Four hundred and seventy-seven chapters provocation (seeking the moon
With the second-rate political experience gained by Prince Xu in Nanjing, a place where idle officials retired, he really couldn't understand the mystery for a while. He could only stand in confusion with a pass in hand, not knowing how to react. ""
A group of distinguished disciples who had cheered for Prince Xu several times were also speechless. Although the Queen Mother had great power, she still could not completely cover every corner. Today, I saw with my own eyes how simple and easy it was for a powerful civil servant to deal with the nobles.
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Li Youwan continued as if he was giving an ultimatum: "I have something to say beforehand. The capital is not Nanjing. The prince is responsible for his own affairs. Remember to go to the Metropolitan Procuratorate to meet with me tomorrow morning."
He walked to the door of the room and said to Xu Shoufu again: "I did not intend to excuse Mr. Ding when I went after Wei Guogong. I don't want to intercede for this."
Sometimes the truth is correct, and sometimes the irony is correct. With Xu Shoufu's intelligence, he naturally knows that this is the truth. The meaning is that if the official bites Wei Guogong, Ding Qianyun will naturally lighten his responsibility.
Xu Shoufu had no expression on his face and just pretended he didn't hear anything and walked away. Li You didn't care and headed south out of the imperial city to go home.
After leaving the right gate of Chang'an, Li You found Zhu Fanghe standing by the road waiting, so he stepped forward to greet him.
"How is the situation?" Zhu Bulang asked hurriedly.
Li You briefly explained the situation, and Zhu Fanghe sighed: "It has been rumored in the past two days that the Holy Mother is going to completely dismiss you from office. You took over the Lianghuai Salt Case and arrested the crown prince of Wei Guogong. Is this to make the Queen Mother throw a trap? After all, people nowadays
Everyone knows that Our Lady wants to reuse Wei Guogong and has already issued an edict to let Wei Guogong come to Beijing."
"My servants spoke softly and had no choice but to take advantage of the situation to protect themselves and let the Queen Mother retreat in the face of difficulties."
Zhu Bulang was slightly worried, "The Holy Mother is a woman, and she may not be very capable. It's hard to say whether your bluff will work or not. If she is in a hurry, it will be even harder to tell the situation."
Li You gritted his teeth and said: "Since entering the capital, there have been many troubles. I can't sit on my seat or sleep on my pillow. My official position is unstable. I can't bear it anymore. This time I have to break the situation! If it doesn't work, I can only entrust Mr. Fanghe to say a few words to the emperor.
That’s it.”
After Zhu Bulang left, Li You was about to move forward when suddenly a middle-aged woman appeared from the right door of Chang'an and stopped him. When he looked closely, she turned out to be Wang Yannu, the housekeeper of Princess Guide.
Wang Yannv did not exchange greetings and said directly: "The Lord Gui De Qianzai ordered me to send a message. Mr. Li, you deliberately provoked the Holy Mother. Be careful of playing with fire."
Li You secretly smiled bitterly. Princess Guide was always so shrewd and sharp when she acted as a bystander, and she could actually judge his purpose based on just a few words.
On August 25th, Prince Xu came to the Metropolitan Procuratorate early in the morning. If he didn't come today, it's hard to imagine what the consequences would be. Li You's actions were too unpredictable for him, and he felt a little bit scared.
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Of course, Prince Xu also had his own confidence when he went to the Metropolitan Procuratorate. He had a distinguished status and was not a prisoner, so he could not be tortured or imprisoned without permission. The only way to do that was to summon him for questioning. As long as he remained silent, the trial officials could do nothing.
What is he?
Bang! Li You slapped the case hard and shouted at the prince standing inside the door: "The criminal has confessed before. Wei Guogong trafficked the remaining salt even earlier than him. He is actually the mastermind. Do you know this?"
Prince Xu only cupped his hands and said, "Father and son hide from each other." Otherwise, he just said nothing when Xu Shu entered Cao's camp. He finally realized that the best way to deal with Li You is to pretend to be deaf and dumb, admitting or denying it are just words.
Li You asked a few more questions, but Crown Prince Xu still didn't answer. This was actually what Mr. Li had expected. He called the servants and said, "For the time being, take the Crown Prince to the wing to rest and meditate. When will the Crown Prince figure it out?"
Come and see me again."
Prince Xu was then taken to a nearby room, which was empty except for the Grand Master's chair. There was nothing of any use.
Sitting in the room, it was extremely boring. Prince Xu forced himself to calm down and close his eyes to rest. Finally, at noon, he couldn't sit still anymore and raised his feet to go out, but the guard guarding the door stopped him and asked: "Young Master, do you want to go out?"
Where to go?”
Prince Xu glared at the officer and cursed: "You dare to imprison me only if you kill a thief?"
The officer shrank his neck in fright and replied anxiously: "Li Qianxian has said something before. This questioning has not yet ended. If the young master leaves, he will be escaping for no reason, just like a criminal."
Prince Xu thought about it for a moment, then gritted his teeth and went back to the room to sit down. After this, another half an hour passed and he saw the sun heading west.
However, a guard opened the door and shouted: "Our courtyard is going to be closed and locked. Young Master, please leave!"
It is true that Prince Xu is not a prisoner in the Sky Prison. Like other idlers, he must be driven out of the Metropolitan Procuratorate before being locked up. Of course, he cannot be kept overnight.
The hungry Prince Xu showed a contemptuous smile of a victor, and was about to go out, but the guard handed him another document, "This is the notice signed by Li Qianxian today. Please continue to come tomorrow morning."
The Metropolitan Procuratorate is hearing."
What a bastard! Prince Xu cursed repeatedly in his heart. Li You planned to send a message every day and ask him to come to the Metropolitan Procuratorate to sit on the imperial chair every day? What is the difference between this and house arrest? It is just house arrest with a night break!
But Prince Xu returned to his mansion and listened to the advice of his staff, so he imitated the King of Yue and went to the Metropolitan Procuratorate to report every day.
Everyone in the Metropolitan Procuratorate was astonished. Li Qianxian took over the Lianghuai Surplus Salt Case and ignored the existing criminals. Instead of taking the easy way out, he spent his time competing with the Duke and the Crown Prince here every day. It seemed unreasonable.
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In fact, Mr. Li's mind is not on the case for the time being. Of course, the Lianghuai Salt Case must be handled, but not now.
It should be noted that politics takes the lead, and the handling of cases, especially major cases, depends on political timing. Mr. Li’s ideal time to resolve the case is far from coming, and it should be delayed for a while. Anyway, it has been delayed for three months, so I don’t care.
Continue to drag on for ten days and a half.
As for Crown Prince Ji, it was just to contain him to avoid accidents, or in other words, Crown Prince Xu’s value was just his name. After Li You used the reputation of Crown Prince Wei as a gold-lettered sign, he had no interest in Crown Prince Xu himself.
There has been sudden turmoil in the DPRK and China in the past few days, and the situation has generally developed in the way Li You expected. He must pay close attention to the situation and choose the opportunity to take action, and cannot be negligent in the slightest. This is a big deal.
Let’s start from August 25th. Empress Dowager Qian had already moved to Xiyuan for a short stay. Early in the morning, the cabinet submitted the "Statements of Both Sides on the Incident of Li You Beating His Relatives" to the Empress Dowager.
In fact, what the speech said is not important, what is important is the process. Empress Dowager Qian needs to remove Li You through a reasonable procedure, and then get the imperial envoy of the right Qiandu.
After looking at Li You's sweet words, Empress Dowager Qian was slightly surprised. If rumors that were unfavorable to her relatives were flying in the sky, just punishing Li You would not convince the public. The most important thing is that Empress Dowager Qian was not sure whether these rumors were true or false...
But then Empress Dowager Qian felt disdainful. She could conquer ten chapters with one force, and a few sweet words were nothing, it was just Li You's death struggle. No matter how Li You tried to add glory to himself, he had always moved his hands, and that was all.
Mai Cheng'en, who was standing by, said cautiously: "I heard that Li You was in the Metropolitan Procuratorate and took over the trial of the Lianghuai Salt Case."
What? Empress Dowager Qian was shocked. This would be a bit troublesome. If Li You took over this sensitive case, then suddenly dismissing Li You would probably cause great criticism, especially when it came to Wei Guogong.
Is it worth inviting criticism? Empress Dowager Qian couldn't think clearly for a while.
Mai Cheng'en continued: "Yesterday, Li You sent a message to the Crown Prince of Wei in the East Palace Room, ordering him to go to the Metropolitan Procuratorate for questioning today."
Empress Dowager Qian gradually became angry. In the past two or three months, she had spread rumors in different ways that she wanted to re-employ Duke Wei Guogong. The positions have been reserved. Now Wei Guogong is on his way to Beijing.
If Wei Guogong wasn't as easy to get away with as Jin Wanwan, she would have issued an edict to let go of Wei Guogong. To say that Wei Guogong was forced to traffic in illicit salt, someone has to believe it.
Unexpectedly, the Metropolitan Procuratorate transferred the case to Li You so quickly, which made Empress Dowager Qian secretly vigilant. Li You accepted the case and couldn't wait to ask the crown prince of Wei Guogong, what was his intention? Did he want to take the opportunity to punish the Duke of Wei?
Is he demonstrating against himself?
The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became, so Empress Dowager Qian immediately issued an order: "Go to the Metropolitan Procuratorate to convey the order and summon the Crown Prince of Wei here!"
An hour later, the internal prison officer reported, "Li Qianxian from the Metropolitan Procuratorate refused to release him."
Queen Mother Qian was furious. Was Li You really provocative on purpose? Did he really think that he would be afraid of this job and not dare to touch him? He thought too highly of himself!
Immediately, Empress Dowager Qian made a decision to strip Li You of his duties first, and then dismiss him from office. She also summoned Xu Shoufu and issued instructions: "The case of the remaining salt in the Huaihe River has attracted the attention of the government and the public, and it is of great importance. The Metropolitan Procuratorate and Li You
, which is doubtful. Tomorrow the cabinet will discuss it with the Nine Ministers, and report back on the discussion as soon as possible."
Empress Dowager Qian's idea was very simple. She only needed an excuse to argue that "Li You was not suitable", no matter who could say it. In this way, she could use the topic to her advantage.
Xu Shoufu returned to the cabinet and hurriedly asked someone from Zhongshushe to write a post. He sent it to the six ministries, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, the General Affairs Department, and Dali Temple, to meet early tomorrow morning. According to tradition, the cabinet and the outer court met at the same location.
Go to court outside the Meridian Gate.
The next day, the four academicians in the cabinet and the nine ministers from outside the court met in the East Chamber. The meeting was chaired by Xu Shoufu. He coughed and repeated the instructions of the Empress Dowager Qian.
Let’s not mention the Nine Ministers of the Foreign Dynasty, but what do the five academicians in the cabinet who play a leading role think?
Chief Assistant Xu Gelao witnessed with his own eyes Li You's dealings with Crown Prince Xu. He believed that Li You would pursue and attack Wei Guogong in order to retain his official position. This was Li You's "political correctness".
In other words, if Li You does not put himself in a position where he can rebound, he will be in danger under the pressure of Queen Mother Qian.
Xu Shoufu knew that this was good for him. If Wei Guogong took the main responsibility, his fellow disciple Ding Qianyunshi could be exonerated and reduce his crime. Secondly, if Li You could succeed, he would also be able to jointly attack the forces of his relatives and have a negative impact on the cabinet.
There's no harm either.
You must know that the cabinet is responsible for issuing decrees, while the outer court is responsible for specific implementation. This is the difference between decision-making and affairs. If the relatives and relatives enter the court in large numbers, they will mainly compete for the right to speak in decision-making, so they will have the greatest conflict with the cabinet.
Among the four cabinet bachelors present, Peng Ge, who was second only to the Chief Assistant, always hated Li You the most. Because of Li You, his fourth son was sent to guard the border, and because of Li You, he himself lost the opportunity to be the Chief Assistant.
, or because of Li You, he lost the right to speak in the government. He remembered everything in his heart.
His original intention was to send Li You to the eighteenth level of hell without being able to recover, but after Xu Shoufu's urging, he suppressed his thoughts of revenge and remained silent in the meeting.
In fact, this does not mean that Mr. Peng Ge intends to let Li You go just like this. He has clearly judged that Li You is currently forced by the situation and wants to be the vanguard of the anti-honor in order to take advantage of the situation to protect himself.
Peng Gelao used his sixty-eight years of life experience to come to the conclusion that such a vanguard role is often destined to have a tragic ending and become cannon fodder for political compromise.
His understanding of nobles and ministers is about the same as that of Mr. Lu. As long as the emperor is still on top, it is impossible for nobles and civil servants to completely fall apart. They must gradually compromise. And the conflict before the compromise is just for the sake of reconciliation.
It's just a matter of defining the boundaries of power.
When it's time to compromise, he doesn't mind giving Li You a push and letting Li You, who has finished taking the limelight, become the victim. At this stage, he just thinks of it as luring the snake out of its hole!
There is no need to say much about the attitude of Wenyuan Pavilion scholar Yang Ge Lao. He would not object to Li You taking charge of important errands. He believed that this was an internal matter of the Metropolitan Procuratorate and it would be inappropriate for outsiders to point fingers.
Jinge Lao, a scholar of Dongge University, was even more relaxed. The Lianghuai Surplus Salt Case was originally thrown to Li You by Jiang Xinyue, the censor of Zuodu, and Jinge Lao would certainly not object to Li You continuing to be responsible for this matter.
Again, they can't stand still now. As long as the matter has nothing to do with them, they can hang it up high and wait until the leader of the faction, Mr. Yuan Ge, returns to Beijing to discuss everything.
In recent years, Yuan Gelao, a scholar of Wenhua Palace, has been serving as the official of the Sutra Feast, responsible for organizing the Emperor's Sutra Feast and daily lectures. He was only suspended for three days when he quarreled with Li You at the Sutra Feast.
Therefore, Yuan Ge Lao can be said to be the closest bachelor to the emperor. As long as he stabilizes his position, he can naturally take over as the second assistant. As for the rest, let others mess around. If Li You does not take this case, then it is very likely that he will still
Jiang Xinyue, the censor of Zuodu, came to judge in person.
In the end, the four academicians all expressed their agreement with Li You's trial of the Lianghuai salt case, and the other nine ministers would not rashly object. Originally, this matter had nothing to do with most of the yamen, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate had complete autonomy.
What's more noteworthy is that if you say a few more words, you will probably make the censor of Jiangzuo City unhappy, so there is really no need to offend your colleagues here.
You can imagine the outcome of the meeting. It was a harmonious meeting and everyone had no objections.
When the news came out, everyone inside and outside the imperial court was amazed, and they all agreed that this meeting was the most bizarre meeting in recent years. It was really surprising that all the bachelors actually collectively agreed on one thing, especially Li You's thing.
Queen Mother Qian was also extremely surprised. The surprise was followed by anger. At this time, she felt that she had been repeatedly provoked, her face was very shameless, and she was completely disappointed with the cabinet.
She was no longer interested in accompanying the civil officials through the process, so she sent the eunuch Mai Cheng'en, the eunuch in charge of the ceremony, to say: "Immediately give the order! Go and inspect Li You's position as the imperial envoy of Youqiandu!"
This edict bypassed the cabinet and was sent directly to the Sixth Section, forcing the Sixth Section to issue it. The Like Department reported that Wang Wenxu was a party member who had been placed in the Like Branch when he was Xu Cifu or Xu Shangshu. After seeing the imperial edict, he
The imperial edict was put on hold for the time being, while he hurriedly sent a letter to Li You.
