Junchen and Feng Xiaoyu were just having a quarrel in the Golden Palace. You invited grandpa to come out to support him. This is just a hooligan.
Li Zhi felt bitter in his heart, but he still had a smile on his face.
Everyone in the palace knew clearly that the smile on the emperor's face at this moment was not for Li Qinzai.
Li Ji was still kneeling on the futon with his eyes closed and silent, as if he had really fallen asleep. Li Zhi kept glancing at him when he was talking, as if to make sure that the old fox would really not interrupt.
Li Qinzai stood in the palace, feeling the strange looks from the courtiers around him, and he also felt a little aggrieved.
This giant Buddha was not invited by me, but by himself. Can I tie him up in an Asian style and prevent him from going out?
When he went to court today, Li Qinzai originally did not expect anyone to help him. The escort of Li Sujie and other disciples, and the sudden arrival of Li Ji were not Li Qinzai's original intention.
A manly man, I just had a quarrel with the emperor. Do I need to call for reinforcements?
However, I have to admit that it is really comfortable to have a respected grandfather as my backer.
For example, at this moment, Li Qinzai couldn't feel any pressure at all. The smile on Li Zhi's face that was uglier than crying said a lot.
After adjusting his clothes, Li Qinzai first bowed to Li Zhichang, then straightened up and said, "My minister, Li Qinzai, has something to report."
"I love you at Jingchu, so please come." Li Zhi said with a smile.
"Today, when I am attending the imperial court, there are many ministers, ministers and generals in the palace. Why is it that no one mentions that His Majesty will enshrine Mount Tai in the coming year?" Li Qinzai looked around and asked.
As soon as these words came out, there was silence in the palace again. The right minister Xu Jingzong, who was presiding over the court meeting, looked a little ugly, but after a quick glance at Li Ji, he still chose to remain silent.
Li Zhi's smile became more forced: "Jingchu loves you, you might as well speak frankly."
Li Qinzai lowered his head and said: "If I can speak frankly, I have only one sentence to ask your Majesty to suspend the discussion of conferring Zen to Mount Tai. This proposal will not be raised for at least five years."
Li Zhi's expression was ugly, but he was not angry.
It has to be said that Li Ji's existence is really a nuclear bomb-like deterrent.
Even the emperor did not dare to lose his temper in front of Li Ji.
This was a heartfelt respect for the veteran ministers who had made great contributions to the three dynasties. At the same time, Li Zhi actually felt a little guilty.
Does Li Zhi really have no idea whether the Fengchan Taishan is good or bad for the people?
It was just vanity that made him lose his mind.
Li Zhi could get angry with the advice of Liu Rengui and Li Qinzai, and he could punish the imperial staff and remove him from office. But in front of Li Ji, a hero of three dynasties, how could Li Zhi dare to get angry when he was wronged?
"Jingchu can speak his mind, no matter whether he is right or wrong, I am not guilty." Li Zhi said with a smile.
Of course, Li Qinzai would not be polite to him, so he took out a few pages of paper from his arms. The paper was densely filled with words, and he held it in his hands and raised it above his head.
"I have recently borrowed some data from the prefectures and counties in Guanzhong, and I would like to ask your Majesty to take a look at it."
The palace attendant walked over quickly, took a few pages of paper from Li Qinzai's hand, and then hurriedly handed them to Li Zhi.
Li Zhi didn't want to read it, he knew there must be no good news in it.
But Li Ji was dozing off not far away, and Li Zhi had to look at him.
Sighing inwardly, Li Zhi unfolded the paper with a smile on his face and read ten lines at a glance.
Li Qinzai stood in the palace, as if to let everyone in the palace know about it, so he raised his voice and said: "Your Majesty consecrated Mount Tai. This move was originally a good thing to respect the way of heaven and comfort the gods, but it is not appropriate at the time."
"In the past month, the prefectures and counties in Guanzhong have recruited more than 300,000 young people. In order not to affect their official careers, many local officials have begun recruiting young people from villages and villages as early as the official document is issued. In many places, spring broadcasts have been broadcast continuously. It’s all been delayed.”
"Last year there was a severe drought in the north, the national treasury was exhausted, and countless people were assisted by the government. Farmers all over the world hoped that this year would be a good year for more harvests, so that their wives, children, and families could make ends meet and survive. However, the imperial court ordered that many young and strong people I had to leave home alone to build roads and palaces for the emperor."
"According to investigations, in the Guanzhong area alone, the number of states and counties that delayed spring sowing this year is no less than hundreds of thousands of acres. If nothing else, this year was a good year, but the harvest of the Guanzhong land is still not optimistic."
"As far as I know, last year the state treasury had accumulated grain arrears from many wealthy landowners in the grain-producing lands south of the Yangtze River because of the drought relief in the north and the Tuyuhun harvest. This year, your majesty should have issued an edict to urge spring sowing and cultivation in various places. "
"But because of your Majesty's enshrinement of Zen, farmers in various prefectures and counties not only delayed their spring sowing, but also made matters worse. All the young and strong people in Guanzhong were transferred. As a result, ten houses in Guanzhong were empty, and only the old, weak, women and children were left in the villages and fields."
"Your Majesty enshrines Mount Tai in order to respect the gods of heaven and earth and pray for blessings for the people. Why do you suffer for the people by enshrining them in Zen?"
"Your Majesty, the state treasury was overdrawn last year, and the amount of money owed to the people is owed to the people. It will take several years to be fully replenished. In addition, your majesty built roads and built palaces for the purpose of enshrining Zen, which resulted in how much additional expenditure was required in addition to the normal expenditure of the state treasury. This sum is The national treasury debt, have you ever thought about how many years it will take for the ministers in the palace to turn around?"
The more Li Qinzai talked, the more excited he became. He turned around, looked around, and said angrily: "I also heard that a court official reported to the emperor to discuss the matter of increasing taxes among the people..."
"The extravagant consumption of powerful officials was actually imposed on the innocent toiling people. The late emperor once said, 'Water can also carry a boat, and water can also capsize a boat.' The reign of Zhenguan in the Tang Dynasty was such a time of Qingming and virtuous people. It only lasted more than ten years. Years ago, have you all forgotten the late emperor’s warning words?”
All the ministers in the palace bowed their heads and remained silent. The people who could stand in this palace were all smart and capable people. Who could not see the disadvantages of the act of granting Zen status?
It's just that after Zhenguan, the heroes withered and the virtuous ministers gradually disappeared. Some of the remaining people were for fame and some for profit. They could clearly see the disadvantages, but they still chose to ignore them and only knew how to flatter them.
After Li Qinzai finished speaking, he let out a long breath, seeming to vent the frustration that had accumulated in his chest recently.
Then Li Qinzai stood up straight, looked directly at Li Zhi and said: "Your Majesty, that's all I have to say. I won't say more about whether Feng Chan Taishan should be promoted or abolished. I just want to ask your Majesty to think more about it when you are only wasting people's lives. The suffering of the common people is heartbreaking."
"Those people who face the loess and turn their backs to the sky are the cornerstone of the country. The blessings of the people come from the benevolence and righteousness of the emperor, the good governance of the court, and the compassion of the ministers of the Manchu Dynasty."
After finishing speaking, Li Qinzai took two steps back and stood back in the courtroom expressionlessly.
Li Zhi sat there for a long time, his face turning blue and red, not like he was angry, but more complex.
There was deathly silence in the hall. The ministers didn't know whether they felt guilty or were frightened by Li Qinzai's fierce momentum. For a long time, no one dared to speak.
After an unknown amount of time, Li Zhi seemed to come back to his senses, lowered his head and glanced at the few pages of paper sent by Li Qinzai again.
The paper is filled with data such as the number of young people recruited by prefectures and counties in Guanzhong, the grain consumed by official warehouses, the money, grain, and materials spent on building roads and palaces in various places.
Line after line is shocking, and the data will make the pros and cons of one thing more concrete.
Only then did Li Zhi realize that this ritual of enshrining Zen was actually so expensive.
After a long while, Li Zhi put away the paper, looked around at the ministers and said slowly: "Today is just a court meeting. The matter of enshrining Zen... will be discussed later."
After speaking, Li Zhi took a deep look at Li Qinzai in the crowd.
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a commotion in the palace, and the ministers were whispering to each other. They began to interpret Li Zhi's "Let's discuss it later". Whether it was to continue the discussion after today, or to step down, the implication was actually to abolish it.
.
At this time, Li Ji seemed to be awakened from a sweet dream by the movement in the palace. His whole body was agitated, and then he looked around blankly, as if he had just woken up from a dream.
"The court meeting is over? Is it over now... Oh, Your Majesty, forgive me. I am really old. I accidentally fell into a deep sleep. I have violated the rules of conduct before the emperor. It is my fault."