With a "pop", a memorial was thrown to the ground. Zhao Zhen gritted his teeth and frowned and cursed angrily: "That's nonsense, that's nonsense. Ouyang Xiu is challenging me. I want them to reflect on their words and deeds and understand the court's attitude towards cronies.
But he gave me such a memorial. This is blatant contempt. Is it intolerable?"
Huang Peisheng, who was waiting on the side, was startled. He quickly picked up the memorial and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Your Majesty, please don't get angry. Ouyang Xiu is a fool. Why should Your Majesty get angry for him?"
"You idiot? I don't know how shrewd he is. This memorial is not his alone, but the common voice of several people who are mixed together. In my opinion, this is contempt, Huang Peisheng! Immediately pass on the decree and write
Officials from the two governments, three departments and six ministries will enter the palace immediately, and I will come to court urgently."
Huang Peisheng bowed and said: "Your Majesty, it's almost the third watch. You'd better get some rest. It won't be too late to bring it up early tomorrow morning."
"What did you say? When was it your turn to make the decision?" Zhao Zhen glared at Huang Peisheng, who was so frightened that Huang Peisheng quickly kowtowed and confessed, and went to make arrangements in a hurry.[
The guards went out in all directions and went to the mansions of major officials to announce the decree overnight. The civil and military officials were in panic and didn't know when. One by one, unkempt people hurried to the main hall and whispered to each other what happened. After a while, General Zhao Zhen walked out of the side hall.
, followed by Yan Shu and Du Yan, it was obvious that these two people had been summoned in advance. The three people's faces were different, Zhao Zhen's face was gloomy, Yan Shu's face was anxious, and Du Yan's face was sneering.
After all the ministers knelt down and worshiped, they stood on both sides. Zhao Zhen said in a hoarse voice: "Dear dear ministers, I summoned all dear ministers to come to court in the middle of the night. I had no choice but to see them when I was reviewing the memorial.
A wonderful article, since it is a wonderful article, it should be appreciated by everyone. Huang Peisheng, please read that excerpt of the brilliant literary talent."
All the ministers looked at each other in shock. They came to court in the middle of the night just to hear an article. The emperor must have made such a fuss. The emperor rarely troubles people like this. What's wrong?
Huang Peisheng bowed and took the memorial, took a breath and read it: "I heard that the theory of cliques has been around since ancient times. Fortunately, a gentleman can only distinguish his gentlemen from villains. In general, gentlemen and gentlemen are friends of the same way, and villains are friends with villains.
People who share the same interests become friends, this is the natural principle.”
The ministers were in an uproar. It turned out to be a matter of cliques that was hotly debated both overtly and covertly in the court. Moreover, the person who wrote this memorial was really courageous. He actually said, "Generally speaking, gentlemen and gentlemen are friends of the same way, and villains are friends with villains."
It is natural for people to become friends when they share the same interests. Isn't this blatant support for cronies? I wonder who is so bold.
Ouyang Xiu, who was in the crowd, didn't know what was going on. After reading the first paragraph of the article, Ouyang Xiu suddenly discovered that he was the culprit of tonight's incident. It was his memorial that touched the emperor's nerves.
Then they were summoned to the palace overnight.
"However, I say that a villain has friends, but a gentleman has them. What is the reason? What a villain likes is salary and benefits, and what he covets is wealth. When they share the same benefits, they temporarily become friends and treat them as friends.
Hypocrisy; if someone sees the advantage and strives to be the first, or if the advantage is exhausted and the friendship is estranged, then the enemy will be harmed. Although he is a brother or relative, he cannot protect himself. Therefore, I call a villain a friend, and he who is a friend for a while is a hypocrite. A gentleman is a hypocrite.
Otherwise. Those who uphold morality and justice, those who act faithfully, and those who cherish honor and integrity. If you cultivate your character by it, you will be of the same mind and benefit each other; if you serve the country, you will be of the same mind and help each other. If you are consistent from beginning to end, you are the friend of a gentleman. Therefore, you are the ruler of others.
But if you get rid of the false friends of villains and use the true friends of gentlemen, then the world will be in order."
"In the time of Yao, the villains worked together, Huandou and other four people were one friend, the gentleman was eight yuan, and the eight emperors and sixteen people were one friend. When Shun and Yao retreated from the four evil villains' friends, and entered the Yuan Dynasty, they were the friends of the gentlemen. , Yao brought great rule to the world, and Shun himself became the emperor, and twenty-two people, including Gao, Kui, Ji, and Qi, were placed side by side in the dynasty, and they were even more harmonious and generous to each other. All twenty-two people became one party, and Shun used them all. The world is also in great order.
Zhao Zhen said with a faint smile but not a smile: "Oh? It turns out that the three of you drank together, which means Fu Bi can't explain why he came? Why did you three forget to invite Ouyang Aiqing when you were drinking? Not enough friends."
Han Qi's face turned red, and he puffed up his chest and said, "I cannot bear the words of the Holy Lord. Isn't it also allowed for me to gather for a drink while waiting for official duties?"
Zhao Zhen ignored him and said coldly: "Who will analyze this article for me? It seems that this article seems to be quite reasonable. The events of Yao, Shun, Shang and Zhou were all used by Lord Ouyang as examples. It seems that this article The imperial court should encourage cronyism."
Du Yan stood out from the crowd and said loudly: "Your Majesty, I would like to say a few words."
Zhao Zhen said: "Say."
Du Yan said: "Master Ouyang's clique theory is extremely ridiculous, and the examples he cited are fictitious and can be verified. I dare to ask Master Ouyang, even if it is as you said, gentlemen form cliques with gentlemen, and villains form cliques with villains, you Why should we claim that the party of gentlemen can retreat from the party of villains? If the party of villains gains power, wouldn't it be a great chaos in the imperial court? Even if the two parties cannot compete with each other and the two parties fight against each other, who will suffer? Isn't it the foundation of the court's legal system? If we are busy forming factions and eliminating dissent, how will the political affairs be? How can one party control the government and ensure the majesty of the emperor?"
Ouyang Xiu breathed a sigh of relief and said: "Privy Du, you have misunderstood. What I meant is that gentlemen have cronies and villains have cronies. They are only temporary cronies, and they are also false cronies. Gentlemen are not like this: they What we insist on is morality, what we perform is loyalty, and what we cherish is reputation. Use these to improve your own cultivation, then you can complement each other if you have the same interests. Use these to do things for the country, then you can move forward together with the same views and be consistent. As a Your Majesty, as long as we can repel the false cliques of villains and use the true cliques of gentlemen, then the world will be at peace."
Du Yan's face turned red. It turned out that he did not understand the meaning of the article, but he quickly put this little embarrassment behind him and asked again: "Joke, I have no clue what you are talking about. The so-called gentleman and villain Is it self-proclaimed? By what standards should we judge what is a party of gentlemen and what is a party of villains? You just cite the events of Yao, Shun, Shang and Zhou Dynasties. Let me ask you, in the previous dynasties, when Li, Tang, Niu and Li were fighting, who did not flaunt themselves? It was for the sake of the country and the people. Who doesn’t call himself an upright gentleman, but what does it look like today? Niu and Li became traitors and caused trouble for forty years, until the fall of Li and Tang Dynasties. They are all sinners through the ages. "
Ouyang Xiu resisted and said: "If the emperor is a gentleman, he will naturally be able to distinguish between the Ming Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty. The monarchs of Li and Tang Dynasties are dim and incompetent, so they can naturally distinguish between them. How can today's saints and Ming Dynasties not distinguish between loyalty and treachery like them?"
Zhao Zhen couldn't bear it and shouted loudly: "Shut up! Ouyang Xiu, you are too presumptuous! You are using your words to hold me hostage. If I agree with your point of view, I am a wise king, and if I disagree, I am a coward, right?"
Ouyang Xiu kowtowed repeatedly and said, "I don't dare. I mean it from the bottom of my heart. I don't mean it."
Zhao Zhen said with an angry face: "The sage made it clear: 'Agitation leads to competition, competition leads to cliques, cliques lead to false accusations, and false accusations lead to false accusations, and the truth and falsehoods are at risk.' Taizu's last instruction: 'Stop the door of cliques', and Taizong once issued an edict. 'Forbid cliques to punish the people'. You have turned a deaf ear to these words. Where have you read the books of sages? You talk about 'real friends and fake friends', and talk about 'gentlemen and villains'. Do you think you can rely on these sophistry? Can you absolve yourself of the crime of being a clique? You are trying to deceive me, but I have not yet reached the point of being deceived by others."