The official's final statement made many people feel so grateful that they put their hands on their foreheads.
How can I not be thankful?
Since the First Emperor came up with the concept of the emperor, one thing that cannot be denied is that the political ecology of the upper class in China can only be built around the imperial power. The emperor theoretically has the right to control and dispose of all things in the world, the final right to interpret all legal principles, and the right to decide all political opinions...
In theory, an emperor had unlimited power.
In fact, this is a kind of imperial society.
It's just that history has repeated itself time and time again, dynasties have come and gone, and China's elites are not fools. It is natural for them to sum up some tacit materialistic theories from historical experience - for example, the emperor is always a living person, and people have joys, sorrows, anger, and happiness, likes and dislikes, and desires.
More importantly, these emperors would have great differences in the way they exercised their power due to their varying qualities.
There was Emperor Yang of Sui and Emperor Taizong of Tang; there was Emperor Hui of Jin and Emperor Shizu of Han; there was Emperor Gong of Zhou and Emperor Taizu of Song...and one fact that everyone has to admit is that the Zhao Song emperor has been passed down for ten generations, and the current emperor is more or less a semi-recognized leader of the revival of the dynasty, and at least he will not be bullied.
Du Chong and Liu Guangshi killed people at will and kept the army under tight control.
And facing such an emperor, to be fair, anyone who hoped for peace, from the bureaucracy to the people, would feel a little nervous... because if things really got out of hand, it might not end well.
But fortunately, the official made an appropriate choice for the sake of the overall situation and the people's hearts.
Of course, the fact that the Song Dynasty could negotiate peace but he did not seems a bit like covering one's ears and stealing the bell.
However, having said that, whether it is an attempt to cover up one's own faults or things may go on in a reversal, this matter concerning the overall situation of the world has finally been resolved.
Just like this, a few days passed in a blink of an eye, April was over and May came, and on this day, in the secret pavilion in the central hall of Chongwenyuan (where the authentic books, calligraphy and paintings, and documents of the Song Dynasty were collected), the prime minister Lu Haowen, the governor of the capital Zhao Ding, and the privy envoy Zhang Jun once again organized a routine meeting. The five prime ministers, six secretaries, six assistant ministers, one chancellor, nine ministers, and five supervisors were all present, but the meeting was not expanded any further.
The reason why it is called routine is that the emperor has not spoken a word or shown up since that day, and he no longer has the behavior of summoning officials to meet by the fish pond as in the past. All the letters sent to the harem basically went through the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Internal Affairs before being sent back directly... In theory, the emperor has read it, but in fact everyone knows that the emperor has not read it at all.
To use Lan Gui's original words, the government has said that before the return of the two emperors, all state affairs must be handled by the prime minister's consensus.
However, although the status of the prime ministers in the Song Dynasty was unquestionable, at such a sensitive moment, even the prime ministers could not act on their own, so they simply held a secret meeting every day to discuss the overall situation to show their impartiality.
It can only be said that Wanyan Xiyin specially robbed the secret pavilion of the Song Dynasty, which made this place a lot more spacious and provided a natural meeting place.
"As I said, since the emperor won't show up, we have to do our best to complete this matter." On the third floor of the secret chamber, the three people with decision-making power, Lu, Zhao, and Zhang, sat in silence as usual, but it was the deputy prime minister of the capital, Liu Ji, who stood up to preside over the meeting. "Let's talk about the most important thing first. How is the progress at the Honglu Temple?"
The Minister of the Honglu Temple, Zhai Ruwen, did not step forward to salute, nor did he move his seat. He just sat there and said, "There has been a lot of progress. The Jin people are indeed sincere in negotiating peace. They will return the two emperors, the empress dowager, the princes, and the captives..."
"If there is no prince, where does the prince come from?" Liu Ji interrupted him seriously before he could finish. "Since the ascension of the Yuansheng Emperor to the throne, the sons of the Supreme Dao Emperor and the emperor were just royal family members. Even the one born to the Yuansheng Emperor is just an ordinary royal family member!"
Zhai Ruwen was scolded by Liu Ji in person, but he was not angry. Instead, he said solemnly: "Yes, it is my negligence. The two saints and the royal family and nobles under the two queen dowagers..."
"Wait." Lu Haowen, who had been sitting there in silence, suddenly frowned and spoke. "Why are there two queen dowagers? Shouldn't there be three?"
The people around were slightly startled, but soon fell silent. It was obvious that they already knew what was going on. However, Lu Haowen only participated in the meeting and was not stationed in Chongwenyuan all the time, so he knew some details a little late.
Zhai Ruwen was also slightly startled, but immediately gave a serious explanation: "The Jin envoy Wulinda Zanmo informed us that Empress Dowager Zhu (the empress of Emperor Qinzong of Song) died in Wuguo City two years ago."
Lu Haowen was sad for a moment... Among the two captured saints, he actually didn't have much feelings for Emperor Taishang Daojun, but he was appreciated by Emperor Yuansheng and was easily promoted to Chief Censor and Minister of War. He still had some gratitude between Emperor Yuansheng and his wife as a subject. Of course he was sad to hear that Empress Dowager Zhu had passed away.
Seeing that Lü Haowen stopped talking, Zhai Ruwen was finally able to continue, but he was more careful in his words: "What Wulin Da Zanmo meant was that returning the captives except the two emperors and the other clans was originally a pre-determined matter, and the Jin Kingdom should have already done it by now. The reason why the two emperors and the other clans were temporarily suspended was not because the Jin Kingdom was unwilling, but because the Jin people were worried that the emperor did not want the two emperors and the other clans to return to the south, so they deliberately catered to the emperor... Now that the emperor has asked for it, this matter is actually not a big deal, but they must be sent back first before negotiating peace, which is a bit beyond our expectations, so I'm afraid that the messenger will have to travel between Yanjing and Bianjing before he can give a formal reply. As for the matter of the five counties in Jingdong, of course he just declined, saying that we are greedy, but he didn't say it firmly. In my opinion, he should also be waiting for Yanjing's official words."
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