Du Yan glanced at Su Jin, who had an unkind look on his face, and slowly stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I think that the concerns of Mr. Qian, Mr. Wang and others are unreasonable. They are also for the sake of the purity of the Song Dynasty. There is nothing wrong with that."
Everyone had known that this would be the result. If Du Yan, Qian Mingyi and others did not wear a pair of underpants, it would be like the sun was shining in the west.
"Does Du Aiqing mean to support the severe punishment of Fan Zhongyan and others?" Zhao Zhen asked.
Du Yan coughed and cupped his hands and said: "Well... although the old minister thinks that Master Qian and Master Wang are right, he does not agree with severely punishing Han Fan and others. On the contrary, he wants to ask the emperor to think twice before acting, consider their starting point, and give them some punishment."
Leniency.”
"What?"[
"Du Gong, what are you talking about?"
Qian Mingyi, Wang Gongchen and a group of officials who agreed were so shocked that they could stuff a duck egg into their mouths. The eyes of all the officials in the palace were once again scattered on the floor. Du Yan could actually intercede for Fan Zhongyan and others. This was simply a big joke.
, if you don’t hear it with your own ears and see it with your own eyes, who can believe it.
Most people didn't believe Du Yan's words. They all believed that Du Yan was playing tricks and deliberately showing generosity to avoid being blamed for adding insult to injury. They said this when the decision to severely punish Fan Zhongyan, Han Qi and others was basically finalized.
This is a cunning strategy.
Zhao Zhen was slightly surprised, tilted his head and asked: "Oh? What Privy Du means is that I should give Fan Zhongyan and others a lighter sentence? Hasn't Privy Du always written letters saying that the crime of traitorous party members and disrupting the government is forgivable? Why did he change his tune today?
?”
Du Yan's face turned red, and he complained in his heart that the emperor had revealed in public what he had written to demand severe punishment, without giving him a way out, but he could not care less about the embarrassment at this moment, Su Jin's big eyes were staring at his every move,
He didn't want to make Su Jin anxious and make things get out of hand in front of Su Jin.
"Your Majesty, I did advocate severe punishment for traitors, but I also feel that this matter is too important to make a hasty decision. In recent days, I have been thinking hard day and night and sent people to secretly visit Fan Zhongyan, Han Qi and his party members, but no harm has been found.
The most serious thing is that although Han Fan and others risked the disapproval of the world to form cliques, they did not have time to do anything really harmful to the court;
Many mistakes were made, but the faults of the New Deal and the troubles caused by cronyism are two different things. Just from the perspective of cronyism, the harm has not yet been caused, and there is no conclusive evidence to say that they have other conspiracy theories. From the emperor to the emperor in the Song Dynasty,
They all adhere to the principle of benevolence and forgiveness. How can they be severely punished based on speculation without evidence, let alone being tortured directly to extract a confession according to what Mr. Qian and Mr. Wang said? Wouldn't it be a joke if it were spread?"
Qian Mingyi looked straight at Du Yan, wanting to speak but not daring to speak. What happened to the boss today? Did he take the wrong medicine?
Zhao Zhen frowned and said: "What you say seems to make sense, but forming a party needs to cause harm. This kind of behavior itself has a very bad impact. If you don't punish it severely, you are not allowing others to follow suit."
Du Yan said calmly: "Your Majesty, there is no need to worry. We will not punish you severely, but you can punish him severely. This will serve as a warning to make everyone in the world vigilant. Furthermore, if we talk about the true intentions of Fan Zhongyan, Han Qi and others, I can guarantee that they will be of the same rank."
Lost in the heart,
Judging from the past performance of these people, they can still be called ministers who are loyal to the emperor and love the people. The reason why they have changed like this is that they were promoted too quickly and the emperor trusted them too much, so that they relied on pampering to become inflated. "
Zhao Zhen said displeased: "What you mean is not mine."
Du Yan was shocked to realize that he had said the wrong thing and hurriedly said: "I deserve to die. What I mean is that they do not know how to cherish the grace of the Holy One and do not become more diligent and self-disciplined because of the Emperor's trust. On the contrary, they are arrogant and arrogant, leading them to go astray."
Zhao Zhen said: "You guarantee that they just went astray? Do you dare to guarantee that?"
Du Yan said: "I dare to vouch for them."
Zhao Zhen shouted: "Did you guarantee it?"
Du Yan murmured: "My lord...my lord..."
Su Jin stepped forward and said: "I have come to guarantee that if Fan Zhongyan, Han Qi and others are found to have ulterior motives in the future, I am willing to sit down together."
Zhao Zhen frowned and was about to scold Su Jin for interfering, when he saw Bao Zheng step out of the queue and said: "My minister Bao Zheng is also willing to guarantee that, like Mr. Su, he is willing to sit together in the future."
Du Yan took advantage of this moment to wink at Wang Gongchen and Qian Mingyi. Only then did the two of them really believe that Du Yan really wanted to excuse Han Fan and others. Although they didn't know what was going on, they followed the steps of the boss Du Yan.
It is the duty of a younger brother.
Qian Mingyi stepped forward shamelessly and said: "This... I am going to report to the Emperor. I was immediately enlightened after listening to Privy Du's words. What I just said was biased. After thinking about it just now, I also feel that Han Fan and others have expanded their power too quickly.
Unless it is caused by myself, there will be no real conspiracy, so I retract the proposal just now." [
Zhao Zhen said angrily: "You have changed very quickly. It was dark just now and then white in the blink of an eye. Do you still have an accurate idea? It is unreasonable to treat major national affairs like child's play."
Qian Mingyi hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, please calm down. Knowing your mistakes can greatly improve things. I also realized my mistakes and corrected them immediately. I don't want to make a mistake all the way to the end."
Zhao Zhen said angrily: "You are right, that's all. Get up and think it through before discussing it in the future. I don't want to hear these contradictory words again."
Qian Mingyi wiped his sweat and thanked him before stepping back. He glanced at Du Yan like a resentful woman and thought to himself: Boss, you almost hurt me. If you don't explain it to me afterward, I won't obey.
Du Yan gave him a look of relief, leaned over and said again: "Your Majesty, I boldly suggest that the punishment for Fan Zhongyan, Han Qi and others should be light and moderate. This can not only reflect the Emperor's reasonableness, tolerance and open-mindedness, but also stabilize the situation.
It caused great panic, but the New Deal must be abolished immediately. This matter is unpopular, and it is Han Fan and others who have vigorously implemented it. It is necessary to implement it again. The fallacies caused during the New Deal must be corrected one by one, so as to win over the people's anger and win the hearts of the people."
Zhao Zhen sighed and said: "What you said makes sense. I also think that Fan Zhongyan, Han Qi and others will not be so corrupted all of a sudden. After all, these people were all our heroes in the Song Dynasty. Han Qi, Fan Zhongyan and others fought hard to resist the Western thieves in the northwest."
After several years of hard work, Fu Bi has been with me for many years, and he is honest and cautious. Ouyang Xiu has been in charge of the Yushitai for several years, and he always has the character of criticizing ministers. These people are the important weapons of the country that I am optimistic about, but because of this,
They made a big mistake, and I feel extremely sad."
Yan Shu hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, don't worry. Real gold is not afraid of fire. A truly virtuous minister can naturally withstand the attack and test of wind and rain. Although these people have talents and abilities, they may not be able to take on important responsibilities. Your Majesty said
It’s a pity for talent. If they have a little knowledge, they should learn from their mistakes and change their past mistakes. It’s also good for them.”
Zhao Zhen nodded and said: "It's true, sharpness comes from hard work, so I will follow the advice of all the ministers and give these people a lighter sentence. Huang Peisheng has drafted the decree."
Huang Peisheng quickly picked up a pen and paper to record. Zhao Zhen frowned, looked at the beams of the hall, and said slowly: "Fan Zhongyan, Han Qi, Fu Bi, Ouyang Xiu and others, regardless of Shengen, formed a secret alliance and took advantage of the implementation of the New Deal.
, eliminate dissidents, and criticize courtiers; the New Deal was originally a policy for a powerful country, but it has been criticized by everyone. I deeply regret the disappointment; I originally planned to punish the four people severely, but I thought that the four people had upright intentions and the harm would not be great. In addition, they were once members of the imperial court.
As a minister of meritorious service, I will be given a lighter sentence as requested by the ministers."
The ministers listened carefully to the fate of these four people with their ears perked up and not daring to say anything.
"Fan Zhongyan was the leader of the clique, and he refused to admit that he had formed a clique. He falsely said that he was 'unbreakable', which only aroused public anger. He was dismissed from the posts of Deputy Privy Envoy and Tongzhi Political Affairs, and at the same time, he was dismissed from the Yanhuan and Qingliang Roads.
He was demoted to the county magistrate of Lubin County in the west of Beijing. Han Qi was demoted from the post of deputy privy envoy to Yangzhou Prefecture. He was demoted to the post of deputy privy envoy to Fu Bi. He was demoted to Yunzhou and Ouyang Xiuyu was demoted.
Shi Zhongcheng was demoted to Chuzhou, Huainan Road. The rest of the party members will be dismissed and demoted to minor officials after verification. All ministers and officials at all levels need to take this as a warning and remember the words "In the era of governance, you will not be a partisan". I admire this!
"
As soon as Zhao Zhen finished speaking, there was a sound of gasping in the court. Some people did not expect that Fan Zhongyan and others would be so cheap, and some did not expect that the sentences would be so severe. These four people were demoted thousands of miles away.
Around the world, even the cronies had an opportunity to reunite again; and Fan Zhongyan fell from a second-rank official in the dynasty and was demoted directly to the magistrate of Bin County. It seemed that the emperor was showing mercy, but in fact he was slapping Fan Zhongyan's mouth.
Han Qi and Fu Bi were much luckier. Firstly, these two were Fan Zhongyan's right-hand men, so they had slightly lighter responsibilities. Secondly, perhaps because of Yan Shu, Fu Bi had to be punished with some respect, while Han Qi
Following Zhan Guang, although the two were demoted, they at least retained their positions as state officials.
Ouyang Xiu was the luckiest. He wrote that "On Clique" and blatantly advocated the crime of clique. He should have been punished more severely, but for some unknown reason he managed to retain his position as the governor of Chuzhou. Perhaps Zhao Zhen saw it.
For Su Jin's sake, the punishment was still relatively light.
As soon as the punishment result came out, Su Jin breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, no big mistake was made. Once these four people were imprisoned, although they could only hang out in the state capital outside the capital from now on, they might never have the opportunity to join the central government, but at the very least,
With his life saved, he has lived up to his efforts in the past few days and even fell out with Zhao Zhen.