Xiao Yu has always admired Cen Wenwen for his ability to govern and control people's hearts. He has a noble status and outstanding achievements. He can do some metaphysical work, but the specific implementation is slightly inferior.
At this moment, after listening to Cen Wenwen's analysis of Fang Jun's behavior, I felt deeply convinced.
"So, the purpose of Fang Jun and Li Jing's move is to force Liu Jiefeng to refute His Majesty's will, so that His Majesty will not dare to depose the crown prince at will?"
"Your Majesty cherishes feathers the most. Although he has done many wrong things, he cares more about his reputation. Whether he tolerated Wei Zheng's repeated mistakes and outspokenly admonished him or later devoted the whole country to the east, all he did was to catch up and surpass him. The Qin Emperor and the Han Dynasty achieved the reputation of being 'one emperor through the ages'. Just imagine, once the reputation of 'abolishing the throne at will' and 'treating the meritorious officials harshly' spread among the people, how could they achieve eternal hegemony?"
"Tsk, tsk, this move of 'retreating in order to advance' seems simple, but in fact it hits your majesty's weak point. As the saying goes, 'attack what you attack, you will save', it is very clever."
"No surprise, this should be Fang Jun's handiwork."
Cen Wenwen took a sip of hot tea, praised him, and then sighed again, not without regret: "It's a pity that although Liu Ji is diligent, his talent is average, and his willpower is not strong, so he is left to serve in the ministry." Yes, but it is not enough to take charge of one department, and it is embarrassing for the big task."
He originally wanted to choose Liu Jie to succeed him before he became official, inheriting his political resources so that he could take care of his nephew in the court in the future. However, it seems that Liu Jie is a person who is following the wind. Whenever something happens, he will look forward and backward, and he will go back and forth between pros and cons. Weighing in is not something you can do big things with.
It is conceivable that when the public opinion in the government and the public is brewing, Liu Jie will definitely cherish his reputation and refuse to be a "slanderous person". Therefore, he would rather offend His Majesty than reject His Majesty's decree to allow Fang Jun and Li Jing to resign. go.
Suddenly, I remembered that after everyone came out of the Taiji Palace after the court meeting, Fang Jun boarded Liu Ji's carriage in the rain... Maybe there were other means to force Liu Ji to submit.
This second roommate is very clever. I'm afraid His Majesty will really suffer a big loss this time...
Xiao Yu held the pot and poured tea for Cen Wenwen, and said in a low voice: "Then we should also cooperate this time and try our best to give the East Palace the power to protect itself. Yi Chu can do it, but the prince must be preserved."
Cen Wenwen nodded slowly: "That's exactly what it should be."
The prince represents the uprightness of the empire, and should be honored even if he is deposed. However, throughout the ages, how can any deposed prince have a good ending? Every time a prince is deposed in the past dynasties, it means a huge political turmoil, or even a In the stormy waves, countless people were swept into it and their bodies were shattered.
Just after the next imperial examination, the sons of Jiangnan and Shandong are about to enter the court to replace the original position of Guan Longxungui. At this juncture, everyone does not want to see violent political turmoil, which is obviously not in their interests.
Xiao Yu was about to speak but stopped, hesitated for a moment, and finally let out a soft sigh.
The prince was deposed, and it was rare for him to die a happy death. Two consecutive generations of emperors were not succeeded under normal circumstances. They must follow the same example in the future. The subsequent changes in imperial power in the Tang Empire will be accompanied by countless bloody storms; keep the prince. This means that no matter who ascends the throne or even succeeds to the throne in the future, they will have to face the deposed prince, a great threat to the imperial power. The struggle between them is a life-and-death struggle that will not stop for a moment. …
What kind of evil did His Majesty Li Er fall into? He was allowed to live a good life, but he had to be saved easily and left endless hidden dangers?
*****
Liu Ji returned to the provincial government office, sat alone in the duty room for a while, and then called a clerk in.
"Presumably the news that Duke Yue and Duke Wei have resigned has spread, right?"
The scribe was a little nervous and hesitated: "This... humble position is not very clear."
Even if everyone knows that Menxia Province is a sieve that leaks air everywhere, but the officer went to Tai Chi Palace to meet with His Majesty to give details, and the news spread like wings and flew all over the sky.
Rectifying the personnel authority within the yamen would be a big trouble.
How could Liu Jie care about this? It is true that the new official took office with a lot of firepower, but he also knew that it was better to be still than to move at the moment. If he was involved in the Yichu crisis, he would have to suffer a lot.
He asked impatiently: "In front of me, speak honestly and ignore others. I just want to ask you what the Yamen thinks of this matter?"
The clerk was considered his confidant. Wen Yan breathed a sigh of relief, turned around and closed the door, returned to the desk and whispered: "There are some words in the yamen that are really unpleasant. Everyone thinks that Duke Yue and Duke Wei took the initiative.
They resigned, but they were probably forced by His Majesty, so they were all a little dissatisfied. After all, those two men had great military exploits and destroyed countless countries. At this moment, His Majesty cut off the wings of the East Palace for the sake of easy storage, but spared no effort to suppress them. It is unfair and inevitable.
He is suspected of treating meritorious officials harshly."
Liu Jie nodded, this is certain. He also believed that Fang Jun and Li Jing's move was to retreat in order to advance, to counterattack, and to use public opinion to fight against His Majesty, which made His Majesty have to cherish his reputation and slow down the suppression of the East Palace.
But His Majesty's reaction was obviously beyond the expectations of Fang Jun and others, and he actually agreed... His Majesty still had the upper hand.
Seeing that the scribe was about to speak but hesitated, he asked again: "What else is there?"
The scribe hesitated for a moment and had to say: "Everyone is still waiting to see how the Attendant Council will handle this matter."
Gu Mo/span Liu Jie asked curiously: "What does this have to do with me?"
The clerk said: "The Ministry of Menxia has the right to refute the edict. If your Majesty agrees to the resignation of the Duke of Yue or the Duke of Wei, this will be a rebellion. The servant should refute it to show the character of a civil official. If the servant
If I refuse to refute it and publish it according to the order, I am afraid that comments such as 'slanderous words and flattery' and 'no sense of character' will come one after another and make endless noise."
"Hiss—" Liu Ji took a breath of cold air.
Has public opinion deviated so far?
Anyone who complies with Yi Chu is a flatterer, has no integrity, only knows how to agree with His Majesty's "chaotic orders", and is a sycophant of the country; those who are not afraid of imperial power and the consequences are truly upright and the backbone of the empire.
The conscience of the court...
So, Yi Chu has gone against the will of the world?
Then I thought that if I refused to refute His Majesty's imperial edict to allow Fang Jun and Li Jing to resign, and promulgated it throughout the world, I would definitely be regarded as His Majesty's lackey, assisting His Majesty in persecuting heroes and killing the prince...
Mom, why don’t you give up your old life?
He doesn't mind being recognized as His Majesty's lackey. After all, not everyone can be a lackey... But if His Majesty cherishes his reputation too much and has to change his ways and give up Yi Chu under heavy pressure, then he may be
His Majesty was the first to be thrown out as a scapegoat...
But to refute His Majesty's will is not only to violate His Majesty's will, but also to disrupt His Majesty's planning and layout. How big a crime is it?
Liu Jie was a little panicked. He was really in a dilemma and faced a dilemma.
what to do?
However, before he could make a decision, officials from Shangshu Province came to Menxia Province with the drafted decree and went directly to his duty room: "This imperial edict of Your Majesty will be reviewed and sealed by Menxia Province and promulgated throughout the world."
All the officials in Menxia Province put down their papers and stared at the waiting room to see whether Liu Jie was a flattering minister who bowed before the imperial power, an emperor's eagle dog, or a strong-willed civil servant who was not afraid of power.
Liu Jie opened the imperial edict with sweat on his head, read it carefully, and his luck completely collapsed. There were not many words in the imperial edict, but His Majesty indeed agreed to Fang Jun and Li Jing's request, allowing them to step down from all posts and go to
The academy is responsible for teaching and compiling teaching materials...
When the officials of the Shangshu Province saw Liu Ji's eyes wandering and hesitating, they frowned and urged: "I have to go back and report to Your Majesty. Please use your seal!"
Although the three provinces are all the highest authorities in the imperial court, because His Majesty Li Er himself serves as the "Shang Shu Ling" and the second-in-command "Shang Shu Zuopu She" is the de facto head of the empire, the Shangshu Province regards itself as superior, even if it is a
Shang Shu Zuo Cheng could also stand upright and speak in front of court officials like Liu Jie.
Liu Ji held the imperial decree and weighed it in his mind.
If you offend His Majesty, you will definitely attract thunder and wrath, your official career may be in ruins, and you may lose your job as a servant before you take the hot job; but if you cause a lot of public opinion and be regarded as the emperor's hawk and a flattering minister, you will offend the whole world.
A scholar will definitely be infamous and be infamy for thousands of years. If he encounters a tough-necked historian, he will be included in the history...
Liu Ji shuddered, wiped the sweat from his forehead, gritted his teeth, returned the imperial edict with both hands, and spoke sternly: "The soldiers of the State of Yue came out of Baidao to overthrow Xue Yantuo, eliminate the border troubles in the northern frontier of the empire, and fight for thousands of miles.
Defeating several strong bandits in a row to protect the territory; Wei Guogong, the world's number one commander, rushed to the north of the Great Wall to annihilate the Turks. Not only did he avenge the "Wei River Alliance" with one stone, but he also swept the world and helped His Majesty wipe out all the forces in the southeast.
Rebellious thieves... Both of them are the Qiancheng of the country and have made great achievements, especially Fang Jun, who is in his prime and should do his best for the empire. How can we allow him to resign from office and remain a virtuous person in the country? Your Majesty's imperial edict is an indiscriminate order.
The Ministry of Menxia has the right to refute the imperial edict, so...it boldly rejects it."
The provincial officials at the left and right gates spoke warmly, their faces glowing, and they subconsciously straightened their backs.
The official from Shangshu Province was stunned for a while. When Liu Ji made an impassioned speech, he asked in confusion: "Is Liu Shizhong... refuting His Majesty's imperial edict?"
Since entering the Tang Dynasty, the Menxia Province has indeed had the right to "refute", but the actual imperial edict... this is probably the first time it has happened, right?
Mother!
You are not just slapping His Majesty in face, you are also saying that His Majesty is a foolish king who messes up his life!
Do your subordinates want to rebel?
Liu Jie was determined, with his chest and belly raised, showing his virtuous demeanor of not being afraid of the imperial power, and said loudly: "That's right! We eat the emperor's salary and are loyal to the emperor. Since the emperor has chaos, we should refute it.
, bring order to the chaos!"
The officials from Menxia Province were flushed with excitement. If there were not officials from Shangshu Province here at this moment, they would have thundered applause to applaud Liu Jiejie!
First there was Wei Zheng, and then there was Liu Jie. Our sect, the provincial governor, was so unfaithful to Yan Zhengjian, so strong and iron-clad!