The next day, at three o'clock on the fifth watch, in the Zichen Hall of the Imperial Palace, the morning court was held as usual.

Zhao Zhen of Song Renzong, who was sitting upright in the hall, after listening to the three shouts of the courtiers on both sides of the hall, glanced at the ministers listed in the hall, and finally locked his eyes on Han Qi, who was in the second row on the left.

"Han Zhigui, come forward, I have something to ask." Song Renzong Zhao Zhen stared at Han Qi for a moment before announcing loudly.

As soon as Song Renzong Zhao Zhen's words fell, Han Qi hurriedly took a wat out of the ranks, took a few steps forward, stood at the bottom of the hall, and bowed his head to listen to Song Renzong Zhao Zhen's question.

"I ask you, eight days ago, I issued an edict ordering you and Fan Xiwen to return to Beijing to obey orders. Today, why did I only see you attending the court meeting alone, but not Fan Xiwen and others, what is the reason for this, Han Zhigui, didn't you two get up and return to Beijing? Song Renzong Zhao Zhen asked Han Qi anxiously.

Faced with Song Renzong's inquiry from Zhao Zhen, Han Qi immediately replied truthfully: "Your Majesty, eight days ago, Chen and Fan Xiwen did receive the edict sent by His Majesty to the capital on the same day, and Chen and Fan Xiwen did return to Beijing together.

However, after the dawn of yesterday, the minister felt that the boat and car were tired, so he rested for half a day at the post station outside the city. Fan Xiwen said to the minister, Your Majesty, you want Fan Xiwen to enter the palace immediately as soon as he enters the city of Tokyo. Fan Xiwen entered the city of Tokyo before the first minister.

As for why Fan Xiwen couldn't participate in today's morning court, the minister didn't know. After yesterday, after entering the city of Tokyo, the minister specially went to visit Fan Xiwen's house, but was told by the people of Fan's house that Fan Xiwen did not return home yesterday. The above words are true, and I hope that Your Majesty will see clearly. ”

After listening to Han Qi's answer, Song Renzong Zhao Zhen was immediately confused, because he did write in the edict to Fan Zhongyan and Han Qi that once Fan Zhongyan entered Tokyo City, he would immediately enter the palace to face the saint, and let Han Qi participate in the court meeting the next day, and there was no urgent need for Han Qi to meet.

The reason is very simple, Song Renzong Zhao Zhen admired Fan Zhongyan's previous repeated mention of changing the law to try to be strong, and before, he had been worried that if the new law mentioned by Fan Zhongyan was implemented, it would be opposed and blocked by many court ministers.

However, the "new law" that a small sub-district priest had been tinkering with for more than half a month in the city of Tokyo, and although it was also opposed and blocked by some court ministers on the way, it was also successfully implemented and achieved remarkable results.

Song Renzong Zhao Zhen so urgently recruited Fan Zhongyan into Beijing, in order to entrust him with the next important task and implement the new law of reform as soon as possible, he did not want to let the street Si Cheng of Congbapin always implement the method of small fights in the city of Tokyo, but to implement the law of large-scale change in the entire territory of the Great Song Dynasty, in order to make the Great Song Dynasty rich and strong army, and resist the Khitan Northern Liao and the party Xiang Xixia.

What Song Renzong Zhao Zhen never expected was that he looked forward to the stars and the moon every day, and finally looked forward to Fan Zhongyan, but after entering Tokyo City yesterday, he disappeared and disappeared, neither returned home nor entered the palace, and suddenly, he was anxious.

After thinking about it for a long time, Zhao Zhen of Song Renzong, who was displeased, immediately waved his hand and instructed Han Qi who was standing under the hall: "Han Zhigui, you should retreat first!" ”

After Han Qi retreated and stood back in his original position, Yin Baozheng of Kaifeng Mansion, who was standing behind him, immediately took the wat out of the ranks, bowed down to Zhao Zhen of Song Renzong, who was sitting in the hall, and said: "Your Majesty, the minister knows where Fan Xiwen is, he ......."

Without waiting for Bao Zheng to finish speaking, Song Renzong Zhao Zhen was still sitting on the dragon chair, and suddenly, he stood up, interrupted his words, and couldn't wait to urge: "Bao Xiren, tell me quickly, where is Fan Xiwen's subordinates, quickly send someone to call Fan Xiwen, and let him enter the palace immediately to participate in today's court meeting." ”

Bao Zheng, who was interrupted, did not show the slightest panic in response to Song Renzong's Zhao Zhen's urging, but replied without humility or arrogance: "Your Majesty, Fan Xiwen is currently in the prison of Kaifeng Mansion.

"Because yesterday afternoon, after the carriage in which Fan Xiwen rode entered the city of Tokyo, he traveled all the way east along Liangmen Street, whether it was a postman riding a tall horse in front of his head and a coachman driving a horse-drawn carriage, he rampaged on Liangmen Street, seriously violating the new traffic regulations that had been promulgated and implemented for seven days.

According to the penalties of the new traffic regulations, Fan Xiwen, as the owner of this carriage, must be locked up in the Kaifeng Mansion Prison with the groom and the post guard for three days before he can be released.

Therefore, Fan Xiwen was unable to attend today's court meeting. If His Majesty wants to meet Fan Xiwen, he still needs to go to the prison of Kaifeng Mansion to see Fan Xiwen in the form of a prison visit. In addition, unless His Majesty issues an amnesty to Van Hee-van for serious violations of the new traffic rules. Otherwise, it can only be so, and please think about it. ”

At first, Song Renzong Zhao Zhen was a little excited and excited when he heard Bao Zheng say that he knew where Fan Zhongyan was, but after listening to what Bao Zheng said, his heart suddenly became cold, and his face was immediately full of sadness.

Zhao Zhen, who was in an extremely anxious mood, asked Bao Zheng to return to the class and join the ranks, and asked the ministers in a tentative tone: "All the secretaries have also listened to what Bao Xiren said, if I issue an edict to pardon Fan Xiwen, I don't know what the ministers want?" ”

When Song Renzong Zhao Zhen finished his inquiry, immediately after, Yan Shu, who was standing at the top of the left side of the hall, came out of the column with a wat and objected clearly: "Your Majesty, the old minister thought that His Majesty would pardon Fan Xiwen for this little thing, and he thought it was impossible.

The new traffic regulations have only been in place for less than eight days, and during this time, everyone living in the city of Tokyo, from the princes and ministers to the common people, strictly adhered to them. Those who violated the rules were punished accordingly, and no one has been pardoned by His Majesty so far.

"Now, just because His Majesty wants to see Fan Xiwen as soon as possible, it is unfair to grant amnesty to Fan Xiwen alone. If His Majesty wants to grant amnesty, it is only in accordance with heavenly justice that all those who have violated the new traffic rules before should be amnestied.

But if this is the case, the new traffic regulations will be dead in name, which is not advisable. The old minister agreed with Fang Cai Bao Xiren's proposal. If His Majesty insists on meeting Fan Xiwen, please go to the prison of Kaifeng Mansion and meet Fan Xiwen. ”

You must know that Yan Shu and Fan Zhongyan are not only officials in the same dynasty, but also Fan Zhongyan, who has a deep personal friendship, is strong and upright, and has not been smooth in his career before, and it is under Yan Shu's strong sponsorship that he has been favored by Song Renzong Zhao Zhen.

In addition, Fan Zhongyan and Yan Shu were both standard-bearers in the literary world of the Great Song Dynasty at that time, and the two often commented on poems and articles together, and they had similar interests, and the friendship between the two was naturally quite deep.

The ministers standing on both sides of the hall saw Yan Shu, who had a close relationship with Fan Zhongyan, and they had already expressed their opposition to it, and many of them had been offended by Fan Zhongyan before.

At this time, they all went out of class with wat and echoed what Yan Shu said, and even many people added fuel and vinegar, feeling that Fan Zhongyan, as an important minister of the imperial court, violated the new traffic regulations, and the punishment of three days in the prison of Kaifeng Mansion was too light, and he should be punished heavily.

After listening to the speeches of the courtiers, Song Renzong Zhao Zhen felt that he had really miscalculated, he originally just wanted to pardon Fan Zhongyan, but he didn't expect that most of the ministers in the hall would ask for a heavy punishment on Fan Zhongyan, so as to show the strict law of the Great Song Dynasty.

Zhao Zhen, Song Renzong, who was in an extremely bad mood, immediately announced with a little helplessness: "Okay, okay, I will listen to what Zhu Qing just said. If there are any provisions in the new traffic regulations, violators will be punished accordingly, and they can neither be lightly punished, let alone severely punished.

"I have withdrawn the amnesty of Fan Xiwen, and you don't have to make a big fuss about it. The new traffic regulations cannot be abolished and will continue to be implemented in the city of Tokyo. When I met Fan Xiwen, we discussed it so far, and Zhu Qing didn't need to say much. ”

As for whether Fan Zhongyan was going to be pardoned, after this was stopped, there were no other important matters to discuss at today's court meeting, and this morning the court only held about an hour of effort, and it ended hastily.

After the end of the dynasty this morning, Song Renzong Zhao Zhen deliberately left Kaifeng Mansion Bao Zheng a person, at this time, it has come to the time of the hour, according to the past practice, Song Renzong Zhao Zhen took a short rest in the Wende Palace, then used breakfast, and went to the Vertical Arch Hall to review the recitals from all over the country, and deal with the major affairs of the court.

After Zhao Zhen of Song Renzong left Bao Zheng alone, after the ministers who participated in the early dynasty left the Zichen Palace, he instructed Bao Zheng to immediately take him to the prison of Kaifeng Mansion to see Fan Zhongyan, and specially instructed Bao Zheng to call Wang Hao, the secretary of the street, to the prison of Kaifeng Mansion to give a lecture.

At about three o'clock in the morning, Wang Haozheng and Zhang Sanmu and a group of soldiers of the street division were squatting behind the office on the empty ground in the backyard of the yamen of the street division, each holding a bowl of salted rice with pepper and eating wowotou.

Suddenly, at this time, another magpie flew up to the tall trees next to the outer wall in the backyard of the street division, and "chirped" non-stop.

"Brother Hao, you see a magpie on the big tree on the outer wall, and it has been babbling all morning, you say, our street division is going to have a big happy event today?" Zhang Sanmu took a big bite of the nest head, and when he was halfway through the chew, he asked Wang Hao, who was squatting next to him, curiously.

Wang Hao, who had eaten a large mouthful of salty rice, swallowed it into his stomach, and responded disapprovingly: "Brother Miki, you think about good things all day long. Our street division is a clear water yamen, and the things we encounter every day are hard work, where will there be any great joy! ”

At this time, I heard a street secretary who was in charge of standing guard at the gate of the front yard, trotting all the way to Wang Hao, and reported breathlessly: "Huh...... Tell the king...... Wang Sicheng, open ...... The grandson of Kaifeng Mansion is Bo, and he is in the front yard...... I'm waiting for you in the office, ...... Said that it was immediately followed ...... Take a trip to Kaifeng Mansion Prison with him. ”