"Your Majesty... I... my family is unfortunate..."
Cai Jinggang seemed to be maintaining his composure when he spoke, but after just two words, he began to choke and cry.
"Big companion, help Cai Qing's family up quickly."
Li Qian's tone was a little sad, but his eyes were a little happy.
This kind of porcelain trick may be very useful, but Li Qian also knows his pain points.
If Cai Jing is cheating, Li Qianda can summon all the senior officials in the court and ask them to take a good look at these two memorials in the name of caring about Cai Jing.
What is written here are all very in-depth and private matters.
What Cai Bian talks about are some of the very despicable things Cai Jing did when he was young, while what Cai You writes about are mostly things Cai Jing has done in recent years.
These include things that violate personal moral bottom lines, or conspiracies to stumble other officials and harm their colleagues.
Although the adults in the court may have done this kind of thing, it cannot be said openly.
As long as the contents of these two memorials are spread, Cai Jing will not just be in danger.
Those officials who had been cheated by him would turn against him, Mr. Cai, even if they were just trying to save face.
Other officials who consider themselves upright may also say, "I am a just person and cannot sit idly by and ignore the situation." They cannot allow such conspiratorial and evil people to remain in the court any longer.
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In addition, there is also the aspect of private morality. If all these things are spread out, I am afraid that even those street gangsters who engage in cock-crowing, dog-robbering, male thieves and female prostitutes all day long will be able to urinate on Mr. Cai from the high ground of morality.
By that time, not only will he not be able to become an official, but he may also have problems as a human being.
Li Qian felt that Cai Jing must have expected the contents of these two memorials. He must also be very aware of the shameful things he had done, so he was so afraid of these things being published.
That's why he got up from the ground in such a hurry to stop pretending to be faint, and at the same time to stop Li Qian from calling the officials over again.
"What happened to Cai Qing's family just now?"
There was a hint of concern in Li Qian's tone, and he could assure himself that he definitely did not mean to ridicule Cai Jing.
But if Cai Jing himself heard some sarcasm in these words, it was none of his business.
"Big companion? What are you doing standing still? Go and ask for the imperial doctor!"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The old eunuch was about to walk out, but as soon as he let go, Cai Jing's body went limp and he was about to slip underground. The old eunuch had no choice but to turn around and support him again, looking longingly at Li Qian above.
"this……"
Li Qian also had a look of embarrassment on his face.
At this moment, Cai Jing gradually stopped crying and explained with choked sobs: "Your Majesty, I am fine..."
"I'm just old and frail. When I first saw this memorial, I felt anxious, phlegm and chest congestion... I fell unconscious just now. This is an old problem. I know it well. I'm fine now. I don't need to worry about Your Majesty. …”
Just now I was a minister, now I am an old minister...
Li Qian sneered in his heart, was he showing off his old credentials again?
However, this trick is very useful for civil servants, and it may also be useful for ordinary emperors, but it is of no use to Li Qian.
"Alas~"
He sighed softly and seemed to show some empathy: "Cai Qing's family is getting older and their energy is not as strong as when they were young. It is time to pay more attention to their health. I never thought about this before, but now I see My health has deteriorated to such an extent when I came to Cai Qing's house."
Li Qian said with emotion: "The affairs in the court are complicated, and there is no need for Cai Qing's family to be like those young people who are immersed in the toil of eucalyptus and tablets all day long. They should take more rest."
Cai Jing choked up and paused, as if he heard the meaning of Li Qian's words, but he didn't seem to hear it. He just continued to sob but said nothing.
Li Qian was not surprised when he saw this: "Cai Qing's family has just experienced great joy and sorrow today, and it is not suitable to read this memorial anymore, so as not to be stimulated again..."
The old eunuch on the side immediately understood what His Majesty the Emperor meant, and reached out to take the memorial in Cai Jing's hand.
But as soon as he stretched out his hand, Cai Jing dodged it.
"His Majesty……"
Cai Jing took the lead, with a bit of hesitation in his eyes.
Li Qian sneered in his heart, knowing that Cai Jing must be evil-minded, and he was afraid that he would deceive him with a cover.
"Your Majesty, I am actually fine now..."
Cai Jing wiped away the tears on his face, but his voice was still a little muffled: "It's such a scandal... Your Majesty, please let me see it."
Li Qian paused for a moment and let out a long sigh: "It doesn't matter. After all, it is Cai Qing's family matter. You can take a good look at it."
Then he glanced at Cai Jing again and said with deep meaning: "But Cai Qing's family must control their mood and stop in time if they feel it's not going to work anymore."
"If you get excited again and faint here, then I will have to ask the doctor immediately..."
Facing His Majesty the Emperor's sarcastic words, Cai Jing was not embarrassed, but his heart sank: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your advice."
Because the more this happens, the more it means the emperor has confidence. So where does his confidence come from?
It must have come from these two memorials.
Seeing his ambiguous reply, Li Qian didn't take it seriously.
He believed that as long as Cai Jing read the contents of the memorial, he would not dare to faint even if he was hit hard on the forehead with a stick...
The room became quiet, the unique fragrance of wood lingered in the nose, and there was a rustling sound. Cai Jing took out the memorial from the cover and opened it to read.
At first sight, his expression froze.
Although the brothers have not interacted much for many years, they studied calligraphy together with their cousin Cai Xiang when they were young.
Both of them are quite talented and have learned the essence of it, but after so many years, they have learned from each other's strengths and formed their own calligraphy styles.
Seeing this memorial at this moment, Cai Jing recognized it at a glance. This must be the handwriting of his younger brother Cai Bian! Others will never be able to imitate it!
Cai Jing's heart gradually sank, and he read the contents of the memorial carefully...
Li Qian sat up there and was not in a hurry. The content of this memorial was so exciting that he was shocked at first when he read it.
Some of the despicable things Cai Jing did when he was young seemed to have left a deep impression on Cai Bian, and they were written down in his memorials.
In addition, he also wrote how since Cai Jing entered the officialdom, he had followed the trend and shamelessly flattered his superiors, how he had used his power to suppress others and killed them all, as well as his insidiousness and cunning, and how he had been recognized by the two forces. The wind steers the rudder, eating here and there...
Li Qian paid attention to Cai Jing's expression, and saw that his face had turned purple, and veins appeared on the palm of his hand that was holding the memorial, so he reminded him: "Cai Qing's family, don't get angry, I can see that there is something wrong with it." It’s not necessarily an exaggeration.”
Cai Jing suddenly paused when he heard the words, let go of the memorial, and took a few big breaths, but the fierceness in his eyes was well hidden, and he returned to the pitiful and sad look just now... He was even so sad that he couldn't even speak. Already.
"Your Majesty... minister..."
"My companion, please help Cai Qing's family to be safe." Li Qian hurriedly ordered the old eunuch, who quickly walked up and rubbed Cai Jing's back.
But all he could do was to help him calm down, and nothing else.
Even if Li Qian asked someone to give him saliva, Cai Jing might not dare to drink it now.
Cai Jing's chest gradually calmed down, and it seemed that his mood had finally calmed down a bit.
"Your Majesty, please allow me to read another memorial..."
"Are Cai Qing's family sure you still want to watch?"
There was a hint of hesitation in Li Qian's tone: "I think you are tired enough today."
Cai Jing took a deep breath and still refused His Majesty the Emperor's kindness out of consideration for his own good.
"In that case, just watch it."
Naturally, Li Qian wouldn't waste any more words. He knew that Cai Jing must be lucky and thought that his son would not betray him.
But that memorial will soon make him realize the reality...
In fact, as long as there is Cai Bian's letter and Li Qian's preparations, it is not impossible to kill Cai Jing.
But Li Qian still asked Cai You to write this memorial to stab his own father in the back.
The first is to seize Cai Jing more steadily and with less trouble, and the second is because of Li Qian's own selfishness...or for the selfishness of the people at the northeastern border and Jizhou.
Li Qian didn't know how heartbreaking and tragic it was for a seventy-year-old man to be betrayed by his younger brother and the son he had raised since childhood.
But he knew that this was definitely not as good as the hundreds of thousands of parents who lost their sons, the hundreds of thousands of wives who lost their husbands, the hundreds of thousands of children who lost their fathers...
Not to mention that Jizhou is about to fall, and I am afraid that millions of Daqian people will be destroyed and their families will be destroyed in the future, which will be extremely miserable.
And all of this is inseparable from Cai Jing.
He is the culprit of all this and the driving force behind it. When he fell into this situation, Li Qian just wanted to say one thing to him: He deserves it.
The reason why Li Qian chose the method that was the most lethal and the most harmful to Cai Jing... was to let him feel the pain of those meritorious border soldiers and the common people without any reason, to see if he was really a wolf-hearted person with no experience of the human world. emotion.
Looking at his current appearance, he can still feel pain...
While Li Qian was thinking this, he heard another popping sound coming from the front.
He raised his head in shock, only to find that Cai Jing had fallen to the ground again.
"His Majesty?"
The old eunuch was also a little dumbfounded, and then he came to his senses and looked at His Majesty the Emperor above.
Li Qian frowned slightly. Did Cai Jing come back to the scene just now? Or was he really fainted this time?
But before he and the old eunuch could make any move, Cai Jing got up from the ground on his own.
Li Qian's idea before was absolutely correct, and now he didn't dare to faint even if it made him faint.
"Your Majesty... minister..."
Cai Jing looked at the memorial in his hand, tears welling up in his eyes, blurring his vision.
Even now, he still can't believe that such cold words were written by his own son.
But the familiar handwriting on the paper reminded him all the time that this was written by Cai You himself.
Cai Jing held the memorial in trembling hands, his eyes passing over the lines of unsightly words, as if he wanted to engrave them all in his heart.
But Li Qian knew that he must have an ulterior motive.
I just wanted to confirm whether Cai You discovered that they were conspiring to cooperate with the Jinlu invasion, and whether he reported it to His Majesty the Emperor?
I knew I knew it, but Li Qian didn't point him out, but just watched silently.
After a while, Cai Jiang didn't seem to find what he was concerned about, but he still looked lost.
Li Qian sighed softly: "Cai Qing's family, you..."
Cai Jing's wails sounded again, interrupting Li Qian's mid-sentence: "Your Majesty, my family is unfortunate..."
Regardless of whether it was true love or an act, the tears flowed down like a river bursting its banks.
Li Qian often sighed when he saw him like this: "Cai Qing's family, don't worry too much. Maybe this is just a misunderstanding?"
This is clearly nonsense. Even if there is a misunderstanding, it is impossible to write a special memorial to impeach my father and brother. This is obviously a break.
Cai Jing's crying gradually stopped and he opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something.
But Li Qian continued: "I don't know the situation in your family, but a family is a family after all, and any misunderstandings can be resolved."
"Cai Qing's family is devoted to the country, but not to their own lives. In the past, they were too busy with the affairs of the court, but now it seems that they have neglected the feelings of their family."
Cai Jing squeezed his hands tightly in his sleeves and lowered his head.
In this era of strict hierarchy between kings, ministers, fathers and sons, and superiors and inferiors, any behavior that offends those below will be rejected by everyone.
Standing at the top of this pyramid of dignity and inferiority, the one who needs to maintain this system most is His Majesty the Emperor.
He doesn't have to do anything now. The fact that he did not punish Cai You and Cai Bian for breaking the rules is enough to illustrate his attitude.
Of course, what made Cai Jing's heart tremble even more was His Majesty the Emperor's next words.
Li Qian sighed and said helplessly: "Now Cai Qing's family is in poor health, and he is so estranged from his family. Why don't I give you a holiday to temporarily get rid of the burden of official documents in the court, return home to rest for a while, and then come back to serve the court?" How effective is it?”
"His Majesty……"
Cai Jing's lips were dry and speechless.
In fact, everything that happened today was completely beyond Cai Jing's expectations. Before coming, he never thought that such a series of things would happen in Ziwei Palace.
This morning I was still high-spirited, with lofty goals and careful plans, but after a while, I fell from the clouds into the dust...
After Li Qian looked at him for a while, he said again: "As for these two memorials, let me keep them in China first, so as not to spread them out and be misunderstood by others."
Cai Jing trembled and heard the meaning of His Majesty the Emperor's words. If it was an exhortation before, now it is a threat.
In other words, today's incident was a threat from beginning to end.
If he, Cai Jing, does not cooperate, then what awaits him may be his ruined reputation, dismissal from office... or even his life.
At this moment, Cai Jing's mood was extremely complicated. He seemed to be thinking about a lot, from relatives to officialdom, but he seemed to be thinking about nothing. He was just thinking about how to get through the current situation at the hands of His Majesty the Emperor...