"Brother Jia, is it reliable to read this in this newspaper?" A bunch of people chattered around an old man.

"In the old man's opinion, this shouldn't be a big problem, you have all seen that the flow of people has increased dramatically since the opening of the East-West Avenue. The old man inquired, and according to their current charging standards, it is estimated that it will take less than ten years to recover the cost. If it is really like what the newspaper says, let us pay for the construction, and then collect the toll for 30 years, this is a profitable business! The old man surnamed Jia touched his beard and said freely.

"It's certain to make money by building this road, and it's still a stable livelihood, we all know that. The key question is how do we believe that the imperial court has coaxed us? The other chubby guy asked, shy.

"No, don't you read the newspaper clearly! In order to reassure everyone, the emperor personally participated in this matter, and even the emperor took the lead, what else is there to be afraid of! Besides, the emperor also sent the imperial history to supervise the whole process, don't you know what the imperial history of our Great Song Dynasty is? As far as their mouth is concerned, who dares to find it is not happy! ”

"Brother Jia is right, why don't we also partner up to set up a construction group and go to the bidding conference together?" One of them stood up and suggested loudly.

"Go together, count me in as ......" The rest of the crowd also kept agreeing.

Since the first issue of the Great Song Times came out, this scene has been staged all over the capital, some of them are sent by Zhao Zhen, and some of them are really far-sighted or bold guys who spontaneously participate. In short, the matter of mobilizing private businessmen to participate in road construction was stirred up in this way, and slowly radiated to the whole country with the capital as the center.

Although the recent good things have made Zhao Zhen feel better, but something has suddenly broken all this. Kou Zhun originally died in 1023, although because of Zhao Zhen's arrival, there were fewer heartwarming things, so he lived for nearly two years. But after all, he is old, and in recent years, he has been supporting Zhao Zhen's Chinese official forces, and he has worked hard to finally fall completely in the autumn of 1024.

During Kou Zhun's serious illness, Zhao Zhen went to visit many times and sent the imperial doctors in the palace to take turns, but manpower was limited after all. Before his death, Kou Zhun called Zhao Zhen to the bed alone, grabbed him with trembling hands and said: "Your Majesty, the old minister's body is not good, since I heard you talk about the various miracles of your world, the old minister has always wanted to take a look!" Lao Chen knows that you have been working hard all these years to change this backwater of our dynasty, but the group of scholars has been quite large-scale after several dynasties, I hope you will be cautious in the future! If I can usher in the prosperous era in your mouth, please don't forget to burn a word for the old minister......"

"Don't worry, there will be a day." Zhao Zhen looked at Kou Zhun with expectant eyes and said solemnly.

"Wait! Don't worry, your secret old minister didn't reveal a word, and no one will know about it from now on......" Before he finished speaking, Kou Zhun ran out of oil and died suddenly.

Kou Zhun's departure made Zhao Zhen extremely irritable, and personally attended and presided over Kou Zhun's memorial service. Recalling that Kou Zhun was full of feelings of serving the country in his life, and supported the only bit of dignity of the Great Song Dynasty in the era of insufficient force, he was framed by political enemies many times, with ups and downs, and his ambition was difficult to pay.

Think about Chinese history, there are so many people like this who are deeply involved in infighting and have aspirations! The Chinese nation should stand tall in the forest of the world, but in the constant internal friction, countless national elites have been annihilated, and the last trace of luck of the Chinese nation has been exhausted, so that the tiger fell into Pingyang and was bullied by dogs and humiliated by foreign powers.

In history, Kou Zhun was busy with his life, and finally died on the way to office, he had no children and grandchildren, and his wife was buried in his hometown, but due to insufficient reward funds, he was finally buried on the way. A generation of famous ministers, but ended up in this end, it is really sad for those who hear it, and tears for those who hear it......

In order to make up for the regret in his heart, Zhao Zhen reverted to the quasi-prince and the prince, and was promoted to the prince and the prince of Lai, and gave the order of the Chinese book, nicknamed "Zhongshu". And personally wrote the inscription of "Lai Guo Gong Kou Zhong Gong Jing Zhong Zhong" for it, and personally wrote the word "Jing Zhong" for the first seal of the stele. Returning these honors that should have been his more than ten years earlier is just a gesture of heart.

Zhao Zhen also specially sent field troops to escort Kou Zhun's coffin and his wife back to his hometown for burial, and gave his wife a first-class order to his wife, so that the local government could retire and die.

Although Kou Zhun was unsatisfactory in his life, he enjoyed the honor after his death, which can be regarded as seeking benevolence!

The year of 1024 sounds discordant, not only is Kou Zhun gone, but fortunately, many people who followed Zhao Zhen and his father, and even his grandfather, went to meet the emperor. The most important of these should be Kou Zhun's old rival Wang Qinruo, probably because he saw that Kou Zhun was bored alone, so he followed, and at the same time pulled Lint, who is also a "five ghosts", to be his companion. Since then, the "Five Ghosts of the Northern Song Dynasty" have only one Ding Wei who is in charge of the center and one Liu Chengqi, who is the envoy of Yanzhou Jiedu on Jingxi Road.

This may be the only thing that can make Zhao Zhen a little happier! As the mainstay of the conservatives, they have left one after another, and the overall situation of the DPRK and China is basically under his control.

At the same time, Feng Zheng, the privy envoy of the highest military organ of the Great Song Dynasty, did not survive the ravages of the years and died at the age of sixty-six. Zhen Wenyi.

At this time, the cabinet ministers of the Northern Song Dynasty can be said to have lost nearly half of their ministers at once. Others may seem to be the country's misfortune, but Zhao Zhen sees this as his opportunity.

"Under the holy decree, after checking the Pingzhang matter under the Zhongshu Sect and the scholar of Tianzhang Pavilion University, Ding Gongyan, although he is very intelligent, but his mind is not right, and he does things in accordance with the decree, and the eyes of the world are treacherous. In recent years, you have colluded with ministers to frame Zhongliang and attempt to control the government, which is really a great rebellion. Nian Zairu also made a little contribution to our dynasty, I opened the net, took away the position of Tianzhang Pavilion scholar, deposed Tokyo, demoted to Yazhou Sihu to join the army, confiscated family property, and hoped that you would change your evil and return to the right, and change your mind! Xiao Shunzi came to Ding Wei's mansion with a team of forbidden soldiers, and read aloud in a sharp voice.

Ding Wei knelt in the courtyard with his family, respectfully waiting for the emperor's holy decree, thinking that those important ministers were almost dead, and looking forward to the time when he would take over the power alone. Last night, the family was eating and drinking, and they were very angry.

Unexpectedly, I didn't wait for the emperor's trust, but I waited for a thunderbolt on a sunny day, and I couldn't accept it for a while, so I knelt there in a daze, completely ignoring the cries of the surrounding family. In fact, it is not difficult to imagine that it is not bad for anyone to suddenly fall from the highest place to the bottom without going crazy.

Xiao Shunzi sneered and looked at the stunned Ding Wei, and secretly slandered in his heart: "Let you go against the emperor, and you still want to be a crab and walk sideways, and don't look at whose world the Great Song Dynasty is, hum!" ”

After a while, Xiao Shunzi saw that the people who came to see the excitement were almost there, so he stabbed Ding Wei with his hand and said, "Lord Ding, do you still want to resist the decree?" ”

"Uh...... The sinner received the order and thanked him! Ding Wei reacted and hurriedly completed the holy decree, he didn't want to be washed again.

"Lord Ding, our family will be offended! The emperor also asked me to tell you that the Great Song Dynasty does not need people who tend to be inflammatory, let you go on the road early, and use your wisdom and talents to do something practical for the people. These ill-gotten gains of your family should be regarded as atonement for your sins. Xiao Shunzi said like Zhao Zhen.

"Your Excellency, please! Can you take a step to speak? Ding Wei pulled Xiao Shunzi to the side of the courtyard building, ignoring the soldiers who were busy raiding the house, and didn't care about the crying family members.

"Lord Ding, what are you doing here?"

"Don't worry, the old man doesn't mean anything else, he just wants to know why the emperor suddenly treated me like this, so that I don't have to be a fool, please!" Ding Wei begged while putting silver into Xiao Shunzi's arms without a trace.

Xiao Shunzi hurriedly pushed away the silver he handed over, and said righteously: "Lord Ding, what are you doing, you still want to harm the miscellaneous family at this time!" ”

"Don't dare, I hope you can tell the truth!" Ding Wei said flatteringly.

"Let me tell you the truth! Our family grew up watching the emperor, who has been blessed with God-given thaumaturgy since he was a child, and can do what ordinary people cannot, and made a grand wish to change my cowardly image of the Great Song Dynasty and lead me to the road of real prosperity and strength. And you civil ministers don't know what to do all day long, you only know how to fight for power, fight for insiders, and fight outsiders. Especially you, Lord Ding, relying on your high position and power, do not take the emperor in your eyes, and try to bully him for being young and ignorant, in my opinion, the punishment for entering you is light, you have to thank the Holy Lord for his kindness! ”

"The saint also told our family, you ministers are either incapable, or you don't do things in a down-to-earth manner, drill camps everywhere, and waste the talent given to you by God in vain, I hope you can really use your knowledge in the years to come, and let the name behind you be a little better! This is the last advice from the Holy Lord, the emperor will leave your family with entanglements on the road, go on the road early! If you are still a little arrogant of the Han nation, take care of the cliff mountain for the saint! ”

After Xiao Shunzi finished speaking, he didn't care about Ding Wei who was in a daze, and went to supervise the soldiers' house raiding operations alone.

Listening to Xiao Shunzi's words, Ding Wei fell into deep contemplation, looked up to the sky, recalled his magnificent life, celestial divination, calligraphy, painting, chess, piano, poetry and music, all understood, and also won the praise of Wang Yuyan "today's giant Confucian". In order to seek an official career, they flattered themselves with clever words, eradicated dissidents, and did everything they could, but in the end they were in vain. Not only did he have to ask himself, what is the use of being born with me?

After Xiao Shunzi led the forbidden army away, Ding Wei kowtowed a few times in the direction of the palace, and took his family out of the capital silently.

Once upon a time, a generation of powerful ministers was spent in the long river of history......

Zhao Zhen stood at the head of the city, looked at Ding Wei and his party in the distance, and couldn't help but sigh gloomily: "Qing is a genius...... In vain! ”

Over the years, the new things of the Great Song Dynasty have been staged in turn, which has greatly tempered the vision of the people of the Song Dynasty, and the Ding Wei incident has not caused a little wave among the people, except for those uneasy comrades.

Due to the haste with which the Great Song Times was created, the previous issues were almost all about the various measures of the imperial court and the strange events in Tokyo. At this time, the new journalism department of the Great Song Dynasty Royal Academy was urgently training a group of emergency reporters to spread across the country, and Zhao Zhen had to take time out of his busy schedule to explain the rules of work for journalists.

For this reason, Zhao Zhen also had to be promoted in the line of fire, and specially set up an official position of Jiupin Shi to supervise the imperial history for the students who signed up for the journalist training and passed the assessment, giving them the right to interview freely, but did not have the right to supervise the imperial history.

After this batch of reporters is released, the Song Times will begin to take shape, and all that remains is to improve the transmission channels and gradually expand the influence and effectiveness of the Times.