After breaking up in Luling, Chen Ke never saw the little prince Zhao Zongji again. But...... Correspondence was frequent.

Although Chen Ke and the others are always traveling, they will receive a letter from him in the post house every time they go, asking them in detail about their journey, customs and customs along the way, and anecdotes.

Seeing that this kid was really pitiful, Chen Ke and they also had a letter to reply, describing what they had seen and heard, what they felt and thought, and often exaggerated unscrupulously, adding all kinds of legends and myths that were both true and illusory, and envious Zhao Zongji was so envious that he scratched his heart and lungs, and even wanted to go to the house to meet them, but he was too strict, so he could only think about it.

"The last time we communicated was before leaving Sichuan", seeing Ouyang Xiu's serious face, Chen Ke didn't dare to hide it, so he told the matter: "I have made an appointment to meet in Beijing." ”

"Don't see you." Ouyang Xiu said categorically: "You, you, from now on, you are not allowed to have any dealings with him, including secret communication songs." ”

"Why?" Of course, Chen Ke has to ask for a reason.

"Why don't you ......", Ouyang Xiu said very rarely: "If you want to bring disaster to yourself, your father, and your friends, you can not listen!" ”

"What's wrong with him?" Chen Ke was also nervous: "What crime did he commit?" ”

"What crime can he commit?" Ouyang Xiu sighed and said, "But his identity is a sin in itself,...."

"Teacher, can you not sell Guanzi?" Chen Ke couldn't cry and laughed: "You want to suffocate me to death? ”

"Alas......", Ouyang Xiu knew that if he didn't explain the seriousness of the problem clearly, Chen Ke would definitely not be obedient: "Do you know that the official family once took the two clans to the palace and was raised by him and the queen personally?" ”

Chen Ke shook his head, how could he know this kind of palace secret.

"There is actually no difference between the royal family and the private family, and this move has the meaning of succession. Emperor Zhenzong had the same move back then, and later the crown prince ...... That is, the official family was born today, and he was sent out of the palace again. Ouyang Xiu lowered his voice and said: "The official family was already thirty years old that year, and it had been sixteen years since the wedding, but only one early emperor's eldest son was born. Only then did he follow the example of Emperor Zhenzong and selected two children from the close relatives of the clan to raise: later the second son of the emperor was born, and these two children were also sent back. ”

"Originally, people thought that this adoption was just like Emperor Zhenzong, just a small episode in the inheritance of the throne, but the second son of the emperor grew to the age of three, and it was a tragedy. After that, the third son of the emperor was born in the first year of Qingli, but he did not live past the age of three ....... Up to now, the official family has been forty-seven years old, and no male has been born. Ouyang Xi sighed and said: "The official family is benevolent and cherishes blessings, but for some reason, it is so difficult in the matter of heirs. ”

"Say so", Chen Ke naturally didn't have Ouyang Xiu's emotion, he just said suddenly: "Someone has brought up the old matter again?" ”

"Hmm", Ouyang Xiu nodded and said: "In fact, two years ago, as soon as the official family ascended the throne for thirty years, Dr. Taichang Zhang Shu secretly wrote a letter, persuading the official family to once again select a more motivated son from the royal family, and distinguish him from others in terms of welfare and entry and exit courtesy, and use some key positions to let him exercise and sharpen, so that everyone in the world knows who you plan to appoint as your successor, which is what a responsible king does!" ”

Seeing that the official family did not react, he wrote again: If the successor is not decided early, once there is any accident in your holy body, the Great Song Dynasty will face the danger of collapse. I don't believe that when the emperor dies suddenly, there is no early successor, or the queen mother or even the queen mother issues an order, or the eunuch eunuch is the mastermind, or the traitorous minister is the first to make trouble, and set up a doll a few months old to be the emperor, and he can hold power for a long time, or even stand on his own feet directly! There are many examples of this, how can you, the Lord of Wisdom, who is praised by all, know the danger and ignore it? ”

Zhang Shu wrote seven times in a year, and his words became heavier and heavier each time, and in the end, he even directly accused the official family of being greedy for power and loving position! The official family was generous and did not blame him, but there was no response. Ouyang Xiu said: "Last year, Pang Xianggong, who was still in the middle book at that time, once secretly went up and asked to choose a virtuous man in the clan as the crown prince, and his words were very sincere, but he still sank into the sea. ”

But the attitude of the official family is actually very clear, because not long after Shangshu, Zhang Shu and Pang Xianggong were both released from Beijing. For a while, no one in the government and the opposition dared to touch this mold again. Ouyang Xiu sighed and said: "But last month, the official family suddenly fell seriously ill, and when it was serious, he completely lost consciousness ....... Taking advantage of the sober state of the official family, several ministers persuaded him to appoint a successor, and the official family may have seen that he was no longer good, so he relieved ...... and asked them to recommend suitable candidates. ”

The ministers hurried to discuss, but there was nothing to discuss. The two children adopted by the official family more than ten years ago have now grown up, even

Under the auspices of the official family and the queen, they all got married and had children. So everyone felt that it was better to be raw than cooked, so they went to the book together and asked the official family to choose one of the two. The folds have been written, and I haven't had time to hand them over...... Unfortunately, the official's illness was cured. ”

Chen Ke's eyes widened, he couldn't figure out why the secret letter of Zhang Shu and Pang Ji, as well as the confidential conversation between the chiefs and the emperor, Ouyang Xiu knew it clearly, was he too gossipy, or did the Great Song Dynasty have no secrecy measures?

The ministers who swore oaths were all gone, because when the emperor was critically ill, he asked for the crown prince, Yu Gong was the prime minister's duty to protect the society, and Yu Private was to get a place to stand in the new monarch. ”… Don't you see Chen Zhizhong's house, his qualifications are mediocre, only because he initiated the first emperor to establish a prince, because of a word and noble, and he will be honored and favored for life?

However, the emperor is like a good man again, and he no longer opens his eyes to write and ask the prince to establish a prince, which is purely to block the official family, and even more to himself. Besides, there are many long nights and dreams, and if the emperor gives birth to a son in the end, then this recital of asking for a servant is to bury trouble for himself and his family.

"Although Prince Li had a miscarriage.

However, this time, the official family was seriously ill and could not look at the dynasty for a month, so that the matter of establishing the prince was completely put on the table and became the top priority of the Great Song Dynasty. Ouyang Xiu said: "Now, the ministers have openly discussed this matter, and the gambling houses in the capital have even opened gambling games to see who is the first to pierce this layer of window paper." ”

"It's really entertaining." …。 Chen Ketai took a breath and said.

"For the common people, this is indeed an after-dinner conversation." Ouyang Xiu looked at Chen Ke fixedly and said, "But for everyone involved, it is a matter of honor and disgrace, fortune and fortune, and life. The pool in the capital is too mixed and there are too many whirlpools, and a small character like you will have to be crushed if you don't get it right. So you have to stay away, you know? ”

"Understood." Chen Ke nodded, and after a while, he asked again: "According to the teacher, if it really comes to that day, will Zongji have a chance of winning?" ”

"How is that possible?" Ouyang Xiu shook his head resolutely and said, "One is young and orderly, Zhao Zongshi is two years older than him; Second, Zhao Zongshi is famous in the capital, and the reputation of the 'first virtuous clan' sect is not bad, but it has ...... in the past two years, alas. He sighed and said, "It's disappointing." ”

"So what's there to worry about?" Chen Ke spread his hands and said, "It is impossible for him to be the ...... prince." ”

"But Zhao Zongshi doesn't see it that way, without the birth of a prince, Zongji is his only competitor: and more importantly, the official family must be unhappy if you contact either of them." Ouyang Xiu said lightly: "You are already in the emperor's heart, don't let the official family feel that you have two hearts." ”

"Oh......." Chen Ke replied casually, but he didn't care in his heart, what kind of thing is Jian in the emperor's heart? Can I eat it? I don't plan to be the prime minister, so why should I be like a little maid to cater to the emperor's mood?

"Don't be sad, the official family is in full bloom, maybe in two years, a dragon son will be born." Ouyang Xiu was a benevolent elder, and he pushed his belly with his own heart and said, "When the time comes, it doesn't matter if you come and go again." ”

"Oh......" Chen Ke responded absentmindedly, only then did he remember what he was doing here, so he changed the topic and said: "Teacher, I have read the Di newspaper." ”

"Huh?"

"About the controversy over the Six Towers."

"Hmm......" Ouyang Xiu's expression suddenly darkened, and he laughed self-deprecatingly: "Your teacher and I, this time it has become a joke again." He sighed and said, "But it doesn't matter if I become a joke, seeing the inevitable disaster is the most painful." ”

As soon as Ouyang Xiu returned to the capital, he tried his skills and bounced Prime Minister Chen Zhizhong, who was standing in a pit and not, to the place, once again verifying the extraordinary strength of the first person in the Great Song Dynasty. However, in the next battle, he was brittle. "That's the Battle of the Six Towers.

The so-called 'Liuta River' is a water conservancy project, the purpose of which is to solve the Yellow River floods that plagued the Song Dynasty for nearly eight years.

Although the Yellow River floods every year, eight years ago, it was a once-in-a-millennium diversion of the Yellow River ~ a monstrous flood that almost submerged Bianjing, millions of displaced victims, and astronomical losses, all of which made the rulers of the Song Dynasty have to control the Yellow River as the country's top priority.

But even if ordinary people build a house, they must have a plan before starting construction. What's more, it is a water conservancy project that is related to the national economy and people's livelihood? So all kinds of plans came out .......

(To be continued)