Chapter 13 Kangzong Chapter 13 The disease of the empire, the emperor has no descendants
Perhaps because of the loss of interest, the picnic in Xiyuan that night did not last long and ended with the announcement of the emperor Yixingshan. He did not return to the palace and spent the night in the imperial camp. This is not a strange place, in the wild
Liu Wenpeng has experienced sleeping rough.
Inside the large open imperial tent, the candlelight illuminated it brightly, and the various decorations were complete, making it look like a palace that could be dismantled and moved. Liu Wenpeng sat close to the small stove set up to ward off the cold night, and his head was toasty.
He was not sweating, and his young face was full of thoughts.
Liu Wenpeng rarely showed such a serious expression, but at this time, what he was thinking about was the "tour plan". As a casual emperor, he couldn't hold back his thoughts, and he was already silent.
He was thinking about going on a tour. Of course, all he needed to consider was where to go. The rest would be arranged by his servants.
When Liu Wenpeng was debating whether to go north or south, the brightly dressed chamberlain Qin Fu came in from outside the tent, with a unhappy face on his face, and even cried when he saluted the emperor.
After coming back to his senses and observing his condition, Liu Wenpeng immediately scolded: "Are you doing this for me to see? Are you being wronged by asking you to go back to the palace to deliver cooked meat to the Queen Mother?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Fu hurriedly knelt down and bowed: "The officials have misunderstood! It is a small blessing to serve the officials and the Queen Mother. It is such an honor, how can we talk about grievances?"
Liu Wenpeng waved his hand and asked casually: "Were you reprimanded by the Queen Mother?"
"Rather than reprimanding, the Queen Mother praised the officials for their filial piety and asked them to take care of themselves." Qin Fu explained, meeting the emperor's gaze, hesitating for a moment, and then said: "I just heard a piece of news when I returned to the palace.
, I sincerely ask the officials to make the decision.”
Seeing Qin Fu kowtow, Liu Wenpeng became interested and said, "Tell me! What happened in the palace?"
"It's not inside the palace, it's outside the palace. My younger brother Qin Xie was taken away by people from the Ministry of Punishment today and was thrown into the sky prison by Xu Shilian, the Minister of Punishment."
Qin Fu looked aggrieved and cried and explained the reason to Liu Wenpeng. The matter was not complicated. The Qin brothers were born in poverty. Due to luck, Qin Fu was able to enter the palace as a slave. By chance, he eventually became the little eunuch beside Liu Wenpeng.
One of them stood out because of his cleverness.
When Liu Wenpeng ascended the throne, Qin Fu naturally rose to the top. As Qin Fu became prosperous, the Qin family also enjoyed the blessings, especially his brother Qin Xie.
There are people in the palace, and it is inevitable to cause trouble outside the palace, especially after they committed several crimes in Xijing, which is full of luxury, and they were finally exposed easily, they became even more publicized.
In the eyes of the bureaucrats and subordinates, they are very useful. In the past two years, the "Qin officials" have gradually gained some reputation in the capital, and in a short period of time, they have "earned" tens of thousands of wealth.
However, the dignitaries of the Han Dynasty didn't even look down on Qin Fu, the emperor's confidant eunuch, so how could they pay attention to a mere Qin Xie? In the past, they ignored it because they didn't want to make enemies for no reason whenever it happened to them.
That's all, if we really fight, who will take Qin Xie seriously?
The person who took action this time was none other than Xu Shilian, Minister of the Ministry of Justice. As an old minister of Yongxi, Xu Shilian was not a purely loyal and upright man. He was deep and knowledgeable, capable and skillful.
After so many years of observation, he was not only disappointed with the emperor Liu Wenpeng, but also extremely disgusted with the villains surrounding the emperor, and he had long wanted to teach him a lesson.
After a period of secret planning, the political situation of his crime was collected, and now he was caught in one fell swoop and directly arrested by the Ministry of Punishment for investigation. Moreover, the charges of arrest were very serious. He used the name of the emperor to commit robbery and exploitation. One was to deceive the emperor, and the other was to deceive the emperor.
If you harm the people, if you follow the same tune, you must put them to death and ruthlessly kill the majesty of these traitors and cowards.
Of course, Qin Fu's report to the emperor was a different story. He complained that his brother Qin Xie was searching for famous horses for the emperor, and he chose a Gaochang horse, which was regarded as the best among horses.
The owner had a little "minor conflict" during the "negotiation" process.
However, the officials sent by the Ministry of Punishment did not care about the right and wrong. They were so unreasonable that they arrested Qin Xie, sealed his house, and put his family under control, and so on.
Liu Wenpeng was somewhat impressed by Qin Xie, and even thought he was a good person. Previously, Liu Wenpeng had traveled to the palace incognito, and was very interested in the "highly popular" Qin officials. He was led by the Qin brothers and experienced
I was so addicted to the "turbulence" in the city of Xijing that I even stayed at Qin Xie's home for one night.
Such a loyal and interesting person was brought to trial for no reason by people from the Ministry of Punishment. Liu Wenpeng became angry after hearing this. At the same time, he couldn't help but think about it. Could it be that after half a year of calm, the ministers of the foreign court had done something wrong again?
A small Qin Xie deserves to be targeted by the dignified Minister of the Ministry of Justice. Obviously, this is looking for trouble for him, the emperor.
Liu Wenpeng actually had a good impression of Xu Shilian. He was a bit deep and didn't talk much. Unlike people like Li Hang, who always wanted to put a layer of shackles on him. At the same time, when Lu Meng was about to abolish the Imperial City Division, Xu Shilian
But those who firmly sided with the emperor and held opposing views.
Therefore, in Liu Wenpeng's eyes, Xu Shilian, a veteran of Taizong, although unlike Wang Qinruo, Dong Yan and others were close "imperialists", he was at least one of his own.
It happened that he was one of his own, and without saying hello, things started to happen. Therefore, Liu Wenpeng immediately sent someone to the Ministry of Justice to ask Xu Shilian for an explanation on the "Qin Xie Case". Qin Fu took the initiative to ask for an order to go, but there was no other way, Xu Shilian
The minister is a ruthless man. He is afraid that if he doesn't hurry up, his brother will be sentenced to death in court. He will behead him first and then punish him. He will not survive for two days
A Qin Xie, whether dead or alive, only made a slight splash in Liu Wenpeng's heart. In contrast, it was those uncertain associations that made him frown.
In the middle of the night, Wang Yue, the envoy of the imperial city, came to see him according to the imperial edict. Since the "Abolition of Si Crisis", Wang Yue once again increased the frequency of running to the palace, sharpened his head to get close to the emperor, and worked hard to brush Liu Wenpeng's good looks.
Sensitivity.
We have to do this. Whether you love or hate the emperor Liu Wenpeng, his time is too short. If you don't manage the relationship well, there is a high probability that you will not be able to keep your position. If the emperor interferes in the arrangement of important positions in the court, there may be certain consequences.
The trouble and struggle, but replacing an Imperial City Secretary is really a matter of an edict, as simple as Baishui.
Therefore, people like Wang Yue still maintain the ability of the Taizong period, but with this ability, in addition to maintaining the basic functions of the Imperial City Department, they focus more on pleasing the emperor. In fact, for Wang Yue,
For eunuchs and slaves, an emperor like Liu Wenpeng is better to serve.
Regarding Liu Wenpeng, Wang Yue was basically able to answer all questions. For example, when he asked about Qin Xie's affairs and whether there were any changes in the court, he immediately understood the emperor's worries and suspicions. So, with an affirmative tone, he
He assured the emperor that the Qin Xie incident was not a major problem. It was very possible that Xu Shangshu saw that he was rampant and lawless, and wanted to make decisions for the people, rectify the problem, and calm the people's complaints.
Liu Wenpeng was even more surprised by this. What kind of public resentment could a Qin Xie cause? So under the emperor's repeated questioning, Wang Yue was forced to report some of Qin Xie's situations in detail.
Wang Yue is a person who is very good at focusing on key points. He briefly mentions other trivial things and focuses on the past two years when Qin Xie used the pretext of paying homage to the emperor to collect swords, horses, famous utensils and rare objects from the people. This was inevitably accompanied by plundering and enriching his own pockets.
Breaking down someone's door and killing someone's life
Wang Yue did not mention Qin Fu in the whole article, but every incident gave people the impression that Qin Fu was behind him. Paying attention to the emperor's increasingly ugly face, Wang paused and continued: "The officials and the people were oppressed by Qin Xie
The plunderers all dare to be angry but dare not speak out, just because——”
"That's enough!" Liu Wenpeng obviously couldn't listen anymore and kicked over the small stove in front of him. The flying sparks hit Wang Yue, making him almost jump up.
However, seeing the emperor's angry look, I couldn't help but feel happy, but my face remained calm, and I quickly knelt down and begged: "The officials calm down!"
"Everything you said is true and correct?" Liu Wenpeng stared at Wang Yue coldly.
Wang Yue's old face was serious and he said solemnly: "How dare I deceive you, my slave?"
"Why didn't you report it before?" Liu Wenpeng said viciously.
Faced with the emperor's question, Wang Yue couldn't help but said sadly: "Qin Xie once said that officials once stayed at his home, valued him very much, and called themselves a 'scholar in civilian clothes.' The old slave thought about the relationship between officials and
We have a special relationship, and we are afraid of offending the official power, so "
"Bullshit!" Liu Wenpeng finally couldn't help but cursed.
Qin Fu, the chamberlain who went to the Ministry of Punishment to deliver the edict, did not know that within half an hour of leaving the Holy Gong, their brothers were repeatedly stabbed in the back by Wang Yue, the envoy of the imperial city, which stimulated Emperor Liu Wenpeng to become murderous. Especially,
,Liu Wenpeng had only heard of the story of Tang Jingzong and Li Zhan not long ago.
The results of the Ministry of Punishment and his party also made Qin Fu shocked and heartbroken, because when Xu Shilian, the Secretary of the Ministry of Punishment, gave a reply, he offended the people of Qin Xie, made a big fuss in court, offended the prestige of the country, and was sentenced to death with a cane, but he could not survive the punishment.
already dead.
Xu Shilian spoke lightly, but Qin Fu was furious, accusing Xu Shilian of illegally deciding the case and taking human life seriously. But who was Xu Shilian? How could he frighten Qin Fu and bluntly said that he would give the emperor an explanation?
In the end, Qin Fu ran to Xiyuan in disgrace. No matter how sad and angry he was, he did not dare to show off his authority in the lobby of the Ministry of Punishment. This place was one of the most majestic places in the Han Empire's legal system. Anyone who dared to touch it was really not a big deal.
.
Full of grief and anger, he went straight to the imperial camp. As soon as he arrived outside the tent, he burst into tears and planned to kneel in the tent to complain. However, he was directly pressed down by four guards who had been prepared. Without explanation, they were gagged, tied up, and pulled to the side of the imperial camp.
In the dense forest, they threw them into a deep pit that had been dug long ago and buried them alive.
Liu Wenpeng, the emperor, was like this. He was more emotional than rational. When he fell in love, he could be regarded as a confidant. When he hated him, he would be discarded like a pair of worn shoes. When he was killed, he would not blink an eye.
Perhaps because he felt he was wrong, Liu Wenpeng didn't care much about the follow-up of the matter. Xu Shilian submitted an "apology form" the next day, and Liu Wenpeng only scolded him for using excessive punishment, and the matter ended.
After that, Xu Shilian, who was preparing for a fight, was greatly surprised, and he had a slight change in his view of the emperor.
On the other hand, the Qin brothers also prove that it is not that the emperor only used his private wealth to enjoy the palace, which did not cause much damage to the empire. This is only compared to those who are obsessed with success, abuse people's power, and are extravagant. The damage is
It's not that serious.
Just the two brothers of the Qin family can create a mess and cause anger and resentment among officials and the people, not to mention anything else.
Not to mention the pro-government, no matter how many disputes there were in the central government, everything still continued the rules of the Yongxi Dynasty. With Liu Ai and Zhang Qixian working hard to maintain the situation, the situation was relatively stable.
But judging from the two years that Liu Wenpeng was "in charge", the ghost that destroyed the autocratic empire was wandering over the Han Empire again. Even though it was still far away, it was still wandering in the sky, but from the sky of the peaceful and prosperous era,
A hint of shadow can already be seen.
The first is Liu Wenpeng's so-called pleasures that do not "waste people and money." No one really thinks that they are all purchased by the young government, all consumed internal funds, all accounts are clear, and all sources are innocent.
Without going into too many details, I will just mention that in the palace collection, there are a large number of famous wines and fine wines collected from all over the world during the reign of Emperor Shizu, including quite a few from the 1950s and 1960s. This may be a bit shocking. Throughout the entire Taizong era, the palace had a lot of fine wines.
There was not a new jar of wine, and the storage left by Shizu alone was enough to meet Emperor Taizong's various banquets, ceremonies and rewards for fourteen years. In this way, by the time Liu Wenpeng succeeded to the throne, 60% was still left.
The remaining 60% had already bottomed out in the spring of the sixth year of Pingkang, and the Shaofu began to purchase fine wines from all over the country for aging.
At the same time, the "tribute wine" system that had been suspended for who knows how many years was restored to its role. Liu Wenpeng did not issue an edict, but in the southeast, northwest, and in all directions, as long as there were places where famous wines were produced, the government took the initiative to collect good wines.
Offer wine.
At the beginning, the scale was small and the number was not large. It was basically used as a test, but the tea and wine envoys in the palace accepted all the orders. Then, it got out of control. There were countless followers of Wangfengying, and they were even carried on the carriage road from all over the country.
Famous wines were continuously transported to the capital along the straight roads from the empire to the various roads.
In response to this situation, of course, there were still voices from the court to advise and remind people. However, the court itself had a contribution system, but the two generations of emperors restrained it and did not allow local governments to contribute (Shizu strictly ordered procurement, while Taizong used Shizu's method).
inheritance is enough).
The key to this matter still depends on the emperor's self-control and moral standards, and using these two to test Liu Wenpeng is a bit absurd.
Therefore, admonishment is useless, because the emperor cannot listen at all. Without enough wine, how can we hold a banquet, sing and dance?
The emperor will also get angry if he is annoyed, and the reason is very good. The wine tributes from various places are the wishes of local officials and the people. Are you trying to stop me by admonishing me to get close to the officials and the people? His intentions are worthy of death.
On the other hand, local officials offered wine tributes, not only to please the emperor and add support to their official careers, but also to seek personal gain or fill some financial shortfalls through this method.
An "open and bright" opportunity.
If the value of the tribute wine that the emperor can get is one, then local bureaucrats can often get three or four times the profit from it. If they do too much, it can be more than ten times. Where does this wealth come from? It is just to govern the people.
This is only the impact caused by the "tribute wine"!
From this, we can also draw another conclusion, that is, in the two years after Liu Wenpeng took charge, the officialdom of the Han Empire began to become turbid, and it was difficult for the officialdom to maintain the clarity it once had.
Above the court, the powerful people were full of contradictions and conflicts, and the struggle for power and gain became more and more obvious. At the same time, the prime ministers headed by Wang Dan were also responsible for maintaining the overall stability of the empire and the normal operation of the government. For local places, especially
These are some shortcomings that we cannot concentrate on or have enough authority to solve.
The intricate network of political interests leads to serious constraints. People in it cannot do more than work hard to safeguard their own interests. If they do, they often get stuck in the quagmire. Of course, there are always some passionate people.
, a good minister with a public heart, but compared with the general environment, he seems insignificant.
Therefore, the Han Dynasty in the Pingkang era was still in a state of Kangping on the whole. However, the excellent and clean and high-spirited political style of the Taizong era was constantly being corrupted. This kind of corruption was not obvious and silent.
, even more powerless, various obvious lesions began to appear on the huge body of the Han Empire.
All of this was obviously caused by Emperor Kang Le. At least Liu Wenpeng, who took over the empire from Emperor Taizong, must be primarily responsible!
This summer hunt lasted for another two days, and ended with the emperor returning disappointed. The reason for his failure was that the string of the precious eagle bow used by Emperor Liu Wenpeng was broken, which made people feel very distressed and even more frustrated.
However, when he returned to the palace city, he was shocked and heartbroken by a piece of bad news: his two-year-old son, Liu Jiye, the crown prince of the Han Empire, had died!
Over the years, while Liu Wenpeng was having fun, he had not slacked off in the cultivation of the harem. He was forced by the Queen Mother and cared about by his ministers. At the same time, he himself also hoped to have enough children.
However, the development of things often backfired. In the past few years, the concubines actually gave birth to two sons and three daughters for him, but most of them died young, and only one son and one daughter survived.
Especially the prince, who was the legitimate son born to Empress Yang, and his importance can be imagined. Although Liu Wenpeng was bored by Empress Yang's dignity and seriousness, he loved the prince she gave birth to. While naming him Jiye, he also
In the autumn of the fifth year of Pingkang, he was directly registered as the crown prince.
However, less than a year later, the prince he had high hopes for died at such a young age. Even Liu Wenpeng was heartbroken and cried endlessly. Perhaps, even when Taizong died, Liu Wenpeng had never been so sad.
An angry emperor can kill millions of people, and a sad emperor is equally dangerous. In grief, Liu Wenpeng gave an order to execute all the dozens of palace officials serving in the Kunming Palace.
The death of the prince must have a profound impact, because the upper echelons of the empire once again discovered a problem. It has been six years since the emperor's death, and the emperor of the Han Empire seems to have no heir again.
Maybe we can only wait for the emperor to work harder and regenerate? Or maybe