On the outskirts of Yanjing, among the high mountains.
At this time, the old monk Zhen Wu who had just returned to the Mayfly Temple did not dare to waste a moment and quickly entered the secret room.
“O omniscient, omniscient, omniscient, omnipotent Holy Lord, you are the eternal and immortal supreme true God… Omniscient, omniscient, omniscient, omnipotent Holy Lord, your slaves beg for your coming…
…”
After burning incense and lighting candles, the real monk Wu knelt on the ground with utmost respect and prayed continuously to the black-robed statue in front of him. Soon, the statue lit up with black light, indicating that the Holy Lord had arrived.
"Do you know that you are wrong?" Although the Holy Master's words were calm, the hint of cold anger revealed in them made the real old monk Wu tremble all over.
"My servant knew his mistake and should not have been so careless. As a result, my younger brother was killed, and the power that the Shu branch had worked so hard to build was completely destroyed." The real old monk Wu did not dare to hide anything and admitted.
"I'm not confused, but why do I always do stupid things?" Apparently, the Holy Lord's anger had not diminished much, and he asked again,
"So, have you ever found out the reason behind it?"
"Reporting to the Holy Lord, judging from the information currently available, it is most likely because of the saint in the Holy Mountain of Miao. She was so hidden that she was able to avoid being taken away by the holy insects. This led to the leakage of intelligence and the eventual counterattack.
Ambush."
"Miaojiang Saint?" The Holy Lord's illusory light and shadow flickered slightly, as if he was calculating something. Suddenly, he softly said,
"You are right in your guess. This woman was indeed not taken away from her body. However, she only practiced incomplete Shinto techniques with limited power. It is obviously impossible to resist the holy insects."
"Then... why is that?"
Zhen Wu couldn't help but be a little stunned. Is there any other reason?
"This matter is extremely strange. Even though I have tried my best to calculate it, it is still vague. It seems that a more mysterious existence is involved. Or is it 'his' consciousness that is causing trouble?" After a pause, the Holy Lord continued,
"You have to set out immediately and make sure to investigate it clearly."
"Servants obey."
…
I don’t know since when, the world has become restless. This is true in the spiritual world, and it is also true in the secular court.
Especially during this period of time, Zhao Ji actually took advantage of the great joy of Queen Wang giving birth to a dragon son and suddenly issued an imperial edict to reduce or reduce taxes, and to lavishly reward meritorious ministers in the world.
The former is not bad. The seven emperors of the Song Dynasty worked hard to govern and accumulated a rich family fortune. And the officials still maintained frugality after they took office? Naturally, they are not short of money.
However, there is something wrong with the rewards at the end. They actually include officers and soldiers from the border areas, in order to commend them for their efforts in protecting their homes and the country. In particular, the military families such as Zhongjia and Zhejia in the northwest are specifically mentioned.
Family.
What is this going to do? To win over those vulgar warriors? Taizu said, I will rule the world together with the scholar-bureaucrats. Isn’t it enough to have thousands of loyal disciples of saints and disciples in the world to assist me?
In the Yanhe Hall, at this time, Zhang Dun was standing respectfully in the center of the hall, waiting for the official's answer. Just now, he handed over the memorial jointly written by many officials in the court for the purpose of persuading.
The admonishment officer's family took back their orders.
However, Zhao Ji only briefly read his memorial once, then put it aside and continued to be busy with other things, as if he had forgotten about him.
Zhang Dun was really embarrassed. He didn't know whether to speak actively or not. He wanted to remind him, but he was also afraid of disturbing the other party. Moreover, after standing for such a long time, his legs were shaking and he couldn't hold on any longer.
"Guanjia... Guanjia..." finally couldn't help it and shouted a few words softly. But at this moment, Zhao Ji raised his head and asked with a surprised look on his face:
"Why is the Prime Minister still here? Is there anything else going on?"
"..." Zhang Dun couldn't help but be a little stunned. There was obviously something important to discuss, and he even handed over the memorial. How come he didn't accept it after reading it?
"The report to the officials is about rewarding the border troops. When an official gives birth to a dragon son, it is naturally blessed by God and worthy of celebration. However, it is really against the rules to reward the border troops just based on this matter. After all, the army
The matter is of great importance, and there is no meritorious service, how can you award a reward casually?"
"That's it." Zhao Ji suddenly showed a look of surprise, but then suddenly said,
"Although what the Prime Minister said is good, there are also some omissions. There are many powerful neighbors on the border, such as Liao, Xixia, etc., all of them are eyeing our Song Dynasty, and harassment will occur from time to time. If it were not for these border soldiers, they would not hesitate to
How can we preserve this prosperous world by working hard and guarding to the death?"
"Eating the emperor's salary, being loyal to the emperor and guarding the country are the duties of a military man, so why should there be a separate reward? Isn't the reward and punishment unclear?"
"The Prime Minister's words are wrong." Zhao Ji's expression remained unchanged and he asked,
"The queen gave birth to a dragon son, and there are successors to the country. Isn't this a major event that should be celebrated by the whole world? I am happy in my heart, and I reward the world just so that all my people in the Song Dynasty can share this joy. Is there anything wrong with it?
What's more, my list of awards includes not only the border troops, but also civil servants from various ministries and departments in the court. Is there any bias? Could it be that the Prime Minister feels that the border troops are not our subjects of the Song Dynasty?"
"The officials should calm down. I have no intention of doing so, but..."
"Okay." Zhao Ji interrupted the other party directly,
"Since the imperial edict has been issued, how can it be changed overnight if it is just a golden word? The Prime Minister doesn't want me to become a king who breaks his word, right?"
"I...I don't dare." Zhang Dun opened his mouth, but finally stuttered back.
Somehow, the emperor looked calm and easy-going, and spoke in a leisurely and unhurried manner, without the slightest hint of anger. However, when I looked into his eyes, I always felt inexplicably frightened in my heart, as if I just needed to continue to push hard.
It seems that it will never be recovered.
"What happened to me? When did I become so timid?"
I'm confused in my heart, as if I've knocked over the five-flavor bottle, and I don't know what it feels like?
"By the way, there is one more thing." Zhao Ji waved his hand to the chamberlain beside him and ordered,
"Go and bring Zhang Xiang a chair."
"Thank you for your grace."
Zhang Dun was already quite old and he really couldn't stand up anymore. Hearing that the officials offered him a seat, he was immediately grateful. It seemed that the officials were still concerned about him.
After sitting down, he asked,
"I wonder if the officials have anything to explain?"
"It's about my brothers." Zhao Ji showed a hint of melancholy on his face at the right time, and continued,
"To be honest, I had a strange dream yesterday, in which I saw my father. He specifically asked me to take good care of the mothers, concubines, and several brothers in the palace."
"This..." Zhang Dun was startled. What did the official suddenly mention about Emperor Shenzong? Is there any intention?
"Since the official succeeded to the throne, the princes have been properly arranged both inside and outside the palace. There is nothing wrong with it, right?"
"What Mr. Zhang said is true, I did not treat them badly." Zhao Ji nodded, but suddenly the conversation changed,
"However, my brothers are all talented people, and they are around the age of twenty. They only have good clothes and good food, and their mediocre lives are a bit wasted."
"Could it be that the officials want to..."
Zhang Dun's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately understood what the officials meant. Most likely, they wanted to increase the power of several princes.
In fact, several princes not only held royal titles, but also held official positions. However, in order to prevent them from developing unnecessary ambitions, all the positions they were given were empty positions.
"It seems you have thought of it too." Zhao Ji nodded,
"Although the father and the emperor have many children, most of them died in infancy, and only a few are still alive today. As their elder brother, I don't want to waste their talents, so I want to give them a chance to display their talents."
Upon hearing the official's affirmative answer, Zhang Dun frowned and remained silent. This was no small matter, but a major event that changed the ancestral system.
At the beginning of the Song Dynasty, Taizu learned from the lessons of powerful dynasties such as Zhou, Han, and Tang. Therefore, he took great precautions and attached great importance to the clan. From that time on, he tried his best to restrict the development of the clan.
Later, in the Taizong Dynasty, due to the unfairness of the throne, it became even more strict. The clan's children were awarded lofty positions and were given extensive land, but they were almost kept in captivity and were not allowed to participate in any affairs of the government.
Later, this policy changed slightly as the number of clan members became larger and larger. However, the general direction remained unchanged, and there was still no chance of rebellion.
This is not only the reason for the emperor, but also the needs of the civil servant group. After all, there are only so many official positions. If the clan members come to power, regardless of whether they rebel or not, their interests will be harmed first.
Thinking of this, Zhang Dun did not dare to hesitate at all, and immediately stood up and said:
"The official family is generous, but the ministers feel that this matter is absolutely impossible."
"Oh?" Zhao Ji's eyes narrowed slightly and he murmured,
"What's the reason? Or does Zhang Xiang think that all my brothers are useless and deserve to live in mediocrity for the rest of their lives?"
"I don't dare." Zhang Dun quickly saluted and then said,
"I can understand the official's love for brothers. However, after all, this is the ancestral system since the founding of the Song Dynasty and cannot be changed lightly. Otherwise, the old events of the Han and Tang Dynasties will inevitably happen again."
"Do you think that some of my royal brothers and younger brothers will rebel like the clans of the Han and Tang dynasties?"
"The official pardons me, but I have no intention of making any assumptions. I just want to be just in case." Zhang Dun did not deny this time, but said bluntly.
"It seems that this has really touched the opponent's bottom line. Otherwise, with Zhang Dun's cunningness, he would not have objected so strongly." Zhao Ji thought in his heart, but then changed the subject and said,
"Okay, let's put this matter aside for now and discuss it later."
"The officials are wise."
…
The conversation in Yanhe Palace was not kept secret for too long, and soon it spread throughout Bianjing like a gust of wind. All the officials in the court were excited.
What happened to the official family during this time, why did they do unexpected things so often? In order to celebrate the birth of Long Zi, they had given a large number of rewards to the border troops, but now they are planning to loosen the ties of the clan and give them the ability to participate in government affairs.
Is this crazy? Is it possible that we don’t understand the essential difference between the clan and officials? They still have the blood of the Zhao family and are equally qualified to inherit the throne.
One day, if an ambitious person appears and takes power in his hands, it is not impossible to conspire with the officials and seize the throne.
The civil service group was not stupid either. They could naturally imagine that if this matter really happened, it would directly harm their interests. Therefore, as if they were stimulated, they all talked about it and listed the various disadvantages of this matter.
There is also no peace in the palace,
At this time, Zhao Ji rushed to Baoci Palace in response to the Empress Dowager's summons. As soon as he entered, he saw the other party's serious face, as if he was about to explode.
"But which of the chamberlains did something bad that offended the empress and made you so angry?" After saluting, Zhao Ji looked calm and asked proactively.
"The chamberlains don't have the guts to offend the Ai family, but you, the officials, will make the Ai family heartbroken if you have any stupid thoughts that lead to instability in the country."
"It seems that the empress has also heard the discussion between me and Prime Minister Zhang." After Zhao Ji sat down, he waved his hand to dismiss the serving maid. After making sure that the surroundings were quiet enough, he continued to ask,
"What do you think of this?"
"The ancestral system cannot be changed lightly. The emperors of all generations have set such rules for a reason. You are not confused. Could it be that you have not thought of the reason behind this?"
"Of course I can imagine that. It's just that I'm worried that the clan will grow bigger and usurp power and disrupt the government."
"Since you know, why do you still have such thoughts? Isn't this confusing people's hearts? It is true that this world belongs to the Zhao family, but the one who can call the shots can only be the official family. Otherwise, wouldn't it mean that the world will be in chaos?
?”
"Your Majesty, do you really think that this world belongs to my Zhao family? I am the one who calls the shots?" Zhao Ji did not answer the other party, but asked with a half-smile.
"What...what do you mean?" Queen Mother Xiang was stunned for a moment, unable to react for a moment, and murmured,
"If the world doesn't belong to the Zhao family, who else will it belong to?"
Seeing the confused look on the other party's face, Zhao Ji suddenly sighed and then said slowly:
"In the past, when my father was in power, he summoned Wang Jinggong and Privy Councilor Wen Yanbo to discuss the reform. Wen Yanbo once said that the ancestral legal system still exists, and there is no need to change it to lose people's hearts.
My father asked me again. Although the scholar-bureaucrats were really displeased by changing the legal system, why would it be inconvenient for the common people? Wen Yanbo replied, "The purpose is to rule the world with the scholar-bureaucrats, not with the common people."
"This..." When the other party suddenly mentioned Shenzong and Wang Anshi, Queen Mother Xiang's expression suddenly changed slightly and she tried to say,
"Are the officials planning to imitate the late emperor and restart the reform?"
The Queen Mother could not help but worry about it. As a member of the old party, she strongly opposed the reform. It was not because she was partial to anyone, but because she knew clearly that the reform was too difficult and faced too much resistance.
There is no possibility of success.
In the past, my husband, Emperor Shenzong, was also confident at the beginning. Unfortunately, in the end, he could not withstand the pressure and chose to compromise. At this time, there were no conditions anymore.
"What I'm talking about is not reform, but Privy Wen's answer to ruling the world together with the scholar-bureaucrats." Zhao Ji shook his head slightly and said in a deep voice,
"Don't you think that the world is already dominated by scholar-bureaucrats, and I am just a puppet elected by them to govern?"
Having said this, his eyes were fixed on the Empress Dowager Xiang. At this time, the other party was already stunned by what he said and was speechless for a long time.