(Thanks to Samsung Display for the monthly pass, and to Niu Dehua book friend for the reward!)
The situation in the capital became increasingly chaotic. In November, deposed officials from all over the country gathered in the capital to complain in front of the major yamen and palaces. With Zhao Zhen's acquiescence, Fan Zhongyan, Han Qi and others took the leading officials and executed them.
In prison, the situation seems to have eased slightly.
But then a bigger chaos happened. On the night of Laba, which was supposed to be a great day for every household to worship Buddha and pray for blessings, people one after another hanged themselves at the entrances of major busy markets. They were discovered early in the morning by people who got up early, and they hurried away in fright.
Report to the official; Kaifeng Prefecture quickly sent people to Xianlu. After identification, it was found that the people who hanged themselves to death were five out-of-town deposed officials, including the prefect of Raozhou Liumei Village.
There were suicide notes on the bodies of these people. The content roughly stated that after the current emperor violated the ancestral precepts and allowed evil to persecute the loyal and the good, he wiped out the grace of his ancestors, ignored the decency of the court, acted retrograde, and did things that were against the world.
The suicide note was even found to be from Yingtian Academy the year before last. Su Jin borrowed the Taizu's instructions from the Ancestral Temple in his dream, and bluntly said that the emperor was unworthy, violated the instructions of his ancestors, condoned evildoers, tortured and persecuted scholars and officials, and so on.[
For a time, there was an uproar in the public opinion, the capital was shaken, and the people were talking a lot. Originally, the New Year in the fourth year of Qingli was the most anticipated New Year in the past few years. As a result, the whole city was shrouded in panic and fear.
; The rumors that appeared on the streets clearly stated how certain officials used the name of the new law to persecute dissidents and enrich their own pockets, how they concealed the truth, and how they prevented officials from petitioning for grievances, keeping the emperor in the dark.
The rumors became more and more intense, and the news soon reached Zhao Zhen's ears. Zhao Zhen hurriedly summoned Fan Zhongyan, Han Qi, Fubi and others, and reprimanded them for not being able to comfort the dismissed officials who complained about injustice, but ended up killing people.
Fan Zhongyan and others did not expect that things would reach this point. Faced with Zhao Zhen's rebuke, several people responded with their words.
"What should I do now? There are rumors and insults from outside that have harmed my reputation. Some people even say that I am a fool and unworthy of the late emperor. How can I deserve such a reputation?" Zhao Zhen said with a livid face.
Fan Zhongyan stepped forward and saluted: "Your Majesty, there is obviously a hidden agenda in this matter. We did arrest a few of the officials who caused the trouble, but we only used reason to move them emotionally, and did not attack them personally. Why did they
He was so enraged that he committed suicide, and I was puzzled by the explanation."
Zhao Zhen said angrily: "Why don't you think about it? Either there is a real grievance, and you must not have understood the situation when you reviewed it, or else you think you are acting appropriately, but in fact you are crude and simple, which hurts your self-esteem. I'm afraid."
It’s not like you don’t know the scholars and scholars of the Song Dynasty. They all value reputation more than their lives. Now, how can I celebrate this New Year if I create so many things out of thin air?”
Fan Zhongyan repeatedly blamed himself and said: "It is because I acted without consideration. Please calm down, Your Majesty. I will definitely pay attention to how I act in the future to ensure that this does not happen again."
Zhao Zhen's anger subsided and he sighed: "I don't want to scold you. You are also thinking about the country. The current matter needs to be settled properly. What should you do now?"
Ouyang Xiu stepped forward and said, "I am going to report to the Emperor. I have something to say."
Zhao Zhen said: "Say."
Ouyang Xiudao: "The more I think about it, the more I feel something is wrong. These officials committed suicide in the busy city, carrying suicide notes that slandered the court and the emperor. Although they looked like they were wronged and died in remonstration, judging from the time and place of suicide, it seems that the better
The five people who died were Liumei Village, the former magistrate of Raozhou, Huang Wannian, the general magistrate of Maozhou, Zheng Pisi, the magistrate of Dengfeng County, and Zheng Pisi, the magistrate of Xiaoxian County.
Ling Wan Tongyuan, and another Li Mengde from the Huangzhou regiment, these five people are divided into east, west, south, north and middle, with high and low official positions and different ages. Don't you think there is something strange about this?"
Zhao Zhen said: "What's so weird? Does suicide need to occur on the same day, same year, same month, and the same day? Do you think this is a sign of obedience?"
Ouyang Xiu said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, what I mean is that these five people did not know each other. They were of different ages and family backgrounds. They were officials thousands of miles apart from each other, but they committed suicide in the same way at the same time.
It seems like we are going to die together, how is this possible?"
Zhao Zhen said: "How is it impossible? Maybe they got to know each other well after coming to the capital and then made an appointment. What's so weird about this."
Ouyang Xiudao: "Maybe the emperor is right, but I think this matter is very doubtful. Maybe it is not as simple as hanging yourself. Take me as an example, if I die to persuade you, I will not make an appointment with others, because of such things
There is no need to form a gang, and I will not write a suicide note on my body that slanders the court and the emperor, because since I am determined to die, I will never write treasonous words to bring harm to my family. You need to know that I, the Song Dynasty Xingtong, have clear words to slander the government and disrespect the government.
The Holy One will kill the Lian people, no matter how stupid these people are, they will not ignore the safety of their families and drag them to death together."
Zhao Zhen frowned and said nothing. Ouyang Xiu's words did make some sense. Fan Zhongyan, Han Qi and others also felt that there was something fishy in it, and they all thought about it carefully.
"Then what do you think is the secret behind this?" Zhao Zhen asked quietly.
Ouyang Xiudao: "I dare not make false claims. After all, people die, and slandering the deceased is an act of disrespect. However, the five people who hanged themselves in the same way must be to expand their influence. In other words, their purpose is to
It has caused the current panic situation, but it will not benefit themselves at all, but will implicate their families. Isn't this a contradiction?"
Zhao Zhen frowned and said: "You mean, their deaths are very suspicious?" [
Ouyang Xiu cupped his hands and said, "I'm just guessing. Maybe this matter can be investigated."
Zhao Zhen raised his head and looked at Ouyang Xiudao: "I understand what you mean. Are you saying that someone deliberately created the current panic situation to obstruct the implementation of the New Deal?"
/
Ouyang Xiudao: "I dare not make rash assertions, but I would like to ask the emperor to order someone to investigate the matter thoroughly. If someone is really causing trouble behind the scenes, it will not be a simple matter of committing suicide or remonstrating, but a matter of disobeying the imperial court."
A challenge.”
Zhao Zhen breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Then it's up to you to investigate this matter."
Ouyang Xiu waved his hand and said: "I'm afraid it's not good for me to come forward. No matter what I find out, it will be difficult to convince the public. Because I am a member who actively implements the New Deal, it is inevitable that some people will make irresponsible remarks and accuse me of falsely accusing others."
Zhao Zhen nodded and said: "Then who will check the suitability?"
Ouyang Xiudao: "I think Bao Zheng is the most suitable, but I'm afraid he won't agree. Recently, Bao Zheng has been at odds with us on many things. He used to be an active participant in the New Deal, but now he has gradually faded away for some unknown reason. Recently, he even reported illness and returned home."
Went to Luzhou to visit relatives."
Zhao Zhen frowned and said, "What about Su Jin? Call Su Jin to investigate. This kind of thing shouldn't be a problem for him."
Ouyang Xiudao: "Master Su is smart and intelligent, so he is naturally a suitable candidate. However, he may not agree. I have asked him several times to co-create the new policy, but he has refused. Instead, he advised us to postpone the implementation of the new policy. I am afraid that I cannot invite him.
."
Zhao Zhen said: "I don't know what Su Jin is thinking. He was the first to propose the Ten Disadvantages of the Policy, but now that the new policy is implemented, he is just a coward. I'll come and tell them in person, you guys should stand down, and we will make plans in the future."
Don't be too radical in your actions. The dead officials should be well-paid and buried so that the crime of slander can be avoided. Their families and children should be comforted."
Fan Zhongyan and others came out in obeisance. They were also very anxious. The New Deal had only been implemented for a few months and they had encountered so much resistance. Although everyone did not admit it, they admired Su Jin's warning in Qinzhou that day;
But Fan Zhongyan, Han Qi and others were not the ones to retreat despite the difficulties. Although this incident dealt a blow to them, it did not shake their confidence.
…
When Su Jin heard the news that five officials hanged themselves on the street, Su Jin's first reaction was not to believe that they committed suicide. Based on Su Jin's understanding of human nature, the more violent people are, the more they value fame and wealth and other external things.
Although many officials were dismissed from their posts, none of them made a lot of money. The court only dismissed them from their posts and did not conduct any house raids or liquidations on them. After they lost their posts, they could actually live a comfortable life.
If you ask such people to make trouble and make noise, maybe they will leave happily. After all, it is possible to resume their official positions and continue to live a life of wealth and power. But if you ask them to die as a remonstrance, they will never be able to do it.
Of course, the analysis is mostly subjective in terms of speculation, because Su Jin preconceivedly believed that all incidents that obstructed the New Deal were man-made. This was the reason why he immediately became suspicious after hearing about this incident.
Objectively speaking, the way of suicide and the choices in the world seemed to have been carefully planned, and there were obvious traces of man-made factors. Based on these two points, Su Jin was able to conclude that there were many doubts.
But even so, when Zhao Zhen summoned Su Jin and ordered him to investigate the matter thoroughly, Su Jin still refused and said that he would return to Qinzhou in the near future and had no time to deal with the matter; Su Jin simply wanted to be a bystander, so how could he?
It is easy to stay out of the matter. If he shows up to investigate the case, he will soon be considered to be in the same group with Fan Zhongyan and others. Su Jin is unwilling to do this.
Zhao Zhen was very angry, and Su Jin didn't know what was going on. The performance of a radical man on the New Deal was shocking, and he even refused to come forward to investigate the case. As a last resort, Zhao Zhen used his trump card and dug out Yangzhou.
At that time, Su Jin was threatened with several crimes, forcing Su Jin to accept the job. Su Jin was forced to give up and had to agree to investigate the matter, but requested that it be done in secret and not be announced publicly.
Su Jin quickly inspected the scene and examined several corpses one by one. He came to a conclusion in less than a day. This conclusion shocked Zhao Zhen extremely.
Su Jin concluded that these five officials did not commit suicide at all, but were killed and hung on the street, faking signs of suicide.