On the ninth day of the first lunar month, the imperial court officially opened its doors.
Xu Yong, the Minister of Hushang, took off his hat and belt in front of all the civil and military officials in the Golden Palace. He personally apologized to his superiors, saying bitterly that he had not taught his children well, indulged his wife and was unworthy, and was unworthy of the holy people. He asked to resign from the post of Minister of Hushang.
Xu Shoufu followed closely and said that as the emperor's master, he could not relieve the emperor's worries, and his subordinates were not strict with the family. He was really unfaithful to the saint, and he also asked to resign.
The whole court was in an uproar.
The prince's party headed by Xu Shoufu also came out to plead with Emperor Zhengxuan and spoke bitterly of Xu Shoufu's achievements in the court over the years.
Li Yannian, the Minister of Rites, watched all this quietly, an imperceptible sneer flashed across his lips.
An old fox is an old fox. If he really wanted to resign, he wouldn't have rushed to the palace to plead guilty to His Majesty on New Year's Eve. What he is doing now is just to give His Majesty a chance to step down.
Sure enough, Emperor Zhengxuan in the Golden Palace let Xu Shoufu stand up after letting out a long sigh.
"Your Majesty, I feel guilty! I am dedicated to serving the country, but I never thought that the women and children in my family would use my name to make money outside, and indulge the children in the family in such ridiculous ways. I am really ashamed of the Holy Emperor and the common people!
"Xu Shoufu was still in the court, heartbroken and tearfully performing.
Li Yannian lowered his eyes and raised the corners of his lips again.
In the court, Xu Shoufu's words continued, "Your Majesty, I heard that you are worried about the pay of the Zhennan Army recently. I am not talented, so I am willing to contribute my best to Your Majesty. There are fifty thousand taels of silver in this box. It is the veteran.
The old minister is willing to donate the proceeds from selling antiques, calligraphy and paintings in the mansion to the Ministry of Household Affairs for military expenses."
With Xu Shoufu taking the lead, other officials also agreed.
Fang Shoucheng, the Minister of Hubu, first came forward to donate 20,000 taels. Other officials donated 10,000 taels, and some donated 8,000 taels. Even the two ministers of the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Works could not resist this momentum and expressed their intention to donate money.
Emperor Zhengxuan in the Golden Palace laughed so hard that his eyes bulged, and the resentment he felt towards the Xu family completely dissipated as the Treasury of the Ministry of Finance became full.
Even Li Yannian had to admit that he was not as good as Xu Shoufu when it came to guessing and controlling the Sacred Heart.
Lao Sun is right. If he gives in again and waits for the crown prince to take the throne, I'm afraid there will be no room for him in the court!
As soon as this thought flashed through his mind, Sun Quan, the Minister of War, smiled and glanced at him.
"Your Majesty." Sure enough, Sun Quan, Minister of the Ministry of War, walked out of the crowd. He bowed to Emperor Zhengxuan in an upright manner, and then continued loudly, "Your Majesty, although you have generously donated your money, it won't take long.
We can make up for the soldiers' military pay, but sometimes it's too late to make up for the situation!"
"Master Sun, what do you mean by this?" Fang Shoucheng, the Minister of Household Affairs, frowned and glared at Sun Quan in displeasure.
Sun Quan smiled coldly and continued, "Master Fang, what can I mean? I'm just telling your Majesty what I'm thinking! Years ago, you said that the household budget was tight and you really couldn't get military pay. The generals in the army
Although they felt uncomfortable, they all understood that it was not easy for the court and that it was not easy for Your Majesty. In order to save military supplies, the King of Zhennan even took his soldiers to eat tofu and steamed buns together. The soldiers lived such a difficult life, but the son of Xu Shilang's family was able to do it for
Bo prostitute spends a lot of money with a smile, how do you make the soldiers of the Wei Kingdom feel in their hearts?"
"Master Sun! Mr. Xu was young and frivolous. In a moment of conflict, he stole money from the family to reward courtesans. Although he did something inappropriate, it did not necessarily violate the national law! Is what Mr. Sun just said too alarmist?" Fang Shoucheng
He argued with a stern face.
"Am I the alarmist, or are you short-sighted, Mr. Fang? If you had tried to raise military salary to pay for the soldiers a few years ago, then no matter what Mr. Xu, Mr. Wang spends thousands of dollars or spends tens of thousands of dollars, the soldiers will not have it.
Thoughts, but now... the incident in Zuiyun Tower has become so big, Princess Zhennan’s eyes are red with anger when she mentions it! Even if she raises the military salary and allocates it now, her cold heart will not be so easy to calm down! "
"Master Sun, you have to make it clear that the son of the Xu family is spending the money of the Xu family, not the money from the Ministry of Household Treasury!" Fang Shoucheng was so angry that he turned blue when Sun Quan took advantage of him.
"Master Fang doesn't need to emphasize this point, but I can believe it. The civil and military officials in the imperial court can believe it, but do you think the common people can believe it? Can the soldiers at the border who eat tofu and eat cornstarch believe it?" Sun Quan bulged his eyes and was full of anger.
shouted at Fang Shoucheng.
His voice was loud, like thunder, making everyone's eardrums buzz.
Even Fang Shoucheng, who had been the Minister of the Ministry of Finance for several years, was so shocked by him that his face turned ugly for a while, and he couldn't find the right words to refute him.
But even in this situation, Xu Shoufu on the side remained calm, as if the son of the Xu family whom Sun Quan mentioned was not his direct grandson.
Fang Shoucheng took a deep breath, and finally gritted his teeth and said, unwilling to be outdone, "So, judging from Master Sun's words, it doesn't seem to mean much even if the military pay is reduced."
"Master Fang's words are wrong. Although it's too late to make amends, we still have to make amends! Could it be that you want to watch all the sheep in the sheepfold run away!" Sun Quan said coldly, curling the corners of his lips.
"Anyway, Mr. Sun has said everything, so why not ask Mr. Sun to come up with an idea on how to handle this matter!" In the end, Fang Shoucheng simply threw his hands together and threw the matter back to Sun Quan.
He was very unjust in this matter.
Xu Shoufu's 50,000 taels was said to have been raised by pawning antiques and paintings, but in fact it was his daughter-in-law who borrowed the Xu family's name to make a fortune over the years. Those antiques and paintings were just transferred from the pawn shop, and in the end they were not stable again.
Back in the hands of Xu Shoufu, only his twenty thousand taels were actually saved by him over the years!
Thinking of this, Fang Shoucheng felt aggrieved!
Although he holds the post of Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, he is hampered by the Xu family and his sons. They say that the Ministry of Revenue is a very fat place, but most of the money goes into the pockets of the prince and the Xu family! The good thing is that the prince and Xu family
The family is fine, but now that something has happened, he has to be pushed out to resist the censure of the Ministry of War. Who can feel comfortable with this matter?
"Your Majesty, I have to say that this incident was all caused by the young master of the Xu family. Xu Chieffu and Xu Shilang also admitted that they were lax in governing the family and did not teach their children well. They asked for forgiveness and resigned from office to appease the public anger. I think it is better to
, that’s it!” Sun Quan said loudly with his eyes narrowed.
As soon as he finished speaking, the hall immediately felt like it was exploding and a commotion broke out.
"Master Sun, what do you mean? Xu Shoufu has worked hard and achieved great results, how can he be dismissed from office just because of such a small thing!"
"That's right!"
Just when the officials were talking about it, Xu Shoufu suddenly staggered a few steps and knelt down in the main hall with a bang, "Your Majesty, I am guilty. Please allow me to resign and return home."
When Xu Shoufu knelt down, Xu Yong, the Minister of Household Affairs, also reacted immediately and hurriedly followed his father and knelt down to plead guilty and resign.
"Father, the Chief Assistant has worked hard for the imperial court these years and has always been my great minister in the Wei Dynasty. Please remember this and make sure to be open-minded." The prince who had remained silent couldn't help but jump.
Come out.
As soon as the prince opened his mouth, the officials from the prince's line also began to kneel down to express their condolences.
All of a sudden, a large number of people in the hall fell to their knees.
Emperor Zhengxuan frowned and looked at all this, feeling resentful towards Sun Quan in his heart!
Although he knew that what Sun Quan said was indeed true, Sun Quan would go too far if he dismissed the Xu family's father and son from their official positions because of this incident! Xu Shoufu was not only his teacher, but also his father-in-law!
Even if it wasn't for these reasons, he still had to consider the prince!
As Emperor Zhengxuan was thinking this, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a person out of the corner of his eye.
Li Yannian, Minister of Rites.
Of those standing, apart from Sun Quan, the Minister of War, only Li Yannian, the Minister of Rites, had the highest prestige in the court. And he remembered that Li Yannian always had the overall situation in mind, so he would definitely understand his intentions now.
Thinking of this, Emperor Zhengxuan cleared his throat and said, "Li Shangshu."
"Old minister is here." Li Yannian hurriedly walked out.
"Li Shangshu, what do you have in mind?" Emperor Zhengxuan looked at Li Yannian with a smile and asked.
Li Yannian pondered for a long time, and then he raised his eyes and looked directly at Emperor Zhengxuan, saying word by word, "Your Majesty, I believe that what Mr. Sun just said makes sense. The soldiers and the people are the foundation of the country and what the people want.
When victory comes, the heart of the army and the people is the most important thing that cannot be despised and trampled upon, and this matter has already caused dissatisfaction among the officers and soldiers in the army. If it cannot be handled properly, I am afraid it will shake the foundation of our great Wei Dynasty!"
As soon as these words came out, there was silence in the court hall.
Even Emperor Zhengxuan was surprised.
He didn't understand why Li Yannian, who had always remained neutral and considered the overall situation, started to agree with Sun Quan?
Doesn’t he always claim to be a pure minister?
"What Li Shangshu said is absolutely true!" Sun Quan also quickly stood up and echoed excitedly.
King Duan was so powerful that he could actually persuade Li Shangshu to come forward!
With Li Shangshu here, the Xu family cannot escape easily this time. No matter what, they have to peel off a layer of their skin!
"Li Shangshu, you have always acted fairly. In this matter, you knew that the Xu family was innocent, so why did you add insult to injury? Have you lost your sense of justice?" The prince couldn't help frowning and looking at Li Yannian and said loudly.
Is it possible that Li Yannian defected to King Qi?
Not only did the prince think so, but even Emperor Zhengxuan, who was sitting high on the dragon throne, had such doubts flashing through his heart at this time.
"Your Highness, the reason why I say this is not only for Wei, but also for you! Although the Xu family is innocent in this matter, how innocent it is. Isn't it caused by the Xu family's lack of strict education and poor parenting? Moreover,
, the Xu family, as the queen's natal family, and your maternal ancestor, should set an example and restrain themselves in everything, instead of acting erratically and ruining the reputation of you and the queen like now! Your Majesty, you are the future prince of the Wei Dynasty, and those soldiers at the border
What you are guarding is your future country! As a prince, you should not chill the hearts of the soldiers!" Li Yannian looked directly at the prince, and every word he spoke was sonorous and powerful. The prince was speechless for a long time.