In March of the seventh year of Xining, there was no rain in the capital for a long time.
The officials ordered their ministers to pray for rain, but to no avail.
The officials tossed and turned and couldn't sleep at night. They felt that it was because of their immorality. They did not visit the court for several days and even reduced their daily meals. Prime Minister Wang Anshi came to inquire on behalf of all the officials and asked the officials to take care of the dragon's body.
In the banquet hall, the officials were wearing regular uniforms, while Wang Anshi was sitting aside.
This is the fifth year that the monarch and his ministers have known each other. They are very familiar with each other and immediately started chatting about political affairs.
The official said: "I read what Xianggong reported before that Cai Yanqing could be Cai Yanqing as the envoy of Huanqing Road or Jingyuan Road. I thought it was inappropriate. Is there anyone else you can recommend?"
Wang Anshi said: "Zhang Dun can do the job."
The official said: "This person can do it, but I want him to stay in Beijing and take a job."
Wang Anshi said: "Since your majesty appreciates it, Zhang Dun can know how to make imperial edicts and live in peace with others."
"Accurate performance."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The official asked again: "The Lord of Liao sent Lin Ya to revive the army and envoy Xiao Xilai to deliver the letter of credence. What if the Khitan insists on holding the two territories?"
Wang Anshi said: "If this is the case, I will not give it."
The official asked: "What if the Khitans don't agree?"
"Send someone who can speak well to discuss it slowly."
"Who else is like Fu Bi today?"
"I think Han Zhen is qualified for the job."
Wang Anshi answered fluently, but the officials were dissatisfied in their hearts and felt that the other party did not pay attention to the affairs of the Liao Kingdom.
The official asked worriedly: "What if the two countries go to war?"
"There will definitely be no war." Wang Anshi answered simply.
The official asked seriously: "What can we do if this is really the case?"
Wang Anshi still said: "In terms of human feelings, this will not be the case."
The officials thought that according to Wang Anshi's wishes, if the Khitan sent troops at this time, the Song Dynasty would have to lie down.
The official asked: "Zhang Yue defeated Kuozhou and marched to Qingtang City. What if Xixia came to aid Dong Xiang?"
Wang Anshi still said the same thing: "Xixia will not do this. How can you sacrifice your own land to cultivate other people's fields? Your Majesty, please take the principle of enriching the country and strengthening the army, and destroy those who are in charge."
Faced with Wang Anshi's stubbornness, the officials were helpless.
Now the Song Dynasty is fully supporting Zhang Yue in using troops in the northwest. If the Khitan invades, they will have to lie down and be beaten. They are very dissatisfied with Wang Anshi, the answering official.
Not to mention that the two governments did not even have any preparations for the Khitan to send troops, and they did not even consider Xixia sending troops to reinforce Dong Xiang.
The official decided to put aside this issue for the time being, and instead brought up the issue that had been causing him the most trouble sleeping and eating these days.
"I heard that after people used their property to pay for loans in the market, many people had their property confiscated or were flogged because they could not repay the money. Is this true?"
Wang Anshi remarked: "I don't know where your majesty heard it. Since the market change, only six households have sold their property to pay for it. There are also households that do not need to pay money or extend the period. Kaifeng Prefecture has just released the title. If you ask for money from the official, you will not be able to pay."
If people resist, what will happen if the people default on their debts? In the two years since the market changed and the law was enforced, property was sold to pay off the debts and the shackles were used to call for debts, but it is not surprising that it has stopped like this."
The official asked: "But I heard that there are so many people selling property and so many people using shackles that there are not even enough officials to guard them."
Wang Anshi continued to argue: "The person who advises your Majesty must know the name of the person who sold the shackles. Why don't your Majesty ask him to ask the Secretary. If this is true, the crime should not be lightly punished. If not, it is false talk.
"
The official also simply said: "It's not just one or two people, there are many people who disturb the people by saying that the market is changing. I don't know why it is like this?"
Wang Anshi said: "Wen Yanbo said that the court should not take profits, and this was done for the sake of the ministers, but Lu Jiawen obeyed the law and did not avoid Jin Xi. If everything is done by Jin Xi, the ministers will follow Jin Xi in the future, and no one will know that Your Majesty
Already."
The officials heard what Wang Anshi said.
The two have been kings and ministers for five years. No matter how you ask, Wang Anshi can always argue that his eloquence is indeed the best in the world.
But Wang Anshi was so good at arguing that he never saw Wang Anshi lose in an argument.
No matter who it is, Wang Anshi can argue to the last sentence and must argue until he wins. Even the official himself, Wang Anshi, has never backed down.
This made the emperor who had been on the throne for eight years very uncomfortable.
Even though he knew that Wang Anshi had no intention of monopolizing power, this was not the respect that a fledgling emperor should have.
The officials decided to show off their cards and expressed their deepest worries: "Now there are Khitan envoys coming from outside, and there is also a severe drought. People are panicked. There will be great chaos in the future."
The official's intention was that Zhang Yue was attacking Hehuang, and the Khitan threatened to send troops again. In addition, under the severe drought in the country, the city changed the law, and the exemption law was questioned by both the government and the public.
Can you, Wang Anshi, guarantee that chaos will not break out in this situation?
Wang Anshi said: "It depends on people's plans. What does it have to do with the drought? As for the envoy, there is no need to worry. It is all outsiders who are spreading false rumors."
The officials were very disappointed when they heard this. Even though they had said so much, Wang Anshi still said that there was no problem. There was no problem with my decision-making, there was no problem with the market changes, and there was no problem with the people who used them.
…
When Wang Anshi returned home, Wang Yu saw that Wang Anshi looked unhappy. What he expected at that moment asked: "Your Majesty, are you worried about the invincibility of the northwest again?"
Wang Anshi said: "Zhang Yue led his army to the Qingtang City. I don't know the outcome. I am also worried that the Khitan army will press the border. Is there any intention to attack the Song Dynasty?"
Wang Yu said: "When Zhang Yue attacked Qing Tang, my father should not have agreed with his plan in the first place, even if he let Wu Chongqing and his son-in-law do it."
Wang Anshi said: "As the prime minister, how can this be done without my approval? If the northwest battle is won, it will be good for me and the country."
Wang Yu said: "But instead of asking Wu Chongqing, the officials came to blame dad."
Wang Anshi said: "It's not this matter. The most important thing is the market change law and the exemption of money. You discuss it with Jifu (Lu Huiqing) and Wangzhi (Lu Jiawen), re-draft the text and submit the regulations to the emperor."
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"Yes, dad," Wang Yu asked, "do you want to ask Zixuan (Zeng Bu)?"
Wang Anshi said: "Zixuan has been very quarrelsome recently. Don't ask him about this yet."
Now Zeng Bu has replaced Xue Xiang as the third envoy, and Lu Huiqing has fulfilled his wish and became a Hanlin bachelor.
After Zeng Bu became the envoy of the Third Secretary, he had many conflicts with Lu Jiawen, who was in charge of the Municipal Yi Department. In fact, the feud between Zeng Bu and Lu Huiqing was almost public, and Lu Jiawen was partial to Lu Huiqing and ignored Zeng Bu.
Wang Yu noticed the subtlety here and said: "Dad, since Zixuan became the Prime Minister, it seems that he rarely goes to the house, and he doesn't ask dad for advice on everything as before."
Wang Anshi said: "Zixuan mentioned to me last time that Zhang Duzhi's market exchange in Hezhou, Xizhou was very good, and his methods could be adopted, but I didn't listen."
Wang Yu said: "No wonder, I heard that Zhang Duzhi almost became the Zeng family's brother-in-law."
Wang Anshi said: "Don't pay attention to this. Zixuan is also a strategist, and he has his own opinions."
…
What Wang Anshi didn't know was that after he retired that day, the officials thought about it for a long time, and then wrote an edict in the middle of the night and ordered it to be sent to Zeng Bu, the new third envoy, asking him if there were any problems with the market change law?
