Liu Che's words fell on everyone's ears clearly, like a bolt from the blue.
'I'?
Since Qin Shihuang, the only person who dares to call himself this is the Emperor!
This title has become a taboo for the emperor.
At this time, both Cheng Wen and Xu Wei had shock on their faces, and their two sides were fighting.
"Your Majesty!" At this time, among the crowd, a dozen guards dressed in plain clothes came out, knelt down, and worshiped: "I am here to serve you!"
An elite patrol force also entered from both sides of the alley, with heavily armed soldiers holding halberds standing solemnly on both sides of the alley.
An officer wearing a captain's armor dismounted from his horse, knelt down at the door of the house, kowtowed and said: "I have received an imperial edict from Yang Feng, the captain of the Tuenmen Military Academy of the Northern Army. I am here to listen to your majesty's edict!"
There was thunder in the distance, and the sound of horse hooves shook the streets inside and outside.
Obviously, this is the arrival of troops who were ordered to leave here.
At this moment, no one will question Liu Che's identity.
All the people inside and outside the alley bowed down and shouted: "Long live my emperor!"
Many people burst into tears and wept endlessly.
At this time, Xu Wei and Cheng Wen were frightened, and his thugs and subordinates were even more frightened.
They finally remembered the terrible legend, the scenes in Chi You's plays, and the cases told by novelists and gossips.
In Guanzhong and Chang'an, the footprints of Emperor Liu's fish and dragons and white clothes have been left everywhere.
From time to time, he transformed into a son of the Dou family, going in and out of the house and into the neighborhood.
Sometimes he transforms into Bo's nephew and goes into counties and villages, talking to farmers and playing with young children, like a child who has not grown up.
But wherever he goes, there will be bloody storms and huge waves.
Eight years ago, fortunately in Hedong, Hedong County Governor Zhou Yangyou and County Lieutenant Shentu both conspired to rebel and were disrespectful to the clan.
In the officialdom of Hedong, there are not even one official in ten who is worth more than a thousand stones.
There are twenty counties in Hedong County, and the county magistrates and county lieutenants of eighteen counties are all guilty. Let's stop.
Hundreds of people died, involving dozens of families.
This is the first time the world has seen the ruthlessness of this emperor.
At that time, he had not even been established yet.
Then, seven years ago, before he came to the throne, he traveled to Feng County to investigate corruption cases in Feng County, and killed the county magistrate and the three Qiangfu clans. According to legend, it was because of this incident that the emperor today hated all those who failed to do so.
A strict order was issued: all officials and those who refused to be promoted among the officials and officials would be dismissed.
This strict order saved countless lives, especially the lives of a large number of baby girls.
After he ascended the throne, there were rumors that the emperor had visited more places.
Some people claimed that they once saw the emperor squatting in the fields in Qishan Plain, talking to old farmers, asking them about their farming income and details of their family life.
Some people swore that they had seen the emperor in the wilderness of Hongguyuan, fishing by the Wei River, and talking to the traders and footmen. His words were as warm as family members.
In the city of Chang'an, at least hundreds of people claim every year that they have been 'fortunate to witness the beauty of heaven' or even 'been comforted by the emperor'.
In the past, these true and false news and jokes did not attract much attention from bureaucrats and nobles.
After all, one or two people said that they had seen the emperor incognito.
But there are hundreds or even thousands of similar incidents every year, and this is just nonsense.
Moreover, in many stories, the Emperor of Han Dynasty was still in Hongguyuan in the morning, and appeared in Qishanyuan hundreds of miles away in the afternoon.
Even if it were a fantasy novel, I probably wouldn’t dare to write it like this.
But now, the facts are before us.
This emperor really knows how to go on patrol incognito!
this is too scary!
Cheng Wen was extremely frightened.
He knows what is waiting for him?
There is no doubt that he has committed numerous serious crimes, including "disrespect", "slandering the emperor and father", and "unreasonable opinions on national policy".
He had no choice but to die.
It may even be that death is the most humane ending for him.
The family will be implicated because of him, and it is very likely that he will be executed by the clan!
The power of God is inviolable! If you violate it, you will die!
But the people around him were all ecstatic.
For the people of the lower class, they naturally hope to have a backer, someone to rely on, and someone who can make decisions for themselves.
Especially in Chinese society, the long-term ideological atmosphere of wise kings and virtuous ministers has caused the people from ancient times to the present to look forward to and look forward to the so-called "Sage of Heaven" and "Master Qingtian" to appear to do justice for them.
This sentiment evolved into TV series in later generations.
"Bao Qingtian" and "Mazi's Private Interview" incited similar emotions to their peak.
At this moment, I witnessed with my own eyes the appearance of the Emperor and his attitude.
Of course the people cheered for joy, and countless people felt that at this moment, the haze above their heads dispersed, and light and heat shone into their lives again.
But Liu Che knew very well that he was actually just fooling the people.
In fact, only the emperor himself knows what kind of creature the emperor is?
Selfish, self-willed, eager for success, greedy...
These idioms are all tailor-made for the emperor.
In essence, all emperors and rulers have never stood with the lower class people.
Even Liu Che is like this.
Liu Che knew in his heart that the reason why he wanted to show that he had a community of interests with the people and the people of the world was just because he was afraid of the people's resistance and uprising, and was afraid that they would rush him into the Weiyang Palace, grab him, and send him to the guillotine.
And it was precisely because of this that the actions of Chang'an's bureaucrats, nobles, and merchants made him so angry.
These scum actually want to kill him!!!
It is simply an unpardonable crime!
"Fathers...folks..." Liu Che walked out of the threshold and looked at the densely packed crowds in the street, who were bowing their heads to him, and said loudly: "You have suffered...I am late...
"
As he spoke, tears flowed from the corners of his eyes.
Countless people saw it with their own eyes and were immediately moved!
Simple and kind people have only heard in stories and legends that the ancient holy kings, three kings and five emperors would shed tears and repent in front of the people.
But this is the first time I have seen such a situation with my own eyes!
At that moment, countless people cried and said: "I am so lucky to be able to see the beauty of heaven! How could I be so virtuous that I could make His Majesty shed tears? I would not dare to die!"
Another elder said in his heart: "I heard that the ancient sage kings ruled the world, cared about all the people in the world, and worried about thousands of families. Your Majesty was so benevolent and virtuous that even Yao and Shun were alive, I am afraid that he could not be as good as him..."
In the blink of an eye, at least the people within these three miles east were completely conquered by Liu Che.
Loyalty is maximized in an instant. Even if they and their descendants suffer greater injustice and suffering in the future, they will probably not fight against the Liu family.
Liu Che looked at the audience and said sadly: "I appointed people unclearly, selected officials improperly, used politics unfairly, and affected my elders... This is my fault!"
With that said, he took off his hat and apologized to the people.
Although doing so, in his opinion, it is indeed artificial and stupid.
But the people didn't see it that way. Countless people just felt their blood boiling in their chests and their minds went blank.
Since the beginning of the Han Dynasty, no emperor has ever apologized to the people, let alone taken off his hat to apologize.
"Your Majesty, I can't afford it..." Many people cried and shouted.
In their consciousness, how humble and worthless they are, how can they deserve the emperor's apology and apology?
But they never thought about how powerful their own power would be.
So much so that even the emperor would have nightmares in the middle of the night, dreaming of the rebel army marching into the Weiyang Palace and bleeding, while the emperor himself could only curl up trembling, crying and sobbing.
Of course, Liu Che was not just afraid.
More importantly, he needs to win over the people and win their approval.
This will pave the way for some extreme behaviors and radical policies in the future.
Otherwise, in the future, once industrialization begins, in order to obtain workers, the Han Dynasty will most likely have sheep eat people.
By that time, the emperor's image will be in bad shape.
Maybe, he might not even end up like Louis XV!
Therefore, he had to take precautions and establish a good image first.
And a good image requires a good contrast.
Therefore, while Liu Che was seizing the moral high ground, he had actually quietly brought the entire Chang'an bureaucracy to trial.
Because of them, the emperor blamed himself.
Their sins are too numerous to describe!
And all other bureaucrats and nobles cannot watch the show.
Everyone must take a stand and be determined, otherwise they may be considered as accomplices of "corrupt officials".
"I heard the book says: Heaven listens to my people, and Heaven sees to me and the people! I was ordered by the late emperor to use my body as a scorpion to stand above all the kings and princes in the world. I am not sensitive and am always afraid of my mistakes.
It shames the late emperor’s legacy and brings shame to the ancestral temple!”
In front of the people, Liu Che's acting skills were as good as beating his chest and carrying the coffin.
"Looking at the village of Chang'an today and seeing the hardship of the people's livelihood, I am ashamed of my father and the great trust of the late emperor! I swear to heaven and earth that I will give an explanation to my father and mother!" After saying this, Liu Che was already filled with murderous intent.
"My edict is to order Lieutenant Hu Ben to guard and Lieutenant Prince Consort Ju Meng to immediately lead the guards to blockade the streets and alleys of Chang'an!"
"Order: I am in charge of Jinwu Zhidu and immediately seal all internal history and government files!"
"Order: Tingwei Zhao Yu, Shaofu Qing Taohou Liu She, Shangshu ordered Ji Anza to handle this case! The prime minister will personally take charge, and all relevant matters will be reported to me!"
Cold orders were issued one after another, announcing that Chang'an was about to usher in a great purge.
Everyone knows that the intensity of this purge may be the most brutal in history.
After today, Chang'an's official families and bureaucratic groups are likely to suffer heavy losses!
However, Liu Che was not worried about the bureaucrats at all.
Because, in his eyes, the paper tiger face of the bureaucracy has long been exposed.
His experiences over the years also taught him that bureaucracy is, to a certain extent, the most stubborn, powerful, but also weakest force in the world.
It is said to be stubborn and powerful because the bureaucracy itself is the executor of the state's violent machine. If they unite, the emperor can be defeated.
but……
Bureaucracies are divided into factions, and various internal contradictions and entangled interests restrain and offset each other.
Just like now, the Han Dynasty bureaucracy is divided into the school of examination scholars and the school of old bureaucrats and scholar-bureaucrats.
Although the two cannot be said to be on the same level as each other, they cannot be intimate either.
This makes them the weakest force in the world today.
Don't look at the ordinary people who are officials, there are only five or six of them, they are arrogant, domineering and arrogant.
But in front of the imperial power, they are all soft-legged crabs and yes-men!
Moreover, the control of the Han Dynasty's political power today is not in the hands of the bureaucracy at all.
From the Sangong and Jiuqing to the pavilion chief and Li Zheng, the proportion of military attachés and generals is very large.
As long as Liu Che can unite other people, mere bureaucrats are just a bunch of lambs waiting to be slaughtered!
Take this time for example.
Of course, if Liu Che wields the butcher's knife, many people will die in grief!
But the question is, what happens after the rabbit dies and the fox becomes sad?
If these people die, how many people will go crazy in the positions left and the vacant positions?
For selfish bureaucrats, if it is beneficial, then even if all the fellow Taoists die, what's wrong with it?
Therefore, Liu was completely angry.
He was convinced that this time, he could overturn the table and start another game!
…………………………………………
Liu Che's decision and words soon reached the ears of the ministers who were urgently summoned through various channels.
Upon hearing this, Niu Ru, the internal historian, staggered and could hardly stand still.
Obviously, he is the person directly responsible!
Although Niu Ru dared to pat his chest and promise that he was definitely not involved in it.
As Jiuqing, his status is high enough, and he doesn't need to get involved in these things. Not only will he lose his temper, but he will also be exposed to risks.
But he didn't stop it.
It was not even reported.
Just like this, his sin is already huge.
"Alas..." Niu Ru took off his hat, took off the official seal tied around his waist, took off the ribbon that symbolized his identity, then sat in front of a desk in the inner house of Neishi Yamen, and wrote a suicide note.
: "I have been ordered by Your Majesty, but I cannot assist the emperor. Instead, the people are in trouble and the common people are in danger! As an appointed minister, I sit back and watch the crisis. I dare to survive. I can only die to apologize and atone for my sin!"
Then, this Jiu Qing, this internal history officer, swallowed gold and committed suicide in this room.
He became the first nine ministers of the dynasty to commit suicide and apologize since Yuande.
At the same time, he became the first victim of this storm.
But this was just the beginning. Soon, almost half of Chang'an knew about this.
Because the army began to enter the city.
A group of heavily armed troops marched in neat steps, with murderous intent, from the arsenal, from the palace, and from outside Chang'an City into various places in the city.
All the grassroots government offices in every village and neighborhood in Chang'an were taken over by the military.
Ju Meng immediately ordered that all files and records be sealed.
However, the reaction of the bureaucrats was extremely fast.
Fires broke out in government archives in many places, and a large number of files were burned in the fire.
At this moment, in order to survive, the bureaucrats unleashed their unprecedented power of action.
Many ranger leaders were found dead in their homes.
But unfortunately, these people still underestimated the administrative capabilities and efficiency of the current Han Empire, as well as the determination of Emperor Liu Che!
