After traveling through time, I became Han Zhang’s grandson?

Chapter 173 Bianjing Storm

In mid-July of the seventh year of Jiayou in the Song Dynasty, after arranging and handling the relevant military deployment of the entire Shaanxi Road, Han Ming, together with the Duke of Yingguo's central imperial guards and Sima Junshi's delegation, returned to the court.

It had only been two years since Han Ming left the capital and was sent to the countryside, but the atmosphere in the entire Song Dynasty had changed.

This was largely attributed to the victory in the Second Song-Xia War, which brought about changes in the hearts of the court and the people.

The royal family, literati, and noble classes, headed by the Zhao royal family, saw the huge benefits brought about by the so-called victory in the war, such as consolidating the royal power, stabilizing the people's hearts, and promoting the prosperity of social commercialization.

In the eyes of ordinary people, they felt the long-lost spirit and strength of the Song Dynasty as a dynasty in the Central Plains, and the pride of China that had been suppressed in their hearts for more than a hundred years began to slowly awaken.

At the same time, in order to better celebrate the hard-won great victory, Emperor Renzong issued several general amnesties, reduced local taxes, and encouraged local areas to engage in agricultural and commercial circulation transactions.

This also made up for the finances of local government offices, and the common people also gained certain benefits from the transfer of land transactions, effectively stabilizing all social classes.

For a time, all the rebellious forces in the Song Dynasty were eliminated, and the most prosperous and peaceful period since the founding of the Song Dynasty began.

As events unfolded in this way, Han Ming's personal reputation reached a historic high, allowing the entire Song Dynasty to see a long-awaited ray of hope.

In mid-August, Han Ming and others also arrived in the capital - Bianjing City from Jingzhao Prefecture.

The welcoming ceremony at that time was unprecedentedly grand. It can be summarized in one sentence: there were loud gongs and drums, firecrackers, waving military flags, and huge crowds of people.

Han Ming was surrounded by countless Bian Jing dignitaries and common people. After a heated exchange, he was able to escape and return home.

Yes, Han Ming went home directly without being summoned by the government, and there was no statement about his position in Beijing.

The main reason was that some time ago, news came from the palace that the emperor was ill.

This caused many people to start paying attention to the condition of Emperor Renzong. Some suspected that the emperor's health had reached its limit and he might not live long.

Only Han Ming knew clearly that Emperor Renzong would die in the early spring of the following year, which was estimated to be only about half a year.

The situation in the court was unpredictable, and Fu Yanguo, one of the two prime ministers in charge of the core, could not escape the worry of losing his mother.

In the same month that Han Ming returned to Beijing, Mr. Fu submitted his resignation and returned home to observe mourning for his father.

Then Zeng Mingzhong, who had a good political record as the Privy Councilor, also entered the Secretariat with high spirits and became one of the two great ministers who ruled the country.

Next, when Han Ming was unemployed at home and had no position assigned to him, a major reshuffle took place within the entire court, causing an unprecedented huge wave.

At the end of August, Sansi Envoy Bao Xiren was unable to attend court due to illness and was recuperating at home.

Emperor Renzong appointed him as Deputy Privy Councilor and Minister of Rites, declaring that the old man who had served Emperor Renzong for nearly thirty years had officially retired.

In the same month, Deputy Privy Councilor Zhang Sheng was promoted to Vice-Privy Councilor, becoming the big boss in charge of the military.

At the beginning of September, Chen Zheng, the former Grand Counselor, was appointed as the magistrate of Dingzhou and later transferred to the prefect of Taiyuan.

Censors Tang Jie and Zhao Pin temporarily took charge of the affairs of the Censorate, and censors Fan Shidao and Lu Hui were promoted to deputy positions in the Censorate.

The rotation of the top leaders of the two chambers of censorship, as well as the division of power between them, made the powerful people in Bianliang feel that the government seemed to want to influence the two chambers of censorship.

In mid-September, Sima Junshi, the Shaoqing of the Honglu Temple, was promoted out of turn to the head of the Censorate because of his outstanding performance in the Song-Xia negotiations, becoming the undisputed supreme leader of the Censorate.

This made everyone who was following the developments gasp, mainly because Sima Junshi and Han Ming were very close.

There is no doubt that Han Ming will become the head of the Secretariat in the future and initiate national reforms.

The two courts of Taijian and Jian were precisely the means by which the old forces in the court checked and balanced the new ministers.

If Sima Junshi and Han Ming were teammates in the same trench, then the Censorate would become useless in the future when Han Ming was in power and promoting various reforms.

He may even become a strong supporter and defender of Han Ming's reforms.

But this alone made the powerful people in Bian Jing feel uneasy, and they felt that what the government did was inappropriate.

Even more inappropriate things continued to happen. On the same day in mid-September, Wang Jiefu, the judge of the Ministry of Revenue under the Sansi Yamen, was in charge of drafting imperial edicts.

This shocked everyone. Wang Jiefu had directly entered the core class of the imperial court.

In the following half month, until the end of September, all the relevant personnel of the "Han Party" were reassigned to key positions one by one by the "seriously ill" official.

This made Han Ming, the leader of the Han Party who only held a nominal position and was unemployed at home, even more powerful.

All the powerful people in Bian Jing had only one thought about Han Ming: they had heard of paving the way for the heir to the throne, but they had never heard of paving the way for a minister.

In short, under such balancing and adjustments, Han Ming's series of helpers were proactively arranged by Emperor Renzong in various court institutions.

This made Han Ming, who had not been summoned, a little worried. After thinking for a long time, he found a day with good scenery and rest, and went to the home of Zeng Mingzhong, the newly appointed Tongzhongshumenxia Pingzhangshi and Jixiandian Grand Secretary.

Zeng Mingzhong was resting at home today, and he specially ordered the concubines in the mansion to perform singing and dancing in the courtyard.

The newly promoted prime minister was sipping the tribute tea bestowed by the emperor while humming a little tune and enjoying the dance in the breeze.

Unfortunately, the good times did not last long. A servant from the mansion came forward to report that Marquis Han was visiting Anyang Marquis's mansion.

This made the old man wave his hand with a helpless smile: "Please."

Not long after, Han Ming, dressed in a brocade robe, came over from the corridor. Seeing Zeng Mingzhong enjoying himself from afar, he couldn't help but joked, "Old man, you're enjoying your life!"

Seeing the handsome and heroic Han Ming approaching, Zeng Mingzhong did not stand up to greet him. Instead, he pointed to the side of the table and said, "Sit down."

"Would you like a cup of fine imperial tea?"

Han Ming smiled slightly and nodded, then he personally took a sip of the wine for himself.

"Don't tease me, old man, you little brat. State affairs are very busy right now, and I'm just taking a break from my busy schedule." Zeng Mingzhong sighed slightly.

"Mr. Zeng is concerned about state affairs, so please take care of your health."

Han Ming bowed politely.

"Yes, yes, yes. Marquis Han never comes to my temple for no reason. If you have anything to ask, there's no need to beat around the bush."

Zeng Mingzhong was once Han Ming's direct superior, and he knew the temperament of this talented person of the Han family very well.

"Mr. Zeng, you're joking. I'm just here to visit you. Why are you so worried?"

Han Ming's words made Zeng Mingzhong laugh and cry, and he pointed at the other party.

"Don't make fun of me. What are you thinking? Do you really think others don't know?"

Hearing this, Han Ming straightened up and bowed, "I hope Mr. Zeng can give me some advice."

"You don't go to your grandfather to discuss some things, but come to me to seek solutions. You are just testing me!"

Zeng Mingzhong stroked his beard with a smile, watching his concubine's dance, and shook his head slightly.

"Now, Han Da Xianggong, the Minister of the Secretariat, has absolute power. Zhang Sheng in the Privy Council has a history with your Han family. Sima Junshi of the Censorate is from your 'Han faction'. The Duke of Yingguo is your teacher."

"The entire Song Dynasty's highest military and political institutions, as well as the East and West Palaces, have all become part of your Han family's possession."

"You are simply worried about me, your new husband, right?!"

Zeng Mingzhong's fox-like face made Han Ming smile knowingly.

"Mr. Zeng seems to have forgotten the Censorate, the Three Departments, and the Three Yamen!"

Han Ming's words made the great husband's expression stiffen, and then he frowned slightly: "Your appetite is too big, isn't it?!"

"Haha, Mr. Zeng is worrying too much. The Song Dynasty is ultimately under the control of the Zhao family. I am just a junior. How could I have the power to claim that these places have become my own possession?"

Han Ming poured Zeng Mingzhong a cup of tea and slowly pushed it in front of him.

"The Censorate is just a decoration. Now that the two courts have merged, the opinions of the Court of Censors are generally more important. Therefore, the Censorate has not yet designated a candidate for the position of Chief Censor."

"In the San Ya, a place that only has the power to command troops but not to dispatch them, there's no one else who can get by relying on just a face except the emperor."

"So that's how it is. You've set your sights on the 'Sansishi', the position that manages the nation's finances!"

Zeng Mingzhong couldn't help but laugh at the end of his speech.

"Who do you think could fit in this place?"

Zeng Mingzhong's question made Han Ming shake his head and chuckle: "Mr. Zeng misunderstood what I meant."

"Boy, you are smart, but not too smart."

"As I said before, both the military and political branches are now under your influence. As for the Three Departments, I can clearly tell you that it is impossible."

"The government is currently in a situation where no one or any force will be allowed to get involved. You can give up on this idea."

"The military, government, and finance complement each other. If the government allows the Han Party to exist and grow, it must provide a place to balance all parties."

"The Sansi Yamen has not chosen a candidate, both to stabilize the old party in the court and to protect you."

"A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. I believe you, the top scholar, should understand this."

Zeng Mingzhong's frankness made Han Ming's expression serious, and then he bowed deeply and prostrated himself on the ground.

"I would like to thank Mr. Zeng for his guidance."

Seeing Han Ming acting like this, Zeng Mingzhong didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "It seems like you have already figured it out, so why bother to test my opinion?"

"I'm not afraid to tell you, as long as you, Han Ming, are wholeheartedly dedicated to serving the country and its people and don't do anything that harms the interests of the country, I will help you solve any problems you have!"

Zeng Mingzhong's words made Han Ming nod slightly.

"Mr. Zeng, I will never do anything that is detrimental to the country or the people."

Of course, whether it is detrimental to the royal family or not has nothing to do with him, Han.

The old and the young smiled at each other, neither of them noticing the cunning in the other's eyes.

In this seemingly peaceful atmosphere, the two foxes spent the most turbulent day in Bianjing City...