"Killing Gao Shen alone is nothing...but what I want is conclusive evidence and clear punishment. If he beheaded hastily, doesn't it mean that I covered up his crime and sent it back to Zhongshu for further discussion?"
Li Po flipped through the thick case file and returned to Zhongshu almost without thinking. It was idle in the winter, so it would be more interesting to put it off a little longer.
Li Gang, the minister of Dali Temple, was filled with bitterness after hearing this.
He previously served as the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Prince's Young Master, but was later dismissed due to circumstances and went to Tongguan to assist Prince Li Jiancheng in leading the army. After Li Jiancheng's death, he, Wang Gui and others returned to Chang'an as surrenders, and soon became Minister of Dali Temple.
He has held many prominent positions throughout his life, and has always had a reputation for being upright in the court. Otherwise, he would not have been able to hold a position like Minister of Dali Temple. Obviously, the new emperor also praised his virtues...
Major cases like Gao Shen's are not unique. As long as you are in charge of Dali Temple, you may encounter one or two from time to time.
For example, Liu Wenjing's case was included in this list a few years ago. The same three-provincial trial resulted in Liu Wenjing's death. The subsequent Yang Wenqian case was similar, except that as a close relative of the prince, he did not participate in it.
These major cases are very involved, and the tendency of the emperor and courtiers is obvious. In the end, the knot must be cut quickly, otherwise those who are about to die will bite randomly and cannot control the progress of the situation.
It's nothing like the Gao Shen case, which has been dragged on and on. It seems that no one except them in Dali Temple wants to conclude the case as soon as possible.
This time he personally went to the palace to see the emperor and presented the case, just to close the case, but the emperor was still not satisfied. What kind of result did the emperor want? He asked himself for the thousandth time.
The emperor wants to kill chickens to scare monkeys, the emperor wants to shock the ministers, the emperor wants to make this case a solid case... The longer the delay is, the harder it will be to pick up the shame that Gao has fallen on the ground, and many people are happy to see the result.
Li Gang actually understands these principles, but it is difficult to do them in Dali Temple.
When the Gao Shen case broke out, waves of people came to plead for mercy, and it was easy to get rid of them. It was not like he had not experienced it before. Later, there were fewer people asking for mercy, but more people advised him to close the case quickly.
It was obvious that the Gao family suffered a crushing defeat under internal and external attacks. From Gao Shen to Gao Yun and others, they also got advice from others and only wanted a quick death. At this point, Li Gang thought that the case could be closed.
Most of the cases arising from the court disputes were like this, but the Gao family was hung up in public... There were also frame-ups in the middle, such as the absence of the cloth from the Ministry of Revenue, which was inexplicable. Gao Shen and others were obviously unaware of it, but it became a
committed one of his most serious crimes.
Li Gang claimed to be honest, but he actually tried a confused case. What's even more sad is that he probably had to be confused to close the case. Let alone find out who framed Gao Shen, he just wanted to say something fair for Gao Shen.
You have to weigh it all carefully.
He once said a few words to Liu Wenjing, but in the end he was unflattering. The prince was dissatisfied, the King of Qin was ungrateful, and the emperor Li Yuan was even more unable to explain.
So he simply lost his position as Minister of Household Affairs and stayed at home to recuperate from illness for a long time.
Now that he has learned wisely, he has successfully completed the trial of the stupid case, and has been praised by all parties. His position as Minister of Dali Temple is extremely stable, but he has aged a few years since the trial.
Now the emperor and courtiers are not in a hurry, but more and more of his relatives, friends, and old acquaintances are visiting at the request of others, and the pressure from the Bohai Gao family has all come to Dali Temple.
Li Gang, who was worried and wanted to go home again to recuperate, slowly walked out of the Tai Chi Hall. His hair was gray and his body was slightly stooped. He looked very pitiful.
I happened to meet Feng Deyi, the servant of the sect, who was also not young, but his steps were steady, his posture was straight, and his energy was so high that he immediately outdid Li Gang. Of course, Li Gang was indeed older than Feng Deyi.
It's a big round.
The two of them saluted each other, and Feng Deyi asked with a smile, "Mr. Li is here, but the Gao Shen case has been resolved?"
Li Gang had always disliked Feng Deyi as a person, and acted rather coldly, "How could Feng Shilang still ask questions knowingly when he was at the emperor's side? How could it be so easy to settle this case?"
After saying this, he walked away without waiting for Feng Deyi to reply.
Looking at his back, Feng Deyi smiled, but he secretly snorted in his heart. People who betray their master don't know what they can repay. Do you know that you can be transferred to the position of Minister of Dali Temple, and I have a share of the credit?
Woolen cloth?
Li Gang did not affect his good mood. Good news came from outside frequently. The emperor was always in a good mood. As the emperor's close ministers, their mood was not too bad.
The Gao Shen case had nothing to do with him. Although he did a lot of tricks in it, it was all done under orders. It was not that he, Feng Deyi, really wanted to embarrass the fellow Gao family members.
After entering the side hall, he saw the emperor walking around the hall as usual, so he calmed down his expression and came closer.
Hearing the sound of footsteps, Li Po looked up, waved and said with a smile: "You came just in time. The secretary-superintendent has sent us the preliminary order of Sui Shi. Please come and take a look at it to see if there is anything wrong with it."
Feng Deyi's heart skipped a beat. There are many people who compile history and death. As a former official of the Sui Dynasty, it is easy to make mistakes when making final conclusions about his old employer.
The initial setting is a general directional framework. The merits and demerits are determined first, and then the content is filled in. Generally speaking, the longer the time in the past, the more fair the judgment of the history book will be, and the closer the time is, the more obvious the tendency will be.
Anyone who understands history understands that there is no absolutely true history book, so when looking at history, you should learn from it and don't worry too much about its authenticity.
Taking the book presented by the eunuch, Feng Deyi asked carefully: "Why is the Supreme Being so anxious to revise the history of the Sui Dynasty? You know... the ministers of the previous dynasty are still there, so it is probably a little early to determine their merits and demerits?"
Li Po smiled disapprovingly, "At the beginning of the year, Secretary Supervisor Dou Jing showed me the History of the Sui Dynasty revised by the former Sui Dynasty and Li Yuan. It was really annoying to read it.
When Yang Guang was here, he exhausted the people's power, and it was written down in the history books as his contribution. With so many grievances lingering around him, he was not afraid of being uneasy after death. He was so comatose that he had never been seen before or since.
.
Li Yuan is quite successful. He didn't blow himself up to heaven, but he made me a rebellious traitor. Now that I have entered Chang'an, I naturally have to come and practice cultivation quickly to give myself and the people of the world justice.
Moreover, I am also a minister of the previous dynasty. If you go by your statement, will I not be able to study the history of the Sui Dynasty in my lifetime?"
Look, look, I've already committed a crime before I even said anything. If I make such irresponsible remarks again, I'm afraid I'll suffer a big loss.
However, the emperor's straightforwardness still surprised him. It was not surprising that the emperor interfered in the revision of history, but not many people clearly told others that I just wanted to revise history according to their own likes and dislikes.
Feng Deyi felt that it would be better if Li Gang was here. That fellow had a rather stubborn temper and would definitely advise the emperor to restrain himself, and then he would be overwhelmed by the emperor's anger. What a good thing.
When it was his turn, he bowed his head and read history honestly. Emperor Wen's achievements were obvious. He killed many heroes in his later years, but it was not all the fault of Emperor Wen himself.
The heroes and generals were so proud of their merits that they had their own ways of killing themselves, and many of them got involved in the struggle for the throne between brothers Yang Yong and Yang Guang.
Yang Guang... Feng Deyi couldn't help but think of the king he had served before. He was a man who was very kind to his ministers, but was too fond of success.
His ambition was so great that it required countless people to die to achieve it, so the former Sui Dynasty also died. According to this statement, his close ministers will not have a good reputation in the history books.
Thinking of this, Feng Deyi's back felt a little cold, and names passed through his mind one by one. Most of their endings were miserable, such as Yu Shiji who was chopped into pieces by the rebel army, Yu Wenshu who died of illness in Luoyang, and
His two unlucky sons both died in Hebei.
Duan Wenzhen died of illness on the way to conquer Liaodong, Fan Zigai died of illness in Luoyang, Wei Xuan died of illness in Chang'an, Mai Tiezhang died on the bank of the Liao River, Yin Shishi was killed by Li Yuan, and faces emerged one after another.
When they came out, everything became dim again.
Almost all of them had extraordinary achievements, but they all died one after another when the king was at his most confused. Now the person who makes the final judgment about them...
Feng Deyi sighed secretly, and because he was touched, he had the courage to speak.
When covering up the scroll, he hesitated again and again, and then said: "Yang Guang's unrighteousness caused great chaos in the world. Although I was once his minister, I was unable and unwilling to open my eyes to him... But those... assisting people, regardless of their talents or virtues,
, everyone can see it, I ask your Majesty... to be merciful, and to show your merits when talking about your mistakes... to save them some face."
He said the words hesitantly, and the more he said it, the more he regretted it. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said it, and he was already sweating a lot. This was really in great conflict with his personality and code of conduct.
Li Po looked at him in surprise and looked at him with admiration.
"Yes, the Qing family is quite humane... But I am not the one who compiles history. There is no need to be merciful. The so-called justice lies in the heart of the people. Everyone's merits and demerits will be judged by those who compile history. As long as you don't turn Yang Guang into a saint,
If you describe me as a rebel and traitor, I won't say much.
You said I have too much free time, do you want to be a historian?"
Feng Deyi secretly wiped his sweat, nodded and laughed, "What the Supreme Lord said is that I spoke indiscriminately when I was in a hurry. Please forgive me for that."
Li Po snorted and said to himself that he really needs to be forgiven. If word spreads that I have tampered with history, then our reputation will be lost. Will people scold me to death in the future?
Li Po was actually in a good mood, so he didn't record it in the account book for Feng Deyi. After saying a few words, Feng Deyi nervously touched the paper hidden in his sleeve, and finally turned it out and presented it to the emperor.
"The former minister of household affairs, the warrior Xun, came to discuss six strategies. I read it and thought it was quite insightful. Now I present it to the Supreme Being, and I ask the Supreme Being to comment on it."
Samurai Xun... this name sounds so familiar, Li Po couldn't help but think.