palace clothes appeared in the courtyard of the office.
The woman was dressed in a crimson palace dress, with dimpled lips and a cold expression.
If Ouyang Rong were here, he would definitely recognize this woman at a glance as Miaozhen, a female official in colorful clothes whom he had met in Luming Street, Longcheng.
Miaozhen stood with her hands raised, and behind her were two palace maids in green clothes, one holding a book in her hand and the other lightly holding a red pen, both of whom followed suit.
The woman in palace clothes first turned her head and looked at the direction that someone was leaving.
Then she walked directly into the Censor's Office and looked at the memorial he presented.
Lift your chin slightly.
Behind him, the palace maid walked up and fetched the memorial. Miao Zhen quickly scanned it with lowered eyes, nodded, and turned to leave.
The palace maid walked over, returned the memorial, and left together.
In the office, the old censor with his hair combed meticulously, after Miaozhen came in, handled his official duties intently throughout the whole process.
As if she were blind, he allowed her to take it away and observe the memorial.
Both sides are somewhat skilled.
Miaozhen walked out of the office and waved to the side. The two palace maids handed over the booklet and ink pen.
This female official in the sixth-grade colorful dress who came from afar made no sound.
She held the booklet in her hand, held the ink pen, and carefully wrote something on the book...
After a few moments, I finished remembering it.
Turn around and leave.
Miaozhen returned to Xiushuifang.
She came with yesterday's imperial edict team, but after escorting the imperial envoy into the city, Miaozhen quietly disappeared with her servants.
She has another mission.
Miaozhen took the palace maid to an ordinary house diagonally opposite Xunyang Palace.
Inside the house, there are strict soldiers guarding the house, standing guard every three steps.
I don’t know how many transferred soldiers from Zhechong Mansion are hidden there.
Miaozhen slowly climbed up to a loft with a good view and continued to wait silently.
In the booklet that just recorded Ouyang Lianghan's little moves, the first few pages actually also recorded the behavior of Xunyang Wang Lixian.
When he thought of that timid figure like a middle-aged rich man, Miaozhen by the window had no expression on his face.
At a certain moment, he twitched the corners of his lips.
Yesterday, the envoy in yellow arrived with the imperial edict. The details of Li Xian's grateful behavior when receiving the edict were all recorded in detail by the ink pen behind Miao Zhen.
It doesn’t add any extravagance, but it doesn’t miss a single suspicious point.
This is her responsibility.
…
The construction of the Great Zhou Songde Center and the four directions of Buddha statues caused an uproar both inside and outside the Great Zhou Dynasty.
First of all, the chiefs of most prefectures and counties from all over the world submitted letters one after another.
Some sing praises and flatter others, some state the pros and cons and advise, and some sharply criticize.
The first two naturally account for the majority,
As for the third party, there are not too few.
And if so, compared with these violent colleagues who are in the minority, the memorial words of a certain weak official are relatively gentle and calm.
No matter what, after these snowflake-like memorials rushed to the Feng Pavilion of Ziwei Palace in Luoyang, they were silent for a few days and began to reverberate.
On the third day, there is a monthly meeting.
Liang Wang Wei Sixing went out and led the chiefs of the various barbarians to petition Empress Wei to engrave the names of hundreds of officials and leaders of all nations, and asked the empress to inscribe a plaque in person: "The Great Zhou Dynasty Praises the Virtuous Tianshu".
The female monarch was able to do so, and she immediately appointed Wei Wang Wei's successor as the superintendent to oversee the construction of the project.
Some courtiers and censors came out to oppose passionately.
Immediately, a fierce argument took place in the court...
noon.
At the meeting, disperse.
The ending comes to light.
The Songde Center of the Great Zhou Dynasty and the Buddha statues in the four directions were built as usual. King Wei Wei of Wei was appointed as the envoy, and four princes, including Li Xian, King Xunyang, and Wei Youxian, King Duan, were appointed as the envoys of the Buddha statues in the four directions.
At the same time, a group of courtiers led by Ji Ganyi, the Heavenly Official of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, were deposed.
Four palace attendants and censors, three court officials with thirty-year imperial staff, were either relegated to Lingnan or exiled in Liaodong.
From Xia Guan, Liang Wang Wei Sixing also served as Tianguan of the Ministry of Personnel.
After the court meeting, a palace maid watched. The empress looked calm and drove back to Shangyang Palace.
That day and night, in the imperial study room, the emperor approved the memorial. Longyan became angry and issued an edict to the officials.
Li Zhengyan, the governor of Meizhou, was demoted to Sima of Raozhou.
Wei Shaoqi, the imperial censor, was demoted to the magistrate of Yi County.
During the incident, Du Shuqing was demoted to Longcheng Cheng.
Wang Junzhi, chief secretary of Chang'an, was demoted to doctor of Jiangzhou...
The Ministry of Civil Affairs issued official documents overnight, and more than 20 local or central officials were dismissed or demoted overnight.
The next day, Di Fuzi, the right prime minister of the dynasty, wrote a letter to complain about his old age and beg for his body.
The empress retorted.
Master, please beg again.
Refute again...
The emperor and his ministers rejected it seven times in succession.
Until the empress solemnly issued a decree, granting a special leave, allowing the old man to recuperate for ten days before returning to serve the country loyally.
Immediately, the empress did not come to court again for several days.
During this period, there will no longer be any intention to remove officials.
In the Luoyang court, the storm has subsided.
But then, with the conscious or unconscious acquiescence of the current empress, the two kings of the Wei family adopted a very clever and clever method to reduce resistance.
Wei Wangwei's successor did not immediately go all out to promote the construction of the Songde Center of the Great Zhou Dynasty as soon as he took office. Instead, he divided it into small steps and implemented them one by one.
After solving one step of "people and things", then solve the next step... Finally, the Ministry of Industry responsible for construction was completely integrated.
The same is true for Liang Wang Wei Sixing...
A month later, the superintendent Wei Wangwei Si, in conjunction with the Ministry of Industry, began to select a site in Luoyang City to build the center.
For ten days, the Heavenly Officials in charge of Liang Wang Wei Sixing frequently issued official documents.
Another wave of major changes in local governors has begun.
Any local governor who openly disobeys or slackens in the collection of "Songde Copper" will be dismissed or transferred, and will be replaced by the corresponding adjutant, or a Jinshi waiting in line at the Ministry of Personnel to be elected.
Soon, officials who supported the "Song De Copper" and worked hard to raise funds sprung up in more than a hundred prefectures and counties from all over the world.
Memorials one after another praising his virtues and showing his support once again filled a desk in the imperial study room of the Deep Palace in Luoyang.
The assassins were punished by killing chickens one after another to scare the monkeys, and some pro-Left officials fell into silence.
Jiangzhou, Lingnan and other popular places for official demotion have once again become the place names frequently mentioned by many frustrated officials in Luoyang official circles recently.
The criticism and opposition from all over the court were eventually slowly wiped away.
However, the political debate between scholars in the north and south was difficult to suppress.
Scholars from various places began to talk privately about the Songde Center of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and public opinion became boiling.
Even Ouyang Rong, who was far away in Jiangzhou, found that even in Xunyang City, where the atmosphere was relatively bad, there were many people talking angrily.
On the surface, discussion is prohibited, but it is difficult to stop Youyou from talking.
But he also knew that in this era, it was difficult for this kind of public opinion to influence the court's policy... If it raised its head, it would only pour out all the anger on the Wei family, blaming them for deceiving the saints and treacherous ministers deceiving the emperor.
The Yuanzheng holiday had just passed, and January and February of the first year of Tianyou passed quietly like this, as the officials and people all over the world quietly watched the turmoil in the Luoyang court.
But what worried Xie Lingjiang in Prince Xunyang's palace never happened.
It seems that no one has ever paid attention to the memorial of senior brother.
His name was never found in the series of edicts issued from Luoyang.
They are different from those "relegated celebrities" who were demoted by the empress but became famous all over the world and were praised by scholars.
Ouyang Rong seemed to have been forgotten.
However, this also made Xie Lingjiang and other concerned people quietly relieved.