Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 201 The Shortcut to Becoming a Prefect: Zhongnan Mountain

Wang Tao was obviously joking when he said that.

These people are the ones who passed the imperial examination. Normally, it would take them at least twenty years to rise to the position of prefect. But if Wang Tao's career goes smoothly in another twenty years, he might even be wearing a purple robe. So who is promoting whom?
If things don't go smoothly, Wang Tao will most likely be a senior prefect twenty years later, being transferred between different prefectures. What kind of promotion can there be among peers?

As for what comes after that, given the average lifespan of people in the Song Dynasty, it's hard to say whether they'll even live to see that time, let alone receive any further support.

Everyone burst into laughter.

"You don't believe it?"

Wang Tao chuckled. He was a witty fellow, and now that he was a bit tipsy, he opened up and said, "I'll show you young people a shortcut to becoming a prefect in no time. Do you want to listen?"

Everyone was stunned when he said that.

Such a shortcut? I've never heard of it before!

"Please speak, Judge Wang," Lü Huiqing said quickly.

Wang Tao then paused to ask in suspense, "Do you know what major events have occurred in the court this year?"

When it comes to matters of state, these young people are actually quite hesitant to speak out, not because the court forbids it. In the current reign of Emperor Renzong, because of the relaxed atmosphere in the imperial court, there have been virtually no cases of scholars being punished for speaking out about state affairs.

It was Bao Zheng who was so outspoken in front of Emperor Renzong that his spittle flew all over the emperor's face, but the emperor didn't do anything to Bao Zheng.

As for private discussions, they were even more common. From high-ranking officials to ordinary citizens, everyone was talking about these matters in the palace and the imperial court.

They simply dared not speak in front of Wang Tao, an official, but Zeng Gong was different.

Zeng Gong, seeing that he and Wang Tao had often discussed current affairs, simply asked, "Is it the Emperor's stroke? Or has Di Qing been dismissed from his position as Privy Councilor? Or is it a request to establish an heir apparent?"

"Yes, all three are interconnected."

Wang Tao, emboldened by alcohol, said, "The Emperor's stroke was the trigger. What I heard was that after the stroke at the beginning of the year, the Emperor was delirious in the Forbidden City and shouted, 'The Empress and Zhang Maoze are plotting treason!' His words were extremely incoherent, causing panic. It was the Empress who stepped forward and calmed things down."

This matter is a major event within the Forbidden City. The root cause is that the interests between the Emperor and Empress have become completely different due to the issue of choosing an heir. As a result, Emperor Renzong now has extreme distrust of Empress Cao and her trusted eunuchs. In fact, when he was not in his right mind, he directly shouted out the imagined scenario in public.

"When he recovered, the Emperor summoned his ministers to the Yanhe Hall, but his memory was often distorted, and he even mistook a Liao envoy for one."

The young Zeng Bu, bewildered, interjected, "What does the stroke of the official have to do with Di Qing's dismissal as Privy Councilor? I've heard that Privy Councilor Di is known for his loyalty, and that he was dismissed without cause this time."

"It is precisely because of the emperor's stroke that Di Qing will inevitably be dismissed as Grand Councilor. Don't you understand?"

Wang Tao added an extra explanation to Zeng Gong's cousin: "Otherwise, if something really happens, and Di Qing has the power to mobilize troops and is supported by the soldiers, what if he dons the yellow robe? Don't think it's impossible. Aren't there enough examples from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period? If such a situation really occurs, who can bear the responsibility for the overthrow of the country?"

Zeng Bu was instantly jolted awake. He was young, so it was normal that he couldn't see the intricacies of the situation at first glance, but that didn't mean he was stupid.

After all, only a century has passed since the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, and everyone is still very familiar with that period of history.

Don't talk about "loyalty" or anything like that. Faced with the temptation of being crowned emperor, the word "loyalty" simply doesn't exist.

Furthermore, Guo Wei couldn't hold on, and neither could Zhao Da, so why should we expect Di Qing to hold on now?

This is why many civil officials attacked Di Qing for reasons that seemed absurd. Di Qing was indeed favored by Emperor Renzong, but in the end, he was dismissed from his position as Privy Councilor.

Because no one dared to take responsibility for the "what if" of being forced to wear the imperial robe again, and no one dared to gamble on the hearts of the people; even Emperor Renzong himself dared not.

How did the Song dynasty come to power? Others may pretend not to know, but could the Song emperors pretend not to know?

Zeng Bu realized what he meant: "So that's why you're in such a hurry to establish an heir?" "That's exactly it."

Wang Tao nodded slightly and drank another cup of wine: "Only with a crown prince can there be a foundation for the country. Only with a foundation can the country not be easily shaken. It's just that the emperor is not willing to establish a crown prince for the time being."

What he didn't say next, everyone naturally understood.

Of all the people in the world, only the Emperor is unwilling to establish an heir apparent.

For the civil officials, it didn't matter who became the crown prince or even the emperor; they would still remain officials. For Empress Cao, it didn't matter much either. According to the rules of etiquette, no matter who became emperor or whether they were related to her by blood, she would still be the empress dowager.

Therefore, Emperor Renzong, who was the only one who felt that "whether the crown prince was his own son was very important," actually had a vague sense of being "lonely and isolated" at this time.

However, Emperor Renzong's health had not completely collapsed at this time, and he still had the energy to use political maneuvering to barely maintain the balance between the various forces.

In the face of this official who had enjoyed a long reign and enjoyed immense prestige, no one dared to force him to immediately establish an heir.

The matter remained at a stalemate for the time being.

The only turning point in the matter of establishing an heir is whether the emperor will have a biological son in the next few years.

Although the Emperor is now old and the probability is not high, no one can be sure about such things. After all, the Emperor had three biological sons more than ten years ago, but unfortunately they all died young.

Lu Huiqing pressed further, "But what does all this have to do with the 'shortcut to Zhongnan Mountain' that the judge mentioned? We don't have the ability or opportunity to get close to the crown prince, do we? That would be very dangerous."

That's the truth; after all, no one can predict the future.

If one day in the future the emperor has a son late in life, then it goes without saying what will happen to those who are now trying to curry favor with Prince Pu, Zhao Zongshi.

"Of course it's dangerous, but there are safer roads too."

Wang Tao drank another cup with the others, then put down his cup and pointed out, "Not long ago, His Majesty promoted Cao Yi to prefect of Qingzhou and Li Duanyi to prefect of Yunzhou, both with the title of Pacification Commissioner. The Palace Attendant Censor Zhao Bian submitted a memorial saying that these two relatives of the empress lacked talent and requested His Majesty to withdraw the order, but His Majesty ignored it. This shows the wind is blowing. Right now, His Majesty feels that outsiders cannot be relied upon, and only relatives and friends can be trusted, especially those 'family members' whose power comes solely from His Majesty."

Cao Yi was Empress Cao's younger brother, and Li Duanyi was Empress Dowager Li's nephew. These two useless individuals were suddenly promoted to the position of prefect.

Because there was no disagreement within the civil service group regarding the establishment of an heir, Emperor Renzong actually wanted to increase his leverage in maintaining the balance of power in the court by supporting his maternal relatives.

This extraordinary promotion can only mean one thing: Emperor Renzong was truly desperate.

Did Wang Tao's words carry a hint of sourness? Actually, they did.

For a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), the average time to reach the position of prefect is twenty years.

Wang Tao was a candidate in the imperial examination in the second year of the Qingli era. He was a proper Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), but he still hasn't become a prefect!
Wang Anshi, who was on the same list as him, was a man of great talent. Yet, after twenty years of ups and downs in his official career, he was only a prefect.

The group looked at each other, wondering what it had to do with them.
They are not related by marriage; this advantage is something they are born with and will not be regained if they are not. It is impossible for them to recognize Empress Cao or Empress Dowager Li as relatives now.

Wang Tao noticed the young people's confusion and simply stated, "Princess Fukang!"

Princess Fukang, the eldest daughter of Emperor Renzong of Song, is also the only adult daughter currently by his side, and is greatly trusted and loved by him.

This favoritism was not without reason. Princess Fukang was intelligent and quick-witted from a young age and was extremely filial. When Emperor Renzong was ill, she served him day and night and prayed to the heavens barefoot and with her hair disheveled, wishing to take her father's place with her own body.

Emperor Renzong is now childless and in poor health after a serious illness. People inside and outside the palace are pressuring him to establish an heir apparent.

Therefore, Emperor Renzong, who neither trusted the Empress nor the civil officials, could only trust his beloved daughter. He even trusted her to the point that he entrusted Princess Fukang with the management of all his daily life and affairs in the palace before he felt at ease.

(End of this chapter)