On a summer night, the weather is extremely hot. The sky is covered with dense clouds, and lightning flashes from time to time among the clouds, reflecting the outline of the clouds, like wolf teeth and claws, or the eyes and faces of gods.
A summer night rainstorm is brewing.
In the waterside pavilion in the back garden of a mansion in Tieshizhutong, Jiaozhongfang, the inner city, a group of people were sitting high and low.
This is the residence of Liu Jian, the chief minister of the Ming Dynasty's cabinet. Those gathered here tonight are all the leading figures in the outer court of the Ming Dynasty. Except for the three bachelors of the cabinet, basically all the figures from the other six departments and nine ministers have arrived.
Liu Jian was wearing a black robe and sitting on a Taishi chair, squinting at the sky with flashing electric lights outside the water pavilion, with a deep expression on his face. Everyone around him was sitting upright with serious expressions. The atmosphere in the water pavilion was even more depressing than the weather outside.
"Why hasn't Mr. Ma arrived yet?" Han Wen, Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, broke the silence and asked in a deep voice.
"Mr. Han, Mr. Ma is old and has difficulty moving. He will not come tonight." Li Dongyang, who was sitting next to Liu Jianjian, said.
Han Wen frowned and complained: "When is this? But you can't overcome it. When the critical moment comes, you shrink your head. If you can't do what you want, why should you be in the position?"
Everyone knows that Han Wen has a bad temper. Normally, everyone doesn't care about his complaints and pretends not to hear them. But today, someone spoke out to refute him.
"Han Shangshu, Mr. Ma is already eighty years old, and his physical strength and energy are weak. This is human nature. When Han Shangshu reaches eighty years old, he may not be as good as Mr. Ma."
The person who spoke was small in stature, with a thin face, and a pair of squinted eyes, but his eyes were sparkling. This person is Jiao Fang, the left minister of the Ministry of Personnel. Ma Wensheng, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, is old, and he is now responsible for the main affairs of the Ministry of Personnel.
.
"Master Jiao, I didn't say anything. Today, the Chief Minister is convening to discuss important matters, and Ma Shangshu should come. Since Master Ma is not energetic, he should resign and go home to retire." Han Wen choked back.
"Master Han, Master Ma cannot come, and I am here. I am entrusted by Master Ma. Could it be that Master Han feels that I am not qualified to participate in the discussion?" Jiao Fang said tit for tat.
Han Wen was about to retort angrily when Li Dongyang waved his hand and said: "You two, stop arguing unnecessarily. How can you behave in such a manner in front of all your colleagues? When will Minister Xu of the Ministry of War and Liu Shangshu come?"
Xu Jin, the Minister of the Ministry of War, said solemnly: "I don't know, but Liu Shangshu was drunk at noon and did not go to the Yamen of the Ministry of War in the afternoon. I don't know if he has sobered up. I don't know if he can come."
Han Wen sneered and said: "Look, something went wrong at a critical moment. Liu Daxia is a cunning person, and he is very arrogant all day long. He knew that we were discussing important matters today, but he was drunk. What a good idea."
Just as Li Dongyang was about to speak, Liu Jian withdrew his gaze from the dark sky outside the water pavilion and said in a deep voice: "That's it, no more waiting. Liu Shilang will go back and inform Liu Daxia of the results of tonight's discussion. Let's get started."
Everyone looked at Liu Jian in awe.
Liu Jian scanned the audience and said: "My lords, I have invited you here tonight to discuss the matter of impeaching and purging the traitors around the emperor. We have reached a consensus on this matter before, and I wanted to
Maybe there is no need to use such means. If the emperor can wake up on his own, he doesn't need us.
Going to war. But now it seems that I am afraid I have to do it. I invite you here today not to discuss whether we should do this, but to inform you that the impeachment of the "Eight Tigers" in the inner court is imperative. Everyone, the success or failure of this matter is related.
It is a serious matter, and we in the outer court should act in unison and unite sincerely to ensure the success of the impeachment."
There was silence in the water pavilion, no one spoke, and no one expressed surprise. The senior officials of the outer court have reached a consensus on this matter, and everyone here has already known the news. Therefore, as for the purpose of being invited here tonight, it is not surprising.
They all guessed it was close to ten.
"Everyone, tomorrow I will go to the palace with the two cabinet ministers to remonstrate with you. But I feel that the emperor will not give in, or even see us. That doesn't matter, but next, you will need to work together to
We have written a letter to advise you. You must understand that once launched, there will be no turning back until we achieve the results we want. Don’t worry, I will be here to charge.
I will never compromise before the impeachment. I am ready to remonstrate to death and am willing to exchange my blood for the success of the impeachment. I hope that you can be like me and never look back. If it ends in an anticlimax, my court will become a laughing stock.
It will be difficult to gain a foothold. Therefore, this matter must succeed, even if it means paying a price. Do you understand?" Liu Jian continued.
"Master Liu, I, Han Wen, will express my position. If someone must bleed this time, I, Han Wen, am willing to bear the brunt." Han Wen said loudly.
"We will never retreat and we will advance and retreat together." Everyone also said one after another.
Zhang Sheng, the Minister of Rites, said: "Master Liu, I am a little confused. It is just a matter of impeaching a few servants. Is there any need to spend so much time and effort on mobilizing troops and people?"
"What a nerd, Zhang Shangshu. Your Majesty is so stubborn with us now. Liu Jin and others have been serving him since childhood. Moreover, the impeachment of Liu Jin and others this time was because he went on a private tour. How could the Emperor agree so easily?
?Maybe they will insist on refusing, which is why we are so mobilized. Do you understand?" Xie Qian said in a deep voice.
Zhang Sheng smiled bitterly and said: "I see. In fact, Liu Jin and others have nothing to worry about, but they want the emperor to bow his head, right?"
Liu Jian said in a deep voice: "You can't say that. We are not targeting the emperor, but we want the emperor to realize his mistakes and help him get rid of the treacherous villains around him. Liu Jin and others are the culprits, and we must get rid of them.
Only the emperor can see and hear clearly."
Zhang Sheng thought: "That's not the same thing."
"Then what if the emperor resolutely refuses to agree? What if he refuses to agree? What should we do?" Zhang Sheng asked again.
Everyone rolled their eyes, this nerd really likes to poke people's lungs, so he has to ask these questions.
Liu Jian said in a deep voice: "Everyone, I, Li University, Xie University, etc. are deeply entrusted by the late emperor. They are ministers who take care of life and assist the current emperor in governing the Ming Dynasty. Their responsibilities are more important than Mount Tai.
.The late Emperor trusted us so much and entrusted us with the important responsibilities of the Ming Dynasty and hundreds of millions of people. How dare we be even a little negligent or slack off? The emperor is young and is bewitched by sycophants and deceived by jesters.
, and did some things that harmed our Ming Dynasty. If this continues, the consequences will be disastrous. At this time, if we cannot stand up and persuade others to correct their mistakes, it will be our dereliction of duty. You all understand how the late emperor treated me.
.How can we bear to watch the ZTE era that the late Emperor worked so hard to build collapse and be destroyed? In the future, how will we face the late Emperor?"
Liu Jian's eyes were as bright as lightning as he scanned the crowd and continued: "I know what people in the imperial court are thinking, what purpose they think we are trying to achieve and what ambitions we have. I don't care what they think, I just do what I need to do.
matter, this is the responsibility of our outer court, and we have to do it
In other words, they can hide and watch the excitement, not daring to face this matter, but we are not afraid and cannot hide. We people are different from them, and we must not let ourselves sink and live like a dog. We people,
We must have the world in mind, we must not waste the teachings of our ancestors, and we must have the character and vision of our scholars.”
Liu Jian was usually not good at talking, he acted decisively and did not like to talk much, but today he talked eloquently and was very inflammatory. Everyone in the audience was inspired by him, and their eyes shone with light.
"As for the question raised by Zhang Shangshu, what if you can't change the emperor's mind even if you remonstrate to the death? I will answer you with a poem. It is also the poem of a wise minister of the Ming Dynasty that I, Liu Jian, admire most. That is: The body is broken into pieces and the bones are covered with blood.
Don't be afraid, you must keep your innocence in this world. I wonder if Zhang Shangshu is satisfied with my answer." Liu Jian looked at Zhang Sheng with a smile and said in a deep voice.
Don’t be afraid of being broken into pieces, but keep your innocence in the world. This is a poem by Yu Qian, which praises ordinary things like lime. Yu Qian had mixed reviews in the Ming Dynasty. When Emperor Yingzong was captured in Tumubao
, Yu Qian, the Minister of War, immediately made the decision to establish a new emperor.
Smash the Waci people's attempt to hold Emperor Yingzong hostage against the imperial court. Some people think that this approach turned the tide and saved the Ming Dynasty from the collapse of the defeat. Others think that this move went against the principles of being a minister and betrayed
Emperor Yingzong committed an act of great disloyalty and rebellion.
Even among the civil servants who are also scholars, the evaluation of Yu Qian is mixed, and everyone has their own opinions. There is a generally accepted view that although Yu Qian did turn the tide at a critical moment and made a contribution to the country, his behavior is definitely human.
minister
This taboo cannot be imitated. Don't expect future generations to rehabilitate you. Zhu Youtang also gave a very high evaluation of being "strong and bright, talented and economical, both civil and military, and eloquent." However, this may be a manifestation of his status as an emperor.
His generosity and political correctness are also unknown.
But no matter what, there is one thing no one denies. That is Yu Qian's courage and determination without hesitation.
Today, Liu Jian publicly said that the person he admires is Yu Qian, and the meaning behind his words is self-evident. He, Liu Jian, dares to be like Yu Qian, and will never look back at critical moments, regardless of what people say, or the judgment of the world, and will do what he does
Something shocking happened.
As for what it was, no one dared to think about it, nor did they want to think about it.
Everyone was moved by Liu Jian's words. Liu Shoufu was so determined, so there was nothing to hesitate about, so they naturally followed him and rushed forward.
Li Dongyang looked at Liu Jian in silence. After having known each other for decades, he finally saw Liu Jian's heart today. He actually did not agree with some of Liu Jian's decisions, but he had to admire Liu Jian's decisive attitude.
"If you have any questions, you can ask them. All doubts will be resolved tonight, and no other voices will be heard from now on." Li Dongyang said solemnly.
No one said anything. The three adults had made up their minds and must have planned carefully. All they had to do was follow it and there was no need to ask any more questions.
Li Dongyang nodded and said: "Okay, since you have no doubts, then..."
"Master Li, I have a question." Someone suddenly said loudly.
When everyone looked around, it was Jiao Fang, the Minister of Civil Service, who was speaking.
"Master Jiao, please tell me," Li Dongyang said.
Jiao Fang said in a deep voice: "I would like to ask, since we are not afraid of being shattered to pieces this time, why not settle it once and for all."
Li Dongyang said: "What do you mean, Mr. Jiao? What does it mean once and for all?"
Jiao Fang said in a deep voice: "Although Liu Jin and others are named the Eight Tigers, they are actually just eight mice. Liu Jin and the others are not the only ones who have the emperor's sycophants. Don't forget, this time the emperor refused to listen to dissuasion and insisted on going on patrol.
There is one person who cannot escape the blame. That is Zhang Yanling, Marquis of Jianchang. Also, his Zhang family brothers committed numerous crimes during the reign of the late emperor. Why not impeach and liquidate them together?"