One

After the change of dynasty, Li Yu was in a good mood because he was the one who made history. He talked about merit and rewards, and added officials to knighthood. A group of people follow the saddle before and after the horse to fight the world, in the end it is nothing more than a fame, glorious ancestors, and future generations This is human nature. But it is not easy to find rewards for merit, often a few people laugh and a few people are sad, and even unpleasant things will occur, because everyone feels that they have made great contributions.

Song Qiqiu was not very satisfied with his official position. Because Zhou Zong was granted the privy envoy and was in charge of military and political power, he was the emperor's confidant; Ma Renyu served as the envoy of Runzhou Festival, he was settled in other towns, won the hearts of the people, and Li Yu also married the princess to him, which was considered a favor; Xu Jue was awarded the rank of servant, which is equivalent to the prime minister. And Song Qiqiu was awarded Situ, although the official position belonged to the first rank, but the actual power was much smaller. It can't be compared with Zhou Zong, it's acceptable, but Xu Jue, who used to be his subordinate, relied on himself to get what he has today, and now his official position and status seem to be bigger than himself, and they can enter the cabinet to participate in politics, but they can't, Song Qiqiu is angry when he thinks about it.

Song Qiqiu is a talented person, but he is also a person who values practical interests, the emperor gave him an official position that he was not very satisfied with, he was very unhappy, so he complained and complained in private, and said to the people around him from time to time: "I think that when I was a cloth cloth, Your Majesty was just a stab in the history of Shengzhou, and now that I am the emperor, do you think that my old minister is useless?" Song Qiqiu's words soon reached Li Yu's ears, Li Yu knew Song Qiqiu very well, did not hold him accountable, and remained the same with him. One night, Li Yu was drinking with several ministers, and suddenly the Taishi Li Decheng said:

"Your Majesty is obedient to the heavens and supported by hundreds of officials, but Song Qiqiu is dissatisfied with his official position and disrespectful to His Majesty, please treat him for his crimes." Li Yu put down his wine glass and said to everyone:

"Zi Song is talented, we are also friends for almost 30 years, he is just in a bad mood, but he will never be disappointed, don't mention it again."

Li Decheng saw that Li Yu deliberately downplayed the matter, so he complimented: "Your Majesty's generosity and kindness are really a blessing for the country and the people." ”

Two

Song Qiqiu has been haunted by the matter of official positions, but he always hopes that he can get a higher position, when he found that the prime minister of the court and the central government is vacant, he thought that it was the emperor reserved for him, so he said to the people around him:

"Recently, I heard that Your Majesty reserved a position for the old man as prime minister, so I said, Your Majesty still remembers the old man, if this Cheng is not good, then I will not ask about the government from now on." The people around him advised him not to say this kind of thing casually, but Song Qiqiu didn't think so, and sure enough, it didn't take long for Song Qiqiu's words to reach Li Yu's ears again. Li Yu was angry this time, and said to the left and right:

"Song Gong is talented, but he just doesn't know the general situation, am I still an ungrateful person?" Li Yu's words quickly reached Song Qiqiu, Song Qiqiu knew that Li Yu was angry and a little scared, so he quickly changed into clean clothes and went to the palace to plead guilty, and in order to express his sincerity, he also deliberately put on white clothes.

"The old minister is confused, I hope Your Majesty will forgive me!" When Song Qiqiu saw Li Yu, he quickly knelt down and admitted his mistake. Seeing Song Qiqiu's appearance, Li Yu's anger had disappeared

Most of them said to Song Qiqiu: "Sir, why do you say this, how can I be a person who does not love the old!" Mr. is a meritorious man, it was I who made Mr. wronged, since Mr. wants to be the prime minister, then I will allow Mr., otherwise everyone will think that our monarch and ministers are not in harmony. ”

Hearing that Li Yu really wanted to make himself prime minister, Song Qiqiu was grateful; "Thank you, Your Majesty, the old minister will live up to Your Majesty's love." The next day, Li Yu asked his eldest son, Li Jing, the king of Wu, to go to Song Qiqiu with his edict and appoint him as the minister of the same level, and he was included in the cabinet to discuss politics. For Song Qiqiu, only when he became prime minister and was qualified to enter the cabinet to discuss politics could he reflect his founding achievements. Especially when he entered the cabinet, Song Qiqiu attached great importance to it, and if he couldn't enter the cabinet, he said that he was not a pivotal person in the court, and he was not a core member of the emperor's side, so the value of following the emperor for nearly 30 years and the significance of his founding merits were not fully reflected. This time, Song Qiqiu was satisfied and got the official position and rights he wanted.

The so-called ass determines the head, once this person is big and powerful, he thinks differently. In the past, when Li Yu was not the emperor, Song Qiqiu was dedicated to planning and sincerely assisted Li Yu. Now that Li Yu has become the emperor, the world is peaceful, and he is also a very popular minister, so he began to be greedy for pleasure. Not only that, Song Qiqiu began to weave his own small circle, he raised a group of disciples, such as Feng Yansi, Feng Yanlu, Wei Cen, Cha Wenhui, Chen Jue, some people in the court privately called them "five ghosts", their common characteristics are to be able to speak, rhetoric, tend to be inflammatory, they are attached to Song Qiqiu, the purpose is to take advantage of the situation to climb up. Among the "five ghosts", Feng Yansi is the most famous, he is very eloquent, works in words, his words are graceful and elegant, and his rhetoric is gorgeous, and he is called "words between flowers", especially young men and women. But he is a person who is good at slapping horses and flattering, and is despised by many people in the court.

Three

Li Jing is also a person who likes poetry, so he often lets Feng Yansi enter the palace to learn from each other, and Feng Yansi and Li Jing are familiar with each other, with this relationship, coupled with Song Qiqiu's power, Feng Yansi and others are becoming more and more high-profile. Especially after Li Jing became the crown prince, relying on Li Jing's liking, they were no longer satisfied with just accompanying the prince to write poems and paintings, and slowly began to get involved in court politics. Wei Cen and Chen Jue, in particular, often colluded to fabricate rumors and attack the ministers who opposed them. Most of the ministers deliberately avoided the power of Song Qiqiu and the crown prince, but it was precisely this that fueled their arrogance, and some ministers told Li Yu to keep the prince away from Feng Yansi and others, but Li Yu thought that it was not a bad thing that the prince liked to write poems and paint, at most, it was just a young man who was playful, and there would be no big problem.

One day, Li Jing, Feng Yansi and others were chanting poems and eulogies, and Li Jing said, "The branches of the phoenix are still weak, and the shape of the dragon is vague." It happened that Zhou Zong met, and Zhou Zong felt that Feng Yansi and others accompanied the prince to write poems and paintings all day long, and in the long run, they might delay the prince, so he stepped forward and said:

"Prince, chanting poetry is good, but it's just a pastime, if you indulge in it all day long, I'm afraid it's not good for the prince, the prince is the prince, whether he wants to inherit the unification in the future, or read more sage books!" As soon as Zhou Zong finished speaking, Chen Jue preemptively said:

"Lord Zhou is saying that we are waiting to write poems with the prince to confuse the prince? If writing poetry is a crime, Li Bai and Du Fu would have been killed by the emperor long ago, and there would be no poets and poets in the world! ”

"Yes, Lord Zhou can't write poems and is jealous, don't forget, the emperor also wrote poems, is the emperor also wrong? Don't think that if you are the founder of the country, you rely on the old and sell the old, the prime minister has never said so about us, is Lord Zhou a little too much. Zhou Zongyi was angry when he heard this, but he didn't argue with Feng Yansi, but calmly said to Li Jing:

"The old ministers are all for the good of the prince and for the sake of the country, the prince should learn more about being a king, otherwise it will be in vain for His Majesty's hard work." After saying that, he left. Zhou Zong went directly to Li Yu, and when he saw Li Yu, he knelt down and said:

"Your Majesty," Zhou Zong said, "the people around the Prime Minister are becoming more and more emboldened, and as long as they disagree with them, they will make up lies to attack and insult them.

"What the hell is going on?" Li Yu asked.

Zhou Zong told Li Yu everything he knew about Song Qiqiu and his subordinates, "They scolded the ministers for relying on the old and selling the old, threatening the prince, but the ministers can't afford this crime!" The minister told the prince that he should learn more about the way of government, read more sage books, and write less words, but the minister is all for the good of the prince and thinks for the court, and there is absolutely no threat to the prince! Your Majesty, please be aware of it. Zhou Zong's words Li Yu was convinced, which was based on Zhou Zong's character and years of understanding. Li Yu thought of the people around Song Qiqiu who had been constantly mentioned to him recently, and he suddenly felt that the matter might be more serious than he thought, Li Yu trusted Zhou Zong the most, if Li Yu was suspicious of others, then Li Yu would definitely believe Zhou Zong's words. Li Yu was furious when he heard this, he didn't expect Song Qiqiu to change, and it changed very quickly. In the past, although Song Qiqiu was a little jealous and jealous, he was a talented person and a meritorious person after all, but now that he has become the prime minister, he has lost his previous motivation, he seeks personal interests, attacks ministers, and forms parties for personal gain, and interferes in government affairs at will, which Li Yu cannot tolerate.

The next day, Li Yu deliberately went to Li Jing's, and happened to meet Li Jing and Feng Yansi and others drinking and writing lyrics, a group of people were still drinking and frolicking, and Li Jing was chanting in his mouth, "The drizzle dreams back to the chicken and plugs it away, and the small building blows through the Yusheng cold." Feng Yansi complimented:

"The prince's sentence 'Xiaolou blows through the Yusheng cold' is really a golden sentence in the words! It will be passed on to future generations, and it really makes me feel ashamed. Li Yu was immediately furious when he saw this scene, and scolded Li Jing fiercely.

"As a prince, you don't learn the way of being a king, you don't read sage books, you don't observe the people's feelings, but you drink and write lyrics all day long, blow the flute and play jade, what kind of system does it become, how can there be a prince like you." The sudden appearance of the emperor frightened several people, and they knelt on the ground and did not dare to raise their heads. Li Yu's face turned pale, and he continued to point at Feng Yansi and the others, and reprimanded angrily:

"You gather around the prince all day long and teach him to write these flowers, snow, love, love, what do you want to do? Do you want to harm the prince? The crown prince is the prince of the country, and if you confuse the prince so much, be careful that I cut off your heads. Li Jing, Feng Yansi and the others were so frightened that they didn't dare to make their voices panting at this time.

The ministers are very concerned about the emperor's actions, and are good at following the emperor's direction, Li Yu just finished reprimanding Li Jing and Feng Yansi and others, and the next day he received several ministers' impeachment of Song Qiqiu, the content is roughly the same, all of them impeach him for forming a party for personal gain, abusing power for personal gain, bewitching the prince, and conniving at his subordinates to attack the ministers of the DPRK and China. Li Yu trembled with anger when he saw the performance, because Song Qiqiu's behavior exceeded his expectations. But Li Yu's feelings for Song Qiqiu are very complicated, Song Qiqiu is a celebrity, and now he is the prime minister, he can be the emperor He has a lot of credit, he assists himself like Liu Muzhi assists Liu Yu, so Li Yu respects Song Qiqiu very much. However, Li Yu could not tolerate the current behavior of Song Qiqiu, Li Yu became the emperor from an orphan, he knew very well that it was even more difficult to fight the country and sit on the river, and if there was a party or factional dispute between the DPRK and the DPRK, then the dynasty would be chaotic, and the harm to the court would be huge. Thinking of this, Li Yu gasped, and he decided to knock Song Qiqiu to warn the others by the way.

Four

On this day, Li Yu set up a banquet for Song Qiqiu, and when he was drinking, Li Yu suddenly said to Song Qiqiu:

"Do you understand what your disciples are doing?" Song Qiqiu knew what Li Yu meant, but he was drunk, so he said with the strength of the wine:

"Your Majesty is prosperous, and the minister is also a meritorious person, why does Your Majesty suspect the old minister because of this matter, did Your Majesty forget the old minister so quickly?" Li Yu was also a little drunk, so he said in a stern tone:

"The prime minister was originally just a tourist, but now he is ranked as the third prince, and he should be content."

Song Qiqiu said angrily: "When I was still a cloth cloth, Your Majesty was just a small deputy envoy, did Your Majesty still want to kill the old minister today?" Before Li Yu could speak, Song Qiqiu actually brushed his sleeves away.

Li Yu didn't expect that Song Qiqiu not only didn't realize his mistake, but also didn't take himself as an emperor in his eyes. The next day, a holy decree came, Li Yu appointed Song Qiqiu as the envoy of Zhennan Festival, Song Qiqiu was indignant, saying that he was unwell and did not go to court for a few days, and did not come to say goodbye to Li Yu before leaving. After Li Yu calmed down, he felt that he had done a little too much to the old ministers, and was afraid that other old ministers in the court would think that he had crossed the river and demolished the bridge, so he gave Song Qiqiu a lot of brocade robes, treasured books and a lot of money, and issued an edict, which read, "Brocade clothes and books, the ancients are precious, give brocade robes, and pro-for-them", and also allowed Song Qiqiu to build a mansion, Song Qiqiu was excited after receiving the edict, and the old tears were rampant, because what he cared about most was actually one word - "name".

Because of the emperor's gift and permission, Song Qiqiu, who was the envoy of Zhennan Jiedu, was no worse than when he was the prime minister in the court, and the mansion was grand and gorgeous, and magnificent. Not only that, but he often wore the brocade robe given to him by Li Yu, and boasted to others that it was given by the emperor, because he needed to convey a message to the outside world that he was still an important minister in the court and a favorite minister of the emperor. The so-called "from thrift to luxury, from luxury to thrift", since Li Yu became the emperor, Song Qiqiu has been in a high position for a long time, and has been accustomed to the days of being flattered by everyone and being flattered by everyone. Although he is now the envoy of Zhennan Festival, soon Song Qiqiu gathered a group of doormen, most of whom were flatterers, just to make some benefits, and Song Qiqiu was also happy.

Song Qiqiu's strength is to analyze and control the overall situation as Li Yu's staff, and make suggestions, while the local government needs to do specific details, and many things need to be implemented at the grassroots level, which is not what he is good at, so Song Qiqiu's political achievements as a festival envoy are very average. Because he likes to talk about pomp, he wants to save face, and there are many customers, so his life is very luxurious, causing the people to bear a heavy burden, and the people often complain, and even some people are overwhelmed and flee with their families, Li Yu was very disappointed in him after learning about it.

Many of the people around Song Qiqiu are mediocre people, who just rely on stammering and eating, but because of the protection of Song Qiqiu's big tree, they are very high-profile, very unruly, and even steal. Song Qiqiu has a henchman named Xia Changtu, relying on Song Qiqiu's liking for himself, openly stealing the official treasury silver, and the amount is huge, the local government government in Song Qiqiu's interference was lightly sentenced, but the local officials were very unconvinced, so they jointly wrote to Li Yu to accuse Song Qiqiu of what he did, Li Yu knew that he was furious and angry, he didn't expect Song Qiqiu to openly use power for personal gain, use power to bully others, which is like what a founding hero should do, everyone in the world will laugh at the emperor is an out-and-out faint monarch. So Li Yu issued an order to behead Xia Changtu to correct the king's law, and the local officials and people clapped their hands when they knew about it, and dealt a powerful blow to Song Qiqiu and his henchmen.

Song Qiqiu is a person who wants to save face, and his reputation is more important than his life, and after being beaten by Li Yu, he felt that he had lost face, and he had no face to continue to be a festival envoy, so he wrote to Li Yu that he was unwell and was ready to return to Jiuhua Mountain. Li Yu was angry, but considering that he was the founder of the country after all, Li Yu gave him the title of "Mr. Jiuhua", and awarded him the title of Duke of Qingyang, and enjoyed the taxes of Qingyang County.