Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 214 The Mist Disperses
Of course, Lu Beigu's understanding of the distribution of power in the imperial court is still quite rudimentary at present.

Many of the people and events involved are far more complex than one can imagine, and cannot be simply categorized as black and white.

Even within the same faction, attitudes and stances on different issues can be completely different.

Moreover, that's how things are in the imperial court. No matter how virtuous a person is, once they get involved, they will inevitably be passively or actively involved. Over time, it becomes unclear whether many things are done out of public interest or private interest.

Especially because of differing philosophies, even if both act with public-spiritedness, gentlemen can still criticize each other.

Their aim was to acquire power and thus realize their ambitions.

But whose ambition is correct, and who can judge that? Perhaps only time will tell.

"So be it, let him be transferred out. As a member of the Censorate, I should share both honor and disgrace. A gentleman should have a clear conscience."

As Zhao Bian said, people in the imperial court are often not in control of their own destiny.

In fact, in the months since Zhao Bian returned to the capital, he has been working very hard to fulfill his duties as an imperial censor.

There were some things he could have stayed out of, but out of duty, Zhao Bian still submitted memorials without hesitation, such as impeaching Liu Hang, Wang Deyong, and Fan Zhen, as well as suggesting that Emperor Renzong immediately establish an heir and punish those responsible for the Liuta Xinhe incident, etc.

Therefore, Zhao Bian offended many people, especially Liu Hang.

Liu Hang wanted to drag the Censorate down with him, so he submitted a memorial to Emperor Renzong stating that "since the Qingli era, the Censorate officials have monopolized power. Once the court issues an order, they discuss everything regardless of right or wrong, and only stop when their own opinion wins. They also have a penchant for exposing the private affairs of others that are difficult to discern, in order to slander the scholar-officials. The ministers in power are afraid of their words and promote them especially quickly."

To this end, Liu Hang used his power as prime minister to propose the implementation of a system for the transfer of censors, which would involve a large-scale relocation of censors from the Censorate.

Liu Hang's suggestion was obviously motivated by personal revenge; even a three-year-old could see that.

But Emperor Renzong still agreed.

It wasn't that Emperor Renzong was easily fooled, but rather that he was now isolated and helpless, and his suspicions grew. He was very suspicious of the officials' successive impeachments of his two trusted generals, Di Qing and Wang Deyong, and their advice to immediately establish an heir apparent. He also harbored strong resentment towards them.

This is easy to understand. Emperor Renzong was certainly a rare benevolent ruler in the entire history of China, but we must not overlook his political skills and tactics just because he was benevolent.

Emperor Renzong reigned for decades, and apart from the Tiansheng period when Empress Dowager Liu E held power, he was basically the one maintaining the balance of power in the court and handling various matters both inside and outside the Song Dynasty.

Even now, in his later years, Emperor Renzong still wanted to use political maneuvering to firmly grasp the political situation in the court and buy time for his own son to inherit the throne.

For Emperor Renzong, Liu Hang's suggestion was very useful, whether it was due to the usual practice of frequently transferring civil officials or to prevent officials from forming factions.

That's why Liu Hang was able to take the censors of the Censorate down with him before he was dismissed from his post.

Since Consort Zhang died without leaving a prince two years ago, the faction of imperial concubines has collapsed; Chen Zhizhong retired last year, weakening the conservative faction; Wen Yanbo and Fu Bi, the new policy faction, became prime ministers this year, Emperor Renzong suffered a stroke, and after the false accusation incident by the imperial guards, Wen Yanbo broke with Liu Hang; and then the struggle for the crown prince led to Di Qing and Wang Deyong resigning as privy councilors one after another.

After talking with Zhao Bian today, Lu Beigu finally pieced together the clues from the previously scattered pieces of information, and the fog of confusion lifted. He gained some understanding of the current situation in the imperial court and the logical relationship between events in recent years, and he also had a clear path in mind for his upcoming visit to Ouyang Xiu and Song Xiang.

Although Ouyang Xiu was still friends with Wen Yanbo and others, he reflected on the failure of the Qingli Reforms. Therefore, his attitude towards politics was not entirely the same as that of Wen Yanbo and others, and he sometimes even contradicted them.

Therefore, visiting Ouyang Xiu would not involve Lu Beigu in court struggles.

Sending a letter home to Song Xiang would be more beneficial than harmful. If Lu Beigu could receive guidance from Song Xiang, who had achieved the "Triple Crown," it would be crucial for his success in the Ministry of Rites provincial examination next year.

His tense nerves immediately relaxed, and he quickly stood up and bowed again: "Thank you for your guidance, Master! All my doubts have been dispelled!"

"No need for formalities." Zhao Bian waved for him to sit down. "You've just arrived in Tokyo, and things are complicated here. It's good to be cautious, but there's no need to be overly worried. Matters of the imperial court are still far from your reach. You can consider these issues after you pass the imperial examination. In short, no matter who you meet, just be upright, treat others with sincerity, and act according to propriety."

"As for the matter of paying respects, although Ouyang Yongshu is a great scholar, he may not actually be able to teach people about the imperial examinations. You could try to ask Song Gongxu for advice. After all, Song Gongxu is a person who has achieved the highest honors in all three levels of the imperial examinations. It is a pity that Feng Dangshi is not in the capital, otherwise you could ask him to teach you."

Feng Dangshi refers to Feng Jing, Fu Bi's son-in-law, which suggests that Zhao Bian had a decent relationship with him.

The "Zizhi Tongjian Houbian" records that "only three people achieved the highest score in both the provincial and imperial examinations: Wang Zeng and Song Xiang became famous prime ministers, and Feng Jing became a famous minister. Their integrity and character complemented each other, and they were worthy of their academic achievements."

Therefore, apart from Wang Zeng, who rose through the ranks at an astonishing speed during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong and turned the tide between the reigns of Emperor Zhenzong and Emperor Renzong, there were actually only two people who achieved the "Triple Crown" during the reign of Emperor Renzong: Song Xiang and Feng Jing.

Feng Jing achieved the "Triple Crown" eight years ago, so his understanding of the imperial examination system might be more up-to-date.

However, if Feng Jing cannot be found, it would be excellent to receive instruction from Song Xiang through this letter, since Song Xiang's knowledge is certainly far superior to that of the young Feng Jing.

After pondering for a moment, Zhao Bian picked up his pen and wrote a letter of recommendation to Lu Beigu himself, and wrote the address of Song Xiang's residence on the outside of the letter.

"Take this letter and give it to Song Gongxu along with the family letter."

"Thank you so much, my dear teacher!"

He then changed the subject, his tone becoming more concerned: "The most important thing right now is to focus on preparing for the exam. There's still some time before the provincial exam, so you must not neglect your studies. If you have any questions about poetry or prose, you can come here to find me anytime."

"Yes! I will remember your teachings, my esteemed teacher!"

A warm feeling welled up in Lu Beigu's heart, and he solemnly agreed.

With top-notch teachers and ample preparation time, Lu Beigu felt he had a good chance of passing the Ministry of Rites provincial examination in the second year of the Jiayou era next year.

The master and apprentice then chatted about Sichuan and the precautions for preparing for the imperial examinations in the capital, until the sun began to set, at which point Lu Beigu got up to take his leave.

Zhao Bian personally escorted him to the courtyard gate, watching him disappear at the end of Little Sweet Water Alley.

(End of this chapter)