[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-shao-song":3,"chapter-shao-song-shao-song-chapter-343":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Shao Song",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1558509,2024,"Chapter 343: Means","shao-song-chapter-343",343,"\u003Cp>\"Name?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Zhou Bin.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Which village settlement are you the head of?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Xihe, Jiazi Number One Settlement, Heyin County, Zhengzhou...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the last day of the second month, in front of the third gate on the west side of Xuande Tower, because of the appearance of a special serial number, many people—including a middle-aged crimson-robed official passing by—turned their heads, but quickly turned back again. After all, there had to be a Jiazi Number One Settlement, and it was only right that it fell in Heyin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was because back when His Majesty recovered the Eastern Capital, it was in Heyin that he held the military review and the great gathering of allegiance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Date of registration?\" The clerk in charge of records immediately returned to normal. \"Original place of residence?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Third month of the third year of Jianyan. Original residence, Ruzhou.\" The settlement head named Zhou Bin answered cautiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The date is correct.\" The clerk finally put down his brush again, then frowned. \"But Ruzhou is so close—why didn't you go home?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This question made the crimson-robed official beside him look over with renewed curiosity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"To let this clerk know, there are two reasons for this.\" The settlement head named Zhou Bin, seeing the high official beside him watching, though cowed, answered fluently, as if he had studied letters. \"One is that I was forcibly conscripted into the rebel Zhang Yu's army at the time, and was pardoned and resettled, so I had no choice in where I went. The other is that later, in the fourth year of Jianyan, when I was permitted to return home, I made inquiries and found out that the entire town of my hometown had been carried off by Zhang Yu, leaving hardly any men or women behind. So I simply settled down nearby, started a family on the spot...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ministry of Revenue clerk in charge of registration sighed softly after hearing this, then lowered his head to record: \"Those years were all like that. You say it's far, but really it's only three, four, five years... Judging by your appearance, you've studied letters and married a wife from north of the River, which is why you were pushed forward as settlement head?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\" The settlement head named Zhou answered crisply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I actually know your type. After going through those things, all ambition is extinguished, and you just want to settle down properly.\" The Ministry clerk continued recording with his head down, but let out a snicker. \"Am I right or not?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\" The settlement head was still crisp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright, here's the situation.\" The Ministry clerk put away his smile and spoke seriously. \"We've handled the interest-free settlement production loans for Kaifeng Prefecture before, and we know more or less that among the settlement heads along the river these days, there are few like you. Most are retired soldiers from the Imperial Guard, and they're not easy to deal with. Since you've studied letters and understand their depths and intentions, stay here and do some liaison work for us for two days... It won't delay you from collecting your loan in three days, and we'll cover room and board. Later, in your county, there's a kind of announcement duty—one person overseeing ten settlements, explaining government decrees and compiling reports for the heads of military and civilian settlements. The pay isn't much, but the work isn't heavy either. It counts as a minor post, and you'll receive free official gazettes... Are you interested?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Since the clerk is offering me face, how could I refuse?\" Settlement Head Zhou quickly replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was at this moment that the middle-aged crimson-robed official, who had been watching for a while, finally turned around. But after crossing the bustling Imperial Street and entering the Gazette Office diagonally opposite, he put the scene just witnessed out of his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This crimson-robed official was none other than the Attending Censor Li Jing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, since ancient times, it has been said that all officials avoid the Censors. Moreover, in the Song Dynasty, the Censorate, which had the power to restrain the Grand Councilors, held considerable weight. And Li Jing was already the highest-ranking Attending Censor in the Censorate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, as soon as he entered the Gazette Office, the many officials gathered there, while cupping their hands and bowing in greeting, also hurriedly made way for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Jing, barely over thirty years old, looked rather embarrassed but had no choice but to follow the path cleared by the crowd and walk inside, until someone called out to him from a distance:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is that Shu Yi (Li Jing's courtesy name)? Come sit here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Jing looked closely and saw that it was Minister of Personnel Chen Gongfu, sitting alone on a long bench in a corner of the courtyard. Overjoyed, he quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and offered greetings... The crimson-robed official sitting opposite Chen Gongfu also stood up with a smile and naturally yielded his seat to Li Jing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, although Chen Gongfu was the most vehement opponent of Neo-Confucianism, he had opposed it from the very beginning, rather than later trimming his sails. This meant that Chen Gongfu still maintained a posture of being close but not fully committed to many of the court's minority factions, including the Li Gang brothers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, regardless of everything, both sides were still fellow countrymen from the southeast (Li Gang and Li Jing's brothers were from Shaowu, Fujian; Chen Gongfu was from Linhai, Taizhou), and they still shared some political camaraderie. Additionally, Chen Gongfu was now a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Personnel, holding a prominent and important position. And although his temperament was free-spirited and straightforward, he was somewhat advanced in age. So the relationship between them had always been relatively decorous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lord Chen, must even the Honorable Minister of Personnel humble himself to wait for the gazette?\" After sitting down, Li Jing immediately switched to a southeastern accent and asked with a wry smile, his words also exceptionally polite... This politeness was more for Chen Gongfu's age than his official rank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If even an Attending Censor can come and wait in person, why can't I, a Minister?\" Chen Gongfu replied casually, still with that free-spirited temperament. \"Besides, look at this courtyard full of crimson and green robes—when have you and I ever been the only ones?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"True enough.\" Li Jing also looked at the courtyard full of officials and sighed softly. \"Rather than saying so many people are humbling themselves, it's more accurate to say that the weight of the gazette today is no longer comparable to a mere miscellaneous affair under the Court of State Ceremonial... Lord Chen, hasn't the Ministry of Personnel said anything?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course they have.\" Chen Gongfu answered frankly. \"But they were all rejected by the Secretariat-Chancellery. It seems His Majesty is keeping a tight grip on it, making it hard to interfere, and he's decided that Hu Quan is a useful man.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If that's the case.\" Li Jing rested his hands on his knees, lost in thought. \"It should be that in a couple of years, once Hu Quan's seniority is sufficient, the gazette will gradually be elevated to a Directorate, then to a Supervising Office... It probably won't go as far as a Ministry... But with such a critical position held by one man for so long, some personal bias is bound to creep in.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"His Majesty is precisely using Hu Quan's personal bias to control the gazette.\" Chen Gongfu still spoke plainly, his words straightforward to an astonishing degree. \"Before the Northern Expedition succeeds, there shouldn't be any changes. It's like with the several Grand Councilors—Lord Zhao is solid and steady, Lord Zhang is charging forward without looking back...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Jing fell silent for a moment, then couldn't help but smile wryly: \"Lord Chen, have you heard those two phrases too?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Although I don't know what today's gazette will say, those two phrases have already spread far and wide.\" Chen Gongfu also laughed. \"Lord Zhang is not a man who can keep his composure. Isn't it precisely because of the hint dropped by Grand Councilor Zhang that Shu Yi came here early to wait and see what's what?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Jing was silent for a moment and did not answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Gongfu smiled and turned his gaze to the courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, as the day drew closer to evening, more and more officials poured into the Gazette Office, all waiting for the day's much-anticipated gazette to be printed... Unlike before, the gazette now had its own printing workshop. Except for certain special supplements, every ten days there was a dedicated compilation print run—a neat sixteen sheets of paper, gathering the information of the past ten days for large-scale printing to reduce costs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, because this kind of printing involved proofreading, typesetting, and block carving, various pieces of information were inevitably leaked in advance, making a phenomenon like today's unlikely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, however, there was a reason:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, of course, was Zhang Jun Zhang Deyuan's big mouth... After that fellow told His Majesty Zhao his thoughts on reading *Water Margin* and received the comment \"charging forward without looking back,\" he simply couldn't contain himself. Throughout the entire second month, Lord Zhang had leaked His Majesty's appraisal of him dozens of times through various formal and informal occasions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Correspondingly, everyone more or less knew that Lord Zhang seemed to have produced a remarkable dialogue between sovereign and minister, creating a big piece of news. It was just that His Majesty had spoken, so it couldn't be revealed for the time being.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Subsequently, the other Grand Councilors present, as well as Censor-in-Chief Li Guang, Kaifeng Prefect Yan Xiaozhong, and many other close ministers who had been present at the time, more or less verified this news... And almost everyone also indicated that His Majesty had given clear instructions: they would have to wait until the promotion of mulberry-fish-pond farming as village public property was on the right track before Lord Zhang's dialogue with the throne would be published in the gazette.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, at the end of the second month, with the gazette for the first day of the third month about to come out, not only were the Imperial University students involved in proofreading forbidden from leaving to spread news, but even the palace had sent Imperial Guard soldiers to guard the printing workshop. These actions, in turn, verified the earlier claims—Lord Zhang really had made a big piece of news!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It should have been printed long ago.\" Chen Gongfu's gaze swept over several fully armed Imperial Guardsmen, then the white-haired old man turned back to face Li Jing in front of him. \"Hu Quan is just deliberately stalling for time...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How long can he stall?\" Li Jing, barely over thirty, looked at the sky and sneered in response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Chen Gongfu's heart stirred slightly, but he suddenly changed the subject: \"Shu Yi is now wearing a crimson robe too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Jing was momentarily startled, then smiled again: \"All thanks to His Majesty's grace.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's true.\" Chen Gongfu nodded, then suddenly asked again. \"Since that's the case, do you have any plans to be posted out as a Prefect of a prefecture?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Jing's heart jolted. He opened his mouth to reply, but his mind raced, and in the end, he could only remain silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the other's reaction, Chen Gongfu understood and did not press further, simply waiting quietly for the gazette to be released.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, these last few sentences between the two, though seemingly brief, had truly struck at Li Jing's current sore spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must be known that before the reform of the Censorate, there was only one purple robe and one crimson robe—the Censor-in-Chief and the Attending Censor in Charge of Miscellaneous Affairs, respectively. The former was the de facto head of the Censorate, the latter the de facto deputy head, though the position was not permanently established. All the rest wore green robes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, as everyone knew, the current reigning Jianyan Emperor was generous in certain respects. Ever since he moved his court to Nanyang, the Great Song court had been carrying out intermittent official system reforms in the direction of matching name with reality. The Censorate was no exception. Not only was the Censor-in-Chief raised to the third rank, but the former position of Attending Censor in Charge of Miscellaneous Affairs was directly abolished and replaced with the proper Deputy Censor-in-Chief, a rank of 3B, also a purple robe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the saying goes, when the boat rises, the water rises with it. Consequently, the Attending Censor was directly promoted to the fifth rank, entitled to wear a crimson robe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So when Li Jing said it was His Majesty's grace, he was absolutely correct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the crux of the issue was not about what robe one wore, but that since Li Jing had now become an Attending Censor, although the position of Deputy Censor-in-Chief was still vacant ahead of him, jumping from the fifth rank to the third rank, from a crimson robe directly to a purple robe, was completely unreasonable. So generally speaking, at a time like this, an Attending Censor with Li Jing's seniority would have no reason not to seek an external posting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially for Li Jing, who had reached the prominent position of Attending Censor at just over thirty years old, his future prospects were truly vast:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he was lucky, he could completely follow the path of Minister of Justice Ma Shen—wherever some trouble broke out, he would volunteer to go out as a Pacification and Supervision Commissioner, seize the opportunity to stay on as a Grand Coordinator, and then return to become a Minister.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if Ma Shen's case was a bit of a special period of \"three years as Minister, five years as Grand Councilor,\" then at the very least, given Li Jing's current state, if he ordinarily volunteered for an external posting, it would certainly be to a top-tier prefecture. He would return as a Vice Minister, and then leisurely ascend to the Imperial Library.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, by then, his official robe would definitely be purple as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that time, roughly speaking, this Li Shuyi was probably not yet forty years old… a purple-robed Grand Secretary of the Imperial Library under forty—what more could one seek in this life?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then again, who could deny that Li Jing had another identity?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone knew he was the third younger brother of Li Gang, Li Boji! And everyone also knew that the age gap between them was enormous, so their relationship was more like father and son than brothers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, everyone also knew that although Li Jing had passed the metropolitan examination over a decade ago, his meteoric rise and smooth ascent to high office were essentially because he was Li Gang's third younger brother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether it was His Majesty Zhao or Li Gang far off in the southeast, they both treated Li Jing as a mere tool—a mouthpiece left by Li Gang in the court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So then, could his appointment to an outside post ever be his own decision?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as the one in red and the one in purple—two fellow townsmen from the southeast—were facing each other in thought, as the sunlight slanted westward, the shadow of the courtyard wall of the Gazette Office gradually spread across the entire yard. Suddenly, the doors of the printing workshop were thrown open all at once, and countless laborers emerged carrying several dozen baskets, within which were clearly copies of the gazette still bearing the scent of printing ink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately, the lower-ranking clerks and some minor officials in green robes among the many officials in the Gazette Office swarmed forward, colliding with the Imperial Academy students who had rushed out to handle registration. The two sides met in the corridor to conduct the handover… Individuals were not qualified to receive the gazette; they had to report their official positions and the departments they represented to receive a fixed number of copies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Gongfu, the dignified Minister of Personnel, naturally did not need to queue in person. Soon, a relevant clerk from the Ministry of Personnel hurried over with a gazette and delivered it to his own superior. Li Shuyi, disregarding propriety, stood up directly and came behind Chen Gongfu to mooch a look at his newspaper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Minister Chen opened the gazette on the bench, scanned it for a few moments, and then, after a short while, stood up directly, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked away with the gazette pinched in his fingers, leaving behind only the pale-faced Imperial Censor Li Jing and the gradually boiling-over Gazette Office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let us set aside when Li Jing came to his senses or when he went back to write a report for his elder brother. Instead, let us speak of Grand Secretary Chen Gongfu, who, with his hands behind his back and carrying the gazette, left the Gazette Office, arrived at the Imperial Street, found his own donkey cart by the roadside, and boarded it directly. The cart carried its master away, but not homeward; instead, it headed toward the residence of another high-ranking court official.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon arriving there, the master of this house had not yet returned, but Chen Gongfu entered as if no one were there, went straight to the rear hall, and sat down in the guest seat. Not only that, but the mistress of the house came out directly to meet Minister Chen and left her three sons to attend to him in the rear hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, Chen Gongfu and the master of this house were on extremely close terms; their friendship had reached a certain level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After about two quarters of an hour, the master of the house returned. Hearing the family's report, he seemed to have anticipated it, and then went directly to the rear hall to meet Chen Gongfu… It was none other than the current Chief Censor of the Censorate, Li Guang, Li Taifa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the two met, they exchanged no pleasantries. Chen Gongfu put down the gazette in his hand, picked up his tea, took two sips, and only then spoke: \"No wonder Taifa was unwilling to tell me back then—Zhang Deyuan really has turned the heavens upside down, hasn't he?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this, Li Guang, disregarding that his three sons were still standing in attendance nearby, sat down directly and smiled bitterly: \"Actually, it's not just about how spectacularly Zhang Deyuan has stirred things up this time. Rather, it's that His Majesty gave instructions in person that day, and as a subject, one really must be somewhat discreet… Of course, Zhang Deyuan did indeed make too much of a spectacle, to the point where I was stunned on the spot and found it difficult to argue against him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Turning the heavens upside down is one thing, but arguing against it isn't necessarily required.\" Chen Gongfu shook his head in response. \"Although some of the clauses are a bit too outrageous, the principle of devoting all efforts to the Northern Expedition is still correct, and the principle that the Northern Expedition concerns the very foundation of the state is also correct… Why demand perfection?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guang was startled at first, then sighed: \"At this point, what else can be done?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Gongfu furrowed his brow: \"Compared to that, let's talk about another matter first… Are these five proposals truly Zhang Deyuan's own capability?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course not.\" Li Guang sighed again. \"I've thought about it for many days, and this is my conclusion: Expanding the army and forming alliances are within the expected scope, no need to elaborate; the so-called 'securing the rear,' that is, sending Quan Bangyan and Guo Zhongxun, two old subordinates of Zong Zhongwu, to Jiangxi to command troops and hold the line, is rather ruthless—probably the idea of that scoundrel Lu Zhi; and the fifth matter, 'building finances,' that is, preparing a three-to-five-year schedule for the Northern Expedition, should be Minister Lin's idea—he has hidden talent… Only the fourth matter, 'rectifying names,' I truly cannot figure out whose idea it was. After much thought, it's most likely Liu Ziyu, but it couldn't be Qu Duan, could it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This kind of thing probably only Zhang Deyuan himself can clarify, but he will never explain it.\" Chen Gongfu also shook his head. \"But it doesn't matter. Regardless of who came up with the ideas, it shows that after this round of internal and external reshuffling, Zhang Deyuan's inner circle now contains people capable of producing and daring to produce such ideas. And the fact that Zhang Deyuan himself dared to publicly air these five points also proves that he is truly charging forward without hesitation for His Majesty and the greater situation… From now on, no one can regard him merely as a tool His Majesty uses to restrain Chancellor Zhao; he is a genuine Chancellor of the Western Administration.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guang was silent for a while before nodding heavily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are you thinking about how to explain things to Chancellor Li of the southeast?\" Chen Gongfu, observing his old friend's expression, suddenly asked again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\" Li Guang sighed repeatedly. \"Difficult… Not to mention anything else, how do I explain the two matters of 'securing the rear' and 'rectifying names' to Chancellor Li? I was clearly present before the throne that day, yet I remained silent and let these two matters pass?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you ask me, explain what?\" Chen Gongfu sneered and shook his head. \"You're two years younger than me, yet you still cling to that old-fashioned thinking… Just because you received the favor of recognition from Chancellor Li, you have to be his vanguard for life? If we're talking about the favor of recognition, hasn't the current His Majesty shown you the same?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"His Majesty is the Son of Heaven…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Repay the Son of Heaven's favor with remonstration unto death, and repay a chancellor's favor by being a dog or a horse?\" Chen Gongfu grew increasingly impatient. \"Do you know that Li Boji's overbearing style has become so unbearable that even his own younger brother can barely stand it? And you still cling to the so-called Chancellor Li faction, wanting to be its leader? Little do you realize that this so-called Chancellor Li faction has long ceased to exist. Even if it did, it is no longer the faction that once commanded the world's prestige, and it's certainly not your turn to be its leader!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guang was stunned for a moment, but then shook his head: \"It's not just about explaining to Chancellor Li. Mainly, I find it hard to be at peace with myself. Not to mention anything else, what about the Retired Emperor Yuansheng? After all, he was also a Son of Heaven who showed us the favor of recognition…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Still the same words: if we're talking about the favor of recognition, hasn't the current His Majesty shown you the same?\" Chen Gongfu seemed to have anticipated this question. \"Moreover, how shallow was the Retired Emperor Yuansheng's favor of recognition toward you? At first, you had the merit of supporting his ascension, and he needed to use war advocates to win over popular sentiment, so he promoted you to Imperial Censor in one go. But when he wanted to negotiate peace, he demoted you to supervise liquor taxes in Tingzhou in one fell swoop… Such vacillation, treating talent as bargaining chips and tools—is that the bearing a ruler should have? On the other hand, the current Emperor has promoted you again and again, elevating you to the head of the Censorate in two or three years, enjoying the status of a half-chancellor for many years. Even during the White Horse Incident, he made a point to retain you—doesn't that count as the favor of recognition?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guang fell silent again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you know why I came to find you today?\" Chen Gongfu pressed on relentlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guang shook his head with effort: \"Wasn't it because of these five matters of Chancellor Zhang in the gazette?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes and no.\" Chen Gongfu finally sighed as well. \"Taifa, while I did come for this matter, the words I truly want to say are not about these things, but about my concern for you…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guang was finally taken aback.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you ask me, you have a profound family scholarly tradition, keen insight, and popular prestige—you certainly have the demeanor of a famous minister. But your temperament has two enormous flaws.\" Chen Gongfu's expression was stern, and he coldly exposed Li Guang's shortcomings right in front of his three adult sons. \"First, you are stubborn about pride and reputation. You clearly know the general right and wrong of matters, and you clearly know the fundamental strengths and weaknesses of people, yet you always insist on arguing and contending over minor details for the sake of a bit of pride or a bit of reputation, doing pointless things!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I am aware of this flaw too.\" Li Guang awkwardly raised his teacup as a cover. \"You're not the only one who has said this. I'll try to change…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's one thing.\" Chen Gongfu, ignoring the awkwardness of Li and his sons, continued coldly. \"The key is that you lack a sense of the big picture! Being stubborn about pride and reputation over small matters is one thing, but doing so over major matters is another. Little do you realize that for the sake of a bit of minor fame, you might recklessly ruin the overall situation. In the future, you might even end up with the reputation of a clown in the history books, yet you still preen yourself.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guang finally could not hold back: \"Brother Guozuo, don't slander me… When have I ever done anything to ruin the overall situation?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let me ask you, is the Northern Expedition right or wrong?\" Chen Gongfu was unafraid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guang opened his mouth to speak, but the other immediately asked: \"Is it the big picture or not?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guang was about to speak again, but Chen Gongfu had already asked: \"The original text of the court dialogue in the gazette says that His Majesty said to wait until this matter is published and see who has anything to say… Haven't you already written a related memorial these past few days, revising it countless times, ready to go tomorrow and point out where Chancellor Zhang's third and fourth matters are slightly inappropriate?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guang's expression finally changed drastically, and below him, his eldest son, Li Mengbo, also changed color… Others might not know, but Li Mengbo was fully aware that his father did have such a memorial, and indeed, it had been revised many times, since he, as the eldest son, always helped polish and transcribe it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What's inappropriate? Isn't it just that you're afraid that if you don't speak, your old colleagues in Jiangnan will criticize you, and you'll lose public support?\" Chen Gongfu sat motionless, directly throwing his teacup to the ground, shattering it into pieces. \"In the end, it's still about seeking fame and trying to please both sides! Li Taifa! Do you think that at this point, you can still be a person who shines on all sides?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guang's three sons were already stunned into silence, and Li Guang, looking at the porcelain fragments on the ground, though equally pale, still struggled to argue: \"Brother Guozuo, why must it come to this? Since His Majesty compares Zhao and Zhang to Fang and Du, why can't he tolerate me being a Wei Zheng?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Did Wei Zheng earn his reputation by constantly speaking well of Li Jiancheng, or by persuading Emperor Taizong not to attack the Turks?\" Chen Gongfu replied mockingly. \"Let me be clear with you today, Li Taifa. Your actions here may seem like outspoken remonstration, but in my eyes, they are nothing but trying to please both sides, and are contemptible!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother Guozuo!\" Li Guang was momentarily furious. \"We have decades of friendship, and we've known each other since youth—that's true, isn't it? Why must you spew such harsh words today, one after another?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's good that you still remember our decades of friendship are real.\" Chen Gongfu twirled his graying beard and sighed faintly. \"Li Taifa, at tomorrow's grand court session, you'd best, for the sake of our decades of friendship, not submit that memorial. Otherwise, I naturally have a memorial impeaching your private conduct ready to follow immediately, and then a letter severing our friendship, to be submitted to Lu Benzhong's tabloid…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having said this, Chen Gongfu stood up, picked up the gazette from the table, and tucked it behind his back, but then turned his head and said one last sentence to his already dumbfounded old friend: \"Taifa, if it weren't for our decades of friendship, why would I have rushed here today to speak such harsh words? I hope you will think it over carefully.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, the Minister of Personnel, hands clasped behind his back and holding the gazette, left the house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Father!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Chen Gongfu left, Li Guang stood frozen in place. It was his eldest son who reacted quickly, personally seeing the guest out, then hurried back to the rear hall to face his father. \"Uncle Chen has left.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guang then snapped back to reality and stared blankly at his son: \"What exactly did he mean? How could it come to severing our friendship?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mengbo lowered his head and thought for a moment, then replied cautiously: \"Your son roughly guesses that Uncle Chen's meaning has several layers… One is that Chancellor Li of the southeast, after many years of leisure, has long ceased to be a force to be reckoned with. Another is that Uncle Chen has been convinced by Chancellor Zhang, and truly believes that the whole country should secure the interior and ally externally, and devote all efforts to the Northern Expedition. He genuinely thinks that if Father speaks up now, it would go against the big picture… Otherwise, why would he speak of severing our friendship?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guang remained silent… Though he did not speak, in his heart he already felt that his son's analysis was correct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a friend of decades, Chen Gongfu understood him, and he likewise understood the other. Li Guang knew very well in his heart that Chen Gongfu was not a weathercock who followed the tide. A weathercock would not have persisted in criticizing Cheng's school of thought for decades when it was flourishing, nor would he have ended up, like Li Guang himself, only seeing the light of officialdom in his fifties or sixties because he opposed Cai Jing and advocated war.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But on the other hand, just as Chen Gongfu believed Li Guang was stubborn about pride and reputation, Li Guang had long detected a major flaw in Chen Gongfu's character—perhaps because he had wasted many years in his early career, this person, for the sake of what he internally recognized as the big picture, was often willing to make compromises on minor issues.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This matter was precisely such a case. Chen Gongfu had been convinced by Zhang Deyuan, accepted the argument that the Northern Expedition concerned the very foundation of the state, and deemed it the foremost big picture of the moment. For the sake of this big picture, he was willing to accept various outrageous actions, such as demanding that the Two Emperors write self-criticisms and sending troops to the south to suppress opposition, in order to facilitate the smooth execution of the plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Relatively speaking, he, Li Guang, had also been somewhat convinced by Zhang Jun and acknowledged that the Northern Expedition was the general trend. But his flaw lay in his unwillingness to accept those outrageous actions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over the long years, the two had always been like this, and similar disagreements had always existed. But what Li Guang had never expected was that this disagreement would reach the point of severing their decades-long friendship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was he truly wrong?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it Chen Gongfu who was wrong?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or perhaps neither was wrong, but Zhao Jiu's attitude toward Zhang Jun's words had already signaled that the situation had reached a new stage—a stage where Zhao Jiu had to discard the opposition for the Northern Expedition, or where the opposition was no longer a force to be reckoned with?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, it was also possible that this bastard Chen Gongfu was deliberately trying to scare him, wasn't it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In any case, Li Guang could not sleep all night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, the first day of the third month, was the day of the Grand Court Assembly. So, though lacking in energy, Li Guang still rose early to prepare for court. But it was at this moment that the Censor-in-Chief was astonished to discover that the memorial he had long prepared—the one that had brought him so much trouble—had vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The memorial that had been sitting on the main desk in his study had vanished into thin air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Taifa was first dumbfounded, then relieved, and finally, pressed for time, he hastily donned his official robes and walked out the door. Looking at his three sons waiting before the gate, he finally understood completely... So, this bastard Chen Gongfu hadn't come yesterday to scare him at all—he had come specifically to scare his sons?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A man nearly sixty years old, bullying three young men who had just come of age—did he still have any martial virtue?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, that morning, Li Guang once again revised his understanding of his old friend. Some people truly had no martial virtue—this Minister of Personnel had actually been the first to step forward and submit a memorial after the court assembly began, recommending that several censors who had long served in the Censorate be transferred out to prefectures and counties, and that new men be promoted into the Censorate and Remonstrance Bureau!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first among them was Li Jing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And interestingly, Li Jing did not object but instead went along with the current, accepting the Ministry of Personnel's arrangement to be appointed Prefect of Xingqing Prefecture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond that, at that day's Grand Court Assembly, because Minister of Justice Ma Shen submitted a memorial regarding the impropriety of Grand Councilor Zhang Jun's court response, Zhao Jiu issued an edict on the spot, ordering the Secret Pavilion senior ministers to hold a public discussion and the hundred officials to hold a general debate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them, 27 of the Secret Pavilion senior ministers agreed with Grand Councilor Zhang Jun, while 6 considered it improper; among the hundred officials in the general debate, 136 agreed with Grand Councilor Zhang Jun, while 17 considered it improper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thereupon, Zhao Jiu displayed the list of those who agreed to those who considered it improper and formally issued an edict: \"The court has reached a final decision. Proceed according to what Grand Councilor Zhang Jun has said.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",5810,"2026-06-06T07:46:04.529Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","552160d39add40de3528dd2cb344af15f84efd249b9f62f639aa358ec05433cc","shao-song-chapter-344","shao-song-chapter-342",489,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fshao-song-cover.jpg"]