A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 270 An Unheard-of Event
"It's hard to describe in words."

Chen Yaozuo sighed deeply.

"I've lived to such an old age, and I never imagined I'd be so humiliated by a junior!"

"I was still cornered at my own doorstep, and people started publicizing it in the street!"

Lu Yijian had heard some rumors, but not all of them, so he didn't make any hasty decisions.
"Brother Xiyuan, is there any misunderstanding during this period?"

"I have also met Song Twelve. He is not as arrogant and domineering as rumored. He just sometimes seems to have a fiery temper."

"Moreover, this child has a limitless future and will surely become an asset to our governance in the future!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yaozi knew that Lü Yijian was acting as an intermediary for his good son-in-law.

Was Lü Yijian there to comfort people?
They're blatantly using their son-in-law's wounds to rub salt into the wounds on their second brother's face!

They were afraid that the Chen family would lose face.

Chen Yaozi immediately snorted:
"Prime Minister Lü is right. There really is no misunderstanding between my second brother and Song Xuan!"

"However, Prime Minister Lü does tend to side with his good son-in-law."

"His potential to achieve three consecutive top scores is truly remarkable!"

"He's barely twenty now, and who knows, before he's even thirty, he'll be wearing a purple robe, standing above us, becoming Prime Minister Lü's right-hand man!"

Chen Yaozi launched into a sarcastic and sarcastic remark, laced with veiled barbs.

Anyway, you've found a good son-in-law, and my second brother also wants a good son-in-law.

As a result, not only did my second brother not find the body, he was also humiliated in this way.

It's true that other people's slaps didn't land on your face, Lü Yijian.

It's so easy for you to say things that make people magnanimous!

Chen Yaozi actually had even dirtier things to say, but he didn't tell anyone.

Lu Yijian looked at Chen Yaozi, who was standing there, with considerable surprise.

The events of today are known to everyone in Tokyo, not just the people there.

The news spread so quickly that half of Tokyo should know about it.

Song Xuan refused the Lü family's offer of marriage.

How could you say such a thing!

And you still say there's no misunderstanding here?
That boomerang came way too fast.

“Song Twelve is not my son-in-law; he has already agreed to be Cao Shizhong’s son-in-law.”

"what?"

The three members of the Chen family immediately wore expressions of disbelief.

How can it be?

Cao utilizes a military family that has risen to prominence in the last twenty years.

His sons were all stationed on guard duty in the palace and had no intention of taking the imperial examinations.

Moreover, under the current circumstances, it is unlikely that any war will break out with foreign powers.

These sons of military families will spend their entire lives standing guard.

In the matter of finding a son-in-law from among those listed on the imperial examination list, how could Cao Liyong possibly compete with the Lü family, which has been operating for decades?

It must be because you, Lü Yijian, offered too little, right?
They were as reluctant to part with it as Cao Liyong.

Otherwise it doesn't make sense at all.

Looking at the expressions of the two brothers, Lü Yijian knew that they were unaware of this matter.

Song Xuan did not say anything to the outside world that the Lü family woman was sick or anything like that.

"Is Prime Minister Lü joking or just trying to amuse himself?"

Chen Yaozuo took the initiative to ask a question, because he also felt that Lü Yijian was rubbing salt into his wounds.

"What do you mean, deliberately trying to make fun of me?"

Lü Yijian never expected to lose to Cao Liyong:

"Song Twelve is still young and has a fondness for women."

Lu Yijian told the two brothers, who had long since given up that kind of thing:
"You two brothers shouldn't look at me like that. Actually, at first I also thought that Song Xuan was just trying to appease me."

"But when I think about it, no matter what, Cao Liyong can help him more than I can as his father-in-law. Everyone else thinks that way, and I thought so at first too."

"But Song Twelve has the mindset of a child prodigy. His thoughts and ideas are different from all of us. Therefore, I think what he said can only be true, and he said it with utmost sincerity."

Chen Yaozi glanced at his second brother.

Since ancient times, heroes have been sad for beauty.

I have no idea how stunningly beautiful Cao used his daughter!
"So he's not your son-in-law?"

Lu Yijian sighed deeply: "I would like to."

However, if her daughter's blood and qi are too weak, she may not be able to conceive.

This makes it look rather unsightly.

Chen Yaozi immediately spoke up:

"How could Prime Minister Lü still speak so kindly to him?"

"Since ancient times, it has been better to resolve conflicts than to create them."

Lü Yijian intends to use these two brothers in the future.

If the third son can't become prime minister, there's always the second son.

Especially since Chen Yaozuo had just taken up the position of Prefect of Kaifeng and hadn't even settled in yet, he caused such a mess.

How can I advance further in the future?

Moreover, Lü Yijian felt that Song Xuan was not someone to be trifled with!
He's really easy to mess with.

Does someone who dares to publicly berate a member of the imperial clan deserve the surname Zhao?
As a result, Zhao Yundi was demoted and imprisoned to reflect on his actions.

He would never have cursed Chen Yaozuo so rudely at the Chen residence today.

In Lü Yijian's view, Song Xuan, that arrogant young man, was very likely to actually pass the imperial examination with top honors in all three categories.

His policy essay completely overwhelmed the second-place finisher.

Even though Liang Qian's father and grandfather were both top scholars in the Song Dynasty, they had no chance of winning against Song Xuan!

Lü Yijian believed that Song Xuan's future career was likely to be very promising.

Both Empress Dowager Liu and the current emperor highly praised him.

In officialdom, it is quite normal to compromise with each other to achieve one's own goals.

Just like Lü Yijian himself, he compromised with Empress Dowager Liu and with the Prime Minister Wang Zeng. His subservience was only temporary.

As long as you remain in the court for a long time and become an evergreen, many trees will surely come to protect you and join you.

Since Song Xuan wasn't brought in as a son-in-law, Lü Yijian felt that, given his relationship with his cousin, he still had a good chance of joining the Lü family's influence.

Now that I am taking care of Song Xuan, Song Xuan will surely take care of the Lü family in the future.

Otherwise, if you suppress them now, do you think the Lü family will feel good when they rise to a high position?
"No."

Chen Yaozi immediately said angrily:
“Song Xuan openly insulted the Chen family’s traditions and spread rumors that we could control the results of the palace examination. If we do not retaliate, we will be confirming Song Xuan’s claims.”

"Moreover, my second brother has just taken office as the prefect of Kaifeng and has not accomplished anything yet, but he is being framed like this. He has lost all his prestige. How can he continue to govern this capital region in the future?"

What Chen Yaozi, who had served as the Prefect of Kaifeng, said was not reasonable.

You suffered a major setback as soon as you took office, and you didn't dare to utter a single word. Who will respect you in the future?
How can you achieve good results?
Lu Yijian agreed upon hearing this. He had originally intended to let the matter drop, but the waters of Tokyo were too deep.

If Chen Yaozuo were to be labeled an "incompetent prefect," no matter how much he paved the way, he would never be able to reach the position of prime minister.

"So what do you think we should do?"

Upon hearing that Lü Yijian had relented, Chen Yaozi immediately understood.

Song Xuan rejected his offer of a son-in-law, but Lü Yijian actually harbored resentment towards him.

Now he and his second brother occupy the same ecological niche, which is the failed father-in-law alliance.

"Strike first."

How to strike first?

Chen Yaozi said, "Find an imperial censor to impeach him. He is too arrogant and insulted the Prefect of Kaifeng in the street!"

"inappropriate."

Chen Yaozu shook his head and said:

"I wrote that letter annuling the engagement myself."

Handwriting is something that can definitely be identified.

"Then you'll deny it to the death." Chen Yaozi chuckled.
"There are plenty of people in the world who are good at imitating handwriting."

Lu Yijian didn't get involved; he hadn't figured out what to do yet.

After all, this kind of thing is so prominent that there's no opportunity to refer to previous examples.

Moreover, it is rare in the world for an imperial censor to impeach a candidate.

The purpose of censors was to supervise the behavior of court officials.

"and many more."

Lu Yijian suddenly spoke up: "Isn't your main target that scholar named Han Qi?"

"If Song Xuan hadn't said those words, it would have been to put Han Qi in a bad light. It's all because Song Xuan was so talkative!"

Chen Yaozi said fiercely:

"Whether you pass the imperial examination in three consecutive rounds or not, you're already this arrogant even without passing. If you were to actually pass, wouldn't you be taking advantage of the Chen family?"

The Chen family also had a sense of honor; the three brothers were all top scholars in the imperial examinations, and their father served as an official in the Later Shu.

Although my elder brother has passed away, he was still a prime minister and left behind many connections.

Lu Yijian offered Chen Yaozu a few words of comfort, then got up to take his leave, unable to persuade him any further.

They are a community of shared interests.

Moreover, the Chen family really suffered a loss; they practically vomited blood.

If he continues to obstruct, how can he "lead people to higher positions" in the future, and how can he gain the respect of the masses?

So sometimes, you can't just stay out of trouble if you want to.

Lu Yijian walked out of the Chen residence gate, thinking it would be good for the two brothers to have a little commotion.

At least let Song Xuan see that he is too young and will suffer a great loss if he acts according to his own will.

He would have far more influence in the court than his father-in-law would.

Lu Yijian was somewhat hopeful that Song Xuan would regret his choice after being humiliated!
However, neither the Chen brothers nor Lü Yijian expected that Song Xuan would have Han Qi's father-in-law, Cui Li, launch the first attack!
A memorial impeaching the emperor was placed on his desk without being screened by the prime minister.

Zhao Zhen had just returned from his sister's place and they talked for a while.

Then he received Cui Li's memorial, looked at it carefully, and his eyes were full of doubt.

Zhao Zhen found it quite eye-opening to see how the current prime ministers and wealthy merchants were vying for Song Xuan as their son-in-law.

Unexpectedly, there are even more insane people out there.

He knew Chen Yaozuo, after all, he had just been promoted to the position of Prefect of Kaifeng.

Zhao Zhen felt it was quite normal for him to be so eager to find someone with a high probability of passing the imperial examination and become his son-in-law.

However, Zhao Zhen was very wary of his direct guarantee that Han Qi would be the top scholar in the palace examination.

Although I am still young, all matters, large and small, in the court are decided by the Empress Dowager.

However, he had fought hard for the opportunity to preside over the palace examination and to personally set the questions.

Chen Yaozuo immediately said he would help Han Qi become the top scholar.

how?

Do they really think I'm made of clay?!
Zhao Zhen was quite angry when he saw it.

Don't be fooled by his usual calm demeanor; that's only because you haven't touched his sore spot.

Especially since Chen Yaozuo was also the acting prefect of Kaifeng!
This position is not one that anyone can sit comfortably in.

Zhao Zhen paced back and forth in anger several times before finally calming down.

The Imperial City Guard will send back the news soon; we'll see then.

So Zhao Zhen sat down in a chair and closed his eyes to rest. Just then, Zhang Maoze rushed in:

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Empress Guo has arrived."

Zhao Zhen, who was already sulking, suddenly stood up:
"Does she have nothing better to do all day?"

"Stop her, I am dealing with state affairs."

"Yes."

Zhang Maoze went over with a bitter face and stopped him directly. As expected, he was going to get slapped again.

Zhao Zhen opened the memorial, his anger undiminished. Before long, a crisp slap was heard, and then, without waiting for an announcement...

Empress Guo barged in directly:

"Your Majesty is very busy and hasn't been able to come to my place for meals lately, so I brought the food here."

Zhao Zhen had absolutely no appetite for the food box, but he forced a smile to overcome his displeasure.

"What's wrong with the Queen?"

Empress Guo, however, disregarded everything and swept all the memorials on Zhao Zhen's desk to the ground, a smile on her face.
"Your Majesty, aren't you worried about getting stressed out by looking at these things all day long? Besides, there's the Empress Dowager to worry about too."

"The Imperial Clothing Bureau has just received some Shu brocade. Your Majesty, why don't you help me decide what pattern of fabric would suit me while we eat?"

Zhao Zhen's fingers were clenched tightly, and the red ink dripped onto the messy memorial, leaving a red stain.

Zhang Maoze and the other eunuchs covered their faces, looking tense, and dared not say a word.

Zhao Zhen was furious, but he calmly put down the vermilion brush in his hand.

"I cannot bear to see the Empress Dowager working so hard day and night, so I must learn to handle government affairs."

Zhao Zhen stood up: "The Empress looks good in any fabric. You should go back now. My second sister is ill and has no appetite since she just got back."

Empress Guo, however, disregarded all objections and said rather arrogantly:
"My second sister is ill, but with the Imperial Medical Bureau here, Your Majesty need not worry. Why don't you let me choose some Shu brocade?"

Zhao Zhen could no longer tolerate this foolish woman's arrogant and domineering manner. He immediately shook off her lunging motion and then gave the order:

"Zhang Maoze, pick up these memorials. I need to go and have a detailed talk with the Empress Dowager."

"Yes."

When Empress Guo saw that the emperor wasn't responding to her, she quickly intervened:

"Don't pick it up."

She was still thinking about spending the night with the emperor, their love blossoming.

If it were to go to the Empress Dowager to discuss state affairs, she would have no excuse to go.

Although the imperial harem was strictly hierarchical, the empress, as the principal wife, was like the top of a pagoda, standing above the entire harem.

A Song dynasty scholar said, "The so-called 'later generation' refers to the legitimate wife. The rest are like servants, with distinctions of rank!"

Although there is no ironclad rule that the empress should not interfere in politics, the principle of no empresses interfering in politics has long been regarded as the so-called "Way of the Three Dynasties" that cannot be violated.

Unfortunately, regardless of whether it was the Tang or Song dynasties, empresses were extremely lax in their interference in politics.

From Empress Zhangsun to Wu Zetian, Empress Wei, and now Empress Dowager Liu.

Before Liu E, Empress Wang, wife of Emperor Taizu of Song, spent her days either delivering meals to Zhao Da or reciting Buddhist scriptures.

Even Empress Guo, the wife of Emperor Zhenzong, was unwilling to seize power. Even when the emperor asked her to inspect the imperial treasury so that she could bestow gifts upon the harem, she declined.

However, Empress Dowager Du, the mother of Emperor Taizu of Song, set a good precedent.

He was overjoyed to hear that his son Chenqiao Mutiny had succeeded, praising his son for his long-standing ambition, which had now come true!

Empress Guo is still young and all she does now is make a fuss.

Hearing Empress Guo's words, Zhao Zhen's fists hardened. He looked at the sulking Empress Guo:

"Zhang Maoze, I order you to pick it up."

The entire room fell silent, except for Yan Wenying, the eunuch who served Empress Guo, whose face looked rather grim.

The more she made a scene, the less favor the Emperor would have for Empress Guo, so how could she possibly give birth to a prince?

Zhang Maoze was covered in sweat and knelt down to pick up the memorials, but Empress Guo stepped on them with her embroidered shoes.

Zhao Zhen felt like his head was about to explode, having encountered such a shrew and a shrew.

The thought that this shrew was chosen by his mother made Zhao Zhen feel even more suffocated.

When will I, as the emperor, be able to choose a wife for my own eyes, just like my twelfth brother?
Ultimately, amidst the unreasonable commotion, Zhao Zhen picked up the memorial himself and walked away.

Empress Guo, enraged, began cleaning the table, her face flushed with anger.

When they arrived at Empress Dowager Liu's palace, Zhao Zhen forgot to even try to hide the anger on his face.

In fact, Cui Li's memorial to the throne was already extremely infuriating, and Empress Guo's actions only made him angrier.

When Empress Dowager Liu saw Zhao Zhen rushing towards her in a rage, she thought to herself, "Could it be that my second sister is beyond saving, and that's why she's taking her anger out on the Imperial Medical Bureau?"

The woman serving her, Lady Lin, was the emperor's wet nurse and an elder in Liu Mei's household. With her successful alignment with the right side, she had risen from Lady of Nankang County to Lady of Jiang State.

While Liu E was involved in official business, she was "in charge of confidential matters" and was the most trusted confidante. As soon as Liu E died, she was immediately placed under house arrest.

Seeing the emperor's angry face, Lady Lin quickly ordered someone to bring him a cup of tea to cool him down and detoxify him.

Zhao Zhen sat to the side, and only then did he regain some control of his expression.

"Sixth Brother, who has angered you like this?"

"Humph."

Zhao Zhen naturally dared not speak ill of Empress Guo; he handed the memorial in his hand to Lady Lin.
"Please take a look, Your Majesty. This is truly infuriating."

Liu E took Cui Li's memorial and examined it carefully.

The person impeached was Chen Yaozuo, the prefect of Kaifeng, whom she had just promoted a few days earlier.

Chen Yaozuo's act of forcibly taking a son-in-law after the list of successful candidates can be considered acceptable, but the things he proclaimed were truly taboo.

But since he was the one I promoted, I can't afford to make a mistake so easily.

"Sixth Brother, there's no need to be so angry."

Empress Liu put the memorial aside, saying, "This is just Cui Li's side of the story."

"Your Majesty, how can this be just one side of the story?"

Zhao Zhen's face was filled with anger: "That Chen Yaozuo actually managed to influence the palace examination that I held. He can decide who gets the top scholar title?"

"Could it be that the Song Dynasty has taken the surname Chen?"

Zhao Zhen's words caused Liu E's expression to change slightly.

After all, now that she is in power, the argument that the Song Dynasty no longer belongs to the Zhao family occasionally comes up.

The example of Wu Zetian's success is right before our eyes, with a well-established path for Liu E to follow.

For a moment, Liu E didn't know whether the emperor was giving her a warning or if he was genuinely angry about Chen Yaozuo and spoke recklessly.

Lin quickly stepped in to smooth things over:
"Your Majesty, please have a cup of tea first. How can you let yourself get sick from getting angry?"

"In the end, the Song Dynasty still depends on the Emperor alone to keep it going."

Zhao Zhen obediently took a sip of tea, and only then did he calm down.

After considering it for a moment, Liu E said, "Let's put this matter aside for now and make a decision after they finish the palace examination."

"Your Majesty."

"Sixth Brother, have you forgotten what I taught you? Never listen to one side of the story."

Liu E slightly raised her eyes; young people are just too impulsive.

They are careless and hasty in doing things.

Han Qi, as the victim, didn't suffer any loss either!
On the contrary, it is only natural for Cui Li to exaggerate the severity of the situation in order to vent his anger for his son-in-law.

"I summoned Chen Yaozuo to the palace and asked him to take a close look at the policy essay written by Song Xuan. After all, he had experience in repairing the Yellow River."

Liu E looked at Zhao Zhen and said, "Do you know what he said?"

"I don't know."

He greatly admired Song Xuan, believing that if Song Xuan's methods were put into practice, the threat posed by the Yellow River to Tokyo might be completely eliminated.

Liu E looked at Zhao Zhen and said, "Such an elder is mentoring a younger generation, yet Song Twelve curses so filthily, even I can't bear to listen to it."

Cui Li, being impartial, wrote down the whole story.

She even included the insults hurled at her son-in-law and Song Xuan.

This was to prevent the Chen family from embellishing the story further. Zhao Zhen nodded at first, then realized what was going on.

wrong!

The Empress Dowager's logic is flawed.

Chen Yaozuo first praised Song Xuan, saying that no one in the entire world could write such a policy essay as Twelfth Brother.

Furthermore, there is a very high chance of achieving the feat of winning all three titles in a row.

Anyone can carry a sedan chair.
However, since Chen Yaozuo's personal interests are involved, he will certainly not let it go easily and will hold a grudge against Twelfth Brother.

Although Zhao Zhen quickly realized what was happening, he was used to not arguing with others, so even if he disagreed with the Empress Dowager's point of view, he did not utter a rebuttal.

After all, given the current situation, even if he, the emperor, won the debate against the Empress Dowager, it wouldn't bring him any benefit.

He will only become like Song Xuan, hated by others.

“The eldest aunt is right, but what the twelfth brother said makes sense. Even if it’s a case of choosing a husband after the list of successful candidates is published, he shouldn’t be detained for several hours, forced to break off the engagement, or given sleeping pills.”

Zhao Zhen initially agreed, but then focused on the matter at hand.

But to Liu E, the emperor was clearly going against her.

She waved her hand: "Sixth Brother, you are still young. Perhaps what you hear from Chen Yaozuo tomorrow will be a different story."

Zhao Zhen couldn't understand how Chen Yaozuo could still have the nerve to talk about such a thing.

“Your Majesty is right, I will remember that.”

Zhao Zhen stood up, bowed, and said, "Then I won't bother you any longer."

Liu E nodded, signaling Zhao Zhen to take away Cui Li's memorial.

Zhao Zhen wanted to go back and hear the report from the Imperial City Guard.

Lady Lin whispered in Liu E's ear what had just happened in the palace.

Hearing that her daughter-in-law was causing trouble again, Liu E was too lazy to care.

Ultimately, the issues between the couple need to be resolved by themselves.

"That's all."

Empress Liu E didn't want to hear such things anymore; her children and grandchildren had their own blessings to offer.

She is now engrossed in the affairs of the Song Dynasty.

I don't have time to deal with all that miscellaneous stuff in the harem.

Zhao Zhen returned to his palace with a gloomy expression.

The things that Empress Guo had cleared away had already been reorganized by the eunuchs.

As for Shu brocade...

Zhao Zhen didn't even bother to look at it.

What a shrew!
Zhao Zhen sat on the dragon throne, sulking, and had no appetite whatsoever.

Even if the emperor's anger could not result in the deaths of millions, those around him would not dare to offer any advice.

Everyone knows perfectly well whose power Empress Guo is relying on.

Especially those who serve the emperor and empress, how can they live peacefully if they are not clever and insightful?

The sky grew dark until the candles were lit.

Zhao Zhen was so angry that he lost his appetite until the Imperial City Guard sent over a summary of all the news about Song Xuan that day.

Zhao Zhen then had the candles brought closer so he could take a good look at them.

Today, when the results of the imperial examination were announced, Song Xuan slept in as usual and didn't bother to wash up and come to line up early.

Zhao Zhen was aware of this.

Looking at Song Xuan's actions, Zhao Zhen realized that he was still a bit too quick to get angry.

Or perhaps he's been living a very repressed life these past few years.

Even a small spark can ignite his anger.

He had to sneak around to have sex with his concubine, and she would even barge in halfway through, ruining his enjoyment. Empress Guo was truly wicked.

Zhao Zhen had already made up his mind to depose her when the time came!
How can such an arrogant person be an empress?
As Zhao Zhen read the account from the Imperial City Guard, it was clear that Cui Li, Han Qi's future father-in-law, had indeed not embellished the story, but had reported it truthfully.

He truly deserves to be called an incorruptible official of our Great Song Dynasty, but it's a pity he's getting old and his energy is waning.

Otherwise, once I take full power, I will definitely give Cui Li a high position.

The details of the matter are very clear.

As for Song Xuan's scolding, Zhao Zhen kept it in mind.

Why can't I come up with words as eloquent and refined as my twelfth brother's?
"You have to learn it!"

Zhao Zhen casually remarked, "So it turns out that what Master Sun said about the endless pursuit of knowledge is true."

Day two.

Zhao Zhen then received an impeachment from the censor against Song Xuan.

His eyes were filled with shock.

Twelfth Brother has never been an official before. Is the Censor just bored and has nothing better to do?

Or was he deliberately acting under someone's orders?
Chen Yaozuo!
Don't think about it.

Zhao Zhen glanced at the memorial in his hand and put it aside: "Zhao Wenyu, how did you find out?"

Zhao Wenyu is Zhao Anren's eldest son.

Zhao Anren was also considered Lü Yijian's mentor, although this situation was officially ended by the palace examination.

But which subject would take the emperor as their teacher?
The two sides were never on the same page from beginning to end.

They're just saying it for show; they're all disciples of the emperor.

"Your Majesty, I saw it with my own eyes!"

"Oh?" Zhao Zhen asked with a serious expression, "Did you ask for leave yesterday?"

"Never."

"Zhao Wenyu, do you really think I don't know the whole story?"

Zhao Zhen slammed his hand on the table: "How dare you openly deceive the emperor? Do you despise me?"

"I don't dare."

Zhao Wenyu quickly looked down, realizing he had stepped into a pit.

Chen Yaozi had made a good point of telling him to strike first, and if things got out of hand, he would step in.

It turned out that the emperor already knew about this.

This was the first time the emperor had lost his temper since ascending the throne.

Liu E glanced at Zhao Zhen.

It seems the Emperor still cares about what Chen Yaozuo said.

However, if an emperor doesn't care about the palace examination and is easily manipulated by his subjects, then his reign as emperor is over.

But perhaps women are more sensitive, Liu E wondered if Zhao Zhen wanted to take back power as he got older.

When Lü Yijian saw the emperor's appearance, he secretly thought to himself that something was wrong.

It seems that Chen Yaozi's plan to falsely accuse others failed. Song Xuan must have given him the idea beforehand, telling Han Qi to go find his real father-in-law.

Or perhaps Cao Yong was the one who first mentioned this.

However, Lu Yijian looked at Cao Liyong sitting there without saying a word and couldn't figure him out for a while.

Cao Liyong was very pleased to see the angry emperor.

He should have done this a long time ago.

The Song Dynasty belongs to the Zhao family, not the Liu family, and certainly not the Chen family.

My good son-in-law reminded me of something yesterday after he came home.

If anything happens today, pretend you know nothing.

Wang Zeng was also quite surprised, as he had read the censor's impeachment memorial.

It's actually quite absurd.

Song Xuan was a tribute student, but he wasn't even an official.

Wang Zeng was announced as the top scholar in the imperial examination yesterday, but he was impeached by the censors of the court this morning, which made Wang Zeng feel very strange.

He encountered an unprecedented event.

Wang Zeng looked at the angry emperor and stepped forward, saying, "Your Majesty, you knew the whole story beforehand?"

"Humph."

Zhao Zhen ignored Wang Zeng and pointed at Zhao Wenyu, saying:

"Where did you find out about this?"

Zhao Wenyu's expression changed drastically. He had never expected to fall into the emperor's trap. If he admitted it, it would be deceiving the emperor.

If you don't admit it, then you're not fulfilling your duties and are leaving work early.

Although this is an unspoken rule, it can't be discussed openly.

"Your Majesty, I had some family matters to attend to and left my post early, which is how I happened to see it."

Listening to Zhao Wenyu's words, Zhao Zhen became convinced that they had indeed formed a faction.

The Song emperors were extremely wary of forming factions!

However, Liu E explained to Wang Zeng that yesterday, Han Qi's father-in-law, Cui Li, had recorded the whole story and reported it to the authorities.

Liu E never expected that Chen Yaozuo would actually send someone to impeach a scholar.

At this point, she felt that Chen Yaozuo had already lost.

Song Xuan was capable of passing the imperial examinations three times in a row and was famous throughout the three capitals, but in the end, he didn't even have an official position.

As the Prefect of Kaifeng, Chen Yaozuo's actions were truly incomprehensible to Empress Liu.

If you can't swallow this insult, all you can do is complain?

Liu E glanced at Lü Yijian and said, "Look at the person you recommended."

How can you be so stingy and yet have no ability?

Did they really think that filing a complaint would prevent Song Xuan from winning the top scholar title?

If this matter escalates, who will suffer the most?

It must be Chen Yaozuo, the Prefect of Kaifeng, who held a high position.

Lü Yijian clearly received a signal from Empress Dowager Liu, and he quickly spoke:
"Please, Your Majesty, show us Cui Li's impeachment document."

"They're with the officials."

Zhao Zhen took out Cui Li's memorial and asked them to compare it with that of the censor Zhao Wenyu. It was obvious who was lying.

Wang once believed in Cui Li's character.

He looked closely and even noted down the dialect in which Cui Li's son-in-law cursed.

Look at what Zhao Wenyu wrote; it's highly biased.

In addition, Han Qi and Song Xuan added fuel to the fire with their insults, and charges of assaulting government officials were all pinned on them.

Cao Yong squinted and glanced at Zhao Wenyu. This bastard wanted to ruin his good son-in-law's future. In his memorial, he portrayed Song Xuan as an utterly wicked rogue.

However, he remained silent, for this matter could not be left unresolved.

After everyone had finished reading, Liu E spoke first: "Lord Wang, what do you think?"

"Your Majesty," Wang Zeng said, bowing respectfully.

"Your subject requests that Zhao Wenyu be executed!"

These words immediately astonished everyone in the hall.

In particular, Emperor Taizu left behind the saying that scholar-officials should not be killed and wrote a memorial to the world.

In fact, neither Emperor Taizu nor Emperor Taizong strictly implemented this policy. It was only after Emperor Zhenzong began to delegate power that the scholar-officials took the initiative to promote it.

Cao Liyong's eyes lit up, in particular.

He was still thinking about how to get revenge on Zhao Wenyu when Wang Zeng suddenly said he wanted to kill someone!
As expected, these scholars are ruthless and cunning.

They're double-crossing each other!

Zhao Zhen leaned back slightly; he hadn't expected the usually mild-mannered Wang Zeng to be so radical.

For a moment, I didn't know what to say.

"what?"

Liu E felt like she might have misheard.

"Your subject requests that Zhao Wenyu be executed."

As Wang Zenggang's powerful voice rang out, Zhao Wenyu could no longer stand.

"Why?"

"Forming cliques for personal gain."

Wang Zeng answered Liu E's question, word by word.

"I have absolutely not formed any cliques or engaged in any form of favoritism!"

Zhao Wenyu's face was pale, her eyes darting around, and she hurriedly spoke while bowing her head:

"I just can't stand that arrogant scoundrel Song Xuan. He hasn't even passed the imperial examination yet, but he's already acting so recklessly."

"I was filled with righteous indignation, which is why I wrote the impeachment memorial."

"Your subject would never dare to form cliques or engage in private activities."

Wang Zeng was quite certain that Zhao Wenyu had formed a faction, and he glanced at Lü Yijian.

If it weren't for Lü Yijian's instigation, how could such a small matter have developed into this?
Seeing the look Wang Zeng gave him, Lü Yijian knew he had no choice but to take the blame, so he quickly stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, I believe that what Prime Minister Wang said is too shocking. Moreover, our Great Song Dynasty has its own national conditions. How can we arbitrarily kill those who submit memorials?"

Empress Liu did not want to cut off her support in the court.

Even though she wielded immense power, she was still a woman, and to control the court, she needed her own people.

Lü Yijian was one of his own, and the people he helped win over were the Empress Dowager's faction.

As for the imperial faction.

Zhao Zhen didn't need to win people over; many people would side with him.

Especially the main members of the imperial party, represented by Wang Zeng.

As for Cao Yong, everyone thought he was part of the Empress Dowager's faction, but Liu E did not include him in her own faction.

The Emperor's faction did not consider Cao Liyong to be part of their faction.

Therefore, Cao Liyong's political position was in a very awkward position.

"That's right, it was just a small matter."

Empress Liu said directly, "How did it come to the point of killing? You are all loyal subjects of the court, working for the court."

Zhao Zhen looked at his mother, the Empress Dowager.

He had never understood why the street fortune teller would take out a Tian Sheng copper coin and place it on the twelfth position.

Zhao Zhen always felt that the imperial court was short of money.

However, he subconsciously ignored the two characters "Tian Sheng" on the copper coin.

The fact that the Empress Dowager so easily let Zhao Wenyu and the Chen brothers behind him shows that she has been ruling as regent and is keeping the Twelfth Brother in check.
In this way, justice cannot be obtained.

How could they possibly be willing to serve me wholeheartedly?

Zhao Zhen suddenly understood.

He was certain that his understanding at that moment was correct.

In many matters, his own ideas as emperor would not be adopted.

Everyone should listen to the Empress Dowager.

She couldn't even choose her own empress.

Zhao Zhen did not believe that, given his mother's control over the harem, she would be unaware of Guo's domineering behavior!

She hasn't had any children in all these years of marriage, and she doesn't care at all?
Zhao Zhen lowered his eyes; he finally understood.

In fact, in the eyes of the Empress Dowager, power came before her own son.

In the past few years as emperor, Zhao Zhen felt that he had made rapid progress.

Especially the understanding of power!
Zhao Zhen could see that his mother was greedy for power and did not want him to rule in his own right.

It's fair to say that the more Zhao Zhen thought about it, the more depressed he felt.

It seems that my mother never really liked me, not even when I was little!
Zhao Zhen couldn't understand why.

If Zhao Zhen were to complain about this matter to Song Xuan...

Song Xuan will definitely tell him he loves his mom and that they'll meet at Xuanwu Gate!

Wang Zeng disagreed and argued with the Empress Dowager on reason.

Liu E felt that Wang Zeng was becoming increasingly noisy and wished she could kick him out of the central government.

To avoid being hampered by this situation every day!
As a shrewd person, Lü Yijian noticed that the Empress Dowager's dislike for Wang Zeng had deepened, so he stood up and argued with Wang Zeng on reason.

Cao Liyong and Zhang Qi sat in chairs without exchanging words.

Zhang Qi spoke up, "Old Cao, there are rumors on the street that Song Huiyuan fell in love with your daughter at first sight. Is that true?"

"I heard that he has already rejected other men's offers to marry him before you even mentioned your dowry?"

"hey-hey."

Cao Liyong was extremely pleased with himself, and he couldn't help but boast:

"Old Zhang, to be honest, that's exactly how it is."

"There's nothing I can do, my daughter is so beautiful."

"Hehe."

Zhang Qi smiled. He had met Cao Liyong's daughter before. It was rumored that Song Xuan was extremely robust, and it would indeed be difficult for him to be paired with a girl from a modest family.

"Sure, I'll be waiting to attend your wedding banquet."

Zhang Qi completely failed to understand the noisy civil officials: "You've really struck gold! If you can pass the imperial examinations in three consecutive years, even you, Cao Cao, will be strutting around with pride."

"Hey, you can't say that." Cao Liyong chuckled. "My son-in-law said long ago that one should be low-key in one's dealings with others."

"Low-key?"

Zhang Qi looked on with suspicion and pointed, saying, "I have never heard of someone being impeached by an imperial censor on their very first day as the top scholar in the provincial examination."

"He's a fool."

Cao Liyong chuckled and waved his hand:
"He was used as a weapon without even realizing it. Just you wait and see, he definitely won't be able to stay in the capital anymore. He really brought trouble upon himself."

Zhang Qi nodded in agreement.

Although people are generally "lenient" towards censors, that's what they do.

But you can't just make things up and impeach a mere scholar; that would be bullying the weak!

If he can do something so despicable, the other censors should also distance themselves from him.

So as not to tarnish the prestige of the censorate because of him alone.

Zhao Wenyu didn't dare to say that it was Chen Yaozi's idea, otherwise he would have really done something even more troublesome, like forming a faction.

So when Lü Yijian pleaded for mercy, Wang Zeng did not kill him either, but instead sent him to Lingnan to serve as an official.

Lu Yijian wanted to try again, but Wang Zeng wanted to kill him to set an example.

Anyway, he didn't become an official by passing the imperial examination; he relied on his father's influence.

Lu Yijian had no choice but to agree and demote Zhao Wenyu to a post in Lingnan.

He has always believed that politics is about compromise, but unfortunately the Chen brothers were not present.

Otherwise, they would personally experience how correct Lü Yijian's words were.

Zhao Wenyu, who had just been a high-ranking official and censor, suddenly went to Lingnan to risk his life to feed mosquitoes, which caused him to lose his composure.

After their argument ended, Zhao Zhen walked outside looking dejected, wanting to clear his head, when he caught sight of Cao Yuan, who had a smile on his face.

"Come for a walk with me."

Cao Yuan was overjoyed and quickly bowed and acknowledged the greeting.

(End of this chapter)