There was silence in Wuying Palace, and everyone could see that the emperor was obviously really angry.
From the Imperial Court to the Supreme Emperor, a mere change of title was tantamount to tearing off the last fig leaf of this matter and putting everything on the table.
Yes, everyone present knew clearly that the greatest responsibility for this matter lay with the Supreme Emperor.
However, from a certain perspective, the Supreme Emperor represented the Ming Dynasty at that time, and the consequences of his edicts had to be borne by the Ming Dynasty.
In fact, this is also the reason why the process of issuing formal edicts of emperors has been complicated from ancient times to the present, because once an edict is issued, no matter whether the consequences are good or bad, it is not the emperor alone who is responsible, but the entire
The imperial court is jointly responsible.
Power and responsibility go hand in hand. No matter how strong the emperor's personal ability is, he cannot be responsible for the entire world alone, so he needs the assistance of courtiers.
Since the courtiers bear the responsibility of guarding the world on behalf of the emperor, they must have corresponding power. Because of this, in the past thousands of years, there has always been a struggle between monarchy and ministerial power...
The king and his ministers are born together and cannot be separated.
Therefore, even though the decision made by the Supreme Emperor is just a decree, the court will still be held responsible if something goes wrong. In fact, what Yu Qian just said was from this perspective.
Once the truth of this case is revealed, the Seven Guards of Kansai will not hate anyone, but will feel resentment towards the entire Ming Dynasty.
Although the Seven Guards of Guanxi surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, they were not native subjects of the Ming Dynasty. They were replaced by the latter, and now that they have been rehabilitated, they are naturally grateful.
However, this kind of thing has to be questioned when it comes to the Kansai Seven Guards.
Perhaps, their loyalty to the Ming Dynasty has made them regard themselves as the people of the Ming Dynasty. This is naturally the best. Although they were wronged before, but now that their injustice has been redressed and they have received the grace of the Holy Spirit, they will be even more grateful.
However, once they still do not regard themselves as people of the Ming Dynasty, or this loyalty is not enough to prevent them from defecting, then the consequences will be something that the Ming Dynasty does not want to see.
However, this is only from the perspective of the relationship between the imperial court and the Seven Guards of Kansai. There is no difference between the emperor's will and the imperial edict.
Within the imperial court, the differences between the two are still there.
It is obvious that the emperor changed his tune now because he wanted to clearly show this difference.
Being inexplicably involved in the Tian family's struggle, the boss couldn't help but feel helpless. However, the emperor asked and had to answer.
Therefore, Chen Yi hesitated for a moment, glanced at Yu Qian, and could only tentatively speak.
"Your Majesty, I dare not speculate on your intentions. However, judging from the situation at that time, perhaps the Supreme Emperor also wanted to settle the matter and ensure peace on the border. After all, if Renli intercepted and killed the envoy, then the seven Kansai
Wei must be dissatisfied, and if something unexpected happens, the gain will outweigh the loss."
However, he felt a little guilty when he said this, let alone trying to convince the emperor.
Zhu Qiyu glanced at him and said calmly.
"So, Ren Li is so proud that one person's crime can affect the entire border and force the court to clean up his mess?"
"Yang Hou, you have been at the border for a long time. You might as well tell me, do you think Ren Li is so capable?"
After the Emperor ordered someone, Yang Hong naturally did not dare not to answer.
In fact, he would not have any other attitude at this time. After all, he and Ren Li had just been fighting to the death during the court discussion. At this time, it is really a bit wishful thinking to expect him to say good things for Ren Li.
.
So, Yang Hong said without much hesitation.
"Your Majesty, I feel that this statement is too high of a view of Marquis Ningyuan. Since the Chijin Mongolian Guards chose to send envoys to report him to the court, they must have known in their hearts that Marquis Ningyuan was deceiving the court."
"So, even if it is revealed that he intercepted and killed the envoys, as long as the imperial court can clearly understand everything and be impartial, the Seven Guards of Kansai will not only not be resentful towards the imperial court, but will become more loyal to the imperial court."
This is the real truth.
Ren Li cannot represent the imperial court. The reason why the current matter is so difficult is because the person who concealed this matter is not Ren Li, but the Supreme Emperor.
If Ren Li commits a crime, he will be punished by the court, but what about the Supreme Emperor?
Again, under the circumstances at that time, no matter whether the decision made by the Supreme Emperor was right or wrong, it would be regarded as the decision of the imperial court if it was spread out.
This is precisely the reason why it is difficult to get off the tiger.
However, having said that, everyone really began to consider the question that the emperor said, that is, why did the emperor want to retain his appointment?
You must know that the Supreme Emperor at that time was not the abdicated emperor who is now alone in Nangong, but an emperor who had legitimately inherited the throne. He had been emperor for eight years, successfully ruled personally, and had great power.
Ren Li was just a side general, and he had just received the title of earl a few years ago. Logically speaking, he would not be in the eyes of the Supreme Emperor at that time, and there was no reason for the Supreme Emperor to go to such great lengths to protect him.
However, the fact is so absurd. Not only did the Emperor do this, but he also took over the whole matter from top to bottom. This approach is really unfathomable.
However, there are still people who understand. For example, Jin Shangshu, who has been handling criminal cases for a long time, has frowned tightly from the beginning, looking thoughtful, but for some reason, he has never spoken.
However, as the person who started the conversation in the first place, there are some things that Jin Lian cannot escape.
After Yang Hong finished speaking, the emperor turned his eyes to him and asked.
"Jin Shangshu, this case is under the jurisdiction of the Criminal Department. What do you think?"
These words seemed normal, but after hearing this, Jin Lian couldn't help but sigh.
Yes, this case belongs to the Ministry of Punishment. Now that it is in its hands, it cannot be thrown out. Now that things have happened, since the emperor has such an attitude, some decisions must be made.
So, after pondering for a moment, Jin Lian said in a steady and calm voice.
"Your Majesty, I would venture to guess that the Supreme Emperor made this decision because he did not want to cause turmoil in the court."
After the words fell, the other people present also frowned, not understanding what this meant.
So, Jin Lian continued to explain.
"If you are just a person, even if you have the title of earl, since you have committed a serious crime, you should naturally be punished, and the government will not be in turmoil because of this."
"But, I'm afraid the problem lies in how to deal with it in the future..."
Follow-up?
Everyone present looked at each other and vaguely understood, so, intentionally or unintentionally, they all looked at Yu Qian who was standing aside.
At this time, Jin Lian, under the emperor's signal, did not stop talking, but continued.
"Although the case is big, it is not difficult to deal with Renli. However, if everything is true, then Renli intercepted and killed the envoy in order to prevent the Chijin Mongolian guards from accusing him of invading the military camp.
.”
"Moreover, the initial dispute in this case was due to the fact that the Chijin Mongolian Guards wanted to move to Suzhou. The imperial court thoroughly investigated the case and wanted to give the Chijin Mongolian Guards an explanation. At least, it was reasonable to move to Suzhou.
The court must agree to the request."
"but……"
There is no need to say the rest, everyone already understands it.
However, the reason why Ren Li strongly opposed the relocation of the Chijin Mongolian Guards at the beginning was because the place where they wanted to move had already been cultivated into large areas of private land.
The amount of these private lands is huge, and it is certainly impossible for one person to occupy them all. Many generals in Gansu are probably involved.
If the imperial court wanted to appease the Chijin Mongolian guards, it would have to take back all these private lands. Moreover, if things got heated, the imperial court would have to conduct a thorough investigation of the situation of the entire military garrison in Gansu.
Just like now, if such a big case cannot have a complete and detailed chain of evidence, then the treatment of a distinguished minister who has served the country will inevitably be criticized.
So, again, Ren Li is nothing, but once this case is revealed, the series of events involved behind it will be difficult to solve.
Logically speaking, this is not a bad thing. After all, the military garrison has been in disrepair for many years. If the Ren Li case can be used as an opportunity to launch a vigorous rectification operation, it will boost the combat effectiveness and morale of the entire frontier army.
effect.
The only harm is that... such a massive operation will inevitably destabilize the DPRK situation for a period of time. More importantly, once a thorough investigation is carried out, the entire border will surely face a major change of blood.
As a result, at least for a long period of time, the border will only be able to implement a conservative strategy. If you want to take the initiative, you will have to wait until the generals and border troops get back in tune.
And this was obviously not what the Emperor, who had just taken over the throne and wanted to imitate his father and ancestors in making great achievements, wanted to see.
Although some of the ministers present were not familiar with military affairs, after all, they all came from the orthodox era.
To be disrespectful, their overlord thinks very highly of himself, is too impatient, and is not stable enough. Therefore, he definitely does not have the patience to slowly wait for the border to adjust again.
Thinking from this perspective, suppressing the matter naturally becomes the best choice.
Anyway, when the Chijin Mongolian guards arrived in Ningxia, plundering occurred from time to time. As the envoys traveled along the way, any accidents might happen.
All the imperial court had to do was destroy all records of the envoys' arrival in Ningxia and pretend that nothing had happened.
Under this situation, if the Chijin Mongolian guards want to complain, they will only complain about Ren Li, which has nothing to do with the court. However, the Supreme Emperor can continue to control the court affairs, maintain the stability of the border, and prepare for his own 'contribution'.
The evidence is all in front of us, and it is not difficult to draw a conclusion. However, in the final analysis, that is the Supreme Emperor. Even if this conclusion is on his lips, it is not something that people can discuss.
Therefore, as Jin Lian's voice gradually stopped, the hall fell into silence again.
It wasn't until a moment later that the emperor's calm voice sounded from the top of the imperial steps, and every word seemed to strike everyone's hearts.
"There is a saying in folk slang that one kind of rice can feed all kinds of people. In this world, there are pedantic old-fashioned people who don't understand the slightest flexibility, and there are also hypocrites who are thinking about the overall situation at the expense of small righteousness."
"Among them, some people are seeking personal gain in the name of the overall situation, and some people really feel that the overall situation is more important than anything else. If they can exchange for the stability of the overall situation, they should take it for granted."
"However, what I want to say is that moral principles, no matter how big or small, are just like etiquette. The latter governs words and deeds, while the former governs people's hearts."
"If your heart is astray, the road will be astray. If you lose principles and morality in your heart, you will not be able to take the right path. If you take the wrong path, you will never reach the destination you want!"
“If people don’t have morality and justice in their hearts, they will eventually harm others and themselves, causing great disaster!”
These words were very serious. Although they did not mention names, everyone could not tell that the person the emperor said, who lost his principles and moral principles and went astray, was none other than the Supreme Emperor who was currently in Nangong.
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It should be said that this was the first time that the emperor so unabashedly accused the Supreme Emperor of his faults in front of so many people. Although he still did not say it openly, this kind of behavior had never happened before.
Everyone below had different expressions, but only Yu Qian's expression was the most complicated, as if he was worried.
There was another moment of silence in the palace, and another sigh sounded from the imperial steps. Immediately, all the ministers heard the emperor shouting again.
"Jin Shangshu?"
Jin Lian felt complicated, knowing that this errand would still fall on her.
It should be said that from the bottom of his heart, Jin Lian recognized what the emperor just said, but, again, truth is truth and cannot be eaten as food.
To actually deal with the matter, you still have to consider the impact of all aspects.
Apart from anything else, if this case really comes out in its entirety, the ruling and opposition parties will be shocked, and the Kansai Seven Guards will also be in trouble. In addition to these, everyone in the Tian family has finally returned to their respective positions, and they have just stabilized.
It didn't take long for the emperor to start to dig up the old accounts of the Supreme Emperor and spread the word. I don't know how the government and the public will discuss it.
Just thinking about these kinds of problems made Jin Lian feel numb. He just wanted to investigate a case, but who knew that it would lead to such a big incident.
If I had known earlier, I would have shut up in the first place.
However, the matter has come to this, and there is no way out. I just hope that the emperor will not make it too difficult for him...
There was a cry in his heart, but Jin Shangshu still had to bow his head and say something.
"I'm here."
Zhu Qiyu glanced down, took in everyone's expressions, and then said.
"Since this case was done privately by Ren Li and did not involve the generals of Gansu, I will not engage in this war and replace many generals. However, the Criminal Department will strictly review this case and investigate it carefully. I still order you to serve as the governor of the three sides.
The Minister of Military Affairs has overall jurisdiction over the military affairs of Gansu, Yansui, Ningxia and other places, and is given the power to make arbitrary decisions as appropriate."
"In addition, since this case involves the Seven Guards of Kansai, you will go to Gansu in person according to my decree and announce that Asu, the commander of Chijin Mongolian Guard, will come to Beijing to testify. I will order Wang Jing and others to cooperate with you as much as possible.
"
At this point, Zhu Qiyu's voice paused, thought for a moment, picked up the daily note at hand, handed it over, and said.
"You can also take this daily note back as physical evidence. However, this is a secret file in the palace. You need to keep it carefully and not show it to others easily. This case is important. Before all the facts of the case are found out, try not to announce it to the government and the public.
, do you understand?”
These words had a profound meaning. Jin Lian took the daily life note and vaguely guessed the emperor's intention, but he didn't have time to think about it carefully, so he nodded.
"Your Majesty, don't worry. I will live up to your Majesty's expectations and investigate this case thoroughly!"
This chapter has been completed!