In the East Palace and Hongde Hall, a palace discussion is taking place. The atmosphere is not good and makes people feel depressed. What is being discussed is undoubtedly the most eye-catching "Twenty-Eight Ministers Case" in the current court.
From the "Xue family's injustice and extermination case" to the "Zhang Jinjie case", from the "overthrow of the king case" to the "abolition of the imperial city", in just more than ten days, the turmoil in the Luoyang court became more and more intense, and the situation continued to escalate.
Now, another "Twenty-eight Ministers Case" has emerged.
Those who were imprisoned by Emperor Liu for jointly submitting a memorial to punish Wang Jien, including Zhang Xun and Lu Mengzheng, totaled twenty-eight people. The next day, the title "Twenty-Eight Ministers" spread like wildfire, and some people also called them "Two Eight Ministers".
"Eighteen virtuous ministers" and "Twenty-eight gentlemen".
For a time, Zhang, Lu and others became virtuous gentlemen who resisted the rule of villains and upheld the justice of national law. The reputation of the twenty-eight people became more famous. Many people spontaneously publicized their "stories" and told the ins and outs of the incident, and even became
Collected information from the discussions between marketmen.
Of course, some people were secretly pushing behind this. They wanted to further expand the impact of this matter, to make Emperor Liu feel the fierce public opinion below, and to open the eyes of the old emperor. Public sentiment is irreversible and public opinion cannot be violated.
However, in the eyes of the old emperor, what is such behavior? Forced into the palace! Such a situation would have been impossible even ten years ago. In the eyes of Emperor Liu, this is a group of bureaucrats who are unwilling to be lonely and have ulterior motives. They are plotting evil and bullying.
He is old and faint, and I want to use this to arm-wrestle him!
With Emperor Liu's current mentality, it is conceivable how he would react to such a situation. There is absolutely no possibility of retreating. If he gives in this time, he will have to retreat again and again in the future.
On this principled issue, there cannot be any compromise with those bureaucrats, otherwise there will be endless troubles.
The monarchy and the power of ministers have always loved and killed each other, one after another. So far, Emperor Liu was more convinced of his previous suspicions. The fundamental purpose of these bureaucrats was themselves, and they wanted to limit the imperial power and restrict his power.
The old emperor is no longer like before. He does not hide his attachment to power and desire for control. Anyone who wants to use their brains in this regard will only receive a severe blow from him. The death of Jiang Mu is a warning.
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However, some people did not take it too seriously, or they had no intention of turning back, so they had to struggle with Emperor Liu based on reason, trying to solve the problem within the political rules. However, today's old emperor, where is he still?
A reasonable person, in his mind, only suspicion, fear and anger are left in this matter, and only those irrational heart-wrenching questions remain.
If Emperor Liu had no intention of killing at the beginning, then when the reputation of "Twenty-Eight Ministers" reached his ears, his murderous intention almost boiled over. This was also true for Zhang Xun and Lu Mengzheng.
, no matter how much appreciation and value I had before, it is all insignificant in the heart of a single husband.
To be honest, whether he killed General Mu or imprisoned Zhang, Lu and others, Emperor Liu's actions did great harm to the court system. It can even be said that Emperor Liu was digging up the foundation he had built over decades.
A system that is full of rationality and relatively pursues fairness.
It is conceivable that when the emperor himself does not care about the rules, it will have a bad impact on the country, the court, and the country. This impact may not explode like a fire, but its profound and heavy influence is difficult to measure.
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It is no longer easy to establish a set of systems and rules. It will take a long time to make them deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and accepted by the public. However, to shake its foundation, perhaps all it takes is the willfulness of the old emperor in his extreme mental state.
Prince Liu Yang has always been paying attention to these things and is very worried about them. It is not easy for a man to be what he is today. It took decades of hard work to achieve what he has achieved. Liu Yang really does not want Emperor Liu to
Because of a moment of anger, it affected the overall situation of the court, ruined the system, ruined the reputation, and chilled the hearts of the people.
In fact, Liu Yang had only cautiously expressed concern about the behavior of Lu, Zhang and others before, neither supporting nor opposing, and was prepared to wait and see for changes. However, the changes in this situation were a bit too rapid, which made Liu Yang
They are all a bit overwhelmed, let alone others.
Liu Yang didn't have much of a problem with Wang Jien. This old eunuch was a traitor and a capable person. Although he didn't have much moral integrity, he was still loyal to the royal family and always respectful to himself. He rarely compromised on his errands. When it came to his ability to do things,
Better than most bureaucrats in the court.
Putting Wang Jien aside, Liu Yang certainly has opinions in his heart about the Imperial City Division's behavior and the various chaos and evils it has caused over the years. Just because he doesn't mention it doesn't mean he doesn't think about it.
Of course, more importantly, looking at it from the perspective of a superior, Liu Yang clearly felt the anger of the nobles and bureaucrats caused by the rampant imperial city division in these years.
In terms of the security of rule and the stability of people's hearts, the elite ruling class of the Han Dynasty, the nobles and bureaucrats, need to be appeased, and certain measures can be taken against Wang Jien and the Imperial City Secretary.
However, Liu Yang is not Liu Hui. He has a much deeper understanding of the Imperial City Division. Even if the Imperial City Division needs to be rectified, it must be under the premise of ensuring its stable combat effectiveness, and the purpose is to make it better serve the people.
Emperor, serve the Heavenly Family.
As an heir, he would ban the Imperial City Division only if he is mentally paralyzed to support such a stupid suggestion. The two major spy organizations, Imperial City and Wude, the Wude Division has a wider scope of influence, but the Imperial City Division has a greater influence on the emperor.
The role of controlling the ministers is even greater, because his duty is to monitor public opinion in the capital and internal and external ministers.
Without the Imperial City Division, how could the old emperor live in Ziwei City? I don’t know how he would be deceived by his subordinates! Based on this understanding, even if Liu Yang ascends the throne in the future, he will still need the Imperial City Division. How can he
Possibly destroying one's own eyes and ears, cutting off one's own claws and claws?
Therefore, Liu Yang's current mentality is quite contradictory. On the one hand, he is annoyed that Zhang, Lu and other ministers caused this turmoil. On the other hand, he is unwilling to see Emperor Liu take drastic measures against them, which would harm the country.
Unprofitable.
But the current situation is already awkward and is on the verge of danger. Once the old emperor becomes evil and gives an edict, it will be irreversible. And with such persuasion, how can we calm down the storm?
Let this dispute land as smoothly as possible, but it will be a bit of a test for Liu Yang.
After thinking about it for a long time, he summoned his staff and asked for countermeasures. However, few of them could follow his train of thought and understand his thoughts. Each and every one of them was obviously a retainer of the prince, but their buttocks were also crooked.
Zhang, Lu and others went there.
Looking at the righteous and emotional dissuasion, Liu Yang felt disgusted for no reason. After his training, these subordinate officials were not a big problem when used to do things, but they had to discuss important matters.
Lack of a lot.
Since Murong Defeng and other old ministers of the prince were released, Liu Yang was left with only three or two big and small kittens. Of course, this does not mean that the prince's power has withered, but that his influence is hidden in a relatively undetectable depth.
In fact, with the strength Liu Yang has accumulated over the past thirty years, he does not need too many people to help him wave the flag and shout for help. That will only attract hatred. But it is undeniable that if Liu Yang really wants to make some big moves, then
It can also set off a huge wave for the Han court.
A prince's handwriting can control most of the bureaucrats in the world, and even part of the army. This is the prestige that a smart prince has spent thirty years to develop. If he confronts Emperor Liu, there is a high probability that he will not be able to withstand the consequences brought by his father.
Liu Yang's loyalty, filial piety and righteousness were not something that Emperor Liu could manipulate at will.
The more this happened, the more cautious Liu Yang became. Being a prince for more than thirty years has indeed been too long and too hard, but he has been waiting for more than thirty years and is not afraid of waiting two more years.
And Emperor Liu’s body
When my thoughts came back, a group of East Palace officials were still discussing, saying that the twenty-eight ministers were loyal, virtuous, and had impressive integrity. They needed to intercede for forgiveness. If they were executed, it would be a huge loss to the imperial court.
After hearing this, Liu Yang didn't feel bored and couldn't help but knock on the copper case in front of him. The prince's majesty was still enough, and the Hongde Hall quickly became quiet.
Looking at the group of people, Liu Yang said coldly: "His Majesty has not yet issued a decree to deal with it. What are you panicking about? What are you anxious about?"
Faced with such questions from His Highness the Crown Prince, the mood of the officials immediately cooled down, and several of them even turned red with shame. After all, the ridicule in Liu Yang's tone was too obvious.
"Your Highness, please calm down. It's your fault!"
And Liu Yang didn't listen to Luo Lu's thoughts anymore. After all, he couldn't hear any constructive opinions. He pondered for a while and waved his hands to everyone: "This is the end of today's discussion. You all should stand down!"
Seeing this, the ministers did not dare to say anything, and bowed and resigned one after another. Regardless of whether His Highness the Crown Prince accepted it or not, their thoughts had been stated, which was a sufficient demonstration of loyalty.
"Xu Shilian, stay here for a moment!" Liu Yang suddenly called out as he observed the ministers from the corner of his eye.
Xu Shilian was the scholar who beat the drum and complained to the emperor sixteen years ago. Because it was finally confirmed that Li Fang had no favoritism, Xu Shilian was sent to Fengzhou in the final disposition.
I stayed in Fengzhou for ten years. It was bitterly cold in the north of the Great Wall, and my life was extremely dim. There was no hope for my future. The turning point occurred during the Yulin Rebellion. Although Fengzhou was at the northernmost end of Yulin Road, separated by a desert and a river,
Still affected.
There had been rebel attacks, and the state was in panic. In times of crisis, Xu Shilian and Xu Xuan, who was also a prostitute, gathered a group of local warriors to help defend the city, repel the invading bandits, and later defeated Beidun.
In the process of Li Jijian moving his army, Fengzhou officers and soldiers also made a lot of contributions.
It was precisely because of his outstanding performance during Li Jiqian's rebellion that Xu Shilian completely washed away his bad deeds and was commended by the court. He even came into Emperor Liu's sight again and was highly praised.
The reason is also very simple. As a scholar who has been exiled to the border for ten years, he has suffered a lot. His life has been in darkness for a long time, and his future is bleak. When things are urgent, he still stands firmly on the side of the court and is loyal to him.
Sincerity, regardless of one's deeds and one's heart, Xu Shilian should be established as a model of loyalty and virtue based on this real performance.
He deserved to be promoted. First, he was directly promoted from an exiled scholar to Fengzhou Sima. He was soon transferred to Beijing as the censor, and then promoted to the director of the Ministry of Industry. Until he was favored by the prince, he was transferred to the East Palace as the right concubine.
So, until now.
Xu Shilian's official career can be said to be wonderful, but the ups and downs and hardships during it are also very difficult for people to bear. Now, he has become the retainer of Prince Liu Yang, and his future is unlimited. To a certain extent, Xu Shilian even has to be grateful to that person.
Ten years of hard work.
In contrast, Wu Jichuan, the Jinshi who was accused at the time, was indeed good in talent and learning, but after sixteen or seventeen years, he was still compiling books in Jixian Hall, with no future at all.
Liu Yang still admires Xu Shilian. After all, he is a talent who has gone through many tests. Looking at Xu Shilian, who is neither humble nor arrogant, Liu Yang asked softly: "Just now, everyone expressed their opinions, but you remained silent and didn't say a word."
Fa! This turmoil is so big, don’t you have anything to say?"
After hearing the question, Xu Shilian was silent for a moment, and then he bowed his hands to Liu Yang and said, "I have something in my heart, but I'm afraid that what I said may not be what His Highness meant, or even offend His Highness!"
Hearing what he said, Liu Yang naturally became more interested. He stretched out his hand and said, "Come and listen!"
After a pause, Xu Shilian said solemnly: "Excuse me for being frivolous, but in this palace full of mediocre ministers, no one is planning for His Highness, and no one talks about the key points of this matter!
In my humble opinion, Your Highness's current plan is not to get involved lightly in this matter and to plead for mercy. Instead, he should remain silent and not express his position. Even if he wants to do something, he should make a statement and firmly support any resolution made by His Majesty.
, there is absolutely no other choice!
Compared with this turmoil in the imperial court, whether it is the rectification of political malpractice in the northwest or the nationwide tax reform, they are more important and are what His Highness should really do!"
"You want me to turn a deaf ear and be alone?" When Liu Yang heard this, his face showed no signs of change, but after thinking about it for a moment, he slowly said: "Zhang, Lu and others are important officials of the imperial court. If they sit back and watch their suffering, what will happen to the imperial court?"
It is indeed a big loss, and it also undermines His Majesty's wisdom. As a prince, if I remain silent and sit back and do not remonstrate, I am afraid that I will chill the hearts of my ministers."
Liu Yang said this calmly, but somewhat insincerely. However, he stared at Xu Shilian with great interest, observing his reaction.
And Xu Shilian did not disappoint him. He hesitated for a moment, bowed his hands and bowed again, with a serious tone: "Not to mention today's trouble, it is all the fault of yourself. I will boldly say that even ten Zhangs and Lu are not as important as the safety of Your Highness!"
"
As soon as these words came out, the Hongde Hall suddenly became quiet. Liu Yang pondered for a while, and then said leisurely to Xu Shilian: "Xu Qing, you are very good."
Xu Shilian was slightly surprised, but quickly reacted: "I have spoken and acted like a fool, and please forgive me for my sins!"
Waving his hand, Liu Yang said softly: "I already know your opinion, so please step aside!"
"I resign!"
Xu Shilian was an unexpected gain. I never thought that he could touch a bit of my own psychology. After pondering for a while, Liu Yang murmured: "How easy is it to be alone?"
Almost immediately following Liu Yang's emotion, not long after, Wang Yue, the chamberlain, came to report. Someone came from Chui Gong Palace to announce the decree, and Emperor Liu summoned him.