Chapter 830: The King of Benevolence and Righteousness (Part 1)
When Li Chengqian heard this, he hesitated and said: "This... is not necessary for the time being? After all, the cause of the fire has not yet been found out. If he rashly seizes military power from a general who is in charge of the army, I am afraid it will be unfair. In case it is found out later.
It was indeed an accidental fire, I'm afraid it won't end well."
He was still thinking about Princess Baling's previous request to enter the palace, so he didn't want to be so harsh.
Chai Zhewei holds the title of Duke of the country and is one of the Sixteenth Generals, with a very high status. Once Guo takes away the power to command the army, it means that the court's trust in him has dropped to an extremely low level, and he is believed to have played a role in the whole matter.
He bears the main responsibility, and must undergo strict review by the Sanfa Division and Zongzheng Temple afterwards.
Generally speaking, when Guo seizes the military power of a general, it means that he must be dealt with strictly and severely. As long as Chai Zhewei is found to have neglected his duties in a slightly important manner during the review process, he will most likely be punished by being demoted or dismissed from office.
He believed that Chai Zhewei did need to be punished, but he couldn't bear it if his title was endangered...
Xiao Yu frowned and said in a harsh tone: "Your Highness is generous, which is a blessing to my ministers. However, the country has national laws and the family has family rules. How can the court's laws be slacked off? No matter whether the fire in Zuotunwei was intentional or accidental, since
The capital has been shaken and the situation is tense, so a thorough investigation must be carried out and severe punishment must be carried out. At this time, it is most necessary to stabilize people's hearts. The slightest negligence may lead to the deterioration of the situation. Once it affects the Eastern Expedition, we will be guilty.
Yan! There was a fire in Zuotunwei, and the capital was shaken. Chai Zhewei had no choice but to bear the responsibility!"
Ma Zhou echoed: "Not only that, officials from the Ministry of Punishment, Weiwei Temple, and Dali Temple should also be mobilized to jointly station in Zuotunwei to thoroughly investigate the truth about the fire and give an explanation to the court and the people. Otherwise, once rumors spread, people will be affected.
Agitate, but the consequences are unimaginable.”
Although these words are also refuting Li Chengqian, they are actually thinking about Li Chengqian.
No one believes that Zuo Tunwei's fire was really an "accidental fire". How can such a coincidence happen in the world? In order to avoid the court's inspection, he deliberately set fire to destroy the evidence of the account books. Once this kind of thing spreads, it will affect the prestige of the court.
Unparalleled blow.
His Majesty Li Er had just left the capital with his personal conquest, and such lawless and abominable behavior had occurred. No one would say that Chai Zhewei was so bold that he should be severely punished. They would only mock His Highness the Crown Prince for being weak and lacking in prestige.
And how to establish prestige?
Fear of power is better than kindness.
To treat your subjects with kindness and kindness requires perseverance and perseverance, so that the subjects can feel the character of the monarch. Killing chickens to scare monkeys is the best way to quickly establish prestige. Catch a chicken and kill it, so that everyone in the world can see your decision to kill.
Courage, who dares to disrespect, who dares to disobey?
Especially at this time, it is most useful to kill one person to serve as a warning to hundreds.
To a certain extent, Chai Zhewei's appearance at this time is the best time for Li Chengqian to establish his prestige...
Li Chengqian nodded and said: "My dear friends, your words are reasonable..."
But he glanced at Fang Jun, hoping that Fang Jun would stand up and support him. Chai Zhewei must be punished, but he didn't want to bring this matter to the point of endangering his title.
Fang Jun drooped his eyelids and turned a blind eye to Li Chengqian's look for help.
There is no such thing as perfection in the world. Honest people have such shortcomings when they rise to the top. Their heart is not cruel enough, their hands are not strong enough, and they are easily entangled in hesitation and difficult to make decisions when encountering problems.
But relatively speaking, the Tang Dynasty now needs such a kind-hearted monarch to lead the giant ship of the empire to sail smoothly on the established route, and everything will fall into place. Instead of another His Majesty Li Er.
A peerless hero with great talent, great strategy, and great martial prowess, can work hard.
Seeing that Fang Jun was not going to help him, Li Chengqian had no choice but to continue: "...In this case, let Chai Zhewei temporarily hand over the military power, enter the city overnight, and wait until tomorrow in the political hall to discuss the fire at Zuotunwei."
"Your Highness is wise!"
"This is very good. Chai Zhewei has no rules and regulations. He should be punished in the name of the court. The punishment should be used to avoid past mistakes and to warn the courtiers not to make the same mistakes again."
All the ministers in the East Palace agreed one after another.
Seeing that the overall situation had been decided, Li Chengqian had no choice but to admit it, and said to Li Junxian who was silent on the side: "I would like to trouble General Li to go there personally and escort Chai Zhewei into the city, but he must stabilize the situation of Zuotunwei.
There must be no change. After entering the city, there is no need to put him in jail. For the time being, let him return to his residence and live there. Early tomorrow morning, he will go to the political hall to defend himself."
Everyone approved of this treatment.
After all, he is the Duke of the country, the commander-in-chief of the army, and a relative of the emperor. He still needs to have the necessary dignity. If he is directly thrown into prison without asking any questions, it will not only severely weaken Chai Zhewei's prestige, but also make the court look mean and ungrateful.
.
In any case, Zuo Tunwei's fire has caused chaos inside and outside Chang'an, and swords are arrogant. The martial law tonight cannot be cancelled, and everyone's actions must be restrained to ensure that just in case. After tomorrow's political affairs hall meeting, no further action will be taken.
We will discuss whether to lift martial law and return to business as usual.
After discussing various possibilities for a while, the ministers left one after another.
Li Chengqian left Fang Jun behind, but did not continue to stay in the main hall. Instead, he walked out of the back hall and walked a short distance to an attic near the water.
I don’t know when the thin raindrops started to fall from the sky again. The air was damp and cold, which made me feel refreshed.
There are no carved pillars or luxurious furnishings in the attic, it is just a simple place. The mahogany floor is clean and shiny, and the nanmu beams and columns do not have complicated or gorgeous patterns. The natural wood texture reveals the original and natural comfort.
The two of them entered the attic one after another, and the slender little palace maid came forward with hot water to help them wash their faces and hands.
After the two of them knelt down on the mat in front of the window, a palace maid lit a wisp of sandalwood, placed several plates of exquisite dishes and a vat of white porridge on the coffee table, and then quietly left.
Li Chengqian said: "I haven't eaten enough for dinner and I'm a little hungry. Let's take a bite to satisfy our stomach."
Picking up the chopsticks, he said to Fang Jun: "I'm a little bored. Open the window."
"promise."
Fang Jun stood up and opened the window. The breeze carried a few drops of rain on his face, refreshing and refreshing. A pool of water outside the attic was illuminated by a lantern hanging under the eaves. The water surface was flooded with fine raindrops.
Ripples rise layer by layer.
I returned to the coffee table and sat down. I served myself a bowl of white porridge, picked out a green pickled cucumber, took a sip of the porridge, and a bite of the cucumber. I felt very appetizing.
Li Chengqian picked up a stick of vinegar and parsley with chopsticks and put it into his mouth, and said with a smile: "I used to like big fish and big meat, and never tire of fine meats and fine meats, but in the past two years, I have lost my appetite for those delicacies.
I like these lighter side dishes, and I have lost some fat on my body, and I have more energy on weekdays. If I get up early in the morning and stretch my muscles, I will be full of energy throughout the day."
Fang Jun took a sip of the porridge, nodded and said: "You should really pay attention to health. Your Highness sees those Taoist priests and monks who hardly eat meat. They go to the deep mountains and forests to cultivate their moral character. They all live a long life. Don't do it because of temporary appetite.
, causing the body to bear too much burden and having enough energy to do more things.”
Chatting casually, every moment, a few plates of side dishes and a bowl of porridge were shared between the two of them.
The maid removed the dishes and made a pot of fragrant tea to serve.
Fang Jun waved his hand to repel the palace maid. He washed the tea cup with his own hands, poured tea into the cup, took a sip and asked, "What do you have to say, Your Highness?"
Li Chengqian held the tea cup in his hand but did not drink it. He frowned and said, "Tomorrow's political affairs hall meeting will be held. Do you think it will endanger Chai Zhewei's title?"
Fang Jun was speechless, are you still worried about this?
It is a good thing to be kindhearted, but it is not advisable to be indecisive...
After thinking for a while, he said: "When Wei Chen was ordered to establish the Jingzhao Mansion and served as Jing Zhao Yin, he once hung a painting in the duty room. After hearing this, His Majesty specially praised Wei Chen."
Li Chengqian said: "Gong begets wisdom, and integrity begets prestige?"
Fang Jun nodded and said: "Exactly. The officials do not fear my strictness but fear my integrity. The people do not obey my ability but obey my father. If I am honest, the officials will not dare to be arrogant, and if I am public, the people will not dare to bully. The governor of a government is as good as the official
The crown prince of a country is actually not much different. What he upholds is just two words: prestige. Let me encourage you together, Your Highness."
Li Chengqian shook his head and smiled bitterly, took a sip of tea, and said with emotion: "Gu is not a fool, how can he not understand the truth? Gu also knows how to establish authority, making everyone in the government and the public sigh that the prince is a decisive killer, rewards and punishments
A clear person. But... I don’t want to be like that."