Traitors of the Manchu dynasty, why do you make me an emperor through the ages Chapter 136: The court discusses the attitude of various ministries! Wei Zheng's amazing words!
Chapter 136: The court discusses the attitude of various ministries! Wei Zheng's amazing words!
Deliberately ignoring Cai Jing and his group of accomplices, Li Qian immediately made the court decision.
"Is there anything else the Qing family wants to do?"
Li Qian looked around at the ministers below.
After a while, no one said anything, and he immediately announced his resignation.
When the courtiers left the Qianyang Palace, some of them were still muttering in their hearts.
It's not a good time.
Why did His Majesty the Emperor choose such a moment to hold court discussions outside Chengtian Gate?
It was only when we arrived at Chengtianmen Square after lunch that everyone came back to their senses.
Your Majesty is too immoral!
On the upper floor of Wufeng Gate of Chengtian Gate, Li Qian, wearing a red and yellow dragon robe, sat on a chair and looked down at the ministers below.
Above his head was the domed canopy umbrella that the old eunuch asked someone to set up, and on both sides there were little palace ladies holding yellow dragon fans to fan him.
In the previous life, it was also called one o'clock in the afternoon.
Even though Li Qian had an umbrella, a few drops of sweat broke out on his hot head, and he was taking a sip from a bowl of iced loquat dew.
Well, I will definitely have to have a good chat with these people later, and I have to protect my throat first.
But below, the courtiers were not treated as well as he was.
After the courtiers finished their lunch, they came to the Chengtian Gate. Among the usually red-colored crowd, there were also green-robed admonishment officials and censors.
Today's sunshine was particularly fierce, shining directly on the ministers. After just standing for a while, they felt as if the black gauze hats on their heads had turned into burning coals, burning their foreheads red.
The scarlet robe wrapped around her body seemed to be about to burn, and she couldn't break free or throw it off. The white singlet had already been soaked with sweat for most of it, and it stuck to her body wetly.
The two heavens of water and fire.
Watching the shadow of the needle on the sundial move slowly, and finally arriving at Weishi, the imperial censor on the periphery glanced at the ministers present and put down the pen and paper in his hand.
Everyone is here.
Li Qian glanced at the officials below who were beginning to sweat profusely, and did not continue to embarrass them.
He doesn't like to abuse people, he just wants to express his dissatisfaction.
Just to an appropriate degree.
What if someone faints from heatstroke? Can the meeting still be held?
Li Qian looked like a foolish king.
"Companion, give them seats, umbrella covers, and iced drinks."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The old eunuch bowed in response, and then shouted to the people below at the top of his lungs: "Your Majesty has a decree to give you seats, umbrella covers, and iced drinks!"
Immediately, eunuchs came out of the city gate tower carrying umbrellas, chairs, and buckets of steaming sour plum soup, and arranged them for the adults.
He collapsed on the chair, wiped his sweat with the silk cloth handed over by the eunuch, and took a sip of cold sweet and sour plum soup. The ministers seemed to have come to life again. They all raised their eyes and looked at His Majesty the Emperor above. They couldn't tell what it was. Mixed feelings.
"My dear friends."
Li Qian stood up, walked into the sunshine, and said loudly: "I didn't choose this time today to embarrass you on purpose."
"But the strangeness of this matter is really unbelievable to me."
"In ancient times, executioners would perform cuts at three o'clock in the afternoon, just to use the bright light of the sky to make the souls of those who died tragically disappear."
"I have the same thought today, and want to use the sunshine to drive away these unscrupulous monsters, monsters, and monsters."
The ministers were silent for a moment, but Cai Jing wiped his sweat and stood up first tremblingly, cupping his hands and saying: "I thank your Majesty for the seat. Your Majesty, with the power of God, will surely sweep away the filth in the court and give me a peaceful life." Qiankun!"
He felt a little relieved.
According to the tone of His Majesty the Emperor, the court council chose not the most intense time of three o'clock at noon, but the last hour of the afternoon, which shows that His Majesty the Emperor still wants to keep a thin line, and does not really want to make people "soulless".
The civil and military officials also stood up and thanked His Majesty the Emperor for the umbrella cover, chairs and sour plum soup.
"Everyone, please sit down."
Li Qian also waved his hand and went back to his chair to sit down: "Before I bring Song Min up, I still want to ask you all, what do you think of the memorial to the Prime Minister of Longxi County yesterday?"
Daqian also has this thing called "Dibao", also called Dichao.
When the ministers' memorials pass through the General Affairs Department, they will be transcribed by special personnel and compiled into a newspaper, which will be distributed to the officials in the capital, and then sent to all parts of the country and distributed to the governors of counties and counties in various places.
This was also a way for state and county officials from various places to understand the frontier political dynamics of the imperial court.
Officials from other places may not have read yesterday's memorial, but these well-informed officials in the capital must have known about it for a long time.
"Your Majesty, I think the theory of heavenly fire is nonsense."
Wei Zheng stood up and said in a deep voice: "It's just that some people are greedy for food in Changpingcang. Nowadays, grain is needed for disaster relief, but Changpingcang is empty."
"These people were afraid that their deeds would be exposed, so they burned down the empty warehouse and announced that all the food had been burned. This way they could avoid the penalty of corruption!"
After Wei Zheng finished speaking, a large number of censors in the crowd also spoke up and agreed with Wei Zheng's words.
"Your Majesty, the corrupt thieves must be severely punished!"
"Corruption and malfeasance cannot be allowed to grow. This is where the corruption of the country's principles and discipline comes from..."
Li Qian looked around and found that most of the censors who said these words were young people.
Apart from these people, other civil and military officials basically remained silent and did not know what they were thinking.
Li Qian looked at these young censors with some emotion, and nodded lightly: "I understand."
"Bring Song Min up!"
After he finished speaking, two strong eunuchs led Song Min, who was wearing a scarlet robe, out of the side room.
It was also the first time for Li Qian to see this person, and he looked down at the current Longxi County Governor.
My first impression of him was that he was oily and fat.
But now it seems that he is in front of so many ministers, so he is a little timid.
"Don't be stunned. Doesn't the court meeting have to be written by someone?"
Li Qian looked at the courtiers below and said loudly: "Let's discuss how we should discuss it. Just pretend that I don't exist!"
The courtiers were stunned for a moment and did not react to this turn of events.
He was so serious just now and had such a strong sense of calling for an inquiry. Why did he suddenly ask the minister to ask him again?
The courtiers raised their heads one after another and looked at His Majesty the Emperor. They wondered what kind of medicine he was selling in his gourd.
Wang Danwang, the left minister of the Ministry of Personnel, wiped his sweat, stood up with a helpless expression, and said with cupped hands: "Your Majesty, at this moment, what is the use of writing and recording it?"
"Besides, His Majesty's Majesty is here, so how can I show off to you?"
He didn't expect that the pot would turn left and right and come back to him.
Yan Maoqing below was overjoyed. He felt that the rejection of his request for leave recently had something to do with this kid. Now that he didn't escape after all, he couldn't help but be overjoyed.
“If you should write, you still have to write, and if you should host, you still have to host.”
But Li Qian said loudly: "Just because I am here, you cannot break the rules of the court meeting."
Wang Danwang looked around and saw that no one came out to help him, so he had no choice but to agree: "Yes, Your Majesty, I accept the decree."
The eunuchs gave him paper and pen, and Wang Danwang gritted his teeth and came to the front of the ministers.
"Convict officer Song Min, now in front of His Majesty and the Lords of the Manchu Dynasty, still don't tell the truth about the burning of Chang Pingcang and the Fubing camp in Longxi County!"
That day, he was called a prison officer, and Song Min even quarreled with the censor on the spot.
But now that Wang Danwang called him "officer", he didn't dare to show off at all. He kept his eyebrows down and repeated what he said in Dali Temple that day.
Of course, I omit those words about taking credit for myself.
Wang Danwang wrote down his words with pen and ink, then raised his head and looked at the ministers in front.
He was forced to put it on the shelf, and now he didn't want to talk about anything else. He just wanted to finish the process quickly and end this inexplicable court discussion.
"Now that Song Min's testimony has been submitted, what do the officials think?"
The process of this court meeting is more like a voting process. See what the officials' intentions are. The one with the most votes wins.
Of course, arguments are also allowed. If you can convince people, you are considered a master.
Wu Shenglan, the right servant of the Ministry of Personnel, looked helpless. He knew that there was no way around it.
Fortunately, I sent a letter to Mr. He a while ago, and now that I have his reply, I don’t feel panic anymore.
He immediately stood up, cupped his hands and replied: "The officials believe that the matter of Sky Fire is too strange. The matter is not as simple as Governor Song said. The imperial court needs to send an imperial envoy to investigate before making a decision."
Many people savored these words and gradually came to their senses.
Wang Danwang made a few brief strokes and then turned his head to look in the direction of the household department.
"What do you think?"
The right minister of the household department, Han Mulu, was Cai Jing's in-law. He moved his lips at this moment, but finally did not dare to speak.
First, there was discord in the system. Even if Yan Song was not around, the Minister of Household Affairs still had the final say.
Second, if he dared to stab Yan Song in the back today, he would no longer be able to serve as a minister.
If Menxia Sheng and Zhongshu Sheng were to join forces, even Cai Jing would have no choice but to go around alone.
Guan Peng, the left minister of the Ministry of Finance, stood up and reported: "Returning to your lord, my household and officials have similar ideas. In the past years, we never saw fire from the sky, nor did we see Zhu Rong fighting with the white tiger. Why did something happen when we needed to use grain this year? Where is your son?"
"Of course, there may be some hidden secrets. Perhaps Mr. Song Min and Song were also wronged."
"Therefore, I also feel that the imperial court needs to send an imperial envoy to Longxi to investigate this case."
Wang Danwang looked at him deeply, wrote down his words in his pen, and then turned to look at the Ministry of Rites.
Without waiting for him to ask, Wang Mang replied: "The Ministry of Rites believes that our great destiny is clear, the people's will is the same, the national destiny is prosperous, and your majesty is the emperor. Even if there is a battle between the fire god and the white tiger, as long as your majesty fasts and sacrifices to heaven, adversity will be solved." Naturally, it disappears without understanding."
Li Qian almost spit out the sour plum soup while drinking it.
Nima.
They were so greedy in Longxi, but now they have become my fault, and they want me to fast and worship heaven?
Wang Danwang took note of his words and turned to the Ministry of War: "What does Grand Sima think of this matter?"
The alias of the Minister of War is also called Da Sima.
Today's Minister of War does not come from the traditional civil service examination, but is a man with both civil and military skills. He was promoted to this position by his military exploits, transferred to the civil service, and rose to this position.
But if nothing unexpected happens, if he does not change back to the ranks of military generals, he will only be a minister of the Ministry of War for the rest of his life, and there will be no possibility of further promotion.
Li Jing, the Secretary of the Ministry of War, stood up, stroked his long beard, and said in a deep voice: "Now there is a war in Wu and Yue, and there is hidden turmoil in the northeastern border."
"At this time, we should focus on stability and avoid further setbacks."
"The Ministry of War believes that Song Min should be removed from his position as the governor of Longxi County, and a capable minister should be found to serve as the governor of Longxi County. The court will then allocate food and repair the military camp to stabilize the morale of the military and the people."
As soon as Li Jing finished speaking, Guan Peng, the left minister of the Ministry of Revenue, subconsciously said: "The Ministry of Revenue has no money."
There is no way, Prime Minister Yan is not in the capital now, he has to shoulder the responsibility of calling out the poor for Prime Minister Yan, otherwise he, the right minister, will have to be replaced.
After coming back to his senses, Guan Peng saw that everyone around him was looking at him, and he hurriedly added: "The food that was advanced by the Ten Guards Imperial Army before the expedition, plus the food for the victims, now there is not much money and food in Taicang, and it is no longer possible."
Then it will be given to Longxi County."
Many censors also spoke up and looked at Li Jing with dissatisfaction: "Did Sima only think about stability, but forgot the rules of the court?"
"Just dismiss him from office, but not punish the traitor? If so, things like this in Longxi County will only become more and more common, and the court will never have peace!"
"Is there any reason to misplace a sycophantic minister? The Great Sima spoke for him. Could it be that the food in Changping Granary in Longxi also went into the Great Sima's pocket..."
With beads of sweat on their foreheads, the censors spoke more and more excessively.
Li Jing's face turned red with anger, he turned away and did not argue with them at all.
Wang Danwang ignored them and just wrote down the opinions of the Ministry of War on paper.
He is just a recording machine with no emotions. He doesn't want to have anything, he just wants to finish it all as soon as possible.
"What is the opinion of the Criminal Department?"
Deng Xunwu, the left minister of the Ministry of Punishment, stood up on behalf of Cai Jing and replied: "The Ministry of Punishment believes that there have been many fires in Longxi recently, and they are all unexplained. It is indeed possible that the fire from the sky fell suddenly."
"Song Min has been in charge of Longxi for many years. Even if he has no merit, he still has hard work. It would be too harsh to dismiss him just because of changes in the weather."
Before he finished speaking, Wang Danwang had already finished memorizing it.
I already knew that your Ministry of Punishment would say this.
But before the censors could start scolding, Li Qian spoke up: "Shilang Deng, why do you think this sudden change happened?"
He frowned and asked: "There has been no change in the sky for so many years. Now that I have just ascended the throne, this fire from heaven comes to the world. Could this be my reason?"
Deng Xunwu did not expect that the emperor would ask such a question. He hesitated for a moment and replied in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, there are traitors in the court who collude with party members to bring harm to the court. They want to wield great power and turn Daqian into his own hall. This sky fire
It’s a warning sign from heaven!”
Halfway through, he bowed down again and said loudly: "Only by getting rid of the ministers who are causing harm to the country, and by your Majesty practicing martial arts and cultivating virtues and serving heaven with devotion, can Daqian be protected by heaven and no longer have such troubles.
"
Li Qian raised his eyebrows. Wasn't this a secret stab at him as the emperor?
But after thinking about it for a while, he still didn't ask, who exactly is the minister you mentioned as causing harm to the country?
He wanted to end today's court meeting, not just to add fuel to the fire.
Li Qian suppressed his anger and said nothing, but the censors below couldn't bear it anymore, and one by one stood up with blushing faces to confront him: "The treacherous sycophant Deng Shilang said is not you, right? "
"Shilang Deng has really made a big joke! If you resign and return home from now on, your contribution to the imperial court's anti-corruption campaign will be much greater than your entire career in the first half of your life!"
"The Ministry of Punishment is really rotten to the core. The dignified left minister actually speaks for the treacherous minister with empty words and white teeth..."
Li Qian looked at these censors and gradually felt that they were still very cute!
Said what he wanted to say.
Well, these censors can handle it.
Just when this idea came to mind, I heard another comment from the crowd: "Although Deng Shilang is arrogant and unreasonable, some of his words are indeed reasonable."
"That's right, your Majesty has neither cultivated virtue nor learned the meaning of the scriptures. If there is a fire from heaven, it may be a warning sign from heaven!"
"Your Majesty is so arrogant that no one can keep him steady. Now it's time to have a sutra feast again and learn the ways of a saint to govern the world..."
Li Qian's face darkened again, and he wanted to remove the umbrella cover and seat of the person who said this, but after thinking about it, he held back.
Doesn't this show that Li Qian likes to hold grudges too much?
It's better to settle accounts with these foolish young men later in the year.
"Big companion."
Li Qian quietly tugged at Wei Zhongxian's clothes, pointed at the few people he had just named the happiest, and whispered: "Write down their names in a small book. I will reuse these people in the future."
The old eunuch was startled. Although he also despised the behavior of these people, since His Majesty had spoken, he had to obey.
"Your Majesty is truly a benevolent and forgiving king. Not only does he not punish these people for their rebellious crimes, but he actually wants to punish them."
The old eunuch bowed and saluted, his face full of admiration: "Your Majesty is really open to all rivers, covering the sky and covering the earth, making your servants look up to the mountains."
Li Qian smiled slightly: "Have you written it down?"
"Already noted it down."
"That's good." Li Qian nodded and looked down intently.
At this moment, the situation has escalated. It is no longer just a group of censors besieging Deng Xunwu, but even the Youjianyi officials from Zhongshu Province have joined the siege.
Of course, the people in the Criminal Department couldn't watch their second-in-command being besieged, and they all joined the fight back.
"Your censor keeps saying that Song Min embezzled the grain stored in all the Changping warehouses in Longxi, but where is the evidence? Where is your patrol inspector? Where is your supervisory censor? Why didn't you report it in the morning? Is it possible that so much grain was stored in the warehouse? Was he greedy for ink all day?"
"The imperial censors are all people who have nothing to do with their lives. The imperial court has given you the important task of admonishing people to be honest and correct, and checking their merits and demerits. However, you don't think about your own responsibilities. You think about fighting with the party all day long. You are really shameless!"
"The thief is so brave! He dares to mention this matter! How many times have the patrol inspectors and supervisory censors in Longxi been replaced? Brother Yunting suffered setbacks everywhere in Longxi just because he did not cooperate with you to cover up the evidence of the crime. In the end, his name was cleared by you. Wait until it is destroyed..."
Seeing that the quarrel below had turned into a pot of rotten porridge, Li Qian couldn't help but feel lucky.
Fortunately, we chose a hot time today. These people had red faces and thick necks. They were arguing and wiping sweat, which affected their performance.
If it is placed in Qianyang Palace, why not lift up the roof?
The two sides gradually became really angry, especially the young and energetic censors, who had long disliked these people.
Coupled with the hot weather and the restless mood, the crowd gradually started to push and push each other.
The generals on the other side were sitting calmly on their chairs, sipping the sour plum soup in their bowls, and their eyes were getting brighter and brighter as they looked at the postures of the civil servants.
Is the whole martial arts drama going to be staged again?
But Li Qian didn't want to see this happen.
Looking at the civil servants below who had lost all their grace, he winked at the old eunuch.
The old eunuch took a step forward and shouted at the bottom of his voice: "Quiet!!"
This eunuch's voice made the civil servants gradually calm down.
After all, the generals were watching, the emperor was watching, and the eunuchs were watching too.
But it can't be too embarrassing.
Wang Danwang wiped the sweat from his forehead again and said to himself that he should finish this matter quickly!
If a fight breaks out, it will be over!
He looked at the last minister of the Ministry of Industry and asked: "Da Sikong, what is the opinion of the Ministry of Industry?"
Yu Wenkai, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, had gray hair. He straightened up and said slowly: "The Ministry of Industry thinks that it is better to give Governor Song Min a chance to make meritorious service."
"Didn't he say that he was in Longxi, worshiping the God of White Tiger in the West? If Mr. Song can worship the God of White Tiger in the capital, and ask the gods to return the grain burned by Zhu Rong, then it will be deemed that he has done nothing wrong."
"If you can't, then punish him again."
Wang Danwang was startled for a moment, then realized what he thought and hurriedly wrote down his opinion.
Many courtiers also recalled Yu Wenkai's words.
This old Sikong was the most pragmatic. As long as he could spit out the grain again, Song Min would be exempted from the crime.
However, many censors still frowned and wanted to complain again, but Wang Danwang had already spoken again: "As the third law department of Dali Temple, Yan Tingwei has tried so many Ritianhuo cases, so he should have more information on this case. Deep understanding, right?"
Wang Danwang looked at Yan Maoqing with a very unkind look. It was this guy who proposed the court proposal and successfully put the blame on his head.
Now if Yan Maoqing can successfully sneak through, then Wang Danwang will write his last name upside down.
Yan Maoqing also knew that it was not a good day, so he stood up and replied: "Dali Temple feels that there are many strange things about this case, and it should be investigated again."
It’s an old procrastination trick.
Wang Danwang smiled slightly: "Don't Yan Tingwei have any insights after being interrogated for so many days? Sharing it with colleagues and Your Majesty at this time will make it easier for adults to judge the Longxi case!"
Yan Maoqing secretly greeted Wang Danwang's family and smiled reluctantly: "I feel that Governor Song may have something to hide and did not tell the adults the truth."
"Of course, it is also possible that he was really wronged and was affected by this battle between gods."
The ministers were all speechless. Is there any difference whether you said it or not?
The difference is that Yan Maoqing said it, so he didn't say it.
Wang Danwang didn't want to continue arguing with this old man who was slimier than old phlegm, so he hurriedly asked questions one by one in the five temples.
Everyone has different opinions, but most of the people who have nothing to do with it are still trying to make peace with each other.
After asking these people, Wang Danwang braced himself, turned his gaze in front of him, and met Wei Zheng's calm and unsurprised eyes.
"Doctor Wei, what does Yushitai think of this matter?"
Wei Zheng's tone was calm: "The censor of Wuyang County has returned to the capital. I have ordered him to take a detour to Longxi to investigate the matter secretly. He will arrive in the capital in a few days."