Prime Minister

Chapter 1298: Writing on a Snowy Night

Chapter 1298: Writing on a Snowy Night

The entire city of Bianjing was immersed in this blizzard.

Because it was a shift for them to be on duty, Wang Gui, Cai Que and Zhang Zhi were not in the palace tonight.

Zhang Yue stood in the hall of the capital, looking at the heavy snow and gazing into the distance.

Soon after, the sound of wiping snow was heard, and several lanterns were lit up from far away and then approached. Wang Anli, Su Song, Lu Gongzhu and others were summoned in the middle of the night, and accompanied by officials, they walked through the snow from their respective halls to the capital.

They all looked panic-stricken.

Didn’t the government say that everything was fine during the day?

Has anything changed suddenly?

But Zhang Yue said to them, "I couldn't sleep at night, and the Queen Mother gave me some mutton. I'll invite you all to eat together. I have something important to discuss with you!"

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

But Zhang Yue was so anxious to call them together and wake them up from their beds, it must be more than just about eating meat.

The banquet was already set up in the hall. Wang Anli and Su Song sat down. Lu Gongzhu hesitated for a moment and asked, "May I ask the Prime Minister, is there any news from Funing Palace?"

Zhang Yue said: "Your Majesty is safe and sound."

Lu Gongzhu nodded and felt relieved.

After they sat down, the clerk served them some hot wine. After drinking a bowl of hot wine in such a cold weather, they felt warm all over.

Mutton was cooked in a big pot, and several people were eating together. If it were an ordinary day, eating such a pot of Khitan mutton with good wine in the snow and ice would definitely be a wonderful thing.

However, Lu Gongzhu was obviously worried, and he stopped eating after a while.

As for Su Song, he was old and had difficulty digesting food if he ate too much at night. Only Zhang Yue and Wang Anli had good appetites.

Zhang Yue said to several people: "I was thinking all night last night. It was all about the old things during the Jiayou period. I thought of many old friends and the kindness of the Ren Temple."

"All the talented people today were promoted during the Jiayou period. Officials still miss the days of the Ren Temple. There is a saying among the people that the Ren Temple is incompetent and can only be an official. I agree with this."

Wang Anli and Zhang Yue were both Jinshi in the same year, and they did not have such deep feelings for Emperor Renzong. But Lu Gongzhu and Su Song both served Emperor Renzong for many years.

Compared with the current emperor, the officials at this time truly remembered the good things about Emperor Renzong.

In terms of imperial achievements, of course the current emperor wins.

Take the time when Emperor Renzong had an argument with Bao Zheng and was sprayed with spit in the face. Throughout history, few emperors have had such self-control, and only Emperor Renzong could endure it.

You have to figure out an official.

First, look at his second-in-command. If the second-in-command is like Wang Gui or Cai Que, you will know that this leader is very strong. Then you should give fewer suggestions and focus on your work.

If the second-in-command has a distinct personality like Han Qi, Fan Zhongyan, Ouyang Xiu, Yan Shu, and Bao Zheng, then this leader knows how to identify people, use people, and tolerate people.

It was precisely because of this that many famous officials emerged during the reign of Emperor Renzong.

Zhang Yue said: "Not long ago, the Imperial Censor Chen Shixi submitted a memorial praising the Jiayou Reign. In fact, he was also advising us to take a break and not to reform any more."

In another time and space, during the last two years of Emperor Shenzong's reign, there was actually a unanimous call from both the government and the public to return to the reign of Jiayou and not to continue the reforms.

Under pressure from the situation, Emperor Shenzong finally chose Lu Gongzhu and Sima Guang as the crown prince's mentor and guardian.

Although Zhang Yue had won victories over Liao and Dangxiang in this time and space, the burden on the common people was still heavy.

Zhang Yue said: "I think even if the Jiayou reign is restored, the world may not be at peace. The court will eventually return to the right track of Xining and Yuanfeng."

"But I am not here today to discuss with you whether I should continue the reform after I am dismissed from my position as Prime Minister."

At this point, Zhang Yue took a big sip of hot wine and continued, "I was released from prison in the sixth year of Jiayou, and I have only served in the Temple of Benevolence for a few months."

"The then-incumbent Prime Minister was Han Weigong. On my first day of attending the Imperial Lecture Hall and serving in the Temple of Benevolence, he told me that 'the order and chaos of the world depend on the prime minister.'"

"But when I first entered the court, I didn't like Han Weigong. His show of power made me feel disgusted. But Han Weigong told me in person that you would know when you, Zhang Yue, sat in my seat. I didn't think so at the time."

"Later he asked why he wanted to show off his power. He said that the position of heir was not decided yet, and if there was no strong prime minister at the center, it would be easy for people with ulterior motives to take advantage of it!"

"It was not until today that I finally understood the meaning of Han Weigong's words and his good intentions!"

Su Song, Lu Gongzhu, and Wang Anli listened to Zhang Yue's long speech, which finally got to the point. At this moment, they all held their breath and waited for Zhang Yue to continue.

Zhang Yue continued, "When I first became an official, I thought that if I didn't play tricks, but used some tricks and dealt with the world in a pure and honest way, I could live a peaceful life even if I didn't hold a high position."

"I have been highly valued by the current emperor and have risen to prominence. Unfortunately, wealth and honor are not what I desire, so I have to serve as prime minister for five years. However, when you are in a position, you must govern. Now I want to tell you that establishing a crown prince is a major event for the country. From ancient times to the present, there is no greater merit than supporting a crown prince, and no greater harm than not supporting a crown prince properly."

"Even if the crown prince ascends the throne according to the will, he will be easily controlled by the eunuchs in the harem in the future. If the matter of establishing Jianzhu is not decided by us, the world will inevitably be in chaos sooner or later! At that time, we will all be sinners of the country, and we will not be able to see the temple after death!"

As he said this, Zhang Yue's tears rolled down his collar.

The other three were also impressed by Zhang Yue's "acting skills" and said one after another: "Prime Minister, please make the decision on the establishment of the crown prince!"

Zhang Yue wiped away his tears with a handkerchief and said, "However, discussing the issue of establishing a crown prince is extremely risky. I will be dismissed in just half a year, so it doesn't matter to me anymore. But I feel bad for involving you all and taking risks with me."

Lu Gongzhu is the only one among the three whose status and position can rival Zhang Yue.

He stood up and said, "Prime Minister, let's put aside the political discussion at this moment. We can discuss it slowly in the future, whether it is the Jiayou Reign or the Xining Reign, and the people of the world can come up with a public opinion. But if the crown prince is not decided by the three ministries and one court, but is controlled by women and eunuchs, then the country will be in danger."

"Today, the Prime Minister is willing to lead us to speak out against the emperor and tell him things that the emperor or the harem are unwilling to say. I, Lu Gongzhu, will accompany you even if I die."

Zhang Yue sighed when he heard this. Lu Gongzhu was right. Once he proposed to establish a crown prince, the emperor would definitely be very angry. At the same time, Empress Dowager Gao would definitely not be happy either.

My proposal to establish a crown prince offended two people at once. At present, both the emperor and the queen mother had high expectations of me.

But it is not recommended?

There will be endless troubles.

Should I bear the endless troubles in the future just for the sake of the present?

The principle of accumulating small victories into big ones, in other words, is to make small mistakes repeatedly so as not to make big ones.

You are being timid and timid in the matter of establishing a crown prince just to please the emperor or to take care of the Queen Mother Gao's ideas. That is a big mistake. Disasters will come slowly in the long run.

Look at the consequences of not daring to confront Wang Gui, and the fate of Cai Que who was too aggressive and competed with the Queen Mother for the credit of establishing the emperor. Both of them were not good.

Let's settle the matter today so that we don't have to fight over the "merit of establishing the policy" later.

In life, you must be a villain first and a gentleman later. Don't be afraid of offending people at the beginning and losing opportunities. What you should be most afraid of is that you hesitate and go back and forth, giving others expectations and investment, and finally disappointing them. This is the real way to offend people.

Wang Anli and Su Song were still a little hesitant. Yes, advocating for the establishment of a crown prince was a big bet. However, compared with the safety of the country, the personal risk was not worth mentioning.

Wang Anli hesitated for a moment and then said, "If my brother were here, he would agree with what the Prime Minister did."

Su Song said simply and clearly: "Do it well, do it well."

Seeing that the three had made up their minds, Zhang Yue looked at the snow in the palace outside the curtain and said, "When the time comes, you need to be bold and don't be careless when you are in a dilemma!"

After saying this, Zhang Yue walked to the desk and started writing.

At this moment, it is snowing heavily outside the hall!