Chapter 58: The righteousness

When Yu Donglai came out of the Imperial Study room, his legs and feet were still a little weak. When he recalled what His Majesty said before, he felt a chill like falling from his heart.

"If anyone dares to blackmail this money again, I will kill his nine clans. If the living people cannot make up enough of the nine clans, I will dig his ancestral tomb."

It was the first time he had seen His Majesty the Emperor get so angry after being an official for so many years. I don’t know if it was because the ministers joined forces to deceive him, or because of the 800-Border Army and the 2000 people who died in vain. So when I think of this Yu Donglai, I became even more scared. The lies made by Hou Wenji were already avoiding the important ones and being less frivolous. His Majesty was still angry to this point. If he knew that the 800-Border Army was actually slaughtered by the Right Guard... Who knows what kind of thunderous anger would cause?

Yes, Emperor Tianyou Yang Yi is indeed gentle and rarely blames his subordinates, but because of this, some people have forgotten that the power of heaven is unpredictable. When the emperor feels that his prestige has decreased, he will inevitably do something to make the ministers regain their respect and fear of him. At this time, there will always be a few unlucky people. Even if they do not do anything fatal to make mistakes, at least in their own perception. But when His Majesty needs to kill, then what mistakes are actually no longer important.

What’s important is that His Majesty will never be lenient when he feels that he should kill someone.

The officials in the court have been at peace for a long time and have forgotten that more than three years ago, the emperor issued an order to kill the Qiu family, which had been treasonable in Jiangdu. That night, more than two thousand people were killed in Jiangdu City, and the three major families in Jiangdu were almost razed to the ground in an instant.

Because these three aristocratic families supported the third prince ascended the throne and spared no effort to help the third prince create momentum. Today's emperor Yang Yi was the most low-key among the seven sons of the late emperor at that time. The person who seemed to be the least likely to inherit the throne sat on the supreme chair.

The emperor wants to kill people, sometimes it is very urgent, sometimes it is not.

He waited for seven years before he attacked the three aristocratic families in Jiangdu, and it was really thunderous. At that time, the Zuohuwei of the Great Sui Dynasty was ordered to go to war to quell the rebellion of the Maofeng thief in Jiangnan, and walked to the Jiangdu army to enter the city to replenish supplies. In the evening, the wealthy families in Jiangdu City gathered together to invite General Yang Shunchen, the Zuohuwei, and drank until midnight. General Yang Shunchen returned drunk, and everyone thought that he could use a banquet and a stack of silver notes to get the result of this general who should be the emperor's cousin.

But in the second half of the night, the five thousand heavily armored infantry of the Left Guard suddenly rushed into the streets and alleys of Jiangdu, sealing the houses of the three major families in Jiangdu, and there was no criminal process at all. The elite soldiers of the Left Guard who had reached their teeth rushed into the courtyards of those families and killed them when they saw them. The wailing sounded from the sound until dawn, but the wailing sounded without any meaning.

Overnight, blood flowed into a river in Jiangdu City.

Early the next morning, General Yang Shunchen of the Left Guard announced the crimes of the three major families in Jiangdu. One of the most shocking ones was... colluding with rebels to try to rebel. The head of the three major families was the founding hero of the Great Sui Dynasty, the Qiu family, which was one family, two dukes and five marquis. Therefore, this big case is also called the Qiu Ni case.

It was also at this time that people suddenly realized. Since Yang Yi was able to sit on the throne, how could he be as gentle or even weak as he seemed on the surface?

For ministers, betrayal is always the bottom line. Once this bottom line is touched, the ending is actually already destined. No matter whether this betrayal is real or the emperor needs it to exist.

When the emperor kills people, sometimes it is very urgent, sometimes it is not.

There is no hurry to kill the three major families in Jiangdu. The emperor waited for seven years and slowly separated the people who occupied important official positions in the court, and placed them in a position that seemed very important but had no real power. When the emperor was unable to understand the design of Ruyin, his layout of Xu Rulin seven years later, he killed all those who made him feel like he didn't have to live in the world overnight. The reason for killing was actually very simple, because the existence of these people made the emperor unhappy.

And now, the emperor is very anxious to kill people.

After walking out for more than ten steps, Yu Donglai looked back at the imperial study room and couldn't help but smile bitterly. While he was glad that he had escaped the disaster, he felt a sense of sadness in his heart. Hou Junci, the Minister of War, would surely die. From the day the emperor wanted him to die, he would be unable to escape the disaster. The emperor's intention to kill him did not start today.

Fan Gu’s affairs were just an excuse to give the emperor to take action.

Just as he was walking out in a daze, someone suddenly called his name behind him. Yu Dong looked back and forth and saw that it was Huai Qiugong, the Minister of Rites who had been sitting in the imperial study room but had never spoken.

"Aged, are you okay?"

Yu Donglai dared not be disrespectful to this senior of the three dynasties. Everyone knows that there were two very special ministers in the Sui court, and they were also two imperial teachers. One was a literary and one was a martial artist. The literary scholar was this old minister who sat in the position of Minister of Rites but never cared about the affairs of the Ministry of Rites. The martial artist was Zhou Banchuan, the director of the Martial Arts Academy.

Yu Donglai politely leaned over and gave a junior gift.

Huai Qiugong smiled, stroked his snow-white beard and said, "When I came, I came by the carriage of Lord Zheng of the Ministry of Revenue. Lord Zheng was left by His Majesty to discuss important matters, but I didn't have anything to do, so I couldn't walk home by myself, so I had to accuse His Majesty of his crimes and then come out to chase you. How about it, do you have time to send me, the old man, home?"

Along the way?

The Yu family mansion and Huai Qiugong's mansion are completely opposite to each other.

But how could Yu Donglai not know that this old minister who was extremely important in front of His Majesty had something to say to him alone?

He quickly supported Huai Qiugong's arm and said, "It's my luck to be able to bring Huai Lao into my carriage!"

...

...

The wheels of the carriage were crushed on the flat bluestone slabs, making a sound that could make people fall asleep. Perhaps Huai Qiugong was indeed too old, so he felt a little drowsy after getting on Yu Donglai's carriage. He leaned against the inner wall of the soft carriage with a brocade mat, and closed his eyes as if he enjoyed the slight shaking brought by the carriage.

Yu Donglai knew that since Huai Qiugong had stopped him, he must have something to say to him. So he was not in a hurry, so he picked up the brocade quilt on one side and gently covered Huai Qiugong's body.

This is a sign of no rush, but an impatient method.

Sure enough, Huai Qiugong slowly opened his eyes and looked at the brocade quilt on his body, then smiled and looked at Yu Donglai with gratitude and said to himself: "I am old and seem to be tired all day long. As long as I calm down, I can't help but doze off."

"How could it be, you are still stronger after you are old."

Yu Donglai said with a smile.

“Where is still strong?”

Huai Qiu Gong lowered his voice mysteriously: "I haven't touched a woman in ten years. Where do you think it's still strong?"

This old man is really cute sometimes.

As the Minister of Rites, who was the most etiquette of the Great Sui Dynasty, he actually said such vulgar words in front of others. If the civil and military officials in the court knew about it, they would be shocked to their chins.

Yu Donglai smiled awkwardly, not knowing how to answer the conversation.

Fortunately, the old man who was disrespectful did not intend to continue talking about women's topics. He pulled the brocade upwards and covered it more tightly.

"Let's come to Dong, you have been promoted to Minister of War for three years, right?"

Huai Qiugong asked casually.

"Three years, two months and six days."

Yu Donglai answered seriously.

“Time flies so fast.”

Huai Qiugong sighed and smiled and said, "When I first met you, you were just a sixth-rank military officer. In a blink of an eye, so many years have passed, and I, who was full of energy, turned into an old immortal who occupied the pit and refused to move. You have also changed from a young man full of keenness to a restrained and calm middle-aged man."

Yu Donglai said humbly: "You are so miserable."

"Do you know why Your Majesty is angry?"

Huai Qiugong, who was talking about boring things before, suddenly changed his tone and asked.

Yu Donglai was stunned, sorted out his words in his mind and replied, "It's because I am a minister, that I have disappointed His Majesty."

Huai Qiugong gave him a blank look and said, "This answer is just right, but it is a lie."

Yu Donglai smiled and did not deny it.

"The reason I got on your carriage is because I could be alone with you for a while. Some words cannot be known to others. You have been an official for many years, so you will naturally understand what I mean."

Huai Qiugong looked at Yu Donglai and said lightly: "Since it's only you and me, then you might as well say it directly... Your Majesty was so angry today, it was because of Fan Gu's 800-sided army and 2,000 people who died in battle, because of Li Xiaozong's ignorance, because of Li Yuanshan's self-righteousness, because of the Ministry of War and the Immortality... But in fact, these are not the most fundamental reasons. Don't tell me, you still don't understand why Your Majesty is furious."

"Because Your Majesty is about to use troops to the Northwest."

Yu Donglai did not practice Tai Chi this time, but answered truthfully.

"You finally didn't continue to pretend to be stupid, otherwise I would get out of the car and walk home by myself."

Huai Qiugong looked at Yu Donglai and asked, "Then you tell me, why did Your Majesty take the Ministry of War to do the operation?"

"Because Your Majesty does not want to hear any opposition in this incident of military operation. Hou Junci was strongly opposed to the use of military service in the northwest, and even accused Your Majesty of using war in person in the court for being very happy with the excuse."

Huai Qiugong said seriously: "Your Majesty is a wise king, so even if there are officials in the court who speak rudely because of disagreement, Your Majesty will not blame you, but will praise you more, right?"

"right!"

Yu Donglai nodded.

"But how many people will be in awe of the emperor's majesty if this continues?"

Huai Qiugong breathed a long sigh and said with some emotion: "Hou Junci is not unlucky, but he is an idiot... Your Majesty wants to show both wisdom and listening because Your Majesty must do this. Your Majesty still has many things to do, such as the operation of troops in the northwest this time. The Great Sui Dynasty has already experienced five emperors, which one has not expanded its territory?"

He paused and said, "If you say something disrespectful, it is your Majesty's business for you, but a minister must not be able to move forward and backward and put your position in a wrong way. For example, I... dare to get angry at Your Majesty and dare to swear at Your Majesty, why?"

"Because I am the imperial teacher, the imperial teacher allowed by Your Majesty. If Your Majesty wants to respect your teacher, I must cooperate with Your Majesty to do this. And Zhou Banchuan, that old guy also understands this truth. So Your Majesty allows us to rely on our seniority, and he is also happy to make people feel that such a relationship between the monarch and the subject is charming."

"But, does Your Majesty really dare not kill me and Zhou Banchuan?"

Huai Qiugong was silent for a while and continued, "So, I got on your carriage and wanted to tell you... As a minister, the first thing I have to do is to understand what kind of minister you should become. Only by knowing and understanding will His Majesty be satisfied."

"Do you know now how to satisfy His Majesty?"

He asked.

Yu Donglai pondered for a while, then nodded and said seriously: "Your Majesty may need a minister who is cruel and ruthless, and Your Majesty also needs a few more people to die in the Ministry of War. Therefore, after I go back, I should think carefully about how to draw up the list of corrupt officials of the Ministry of War."

Huai Qiugong couldn't help laughing, his face full of relief.

"That's not ruthless, it's righteousness."

He smiled and said, "What is the righteousness? Be loyal to Your Majesty, satisfy Your Majesty, solve your problems, follow Your Majesty's heart, and be wise to the way of the ruler and the subject. When you should be a gentleman, when you should be a villain, when you should be a villain, when you should be a hawk, when you wag your tail, when you should be a dog, is the greatest meaning of being a minister."

Yu Donglai sat upright and then gave a deep gift: "Thank you, Mr. Huai, for your advice."
Chapter completed!