Chapter 474: Political power comes from the barrel of a gun
The court meeting is over, and the Xu Zhang case has come to a conclusion.
Cui Yongping, Du Feng, and Yang Fan were dismissed from their posts, and everyone has not yet woken up from the shock.
The proudest person in today's court meeting is Xu Jingzong, who has suddenly become a member of Zhongshushe wearing a purple robe. Many officials are extremely jealous, but these people can only endure the pink eye and congratulate him.
Of course, more people were gloating that Yang Fan was dismissed from the post of Minister of Rites.
Although Yang Fan has made many friends in the past two years, he has offended even more nobles.
Now seeing the fall of the arrogant and domineering Yang Fan, these people naturally clapped their hands and cheered.
It is conceivable that many people would buy firecrackers to celebrate such a good thing as Yang Fan's official position being wiped out.
…
Chang'an is full of spring in April.
Although the weather is still a little cool, there is no need to burn charcoal.
The Manna Hall was brightly lit at this time, and the flames of candles one foot high were glowing, reflecting the somewhat gloomy main hall.
The bronze cauldron in the main hall was burning sandalwood. The faint fragrance mixed with hot air came out from the gaps in the animal pattern cauldron cover, driving away the fatigue of the early morning.
His Majesty Li Er is sitting on the throne. At this time, the court uniform has been changed, but the light yellow brocade robe still looks extremely noble.
A pair of tiger eyes scanned the important ministers in front of him. His Majesty Li Er's face was as sinking as water, showing no anger or authority.
It seems that Yang Fan refused to give in just now, which made His Majesty the Emperor very angry.
At this time, His Majesty Li Er was not the only one in the palace, Fang Xuanling, Li Ji, Wei Zheng, Cheng Yaojin... and other famous Zhenguan officials were gathered here.
Of course, these people all have one characteristic: they are all ministers who have good relations with Yang Fan. These people are obviously still interceding for Yang Fan's dismissal.
But His Majesty Li Er's performance was obviously still angry.
If it were normal times, His Majesty Li Er would have already asked his chamberlain to bring chairs for the ministers to sit down.
But now, several people were left standing, obviously venting the anger they had just received on Fang Xuanling and others.
Fang Xuanling and the others had been getting along with His Majesty Li Er for decades, so they naturally understood the emperor's temper, so they all suffered in silence.
His Majesty Li Er ordered Wang Huangui to bring a cup of hot tea and took a sip. The long and clear fragrance of the tea made the anger in his heart go away a lot.
After ignoring Fang Xuanling and others for a while, His Majesty Li Er finally spoke.
"Dear ladies, do you think I handled the Yang Fan matter improperly?"
His Majesty the Emperor spoke calmly, but there was a slight hint of anger in his voice.
Yang Fan was so ignorant that it really made him a little angry.
In fact, His Majesty Li Er is not so narrow-minded. After all, he even dares to reuse people like Wei Zheng. He can be called a rare famous king.
The reason why Li Er was so angry was that he couldn't figure out the purpose of Yang Fan's actions today.
His Majesty Li Er has always believed that everything is under his control.
But Yang Fan's actions today left Li Er a little confused. This sense of crisis that was beyond his control made him extremely vigilant, so he was a little embarrassed.
There was a silence in the hall, and several ministers were a little embarrassed, even speechless.
His Majesty Li Er is the king of a country, and he always keeps his word. Who dares to say that his actions are wrong?
Even if His Majesty Li Er is wrong, no one dares to refute it!
His Majesty the Emperor is obviously not completely angry yet.
After a moment of silence, Fang Xuanling had to stand up and said: "Your Majesty is the Lord of the Holy Name, so there is nothing wrong with him."
"In my opinion, the state has national laws and every family has its own rules. If Marquis Zhongyi dares to flout the discipline of the court, it is not an exaggeration to be beheaded."
As a minister with the actual status of a prime minister, it was most appropriate for Fang Xuanling to stand up and express his attitude first.
These words caused everyone to echo their words, saying that His Majesty Li Er was right in his handling of the matter, that Yang Fan was responsible for everything, and that His Majesty handled it in accordance with the law, and they had no complaints.
More than just no complaints?
Everyone believes that those who flout the discipline of the court like this should be beheaded, but dismissal and investigation are a bit light.
His Majesty Li Er just smiled coldly.
Is it not an exaggeration to behead?
These old guys knew his temper so well that they actually used retreat to advance.
If decapitation is not an exaggeration, why are you here begging for mercy? Isn't it just a waste of time to take off your pants and fart?
Seeing that His Majesty Li Er's anger was almost gone, Wei Zheng finally said: "Your Majesty, Marquis Zhongyi is young and ignorant, so it is normal for him to make some mistakes."
"Looking at his talent and hard work, it would be better to fine him a year's salary and serve the court for free."
"This not only maintains the law and order of the court, but also scares some young people. Isn't it killing two birds with one stone? What do you think, Your Majesty?"
His Majesty Li Er did not immediately adopt Wei Zheng's suggestion.
Deep down in his heart, His Majesty Li Er did not want to dismiss Yang Fan from his official position.
As an emperor who valued reputation more than his life, if he were punished in this way, there would be rumors of "treating meritorious officials harshly". Naturally, His Majesty Li Er would not do such a stupid thing.
It’s just that Yang Fan obviously had a deeper meaning in doing this, so Li Er could only go with the flow!
With a slight sigh in his heart, His Majesty Li Er said: "Do you think it is my intention to remove Yang Fan from his official position?"
"It's true that those who are close to red are red, and those who are close to ink are dark. You are all old men in the officialdom. Didn't you realize that there is something wrong with that kid?"
"In the court meeting just now, I gave him several opportunities, but that boy just ignored it like a stupid young man. Don't you think it's strange? That boy is not a master who suffers losses!"
After hearing His Highness Li Er's explanation, Fang Xuanling and others were thoughtful.
Yes! There is indeed something wrong with Yang Fan today.
He knew clearly that many officials from aristocratic families wanted to seize his leverage and bring him down.
But Yang Fan didn't care and delivered it to the door himself. It was really strange.
Cheng Yaojin was taking a nap with his eyes closed. When he heard this, he suddenly realized and shouted: "Yes, that kid is very smart. If you really don't want to admit it, just lie about it. Who dares to do anything to him?"
"He must have something to hide? Let's not get involved anymore, lest we ruin his affairs.
"Besides, if he wants to be an official, he can just ask your Majesty to grant him another title. Why should he care about the small position of Minister of Rites?"
"Since my future son-in-law is fine, I'm relieved."
"Oh, Your Majesty, I have to leave now. My stomach hurts and I need to go to the toilet."
His Majesty Li Er's face suddenly turned dark!
This old fool is simply lawless.
But there was nothing he could do about his generous temper, so he had to wave his hands in disgust and tell Cheng Yaojin to get lost.
I get angry when I see this brown bear-like guy.
Since the Minister of Rites is described as a small official position and the only one left is this old guy, do you really think that the third-rank official is a cabbage?
What made Li Er even more angry was that this guy actually wanted Yang Fan to be his son-in-law. It was simply too abominable.
It seems that my daughter has many competitors, so she needs to work harder!
If Cheng Yaojin knew that his unintentional words made His Majesty Li Er secretly vigilant, he would not know whether he would cry or laugh!
Obviously, everyone has long been accustomed to Cheng Yaojin's rogue temperament and doesn't take it seriously.
But they understood His Majesty Li Er's difficulties in their hearts, and everyone couldn't help but feel a little uneasy because of their reckless plea just now.
After thinking for a long time, no one could figure out why Yang Fan asked His Majesty Li Er to get rid of his official position.
Could it be that he felt that the official title given to him by His Majesty Li Er was too small, so he lost his temper?
But Yang Fan is only 18 years old this year. He is already wearing a purple robe at such an age. It is unprecedented and unprecedented, but it is rare to see such an achievement at such a young age.
Everyone became more and more anxious as they thought about it, and couldn't help but worry about Yang Fan. They looked at each other, and Fang Xuanling stood up and said, "I wonder if your majesty knows the reason why Marquis Zhongyi did this?"
Seeing everyone's probing look, His Majesty Li Er suddenly became angry again.
If he knew the reason why Yang Fan did this, he wouldn't be so angry just now!
However, His Majesty Li Er still uttered a few words: "Aristocratic family!"
In His Majesty Li Er's view, the reason why Yang Fan did this was simply to avoid direct conflicts with several major families.
After all, during today's court meeting, Yang Fan made Cui Yongping and Du Feng lose their official positions. If Yang Fan didn't shed some blood, the Cui family and the Du family would definitely not give up.
If Yang Fan heard His Majesty Li Er's analysis, his jaw would definitely drop.
Although Li Er didn't guess completely correctly, he guessed that he was close to ten.
…
Zhongyihou Mansion!
Yang Fan didn't think so much.
The reason why he did this was that besides not wanting to confront the family so quickly, he also wanted to take some time to start his own plan.
The launch of sea ships and the opening of waterways... are all on the agenda, and Yang Fan needs time to plan and process them.
Although Yang Fan was removed from his official position intentionally, he didn't care.
But the Zhongyi Hou Mansion was in a state of turmoil.
Originally, the whole government was celebrating Yang Fan's victory in the imperial examination.
Not long after that, news came that the Marquis of his family had been dismissed from office. He suddenly fell from heaven to hell, and no one was in a good mood.
In particular, the female relatives in the mansion were crying so hard that they kept cursing His Majesty Li Er for being so unfair.
Prevention and control of smallpox plague, pacification of Tubo, imperial examination reform, printing and papermaking, pistols, thunder...
My Marquis has made so many contributions to the court, one after another, which one is not earth-shattering?
Now, because he took a nap during the court meeting, he was dismissed from office. All the girls are fighting for Yang Fan.
In order to appease the emotions of the girls, Yang Fan spent a lot of effort to settle down.
For women, the communication between spirit and body is the most direct and effective.
Looking at Xiao Shiyun and Wu Shun who had fallen asleep, Wu Meiniang secretly scolded Yang Fan for being too cruel.
In broad daylight...it's so ridiculous!
Wu Meiniang didn't even want to think about it. Just now, these little girls were very out of the ordinary.
Using her strength to hold up her jade arms like lotus roots, Wu Meiniang nestled against Yang Fan's chest.
Feeling the warmth and softness coming from his chest, a wicked smile escaped from the corner of Yang Fan's lips: "Mei Niang, do you know that you are wrong?"
Wu Meiniang was about to cry. She looked up at Yang Fan aggrievedly and begged: "Husband, please calm down. I have realized my mistake!"
Yang Fan chuckled: "Then tell me, where did you go wrong?"
As he said that, he stroked her gently with his big hand.
Wu Meiniang leaned directly on Yang Fan's chest, her pretty face was as red as the sunset, and she was extremely beautiful: "Husband, don't move around, I shouldn't be so smart!"
The soft fragrance steals jade, and the breath is like orchid!
Yang Fan felt a surge of heat rising, licked the dry corners of his lips, and lowered his head.
"Oh!" Wu Meiniang was attacked and could only resist silently.
Xiao Shiyun and Wu Shun on the side were immediately at a loss, their pretty faces as red as steamed crabs, and they didn't know what to do.
Yang Fan is really energetic!
With one against three, he was still able to do so with ease. It was simply too terrifying!
Afraid of getting caught again, the two of them could only pretend to be asleep, but turned their heads from time to time to secretly look at them.
Yang Fan's deep affection almost made Wu Meiniang breathless.
Although the taste is wonderful, it can't be suffocated to death, right?
She struggled to turn her head, only to find Xiao Shiyun and the two girls peeking at her. Fighting back the numbness all over her body, Wu Meiniang said: "Husband, please spare the slave family and let Sister Shiyun and the others serve you?"
Xiao Shiyun and Xiao Shiyun were instantly ashamed when they heard this and hurried away from the danger zone.
After all, I haven’t recovered from the torment just now!
Yang Fan chuckled and said: "Do you really think your husband is a stallion? Just enjoy this kind of thing, there is no need to hurt your body..."
Wu Meiniang was slightly startled and asked: "Can your husband bear it?"
"What do you think?" Yang Fan snorted: "You have gone against the grain, should you be punished?"
"Oops!" Wu Meiniang exclaimed, using all her strength to break free from Yang Fan's grasp, and said: "My husband deliberately asked His Majesty to dismiss from office. This is a bit reckless!"
Yang Fan stopped what he was doing, frowned and asked in confusion: "How do you say that?"
Xiao Shiyun and Wu Shun on the side were a little surprised when they heard Wu Meiniang's words, and said softly: "Did you plan your husband's dismissal from office?"
Seeing Yang Fan nodded affirmatively, the two women directly used the two-finger Zen magic skill and said angrily: "The husband didn't tell me earlier, which made us cry for a long time!"
Yang Fan chuckled, hugged a few people together, and said: "Okay, it's all my fault. In order to forgive these little ladies, I decided to accompany you to have fun for a few days!"
"Really?" Wu Meiniang and the three girls raised their faces and looked at Yang Fan with strange expressions on their faces, their eyes revealing longing.
In any case, these girls are all in their prime.
If in later generations, students were still studying in large and bright classrooms, they would naturally have an innate desire to play.
After the excitement, Wu Meiniang said with concern: "I am naturally very happy that your husband can spare time to accompany us, but there may be a lot of trouble after your husband retires from office, so you must be mentally prepared."
"Oh, Mei Niang, come and listen?" Yang Fan suddenly became interested and wanted to see what Her Majesty Queen Wu Zetian thought.
After sorting out her thoughts, Wu Meiniang felt a little heavy.
"My husband deliberately exposed the situation and was impeached and lost his official position. Although he avoided a direct conflict with the aristocratic family, it also left hidden dangers. The gain may outweigh the loss."
"Continue." Yang Fan smiled slightly, not too worried, but encouraged Wu Meiniang to continue.
Seeing this, Wu Meiniang did not hesitate anymore and continued: "Although my husband's actions may avoid the family's revenge, it will arouse the emperor's suspicion, so I just said what I just said."
"Although the current Holy One is wise, powerful, and broad-minded, the premise of all this is that His Majesty can control everything."
"Now my husband's actions have clearly touched His Majesty's nerves."
"If Mei Niang's guess is correct, His Majesty will definitely be furious in the court, right?"
"Rather than saying that this is dissatisfaction with the husband, it is better to say that the emperor is roaring because he feels that he cannot control everything."
"So, my husband will have to face the emperor's trust test next."
Hearing Wu Meiniang's words, Xiao Shiyun and the two girls were shocked and asked anxiously: "Meiniang, what should we do?"
Now Yang Fan is everything to them, and they don't want anything to happen to Yang Fan.
Wu Meiniang thought about it for a long time, but obviously she didn't come up with a good idea, so she could only look at Yang Fan silently.
Yang Fan nodded happily that Wu Meiniang could think of this. This girl was really smart and could think of so many things.
Yang Fan was certainly prepared for His Majesty Li Er's suspicion.
But a great man once said that political power comes from the barrel of a gun.
As long as you firmly hold the military power, no one dares to touch you, not even the emperor.
Due to the limitations of the times, Wu Meiniang certainly could not have thought of so much.
And Yang Fan is sure that as long as he shows enough potential, His Majesty Li Er will not only not anger him, but will also increase his efforts to win over him.