Seeing that Yang Fan suddenly attacked Du Feng and Cui Yongping at this time, His Majesty Li Er was a little hesitant.
In the view of His Majesty Li Er, as long as Cui Yongping and other aristocratic families give in, why should they be unreasonable?
What Yang Fan did was extremely stupid.
You must know that a single move can affect the whole body!
If these aristocratic families unite to fight back again, they may steal the chicken but lose the rice. After all, some evidence cannot be disclosed in full.
Taking a deep breath, His Majesty Li Er quickly weighed it up and said in a deep voice: "The Cui family's lax control of the family led to Wang Dachui's murder during the imperial examination. The Cui family has an inescapable responsibility."
"Cui Yongping wantonly shielded the murderer and committed a heinous crime. He was punished for resigning from the post of minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. The Cui family is responsible for compensating the Xu family for all losses!"
"No!" Although he knew that His Majesty Li Er's doing this was the best result, Cui Yongping still felt a pain in his heart.
It took a lot of effort to get to this position. As long as I take a step further, I can wear a purple robe and even lead one alone.
By then it will be very close to the center.
It's good now, everything has been ruined in order to prevent the reform of the imperial examination.
Although the Cui family is backing him, if he wants to come back again, who knows how long it will take?
If I turn 50 this year, I don't know if I will have another chance in this life.
Cui Yongping couldn't help but feel resentful towards the silence of other officials from aristocratic families.
My Cui family took the lead in opposing the imperial examination reform for the sake of the future of the family.
But these officials from aristocratic families backed down in the face of battle, which is simply abominable.
On the other side, Du Feng was extremely worried when he heard the emperor's treatment of Cui Yongping.
But I heard His Majesty Li Er continue: "Censor Du Feng, who listens to the wind like rain, does not investigate when things happen, and defends the murderer to confuse the public. I remember that it is your first offense, so I have specially transferred you from the Censor Station, and will be appointed again later."
Du Feng's face suddenly turned pale and pale.
Although it was said that he was only transferred from his post, it was considered extremely merciful.
But once he is transferred from the Yushitai, even if he is appointed again, he will only be idle.
How can you defy the sky and the earth as happily as the imperial censor?
At this time, Du Feng really regretted getting involved in the struggle between the aristocratic family and the imperial power.
Now that I am only forty years old, I am in the prime of life. If I can only stay in some idle jobs for the rest of my life, it would be better to be dismissed from office.
What's the difference between this and never using it again? This life is over!
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
In an instant, Du Feng seemed to have aged ten years, and his originally straight spine also bent.
Du Feng knew in his heart that His Majesty Li Er was using him to scare the monkeys, so that other officials from aristocratic families would not dare to act recklessly.
Seeing this, His Majesty Li Er sighed softly, he really didn't want to deal with Du Feng like this.
After all, Du Feng is not only a relative of Du Ruhui, but also a talent recommended by Du Ruhui.
Although this person has a stubborn personality, he is talented in literature and has extraordinary abilities. He dares to speak and act, and is a good remonstrator.
But His Majesty Li Er cannot submit to aristocratic families for the sake of personal friendship or to cherish talents.
Since Yang Fan proposed it, he cannot give in today, otherwise the family will press harder and harder.
Besides, Du Feng was so ignorant that he actually acted as a pawn of the Cui family. He deserved it.
poor person must have something mean!
But His Majesty Li Er has some uneasy feelings.
Originally, I just wanted the aristocratic family to make concessions and stop obstructing the reform of the imperial examination.
Now, because of Yang Fan, Du Feng had to let go of his official position.
At this time, His Majesty Li Er was really a little angry. It was really embarrassing for him, an emperor, to be coerced by a small third-rank official.
Staring at Yang Fan with cold eyes, His Majesty Li Er asked word for word: "Marquis Zhongyi, are you satisfied with my handling of this matter?"
This question made Yang Fan extremely depressed.
What do you want to do with it? It’s none of my business.
It's just a naked attempt to attract hatred for yourself!
As expected, all the officials from the aristocratic families all looked at him.
Especially Cui Yongping and Du Feng, if looks could kill, Yang Fan might have died hundreds of times.
However, His Majesty Li Er's words moved all the ministers.
As an emperor, how could Li Er speak in such a polite tone to a minister?
It’s simply incredible!
Even His Majesty Li Jing and Li Er, who had conquered most of the Tang Dynasty, never spoke in such a tone.
Although Yang Fan has some merits, in the eyes of everyone, he is still far inferior to Li Jing.
Therefore, His Majesty Li Er's tone of inquiry was not of respect, but of extreme displeasure.
What we did just now was just because Yang Fan was on the right side, so he had to deal with Cui Yongping and the two.
This kind of question is actually the most difficult for Yang Fan to answer.
If you are satisfied with His Majesty Li Er's handling.
Doesn't that mean that Li Er, the emperor, still needs your ministers to tell him what to do?
If you are not satisfied!
Doesn't that mean that His Majesty Li Er will be willing to execute Cui Yongping and the two of them?
If they really dared to do this, wouldn't these aristocratic families unite and fight Yang Fan to the death?
After all, since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, no official has ever lost his life because of his words.
Of course, these aristocratic families cannot allow such a precedent to happen.
Fang Xuanling, Cheng Yaojin and others couldn't help but sweat for Yang Fan.
His Majesty Li Er's meaning is very obvious.
If Yang Fan's answer satisfies His Majesty Li Er, then the account will be settled later;
If His Majesty Li Er is dissatisfied, he wants Yang Fan to look good now. Anyway, he will have to settle accounts with Yang Fan sooner or later.
Yang Fan swallowed, and was frightened by His Majesty Li Er's sharp gaze.
There is no use regretting at this point!
Do you dare to say that this is something you, the emperor, handled on your own and has nothing to do with me?
It's definitely worse!
Just when Yang Fan was in a dilemma, everyone was attracted by a burst of heart-wrenching crying.
Looking around, it turned out that Xu Jingzong was crying hard with runny nose and tears.
His Majesty Li Er felt a little upset when he heard this, and his eyes were diverted.
Tai Chi Hall is a solemn place, how can you allow an old man like you to cry here?
But after all, Xu Jingzong is an old man who followed him to conquer the world very early.
So His Majesty Li Er asked patiently: "I wonder why Xu Qing is so sad?"
Xu Jingzong wiped his red eyes: "Your Majesty, I am not sad, but happy! The murderer of my son can be found, it is your Majesty's wisdom, my son can rest in peace in heaven, old minister
Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."
Seeing Xu Jingzong's expression of tears of gratitude, His Majesty Li Er was proud and a little ashamed at the same time. After all, Xu Zhang's death was closely related to him.
After thinking for a long time, His Majesty Li Er decided to make some compensation to Xu Jingzong, so he said seriously:
"If you love me, don't be too sad, but take care of yourself and continue to be loyal to the court and do your best for the people!"
"Xu Zhang was killed by a traitor during the imperial examination. This exposed the loopholes in the examination process and made a huge contribution to the further improvement of the imperial examination in the future. Therefore, I confer Xu Zhang the title of Baron of Fuyang County, and the title can be
hereditary."
"Xu Jingzong is a well-educated disciple with outstanding literary talents. He is actually a pillar of the imperial court. He was specially promoted to be a member of Zhongshushe and was given a purple robe."
With such a big pie falling on his head, Xu Jingzong immediately forgot to cry and was stunned in disbelief.
At the reminder of the official next to him, Xu Jingzong quickly fell to the ground and thanked him: "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."
Although the tears in the corners of his eyes have not dried, the joyful smile can no longer be concealed.
If the death of one son could bring such benefits, Xu Jingzong might be tempted to send the other son's head as well.
At this time, many officials looked at Xu Jingzong with envy in their eyes, wishing that it was their son who had the accident this time.
In fact, it is not surprising that some officials have such thoughts.
Zhongshu Province is the central department of the imperial government.
This department was first established in the Han Dynasty, and was renamed Zhongshu Jian by Cao Wei.
After the Jin Dynasty, it was called Zhongshu Sheng, which was the highest agency that upheld the monarch's will, took charge of secrets, and issued the emperor's edicts and central government orders.
Along the way to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, it became the center of national government affairs and the highest government agency in the central government.
During the Tang Dynasty, Zhongshu Ling was appointed as the chief minister of Zhongshu Province and served as the chief prime minister;
The Vice Minister of Zhongshu is the deputy chief and the fixed prime minister;
With Zhongshu Sheren as the core official position, he is in charge of the central government affairs of the province.
Therefore, Xu Jingzong was suddenly promoted from a fifth-rank Huangmen servant to a third-rank middle school official.
How could he not be delighted by Xu Jingzong's sudden rise to become the third most powerful figure in Zhongshu Province, and how could he not be envied by other officials?
If he were promoted according to normal promotion, Xu Jingzong might not be able to climb to this position within a few decades, and ordinary officials would not even dare to imagine it.
Among the people present, only Yang Fan held his tongue in disapproval.
Although Xu Jingzong received huge benefits, there were also many risks.
Everyone only saw the beautiful side, but did not carefully consider the many reasons why His Majesty Li Er was there.
Do you really think His Majesty Li Er is a fainting king?
Can a son be given such a high position even if he just dies?
Li Er actually had a purpose, of course it was to divert the family's attention.
As a veteran in the officialdom, Xu Jingzong couldn't see through Li Er's scheme.
But compared with the risks you take, the rewards are definitely huge.
After being promoted to Zhongshu Sheren, Xu Jingzong was considered one of the top people in the Tang Empire.
But when he accidentally saw Yang Fan holding his mouth, he suddenly became angry and thought it was Yang Fan's contempt and jealousy towards him.
If it were before, Xu Jingzong would naturally not dare to attack Yang Fan.
But now that he has been promoted to Zhongshu Sheren, he is already on the same starting line as Yang Fan in terms of official rank.
Now that Yang Fan was looking down upon him, Xu Jingzong certainly couldn't bear it. He clasped his fists at His Majesty Li Er and said, "I'm so grateful for the grace of God. I will definitely serve the imperial court till my death."
"Since His Majesty has so much trust in Wei Chen, as a member of Zhongshu She, I naturally dare not slack off. Therefore, Wei Chen has the responsibility to correct the bad behavior of certain officials."
"Want to hear the details!" His Majesty Li Er asked.
Unexpectedly, Xu Jingzong started to exert his official power even before he took office.
However, I also want to see what kind of medicine this guy is selling.
Seeing that His Majesty Li Er was interested, Xu Jingzong smiled proudly and said, "Your Majesty, I want to impeach the loyal and righteous Marquis Yang Fan."
"Today at the court meeting, Marquis Zhongyi has no eyes for the emperor and sleeps openly at the court meeting. This is obviously a sign of contempt for His Majesty. Your Majesty, please dismiss him from office and investigate!"
His Majesty Li Er was quite surprised and asked lightly: "Oh, is this happening?"
It's not that His Majesty Li Er didn't notice Yang Fan dozing off, he just didn't want to pursue it!
And Xu Jingzong proposed it so formally, obviously he wanted to put Yang Fan to death.
If it is confirmed that Yang Fan was sleeping, it would be a crime of "great disrespect", and even beheading would not be an exaggeration.
However, many people couldn't stand Xu Jingzong's behavior. Only then did Yang Fan find out the murderer of his son, and the guy immediately bit him back.
Xu Jingzong’s temperament is so cold!
His Majesty Li Er directly sentenced Xu Jingzong to "death" in his heart!
For such a person, being a member of Zhongshushe is the end of his official career!
If Xu Jingzong knew that his arrogance had directly ruined his bright future, he would not know whether to cry or laugh.
Of course, Xu Jingzong could no longer control so much at this time. After hearing the question, he said impatiently: "This matter is absolutely true, not to mention that Wei Chen is not the only one to see it."
As he spoke, he looked directly at the official standing next to Yang Fan.
Unfortunately, these people did not add insult to injury.
Of course, it's not that these officials didn't see Yang Fan sleeping.
But who dares to do something like this?
Who wants to come forward?
If you brazenly offend Yang Fan, you will lose more than you gain!
Even Cui Yongping, who hated Yang Fan deeply, and Changsun Chong, who was not far from Yang Fan, did not dare to come forward.
If you dare to come forward to testify, you will have a deadly feud!
What's more, His Majesty Li Er obviously doesn't want to go into details. If he comes forward, wouldn't he be unhappy?
Maybe only Xu Jingzong didn't see through the mystery.
But Xu Jingzong waited for a long time, but no one stood up to support him, and he was very angry.
I secretly decided in my heart that after taking office, I must make these people look good.
Just as he was about to speak again, His Majesty Li Er asked: "Kong Jijiu, have you seen Marquis Zhongyi sleeping in the court?"
"Your Majesty, the minister didn't notice it." Kong Yingda opened his eyes and told lies.
Of course, the main purpose was to repay Yang Fan for the courtesy he had shown him.
As a representative of the Confucian sect and a great Confucian among scholars, what Kong Yingda said is naturally more convincing.
Therefore, Xu Jingzong's plan certainly failed.
Seeing this, Yang Fan knew that he had to say something. Otherwise, Xu Jingzong would think that he was easy to bully.
Since you want to fight back, of course you can't be as cowardly as a turtle.
So, Yang Fan stood up, walked out of the court queue, and stood in the center of the hall.
After gathering his composure, Yang Fan did not look at His Majesty Li Er. Instead, he stared at Xu Jingzong and said word by word: "This man repays kindness with hatred and is not worthy of being a human being. He deliberately framed his colleagues and is not worthy of being an official. Please take back your order and have him dismissed and investigated."
Xu Jingzong was immediately stunned!
Speaking of which, even though he lost miserably in Wangyue Tower, Xu Jingzong really didn't like Yang Fan very much.
He believed that Yang Fan was talented, but he was arrogant and sharp, which did not conform to the Confucian scholars' excellent moral qualities of self-reflection, self-restraint, caution, and tolerance.
When it comes to "reflecting on oneself and not blaming others", Yang Fan is even worse.
But no matter what, this boy, as the Minister of Rites, was an official in the same court as him, and he never looked up when he looked down.
Given his age and in front of His Majesty Li Er, Yang Fan did not dare to do anything out of the ordinary even if he challenged him.
However, the next moment, this kid pointed at his own nose and scolded him for "repaying kindness with hatred, and he is not worthy of being a human being." Xu Jingzong was completely confused, and he didn't even have time to get angry!
Yang Fan stood in the hall, saluted His Majesty Li Er, then pointed at Xu Jingzong with an indignant look and spoke righteously and eloquently!
"An ancient saying goes, a great kindness is not repaid, but it is engraved in the heart, and the grass is knotted in the ring. It is not responsible for life and death. An animal has received a favor and knows how to repay it."
"I worked hard to prove Xu Cha's case, but Xu Jingzong deliberately slandered me. His intentions are despicable and his actions are shameful. Such people are not worthy of being an official..."
Xu Jingzong's face turned red and his veins popped out after being scolded by Yang Fan, but he didn't know how to refute.
After all, what Yang Fan said was true, but the language was too harsh and hard to accept.