This memorial by Yushi Xie Jing is just a clarion call for the reformists to counterattack.
In other words, it's a way to attract more attention.
Because Wang Anshi is currently recruiting troops, and in the political battlefield, position is all that counts. Many low-level officials saw this excellent opportunity to rise to the top.
Once in a blue moon.
It is conceivable that the conservative side must include many people with vested interests. He occupies a large number of key positions. If they are not eliminated, how will other people come to power?
So, one after another, many people filed petitions to impeach Fan Chunren, Su Shi and others.
This scene made Fu Bi and Wen Yanbo tremble with fear.
They are forming cliques for personal gain, and they are excluding dissenters.
How similar.
The ghost of Qingli seems to be coming again.
What's even more terrible is that public opinion is also continuing to ferment, because the people and the ministers have different ideas. There is nothing more to gain. So much good tribute fruit, spent so much money to transport it to the capital, is just wasted. I heard
This makes me feel sad.
Public opinion is directly in favor of the New Deal.
People only think they are rational and see through everything, but in fact they are still primarily emotional.
It would be useless if the emperor didn't come out.
Chui Gong Hall.
The chilly atmosphere in the palace made many ministers tremble with fear.
This meeting can be said to be the first confrontation between the reformists and the conservatives.
Zhao Xu threw the memorial on the table and asked the officials, "What on earth is going on?"
Censor Yang Hui immediately stood up and said: "Reporting to your Majesty, Xie Jing and others are trying to eliminate dissidents, so they are spreading rumors and slandering Fan Chunren, Su Shi and others. The Procuratorate's complaint and the Ordinance Department of the Second Government have been submitted a few days ago.
Kaifeng Prefecture, they are obviously seeking to use judicial means to solve the problem, and they are fair and aboveboard, so there is no talk of forming a party for private gain, and using the public for private gain."
Lu Huiqing immediately stood up and said: "Yang Yushi, let me ask you, are the things stated in Xie Jing's memorial true? Recently, Fan Chunren and Su Shi often interacted with Liu Shu, Qi Hui, Qian Wei and others, conspiring.
The matter of appeal. Gu Ji, Li Zhan, Lin Dan and others also waved flags and cheers for them in the court and gave them support."
Yang Hui immediately retorted: "They are not conspiring, they are just discussing the details of the prosecution. As for Gu Ji, Li Zhan and others, they support the appeal and the law. What is wrong with this?"
Sima Guang stood up and said: "Your Majesty, this is actually due to my incompetence in doing things. Although the procuratorate was established, it did not have enough manpower. Even Fan Chunren was temporarily assigned to the Legal Aid Department, so that when the procuratorate encountered problems,
We can only need the support of other government agencies."
After he finished speaking, he glanced at Wang Anshi opposite him for a moment. Seeing that the other person was concentrating with his eyes closed, he couldn't help but look at him with contempt.
What to pretend!
Zhao Xu nodded slightly, "That's it."
Lu Huiqing asked with a smile: "I remember that at the beginning of the establishment of the Public Security Bureau, Bachelor Sima repeatedly emphasized loyalty to the law or justice. I wonder if I am wrong."
Sima Guang nodded and said, "What you said is right."
Lu Huiqing added: "Since we are loyal to the judiciary and the law, we should carry out official duties with a neutral attitude, so as to ensure fairness."
Sima Guang nodded: "Yes."
Lu Huiqing immediately said to Zhao Xu: "Your Majesty, if you look carefully at the list of names on Xie Jing's memorial, it is not difficult to find that Liu Shu, Gu Ji, Li Zhan and others are all opposed to the new law without exception.
I don't know whether there is any conspiracy or collusion among them, so I don't want to make any wild assertions, but it is hard to convince me that this prosecution is based on neutrality and fairness.
What they did this time was not only intended to undermine the New Deal, but also undermine judicial reform."
Yang Hui immediately retorted: "Opposing the new law does not mean it is unfair. Why doesn't Lu Xiaokan review your new law to see if there is anything wrong with it?"
Lu Huiqing laughed and said: "Not to mention that their prosecution is very ridiculous and completely unreasonable in my opinion. Even if there are real problems with the new law, what the procuratorate has done has deviated from its original intention.
The Procuratorate is not the Yushitai or the Court of Admonition. It represents justice and the law. Everything it says and does should be based on justice and the law. It should not have any political stance, let alone conspire with courtiers.
It's scary to think about how to prosecute other officials.
If justice becomes a weapon in political struggle, there will be no justice in the world."
What?
Can’t the procuratorate still have a political stance?
Officials on the conservative side couldn't help but look at each other in confusion.
There has never been such a standard department.
Has this been mentioned before?
Suddenly everyone was at a loss.
Obviously, they have not carefully studied the Public Prosecution and Procuratorate Law. If the Procuratorate has a strong political stance when performing official duties, it will be completely over.
Because the powers of the Procuratorate are very special, there is a very significant difference from the Yushitai and the Remonstrance Yuan.
The key to the impeachment of ministers at the Yushitai and the Yuan Yuan lies in the emperor's attitude. Nine times out of ten, nothing will happen.
Which prime minister has not been impeached hundreds of times.
But if you were prosecuted hundreds of times, your body would probably be gone.
Because once the procuratorate formally prosecutes, it has nothing to do with the emperor and is entirely based on the law. Once successful, the other party will be completely finished.
This power is very terrifying, so it must be rigorous and cannot have a strong political stance, otherwise it will really cost people's lives!
Of course Sima Guang knew this and was speechless for a moment.
Discussing the details of this prosecution with a group of conservatives, you may not believe it yourself if you say that this prosecution does not have a political stance.
Let Fan Chunren come here to testify, and he will admit it.
Zhao Xu glanced at the few counselors standing at the front and asked, "What do you think?"
Wang Anshi said: "Although I do not think there is anything wrong with the new law and regulations, I also respect the authority of the procuratorate. I have hired Bianjing Law Firm to defend me."
Wen Yanbo looked at Wang Anshi with deep contempt.
But in my heart I have to praise Wang Anshi's move.
Wang Anshi would not easily undermine Sima Guang's judicial reform. Not only that, he also had to show that he was upholding judicial reform at every turn.
Because the original lawsuit made it very clear that the establishment of the Ordinance Department of the Second Government would be subject to judicial supervision, and the emperor was also very satisfied with the situation between the DPRK and China.
If his purpose is to undermine judicial reform, first of all, conservatives will definitely counterattack and will not put their hope in the judiciary.
The key is, would Zhao Xu think so?
This will instead give Wang Anshi more constraints.
He must express his willingness to accept prosecution from the procuratorate and fight the lawsuit.
If he does not take a stand, or in other words, does not accept the lawsuit, then officials will think that the Ordinance Department of the Second Government is not subject to judicial supervision at all.
In fact, when Su Shi and Fan Chunren sued the Ordinance Department of the Second Government, they also wanted to test Wang Anshi and see if the judiciary could restrict him.
This is very disadvantageous for Wang Anshi.
At the same time, he has no reason to attack Fan Chunren and Su Shi. You are cheating on yourself, so why don't you allow others to cheat on them?
When the rules cannot be broken, the only way to avoid this lawsuit is to directly remove the salary from the bottom and replace the procuratorate with someone else.
It's not that I don't want to be prosecuted, it's that the procuratorate won't prosecute me.
Zhao Xu looked at Sima Guang again.
Sima Guang struggled for a while and said: "I also believe that there are indeed violations in this prosecution. Even if it goes to court, it will be unconvincing. For the sake of judicial justice, I recommend that the appeal of the procuratorate be dismissed."
Yang Hui and others looked at Sima Guang in surprise.
Privy Councilor Chen Shengzhi suddenly stood up and said, "Your Majesty, these facts have proven that Fan Chunren and Su Shi are not qualified for the position of prosecutors. In their eyes, this procuratorate is just a weapon used to attack political opponents, and there is no justice at all. I suggest that you immediately
Remove them from their official positions and accept investigation by the court.
The minister recommended Xu Zun, a judge of Dali Temple, to serve as prosecutor of the Procuratorate. Xu Zun not only had rich experience in judging cases, but also was fair and strict. During his stay in Dali Temple, he had always been focused on assisting Bachelor Sima in judicial reform. His ability, his personal
His moral character is sufficient for this position."
Zhao Xu nodded, "What you said makes sense. I have always had great expectations for the Procuratorate. However, what Fan Chunren and Su Shi did in this matter made me very disappointed. Regardless of whether they formed a clique for personal gain, they will not
No matter how suitable he is to serve in the Procuratorate. I appoint Xu Zun as the new prosecutor, who will also be responsible for investigating the cases of Fan Chunren and Su Shi."
Lu Huiqing immediately said: "Your Majesty, Taifu Temple sells tribute without authorization and poisons the people, which has caused public resentment."
This is really a wave of ups and downs. The conservative officials were already in mourning. Sima Guang gave up directly, which also made them lose the ability to fight back.
The key thing about the peach tribute, they all know the truth and don't dare to discuss it. They can only watch each other's performance.
Zhao Xu nodded and said, "I have also heard about this. Is Superintendent Cao here?"
"I'm here."
Cao Ping immediately stood up.
Zhao Xu asked: "Has the police station investigated this matter?"
Cao Ping replied: "Reporting to your Majesty, according to my investigation, the rotten tribute peaches did come from Taifu Temple. They sold a total of two thousand kilograms of tribute peaches from Qianfeng County to a businessman in Luoyang.
Originally, the Luoyang businessman planned to transport the tribute peaches to Luoyang for sale. However, the businessman saw that the tribute peaches were rotten inside and was worried that they would all rot during transportation, so he chose to sell them on the spot. As for whether there is corruption within Taifu Temple, it is still under investigation.
among.”
Now that things have happened, he has kicked Gu Ji out decisively, and he can't wait to make up for it with another kick.
"That's unreasonable!"
Zhao Xu slammed the table and immediately ordered: "After the investigation, the General Police Department will immediately hand over the evidence to the Procuratorate for review."
"I obey."
Cao Ping cupped his fists and saluted.
After the meeting, Wang Anshi walked towards Sima Guang across from him, "My new policy only aims to enrich the country and strengthen the army, and it does not target anyone."
After saying that, he left.
The implication is that I also hope that your judicial reform is for fairness and justice, rather than targeting me specifically.
The pattern is really decisive.
And Yang Hui, who desperately defended Fan Chunren and Su Shi, also complained to Sima Guang: "Sister Sima, why did you just...!"
"What do you think I should say?"
Sima Guang said angrily: "Fan Chunren, Su Shi's prosecution has a political stance, and is not based on the law, or it is neutral."
Yang Hui said excitedly: "But among the ministers in the court, who has no political stance? Doesn't Xu Zhongtu not have one?"
Sima Guang asked back: "When did you see Xu Zhongtu reporting in support or opposition to the new law? Even if he discusses the new policy, it is based on the law. This is the most important thing."
At this point, he sighed and said: "It's not that you can't have a political stance, but even if you do, you have to hide it in your heart, and justice should come first in everything. But these two are unscrupulous and want to tell the world that they
They want to use the procuratorate to oppose the new law, but now they are caught by the other side. How do you ask me to defend them?
It’s not like I haven’t warned them and asked them to think carefully, but they couldn’t listen to a word.”
Yang Hui said: "Fan Chunren, what kind of person is Su Shi? Bachelor Sima should know that they will not form cliques for personal gain. Even if there is something inappropriate, the crime will not lead to death!"
Sima Guang's expression softened slightly, "If they had not formed a clique for personal gain, I believe Xu Zhongtu would give a fair punishment."
That's a weird thing, God knows what charges he could come up with!
Yang Hui immediately walked away.
Wen Yanbo understood Sima Guang. In this matter, the other party was indeed more reasonable. According to this system design, the procuratorate cannot have a political stance and must defend the law.
In this case, Fan Chunren and Su Shi did not hide their political stance at all, and discussed with conservatives every day.
But it has to be said that Wen Yanbo had not considered this before.
As Lu Huiqing said, he also confuses the procuratorate with the Yushitai and the Remonstration Yuan, but the Yushitai and the Remonstrance Yuan can hear the news and make reports, and the main investigation is for negligence, which has little to do with the law.
"I didn't expect to lose so miserably."
Wen Yanbo sighed, "Not only did we lose the Procuratorate, but the Taifu Temple was also captured by the other party."
In the entire tribute system, the treasury of Taifu Temple is the top priority. If Wang Anshi wants to reform this point, he must win Taifu Temple. Without this treasury, he will not be able to do anything.
Sima Guang took a look and saw that all the ministers were gone, so he smiled and said, "That's not necessarily the case."
Wen Yanbo hurriedly asked: "How do you say this?"
Sima Guang said: "Actually, what Su Shi and Fan Chunren are worried about is that corruption will occur in the local area."
Wen Yanbo was still puzzled, "So what?"
Sima Guang said: "It's better to let them go to the local level to prove this."
Over there, after Lu Huiqing left the imperial city, he immediately ran to find Zhang Fei, but failed. After asking, he found out that Zhang Fei was playing football at a school ground in the west of the city.
This made Lu Huiqing extremely depressed.
How long has this been, are you still in the mood to play football?
But there was no other way, so Lu Huiqing hurried to the school grounds in the west of the city.
Zhang Fei is indeed here.
I saw him whistling in his mouth, running with a group of people on the playground, holding up yellow cards and red cards from time to time, and quarreling with those people from time to time.
Greet each other's families cordially.
They are no different than street gangsters.
What are they doing?
Lu Huiqing suddenly felt that this guy was not so reliable!
After waiting for a while, Zhang Fei finally found Lu Huiqing, so he asked the players to "end it off" on their own and went to the sidelines.
"Why is Xiaokan Lu here?"
"What are you doing?"
"Exercise."
“Is it necessary to insult your parents by exercising?”
"Well that's just a catchphrase."
Zhang Fei said with a smile.
You should talk trash when playing football, otherwise, what's the point?
Lu Huiqing shook her head helplessly and said: "The official family has just appointed your father-in-law as the trusted prosecutor of the procuratorate. He is also responsible for investigating the case of Fan Chunren and Su Shi forming a clique for personal gain."
Zhang Fei immediately asked: "Lv Xiaokan hopes that this case will be confirmed."
Lu Huiqing didn't expect Zhang Fei to be so direct, and was really a little embarrassed, "I just don't understand how to judge this clique for personal gain according to the law, so I want to ask you for advice."
Zhang Fei thought for a while and said truthfully: "The key to forming cliques and pursuing private interests according to the law is not to form cliques, but to pursue private interests. It depends on whether there are any benefits among them."
Lu Huiqing was so shrewd that he immediately said: "Taifu Temple! As long as the case of Taifu Temple and their clique are examined together, they can be proven guilty of forming a clique for personal gain."
This is the logic of the people.
Zhang Fei couldn't help but look askance at Lu Huiqing.
Lu Huiqing also realized that she had let something slip, and said sarcastically: "What do you think?"
Zhang Fei said: "We brought down Fan Chunren and Su Shi with neutrality and impartiality. We must try the case with impartiality and neutrality. Otherwise, the gains may outweigh the losses, and the other party is not easy to mess with."
Lu Huiqing nodded and said, "What you said makes sense."
In fact, what he said in class was also taught by Zhang Fei.
Zhang Fei said: "So it depends on the specific review. If they are caught, then they can only ask for blessings."