Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 124 The Ox Stealing from the Field
After arranging their belongings, the two lay down on their respective beds and began to take a nap.

Listening to the increasingly loud rain outside the window, Lu Beigu's thoughts drifted.

Two months later, after completing the four-state joint exam, it will be time for the state exam.

If he could successfully pass the prefectural examination and obtain a quota, he would be able to leave Sichuan and go to Kaifeng to participate in the provincial examination of the Ministry of Rites, which was the famous "Millennium Dragon and Tiger List".

And what about the future?

What changes will occur in the imperial court?
What path should he take?
Thinking about these things now seems a bit premature, but since Zhou Mingyuan brought up matters of the court today, it's hard for him not to think about them.

In the second year of the Tiansheng era, Song Qi, Song Xiang, Zheng Jian, and Ye Qingchen formed one small circle, while in the fifth year of the Tiansheng era, Wang Yaochen, Han Qi, Wen Yanbo, and Bao Zheng formed another small circle.

At that moment, a famous line from the stationmaster suddenly popped into his mind.

"Politics without human touch is short-lived."

Whether we like it or not, the fact is that no matter who it is, it's difficult to survive in the halls of power without having your own inner circle.

In the same year, the most useful and easiest circles to form cliques usually emerge.

However, once a faction is formed, regardless of whether its members are virtuous or wicked, it will inevitably end up with the destruction of those who are different from them. This has been a common occurrence in the Song Dynasty court and throughout the entire history of ancient China.

Lu Beigu, recalling Zhou Mingyuan's earlier remarks about the conflict between the two small circles in the second and fifth years of the Tiansheng era, suddenly thought of a major event that would happen in the future.

"If I remember correctly, a few years later, Bao Zheng seemed to have his eye on the position of Minister of the Three Departments, and with Han Qi's support, he brought down Zhang Fangping."

The Record of the Words and Deeds of Famous Officials of Three Reigns clearly records that Han Qi said, "Many people wanted to use the affairs of the Imperial Secretariat to overthrow the righteous faction, and Zhang Fangping, Song Qi, and Wang Gongchen all worked together to oppose them," and "During the Qingli era, Han Qi, Du Yan, Fu Bi, and Fan Zhongyan worked together to assist in the government, reformed malpractices, and promoted upright people. At that time, Zhang Fangping, Qian Mingyi, and Wang Gongchen were two officials, and all had served as vice ministers. Therefore, Du Qi and others were ostracized by the three of them and accused of forming a faction."

Therefore, the animosity between Han Qi and Zhang Fangping has a long history.

It is now the first year of the Jiayou era. This year, Zhang Fangping will be reinstated as the Minister of the Three Departments and work with Fan Xiang to save the Song Dynasty's finances from the brink of collapse. However, Han Qi has not yet returned to the central government and will not be appointed prime minister until the third year of the Jiayou era, thus beginning his ten-year reign.

Three years from now, with the basic stabilization of the Song Dynasty's finances and Han Qi's appointment as prime minister, a struggle between the two sides will soon erupt.

For anyone in a high position, power struggles within the court are unavoidable.

Human behavior is often based on self-interest, and it is difficult to judge it using a simple black-and-white standard.

Therefore, one cannot use emotional closeness or distance, or the usual perspective of judging whether a person is good or bad, to think about these matters in the imperial court.

For example, Bao Zheng.

When most modern people hear this name, they picture a fat man with a dark face and a crescent moon between his eyebrows, who is able to judge cases impartially and is accompanied by Zhan Zhao, Zhang Long, Zhao Hu, Wang Chao, and Ma Han.

However, the historical image of Bao Zheng differs greatly from his portrayal in detective novels. Although Bao Zheng was known for his integrity, he was by no means an otherworldly saint. He had friends and a desire for advancement. Historically, in the fourth year of the Jiayou era, Bao Zheng first impeached Zhang Fangping, the Minister of the Three Departments, leading to his dismissal. He then impeached Song Qi, the newly appointed Minister of the Three Departments by Emperor Renzong. Forced into a corner, Emperor Renzong ultimately appointed Bao Zheng as Minister of the Three Departments with the authority of a Privy Council Academician.

Because this matter became so ugly, the outspoken Ouyang Xiu wrote the famous "Memorial on Bao Zheng's Removal from the Three Departments."

Ouyang Xiu was always outspoken and never tolerated anyone. He began by saying, "Zheng is of a strong and upright character, but he lacks learning and may not be able to think things through properly in matters of state," showing no mercy to Bao Zheng. The following words, "Now Zheng has dismissed two ministers and taken their positions, allowing treacherous officials to use their influence to mislead the emperor. From now on, those who speak out will not be trusted and will have no way to defend themselves. Thus, the emperor's efforts to use remonstrance will be ruined by Zheng," were full of sarcasm.

Finally, Ouyang Xiu directly suggested to Emperor Renzong, "I humbly request Your Majesty to select a capable minister to serve as the Commissioner of the Three Departments, and to appoint Zheng to another post in the capital, so that Zheng can avoid suspicion and dispel the doubts of the people, and preserve Zheng's reputation. I would be extremely grateful."

After the publication of this memorial, "On Bao Zheng's Appointment as Commissioner of the Three Departments," the line "How can one be without fault when robbing cattle from a field?" sparked a heated debate in the court and among the people. Bao Zheng could only stay at home to avoid the appointment. However, he eventually got his wish. Two years later, in the sixth year of the Jiayou era, Bao Zheng was finally appointed as Commissioner of the Three Departments with the strong recommendation of Han Qi.

The source of this series of events, and the reason Bao Zheng impeached Zhang Fangping, was the so-called "Zhang Fangping's alleged purchase of land from local tycoons at a low price."

So, should we remind Zhang Fangping?
Lu Beigu fell into deep thought.

"It seems pointless to remind Zhang Fangping. First, it would be too abrupt for me to say it in my capacity, and we're not that close. Second, Han Qi and Zhang Fangping have a bad relationship and have been at odds for a long time. The so-called low-price purchase of land is just an excuse. Even if we don't have this reason, we can always find another one if we want to."

The power struggles within the imperial court are extremely brutal, and Lu Beigu does not want to get involved unless absolutely necessary.

"Let's think about these things after we pass the imperial examination."

After a short rest, Lu Beigu woke up and began reading in the school dormitory.

Zhou Mingyuan, as a veteran scholar, was quite skilled. When Lu Beigu studied the manuscripts given to him by Mr. Baisha and occasionally encountered difficult problems, he would ask Zhou Mingyuan for answers.

Lu Beigu also discovered that many of the problems he encountered were actually problems that other students in the dormitory had already encountered. This is normal; learning is like that, with different stages having their own content. This means that countless people have already walked the same path of overcoming difficulties.

This gave him some ideas about joining a club.

Over the next few days, Lu Beigu devoted all his energy to studying the assignments given by Mr. Baisha and attending lectures in the Zhongshe classroom.

However, the torrential rain did not stop and gradually reached a worrying level.

As the rain intensified, despite the fact that most buildings in Luchuan County are built against the mountains, which helps to divert water into the Tuojiang and Yangtze Rivers, flooding still occurred in the streets of the county, including the state school.

Left with no other choice, Lu Beigu also put on the issued wooden clogs and raincoat, and followed his classmates under the instruction of the teaching assistant to start pouring water out of the wooden basin.

However, the situation did not improve despite their efforts.

The rain grew heavier, the water level rose higher, and even the hearts of the people in the city began to waver as grain prices continued to climb.

(End of this chapter)