Chapter 17 197 Flower Stone Gang

Empress Dowager Gao died after holding power for eight years, and was ruled by Song Zhezong.The young Song Zhezong was originally dissatisfied with his grandmother's reuse of conservatives.When he comes to power in person, he will re-appoint the reformists.However, the subsequent reformists did not sincerely reform the government like Wang Anshi, and internal disputes continued.A group of speculators took the opportunity to make trouble under the guise of political reform.After Song Zhezong died and his younger brother Song Huizong Zhao Ji (sound ji) came to the throne, the government became more chaotic.

Song Huizong was a well-known libertine who didn't know how to manage state affairs, and devoted himself to having fun.There is a confidant eunuch Tong Guan beside him, who caters to his wishes and collects calligraphy and painting treasures for him to enjoy.Once Tong Guan went to Suzhou to collect treasures of calligraphy and painting. Cai Jing, an unwilling official, wanted to join Tong Guan.Tong Guan got Cai Jing's benefit, sent these calligraphy and paintings to Tokyo immediately, and sent a message to Song Huizong, saying that he had found a rare talent. When Cai Jing arrived in Tokyo, he recruited a group of people to act for him.An official said to Song Huizong: "Implementing the new law is a major event, and no courtiers can help with this matter. If your majesty wants to inherit Shenzong's will, you must use Cai Jing."

The official also drew a picture dedicated to Emperor Huizong of Song Dynasty. On the chart, a large number of courtiers were listed, with conservatives on the right and reformers on the left.The names on the right are all current ministers, but the list on the left has only two names, one of which is Cai Jing. Song Huizong saw it, liked it very much, and immediately decided to make Cai Jing the prime minister. As soon as Cai Jing came to power, he raised the banner of reform and called some honest officials, whether they were conservative or in favor of reform, all called treacherous parties.He also manipulated Song Huizong to erect a stele of party members in front of Duanli Gate, and called Sima Guang, Wen Yanbo, Su Shi, Su Zhe and other 120 people Yuanyou (Yuanyou was Song Zhezong's early reign name) treacherous party, Those who are dead will lose their official titles, and those who are alive will be demoted and exiled.As a result, some upright officials were all pushed out of the court, while Cai Jing's associates were promoted step by step.

As for the new law enacted by Wang Anshi, it completely changed in Cai Jing's hands.For example, the labor exemption law can reduce the labor burden of the people, but Cai Jing and his gang continue to increase the taxation of labor, which has become a means of extorting the people. Song Huizong and Cai Jing were superstitious of Taoist priests and built Taoist temples.There was a Taoist priest named Lin Lingsu, who boasted nonsense in front of Song Huizong: There are nine heavens in the sky, the highest one is called Shenxiao, and there is King Yuqing in Shenxiao Palace, who is the eldest son of God.Song Huizong is the eldest son of God descended to earth.There are eight hundred other immortal officials in Shenxiao, and Cai Jing and Tong Guan are the reincarnated immortal officials.This nonsense actually coaxed Song Huizong into a rage, and invited a large number of Taoist priests to preach in the palace every day.The Taoists also gave Song Huizong a title, called the leader Taoist Emperor.In this way, the emperor became the head of the Taoist priests.

Song Huizong indulged in the pursuit of a decadent life of enjoyment.Tong Guan recruited thousands of craftsmen in Suzhou and Hangzhou for him to make carvings or embroidery of ivory, horn, gold, silver, bamboo and rattan every day for him to enjoy.All production materials are searched from the common people. After a long time, Song Huizong got tired of those things, and wanted to find some strange herbs and rocks for a change.Cai Jing and Tong Guan, in order to please Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, sent a second-rate son Zhu Xi to set up a "Ying Feng Bureau" in Suzhou to collect flowers and stones.Zhu Qiang had a group of officials under his command to take care of this matter.Hearing that some common people's house had a piece of stone or flowers and trees that were more exquisite and unique, the officials brought soldiers into the house and pasted it with a yellow seal.If there is any damage, you will be charged with "disrespect", fined lightly, and jailed severely.Some houses were requisitioned with tall flowers and trees that were inconvenient to carry, so the soldiers demolished the house and destroyed the walls.Those officials and soldiers took the opportunity to extort and extort, and the families whose flowers and stones were confiscated were often ruined. Some families sold their children and daughters and fled everywhere.

Zhu Xi transported the collected flowers and stones to Tokyo with a large number of ships.If there were not enough ships to transport, they intercepted grain ships and merchant ships, dumped the goods on the ships, and loaded them with flowers and stones.This large number of ships will naturally require a large number of civilians.As a result, ships shuttled back and forth in the river, and folk husbands rushed day and night to transport flowers and stones.This kind of transportation team is called "Hua Shi Gang". As soon as Hua Shigang arrived in Tokyo, Emperor Huizong of Song Dynasty was very happy to see him, and promoted Zhu Xi.There are more and more flowers and stones, and Zhu Xi's officials are getting bigger and bigger.Some dignitaries, who would dare not please Zhu Xi.People called the Suzhou-Hangzhou Yingfeng Bureau presided over by Zhu Mian the "small court in the southeast", which shows how powerful Zhu Mian was.