Zhang Yanling nodded and said: "I understand what the three adults mean. You are all well-read poetry and economics people. Yanling would like to ask you a few questions. Can you help me answer my questions?"
"
Li Dongyang said: "What advice does the Marquis have?"
Zhang Yanling said: "I dare to ask you three adults, what do you think is the way for the monarch and his ministers to get along? In other words, how do you hope that the monarch and his ministers in the Ming Dynasty should get along with each other in the most beneficial way to the country?"
Li Dongyang pondered for a moment and said: "I believe that the way for the king and his ministers to get along is nothing more than two sentences: the king entrusts his ministers with courtesy, and the ministers serve the king with loyalty. Only in this way can the king and his ministers be harmonious and work together to achieve great things."
Zhang Yanling nodded and said: "You treat your ministers with courtesy, and your ministers serve you with loyalty. It does seem to be an ideal model of getting along. I wonder if Liu Shoufu and Mr. Xie agree with Mr. Li's words."
Xie Qian said in a deep voice: "This is what Sage Kong said, and I naturally agree with it."
Liu Jian also said in a deep voice: "The words and principles of the sages are naturally what we expect in future generations."
Zhang Yanling nodded and said: "So, the three of us are unanimous in our opinions. They all agree. However, what does it mean to be loyal to the emperor? What do the three of them think is loyalty to the emperor? Is it loyalty to force the emperor to issue an edict to sin against oneself? Or is it loyalty?
Is it loyalty to slap the servant next to the emperor in front of the emperor, to embarrass the emperor, and to ignore the emperor's existence?"
Liu Jian burst into laughter and said, "Okay, okay. It turns out that Marquis Jianchang is holding back and wants to teach us a lesson, right? Are you really asking for help? Are you accusing us of being disloyal?"
Zhang Yanling shook his head and said: "I don't dare. I just think that you can't say one thing and do another, otherwise it would be hypocrisy. Since the three adults all agree that you should be loyal to the king, how can you do something disloyal?"
Liu Jian shouted coldly: "Ignorance is ridiculous. Loyalty to the emperor is a small loyalty, but loyalty to the country and the country is a great loyalty. If the emperor has made mistakes, and the ministers correct them, this is good for the country, and this is an act of great loyalty. If you tolerate it and ignore it,
If it develops wantonly, it will harm the overall situation of the country, and that is the greatest disloyalty of a minister."
Zhang Yanling raised her eyebrows and was about to speak, but Liu Jian waved his hand and continued: "Besides, it is good for ministers to be loyal to the emperor, but don't forget the previous sentence that the emperor and ministers should be polite. That is the prerequisite. The emperor is rude to his ministers,
How do you gain the loyalty of your subjects?
If you want to apply it to specific matters, I ask you, the emperor ignores the repeated obstruction and advice of his ministers, and acts entirely based on his own preferences without regard to the feelings and suggestions of his ministers. Is this the courtesy of an envoy? Without this premise, what else is there to talk about?
Loyal?"
Zhang Yanling said in a deep voice: "Mr. Liu, if according to what you say, a minister thinks that the emperor is rude to him, then he will not be loyal to him. Then is such a minister a minister or a traitor?"
Xie Qian endured it for most of the day, and after listening to Zhang Yanling's words, he finally couldn't help but said loudly: "If the king treats his ministers as his brothers and feet, then his ministers will regard him as his heart and soul; if his ministers regard his ministers as dogs and horses, then his ministers will regard him as a fellow countryman;
If you treat your ministers like dirt, then your ministers will regard you as an enemy. This is what the sage Mencius said. If the emperor is unworthy, how can he expect his ministers to be loyal? Zhang Yanling, you should read a few books and then tell us these things.
"
Zhang Yanling laughed and said: "Thank you, Sir, but in your opinion, how does the current emperor treat his ministers? Do they treat them like brothers and sisters, cattle and horses, or... treat them like earth mustards?"
Xie Qian said: "Your Majesty, he..."
Li Dongyang interrupted loudly: "Thank you, Sir, please consider your words carefully."
Xie Qian was startled and was about to swallow what he was about to say. Only then did he realize that Zhang Yanling was fishing. If he tried to induce him to say something extreme, he would be caught. This guy was extremely evil and insidious.
"Mr. Zhang, we definitely don't think the emperor is unworthy, but this time he really went out of his way. We are not holding on to the emperor's faults, but the emperor is responsible for the great responsibility of the Ming Dynasty and shoulders the hope of all people in the world.
We cannot indulge in reckless behavior. The three of us have been entrusted by the late emperor to assist the emperor, and we dare not be negligent. If the emperor makes mistakes, we will naturally point them out and correct them.
It is not only the duty of a minister, but also to repay the kindness of the late emperor. As the saying goes, only with deep love can one bear deep responsibility. Sir Xie's words and deeds that day were indeed a bit excessive, and he himself regretted it. But these are two different things, and the emperor needs to express his attitude.
, Only then can the hearts of the people in the world be at ease. Those who dare to sin against themselves will not only not damage their own reputation, but will instead act wisely." Li Dongyang said in a deep voice.
Li Dongyang was frightened when he heard what Zhang Yanling, Liu Jian and Xie Qian said. Zhang Yanling seemed to set up a trap step by step, and Liu Jian and Xie Qian stepped into it step by step. It was obviously a discussion about how kings and ministers should get along, but in the end it became
Discussion of loyalty and disloyalty.
Xie Qian even went so far as to talk about how "the king regards his ministers as dirt, and his ministers regard him as a bandit." Isn't this asking for death? If these words reach the ears of the emperor, it will be a big deal.
So, at the critical moment, Li Dongyang stopped him in time and made up for it with words.
"What Bachelor Li said is true. Indeed, what the Emperor did this time was indeed wrong. The Emperor himself actually regrets it. The Emperor expressed his regret to me. This incident actually shocked the Emperor greatly." Zhang Yanling
road.
"Oh? Your Majesty, does he feel repentant?" Li Dongyang asked.
"Of course, how could the emperor not regret after such a big thing happened? Liu Shoufu, Grand Scholar Li, Mr. Xie, you probably only know the emperor's temper. The emperor's temper is actually a bit stubborn, and the emperor also loves face. So although he, he
He regrets it in his heart, but he refuses to say it, let alone the three adults asking him to publicly issue an edict to apologize."
"The emperor refuses to apologize, how do you know he has regrets?" Liu Jian said in a deep voice.
Zhang Yanling smiled and said: "Liu Shoufu, is the purpose of apologizing or making the emperor sincerely realize his mistake? I think the purpose of the three adults is actually the latter. Since the emperor knows his mistake in his heart, this kind of public sin
The request is actually not necessary, then no
It's just a formality. The purpose is most important, not the form. It's more important for the emperor to acknowledge his mistakes and repent than anything else, instead of forcing the emperor to publicly apologize, right? The emperor is stubborn and forcing him to apologize will have the opposite effect and deviate from the original intention.
,Yes or no?"
Li Dongyang twisted his beard and nodded slowly: "What Mr. Hou said seems to be reasonable."
Zhang Yanling smiled and said: "Otherwise, let me make a suggestion. The Emperor and the Outer Court each take a step back. The Emperor will not pursue Mr. Xie's extreme behavior, and the Outer Court will also give the Emperor face by not asking him to publicly apologize. This matter has come to an end.
So far, there is no need to
The imperial court is full of rumors and unrest. As Liu Shoufu said, those who are loyal are concerned about the country and the country. The stability of the government will naturally be of great benefit to the country of the Ming Dynasty. The three adults care about the country, and naturally they do not want to cause unrest. "
"Hehehehe. After a while, you came here for this. The emperor asked you to come for this purpose, hehehe." Liu Jian suddenly laughed.
Zhang Yanling said: "Yes, the emperor hopes that everything will settle down, and does not want to get into a tense situation with each other, so he ordered me to discuss it with you adults. This is also an expression of goodwill by the emperor and a sign of repentance. Taking the initiative to show goodwill is, for the emperor,
It’s already very difficult.”
Liu Jian nodded and said: "Yes, it is indeed not easy. However, the emperor thinks of things too simply. Everyone takes a step back? Is this a business deal? Can everyone take a step back to resolve matters related to the Ming Dynasty? The emperor wants to
Face, don’t court officials want face? Has the emperor ever tried
Have you ever considered other people's feelings? If you are just so conciliatory, isn't it a kind of connivance? There will be another time in the future, and there will be future troubles. This time, the emperor must have a clear attitude and must have the intention to completely correct himself, so that the world can
Only when people see the change in the emperor can the hearts of the people in the world be at ease."
Zhang Yanling frowned and said: "According to Liu Shoufu's wishes, what should we do? Do we have to let the emperor issue an edict to sin against himself?"
Liu Jian said in a deep voice: "Since the Emperor has shown goodwill, of course we cannot ignore the Emperor's goodwill. The Emperor does not need to apologize publicly, but the Emperor must agree to a few things from us to prove to the world that he is repentant.
"
Zhang Yanling asked: "What things does Liu Shoufu hope the emperor will agree to?"
Liu Jian pondered for a moment and said: "It's very simple. First, from now on, the emperor cannot leave the palace at will and do as he pleases. When traveling on patrol, he should respect the suggestions of his ministers. Second, the emperor cannot keep eagles, dogs and wild beasts in the palace, ride and shoot around, or set up stalls and juggle.
, which made the palace look less like a palace and more like a market place. The smoky atmosphere was unworthy of the royal family. Thirdly, the emperor did not
You must feast to excess, sing and dance all night long, visit the palace frequently, be restrained and practice frugality. Fourthly, the emperor must punish the sycophants around him to prevent them from being misled. People like Liu Jin and others who stay with the emperor will eventually become
It is a serious harm and must be eradicated. Fifthly, from now on, the emperor must follow the example of the late emperor and respect his ministers, be diligent in government affairs, and must not be absent from court meetings or banquets at will."
After Zhang Yanling heard these five conditions, a sneer appeared on his face.
"The emperor has complied with these five things, and everyone in the world will believe that the emperor is repentant. Mr. Zhang, what do you think?" Liu Jian asked in a deep voice.
Zhang Yanling sighed and said: "Liu Shoufu, what if the emperor doesn't agree to these things? What will happen in the outer court?"
Liu Jiandao: "The emperor has no regrets, and the ministers should die to remonstrate with them. If the emperor does not listen, the ministers will not rest for a day."
Zhang Yanling frowned and said: "But if the commotion continues like this, there will be no peace in the court every day, the monarch and his ministers will not get along, and there will be unrest. What good will it do to the country and the people?"
Liu Jian shouted in a deep voice: "I can't care about that."
Zhang Yanling laughed and said: "Liu Shoufu, just now you said that ministers should be loyal. Those who are loyal are responsible for the country, the country and the country. But now you say that you don't care. So, are you loyal to the country or just for yourself?
To save face, or for some other purpose? Aren’t you contradicting yourself?”
Liu Jian Leng was speechless at the scene, speechless for a moment.
Xie Qian stood up and said loudly: "We don't have time to bicker with you here. Come and see your guests off!"