Do you know: I, a commoner prime minister

Chapter 45 Secrets of the Court

"My lord, what are you thinking about?" Madam Shao asked when she saw her husband not moving.

Lu Wang shook his head and said, "Over the years, the Bianjing wharf hasn't changed at all; only the people and things have changed!"

"Alright, stop talking nonsense I don't understand. Let's get off the ship quickly, or we'll have to spend the night outside the city!" Mrs. Shao said irritably.

Lu Wang came from an ordinary background and was a late bloomer, only passing the imperial examination for the title of Xiucai in his mid-twenties.

The subsequent provincial and metropolitan examinations went smoothly, and he passed both on his first attempt.

Mrs. Shaw married him at a young age. Although she was illiterate, the couple had a very good relationship.

Lu Wang was at a loss for words, and without dwelling on the past, he and his wife got off the carriage.

The servants who accompanied them hired a horse-drawn carriage and an oxcart. After the luggage was unloaded and loaded onto the carriages, the couple boarded the carriages and headed towards Bianjing City.

The Bianjing Wharf is more than ten miles away from Bianjing City. The wharf is lined with shops on both sides and is very lively, almost no different from the city.

The carriage entered the city through the Xin Song Gate in the east and traveled all the way to Nanmen Street. It then traveled south along Nanmen Street for a long time before passing through the Zhuque Gate.

Finally, we arrived at Osmanthus Lane, not far from the Vermilion Bird Gate, and stopped at the gate of a house with a plaque that read "Lu Residence".

The servant went to knock on the door, and the old servant opened the gate. Seeing Lu Wang and his wife getting out of the carriage, he excitedly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Master, Madam, you've finally returned."

"Yes, I'm back!"

Looking at the old servant, Lu Wang was filled with emotion.

"Master and Madam, please come in. Ever since I received the letter, I've had the entire house thoroughly cleaned," the old servant said, stepping aside.

"Um."

Lu Wang helped his wife inside and instructed, "Send someone to deliver a visiting card to Master Fu's residence; I will pay him a visit tomorrow morning!"

"Yes!" the old servant replied hastily.

……

The next day, after having breakfast, Lu Wang, accompanied by a servant, took a carriage to a mansion by the Huishui River in the inner city.

A middle-aged man was already waiting outside the mansion. When the carriage stopped, he came forward to greet him.

"Greetings, Lord Lu!"

Lu Wang alighted from the carriage, looked at the middle-aged man who was bowing, scrutinized him carefully for a moment, and asked uncertainly, "Are you Dexian?"

"I never expected that after so many years, Master Lu would recognize me at a glance," Fu Shaoting said with a smile.

Lu Wang laughed and said, "Back then, when you broke your father's favorite inkstone, I even pleaded for you."

Fu Shaoting's face fell: "Lord Lu, please don't mention this matter in front of Father later. Every time Father brings it up, he scolds me!"

"That's just like your father's personality!" Lu Wang laughed heartily.

Fu Shaoting stepped aside and said, "Lord Lu, please come in first. Father was overjoyed to hear of your return!"

"Um!"

Lu Wang nodded slightly and entered the mansion under Fu Shaoting's guidance.

"Any tasks are available now?" Lu Wang asked.

"No assignments yet!"

Fu Shaoting smiled bitterly and said, "I am dull-witted and have failed the imperial examinations many times. My father said that I am not worthy of being an official because I cannot even pass the imperial examinations."

Lu Wang sensed the resentment hidden in his tone, nodded slightly, and did not ask any further questions.

"Study literature!"

As soon as I entered the courtyard, I saw an elderly man in his fifties walk out of the main hall and greet me with a big smile.

"You've finally decided to come back!"

"Greetings, Mr. Rich!"

Lu Wang bowed respectfully.

"Xuewen, what are you doing?"

The wealthy young man frowned and asked, "Is there something you dislike about me?"

"How dare I!" Lu Wang said calmly.

"Don't give me that crap, come inside and talk!"

The wealthy gentleman led him into the main hall, invited him to sit down, and did not rush to start reminiscing.

After the servants served tea, he dismissed his son before speaking, "Is it because I haven't submitted a petition requesting reforms?"

"I don't understand. Now that you and Grand Chancellor Han have both returned to the court and entered the central government, why is no one advocating for reform?" Lu Wang questioned.

Although his thoughts had changed somewhat because of Zhou An's words, he was still very dissatisfied that no one had suggested reforms after Han Zhang and others returned to the court and entered the central government.

Whether the reform is hopeful and whether it can succeed is one thing.

What hurt him most was that those who originally shared the same ideals betrayed their common aspirations.

"You are far removed from the court and unaware of the inner workings!"

Fu Xiangong sighed, "According to secret reports from the Liao Kingdom, the Liao Emperor's health has been deteriorating since last year. Although the relationship between the Great Zhou and the Liao Kingdom has been friendly over the years, it is difficult to predict what will happen once the Liao throne changes hands."

"If I were to submit a memorial advocating for reforms at this time, what good would it do even if the emperor agreed?"

"Is this really true?"

Lu Wang found it hard to believe; the current Liao emperor was not even forty years old.

"Although the news is not completely confirmed, you should know that since the current Liao emperor ascended the throne, he has personally presided over and participated in the winter hunt every year when there is heavy snow in the north. However, the winter hunt was not held after the beginning of winter in the north the year before last, and it was not held last year either," said Fu Xiangong.

"This is certainly not a good opportunity!" Lu Wang nodded in realization.

After Han Zhang and others returned to the court, no one suggested reforms. At first, he thought that Han Zhang and others had not yet gained a firm foothold.

Even though Prime Minister Ke Fu was reinstated and Han Zhang became Grand Prime Minister, no one still offered any advice.

This disheartened him, and he was therefore unwilling to return to Beijing.

He originally agreed to go to the capital to advocate for reform, to tell the people of the world that the flame of reform in the court had not been extinguished.

Since he hadn't considered whether it would actually work out, he didn't need to consider the timing.

If Ke Fu and his associates wish to persuade the emperor to implement reforms again, they must indeed choose a good opportunity.

Even if they were to speak up now and successfully persuade the emperor to agree to the reforms, the reforms would have to be temporarily shelved if the Liao state were to experience any changes.

"You should understand now that it's not that we don't want to advocate for reform, but rather that it's simply not the right time!"

The wealthy man said in a deep voice, "The new laws failed back then. This time we must be fully prepared, otherwise, if we fail again, there will be no second chance!"

The officials are not young, and neither are they.

If they fail this time, given their age, it will be difficult for them to be reinstated again, and the emperor may not even live to see that day.

"Speaking of which, I heard a very interesting comment."

After Lu Wang's inner turmoil was resolved, his expression softened, and he said, "If a matter involves a wide range of people, to succeed, you need to make more friends and fewer enemies."

"That's impossible!"

Upon hearing this, the wealthy gentleman pondered for a moment and said, "What we are about to do will inevitably affect the interests of most powerful and influential people. How can we possibly expect them to support us willingly?"

He admitted that this seemingly simple statement did indeed contain some philosophical insights.

However, this does not apply to all situations.

Although most of the powerful figures who opposed the reforms were motivated by self-interest, their core reason for doing so was their own interests.

To gain their support, we need to compensate them in other ways, and in ways that exceed the losses they have suffered.

But in this way, it's just a matter of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

"At first, it seemed to make a lot of sense, and after thinking about it carefully, I had similar thoughts to yours. But upon further reflection, I realized that this statement isn't as simple as it sounds!"

Lu Wang paused for a moment, then said, "Has Master Fu ever considered why there was almost no opposition or resistance when the Han Dynasty implemented the Edict of Grace?"