It can be said that Kou Zhun is the censor’s nemesis.
Ever since Kou Zhun killed the censor, the censor was no longer protected by special rules.
The censor felt that if he contradicted Kou Zhun, he would most likely end up in trouble.
So he gave up decisively.
The censor gritted his teeth and retreated behind the Jinshui Bridge.
When Lu Yijian and others saw this, their faces turned ugly.
The courtiers were silent one by one, standing there and thinking about countermeasures.
"Hahaha……"
Just when the courtiers were frowning, Zhu Neng suddenly burst out laughing and stepped onto the Jinshui Bridge.
Then, under the stunned eyes of the courtiers, Zhu Neng walked to the other side of the bridge and saluted Kou Zhun and Cao Wei.
Kou Zhun and Cao Wei ignored Zhu Neng, and Zhu Neng left Jinshui Bridge with a smile.
When the courtiers saw this, their expressions were very exciting.
Kou Zhun and Cao Wei were obviously looking for food.
Let others pass, and let no one pass. You have a strong balance in your heart.
Some of the courtiers who were close to the Kou and Cao families, as well as the courtiers who did not discuss the issue of the title of king in the court, were naturally overjoyed.
Other courtiers who were arguing endlessly in the court over the matter of being crowned king were naturally unhappy.
After Zhu Neng left the Jinshui Bridge, the courtiers who were close to the bandits and the Cao family bowed their hands to Lu Yijian and others, laughed and stepped onto the Jinshui Bridge, and walked away.
After they crossed the Jinshui Bridge, they all saluted Kou Zhun and Cao Wei.
Logically speaking, Lu Yijian and Zhang Zhibai are also qualified to leave.
But they couldn't leave.
Because most of the civil servants were blocked in front of Donghua Gate.
As the leader of civil servants, if they abandon the civil servants and leave alone, the civil servants will no longer support them in the future, but will choose new leaders to replace them.
Zhang Zhibai doesn't care about this, but Lu Yijian does.
If the civil servants dissociate themselves from him, then he, the disciple of Tong Zhongshu, will not be able to sit on the same page.
"Mr. Lu, are you just going to let the two of them mess around here?"
Someone said to Lu Yijian with an ugly expression.
Lu Yijian sighed and said, "I'll go talk to them..."
At this point, Lu Yijian had no choice but to step forward on his own.
If you push others out, they will only be regarded as irresponsible.
Lu Yijian stepped to the end of Jinshui Bridge.
Kou Zhun and Cao Wei ignored him and did not stop him.
Lu Yijian bowed to Kou Zhun and Cao Wei, "Why are you here here if you are not resting at home?"
Kou Zhun and Cao Wei both closed their eyes and ignored Lu Yijian.
Lu Yijian gritted his teeth and said: "What you two are doing is inappropriate and insulting to the country. Please put the overall situation first."
Kou Zhun slowly opened his eyes and sneered: "Mr. Lu, do you want to talk to me?"
Lu Yijian said calmly: "I didn't mean that. I just discussed the matter."
Kou Zhun snorted, "The overall situation? I have been in charge for decades, but I don't understand the overall situation better than you do? When your uncle was alive, he didn't dare to say that I didn't understand the overall situation.
So don't talk about the overall situation with me.
It is really the officials under you who are really insulting to the country and inappropriate.
Now my grandson is fighting on the frontier, so you are here to make things difficult for him.
If you really offend him, can you afford the consequences?"
Lu Yijian sighed and said, "I can't afford it."
If Kou Ji was defeated, or was forced to raise an army, few people in the Song Dynasty could afford the consequences.
Faced with this problem, Lu Yijian had no choice but to mess around.
Kou Zhun snorted coldly, "Since you can't afford it, how dare you tease him? Is it easy to bully my grandson? When my grandson is in court, you are all like quails.
When he is not in court, you are having a lot of fun.
Aren't you afraid that he will come to settle matters with you after he returns to power?"
Lu Yijian said frankly: "I am not in charge of this matter."
Kou Zhun asked: "Then you have no responsibility?"
Lu Yijian frowned and said nothing.
As long as the troubles caused by the civil servants in the court were serious, he would be responsible whether it was led by Lu Yijian or not.
He couldn't shirk it.
After Lu Yijian was silent for a while, he said in a stiff tone: "The civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty naturally have their own considerations. Since you two have left the center, you should not interfere with the affairs of the center."
Kou Zhun's face turned cold and he stopped talking to Lu Yijian. Instead, he glanced at Cao Wei and said in a neutral tone: "Cao Wei, people think that we are not qualified to interfere in the affairs of the center. What do you think?"
Cao Wei slowly opened his eyes, glanced at Lu Yijian, and said weakly: "Lu Yijian, if you say that, I will have no choice but to die in your house."
Lu Yijian almost bit her tongue when she heard this.
"What do you two want?!"
Cao Wei narrowed his eyes and said in a serious tone: "I'm about to die, and I need a prince to hold down the coffin board. Otherwise, I won't be able to see my father when I get down."
Kou Zhun said calmly: "Our Kou Mansion does not need a prince."
Lu Yijian stared at Cao Wei and said solemnly: "You will definitely be crowned king after your death!"
Lu Yijian did not deceive Cao Wei. Based on Cao Wei's achievements, he would definitely be crowned king after his death.
The same is true for Kou Zhun.
Cao Wei glanced at Lu Yijian and said, "I can't be seen or touched after I die. What if you lie to me?"
Lu Yijian glared and said, "Don't you know whether you can be crowned king?"
Cao Wei shook his head decisively and said: "How can I know about the official dictatorship of the Sacred Heart?"
Lu Yijian glared at Cao Wei and said in a deep voice: "Change the conditions."
Cao Wei pondered for a moment, "You all swear that you will fully support His Royal Highness Prince Shou in inheriting the throne as long as you live."
Lu Yijian was annoyed, "His Royal Highness King Shou is the eldest son of the official family. Even if you don't say it, we will do it. But we can do it, but we can't swear anything to you.
This matter is a major matter concerning the country, how could it be such a trivial matter."
Cao Wei thought for a moment and nodded, "Then I still want Wang Jue..."
Lu Yijian didn't want to talk to Cao Wei anymore.
He felt that Cao Wei was playing rogue with him.
Lu Yijian looked at Kou Zhun and said, "In the Song Dynasty, there are no living kings with different surnames, and we will not confer any living kings with different surnames. Therefore, it is impossible for a living person in your Kou Mansion to be conferred the title of king."
The courtiers just talk casually, and if the official family really wants to seal it, the courtiers will not agree."
Lu Yijian told the truth.
Because the civil and military forces of the entire dynasty thought so.
But Kou Zhun did not agree with what he said, "In spite of this, the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty have been petitioning the officials to make my grandson king. I feel scared when I hear this."
Lu Yijian saw that Kou Zhun was also acting rogue.
Cao Wei's appeal was the same as what he said, and it was not hidden.
But Kou Zhun is different.
Kou Zhun didn't say it clearly, but anyone can guess what Kou Zhun wanted.
Kou Zhun naturally knew that the Song Dynasty could not seal a living king with a different surname.
His real request was that the courtiers should give up scheming against Kou Ji, give up petitioning Kou Ji to be crowned king, and give up stumbling upon Kou Ji.
Lu Yijian gritted his teeth and said, "I can't decide what you two want, and I can't agree to it either."
Cao Wei closed his eyes and stopped talking.
If there is no need to talk, then let’s just stop talking.
Kou Zhun glanced at Lu Yijian and said, "If you say that, then I will most likely die in your house."
Lu Yijian stamped his feet angrily.
"I'll ask the officials to provide justice!"
Lu Yijian had nothing to do with Cao Wei and Kou Zhun, so he had no choice but to ask Zhao Zhen to come forward to please these two great gods.
Lu Yijian returned to the other side of Jinshui Bridge angrily and shouted to the courtiers, "I'm going to meet with the officials..."
After saying this, Lu Yijian waved his sleeves and entered the Donghua Gate.
We walked all the way through the palace and finally found Zhao Zhen in the Imperial Garden.
Zhao Zhen was in the imperial garden, playing with his children.
But Lu Yijian couldn't get in.
Because Chen Lin was blocking the entrance to the Royal Garden with a dead face.
"Go to Tongguan's house quickly and ask Lu Yijian to see you."
Lu Yijian saw Chen Lin and gave her unceremonious instructions.
Chen Lin said in a nonchalant manner: "The officials said he is ill and won't see anyone today."
Lu Yijian gritted his teeth and said, "Did the officials know what Kou Zhun and Cao Wei did to block the Donghua Gate?"
Chen Lin pretended to be surprised, "Kou Gong and Cao Gong blocked Donghua Gate?"
Lu Yijian glared at Chen Lin.
You pretend, you pretend again.
Such a big thing happened at the palace gate, how could the people in the palace not know about it.
Lu Yijian clearly knew that Chen Lin was lying, but had to cooperate with his acting. He said solemnly: "Yes, Kou Zhun and Cao Wei are now blocking the Donghua Gate to prevent the courtiers from going out.
This move is suspected of disrupting the imperial court and requires official decision-making."
Chen Lin looked serious and said, "Mr. Lu, wait here for a moment. I will go to the official's house right away."
After saying this, Chen Lin left Lu Yijian behind and hurried into the imperial garden.
Not long after, Chen Lin appeared at the entrance of the Royal Garden.
Lu Yijian hurriedly greeted him and asked, "What did the officials say?"
Chen Lin said frankly: "Official officials say that Kou Gong and Cao Gong are ministers of the imperial court. They have always understood the general situation. After leaving the central government, they also contributed to the imperial court.
Now that Donghua Gate is blocked, he must have been wronged.
The official also said that Kou Gong and Cao Gong have made outstanding contributions to our Song Dynasty. Now that they have retired, they should live in peace and stability. If someone makes them suffer, you should take action to deal with it. Never let the meritorious officials be left in the cold.
Understood."
When Lu Yijian heard this, she was so angry that she couldn't help but feel angry.
Zhao Zhen clearly knew why Kou Zhun and Cao Wei blocked the Donghua Gate, but now he actually talked to Cao Wei and Kou Zhun.
It's okay for Zhao Zhen to pull in the side gang. The contribution of those two people is worthy of Zhao Zhen's pulling the side side.
But Zhao Zhen should not have allowed those two old guys to fool around.
Lu Yijian shouted: "I want to see the official!"
Chen Lin sighed and said: "Prime Minister Lu, please stop embarrassing the officials. Those two are blocking the Donghua Gate, and you can't even ask them to leave. Do you think the officials can ask them to leave?"
Lu Yijian asked: "Are we just going to let them do whatever they want?"
Chen Lin coughed lightly and said: "The official's original words: I can't beat them, nor can I scold them. They won't care about dismissal from office or anything like that.
I can't do anything to them, I have to be polite to them.
Solve the troubles you caused by yourselves and don't bother me."
Lu Yijian said in a deep voice: "The official is the king and they are the ministers. When the official comes, do they dare to continue to mess around?"
Chen Lin stared at Lu Yijian and said quietly: "The officials said that Cao Wei wants to find someone right now and die in that person's arms. If Cao Wei dies in his arms, then he may have to bear the burden of a foolish emperor.
reputation.
As his ministers, do you want to see him bear the reputation of a foolish king?"
Lu Yijian was stunned and speechless for a moment.
Trapping the king into injustice is not the behavior of a good minister.
Zhao Zhen said these words, and he really couldn't refute them.
Lu Yijian took a deep breath and said, "I don't want to embarrass the officials, I just want to see them."
Chen Lin glanced deeply at Lu Yijian and said, "Then I'll report it again."
Chen Lin bowed slightly and entered the imperial garden again.
Not long after, a young eunuch came out to send a message, asking Lu Yijian to come in.
Lu Yijian entered the imperial garden under the guidance of the young eunuch.
Zhao Zhen was sitting in the corridor next to the pond in the imperial garden, sitting with his new favorite He Meiren.
He beauty is so beautiful that she is almost as beautiful as the sixth palace.
If it weren't for Empress Cao and other favored concubines who were about to give birth now, I'm afraid there would have been a palace fight with He Meiren.
Although Zhao Zhen was an emperor, he was also an ordinary person.
Facing He Meiren's beauty, there is not much resistance.
He knew that He Meiren had bad intentions when entering the palace, but he still chose to favor He Meiren and treated her very favorably.
When Lu Yijian arrived at the pond, Zhao Zhen was holding He Meiren's hand and explaining to her the interesting things he encountered during the expedition.
He Meiren listened patiently to Zhao Zhen's story, and occasionally praised Zhao Zhen for a word or two, which made Zhao Zhen laugh.
Looking at the quiet and elegant He Meiren, she looked frank and sincere when she praised Zhao Zhen.
Zhao Zhen found it difficult to resist her praise.
"I, Lu Yijian, visited an official's house and saw such a beautiful woman..."
Lu Yijian said loudly after arriving at the pond.
When Zhao Zhen heard Lu Yijian's voice, he instantly lost his intention to laugh. He put away the smile on his face, led He Meiren to sit down, and said lightly, "Come in and talk..."
Lu Yijian entered the corridor.
Zhao Zhen asked in a nonchalant manner: "Ai Qing has come to see me, but you want me to come forward to persuade Kou Gong and Cao Wei?"
Lu Yijian said in a deep voice: "Since the officials have said it, there is no way to come forward to persuade them. Naturally, I do not dare to force it. I am just a little confused in my heart, and I want to ask the officials for advice."
Zhao Zhen nodded and told Chen Lin: "Give me a seat..."
Chen Lin took a seat for Lu Yijian.
After Lu Yijian sat down, Zhao Zhen asked, "What is your confusion about Aiqing?"
Lu Yijian stared at Zhao Zhen and said seriously: "Is the official really going to make him a king?"
Zhao Zhen was stunned for a moment, but without hiding anything, he nodded and said: "Yes..."
Lu Yijian continued to ask: "A living king with a different surname?!"
Zhao Zhen nodded again, but said nothing.
Lu Yijian said in a serious tone: "The officials should understand what having a living king with a different surname means to the Song Dynasty. To be honest, I have no objection to Cao Wei being crowned king.
Because of Cao Wei's achievements, he really deserves to be crowned king.
But, that will have to wait until Cao Wei dies.
Cao Wei cannot be crowned king while he is still alive.
This case cannot be opened.
Once a precedent is set, I am afraid that Cao Wei will not be the only king with a different surname in the Song Dynasty.
Kou Ji's contribution is no less than that of Cao Wei, and even slightly exceeds Cao Wei's.
If Cao Wei was granted the title of king with a different surname, should Kou Ji also be granted the title of king?
Kou Ji is only 30 years old now.
If he were crowned king, there would be so many things he could do.
The impact is too great.
It is harmful to our Song Dynasty.
In addition, Zhong Shiheng, Li Zhaoliang, Yang Wenguang, Di Qing and others are still fighting on the border.
If they make extraordinary achievements again, will the officials also grant them the title of king?
Chen Yaozi was seeking the territory of Qingtang for the officials, and Yang Wenguang had already helped the officials to regain the southwest and northwest roads of the Liao Kingdom. Their contribution was not small.
Do the officials also want to crown them kings?
If the officials make an exception and grant kingships to all of them, then when the military officials see the opportunity, they will definitely rush to win the title.
If things go on like this, our Song Dynasty may fall into a state of militarism.
In addition, if the crown prince ascends the throne in the future, will he be able to suppress the kings?
If we cannot suppress the kings, what will happen to our country in the Song Dynasty?"
Lu Yijian's words come from the heart.
It's not that he has any prejudice against anyone, but the sealed king with a different surname is indeed very harmful to the Song Dynasty.
So he had to stop it.
After Zhao Zhen listened to Lu Yijian's words, he sighed and said: "Their contributions are not small, and they have reached the point where they can't be named.
They fought for us in the Song Dynasty, and it was impossible for me not to reward them.
If I don't reward them, even if they don't complain, the soldiers below will.
Now our army of the Great Song Dynasty can sweep across the four barbarians, and in turn, it can also sweep across our Great Song Dynasty.
So I must reward them.
And all I can give them is the king's title."
When Lu Yijian heard this, his brows almost furrowed, "Officials can share their achievements with their heirs. In the past, this is what the court did."
Zhao Zhen said quietly: "Their contribution is not small. If I want to share it with their heirs, I will probably have to make a group of dukes.
By then, they will be able to produce three or five dukes each.
His power must far exceed the sum of the previous emperor's relatives and generals' martial arts.
When the time comes, who can suppress them?
In this court, it is far better for one person to speak than for two people to speak.
As a disciple of Tong Zhongshu, you should understand."
Lu Yijian gritted his teeth and whispered: "If it doesn't work... just..."
Lu Yijian did not finish what he said.
But Zhao Zhen understood what he meant.
Zhao Zhen told Lu Yijian categorically, "I can't do anything that Taizu didn't do. If I did it, it would be tantamount to hurting Taizu's face.
If Taizu loses his face, then how can I, the Song Dynasty, have any face?"
Lu Yijian could not say anything to refute Zhao Zhen, nor could he come up with a perfect idea. He could only shout sadly: "Officials, if you set this precedent, it will be really harmful to our Song Dynasty."
Zhao Zhen said in a deep voice: "I will find a way to handle this matter properly."
Lu Yijian lamented.
Zhao Zhen continued: "You'd better go down and talk to Kou Gong and Cao Wei carefully, and let them leave Donghua Gate first."
Lu Yijian stood up, bowed to Zhao Zhen, and left the imperial garden with his head hanging down without saying a word.
After Lu Yijian left, Zhao Zhen chatted with He Meiren for a while, and then left the Imperial Garden on the pretext that he had official business to deal with.
All the way to Zishi Hall.
Chen Lin couldn't help but ask: "Why don't the officials tell Lu Yijian their true thoughts?"
Zhao Zhen sat on the main seat of Zishi Hall, shook his head and said: "We can't say it now. If we say it now, some people will have random thoughts. I may not be able to get what I want.
I just want all of them to make trouble over the matter of being crowned king.
When they have made enough trouble, I will take advantage of the situation and make them king.
When I grant the title of king, the courtiers in the court who oppose the title of king will definitely be filled with resentment in their hearts.
By then they knew that I was going to send the king with a different surname to a remote place in the countryside.
They will definitely support me with all their strength and let me send the king with a different surname to a remote place in the countryside.
It will be difficult for the kings with different surnames not to go to remote areas.
The purpose of my move is to weaken the resistance of those kings with different surnames to this matter.
It is not necessary to seek the opinions of courtiers before daring to make a king.
I chose a remote place for them, which is not a good place to go.
When they know the place I have chosen for them, they will definitely be dissatisfied.
They have soldiers in their hands, so I must use the civil and military forces in the court to suppress them and stop them from messing around."
Chen Lin suddenly realized this and nodded her head.
Zhao Zhen continued: "Actually, they are all loyal to me. Even if I really want to send them to a remote place in the countryside, they will not resist.
But things in the world are unpredictable, so I have to keep a hand just in case."
Chen Lin heard this and praised: "The official family is a wise man... It's just that I don't understand why the official family is in a hurry to make the king? The official family can wait for their troops to return to the court and take back the soldiers from their hands."
After digesting the soldiers and horses in their hands, it will not be too late to make them king."
Zhao Zhen sighed, "The time is too long, I can afford to wait, and the people of the world cannot afford to wait. The reason why I am in a hurry to seal them out is to take the opportunity to bring them, their tribesmen, and their confidants to a sigh of relief
Send them all to the Song Dynasty.
Once they leave the Song Dynasty, it will be much easier for me to do other things."
Chen Lin heard Zhao Zhen's words and fell into deep thought.
He thought about it secretly for a long time and felt that Zhao Zhen's move should be preparing for a complete reform of the cultural system.
Although Zhao Zhen and Kou Ji now control all the soldiers and horses of the Song Dynasty, others also have considerable influence on the soldiers and horses of the Song Dynasty.
If Zhao Zhen kept them in the Song Dynasty and implemented cultural reforms under their noses, they would easily go against Zhao Zhen under the influence of family members, tribesmen, old friends, tribes, old tribes, etc.
And they can influence soldiers and horses.
Zhao Zhen will inevitably be tied up.
If all of them were moved out of the Song Dynasty.
Then when Zhao Zhen reforms his literary system, it will be much easier.
All the influential generals of the Song Dynasty were moved out by Zhao Zhen.
If someone wants to use soldiers and horses to oppose Zhao Zhen, it is unlikely.
When the cultural system was reformed, Zhao Zhen did not need to worry about mutiny.
And Zhao Zhen himself holds the army, so he has absolute initiative.
Some people told him that when he needed to kill people, he didn't need to be soft-hearted, and he didn't need to worry about causing any big turmoil.
In this way, cultural reform will become easier.
In addition, those who have great influence in the military today are almost all wealthy families with big businesses.
If Zhao Zhen grants them the title of king, he will ask them to move out.
Then they would free up a large amount of family property for Zhao Zhen.
For example, real estate such as fertile land, mansions, shops, etc.
Since Zhao Zhen gave them the title of king, he also gave them the fiefdom and allowed them to become vassal kings.
Then you can take advantage of the situation and acquire their real estate without spending a penny.
With their real estate as support, Zhao Zhen will have a good start when it comes to reforming the cultural system.
Take the Cao family for example.
If Zhao Zhen were to grant Cao Wei the title of king and pick a place for the Cao family to move out.
So the real estate that the Cao family can leave to Zhao Zhen includes half of Zhending Mansion, plus 350,000 acres of farmland outside Bianjing City, as well as mansions and shops worth tens of millions of dollars in Bianjing City.
In addition, the Cao family had huge industries throughout the Song Dynasty.
In this regard, the Cao family will never bargain with Zhao Zhen.
After all, Zhao Zhen gave them a vassal state.
Exchanging a vassal state for some industries is nothing at all.
With these industries, Zhao Zhen could at least lift nearly 600,000 to 700,000 people out of extreme poverty during the cultural reform.
When resettling these extremely poor people, they can also take advantage of the situation to put pressure on the wealthy families they left and squeeze more land from their hands.
When the wealthy families are weakened, the common people can quickly get intuitive benefits.
The people will naturally support him, support his decrees, join hands with him, and fight against the wealthy.
In this way, the pressure needed to reform the cultural system will be greatly reduced.