Meishan Su family, Su Yun is the most virtuous

Chapter 416 The first year of Shaosheng!

Zhao Xu took back the power that belonged to him through an ignoble coup, but the situation in the court was complicated and intricate, like a mess that needed his urgent sorting out.

Empress Dowager Gao had controlled the government for a long time. Although he was the emperor, he was on the edge of power for a long time, with the position being empty but unable to govern.

Empress Dowager Gao's ruling methods were tough and arbitrary. Many decisions in the court were made by her, and Zhao Xu was just a spectator who was left aside.

However, as Zhao Xu grew older and Su Yun developed rapidly in the northwest, Zhao Xu's desire for power burned in his heart like a raging fire.

He was unwilling to be an emperor in name only, and taking back his own power became his most urgent desire.

In this political contest full of undercurrents, thrills and games, Zhao Xu successfully broke the Empress Dowager Gao's tight control over the government in an ignominious way that was almost "rebellion", and regained the power that belonged to him in one fell swoop.

When power returned to Zhao Xu, he knew very well that various forces in the court were intertwined. If he wanted to consolidate his rule and implement his own philosophy of governing the country, the use of people was crucial and must be done with extreme caution.

Zhao Xu was wary of Zhang Dun, the Su brothers and others because they had close ties with Su Yun and did not dare to employ them easily.

Su Yun had many complicated entanglements in the court, and the forces related to him became sensitive as a result.

Although Zhang Dun had certain talents, Zhao Xu was wary of his connection with Su Yun. He was worried that appointing him would trigger a series of uncontrollable chain reactions in the court, posing a potential threat to his rule.

The Su brothers, Su Shi and Su Zhe, were famous in the literary world and influential in the court. However, because of Su Yun, Zhao Xu was hesitant about whether to use them and finally chose to put it on hold.

As for Lu Dafang, Liu Zhi and others, they were wavering in their political stance, like grass on the wall.

During the period when Empress Dowager Gao was in power, in order to protect themselves, they catered to her in many policies and affairs, but their attitude towards Emperor Zhao Xu was ambiguous.

After Zhao Xu took power, he began to have great doubts about their loyalty.

In Zhao Xu's view, court ministers must be absolutely loyal to him before they can be entrusted with important tasks. However, the positions of Lu Dafang, Liu Zhi and others made Zhao Xu decisively exclude them from the core power circle.

But Lu Huiqing was an ambitious person, like a tiger always coveting more power.

In his past political career, he used all means to achieve his goals, and his style of doing things was very different from the image of a minister that Zhao Xu expected.

Moreover, when Zhao Xu sent Cheng Yi for help, Lu Huiqing's attitude was still very ambiguous, so Zhao Xu knew very well that if he appointed Lu Huiqing, it would very likely lead to a wolf entering the house and plunge the court into an endless power struggle.

Therefore, although Lu Huiqing had certain abilities and political experience, Zhao Xu had to reluctantly give him up.

After examining and considering these old officials in the court, Zhao Xu knew that in order to truly control the government and build his own power team, he must recruit a group of new people.

At this moment, the young man from Chengmen came into his sight.

There were eight disciples of Cheng, all of whom were talented and well-known in the academic circles and literati at that time. They could be said to be the best of the time.

Zhao Xu believed that these young people had not yet been contaminated by the corrupt atmosphere in the court, and their respect for Cheng's academic thought made them have relatively consistent values ​​and political ideas, making them easy to control and guide.

So, Zhao Xu began to entrust important tasks to the eight masters of Cheng's school in an orderly manner.

Ni Yongzhi was granted the key position of Privy Councilor and became the chief affairs officer of the Privy Council.

As the core institution in charge of the country's military and political secrets, the importance of the Privy Council is self-evident.

Ni Yongzhi was responsible for the delivery of important military and political documents, coordinating internal and external affairs among various departments within the Privy Council, and was often able to participate in discussions on military decisions.

He directly connected with the Privy Councilor, the highest military commander, and had access to a large amount of military secrets.

By appointing Ni Yongzhi, Zhao Xu successfully placed his own confidant in the Privy Council, allowing him to know every move of the Privy Council and thus firmly control the country's military power.

Xue Jiayi was appointed as the judge of the Three Departments, in charge of the specific affairs of the Three Departments (Salt and Iron, Ministry of Revenue, and Ministry of Households).

The Three Departments were in charge of the country's financial and economic lifelines. Salt and Iron were related to the control and revenue of important national resources. Duzhi was responsible for coordinating the country's fiscal revenue and expenditure. The Ministry of Revenue was in charge of the country's household registration, land, taxation and other matters.

With this position, Xue Jiayi actually controls the country's fiscal revenue, expenditure and taxation policies.

Zhao Xu's appointment of Xue Jiayi gave him direct control over the country's finances, providing a solid economic foundation for the subsequent implementation of various policies.

Yin Zhixian was appointed as the prosecutor of Kaifeng Prefecture in the capital, holding the important position of judicial and administrative deputy of Kaifeng Prefecture.

Kaifeng Prefecture, as the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, was the political, economic and cultural center of the country, and its status was special and important.

Yin Zhixian was in charge of the judicial trial work of Kaifeng Prefecture, responsible for hearing all kinds of major cases, and also shouldered the important task of managing the affairs of the capital region.

Zhao Xu placed Yin Zhixian in this position, which not only ensured judicial justice and social stability in the capital area, but also enabled him to timely understand the people's sentiments and political conditions in the capital and surrounding areas, and strengthen control over the Gyeonggi region.

In addition to the above three people, several other of the Eight Masters of Cheng were also given important positions.

Some were granted the title of Censor. As an important force in supervising all officials, Censors were able to supervise and impeach the behavior of officials in the court, ensure that officials abided by the law and maintain the integrity of the court.

Others were appointed as assistants, who were responsible for reporting important local military, civil affairs and other matters directly to the emperor, and became the emperor's eyes and ears in the local area.

In this way, Zhao Xu, through the careful appointment of the Eight Masters of Cheng's School, gradually established his own forces in various key departments of the court, successfully formed his own power team, and laid a solid foundation for a series of reforms and policy implementation after he took power.

Just as Zhao Xu was busy consolidating his power, Empress Dowager Gao was frightened and annoyed after power was forcibly taken back. She fell ill the next day and died half a month later.

This news was like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples throughout the court.

Although Empress Dowager Gao used tough and arbitrary means when she was in power, she was in power for seven or eight years after all, and had many old subordinates in the court.

When these people heard that the Queen Mother had passed away, they felt mixed emotions. They missed their past power but were also confused about the future.

When Zhao Xu learned that Empress Dowager Gao had passed away, he maintained the solemnity of an emperor on the surface, but deep in his heart, the complex emotions that had been suppressed for so long quietly surged.

The long-term oppression by Empress Dowager Gao had caused him great suffering. Now that the Empress Dowager had passed away, he felt an unprecedented sense of relief, but was also secretly worried that the Empress Dowager's old subordinates would take the opportunity to cause trouble.

In the court, ministers had different reactions to the death of Empress Dowager Gao.

Those officials who had benefited from Empress Dowager Gao's protection began to restrain their expressions, fearing that they would anger Zhao Xu, who had just come to power, by expressing their emotions inappropriately.

Some ministers who had been suppressed by Empress Dowager Gao or who wholeheartedly supported Zhao Xu's personal rule were secretly delighted, expecting the new emperor to carry out drastic reforms and open up a new political situation.

At the same time, various rumors began to circulate about the cause of Empress Dowager Gao's death.

Some people privately said that the Queen Mother fell ill because she was deprived of power and was so angry that she couldn't calm down; others speculated that the Queen Mother's death might be related to the secret tactics in the palace struggle. These rumors, like invisible wind, spread wantonly in the streets and alleys of the capital, causing panic among the people.

Zhao Xu knew very well that the situation must be stabilized as soon as possible, otherwise the rumors would spread more and more widely and would most likely cause turmoil in the court.

So he quickly issued an edict to bury Empress Dowager Gao with the rites of state mourning, and the funeral specifications were extremely grand.

At the funeral, Zhao Xu led all the civil and military officials in the court, dressed in plain clothes and with sad expressions, showing the demeanor of a filial son and a virtuous grandson.

On the one hand, this action of his was to demonstrate the royal family's filial piety and generosity to the world. On the other hand, it was also to use the funeral as an opportunity to show the court that even though he had a power struggle with Empress Dowager Gao, he always respected her status and position, in order to appease her former subordinates.

After the funeral, Zhao Xu did not let down his guard.

He knew very well that if he wanted to completely eliminate the hidden dangers that might be brought by Empress Dowager Gao's old subordinates, he would need to take a long-term view.

So he began to quietly carry out a new round of adjustments to court officials.

As for those former subordinates of Empress Dowager Gao who showed obvious signs of resistance or had ill intentions, Zhao Xu cleverly found excuses to transfer them out of the capital and send them to remote places to serve, thereby weakening their influence in the court.

As for some former ministers of the empress dowager who were willing to submit to him and had real talents and knowledge, Zhao Xu chose to use both kindness and force to win them over and gradually integrate them into his power system.

While dealing with these court affairs, Zhao Xu did not forget to continue consolidating his newly formed power team.

The eight disciples of Chengmen gradually played an important role in their respective positions. They were loyal to Zhao Xu and actively offered him advice.

Ni Yongzhi was in the Privy Council, where he managed the military and political affairs in an orderly manner and provided Zhao Xu with many valuable military suggestions;

Xue Jiayi enriched the national treasury through a series of reasonable financial measures in the Third Department, providing strong financial support for Zhao Xu's subsequent reform plans;

Yin Zhixian enforced the law impartially in Kaifeng Prefecture, making the capital city orderly and the people live and work in peace and contentment.

Afterwards, Zhao Xu reused Cheng Yi and Zeng Bu, and recalled the Cai Jing brothers to entrust them with important tasks. After completely controlling the Council of State and the Privy Council, Zhao Xu's true attitude towards Empress Dowager Gao finally became clear.

He quickly banished Lü Dafang and other members of the Empress Dowager's party from the capital, and showed political purges and emotional estrangement from Empress Dowager Gao.

Afterwards, he immediately changed the reign title, restored the Qingmiao Law, the Exemption from Military Service Law and other new policies of the Xining Period, and even wanted to abolish the posthumous title of "Xuanren" of Empress Dowager Gao.

In the court, this series of actions was like a violent storm, instantly making the already turbulent political situation even more chaotic.

Lü Dafang and other core members of the rear party were expelled from the capital, and the power network they had built up over the years began to collapse under Zhao Xu's drastic measures.

These exiled people were filled with resentment and unwillingness, but they were powerless to resist and could only set out on the journey to remote places in the bitter wind and rain.

However, the reactions of the court ministers to the restoration of the Xining New Deal were completely different.

The fire of hope was rekindled in the hearts of those officials who supported the reform.

They believed that Zhao Xu's move was to restore order and would hopefully put the country back on the path to prosperity.

Cheng Yi, Zeng Bu and others responded positively, and made impassioned speeches in the court, emphasizing the many benefits of the new policy to the country, and advocating its vigorous implementation so that the results of the new policy could benefit all quarters as soon as possible.

However, there are also many opponents.

They are worried that the restoration of the new policy will disrupt the existing interest structure and bring instability to society.

Some conservative officials wrote letters to the emperor, earnestly advising Zhao Xu, listing the various drawbacks that had arisen in the implementation of the new policies and pleading with the emperor to think twice before acting.

But at this time, Zhao Xu's determination to reform was as firm as a rock, and he turned a deaf ear to these voices of opposition.

The court was caught up in a heated debate over whether to abolish Empress Dowager Gao's posthumous title of "Xuanren".

Some ministers believed that although Empress Dowager Gao had held power for a long time, she had raised the royal family after all, and had made achievements during her reign. Abolishing her posthumous title was too decisive and might discourage people across the country.

However, Zhao Xu had made up his mind. In his opinion, the years of suppression of him by Empress Dowager Gao was an indelible pain in his heart. Now that he was in power, he was bound to vent the resentment that had been suppressed for many years.

Just as the court was arguing over the issue of posthumous titles, public opinion outside the palace was quietly changing.

At first, the people were mostly on the sidelines about the series of measures taken by Zhao Xu after he took power. But as the new policies were gradually implemented, some benefits began to emerge.

The restoration of the Qingmiao Law enabled many farmers to obtain low-interest loans from the government during the lean period, solving their urgent needs.
The re-implementation of the exemption law meant that the people no longer had to bear the burden of heavy labor and could focus on production.

Gradually, people began to praise Zhao Xu more and more, and the people were full of expectations for the reforms of the young emperor.

By the Spring Festival of the first year of Shaosheng, the Song Dynasty had become a country of changing emperors and ministers, and the ministers in power during the Yuanyou period had completely disappeared from the court.

Zhao Xu sat upright on the majestic dragon throne, overlooking the newly renovated court, his heart filled with lofty ambitions.

At this time, he held great power in his hands, surrounded by his carefully selected and trained confidants, and was ready to write his own glorious chapter in the long scroll of history of the Song Dynasty.

During the Spring Festival, the capital city is decorated with lights and is extremely bustling.

However, beneath this festive and peaceful atmosphere, there are many political undercurrents.

Zhao Xu did not relax his control over the situation during this festive occasion.

He frequently summoned the Eight Masters of Cheng's School, Cheng Yi, Zeng Bu, and the Cai Jing brothers to the palace to discuss with them in depth the further implementation strategies of the new policies and the subsequent arrangements of the court.

Cheng Yi, as a master of Neo-Confucianism, often analyzed the key points of governing the country for Zhao Xu from the perspective of Confucian classics and moral ethics. He emphasized that in the process of implementing the new policy, attention should be paid to education and people's livelihood, and benevolence and righteousness should be the basis, so that the people can enjoy the benefits of the new policy while also receiving good moral education.

Cheng's school of thought seemed to have become as popular in the capital as Su's school of thought did in the past, especially after Cheng Yi was summoned to the Council of State.

Zeng Bu, with his rich political experience, sorted out the potential relationships among various forces in the court for Zhao Xu, and suggested that while continuing to suppress the remnants of the old party, it is also necessary to cleverly balance the distribution of power within the new party to prevent internal conflicts caused by excessive concentration of power.

At this time, the Cai Jing brothers fully demonstrated their ability to maneuver and get things done.

Cai Jing was familiar with the terms of the New Deal and was able to quickly and accurately work out a detailed implementation plan, with everything from the selection and appointment of local officials to the supervision and assessment of policy implementation being arranged in an orderly manner.

Cai Bian used his connections in the literary and official circles to actively promote the New Deal, portraying it as a panacea for saving the Song Dynasty from its long-standing ills. This attracted widespread attention and discussion among the scholar-official class and the general public.

At this point, Zhao Xu was finally able to free his hands and look towards the northwest.

(End of this chapter)