Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 425 Evenly divided
Moonlight is like water.

The fragrance of flowers is faint in the evening breeze.

Yang Yuan, dressed in dark blue tights, swept into Liu's residence, as light as a swallow.

He had just been here in the afternoon, and when he came again at this time, the gentle and elegant top scholar turned into a jade thief.

The weeping willows by the pond swayed gently in the breeze, creating hazy colors on the water.

Yang Yuan easily climbed up to an embroidered building among the fragrant flowers.

No one is asleep in the small building yet.

Liu Yanran was wearing a silk gown as thin as a cicada's wing and holding a silk fan in her hand, looking thoughtful.

The weather was not yet hot, but the small fan in his hand was still fanning gently from time to time.

The weather is not hot, but her heart is hot.

Jiro...will come, right?
Liu Yanran suddenly felt unsure and panicked for no reason.

However, just as she thought of this, it was only halfway through the second watch when a figure appeared in front of her.

Just like the outfit on that stormy night.

He was wearing a tight suit and a hood, revealing only a pair of piercing eyes.

Correct!
That's it!

Liu Yanran's legs suddenly went weak.

When Liu Yanran saw Yang Yuan in the daytime, she felt nothing as he was graceful, elegant, and had the demeanor of a top scholar.

At this time, he was dressed in tights, so his face couldn't be seen clearly. All that was revealed was a pair of aggressive eyes and his physique as strong as a leopard when he was dressed in tights.

Liu Yanran seemed to be back to that night and that moment in an instant.

There was no thunderstorm tonight, but Liu Yanran's heart was already overwhelmed...

Fortunately, she was sitting at the moment, so she didn't collapse due to weak legs.

The arrogance and cruelty displayed by Yang Yuan on that stormy night, the power that could break her neck with his big hand on her slender neck in a blink of an eye, had already penetrated deeply into her body and mind.

She just wanted to submit to Yang Yuan, a man like that, inexplicably, and wanted to kneel down and worship him, and want to devoutly put her life and death in his hands.

The feeling of having her life and death controlled by him, being brutally ravaged and shown no mercy, was something that she could never forget, even though she had only experienced gentle breezes and drizzles for many years.

At that time, she was like a toy in Yang Yuan's hands. He was so powerful, so powerful that it was unbelievable.

Just a thought in my mind can ripple the spring water...

……

After Yang Yuan sneaked into the small building, he only glanced at Liu Yanran and then quickly looked around the room.

He knew in his heart that Liu Yanran couldn't have set an ambush here.

That secret was a secret that could not be told to him, and the same was true for Liu Yanran.

Suddenly knowing in the daytime that Liu Shangqiu's sixth sister was the concubine in the palace that night, Yang Yuan typed the "Morse code" not out of fear, but out of nervousness and embarrassment.

However, Liu Yanran's identity was still a taboo for him, not to mention that he was dressed like that, so he had to be careful.

No one was around.

Of course, it is impossible for there to be an expert hiding his aura in the Liu family's embroidered building.

If it were an ordinary person, or even a master who simply practiced external skills, his heavy breathing would be heard by him in such a quiet night.

The boudoir is very quiet and elegant, with tables, chairs, couches, screens, and bowls all exquisite and noble.

"Ji Lang, sit down."

Liu Yanran pointed across the table with her small fan.

On the table, there were four exquisite cold dishes and a pot of fine wine.

The lamp was placed on the side of the table. Under the lamp, the beauty's skin was as white as ice and as delicate as jade, with a slightly pink glow, making her look particularly charming.

Yang Yuan pondered for a moment, then walked over and sat down opposite.

After thinking for a while, he took off the hood again.

Sure enough it was him!

Although, I knew it was him.

Seeing that handsome face with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, two blushes appeared on Liu Yanran's face, which was as white as snow and jade.

She bit her lip and stood up to pour wine for Yang Yuan.

A pair of smooth, slender hands appear particularly round and charming under the light.

After pouring the wine into the glass, Yang Yuan looked up and saw two deep pools of fermented wine that had been waiting there for a long time.

Just a moment of eye contact is enough to make people's hearts and minds fly.

She is indeed a stunning imperial concubine chosen from millions.

"Hey! Yang has never seen Sixth Lady's appearance before, so I really don't know what happened that night..."

Yang Yuan was a little embarrassed, but he still had to say it.

Liu Yanran sat down, glanced at him, and asked faintly: "What would happen if Erlang knew who I was that night?"

Yang Yuan thought about it seriously, and his face turned a little embarrassed: "It's still the same."

Liu Yanran's cheeks became as red as peach blossoms in March.

Liu Yanran said: "Because of Erlang, I have been expelled from the palace.

I am now in my prime, Erlang, have you ever thought about what I should do in the future? "

Yang Yuan smiled bitterly and said, "I...originally thought you were just an ordinary concubine of no rank.

Relying on the fact that I am a member of the Imperial Dragon Guard, I have been guarding outside the Hening Gate, thinking that if I see you being dismissed from the palace, I will find a chance to bring you home."

Yang Yuan paused, and said, "Although Yang Yuan had no choice, but since he has been involved with my wife, naturally... he wants to give you an explanation."

Liu Yanran asked: "So what about now?"

Yang Yuan sighed and said nothing.

Liu Yanran stared at him for a long time, then suddenly smiled and said, "Erlang, please drink."

She raised the glass to signal Yang Yuan, then covered her face with her sleeves and drank the wine in the glass.

Seeing this, Yang Yuan also raised his glass and drank it all.

Liu Yanran poured wine for him and served him food...

The silk clothes are scattered, the brocade is fragrant, the clothes are fragrant, the hair is beautiful, and the red sleeves add wine...

If you don't know the identities of the two people, this scene is really beautiful.

Liu Yanran said: "Once the imperial concubines of the Song Dynasty are dismissed from the palace, they are allowed to marry as they please, and the royal family does not interfere."

Yang Yuan thought of the rules of later dynasties and felt that the Song Dynasty system was very humane, so he nodded.

Liu Yanran said: "However, the system is like this, but the rules are not like this.

Those who aspire to enter the government would never choose a concubine from the imperial palace as their wife."

Yang Yuan nodded again. This was natural, and he understood the reason behind it.

Liu Yanran said: "So, the only people I can choose are scholars who do not intend to enter the government, or farmers, businessmen, or industrialists."

Liu Yanran stared at Yang Yuan and said, "My elder sister has found a family for me. He is a famous scholar.

My eldest sister wants me to be his second wife. That gentleman... is fifty-nine years old this year."

Liu Yanran was also ruthless enough to add ten years to the age of that nearly fifty-year-old, yet still elegant, celebrity in the Shilin community.

Yang Yuan's eyes widened when he heard this.

A pear tree overshadows a crabapple tree?

It’s an enviable thing to think about, but if you were the one who had touched that crabapple tree, it would be unbearable.

Yang Yuan's face suddenly darkened: "How can this be! How can your elder sister treat you like this?"

Liu Yanran sighed quietly and said, "Big sister meant well.

Otherwise..., a landlord, a workshop owner, a merchant..., which one would Erlang want people to choose?"

Yang Yuan was suddenly speechless.

Liu Yanran invited him to drink again. After they drank for a while, Liu Yanran said, "I know Erlang is already married. When I was in the palace, I also met Miss Song. She is a good girl."

Yang Yuan couldn't intervene in this matter, so he just drank.

Liu Yanran added: "As for me, although the royal family allows marriage, there are actually two unwritten rules. One is that you cannot marry an official, and the other is that you cannot be someone's concubine."

Yang Yuan smiled bitterly.

He originally thought that the woman he met that night was a palace concubine of a very low status and rank, so he wanted to find her and take her in, without anyone knowing.

But... Liu Yanran is the first of the nine concubines, and the Liu family is not a small family. He can't make any promises to her now.

She was doing well as an imperial concubine. Now she is only 24 years old. In another two years, she will be one of the four concubines, and in the future she will definitely be the imperial dowager.

Now she had killed her man and bullied him, and now she was going to end up like this. Although Yang Yuan had no choice, he still felt guilty towards her.

Yang Yuan said hesitantly: "This fact is Yang Yuan's fault, but I don't know how to compensate Sixth Lady.

If the Sixth Lady has any instructions, as long as Yang Yuan can do it, he will do his best to do it. "

"Is this true?"

"No lies at all."

Liu Yanran spun the wine glass lightly with her jade fingers, lowered her eyes and said, "Yanran doesn't want to get married again.

But...but Erlang is Xiaoqiu's friend, he should be able to visit the house more often.

Just ask him to meet Erlang from time to time and have a few heart-to-heart talks with you."

Liu Yanran spoke very subtly, and Yang Yuan naturally understood what she meant.

Is that a visit?
That's stealing jade and stealing fragrance!
However, she is still very young. If she doesn’t remarry, will the Liu family elders agree?
Besides, if he really had been secretly associating with her for a long time, and she got pregnant, how could he hide it from the Liu family?

Yang Yuan suddenly remembered that he had read a novel called "Return to the Ming Dynasty to Become a Prince" in his previous life.

Princess Yongfu was unable to marry her lover who already had a wife due to her status, so the minister Jiao Fang gave her an idea: to become a nun.

When you become a monk, all the four elements are gone and you cut off all worldly ties.

The title of Her Royal Highness the Princess of the Ming Dynasty was also revoked.

Then, she returned to secular life, taking advantage of the time difference to be with her lover.

The young Emperor Zhengde cooperated well and only then did he belatedly re-ennoble his sister who had returned to secular life.

My situation is very different from others, but I can still be inspired by them.

If Liu Yanran were to become a nun and go to a remote nunnery or Taoist temple that didn't interact with the outside world...

After three or two years, no one will care about Liu's sixth sister anymore.

Then take her back to the Yang family?
His family even has the Japanese god and Nara ninja, so what's so great about having a concubine from the former dynasty? All he needs to do is ask her to be more careful when going out in the future.

But... we can't hide this from the Liu family, right?

How can I say that I want someone to be separated from their family forever?

Seeing that he remained silent, Liu Yanran's face gradually turned pale, and she asked in a trembling voice, "Erlang, are you unwilling?"

"Huh? No!"

Yang Yuan said hurriedly: "I was just wondering if there is a better way to stay with Sixth Lady forever."

Liu Yanran's eyes lit up and she asked, "Are you serious?"

Yang Yuan said, "Why would I lie to you? It's just that I don't have any idea at the moment." Liu Yanran said happily, "Erlang has this intention, and I am satisfied. As for the method, you can think about it slowly."

She bit her lip, then stood up gently, took Yang Yuan's hand, and said softly, "Erlang, follow me!"

Liu Yanran held the lamp in one hand and held Yang Yuan's hand with the other, and walked down the small building gracefully.

There is a room at the end of the first floor. As soon as you open the door, you will be greeted by light.

This turned out to be a bathroom, with a hot spring pool about ten feet square. The pool was filled with mist and had already been filled with hot water.

Liu Yanran put the lamp in place, looked back at Yang Yuan and smiled, then walked slowly into the hot spring.

When a person enters the hot spring, her wings fade away, and she becomes like a newly peeled lychee, revealing the smooth and sweet flesh.

The girl was moved, she was moved.

The young woman is tempted, so she takes action!
Yang Yuan's breathing couldn't help but quicken.

After bathing, the two went back upstairs and lowered the curtains.

On the brocade tent, Concubine Liu was really beautiful.

The drizzle moistens the green moss, and red heather apricots bloom beside the pond.

However, when Yang Yuan was thinking about "sneaking into the night with the wind, moistening things silently",
Perhaps because she had been very hungry for many years, Liu Yanran stretched out her arms, wrapped them around his neck, and whispered in his ear:
"Nunu misses that barbaric and domineering assassin who contradicted the imperial concubine. Erlang, can you please ask him to come out and see..."

……

It rained suddenly and the wind was strong all night. Before dawn, Yang Yuan quietly flew away while Liu Yanran was reluctant to leave.

The scenery of this night is naturally endless, but it is not a solution if we always come and go at night.

Especially since Liu Yanran was so passionate at the moment, it would be inappropriate for her not to come often, and it would be tiring for her to come disguised as a thief at night.

But Yang Yuan couldn't think of a very appropriate solution at the moment, so he could only take it one step at a time.

Zhao Yuan is now taking one step at a time. He keeps taking action and testing the waters.

For all actions, always plan before you act. If you don’t act, then it’s fine. But when you act, it’s as fast as thunder.

Compared to his cheap adoptive father, Zhao Yuan's courage is much stronger.

Taking advantage of Qin Hui's conviction, Zhao Yuan convened a royal meeting to study changing a system that was led by Qin Hui.

The Goose King Zhao Yu also made a rare appearance at this imperial meeting.

At the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, there was a situation where the prime minister also served as the privy councilor.

This will not only allow the prime minister to become familiar with military affairs, but also prevent civil officials and military generals from excluding each other, making it easier to coordinate government affairs and military affairs.

However, the disadvantages are obviously greater.

In time, the prime minister will be in charge of both military and political affairs, and it will be easy for him to overthrow the emperor or change the dynasty.

Therefore, this was just a wartime system in the late Northern Song Dynasty to deal with extreme situations.

After the Song Dynasty moved south, especially after the "Shaoxing Peace Agreement", this wartime system should have been abolished and the old system of separation of the military and political governments should have been restored.

However, Prime Minister Qin Hui continued this expedient measure as a custom.

This is also the reason why Zhao Gou refused to let go of the three yamen.

Otherwise, Qin Hui could depose and enthrone the emperor at any time, or even replace him without difficulty.

From this point of view, Zhao Gou is still quite capable.

Although Qin Hui later gave up the position of Privy Councilor and handed it over to his son Qin Hui, what is the difference between this and still keeping it in his hands?
Now, the Privy Councilor is Yang Cunzhong, which has in fact completed the old system that the prime minister cannot concurrently serve as the Privy Councilor.

However, Zhao Yuan wanted to make it completely clear from the perspective of the court system.

Wanqi Xie's trouser pocket was full of shit and he couldn't wipe it clean.

Shen Gai also felt that this was a way to maintain national stability and he strongly supported it.

With the crucial vote of the Prince of Jin, the system was finally passed smoothly and promulgated to the world in the form of an "edict".

The imperial edict is the emperor's order to establish a system.

The Secretariat drafted the document, the Ministry of Personnel reviewed and signed it, the Prime Minister and the Vice-Chancellor signed it, and the Emperor affixed his seal and announced it to the world.

If all the ministers do not sign, the emperor cannot announce it as a system to the world.

The imperial power cannot do whatever it wants. This is a restriction on the imperial power.

Not to mention Zhao Yuan, even Zhao Kuangyin, the founding emperor of the Song Dynasty, encountered this kind of thing.

When Zhao Kuangyin proclaimed himself emperor, the three prime ministers Fan Zhi, Wang Pu and Wei Renjing, who were former ministers of the Later Zhou Dynasty, felt uneasy and resigned one after another.

Zhao Kuangyin had little experience in governing, and after failing to retain the prime minister, he approved his resignation before appointing a new prime minister.

As a result, during this period, a "power vacuum" appeared in the administrative center of the Song Dynasty, and there was no prime minister in the inner palace.

When Zhao Kuangyin wanted to appoint Zhao Pu as prime minister, he discovered that there was no prime minister to "counter-sign" him.

Without the prime minister's "countersignature", the appointment edict will not have legal effect in the national sense.

Zhao Kuangyin was at a loss.

He thought, I am the emperor and I appoint the prime minister, so why is it not enough for me to sign?

It really doesn’t work.

Therefore, Emperor Taizu of Song had no choice but to seek help from the Hanlin scholars, searching for allusions and precedents to see how to solve the problem.

In the end, the Hanlin scholars searched through history books and tried every possible means, and finally they thought of Kaifeng Prefecture Prefect Zhao Guangyi as the "Tongpingzhangshi", who was also the prime minister.

Although from the late Tang Dynasty to the early Song Dynasty, many princes, privy councilors, governors, and military governors served as co-prime ministers, it was only an honorary title and they did not have the power of a prime minister.

But no matter what, he is still the prime minister.

Zhao Kuangyin breathed a sigh of relief and quickly called his brother to sign and "countersign" the imperial edict.

Only then was Zhao Pu appointed as the prime minister recognized by the world.

Now Zhao Yuan wants to overturn the wartime regulations that started with Qin Hui, in which the prime minister concurrently presides over the Privy Council.

Although it was legitimate, although Wanqi Xie was keeping a low profile now in order to have a way out, and although Shen Gai felt that it was conducive to the long-term stability of the court.

They still exchanged some benefits from the government, which allowed it to pass smoothly.

This political game, which was not put on the table, was that Zhao Yuan had to agree to the nomination of two prime ministers and add two ministers.

Wei Liangchen was appointed as a direct scholar of Fuwen Pavilion and assistant prime minister.

Tang Situi, the Vice Minister of Rites, was promoted to Academician of Duanming Palace and Co-Prime Minister.

Both of them are peace-loving ministers.

But the brothers Zhao Yuan and Zhao Qiu were of one mind, and after some bargaining in the imperial meeting, they also won a position as prime minister for themselves.

They re-employed Zhang Jun, who had been dismissed from his official position and title by Qin Hui in the 16th year of Shaoxing because he wrote a letter to the court suggesting active preparations for war against the Jin Dynasty. They restored his title of Grand Secretary of Guanwen Hall and Duke of the State, and concurrently appointed him as the Acting Vice-Chancellor.

This is like inserting a person who can be consistent with the government into the team of prime ministers.

……

Yang Yuan’s “vacation” is almost over.

On this day, he was fulfilling his promise and taking Hua Yin and Xiao Nai on a pleasure boat tour of West Lake.

Hanane and Xiaonai fed him fruits from his left and right.

As for Ji Xiang, she was disobedient and had just talked back to him. Now he was ordering her to squat under the table and reflect on the consequences of talking back.

The Ministry of Personnel has submitted the appointment arrangements for 157 new imperial examination candidates to the ministers.

After the ministers agreed to it, they submitted it to the government.

When the emperor saw the appointment memorial, Goose King Zhao Yu was entering the palace.

Yang Cunzhong and Zhang Jun are among the prime ministers' team, so they will naturally reveal the news to him in advance.

This was not against the rules, as the Prince of Jin was "the chief imperial official and a participant in the decision-making of military and national affairs." He was qualified to know about this and to be involved in it.

If he does not sign and counter-sign, the appointment decree will be invalid.

When Zhao Yuan received the memorial, the first thing he did was to look at the appointments of the three people in the first class.

Among them, Yang Yuan, who is the most popular, will definitely have some twists and turns in his appointment, and Zhao Yuan has already been prepared for this.

But when he unfolded the memorial, Zhao Yuan was still surprised.

The Ministry of Personnel actually appointed Yang Yuan as the Tongpan of Jiankang Prefecture, and the ministers actually agreed.

Jiankang Prefecture...that place is certainly not a bad one. It is the temporary capital of the Song Dynasty, an important town in the southeast, and an important place second only to the capital.

As the saying goes, the root of the country lies in the southeast, and the root of the southeast lies in Jiankang.

The majestic mountains served as a city, the Yangtze River served as a pond, and boats, carriages and canals served as transport, with several routes converging on it. This is today's Guanzhong and Henei.

But it is not the capital after all, and the top scholar is always supposed to stay in the capital. Is this kicking Yang Yuan out of the core circle?
Zhao Yuan was immediately furious. Was he arranging Yang Yuan's whereabouts? Was he showing his sharp claws to the newly enthroned emperor?

If he gave in this time, where would the king's power be? It would certainly boost their power and make them even more unscrupulous in the future.

Just then, His Royal Highness the Goose King came into the palace with a sullen face and anger.

After some discussion, the two brothers convened an "Imperial Conference".

However, the two prime ministers Wei Liangchen and Tang Situi insisted on their own opinions.

They believed that the capital of the Song Dynasty was Bianliang and Lin'an was just a "temporary capital", so there was no question of not allowing the top scholar to serve in the capital.

Jiankang was the secondary capital of the Song Dynasty. Before Lin'an became the "temporary capital", Jiankang was the secondary capital. One can imagine how important its status was.

The reason they wanted to appoint Yang Yuan to Jiankang was that Qin Hui had been managing Jiankang for many years and intended to turn the place where he once worked into a retreat.

Therefore, Qin Hui had many followers in Jiankang.

Although Wang Xunyou, the prefect of Zhenjiang, was confused last time and wrote a letter to advise Qin Hui to grant him the Nine Gifts, Qin Hui, who was plotting the Xiangji Temple Incident and was guilty of a crime, "killed his own relatives for the sake of justice" and exiled him to Liuzhou.

However, the person Qin Hui replaced as the prefect of Jiankang Prefecture was still his man.

In addition, Qin Hui's followers were "arranged" by Jiankang, and Ding Si, deputy general manager of the Jiangdong cavalry and infantry army, was his chief steward.

Although these people have been liquidated now, who knows if there are more who have not been dug out?
Moreover, many new officials had just been appointed to Jiankang and their foundations were too shallow.

At this time, transferring the top scholar to be the second-in-command of Jiankang Prefecture is an important task. What's wrong with that?
Zhao Qu didn't care whether he was right or not. He just knew that this was a warning to Yang Yuan so that he could be kicked out of the court.

If you stay there for too long, your influence in the court will naturally be reduced a lot.

Zhao Qu wanted Yang Yuan to be the proofreader in the Secretariat, and he wanted it.

At the imperial meeting, the Emperor, Prince of Jin, Privy Councilor Yang Cunzhong, and Vice-Chancellor Zhang Jun believed that Yang Yuan should remain in Lin'an.

The two prime ministers Wanqi Xie and Shen Gai, and the vice-chancellors Wei Liangchen and Tang Situi believed that Yang Yuan should go to Jiankang Prefecture to take charge of the overall situation.

Four votes to four.

Zhao Yuan wanted to hold an "enlarged meeting before the emperor" and invite the ministers of the six ministries to discuss the matter together.

However, among the six ministries, the three ministers of Personnel, Revenue and Punishment were on the same page as Shen Gai, while the remaining three ministers of Rites, War and Works were still evenly matched, with three votes against three.

Zhao Yuan had just ascended the throne, so it was not easy for him to act on his own when half of the court officials were strongly opposed.

Wanqi Xie wanted Yang Yuan to go to Jiankang to clean up the remnants of Qin Hui, while King Goose wanted Yang Yuan to go to the Secretariat to proofread books, and the two were arguing with each other.

Yang Cun Zhong proposed a compromise suggestion, which was to let Yang Yuan go to the Imperial College to serve as a supervisor and teach.

As for the academic official, even though he stayed in Lin'an, he would not have any influence on the government affairs.

But Wanqi Xie and Shen Gai are so experienced. If you leave them in Lin'an first and then adjust their positions later, won't it be the same?
It is quite easy to adjust an academic official, unlike taking up a local post, where one cannot be easily transferred without sufficient reasons.

Therefore, they still firmly opposed it and criticized Yang Cunzhong harshly.

When both sides were refusing to give in, urgent military information suddenly came from the border: the Jin Kingdom was frequently mobilizing troops and had assembled heavy troops in the Caizhou (Ru'nan) area, seemingly with some intention.

The situation in the court suddenly became tense...

PS: I will return home at night, two in one~
(End of this chapter)