The Most Powerful Young Master of the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 43: Zhang Fangping’s Official Authority

After eating and drinking his fill, Zhang Fangping wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, turned, and sat down in Di Qing’s command seat. No matter how Yang Wenguang looked at him, the sight glared at him, yet he dared not make a fuss for the time being. He could only scream inwardly: “Get down from there—that’s Commander Di’s seat.” “Secretary Di,” Zhang Fangping said, looking at Di Qing. Di Qing hurriedly clasped his fists and said, “I wouldn’t dare. I also ask that Your Excellency at least add the word ‘Deputy’ to your title.” Zhang Fangping stared at him for a moment and said, “Why do you even hold this office? Don’t you find it humiliating?” Di Qing hurriedly replied, “One does not hold office for one’s own sake, but because His Majesty has promoted me to serve the country.” “Can you really serve the country?” Zhang Fangping rolled his eyes in the manner of a thoroughly corrupt official. Yang Wenguang was about to speak up in anxiety, but Zhang Fangping pointed at him and said, “It’s not your turn to speak.” So they all bowed their heads together. Zhang Fangping watched them for Shao Qing, then said, “Di Qing, that’s exactly where your problem lies. And that tattoo on your face—no matter how I look at it, it’s just unsightly.” Yang Wenguang raised his head defiantly. Di Qing, however, lowered his head in embarrassment and said, “The Minister is correct.” Zhang Fangping said in astonishment, “‘You’re right’? You make it sound as if you understand. Go on, tell me what you’ve understood.” Once again, Di Qing felt awkward and couldn’t find the words. Zhang Fangping walked down with his hands behind his back and said, “That’s exactly your problem. The Emperor favored you and granted you special permission to remove the tattoo, yet you chose to put on an act and keep it. When I called you a coward, you humbly claimed it was His Majesty’s patronage and a way to serve the country. That’s why Bao Zheng is displeased to see someone with a tattoo on their face walking the halls of government. The others see you acting so ‘pretentious’—not at all like a straightforward warrior—so nobody likes you. As a warrior, you’re so ‘well-behaved and compliant’—where does that leave the other literati, who are well-read, cultured, and brimming with knowledge?” Di Qing was startled and vaguely began to grasp the crux of the matter. Yang Wenguang exclaimed in astonishment, “Is that even a valid reason?” Zhang Fangping pointed at Yang Wenguang’s nose, but addressed Di Qing: “Now do you understand why this guy has it so easy, while you’re struggling?” Yang Wenguang and Di Qing both froze in surprise. Zhang Fangping turned back to his seat and said, “It’s because Yang Wenguang, that old fool, is just like that. That sort of demeanor suits a military man—people can accept him and trust him. Do you understand? You, Di Qing, often don’t act like a military man at all.” Yang Wenguang couldn’t help but feel smug, but seeing Di Qing’s embarrassment, he quickly lowered his head again. Zhang Fangping continued, “Di Qing.” “Your humble servant is here,” Di Qing replied in a low voice. Zhang Fangping said, “Originally, I didn’t have the energy for this. I really didn’t want to meddle in your affairs because, to be honest, while I don’t particularly dislike you, I don’t like you either. Do you know why I was in such a hurry to come here in this cold weather?” “Isn’t it for the gold mines in Yongzhou?” Yang Wenguang blurted out. “Of course it’s for the gold mine,” Zhang Fangping sneered. “Everyone knows what kind of scoundrels you lot are. I’ve come to keep a close eye on you petty villains.” He continued, “But the real reason I’m here is that Wang Anshi asked me to protect you. Do you understand?” Di Qing said nothing, staring blankly for a moment. Zhang Fangping continued, “Your downfall began when you refused to wash your official seal back then—that was mere affectation. It was sealed when you accepted the post of Deputy Secretary of the Privy Council while still in the midst of battle. The Emperor was being capricious on this matter. To put it plainly, by appointing you, the Emperor intended to test his strength against us literati and alter the ancestral rules to some extent. But you accepted it. So they won’t blame the Emperor—they’ll only blame you for being inconsiderate. ‘A petty man who has risen to power’—that describes you, Di Qing. Do you understand?” “Who’s a petty man!” Yang Wenguang retorted defiantly. “Ouyang Xiu himself said that military men are petty, while literati are noble—and that’s how the foundation of the Great Song Dynasty was established. Yang Wenguang, if you keep raising your voice, I’ll introduce you to Ouyang Xiu. How does that sound?” Zhang Fangping said with a hint of malice. So Yang Wenguang fell silent again. That old scholar was truly not someone to be messed with. Zhang Fangping continued, “Di Qing, you’ve accepted the position of Deputy Secretary of the Privy Council. What good does it do to keep a low profile? You’ve certainly tried hard, yielding to everyone you meet, but that, in fact, is your mistake. As Deputy Secretary of the Privy Council, where is your official authority? You even give way to a mere minor official—how have you brought disgrace upon the imperial court’s Western Bureau? How have you disgraced the military? That is why everyone hates you, including me, Zhang Fangping—I hate you for completely discrediting the emperor’s authority. It’s no exaggeration to say that these actions are a scourge upon the nation and its people.” Di Qing and Yang Wenguang couldn’t help but jump in fright. Damn it, he’s even using the phrase “bringing disaster upon the country and its people”—does he have to be this ruthless? Zhang Fangping said coldly, “Don’t think I’m just bluffing. You hold a key position—the Council of State concerns the very security of the Great Song—yet you lack authority. You occupy a position, but no one listens to what you say. Consequently, the Council of State has naturally fallen into chaos, and the military system has naturally fallen into disarray. Given this situation, Di Qing, do you really bear no responsibility?” Di Qing broke out in a cold sweat, only then realizing the gravity of the situation. Zhang Fangping grew increasingly furious as he spoke, slamming his fist on the table and roaring, “If it weren’t for that young upstart Wang Anshi vouching for you—claiming you possess extraordinary talent and that the Song Dynasty’s border threats remain grave, making you indispensable—I would have had you eliminated on the spot. It is your very presence that has thrown the Council of State into chaos and severely disrupted military discipline. With a small clique fanning the flames from within, this ultimately led to Chen Shu sticking his neck out, resulting in the defeat at Kunlun Pass and the loss of eight thousand of our Song soldiers. Di Qing, I’m truly fabricating charges here. If you hadn’t been appointed Deputy Secretary of the Privy Council, causing chaos in the military system to become the new normal, no matter how bold Chen Shu was, how could he have dared to disobey the orders of the commander-in-chief personally appointed by the Emperor? So are you really not to blame?” Yang Wenguang was so stunned his vision went blurry. He exclaimed, “Chen Shu disobeyed his commander—and that’s the Commander-in-Chief’s fault?” Zhang Fangping narrowed his eyes and said, “I say it’s his fault, so it’s his fault. Otherwise, the blame would fall on the Emperor for stubbornly insisting on appointing Di Qing. Yang Wenguang, are you suggesting the Emperor was wrong in this matter?” “I…” Yang Wenguang quickly lowered his head again, pretending he hadn’t said a word. Zhang Fangping continued, “Di Qing, you accepted the post of Deputy Secretary of the Privy Council earlier and made enemies. Now that you’ve won the battle, how does this make the literati look? Since the Emperor favors you and you’ve achieved such great merit, how should he promote you now?” Di Qing couldn’t help but turn slightly pale. Yang Wenguang said, “Of course, he should be promoted from Deputy Commissioner to Chief Commissioner…” Before he could finish, he quickly raised his hand to cover his mouth. According to Old Zhang’s logic, Di Qing had already drawn too much attention earlier, causing chaos in the military system. If he were now actually promoted to Chief Commissioner of the Privy Council, it would be tantamount to pushing him onto the guillotine—and it would also throw the nation’s military system into disarray. At this point, Zhang Fangping said calmly, “The higher the position held by an unsuitable person, the greater the harm. No one is saying you, Di Qing, are a bad person—but you cannot command the respect of the troops. Therefore, the higher your position, the more severe the resistance and backlash from those below, and the greater the damage to the political system. To hold the position of Deputy Secretary of the Privy Council yet fail to fulfill your duties is a crime against the imperial court and the system itself. That is my theory—what do you think?” Di Qing knelt on one knee in a military salute and actually began to weep. Such politics and the mercenary nature of the world had left him unable to make sense of it all. “What are you crying about!” Zhang Fangping said. “If you can’t handle this much pressure, if you can’t shoulder this kind of problem, how do you expect to navigate the halls of power? Look at that old bastard Pang Ji—how thick-skinned he is! Back then, he was so brazen as to burn the legal codes from the Regency era. Now that Bao Zheng is keeping a close eye on him and biting down hard, do you see him showing any fear? I’ve had my share of struggles too—it’s not as if no one’s been hounding me. But when there’s meat to be had, I take it; when it comes to dealing with a thug like Yang Wenguang, do you think I’d go easy on him? This is politics, this is taking responsibility, this is mental fortitude. You lack all of these—so why on earth did you get the wild idea to walk the halls of power wearing the insignia of a criminal conscript?” Old Zhang slammed his fist on the table again and exclaimed, “You sit in the halls of power bearing the mark of a criminal conscript, throwing my civil service administration into chaos—what are you doing to the reputation of the Great Song court? Where does that leave the Emperor’s honor and integrity? The Emperor may act on a whim, but what qualifications do you have to go along with his whims? By going along with his recklessness and defying the system, aren’t you just like the ‘small-minded men’ Ouyang Xiu spoke of? If so, were they wrong to cry out, ‘Clear the court of the emperor’s flanks’?” Just as Yang Wenguang was about to speak, Zhang Fangping pointed at him and said, “If you dare utter another lewd remark, I’ll have you hung at the entrance to the main camp for three days as a public spectacle. Don’t think being scolded by me, Zhang Fangping, is a bad thing! Others would love to be scolded by me, but no one is willing to do it! That Chen Shu is now suffering worse than death—do you know why? Because no one is scolding him! If someone actually did scold him—kicking him off to serve as an official in some remote mountainous region—the matter would be over. Once his three-year term is up, he’d bounce right back. But now, no one will see him, and no one says a word about him. He dreams every night of the ghosts of those eight thousand soldiers, and that alone is enough to drive him mad. Got it?”