The horizon has just turned white. When I walked into Chengtian Gate and looked up, the Tai Chi Hall in the distance still looked hazy.
Zhang Yang walked among the crowd, glanced around and saw Xu Xiaode who said nothing, and then saw Lu Chengqing walking calmly.
Zhang Yang walked towards Xu Xiaode with his hands in his hands, "Xu Yushi?"
Xu Xiaode came back to his senses and said seriously: "Zhang Shangshu."
Walking into the hall together, Zhang Yang whispered: "What happened yesterday?"
Xu Xiaode smiled and said: "It went very smoothly."
"It went very smoothly?" Zhang Yang frowned and looked at Lu Chengqing, who was standing still in a trance in the crowd, "What does it mean that it went smoothly?"
Xu Xiaode added: "The lower official knows that Zhang Shangshu has been acting arrogantly and not following the rules."
"Are you just going around the corner and scolding me?"
"I don't mean that. There are ways to get down. Many things don't go as smoothly as expected. It's a pity that Lu Chengqing put him in the way again yesterday."
Xu Xiaode sighed again as he spoke, "I didn't expect it to be so easy to hold Lu Chengqing. It's like Zhang Shangshu said before that he wanted to hang a knife on the heads of hundreds of officials. If the Yushitai is said to be this one,
Dao, I think the current Yushitai should make changes."
I don’t know what kind of resistance Xu Xiaode encountered, but this guy seems to be very determined.
The discussion of officials in small groups could still be heard in the palace, which was like a swarm of mosquitoes buzzing in the palace.
Zhang Yang asked in a low voice: "What did your Majesty say yesterday?"
Xu Xiaode said sadly: "Your Majesty seemed to be understatement and didn't pay much attention to it. He even kept Lu Chengqing for dinner."
"So you had dinner with His Majesty at the Manna Palace yesterday? There was no interrogation?"
"Your Majesty didn't even mention it."
Don't you sometimes think that he has no other advantages besides being an emperor?
How could Li Shimin not know about these troubles in the DPRK?
If you underestimate this emperor, you will probably die badly.
"Don't worry, Zhang Shangshu, I will surely capture this person once I have the evidence of his crime."
The emperor hasn't come yet, and now a group of officials in the Taiji Hall are chatting about their parents' personal affairs.
Zhang Yang came to his seat, and Xu Jingzong behind him spoke in a low voice.
"I heard that His Majesty has been angry lately?"
"Really? Are you too tired?"
"Your Majesty cares deeply about the country and works hard day and night for the great cause of the future. He is indeed a role model for our generation."
Zhang Dasu and Xu Jingzong were talking, but Zhang Xiangxiang had a straight face and said nothing, and Li Baiyao also lowered his head and looked very low-key.
With the arrival of Li Shimin, the morning session began as usual.
All the ministers saluted Li Shimin, and the morning court began normally.
Li Chengqian stood in front of the court. As the prince, he first reported to His Majesty the latest affairs of the Zhongshu Province and the progress of the establishment of the official school.
"Father, it has been difficult to open the official school in Luoyang. I think we should send officials to supervise it."
Li Shimin nodded and said: "The Central Committee will discuss this matter before making a decision before making a report."
As long as Zhang Yang stops causing trouble, Li Shimin still thinks the world is quite beautiful.
After getting off the morning court smoothly, Zhang Yang was about to walk out of the Tai Chi Hall when he saw Wei Zheng coming towards him, "Mr. Zheng, long time no see."
"I see you every day in the court hall, why haven't you seen me for so long?"
"It's true." Zhang Yang smiled dryly, "Mr. Zheng is still as outspoken as ever."
Wei Zheng stroked his beard and said: "You are also a person who knows medical skills. I heard that His Majesty has been angry recently. Why don't you go and visit?"
Zhang Yang walked all the way with his hands in his hands and frowned: "Isn't he just angry? There are so many people in the Imperial Medical Office, so there is no need to lower the official position."
When he was about to move forward, Zhang Yang found that someone was holding him by the back of his collar. When he looked back, he saw that it was Wei Zheng who was holding him by the collar. "Mr. Zheng, do you have anything else to do?"
"You and I go to the Manna Palace to see His Majesty."
"I still have to rush to the East Market to buy groceries."
"It won't take long."
The officials around him had almost left. Li Chengqian was still in the palace. When he saw Zhang Yang and Wei Zheng, an old man and a young man, he asked curiously: "Zheng Gong and Zhang Shangshu still have important matters to discuss?"
Wei Zheng nodded and said, "I plan to go with him to see His Majesty."
Li Chengqian smiled in relief and said: "What a coincidence, I want to see my father."
The fact that Li Shimin got angry probably had something to do with Wei Zheng, and it definitely had nothing to do with him.
Zhang Yang thought in his mind that since Li Shimin opened up his voice, many people have given advice to the emperor, sometimes in the workplace and in the court.
Everyone works hard for a career goal. The emperor wants to become bigger and stronger, and the ministers want to be promoted to a higher position.
It's like a boss versus a subordinate.
When others are emperors, they always say the same thing.
As an emperor, our majesty will be criticized by officials from time to time.
Often talented civil servants will even quote scriptures to criticize people.
Can you not get angry?
Not wanting to see Li Shimin at this time, Zhang Yang raised his eyes and saw Wei Zheng's serious expression. It was impossible to turn back at this time.
Together with the prince, Wei Zheng came to Ganlu Hall and explained his intention.
The three of them walked into the palace, where Li Shimin was reviewing the memorial.
Wei Zheng bowed and saluted, "Why has Your Majesty not dealt with Lu Chengqing for so long?"
Li Shimin nodded and said: "Xu Xiaode came here yesterday, and I also listened to his memorial. I still need evidence."
Wei Zheng said: "The Yushitai found out that a village in Bashang belongs to him, and there is also a lot of gold and pearls in it. These are tributes. Since they were not given by your majesty, where did he get them?
, Hiding the tribute privately is not deceiving the emperor and neglecting his superiors."
Li Shimin said in a deep voice: "Yesterday, I asked someone to find out that the farmhouse does not belong to him, but to a traveling businessman."
After speaking, Li Shimin raised his eyes and looked at Zhang Yang, "What are you doing here?"
Zhang Yang cupped his hands and said, "I thought everything started from Yan Shigu. I wonder what Yan Shigu said when he was interrogated?"
Wei Zheng sighed: "This man only talked about accepting bribes. As for Lu Chengqing, he didn't mention a word."
Sometimes don't underestimate the ancients. They can cleverly create names to avoid questioning, just like the fields and cattle of the old Cheng family, and even the appearance of their own house. Although it is not a heinous thing, and they have not done anything bad, the old Cheng family is still in the Tang Dynasty.
It can be said that the roots are in full bloom.
It can be seen that this method of hiding wealth is not uncommon among wealthy families.
Zhang Yang bowed and said: "Your Majesty, I thought that by arresting Lu Chengqing, I could confiscate his family property, just like when I confiscated Yan Shigu's family property, Your Majesty must have gained a lot."
Li Shimin took a sip of the herbal tea that dispelled the fire. Even if this guy didn't mention money, he had to have a mouth that made people want to tear it apart.
"My knowledge is shallow and difficult to evaluate." Zhang Yang said loudly: "Well... I want you to tell me that the only way to relieve my worries is to kill them all."
"Kill them all..." Li Shimin looked at Zhang Yang and smiled coldly.
Noticing that Zheng Gong glanced at him, Zhang Yang spoke again: "The censor's accusations have always been based on hearsay and comments on the officials in the court. The censor's desk should also change and give more supervision."
right."
Li Shimin asked again: "How to monitor?"
"Back then, I built something called a suggestion box at Chengtianmen. At that time, the temple administration also gave the public the right to investigate and report. May I ask why Your Majesty is silent now? Do you want to put it aside like this?"
With the intention of giving the emperor some nerves, Zhang Yang continued, "Your Majesty, the court must stand by the masses. The masses are the greatest strength. As long as we can unite with the masses to overthrow Lu Chengqing and his ilk, there is no way."
difficulty."
Is this kid saying that I give up my roots and pursue my end?
Li Shimin felt a dull pain in his teeth, which was a sign that he was getting angry again, so he drank a sip of herbal tea to dispel the fire, trying to suppress the fire.
Wei Zheng did not speak, but raised his head and stared.
"I can give the Yushitai the power of supervision, but everything must be reported to Zhongshu Sheng. As for Zhang Yang's suggestion of giving the masses the power to investigate, I will also consider it."
Seeing that the fire was almost done, Wei Zheng bowed and saluted, "I will take my leave now."
Zhang Yang also followed suit and saluted, "I take my leave."
Before leaving, Zhang Yang saw Li Chengqian handing him a memorial. When he walked out of the palace, he heard the prince talking about the distribution of imperial examination packages.
His Majesty's response to Lu Chengqing's matter was ambiguous.
Wei Zheng's expression didn't look too good either.
Zhang Yang continued talking, "Mr. Zheng, it may not be effective to move Lu Chengqing. I think the most important thing is to eradicate officials like Lu Chengqing."
If Xu Xiaode's investigation was correct, Lu Chengqing had a human life on his back.
Just because he was carrying human lives, Xu Xiaode would not let go.
It was originally a matter of benefiting Yan Shigu. The matter seemed not big, but as Xu Xiaode inquired deeply, Lu Chengqing became anxious.
While transferring the family property, they also killed the whole family and left their bodies in the wilderness.
It's really unbearable for me.
A good family kills when asked. What a bullshit noble family. Why can you be so arrogant in the court after killing someone?
As they walked to Chengtian Gate, they bumped into Sun Wuji, the eldest son of Zhao Guogong.
"Mr. Zheng, I heard that the Yushitai is currently questioning Lu Chengqing?"
"This matter has nothing to do with Duke Zhao." Wei Zheng ignored him directly.
"The matter involves six ministers. It is of great importance and I have to come and ask. I dare to ask how far Duke Zheng wants to go."
Wei Zheng stopped and looked up at the sky, "When the truth comes out, there will be clarity in the world!"
Zhang Yang said loudly to Wei Zheng's back: "Mr. Zheng is really a role model for our generation, I admire you!"
The sound echoed in front of Chengtian Gate for a long time...
Changsun Wuji's face darkened, "Lao Fu, remember, this matter has nothing to do with your minister."
Zhang Yang grinned, still wearing a harmless smile, and saluted him, "Zhao Guogong, I have recently read books about sages, and now I have gained insights again."
"What is the realization?"
"Fight the evil forces to the end. I am sworn in with the evil forces!"
Changsun Wuji gritted his teeth and wanted to laugh but couldn't. His expression was a little embarrassed for a while, "Lu Chengqing was born in Youzhou. In his early years, his father followed the Supreme Emperor to fight against the Sui Dynasty. He was considered to have military exploits. His martial virtues had just established a foothold, but his father passed away.
Inheriting the name of Fanyang County Duke, he has a high reputation among the Fanyang gentry."
"He went from being a public servant to being the Minister of the Ministry of Finance step by step."
"Duke Zhao wants to warn me. Your Majesty doesn't want to touch Lu Chengqing at this time. Is it because of the reputation of the noble family behind him and his family's contribution to the Tang Dynasty?"
"If you act rashly, it will inevitably cause a lot of backlash."
Listening to Changsun Wuji's warning, Zhang Yang smiled and said, "If a person is responsible for a human life, can it be forgotten?"
"This..." Changsun Wuji was speechless.
Zhang Yang left the imperial city and came to the streets of Dongshi in a hurry. No matter how busy the court was, walking on the streets of Dongshi could calm him down.
Many people in the court were nervous, as long as they smelled the fishy smell from the fish vendors in the market, or saw the bloody meat stalls.
Looking at these things, Zhang Yang felt that he was still alive in the world, and sometimes he wondered if he was mentally ill.
It can actually calm your mood in a place filled with various flavors.
I bought some camphor meat from the butcher stall and some radishes to take home.
At home, Li Yue recently studied military books and made a sand table in the yard to practice marching and fighting.
When I saw my husband entering the house without saying a word, he went straight to the stove and was washing meat and vegetables. He looked back curiously.
"Bullshit noble family, sooner or later you will be ruined!" Zhang Yang chopped the meat and cursed.
"You are still hesitant to be an emperor, and you don't even dare to let go of the power of investigation. Didn't you get the benefits of uniting the masses to report the temple before? Now you don't do it anymore!"
Zhang Yang held up the handle of the knife to chop the meat, "You stinky emperor, bad emperor, stupid emperor, thank you! How can you fight against aristocratic families if you don't unite the masses! If you don't use such a huge power, is there something wrong with your brain!"
"
Seeing my husband cutting off sections of meat and bones and cursing my father, I don’t know what my husband went through in court today.
Xiao Wu was a little worried about Master's current condition. He walked to the teacher in small steps and asked, "What's wrong with Master?"
"Your master just loses his temper. He often criticizes the sky and the earth like this. Sometimes even the former saints have to curse a few times."
Xiao Wu glanced again and saw that the master was chopping carrots and still cursing.
"Well, you, Changsun Wuji, turned your elbows outward! Are you trying to persuade me to stop? I, Zhang Yang, am at odds with the evil forces!"
Twelve-year-old Xiao Wu held the scroll in her arms and looked at her master with a sad look on her face. She shook her head and sighed like an adult.
Seeing his aunt walking past the door of his house with a pile of cotton cloth, Xiao Wu put down his books and went to the yard of his aunt's house.
The yard of my aunt's house seemed very empty. Even if there was any furniture, it was leftover from the teacher's use, and my aunt was reluctant to throw it away.
Seeing Xiao Wu helping to sort out the cloth, her aunt smiled and said, "Xiao Wu is really sensible."
"Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it. People live on water, and they also live on water! It's been more than a thousand years, why can't you understand this?"
Even in his aunt's yard, Xiao Wu could still hear his master cursing and chopping meat.
Xiao Wu whispered: "It's been a long time since I've seen Master scold me for so long."
Auntie also knew that the prince-in-law was often in a bad mood. Sometimes he would lose his temper when he made small things, and he would curse people plausibly without knowing what he was saying.
"It'll be fine after a while, you'll get used to it." Auntie comforted Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu arranged the cloth, then helped his aunt clean the yard. He walked back to the teacher's yard with his short legs buried, came to the teacher's side, and helped organize the sand table.