The wheels of the carriage pressed against the road, making a clattering sound. Liu Meng, the secretary of the ministry, sat in the car and felt that his head was clouded. The number of the latest officials has increased several times, and the workload has also increased several times. It was so late that the work was solved, and Liu Meng felt exhausted.

The rain outside the window was non-stop, and the temperature was not high. Liu Meng felt that he fully felt the feeling of 'rain in the Qingming Festival, and pedestrians on the road wanted to break their souls'. It's the feeling of being drained of energy, and all you need is to take a bath in a warm bathroom and drink a cup of hot tea. Warm yourself from the inside out.

In this state of wanting to break his soul, Liu Meng closed his eyes and pulled the clothes on his body to make himself feel more comfortable. As if he had just closed his eyes for a moment, Liu Meng heard the secretary say, "Shangshu, I'm home." ”

"Huh? So fast? Liu Meng opened his eyes hard. Then he realized that he had fallen asleep in the carriage.

Got out of the car. The cool air full of moisture made Liu Meng feel sober. He suddenly felt that he didn't necessarily have to take a bath, maybe just a cup of hot tea and a good soak of his feet. Nowadays, boiling hot water that can be used for bathing is really troublesome for the family.

When I arrived at the door, I saw that there was a light in the living room. Liu Meng felt a little surprised, his wife was not wealthy, and she was more mindful of using candles at night. Why do you light up in the living room today?

As soon as he entered the house, Liu Meng saw Song Gongming in the house.

"Shangshu. You're going to call the shots! Song Gongming's voice was full of grievances.

Liu Meng looked at his wife who was accompanying him, and sighed in his heart. He has seen too much of this situation, and there are of course many officials who come here to seek officials like the Ministry of Officials. There are also a lot of complaints here. Even as a scholar, some people can't ignore it.

"You boil me some bathwater." Liu Meng said to his wife. These kinds of complaints will not be finished in three or two sentences, but they will have time to boil the bath water.

Just as Liu Meng expected. Song Gongming began a fierce attack on Xiong Shang, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites. Liu Meng originally thought that Xiong Sheng had done something earth-shattering, but after listening to it, he understood that it was Song Gongming's errand that was adjusted by Xiong Shang. Song Gongming felt that such a thing should not be.

After talking about ten minutes earlier, Song Gongming said angrily at the end: "Xiong Shang is too bullying. Shangshu wants to call the shots for me! ”

"Ah...... Xiao Song, we have known each other for more than ten years. I'll give you a solution, but I'm worried that you won't listen. Liu Meng said.

"Shang Shu is willing to help, of course I am willing to listen." Song Gongming said immediately.

"If you feel that you can't swallow this breath, then quickly transfer your position. I'm in charge of the bureaucracy, and you can basically do it in other departments. What do you think? Liu Meng said. This is not Liu Meng's big words, there is a shortage of experienced cadres everywhere at the moment, but it is not easy for officials like Xiong Shang to transfer work.

"I ...... Why should I go? If you want to go, it's also a bear dress! Song Gongming said in surprise.

"If you ask me to help you clean up your bear clothes now, I can't do it." Liu Meng gave an answer. When he said this, Liu Meng suddenly felt in his heart that he was very aggrieved by what he was doing. Everyone came to complain and ask for help after something happened. I really haven't seen anyone do anything for Liu Meng. Yes, each of these people came with a gift, but Liu Meng would lack this little thing? Liu Meng's family's annual income in the South China Sea is more than 100,000 yuan, and Liu Meng himself has a large amount of investment. In the current Great Song Dynasty, there are only a handful of people who need Liu Meng to look up to.

"Shangshu, I'm not asking you to help me clean up my bear clothes." Song Gongming hurriedly said. Although he also thought about getting rid of Xiong Xiang, but after thinking about this purpose carefully, Song Gongming felt that he had nowhere to start at all. Because of the opposition to the decision of the Ministry of Rites, the overthrow of the Ministry of Rites was not in line with the imperial court system. If Xiong Sheng feels that his subordinates are ineffective, so he lets his subordinates be removed, which is more in line with the system.

"Then you want me to contact Xiong Sheng so that he can change his mind and let you be in charge of negotiating with the Mongols?" Liu Meng asked.

"Yes." Song Gongming replied.

"Xiao Song. Xiong Shang and I are both Shangshu, why does he have to sell me face? I don't sell him face in this matter, what can I do with him? Liu Meng asked.

After such a conversation with Liu Meng, Song Gongming had calmed down. If you want to stick to your own opinion, it will be very easy to answer, and tell Liu Meng directly to force Xiong Sheng to agree. However, Song Gongming found that he might have a reason to ask Xiong Shang, but there was no reason to ask Liu Meng. Liu Meng doesn't owe Song Gongming anything.

Being able to be arranged by Zhao Jiaren to talk about materialist theory to Mongolia's Erjin Haoren Wanhu a few years ago, Song Gongming already understood how he should choose. He suppressed his hatred and hatred, and said to Liu Meng as calmly as possible: "Shangshu." I'll talk to Xiong Sheng when I get back. If he agrees to my request, I will stay in the Ministry of Rites. If he doesn't say yes, can you give me a new job? ”

Seeing that Song Gongming didn't say some like those scumbags, Liu Meng felt very happy. When many people come to beg Liu Meng, they follow those 'we are relatives', 'we are friends' and 'we are XX', so Liu Meng, you have to do things for us in accordance with morality.

Liu Meng used to be so angry with these people that he felt a little hateful, but now he is too lazy to talk nonsense. Since those people think that Liu Meng can be bullied, why should Liu Meng treat them as human beings. Song Gongming's response was within the acceptable range of Liu Meng, but it was just to arrange a job, and the officials did this.

After sending Song Gongming away, Liu Meng went to the kitchen. I saw that his wife was already sitting on the stove with a large pot of water, stretched out her fingertips and touched it gently, this large pot of water was still a long way from boiling.

"Shall we buy one of those bath barrels that can burn coal directly underneath?" Liu Meng couldn't help but ask, that kind of bucket can make the bath water continue to heat up and heat up much faster.

Liu Meng's wife sighed: "Isn't it just a few days?" After a few days, won't there be hot water in the stove where we are drying? ”

"What about winter?" Liu Meng gave himself a reason.

"In the winter, don't you just run to the bathhouse to take a bath?" Liu Meng's wife was even more opposed.

was told by his wife, Liu Meng became even more energetic, and he tried to explain: "I think if there is such a bath bucket with boiling water at home, won't it be convenient for us?" ”

Liu Meng's wife was very tired of Liu Meng's inexplicable insistence, and she replied: "That kind of barrel needs to be sterilized frequently." We've all been in class, and it's been said that it would be better if the bathtub was only used by one person. If a lot of people are mixed together, you have to be very careful. If you want to boil water, I'll boil it for you. What more do you want? ”

With such a piece, Liu Meng finally felt a little embarrassed. Originally, Liu Meng's wife didn't need to do the boiling water, and his family hired a nanny. But because of Song Gongming's relationship, Liu Meng's wife had to stay up for so long.

"Who's coming to me in the future. When I'm not at home, you chase them away. Liu Meng said.

For such a thoughtful suggestion, Liu Meng's wife nodded, but didn't say anything.

The next morning, Liu Meng went to the meeting. When Xiong Sheng gave a briefing on the Ministry of Rites, Liu Meng naturally paid more attention. Xiong Shang's briefing was very simple, and the Mongolian side had already made relatively clear requests. It is hoped that the Great Song Dynasty will propose to redeem the ransom of the first emperor, the queen mother, the empress dowager and the captured and taken away nobles of the Great Song Dynasty.

As soon as he finished saying this, Zheng Jie of the military department said angrily: "Those Mongols didn't wake up!" How dare you ask us for ransom! ”

Other young people also expressed anger at the Mongol demands, and everyone at the top understood that the reason why there was no war was only because the officials felt the need to complete the land reform first. Otherwise, the 300,000 regular Song troops would have already entered Hebei. Mongolia's practice of not knowing life and death is beyond everyone's bottom line.

Liu Meng was not excited. He had seen something similar when he was younger than the gang in front of him, when Zhao Jiaren had long wanted to destroy the big food and maritime merchants who controlled the shipping in the South China Sea, and the first person to bear the brunt was Pu Shougeng as a representative figure. Twenty years have passed since the fall of the Great Food Maritime Merchants led by Pu Shougeng.

After discussing the past with his old comrades-in-arms, Liu Meng found that since Zhao Jiaren decided to eliminate the gang led by Pu Shougeng, Pu Shougeng had no chance of winning. If Pu Shougeng is smart, their best thing to do is to run away obediently. But Pu Shougeng didn't make that choice, they kept fighting, and if they couldn't fight head-on, they tried their best to hit Zhao Jiaren's peripheral forces and try their best to make trouble for Zhao Jiaren. Compared with Pu Shou Geng at that time, there seems to be no essential difference between Mongolia now.

Come to think of it. Liu Meng raised his eyes and looked at Zhao Jiaren, and saw that Zhao Guan's family looked flat, quietly looking at those high-ranking officials who were indignant because they felt underestimated. Looking at the others, he saw that Xiong Sheng was not angry because he was underestimated, he just looked at the people around him thoughtfully.

What was this bear thinking? Liu Meng was a little curious in his heart. Originally, Liu Meng felt that the yamen of the Ministry of Rites was relatively cold, and such a cold yamen should always be relatively stable inside. After seeing Song Gongming's toss, Liu Meng felt that Xiong Shang's life might not be leisurely.

In the angry speeches of everyone, Zhao Jiaren spoke, "You should be quiet first. ”

The venue was quiet in an instant, and everyone looked at Zhao Guan's house. Zhao Jiaren's face was very cold, and his voice became cold, "For those people who surrendered in Lin'an, I think they betrayed the Great Song Dynasty, betrayed China, and were captured by the Mongols and deserved it." I don't know if everyone means the same thing as me. ”

Such a cold speech made everyone's faces change greatly, especially those who exaggerated their emotions, and their expressions changed even more.

Zhao Jiaren continued to speak coldly, "My idea is very simple, when we go on a northern expedition, we will take them back from the Mongols. This can prove that I have people in China, and this can prove that everything that our Great Song Dynasty has lost because of the sword, our Great Song Dynasty will definitely use the sword to take it back. ”

"If the Mongols had killed the Emperor at that time, would we have been blamed?" Sun Qing, the head of the household, couldn't help but show an unbearable expression on his face.

Sima Kao replied very unhappily: "The first emperor surrendered to the Mongols, and the Mongols killed the first emperor, why were we wrong?" ”

Many people know that Sima Kao despises those spineless guys, and this is also reasonable, although Sima Kao is emotional, but this is not unreasonable. Just when everyone thought that this controversy should be over, Sun Qing said unrelentingly: "We are the courtiers of the Great Song Dynasty, and the first emperor was arrested. Of course, we have a responsibility. Otherwise, where is the way of a courtier! I don't think it's appropriate to look at the past government separately from the current government. ”

At the end of this speech, many people's faces changed. For example, the former Empress Dowager Xie Daoqing, who was captured by the Mongols, ordered a post in the court and said: "In the past 300 years, my country has treated scholars and doctors well. I and the emperor encountered many difficulties in the country, you courtiers and ministers can't come up with a plan to save the difficulties, the Beijing officials abandon the officials and flee, and the local officials abandon the seal and abandon the city, escape the hardships and steal their lives, where is it still like a human act? How did you see the emperor underground? The Mandate of Heaven has not changed, and the law of the land still exists. Those who are in the government will be paid a salary in Shangshu Province; Those who abandon the country and flee will be picketed and reported by the Yushitai. ”

This is very true, the Great Song Dynasty is to raise scholars for 300 years, and scholars and officials rule the world together. During these three hundred years, the scholars enjoyed great profits and accumulated great wealth. But the final result was not that the scholar sacrificed his life for the Great Song Dynasty, but that the scholar chose to abandon the Great Song Dynasty, the loser.

From the point of view of the harsh reality, the loser is bound to be eliminated, but such things can be done, but not said. What can be said must be Sun Qing's words, there is a difference between the monarch and the minister, and the courtiers cannot say such ruthless words to the monarch. If the Zhao family allowed this, it meant that when he faced a failed situation, he would have to accept the abandonment of his courtiers. This is something that those in power cannot allow.

Liu Meng didn't expect things to turn out like this. He looked at his old friend Sima Kao, Sima Kao's family is the Jinshi family, Liu Meng's family is an upstart, and the two families have already married. Therefore, Liu Meng still couldn't help but favor Sima Kao in his heart.

In this embarrassing atmosphere, Zhao Jiaren spoke, "Never surrender to the barbarians!" The surrender of the barbarians was not only a betrayal of the Great Song Dynasty, but a betrayal of Huaxia. The rotation of dynasties is our Huaxia business, and it has nothing to do with barbarians. Xie Daoqing and the others have been stripped of all their honorific titles in the Great Song Dynasty. ”

This reason is quite blunt, but the ministers think it is very reasonable. Everyone inexplicably feels that at this time, any complete delicate and elegant evaluation will only have a side effect. It has to be a quick way to cut through the mess to be effective.

"The plan submitted by the Ministry of Rites is good, so I will send someone to do it." Zhao Jiaren put an end to this embarrassing problem.

Liu Meng felt relieved for a while, and finally didn't have to talk about such an unacceptable question. But he couldn't help but feel that Song Gongming was a little pitiful, if Sun Qing hadn't intervened horizontally, Song Gongming would have had a chance to talk to Xiong Sheng again.