Zhang Yue's old Taishan Wu Chong finally returned to the court.
In another time and space history, Wu Chong was angered to death in office due to Wang Gui and Cai Que's joint efforts.
However, in this time and space, because Wu Chong had a disagreement with Wang Anshi in the ninth year of Xining, he would rather give up his position and let his son-in-law Zhang Yue return to the court to participate in politics.
In the following years, Wu Chong served as a bachelor of Guanwen Palace and successively judged Daming Prefecture and Chengdu Prefecture.
Now Zhang Yue's position is as stable as Mount Tai, and Wu Chong is not in good health. He has repeatedly requested to be appointed official, and the officials finally agreed to let Wu Chong be the envoy of the West Taiyi Palace.
Wu Chong's return to the imperial court after his retirement was considered a success.
Wu Chong watched the carriages and horses enter Bianjing, and the scenery in Bianjing remained the same. He was now at an age where his ears were smooth, and his decades of official career had long gone by. Now, despite his poor health, he could safely become a palace envoy.
Anbao's old age can be regarded as a happy ending.
When Wu Chong arrived at the Wu Mansion, he immediately entered the house. Wu Chong's three sons and his seventeenth mother were waiting at the house, as well as a group of nephews, mostly from the eldest brother Wu Yu's branch.
Wu Chong also had a smile on his face when he saw his three sons and one daughter.
He did not speak to his three sons, but first said to his seventeenth mother, "I have received the clothes and food you gave me. They are very good."
Seventeenth Mother smiled and said, "It's fine if daddy likes it. Sanlang said he would come to see daddy after he retires from the court."
When Wu Chong heard about it, his face was full of smiles, but he said: "I have become an official, and I will have free time in the future. Sanlang is now busy with state affairs, so I am not in a hurry for this moment."
Seventeenth Mother smiled and said, "It's Sanlang who wants to see dad. What does this have to do with state affairs?"
Wu Chong nodded and entered immediately. Li Taijun was already waiting.
Because Wu Chong had a long journey and had some simple snacks, he waited for Zhang Yue to arrive in the evening before hosting a banquet.
…
After going to court, Zhang Yue rushed straight from Zhongshu to Wu Mansion.
Zhang Yue did not have a good relationship with Wu Anshi, so he did not like to go to Wu's house except during New Year's Day. This was his first visit to Wu's house after more than a year since he returned to the imperial court.
Zhang Yue felt a lot of emotions when he saw the family background of the Wu family. The uneasiness he felt when he first came to the house was gone again later. After that, the son-in-law's restraint when he came to the Yue family has always been there.
Strangely enough, after becoming prime minister and visiting the Wu Mansion this time, this sense of restraint suddenly disappeared.
Wu Chong's second and third sons, Wu Anchi and Wu Anshi, were waiting from afar for the return of Zhang Yue's chariots and horses.
Wu Anchi was transferred from the Municipal Yisi to the Capital Water Supervisor. He had always had a good relationship with Zhang Yue and his brother-in-law Cai Bian. Because Wang Anshi and Wu Chong had different political views, Wu Anchi and his wife Wang were in conflict with each other.
It's more uncomfortable in the middle.
The Wang family has always been unpopular with Li Taijun.
However, the Seventeenth Niang was in the middle to help the two of them, so Wang and the Seventeenth Niang had a good relationship.
Wang's letters to Wang Anshi mentioned Seventeen Niangs many times.
Now Zhang Yue came to visit, and Wu Anchi and Wu Anshi personally greeted him. It was natural to change the officialdom. When the prime minister's son-in-law was born in the family, the rules had to be transferred to the officialdom.
Wu Anchi was full of respect, and Wu Anshi next to him looked even more reserved towards Zhang Yue.
The one who is cautious now is not himself, but the Wu family members.
Zhang Yue went to the hall and saw Wu Chong standing on the steps with a smile on his face. Next to him, Li Taijun was holding a cane and looking at his son-in-law riding a dragon with a smile on his face.
The Seventeenth Mother stood aside with Wu Chong on her arm, enjoying the attention of thirty or fifty people in the hall, including two generations of the Wu family's sons, nephews, and daughters-in-law.
Everyone was smiling, as if the moment Zhang Yue arrived, everyone became cautious, and even did not dare to speak loudly. Wu Anchi looked at Zhang Yue and remembered Wen Jifu's words, this person can
He has taken care of the Wu family for thirty years.
Wu Anshi was the only one in the audience who was not happy, but Zhang Yue came, and he had to maintain a superficial respect on this occasion.
Immediately afterwards, we arranged for a banquet. This banquet was said to be Wu Chong's reception banquet, but when it came to Zhang Yue's, it was Zhang Yue's.
Wu Chong's smile never stopped during the banquet. Li Taijun on the side frequently served Zhang Yue with dishes and persuaded him to drink.
However, Zhang Yue has always maintained his respect. No matter how high the official is, he cannot be greater than his parents or his parents-in-law.
…
After the banquet was over, Wu Chong and Zhang Yue went to the study to talk.
In the past, whenever this time came, Wu Chong would impart some political insights or advice to Zhang Yue.
Zhang Yue admired Wu Chong's political wisdom very much and often asked him for advice. Weng and his son-in-law often talked about everything.
Seventeen Niang made tea for the two of them and went out. Wu Chong raised the tea and put it down again and said with a smile: "Three years ago, I had to drink a bowl of tea every night."
"But now that I have eaten this tea, I won't be able to sleep at all this night."
Zhang Yue said with a smile: "Old Taishan should cherish his blessings and preserve his health for the rest of his life."
Wu Chong waved his hand and said: "Fortunately, this time, thanks to the emperor's grace, I got a palace view, otherwise I would have to travel around. How is the court doing lately?"
Zhang Yue said: "I have something to ask Lao Taishan."
After Wu Chong heard what Zhang Yue said, he solemnly said: "You have been prime minister for more than a year, why did you make such a big mistake?"
When Weng's son-in-law spoke in private, Wu Chong was sometimes harsh and harsh. Of course, Wu Chong always gave Zu Zhangyue face when someone was out. This has been the case for more than ten years.
Zhang Yue said: "Please give me some instructions from Lao Taishan!"
Wu Chong said: "Didn't you speak very well in front of the emperor before? The shape of fire is strict, so friends will be burned brightly; the shape of water is cowardly, so many friends will be drowned. Don't you know that the same is true for government and officialdom?"
"Since I am a prime minister, I would rather be strict than lenient. When the officials didn't trust me, I didn't dare to be strict, and I couldn't be strict. But you don't have to be like this when you are the king. It's just weakness!"
Zhang Yue was a little unhappy when he heard this. Nowadays, few people dare to talk to him like this.
Wu Chong slowed down and said to Zhang Yue: "I know what you are thinking. You were disgusted with Wang Anshi's morality at first, so you thought that after becoming prime minister, you could work with everyone in the same boat and allow and accept different opinions. Even if Uncle Lu Hui objects, you will not
It's possible. But that would be wrong."
"I take Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, as an example. Li Shimin killed many people during the Xuanwu Gate Incident, but then he used lenient governance. The whole world thought he was a wise king, and this was how the Zhenguan rule came about."
"In other words, if you seek leniency at the beginning of your tenure as prime minister, you will only make those in the government and the opposition think you are weak and give in. In the end, there will be constant internal and external conflicts, which will make you miserable. May I ask whether you should be leniency or leniency at this time?
strict?"
Zhang Yue suddenly realized, yes, it is indeed not possible to be lenient at first glance.
I always thought that after I became prime minister, I should not suppress speech, but should allow healthy party disputes to exist, and should learn from Wang Anshi at the beginning. In fact, once I continue to let it go, I will become indecisive.
Once the contradiction below is irreconcilable, Zhang Yue has only two choices, one is to remove himself from the position, and the other is to suppress it by force.
Zhang Yue said: "What my father-in-law said is absolutely true. Water is cowardly, but when there are many people, it drowns. This is what it means."
"If you give in and don't deal with the conflicts at the beginning, and let things go their own way, once the conflicts intensify, you can only suppress them by force, and in the end everyone will drown in them."
It's like if you don't deal with these contradictions at the beginning. Once the contradictions intensify later, the only way to deal with them is to suppress them by force. That's when you really suppress dissent.
It seems that the act of giving in and compromising will hurt more people.
Wu Chong said: "That's exactly what it is like to be a political person, just like being a human being: first be strict and then be lenient, first be a villain and then be a gentleman."
"Don't be lenient first and then strict, be a gentleman first and then a villain!"