The reason why Kou Zhun became the "First Prime Minister of the Northern Song Dynasty" is not for any other reason. The key is that he is both knowledgeable and extremely capable, and most importantly, Kou Zhun's "not learning" "No skills" does not mean "no learning and no skills" as we understand it today, but "learning and skills" in the true sense.

Kou Zhun became an early talent and became famous early. He was re-appointed as prime minister by Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty before he reached the age of 10, and he became famous among the court and the public. Zhang Yong, like Kou Zhun, was also a famous official in the Zhenzong period. He had a good character and uprightness. Zhang Yong is more than ten years older than Kou Zhun, and is both his senior and senior. When Zhang Yong was appointed magistrate of Yizhou (where the government was located in Chengdu), he heard that Kou Zhun was appointed prime minister, so he told people around him that Kou Zhun was a genius, but he had "neither learning nor skills."

Not long after Kou Zhun became prime minister, he was dismissed from the position under attack from his colleagues and demoted to the post of magistrate of Shaanzhou (the seat of his administration is now Sanmenxia City, Henan Province). It happened that Zhang Yong was transferred back to Bianjing (now Kaifeng, Henan Province) from Chengdu. Passing by Shaanzhou, I visited Kou Zhun. What a joy it is to have friends from far away! Although Kou Zhun was a little depressed at this time, Zhang Yong's arrival still brought happiness.

So, a banquet was held and treated as an honored guest. Zhang Yong stayed around for several days, then returned home after making a speech. Before leaving, Kou Zhun sincerely asked Zhang Yong for advice. Zhang Yong pondered for a while and sincerely replied: "The Biography of Huo Guang in the Book of Han is a must-read." Monk Kou Zhun was confused, so he sent Zhang Yong away and returned home for the first time. The first thing I did was to open the "Biography of Huo Guang". When he read the sentence: "However (Huo) Guang has no learning and no skills", Kou Zhun suddenly realized, laughed and said to himself: "Zhang Yonggong said that I have no learning and no skills." Ah! ”

Because today, “uneducated and incompetent” means that a person has no knowledge or ability. Therefore, later generations used this to mock Kou Zhun for having no knowledge and ability, and Kou Zhun also He believed that Zhang Yong taught him with "ignorance and no skills", so he concluded that Kou Zhunzhen was an uneducated person.

Is Zhang Yong really ridiculing Kou Zhun for his lack of knowledge and ability? At the most basic level, if Zhang Yongzhen ridiculed Kou Zhun for his lack of knowledge, would Kou Zhun "laugh"? And without any shame, smiling happily? Apparently not. The reason why Zhang Yong is not mocking Kou Zhun is actually very simple. The so-called "Hanshu Huo Guang Biography" said that Huo Guang was "uneducated and incompetent". This does not mean that Huo Guang has no knowledge or skills, but that Huo Guang does not understand the power of officialdom. As for Zhang Yong's so-called "ignorance of knowledge and skills", it means that Kou Zhun was not familiar with political skills and did not understand compromise. In the end, he was squeezed out of the court by those treacherous sycophants who used power and power in their hands, dismissed the prime minister, and was demoted to a remote person. Diyi Zhizhou, this is Zhang Yong's friendly reminder to Kou Zhun's friends, not a ridicule.

And this is indeed the case. Kou Zhun was upright and upright, and never flattered, not only to his colleagues but also to the emperor. At that time, Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty said with emotion because of Kou Zhun's courage: "I won Kou Zhun just as Emperor Wen won Wei Zheng." Kou Zhun compared it to Wei Zheng, a famous Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty who dared to offend and outright remonstrate during the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. This not only shows his status in the eyes of Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty, but also his loyal and upright character.