At the morning court, Emperor Xiao sat on the dragon chair and asked: "Dear ministers, I have something that is bothering me. It keeps me awake all night. I want to know today, who among you can help me get rid of this trouble?"
Emperor Xiao bowed slightly. He had stayed up all night last night, but there was no trace of fatigue on his face.
Prime Minister Lu Sen lifted his robe and knelt on the ground and said: "Your Majesty is worried and sleepless all night. It is the crime of your ministers."
As soon as he said these words, all the civil and military officials in the court knelt down. For a moment, the hall was full of voices of apology, as if these people had committed the crime of killing the nine tribes, and everyone looked terrified.
Liu Ling also bowed slightly and glanced at Lu Sen, his eyes full of appreciation. Emperor Xiao was the same, obviously very satisfied with what Lu Sen did. He cleared his throat and said: "Everyone, get up, everyone.
All the ministers and ministers are the pillars of the country. With you here, I believe that no matter what worries I have, they will be solved."
Some people wanted to stand up, but when they got up, they found that the prime minister was still kneeling, so they had to kneel down again.
Lu Sen kowtowed and said: "If your Majesty has any troubles, please tell me. If I can't relieve your Majesty's worries, how can I stand in the court?"
Liu Ling couldn't help but applaud in her heart, well, this ginger is still very spicy. Just watch, the show is about to begin.
He felt that it must be wrong to stand like this, so he also raised his robe and knelt down and said: "The way of a monarch and his ministers is to repay kindness and righteousness. A monarch treats his ministers like his brothers and feet, and his ministers regard him as his heart. Your Majesty treats his ministers like a father.
Your Majesty, the Emperor’s kindness is so great. Your Majesty’s worries are a grave sin for your Majesty. Please make it clear that your Majesty will share your worries.”
When Liu Ling said this, a group of civil and military officials followed him to plead guilty again.
Emperor Xiao sighed and said: "You all know that in a few days, the envoys from Liao will come to collect the annual tribute. Now that I am a weak man and the treasury is empty, how can I still collect so much annual tribute?
ah."
These words were spoken without any hesitation, and all the civil and military officials were silent. The Liao Kingdom was powerful, with hundreds of thousands of people capable of riding and shooting well. The cavalry came and went at a rapid pace, and it was simply not something that the Northern Han Dynasty could resist. Since the founding of the Northern Han Dynasty,
, every year they would pay countless money, grain, cloth and silk to the Liao Kingdom in exchange for peace.
Originally, according to the original amount of annual tribute, the Northern Han Dynasty could barely cope with it. But last year, Emperor Yelu Xiong of the Liao Kingdom issued an edict and doubled the annual tribute! In response to such rude demands of the Liao Kingdom,
The old emperor Liu Ye also dared to be angry but dared not speak out. If he could not pay the annual tribute, once the Liao cavalry went south, the country of the Northern Han Dynasty would be wiped out in an instant.
However, Liu Ye was blessed with good fortune. If he died, his son would have to worry about this.
Liu Ling knew it was time for him to take the stage. He cleared his throat and asked, "Master Lu, I wonder how far the money, grain and cloth in the treasury are from the number required by the Liao Kingdom?"
Lu Sen thought for a while and said: "There is still a gap of 70% between the number requested by the Liao Kingdom."
He glanced at the civil and military officials behind him and said: "It has been less than two months since the Liao envoys called for the annual tribute, and there is a famine in all the state capitals. Many places have no harvest this year, and I am afraid it will be difficult to pay taxes."
Continuing: Someone once suggested to the ministers that the military expenditure for border guards should be cut in half. I wonder what you, your lords, think about it?"
"snort!"
Liu Ling snorted coldly and said, "His heart must be punished!"
Emperor Xiao said: "The stability and peace of the country all depend on the military. If the soldiers at the border don't have enough to eat, how can they have the strength to resist foreign enemies and prevent me from passing through? This matter must not be mentioned again!"
Lu Sen said: "I think so too. Some people have suggested that the people should be taxed an additional 50%. They must pay the full amount within a month. Anyone who fails to pay the full amount will be imprisoned for questioning."
Emperor Xiao slapped the dragon case and said angrily: "Absurd!"
"The country is like a ship, and the people are like water. If we blindly increase taxes and make the people unable to make a living, the ship will surely capsize in the end!"
Liu Ling sneered and said: "I wonder if the gentleman who made this suggestion has ever thought about how many of today's Han people can afford such heavy taxes? If you put all the people in the country in prison, what will you do?
To feed their bellies?”
After Liu Ling finished speaking, he saw that the face of the Minister of the Ministry of Finance turned blue and white, as if he was ill.
Lu Sen said: "We can't reduce military expenditures, we can't increase taxes and corvee, and there is also an adult saying that we can't pay the full annual tribute. It's Your Majesty who should worry. It's useless for us to worry. At worst, the Liao cavalry will go south, let's take pictures
Just slap your ass and leave.”
When Emperor Xiao heard this, he stood up from the dragon chair, pointed at Lu Sen and asked: "Who said this, tell me!"
Lu Sen glanced at the civil and military officials behind him, pointed at an official who was trembling to the point of collapse and said, "Lu Ming, the Minister of Rites, is what Mr. Lu said."
When the Minister of Rites, Lu Ming, heard this, he fell down with a thud, banged his head hard and said: "Your Majesty is very aware, and I am loyal, how could you say such treacherous and unjust words? Your Majesty, I have absolutely no need to say that. Your Majesty!
It was Lucen, it was Lucen who lied to you! No! It was him, it was he who said these words!"
Lu Sen turned around and glanced at Lu Ming lightly and said, "Master Lu, do you still want me to summon witnesses?"
Emperor Xiao slapped the dragon case fiercely: "Where are the warriors in front of the palace! Take this unfaithful and unjust traitor and traitor out and behead him!"
Four golden-armored warriors swarmed up and dragged Lu Ming out of the hall like a dead dog. Lu Ming was dragged by the warriors, wailing all the way.
"Your Majesty is aware that I have been loyal for so many years, and the late Emperor once said that I am loyal. Your Majesty! Don't listen to the villain's slander!"
"Your Majesty! Please spare my life!"
"Your Majesty! I don't dare to do it anymore!"
"His Majesty!"
The shrill wails resounded throughout the hall, frightening all the civil and military officials in the hall and turned pale. Seeing someone who had been an official in the same dynasty for more than ten years being dragged out and killed, everyone couldn't help but wonder. Some of them were afraid.
People hate Lu Sen even more in their hearts. If he hadn't said these words, how could Lu Ming be executed? As officials in the same dynasty, no one has a few rebellious words. If they all reported each other like this, I'm afraid the whole dynasty would be
None of the civil and military officials were left alive.
How could they know that Lu Sen did it on purpose?
Liu Ling couldn't help but secretly give a thumbs up, thinking that this Lu Sen is really a decisive person. If you want to accomplish that thing, it will really take a lot of effort if you don't kill the chicken to show the monkey first. Kill one now.
, it will be of great benefit in the future. Besides, if you kill a scum like this, you can just kill him, there is nothing to hesitate about.
Lu Sen tried his best to help Liu Ling by offending all the civil and military officials of the dynasty. Liu Ling was also very touched by this. Indeed, what Lu Ming said was true! If the Liao Kingdom really wanted to go south with its cavalry, what would they do?
The big deal for an official is to run away. But the royal family is different. Even if they leave the capital and run away, the Liao cavalry will kill them all. Lu Sen understands this and can say it without any scruples. He is really loyal.
country.
By doing this, Lu Sen created an opportunity for Emperor Xiao and Liu Ling!
Emperor Xiao's face was gloomy, and he glanced at the courtiers kneeling below with awe-inspiring eyes. What Lu Sen said just now when he found out Lu Ming really made him really angry. It's not like he didn't know that all the officials below were there.
They were discussing something secretly. The Northern Han Dynasty was weak and had powerful enemies on all sides, such as hungry wolves and tigers. As an emperor, he would cause disaster if he was not careful, and the Northern Han Dynasty would also be destroyed.
Under the gaze of Emperor Xiao, all the ministers lowered their heads and did not dare to express their anger. For a moment, the silence in the hall was terrifying, and you could hear a pin drop.
The usually majestic and solemn gentlemen were all silent at this moment. The atmosphere was extremely frightening for a moment, and it seemed that if the silence continued even a little longer, it might lead to a violent explosion. The extreme of silence will change, and the extreme of matter will reverse.
Emperor Xiao's cold eyes swept across, and no one dared to raise their heads.
At this moment, a shrill wail came from outside the hall!
"ah!"
"It hurts me so much!"
"Your Majesty! Spare me!"
"Ah! Ah! Ah!"
The sound was so shrill that it was like a piece of cloth being torn in the silence of the night, like the neighing of an owl in the still night, or like the horror of a beast chewing human bones. It frightened all the ministers and changed their expressions.
Being beheaded alive is such a torture!
Knife after knife went down, cutting into the flesh, and blood flowed like a drop.
Lu Ming's shrill howl was very loud at first, and spread to every corner of the hall, and also to the hearts of everyone. Almost everyone was so frightened that they broke into a cold sweat, and their backs were dripping with sweat. But Emperor Xiao's cold eyes
, is like a knife cutting flesh. When it is swept, it is like cutting a sharp knife in the hearts of these ministers, which hurts to the bone marrow.
After a while, Lu Ming's cry gradually became quieter. It turned from a loud howl to a painful groan. Although the sound was quieter, the fear of the civil and military officials in the dynasty increased to a higher level. Many people
They even heard the sound of the knife cutting into the bones. The sound was so terrifying that it gave everyone the illusion of falling into an ice cave.
Emperor Xiao snorted, walked to the dragon chair and sat down.
This cold snort frightened some timid ministers so much that they almost fell to the ground. Since the founding of the Northern Han Dynasty, officials of the fifth rank and above have almost never been killed. Even officials of the seventh or eighth rank have rarely committed crimes.
After careful study, those who have been in office for twenty years have forgotten the terrible power of the emperor and the strict laws.
"Fellow ministers, does anyone have any other good ideas?"
Emperor Xiao took a breath and said in a cold tone.
Who dares to speak?
These civil and military officials looked at each other one by one, and then they all lowered their heads deeply. Let alone thinking of a way, they did not even dare to breathe loudly. These people, because of the tolerance of the old emperor Liu Ye, have forgotten that the power of God is unpredictable, and have already
Forgetting that accompanying a king is like accompanying a tiger. At this moment, the murderous blade was raised, and they woke up one by one like a dream.
Emperor Xiao waited for a while, but when no one spoke, he said coldly: "What's the matter? Didn't you all just keep saying that you wanted to relieve me of my worries and share my worries? Why are all of you mute now? Or are you all the same?
Have the same thoughts as Lu Ming?!"
These words can hurt your heart!
Lu Sen took the lead and fell to the ground and said: "I don't dare, your majesty, please calm down."
Emperor Xiao slammed the table and shouted: "Calm down your anger? Calm down your anger! Tell me, how can I calm down my anger?!"
Liu Ling knelt in front of the officials and said secretly that the time has come!
He raised his body and clasped his fists and said: "Your Majesty, I have a solution that is not a good idea, but can temporarily overcome the difficulties." (To be continued)