Chapter 241: Shooting oneself in the foot
“I have a few words to say to His Highness. Is it convenient for Your Highness?” Sima Guang asked.
Zhao Xing wanted to say that it was inconvenient for him, but looking at Sima Guang's attitude, even if he could be sent away this time, he would have to bother him more often in the future.
Some people may find it incredible that he is just a minister. How dare he pester the prince?
There were not many such people in other dynasties, but there were not many in the Song Dynasty.
Because they ruled the world together with the scholar-bureaucrats, the ministers of the Song Dynasty respected the emperor and the prince, but lacked the fear of imperial power that other dynasties had.
Especially a person like Sima Guang, who has a stubborn temper and accepts death, will do what he thinks is right.
"Let's get on the carriage and talk." Zhao Xing pointed at the carriage and said.
"Yes!" Sima Guang responded.
Zhao Xing took Sima Guang into the carriage. His carriage was very spacious, almost ten square meters and more than two meters high. It was like a small room. People walked in it without bending down. .
There is a stall toilet inside the carriage, and the outside room is decorated like a small living room.
There is a soft red sandalwood Arhat bed at the top, and a bronze incense burner is placed on each side, with wisps of sandalwood fragrance floating out, which smells very good.
Zhao Xing came to sit down on the soft couch at the top and asked Sima Guang to sit down. When the palace maid served tea, Zhao Xing sent him away, leaving only Sanshui to wait on him.
"I have read Jun Shi's articles such as "Han Emperor Beheaded Ding Gong", "Gan Luo", "Fan Ju", "Qin Keng Zhao Jun" and so on. I always wanted to discuss something with Jun Shi, but I didn't. Got the chance. I have some doubts, can Junshi help me?" Zhao Xing said with a smile.
He has indeed read these articles, not only Sima Guang's, but also articles by celebrities such as Fan Daxianggong and Sansu. He has read some in his spare time.
Sima Guang wrote many articles about historical figures and allusions.
The article also added some of his views on those characters and allusions.
The "Zi Zhi Tong Jian" that was passed down to later generations has not yet been compiled, but it has some shadows.
However, Zhao Xing mentioned this not because he really wanted to discuss this with Sima Guang, but because he wanted to change the topic.
Zhao Xingjue, as a literati, is somewhat proud of his articles and poems.
As a prince, he first praised and then asked for advice. It was normal for Sima Guang to talk to him when he was happy.
After chatting for a while, I can find an excuse and send Sima Guang away.
"I have something else to talk to His Highness when I come here this time. It is my honor for Your Highness to read my article. If Your Highness has any doubts, I can often go to the East Palace to explain it to His Highness."
< br>Sima Guang was not carried away by Zhao Xing's burst of rainbow farts. On the contrary, he was very calm.
Hearing this, Zhao Xing said helplessly: "I wonder if you have anything to tell me?"
"Your Highness, the laws of our ancestors are immutable. Please abolish the Green Seed Law!" Sima Guang said.
Zhao Xing frowned slightly and said: "The Book of Changes says: If you are poor, you will change, and if you change, you will be general. Reform is a strategy for self-improvement, and it is for eternal peace. Without adapting the old law, there is no cure. Gu believes that Do you really think that there is no law that will remain unchanged for a hundred years?”
“Your Highness also said that there is no law that will remain unchanged for a hundred years. This shows that the collapse of the Spring and Autumn rituals and music is not the key, my ministers. I also know that the Song Dynasty had a lot of problems, but reform is the only way to solve them. I believe that the key to solving the problems is to govern people. If everyone follows the rules, it doesn't matter whether the policy is good or bad. Do you think so?" Sima Guang said.
What Zhao Xing just said was to persuade Sima Guang, and the same is true for Sima Guang's words.
Sima Guang was not persuaded by Zhao Xing, and naturally Zhao Xing could not be persuaded by Sima Guang's few words.
Zhao Xing's impression of Sima Guang was not good, and this impression came from the history of later generations.
Zhao Xing did not know much about Song history, and his general impression of Sima Guang was that he was pedantic, conservative, and did not know how to adapt.
However, what Sima Guang just said gave Zhao Xing a different understanding of Sima Guang.
In Zhao Xing's original thinking, Sima Guang should be conservative and opposed the reform.
But now it seems that Sima Guang is not particularly conservative.
Reform is to solve the accumulated disadvantages. In Sima Guang's view, reform is not needed to solve the accumulated disadvantages.
The cause of accumulated evil is not the law but the people, so it is better to change the law than to govern the people.
As long as officials abide by the rules, even bad policies can be changed into good policies. But if officials do not follow the rules, good policies will turn into bad policies.
Zhao Xing actually agrees with this, but he doesn’t completely agree.
In Zhao Xing's view, although Wang Anshi and Sima Guang had different political opinions, their purpose was to solve the long-standing shortcomings of the Song Dynasty.
It's just that both of them were too extreme. Wang Anshi only wanted to solve the problem through the system, while Sima Guang only wanted to solve it through the administration of officials.
Zhao Xing feels that a combination of the two is the best way.
The system is dead but the people are alive. No matter how perfect the system is, if people do not change, there will always be loopholes to exploit.
But if we just stick to the administration of officials without changing some systems, it will not be able to take too big a step, let alone have any effect.
Both of them have some ideals, but they are also stubborn and find it difficult to listen to what others say.
Zhao Xing did not tell Sima Guang these things. Through the simple exchange just now, Zhao Xing could see that people like Sima Guang had already fixed their minds and could not be persuaded by a few words.
After being silent for a while, Zhao Xing said: "The Qingmiao Law is not a reform."
"Uh..."
Sima Guang was confused by Zhao Xing's words. , but if you think about it carefully, the Green Crops Law is indeed not a reform law, because it has not been done before, so how can it be changed?
Seriously speaking, the Green Crops Law is a new law. If it says that new laws cannot be added, it seems that there is no such provision.
Emperors of the past dynasties also added some new laws without changing the ancestral regulations.
Zhao Xing smiled secretly in his heart, but said calmly on his face: "In his position, he will seek his own government. It is not Junshi's business to worry about whether there is a reform. Junshi, you are going too far by saying this to Gu. ”
Through simple communication, Zhao Xing has figured out Sima Guang’s temperament and has a way to deal with him.
People like Sima Guang are deeply influenced by Confucianism, etiquette, benevolence, wisdom and trust are deep in their bones, and they abide by the rules very much. Zhao Xing had no doubt that if he ascended the throne in the future and made a decree for Sima Guang to commit suicide, he would do it.
Because if you let your minister die, you will have to die. This is the rule.
To deal with such a person, it is useless to reason with him. He only accepts death and cannot be persuaded at all.
As long as you tell him the rules, as long as the rules are like this, he will abide by them.
"I am a fellow advisor to the Court of Admonition. It is my duty to advise the prince, and I have never exceeded it." Sima Guang said seriously.
“Uh…”
This time it was Zhao Xing's turn to be dumbfounded.
But there is nothing wrong with what Sima Guang said. Judging from his official position, it does not seem to be excessive.
"If you say so, I will consider it carefully when I go back alone." Zhao Xing said.
Zhao Xing has made up his mind to go back to his father to change Sima Guang's official position.
As long as you don't become an official, arrange another official position and see what he has to say when the time comes.
"Then I will retire first!" Sima Guang stood up and saluted.
"Sanshui, send Junshi off for the orphan." Zhao Xing ordered.
Sent Sima Guang off, Zhao Xing pondered for a while, got off the carriage and entered the palace again.
The officials were very confused when they learned that Zhao Xing had left and returned. After Zhao Xing explained his purpose, the officials shook their heads and said: "You think things are too simple, as are all officials in the world. The right to write letters to advise the emperor. I have the impression that when I was in the local government, whenever there was any trouble in the court, I would write letters to advise me. In just two or three years, he gave me more than 100 letters. I never tire of doing it.”
I have done more than a hundred treatments in two or three years, and on average I have to do one in less than ten days.
At first glance, it doesn't seem like much.
But with Sima Guang’s position, he did not have to submit a letter for everything.
In many cases, you can meet with the officials directly and persuade them face to face.
The reason for writing Zhazi is that it doesn’t make sense in a few words. As a minister, you can’t have a long discussion with the officials. You can only write Zhazi, quote the classics, and present it to the officials.
Even if the official has a kind-hearted character, Sima Guang's treatment like this makes him very annoyed.
"Is there such a thing? Why have I never heard of it? Since my father is annoying him, why do we still let him serve in the admonishment court?" Zhao Xing asked doubtfully.
He really didn’t know that Sima Guang had such a record.
It stands to reason that Sima Guang's achievements have already spread throughout Bianjing.
And since his father is bothering him, he might as well put Sima Guang down somewhere, out of sight and out of mind.
But my father happened to get the person in front of me.
"This man is very talented. If he takes up a local post, his post will need to be submitted to the minister's desk first. Unlike admonishers, the post will be sent directly to me." The official said.
After hearing this, Zhao Xing thought for a moment and understood what his father meant.
Sima Guang was talented, and everything he said in the letter was reasonable and could attract the approval of many people.
Through the Shangshutai, the content in the post will be spread out.
If the father does not adopt it, there will inevitably be criticism.
Jian Yuan was different. Zha Zi was given directly to his father. As long as his father ignored it, no one else would know.
Unless Sima Guang himself spreads it everywhere.
But with Sima Guang’s temperament, he would not do such a thing.
"Then we can only let him continue to stay in Jianyuan?" Zhao Xing frowned.
"No, there is another good place to go." The official said with a smile.
"Where?" Zhao Xing was delighted when he heard this.
“East Palace!” the official said.
“Huh?”
Zhao Xing was stunned when he heard this, and he was shooting himself in the foot.
My father was already annoyed with Sima Guang, so he stayed with him as a last resort.
Now Sima Guang was left to him.
Why is the East Palace a good place to go?
This is because the East Palace and the imperial court are two different teams.
Court officials can concurrently hold official posts in the East Palace, but they can also only hold official posts in the East Palace.
If he only held the official position in the East Palace, he would be his subordinate official.
The things he is responsible for are all related to the prince, and he is not directly responsible for the court duties, so he cannot bother the officials.
"Father, I came to you to prevent Sima Guang from bothering me. Why did you leave him to me?" Zhao Xing said with a sad face.
"I'm a little worried about you, but I feel relieved to have him watching over you." The official said with a smile.
(End of this chapter)