Chapter 114: The Controversy Between Officials and Ministers (Part 1)
Chapter 114 The dispute between officials and ministers (Part 1)
The prince is going to be in big trouble, this old thief is really amazing! Seeing the prince embarrassed and helpless, Li Xian couldn't help but lament the death of a rabbit. Even though this was not the first time he had experienced Empress Wu's ruthless methods, Li Xian could not help but feel sad.
Xian still had to sigh that Empress Wu's ability to control the situation of the court was unparalleled. From the beginning of the layout, everyone's noses had been led away by her. Through the clouds and rain, everyone fell into it without knowing it. Even Li
Although Li Xian was extremely intelligent, he only came to his senses just before his trump card was revealed. Unfortunately, he came to his senses. It was extremely difficult to destroy Empress Wu's plan. The trouble was that Li Xian could not just sit back and watch the prince's face be cut off.
It must be clean, otherwise, Empress Wu's arrogance will inevitably become even more arrogant in the future political situation. By then, no one will be able to do anything about it. In other words, Li Xian must keep the crown prince no matter what.
But how to make this move gave Li Xian a huge headache.
Logically speaking, the best candidate to help the prince at this time is Li Xian, both from the perspective of reputation and expediency. However, Li Xian has hinted it several times, but Li Xian is always there.
He stood motionless on the ground, pretending not to notice Li Xian's suggestive look. This made Li Xian's teeth itch with hatred, but he had no choice but to curse Li Xian secretly and let it go.
The prince was about to collapse, and Li Xian couldn't bear it any longer and had to stand up from the queue.
"Queen mother, please calm down. I don't have any evil intentions to report to you. Please ask my queen for more information."
At such a sensitive time, although Li Xian wanted to soften the prince's cheeks, he did not dare to make a big statement as soon as he came up. He could only bow and salute, and asked for instructions in a sincere and frightened manner.
"Huh?" He was about to eat the prince to death, but was suddenly interrupted by Li Xian's appearance. The original rhythm of the step by step was completely destroyed in an instant. Although Empress Wu's face was still calm as usual
, but a haze flashed across his eyes quickly, but he couldn't take it out on Li Xian, so he said noncommittally and stared at Li Xian coldly for a while, but saw that Li Xian didn't flinch at all.
As expected, the gloom in Empress Wu's eyes immediately deepened. Finally, she suddenly smiled and said, "If you have anything to say, Xian'er, just say it. Mother is curious about what Xian'er can say this time."
"Thank you for your mother's grace. Although my son is stupid, he is still able to uphold the etiquette and work conscientiously and dare not slack off. Now that he has been slandered for nothing, he is naturally depressed and cannot calm down. I wish I could have a discussion with Liu Shangshu. If I can do it again,
It was done as the minister wished, but it could not be done because Taizong once said: Don't sin with words. Later, Wei Zheng always offended Tianyan, but Taizong had no intention of punishing him and instead used him again.
Regarding this virtue that I was pleased with after hearing about it, I did not dare to compare it with Taizong. However, I also did not dare to disobey Taizong's order. I secretly thought that Liu Shangshu's move was certainly inappropriate, but for my son, I did not dare to disobey Taizong's order.
If there is any, then correct it, if not, add encouragement. As soon as I think of this, the resentment in my son's heart has already disappeared, only a cautious and cautious ear is left, and I hope that my mother will be considerate of my son and have a good heart."
Facing Empress Wu's gloomy eyes, even though Li Xian was calm by nature, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy in his heart. However, he was forced into a corner and Li Xianshi had no room to retreat. He could only bite the bullet and talk.
As he began to narrate his story, he took Taizong's words out in a daze and waved them like a banner.
"What my mother and my seventh brother said is true. As the grandsons of Emperor Taizong, our sons and ministers do not dare to violate the orders of our ancestors. We are willing to ask our mother for advice." Although the prince's eloquence was average, his reaction was not slow. When Li Xian said this,
After mentioning the point, he immediately came to his senses. Before Empress Wu could express anything, the prince had already hurriedly echoed the words.
"I would like to report to you, your Majesty, I believe that His Royal Highness the King of Zhou has unparalleled righteousness, a profound understanding of righteousness, and the ability to practice great kindness."
"My Majesty, it is clear to me that what His Royal Highness the King of Zhou has said is true. It is a great virtue not to accuse others of sin. Taizong's great virtue comes first, and I dare not violate it even a little bit."
"Your Majesty, the old ministers and others second my opinion!"
…
As soon as Li Hong started, Yan Liben and other officials who were close to the prince came up one after another. At the end, many neutral courtiers also came out bravely. For a while, the voices of admonitions were heard one after another, and it was very lively.
However, Empress Wu remained unmoved and showed no sign at all. She just listened quietly.
"Ahem."
In the midst of the noise, the white-haired Xu Jingzong slowly walked into the hall again, pretending to cough twice, as if he was clearing his throat, but the ministers who were afraid of him like snakes and scorpions immediately fell silent, and Xu Jingzong
Ignoring the twinkling glances of the ministers, he bowed deeply to Empress Wu and spoke slowly: "To the Queen, I think that His Royal Highness the King of Zhou is very open-minded, understands righteousness, and understands the general principles. He is truly worthy of praise."
He is a role model for our generation, and the old minister is full of admiration. However, the old minister thought that the metaphor in the words of His Highness the King of Zhou was slightly inappropriate. On the evening of the same day, the Wei Prime Minister's remonstrances were all directed at the shortcomings, which was unfavorable advice. But now, what Liu Shangshu said is
How can we talk about someone who is falsely accused of innocence? His Highness, the King of Zhou, is of course a big deal and will not care about it. However, the dignity of the court is still important. This is the foolish opinion of an old minister. I still ask the empress to judge."
"Well, what Prime Minister Xu said is a mature way to run a country, and I deeply believe it." As soon as Xu Jingzong finished speaking, Empress Wu, who had always been silent, immediately showed a happy smile on her face and praised her. Then, her face suddenly changed.
He stared at Liu Xiangdao who was kneeling in the hall with his eyes as sharp as a knife, and said in a cold voice: "Liu Xiangdao, do you know your guilt?"
It's over, this time it's completely over. When Li Xian stood up and talked freely, Liu Xiangdao's originally dead heart became a little more lively. But after Xu Jingzong's words were finished, Liu Xiangdao's heart just rose.
The little bit of hope was completely shattered. I knew that I was afraid that I would not be able to pass the hurdle in front of me. How could I dare to argue? I could only kowtow and plead like a pound of garlic: "Queen, please calm down. I know my sin. I know my sin."
You shouldn't have spoken nonsense while drunk, I know your crime."
Liu Xiangdao couldn't be saved! Li Xian had already made a conclusion in his mind just by looking at this posture. Although he had been mentally prepared for this, when he saw Liu Xiangdao's old and haggard appearance, Li Xian still felt uncomfortable for no reason.
He couldn't bear it, and when he saw the grief and anger on the prince's face, he seemed to stand up to support Liu Xiangdao again, and Li Xiandeng became a little anxious - if the prince was really impulsive at this moment, he would be caught by Empress Wu.
After cutting off the pigtails so hard, the prince's face and insides were all completely lost. This was obviously not a result Li Xian was happy to see.
"I'm going to report to my mother, but my sons and ministers still have some feelings to report."
Before the prince could come out, Li Xian took action first, bowed to Empress Wu, and reported loudly.
"Oh? Xian'er, if you have anything else to say, let's just say it." Empress Wu was disrupted by Li Xian several times. Even if she could bear it no matter how hard she tried, her face didn't look so good. It was just that she was waiting for the court meeting. , even if she didn't want to, she couldn't forcefully stop Li Xian from speaking. She could only raise her hand indifferently and replied lightly, her voice full of unconcealable chill.
"I would like to report to my mother that the cause of this matter involves my son-in-law. If Liu Shangshu is severely punished, how should the world view my son-in-law? For the sake of my son-in-law's reputation, I ask my mother to give him a lighter sentence." Although Li Xian was punished by Empress Wu. It made my heart tremble, but I still managed to calm down and spoke without being arrogant or humble.
"Do you want to be punished lightly? How do you think Xian'er should be punished lightly?" Seeing that she could not persuade Li Xian with her momentum, Empress Wu did not put in any more effort, then restrained her coercion, smiled slightly, and acted lightly. He asked further.
"After reporting to my mother, my son and I thought that Liu Shangshu was old and was no longer fit to serve the court. Although he had made mistakes, considering that he was a veteran of three dynasties and had made great contributions to the country, although his merits cannot be used to offset his sins, they must be used. After reading the details, I propose that I allow him to return to his old age. This will not only reflect the magnanimity of my court, but also improve the reputation of my son and minister, which may be appropriate. I hope my mother will make a clear decision." Now that he has taken the lead, left and right. They all deeply offended Empress Wu, so Li Xian simply gave up and answered without hesitation.
"I am reporting this to my mother. I think that what my seventh brother said was a great kindness. Of course, dignity in court is important, but forgiveness is the basis but we must not forget it. I hope my mother will learn from it." As soon as Li Xian finished speaking, Li Xian, who had never expressed his stance, Suddenly he jumped out of the queue and clearly supported Li Xian.
"I respectfully ask your Majesty to make a clear decision."
"I think that what His Royal Highness the King of Zhou said is very good."
"I second the proposal, and I hope the Queen will judge!"
…
As soon as Li Xian finished speaking, all the courtiers followed suit, almost overwhelmingly supporting the Li Xian brothers, which made Empress Wu frown involuntarily.
"Well, since all the ministers and ministers think that it is time for him to return to old age, I cannot offend all those who love you and think that he is old and confused. This matter will end here. Liu Xiang said, you can leave the palace now. " Empress Wu pondered for a moment, and estimated that it would be difficult to forcefully subdue the ministers, so she no longer insisted on strictly dealing with Liu Xiangdao, so she waved her hand and drove Liu Xiangdao out of the palace in court.
"Old minister, I thank you for your kindness. I retire." Liu Xiang said that he had to escape from the disaster, and his anxious heart immediately fell to the ground. He did not dare to stay for a moment longer. He hurriedly kowtowed to express his gratitude and dragged his feet outside the palace. The stumbling steps and hunched back made all the ministers feel sad, but no one dared to say anything at this time. They could only watch silently as the veteran of three dynasties left the court. For a moment, they were full of emotions. The palace was silent, with only the sadness lingering in the palace.
"I am reporting to you that after Liu Xiangdao has finished, there is a vacancy in the Ministry of Civil Affairs. This is an important weapon in the court and cannot be left alone for a day. The ministers thought that Yang Wu, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, was old and prudent, with a kind body and a heavenly mind, so it was not suitable for him to take up this post. As for the two candidates, please ask the empress to judge." Just when the courtiers had not yet recovered from the sadness of Liu Xiangdao's expulsion, they saw Liu Yizhi suddenly flashing out of the queue and reporting loudly. As soon as these words came out, the whole hall fell into dead silence at first, and then suddenly a commotion broke out...