Song Chi understood.
Emperor Yuan Jing was determined to launch a war against the Northern Wei Dynasty, and for this purpose he forcibly conscripted soldiers and collected grain, which aroused public resentment and opposition from scholars!
At this time, someone needs to come out to justify the argument for this war.
To put it simply, it is about unifying thoughts.
He was the Wenqu of the Great Zhou Dynasty who won four first prizes in the same year and had many admirers, making him the most suitable candidate.
But this war should not have been fought in the first place; it is a war that is bound to be lost.
If the war fails and the Great Zhou falls into the abyss, as long as he makes a contribution, he will be blamed.
Song Chi was lost in thought.
Lu Taiyuan asked again, "Do you know how Song Shiwen came to power?"
“It was because of an article.”
Song Chi replied, everyone knows about this.
Emperor Yuan Jing was originally a vassal king. After the young emperor passed away, he was invited to the palace to become emperor. At that time, the empress dowager was still alive. In order to show that Your Majesty was the legitimate successor to the throne, you had to recognize her as your mother and respect her as the empress dowager. You also had to recognize the late emperor as your father and regard yourself as his own son.
The Queen Mother wanted to use her foreign relatives to interfere in government affairs and undermine Emperor Jing of Yuan.
But how could Emperor Yuan Jing be willing to do so? He just wanted to go against these people. Not only did he not recognize his mother, he also wanted to posthumously confer the title of emperor on his deceased father and move him into the Taimiao. In this way, he would succeed his father and his throne would be legitimate.
This move has attracted countless oppositions.
Even though the late emperor is dead, he is still the late emperor. Your father was not an emperor at all, so how could he enter the Taimiao?
Emperor Yuan Jing ignored the matter and asked the Ministry of Rites to draft the edict.
Thus, a years-long etiquette dispute began.
It seems to be a fight for status, but in fact it is a fight for power.
At that time, the government was controlled by the chief minister of the cabinet, Wang Jin, who was the younger brother of Queen Mother Wang.
None of the court officials obeyed Emperor Yuan Jing, and no one from the Ministry of Rites drafted an imperial edict for him.
Starting from the Minister of Rites to the two Vice Ministers, they were all dismissed for not drafting an imperial edict for the emperor. At that time, Song Shiwen was a Langzhong of the Ministry of Rites. He drafted the imperial edict and wrote an article.
This article is the famous "Ode to Filial Piety".
Filial piety is the greatest virtue in the world. The emperor is the supreme ruler, ruling over all the people, so he should attach even greater importance to filial piety.
This allowed Emperor Yuan Jing to posthumously confer the title of emperor on his father, and Song Shiwen rose to prominence from then on.
Lu Taiyuan said in a deep voice, "That's right. Song Shiwen was chosen by His Majesty because of an article and later became the Prime Minister of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Now, I want you to emulate Song Shiwen and become famous throughout the world with an article!"
Famous throughout the world?
I'm afraid it will become notorious.
Song Chi thought about it, but pretended to be excited and said, "Master Lu, can I really do this?"
"sure."
"As long as you submit this essay during the palace examination, you will become the top scorer and gain His Majesty's favor. Your future is limitless, and even becoming the Prime Minister is not impossible."
"The Prime Minister of the current dynasty?"
Song Chi became even more excited, his face flushed a little.
"You are the young man I value most. I will do my best to help you." Lu Taiyuan stroked his beard with a sincere look.
But I was thinking in my heart, he is still a young man and he is so impatient that he still dreams of becoming the prime minister.
But you are Song Shiwen's son.
Now I am just using you, but when you have no value, you will be nothing.
You wanted to use me to do things for you, but you didn't know that this was exactly what I wanted.
I am not afraid of being slandered, nor am I afraid of being a treacherous official. What I want to be is a powerful official.
And this is an opportunity.
Both of them had their own ulterior motives, but they both smiled with satisfaction.
Time flies, and it’s the end of the year in a blink of an eye.
The wartime atmosphere in the prosperous Shangjing City was even more intense. Unlike previous years, there were more beggars on the streets, and refugees outside the city could be seen everywhere.
The guards at the city gates tightened their control and did not allow any refugees to enter the city.
The weather is cold, and the white snow has covered the earth with a layer of white clothes.
squeak.
The door of the house was pushed open, and Su Mingyue, wearing a fur coat, poured the ashes and charcoal in the dustpan at the door. In just a moment, a group of beggars rushed over and snatched away all the slag.
Su Mingyue sighed and walked in.
The charcoal in the room's fireplace was burning red, making the room warm.
Song Chi was brewing tea by the stove and reading a book while sitting on a chair.
This inconspicuous house was purchased by Su Mingyue and is also Song Chi's residence in the capital.
Su Mingyue patted the remaining snow on her fur coat, took it off and handed it to the maid beside her, revealing her plump and charming figure. In Song Chi's words, she was becoming more and more feminine, (having a wife-like feel).
"I just took the opportunity to go out and take a look while emptying the slag. There are more and more beggars at the door. This year is colder than in previous years. I wonder how many people will freeze to death. The court is not thinking about disaster relief but is instead forcing taxes and levies."
Su Mingyue sat down next to Song Chi.
"The Great Zhou is like a dilapidated thatched hut with leaks everywhere. It can't be stopped up, and yet the imperial court is still fighting wars. Isn't this just a mess?"
She kept muttering and complaining.
"By the way, there's a rumor out there that King Xiang won't be back by the end of the year, and he should be back in March or April next year. By then, the female commander Liang Qingwu will also be back in the capital. Your Majesty will discuss the start of the war, and whether or not to fight will be decided then."
Song Chi listened and put down the book. "Once the arrow is shot, there is no turning back. Your Majesty must fight this battle."
"Why?"
Su Mingyue asked, "Even the imperial court can't afford to fight. Even a little woman like me knows the importance of resting and recuperating. Why don't the officials in the imperial court know this?"
"It's hard to tell right now."
"You told me before that the Great Zhou was going to fall, and I thought it was alarmist. Now it seems that there are indeed signs of this."
Su Mingyue leaned against Song Chi and said, "Song Lang, the country is about to perish. Do you think you can be the one to save the country and support the crumbling building?"
"I read in a storybook that whenever a country is about to perish, a virtuous minister always emerges to keep it alive. Do you think you are that person?"
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