White-robed Minister

Chapter 262 0260 [Returning to the Capital for Promotion]

(Regarding the name of the Yin-Shang Dynasty. Zhao Kuangyin's father was named Zhao Hongyin. To avoid using the same character, the Song people rarely referred to the Yin Dynasty anymore, but instead habitually called it the Shang Dynasty. For example, in the Thousand Character Classic, "Zhou Fa Yin Tang" was often changed to "Zhou Fa Shang Tang" in Northern Song editions.)

(Also, regarding why the bronze artifacts from the Yachang Tomb weren't stolen, the previous chapter has changed it to being separated from the rammed earth building foundation.)

On the same day Xu returned to Beijing, Wang Yirou slunk out of the city.

This fellow, after joining Wang Anshi's faction, had risen to the position of Chief Academician of the Hanlin Academy and concurrently Drafter of Imperial Edicts. However, he was demoted and exiled to Caizhou by Wang Anshi for failing to properly draft the reply to the Goryeo Kingdom.

Why did the two fall out?

Because Wang Yirou has gotten too cocky again!

As the saying goes, it is easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature.

In his youth, he could write lines like "Drunk and asleep in the North Pole, he was aided by the Emperor; the Duke of Zhou and Confucius were driven into slavery." Even in his old age, he remained as conceited as ever.

After Wang Yirou rose to power by attaching himself to Wang Anshi, he seemed to believe that his promotion was entirely due to his own abilities. As a result, he gradually began to disregard Wang Anshi and frequently bypassed the prime minister to submit memorials directly to the emperor.

If it were just a normal report, that would be one thing, but Wang Yirou also found fault with the Secretariat. Of course, he wouldn't dare to find major faults, so he focused on minor ones to gain attention, which led to Wang Anshi being criticized by the emperor multiple times.

Wang Anshi had long been annoyed by this guy, and coupled with Wang Yirou's loose tongue and indiscriminate talking, he finally couldn't bear it any longer and found an excuse to send him away.

The position of Imperial Edict Drafter has now been taken over by Zeng Bu.

"Ah, finally back in the capital," Guo Ruoxu sighed, gazing at the Kaifeng city wall.

Xu Lai smiled and said, "It's a pity I can't go home yet."

Sending an envoy is a very serious matter, and even after returning to their home country, the envoy must follow strict procedures. Not only must the chief and deputy envoys supervise each other, but they cannot go directly home after arriving in Kaifeng.

They first had to stay at the Banjing Inn and submit various official documents to the Privy Council. These documents included not only the official letter from the Liao Dynasty, but also the envoys' observations, conversations, and so on.

After the emperor had personally reviewed the documents, they would be transferred to the Court of State Ceremonies for archiving, serving as reference and templates for future missions to the Liao Dynasty. The Court of State Ceremonies would also make copies and send them to the library within the imperial city for safekeeping.

Immediately afterwards, the envoys would have to meet with the emperor to report in person and answer his questions.

Only after this process is completed can the messenger return home and no longer be subject to constant supervision.

Xu Lai and Guo Ruoxu stayed at Banjingguan that night, while the other members stayed in lower-ranking official residences. The next day, the two went together to the Privy Council to submit documents.

Upon receiving the news, Wen Yanbo and Lü Gongbi immediately reviewed the documents themselves.

They first looked at the letter of state delivered by the Liao Dynasty, which included the terms of peace negotiations.

Lü Gongbi praised, "The peace treaty is even better than expected; the Liao Kingdom did not take the opportunity to extort money."

Wen Yanbo commented: "Although Xu Lai is always audacious and reckless, and loves to boast and deceive the emperor, he has never made a mistake in his work."

This is an affirmation from a political opponent.

Just like Wen Yanbo criticized Wang Anshi every now and then, but never questioned Wang Anshi's private morality.

Immediately afterwards, Wen Yanbo and Lü Gongbi each reviewed Xu Lai and Guo Ruoxu's travel logs.

Not afraid of not knowing the goods, but afraid of comparing goods.

Guo Ruoxu's itinerary record, compared to Xu Lai's itinerary record, is as simple as if it were written by a child.

Lu Gongbi put down Guo Ruoxu's itinerary record, then turned to look at Xu Lai, and was immediately both amused and exasperated: "This Guo Ruoxu, he doesn't care about important matters at all. All he records are about discussing calligraphy and painting with officials from various countries."

Wen Yanbo, while reading the information about the Liao Dynasty, couldn't help but exclaim, "Xu Lai's writing is extremely detailed. He clearly describes the Liao Dynasty's post stations, inns, cities, and passes—the routes and locations are all clearly written. The people's livelihood and local customs are also very vivid and detailed. He even estimated the number of watchtowers on the city walls of Nanjing and Zhongjing, the Liao Dynasty's capital. He also wrote about how to attack the city; he truly never forgets about war."

Neither the Song Dynasty nor the Liao Dynasty would check the envoys' private records; they would only search for contraband.

The envoys can write their itineraries openly and honestly.

Because Guo Ruoxu's travelogue was brief, Lü Gongbi saw the section about being insulted by Xiao Zuo first: "The Liao Kingdom is playing this trick again. Last time, Chen Shugu (Chen Xiang) was demoted after returning home because of Xiao Zuo."

Chen Xiang ultimately upheld the dignity of the Song Dynasty; his demotion was only temporary, and he was soon reinstated by the emperor.

What truly impressed Lü Gongbi was Xu Lai's audacity in bringing up the Chongyuan Rebellion, directly hitting Yelü Hongji where it hurt.

"What was the birthday poem that Xu Lai wrote for the Liao emperor?" Lü Gongbi asked.

Guo Ruoxu only recorded that Xu Lai wrote poems as a gift, but did not record the specific content of the two poems, because he did not know them.

"Don't rush." ​​Wen Yanbo was still observing the customs and culture of the Liao Kingdom.

After a while, Wen Yanbo finally saw the two poems and nodded in approval, saying, "Both poems contain hidden wit and do not diminish the majesty of our Great Song Dynasty."

Diplomatic poetry can easily be seized upon by political enemies.

For example, Xu Lai's father-in-law, Yu Jing, had also served as an envoy to the Liao Dynasty in his youth. Yu Jing intensively studied the Khitan language and even wrote poems for the Liao emperor in Khitan, which led to his demotion upon returning home!

The reason for his demotion was that he abandoned Chinese characters and wrote poetry in Khitan language, which was blatant flattery of the Liao emperor and undermined the dignity of the Song Dynasty.

After reading the birthday poem, Lü Gongbi continued reading Guo Ruoxu's travelogue. The following pages were filled with descriptions of hunting, banquets, and exchanges of calligraphy and painting, until—

Lu Gongbi was shocked. The Liao emperor actually wanted to detain Xu Lai and even wanted to recruit Xu Lai as the son-in-law of the Second King!

He quickly read on, but Guo Ruoxu had no idea how Xu Lai had solved the problem.

Wen Yanbo gradually saw that place as well. He was reading Xu Lai's itinerary, which clearly described everything that had happened, and its contents greatly shocked Wen Yanbo.

Lü Gongbi also came over to read it and asked, "How dare he interfere in the affairs of the Liao Kingdom?"

This is a grave offense, and even if there is a valid reason, the person must be impeached!

Wen Yanbo greatly admired Xu Lai's actions; if it had been him, he would most likely have been detained. But admiration was one thing, rules were another, and he used this opportunity to impeach Xu Lai.

The two thought that was pretty much it, and there wasn't much to see after they returned home.

Then the giant tortoise appeared in a dream.

What nonsense is this?

The Privy Council usually takes two or three days to review diplomatic documents. But Wen Yanbo submitted the materials to the emperor in just half a day.

Zhao Xu read it carefully, as if it were a legendary novel.

He didn't feel that Xu Lai had violated the rules at all; on the contrary, he was excited and scared while reading, feeling that Xu Lai's trip was thrilling and exciting.

Zhao Xu thought to himself: Fortunately, Xu Xingzhi handled the situation well, otherwise I would have lost a key minister!

But what on earth is this giant tortoise sending dreams?

In the late afternoon, Xu Lai and Guo Ruoxu were ordered to enter the palace.

Privy Councilor Wen Yanbo was also present, as the Privy Council was also in charge of foreign affairs.

Wen Yanbo questioned, "Why is Scholar Xu interfering in the internal affairs of Liao and sowing discord between the Liao emperor and the Grand Tutor? The Liao Grand Tutor is arrogant and domineering, and he will surely bring chaos to the country, which is beneficial to our Great Song. After your instigation, the Liao emperor is very likely to eliminate him."

Xu Lai countered, "Then what should I do? Stay in Liao and become a member of the royal family?"

Wen Yanbo said, "We can think of other ways."

"Is there any other way?" Xu Lai asked.

Wen Yanbo emphasized: "Envoys must not interfere in the affairs of other countries!"

Xu Lai pressed further, "Which law explicitly prohibits this?"

Wen Yanbo was speechless, because this was just an unspoken rule, and there were no explicit written regulations.

Xu Lai added, "Back then, when Minister Fu was an envoy to the Liao Kingdom, he also sowed discord between the Liao emperor and his ministers. He said that if the Song and Liao went to war, the emperor would bear the losses of the troops, while the plundered wealth would end up in the pockets of the ministers. If the two countries were at peace, the annual tribute would belong to the Liao emperor."

Wen Yanbo said, "That was for the benefit of the Song Dynasty. Your current actions of sowing discord and helping the Liao emperor eliminate treacherous officials are detrimental to the Song Dynasty."

Xu Lai, too lazy to argue, instead bowed to the emperor and said, "Your Majesty is wise."

Zhao Xu didn't think Xu Lai was wrong; instead, he became intrigued and inquired, "How did you know that the Grand Tutor of Liao wanted to murder his Empress and Crown Prince?"

Xu Lai replied, "Just a guess."

"Just a guess? What if you're wrong?" Zhao Xu asked in astonishment.

Xu Lai said, "As long as I guide the Liao emperor with my words, even falsehoods will become truth. The purpose of sowing discord is not to make the other side believe, but to make them suspicious."

Zhao Xu suddenly realized what was going on and asked, "Did you really receive a dream from a giant tortoise in Xiangzhou?"

Xu Lai could only continue lying: "I did indeed dream of a giant tortoise. This is the text I copied and translated; its shell..."

The characters carved on the scapulae, I dare to name them Oracle Bone Script. Oracle Bone Script is very likely the origin of Chinese writing.

The attendant handed the oracle bone inscriptions to the emperor.

Zhao Xu studied the translation for a long time, only managing to recognize one or two words: "You translated it all?"

Xu Lai replied, "There are also those that cannot be deciphered. Before I passed the imperial examination, I often studied literature at the home of Prime Minister Ouyang and perused many of his collections of inscriptions on bronze and stone. With this foundation, I was able to decipher some oracle bone inscriptions."

After reading through more than a dozen oracle bone inscriptions, Zhao Xu asked, "What kind of king is this?"

Xu Lai replied, "It could be some Shang king. To find out exactly who it is, we need to excavate more tombs. Your Majesty, please recall Minister Ouyang; he is the most suitable person to go to Xiangzhou to oversee the excavation."

Wen Yanbo said, "Your Majesty, metal and stone are minor arts; it is not worthwhile to mobilize troops and waste money."

Zhao Xu directly instructed his attendants to hand over the copied oracle bone inscriptions to Wen Yanbo.

After carefully examining the text and comparing it with Xu Lai's deciphered content, Wen Yanbo suddenly changed his mind and stopped objecting. He was also curious about it.

Zhao Xu immediately announced: "Xu Lai has rendered meritorious service as an envoy to the Liao Kingdom and in discovering oracle bone inscriptions. He is hereby promoted to Left Grand Counselor and Academician of the Hanlin Academy, and concurrently..."

Xu Lai's previous official position was Right Remonstrance Official.

Although the left and right officials belong to the same rank, the Left Censor-in-Chief's rank is higher. This is equivalent to the official being promoted by half a rank.

He used to be just an ordinary Hanlin scholar, but now he has been given the title of "Chengzhi", which is equivalent to him becoming the head of the Hanlin Academy!

During the Tang Dynasty, the Hanlin Academician was even referred to as the "Inner Minister".

However, as the head of the Hanlin Academy, unless he had other important assignments, he would definitely also serve as a drafter of imperial edicts.

Xu Lai was likely to clash with Wang Anshi, so he needed to be given another substantive post. This post also needed to be more influential than the one he held.

Zhao Xu thought for a moment: "Concurrently serve as Deputy Privy Councilor!"

Wen Yanbo seized the opportunity to set a trap: "Your Majesty, those who serve as Deputy Privy Councilors usually have to first serve as Vice Censor-in-Chief, Commissioner of the Three Departments, or Acting Prefect of Kaifeng."

The current Commissioner of the Three Departments and the Acting Prefect of Kaifeng are both people appointed by Wang Anshi. The Censor-in-Chief, in particular, is bound to oppose Wang Anshi.

The three positions Wen Yanbo recommended were all intended to escalate the conflict between Xu Lai and Wang Anshi.

If Xu Lai were to become the Deputy Privy Councilor, it would be tantamount to driving a nail into Wen Yanbo's territory.

Zhao Xu was extremely dissatisfied with Wen Yanbo: "Then let him concurrently serve as Deputy Chief of the Privy Council!"

Xu Lai cannot go home yet because the diplomatic process of transferring the document to the Court of State Ceremonial has not been completed.

However, his new official position as "Left Grand Counselor, Hanlin Academician, Lecturer, and Deputy Privy Councilor" had already spread rapidly.

The officials were shocked and astonished.

Such a young Deputy Privy Councilor, and also the head of the Hanlin Academy, is a unique figure since the founding of the Song Dynasty.

The appointment of a Deputy Privy Councilor requires a court assembly and the issuance of a decree.

I wonder how many people will object then.