In the side hall of Luo Mansion in Chang'an, Luo Yingcai, Zuo Cheng, the minister who had just left the morning court, was so angry that he kicked over the glazed screen in his house.
The sound of glass breaking was sharp and harsh, echoing in the courtyard.
Luo Yingcai's wife walked over quickly and saw her husband's angry face. She was stunned for a moment, and then asked in a low voice: "Have those congressmen started to make trouble again?"
Luo Yingcai moved his fat body and sat down in the chair, slapping the desk with his hands: "These bastards never let people worry about it for a day! Today in the court, some members said that officials have too much power and should audit the accounts.
Or when investigating, officials will use their power to suppress people, making it impossible for members of the parliament to perform their duties. Therefore, they asked the emperor to issue power-limiting laws to allow for temporary inspections without prior notice!"
"Listen, what nonsense is this? If this law is really passed, when the Ministry of Household Affairs puts money into the treasury, this group of congressmen will be able to rush into the treasury and inspect it themselves. This is
Where will the majesty of the imperial court be put by such actions?!"
Luo's wife: "I'm afraid the emperor won't agree?"
Luo Yingcai: "Why don't you agree? A few years ago, some members went to court and said that although the House of Commons has the power of the imperial censor, if a mistake occurs, it will be too late to remedy it, so I want the court to allow the members to
Participated in the policy-making agenda of the Shangshu Province, and after the emperor read it, he actually agreed. Now, no matter whether the policies are formulated or implemented in the three provinces and eight ministries, there are parliamentarians to observe and make suggestions, making the current official hall more like a market, every day
The noise is endless.”
Luo’s wife: “The congressmen are so arrogant and domineering. Is there no one in the government to take care of them?”
The stern look in Luo Yingcai's eyes flashed: "How to manage? Most of the members of the council are from the national industry and commerce, and the tax tribute they paid accounted for two-thirds of the Tang Dynasty tax tribute. Moreover, because the emperor had earlier
The principle of local bank appropriation was established, and the food and salary of the armies in various places no longer go through the imperial court, but are directly allocated by the local state and county councils. Therefore, the food and clothing of the army is no longer the court, but has long become the parliament.
The generals and soldiers naturally stood together with the congressmen."
"The collusion between the parliament and the army is a big mistake that shakes the foundation of the country. We have gone to the meeting several times to clarify the interests and dangers involved. We hope that the emperor will wake up early. Unexpectedly, the palace ignores it and insists on going its own way. If this continues for a long time, this big thing will happen.
Sooner or later, Tang Dynasty will change its owner one day..."
Hearing this, Luo's wife turned pale with fright, and quickly waved her hands to stop Luo Yingcai's next words.
Luo Yingcai also realized that he had made a mistake. He closed his mouth and just sighed.
At this moment, a boy came outside the door and whispered: "Erlang, the master is waiting for you in Sichetang."
Luo Yingcai was stunned: "Brother is looking for me?"
Luo's wife pushed him and signaled him to come over quickly.
Luo Yingcai tidied up and walked quickly to the back garden.
After entering Sichetang, Luo Yingcai saw his eldest brother Luo Anyuan, with his back to him, sitting cross-legged on the futon, with his eyes closed and reciting in front of the Buddha statue.
Luo Yingcai also sat down cross-legged and waited quietly.
After a while, Luo Anyuan slowly opened his eyes, turned around and looked at Luo Yingcai, and said softly: "You are not young yet, but you can't hold your breath and make a big fuss."
Luo Yingcai was angry and shook his head and said: "Brother, in the morning today, those damn congressmen actually..."
Luo Anyuan is nearly sixty years old, and he is already very old. Years of experience have washed away the impulsiveness of his character, leaving only composure and restraint.
He interrupted Luo Yingcai and said: "Now that the power of the Lower House is gradually growing, as a member of the Upper House, you should hide your strength and bide your time even more than usual."
Luo Yingcai said helplessly: "Brother, it's already this time, why are we still talking about keeping a low profile and biding our time? The group of people in the lower house have now obtained the power to make policies, supervise execution, and supervise in the court. If this continues, the entire officialdom will be destroyed.
If they are wiped out, there will be no room left for the House of Lords to survive."
Luo Anyuan: "The situation is not as good as others, so we can only retreat in order to advance. When the mountains are clear and the moon is visible, it is time to go boating."
Luo Yingcai: "Brother, please stop playing charades. The emperor made you the general of the auxiliary country, and also gave you the title of Duke of the founding county. People who don't know the truth think that the emperor has promoted you to an official position. But, auxiliary officer
The general of the country is just a casual official. All the ministers in the court know that this looks like a promotion, but in fact it is taking away your military power and using it as a false post..."
Luo Anyuan was silent, and a trace of resentment and pain that was hard to detect flashed across his originally calm face.
But just for a moment, this emotion disappeared without a trace, as if it had never appeared.
Luo Anyuan: "Just remember, in this Luo family's glory and wealth, it doesn't matter what someone is like, and it doesn't matter what you are like."
Luo Yingcai: "Then who is the key?"
Luo Anyuan: "Prince, the prince is the key. As long as His Highness gains power, the Luo family will always stand."
Hearing this, Luo Yingcai fell silent for a moment, and finally nodded slightly.
Luo Anyuan: "In the past few days, the Jinyi Weiyuan Governor's Guild has sent people to the Luo family to deliver gifts. Please pay attention carefully and notify me immediately once they arrive."
Luo Yingcai: "Didn't Duke Yuan go to Jiangnan on official business last month? What kind of gift are you here at this time...?"
Luo Anyuan glared at Luo Yingcai.
Seeing this, the latter quickly said: "Okay, okay, I will write down this errand. Once the Jin Yiwei comes, I will tell you immediately."
Luo Anyuan nodded lightly, closed his eyes again, and stopped talking.
Luo Yingcai glanced at his elder brother, let out a long sigh, got up and left Sichetang.
At the same time, the Zhou family in Chang'an.
Zhou Ze, dressed in mourning clothes, glanced at the mourning hall behind him, and then said to Yu Junniang beside him: "I have been busy for a few days, and my monk is here to support me. Madam, please go back to the house and rest first."
Yu Junniang looked tired, shook her head and said: "My uncle left suddenly, and the funeral was complicated. Your monks are both men, so how can you be as careful as a woman?"
Zhou Ze thought about it and thought so.
The head of the Zhou family, Zhou Dinghai, suffered a stroke from drinking a few days ago and unfortunately passed away.
These days, the burials, funerals, hanging offerings, etc. were all handled by Yu Jun's mother. On the contrary, father and son Zhou Ze and Zhou Shang, although they both held high positions in the court, were at a loss to deal with such matters.
Yu Junniang looked around and asked Zhou Ze, "Are you still in the house?"
Zhou Ze: "Since my father passed away, I haven't thought about food or food, and I have become ill. I asked Shang'er to see a doctor."
Madam Yu Jun nodded and glanced at the sky outside the window: "It's getting late today, so no one will come. I'll have someone notify the concierge..."
Before he finished speaking, a person suddenly walked quickly outside the door, it was Zhou Shang.
Walking to his parents, Zhou Shang took a breath and whispered: "The emperor is here."
When Zhou Ze heard this, he was stunned on the spot and did not respond for a long time. Yu Junniang responded quickly and quickly ordered her subordinates to reset the layout.
When Zhou Ze came to his senses, guards blocked the street and a carriage slowly stopped at the door of Zhou's house.
The father and son of the Zhou family hurriedly went to the door to greet the holy driver.
Fan Jinian opened the curtain of the carriage, and Emperor Zhou Jun stepped out.
Zhou Ze took Zhou Shang with him and hurriedly saluted the emperor. He opened his mouth to speak, but he didn't know what to say.
Zhou Jun ignored the father and son and walked straight to the inner courtyard.
Fan Jinian followed the emperor and winked at the attendants on the left and right.
Soon, the chamberlains from the palace cleared the entire place and no one was allowed to enter the mourning hall.
Arriving outside Zhou Dinghai's mourning hall, Zhou Jun entered from the left door, entered the hall from the west, came to the east of the coffin, wrapped himself in plain hemp, held the coffin and wept.
Zhou Ze couldn't help being surprised when he saw this.
As an emperor, Zhou Jun thought it was a funeral ceremony for his parents and came to the Zhou family to cry. If this matter was spread, it would definitely violate the etiquette.
Zhou Ze hesitated, wondering whether he should go up and persuade him.
Yu Junniang on the side pulled him and shook her head gently.
Not long after, Zhou Dinghai's wife Luo Sanniang heard that Erlang was coming. Regardless of her illness, she got up from the bed and entered the mourning hall.
Zhou Jun was even more sad when he saw his mother.
The mother and son, who had not seen each other for many years, were holding their heads and crying in this mourning hall. The scene was tear-jerking.