When the two young eunuchs opened the mahogany box, Li Qi almost fainted. What he expected was absolutely correct, it was a box full of memorials.
Li Qi broke into a cold sweat and said sarcastically: "Your Majesty, this should be a copy, right?"
"copy?"
Song Huizong was stunned for a moment, laughed and cursed: "Thank you, you kid, for figuring it out."
Li Qi groaned and said, "I didn't expect that Your Majesty, you still kept so much."
Song Huizong waved his hand and said: "Don't worry, these are not to impeach you."
Damn it! You are scaring me, you are not impeaching me. Show me your hair. Li Qi was angry and confused at the same time, and said: "May I ask your Majesty, what does these memorials have to do with the ministers?"
?”
"Although these are not to impeach you, they have a lot to do with you." Song Huizong sighed heavily and said with a sad face: "Actually, these memorials are to impeach Qin Hui."
Nani? I didn’t expect that Qin Hui, the deputy economic envoy, is as good as me, the chief executive, and they are both so lovable. Li Qi couldn’t believe it and said, “Both of them?”
Song Huizong nodded and sighed: "Now I regret that I listened to you and sent Qin Hui down to the south of the Yangtze River to clean up the official circles in the south of the Yangtze River."
Li Qi's heart shivered and he said, "Your Majesty, what on earth is going on?"
"Actually, 70% of these memorials are from Jiangnan, and the remaining 30% are from the ministers of the court." Song Huizong shook his head and said: "You may not know that Qin Hui killed thirty-seven officials within two months of going to Jiangnan.
More than 70 officials were captured and deposed, and there were also grass bandits and bandits who surrounded and suppressed hundreds of people. The whole Jiangnan officialdom was in a state of turmoil. It was not so much a purge as a purge. Now Jiangnan officials
They regarded him as a tiger and were very afraid of him. They all petitioned me to severely punish Qin Hui."
Sweating! So much? It seems that Qin Hui is really showing off his power on this trip, and the intensity is too fierce. But I like it, and this is the effect I want. Li Qi secretly smiled in his heart, but said: "Ah? This -
--How does Qin Hui do things? Doesn't this ruin my reputation? How can he kill officials indiscriminately? This is simply a disregard for the law!"
Song Huizong coughed slightly and said: "It's not like killing indiscriminately."
Li Qi pretended to be surprised and said: "Isn't it indiscriminate killing?"
Song Huizong hummed and said: "Some of these people are involved in corruption, some are colluding with grass bandits, and some even directly send people to be grass bandits. Qin Hui also sent me the evidence. The evidence is indeed conclusive."
Fortunately, it was Qin Hui, and he did not disappoint me. Li Qidao: "In that case, what does the emperor mean by this move? I am stupid, so please inform the emperor."
Song Huizong said: "Are you really ignorant? Or are you pretending not to know?"
"I really don't know." Li Qi quickly shook his head.
Song Huizong said: "Since the founding of the Song Dynasty, we have never killed officials on such a large scale. In the past two months, Qin Hui has set a record. The key is that some of them will not be killed if they commit crimes according to the laws of the Song Dynasty."
, but Qin Hui still killed him without fail. Although this was the power I gave him, what he did was really extraordinary, and he specifically picked out high-ranking officials to kill, which made people in Jiangnan panic. Putting the cart before the horse, and now in the DPRK
Many people say that this was arranged by you, Li Qi, in order to eradicate dissidents."
In fact, it couldn't help but be absolute, and it was too fast, otherwise Song Huizong would have stopped Qin Hui long ago.
"That's it." Li Qi nodded, lowered his head and said: "Your Majesty, what Qin Hui did was indeed instructed by Wei Chen. Please forgive Qin Hui. Wei Chen will bear it for him, and these crimes will be borne by Wei Chen.
The humble minister will carry it."
Everyone was stunned, they had never expected that Li Qi directly confessed without any rebuttal.
Song Huizong also stayed for a moment. This was very unlike Li Qi's style, and said: "Why---why did you let him do this?" Of course he would not punish Li Qi for this, otherwise how could the monetary strategy be implemented.
Li Qidao: "Because only in this way can Jiangnan be revitalized as quickly as possible. Your Majesty, you know that the ministers have always put the interests of the Song Dynasty first. As for those corrupt officials, although their crimes are not worthy of death, they are worthy of death. Kill them."
Firstly, they can give an explanation to the people, secondly, they can deter other officials and use this as a warning, and thirdly, they can show the emperor's determination, which is of great benefit to the new law."
Song Huizong nodded and said: "I understand this, but have you ever considered me when you did this?"
Did you get it wrong? As the emperor, do you still need to be considerate? Li Qi was stunned for a moment, glanced left and right, and found that Cai Jing, Gao Qiu, and the others were all silent and solemn, while Cai You and others were smiling.
Feeling something bad in his heart, he began to become cautious and said: "Your Majesty, I don't quite understand."
"Then see for yourself."
Song Huizong tilted his head and said.
The two young eunuchs immediately carried the box of memorials to Li Qi.
Li Qi picked up a few books and read them, but the more he read, the angrier he became. This was not impeachment, it was clearly a threat to the emperor.
All the memorials were written by literati and scholar-bureaucrats. There was no evidence between the lines to exonerate those people. They didn't even bother to find excuses. They could be summed up in one sentence - since our ancestors, we have never killed scholars.
Moreover, their tone was not a discussion or a plea, but a hard request. However, it was undeniable that the scholar-bureaucrats had completely infiltrated the entire Song court and were snobbish in almost every aspect.
In fact, this kind of situation has been common in the Song Dynasty, and the power of the scholar-bureaucrats has long been enough to compete with the emperor. For example, due to the failure of Shaanxi's army, Shenzong issued an internal order to kill an official. However, the prime minister Cai Que refused to implement it, and the entire bureaucracy
He put pressure on Shenzong in the name of his representative, saying, "Since our ancestors, we have never killed a scholar, and the ministers have no desire to do so since your majesty." Shenzong pondered for a long time, and estimated that he could not fight Cai Que and others, so he reluctantly agreed to change it to "Assassin the face and fight with the distance."
But even so, he encountered opposition. Zhang, the servant of the sect, protested and said: "It is better to kill him than to kill him." When Shenzong asked why, Zhang said: "A scholar can be killed but not humiliated." Shenzong was very angry after hearing this.
, said in a stern voice: "You can't do anything you want to do!" And Zhang's answer was: "It's so happy not to do it." This shows the tyranny of civil servants and the weakness of imperial power.
Another example is that Zhang Zhongxuan, the magistrate of Shenzong's time, was sentenced to death for accepting bribes and perverting the law. However, because an official named Li Xifu was sentenced to death for accepting bribes, the judge gave him a lighter sentence and exempted him from the death penalty. Instead, he was sentenced to death with a stick and
The punishment of being tattooed with an island. At this time, when dealing with Zhang Zhongxuan's case, the judge used Li Xifu's case as a reference to exempt Zhang Zhongxuan from the death penalty, and replaced it with a stick spine and a tattoo with an island. This was already an extrajudicial favor at the time, but it was
Su Song, who was serving in the trial court at the time, still felt that the punishment was too heavy, so he argued in front of Shenzong that Zhang Zhongxuan's crime was less serious than that of Li Xifu, and asked Shenzong: "In ancient times, the punishment was not as good as that of a doctor. If you can kill, you can kill. Zhongxuan is in the fifth grade."
Even though he was guilty, he had to ride in the carriage, but he was now tattooed with a stick, so that he could be with the disciples and subordinates, and he would be a scholar without any serious stains. So Shenzong issued an order to remove the stick, tattoo, and stop wandering outside the ridge, so he set an example.
Anyway, gods are also scholar-officials, and ghosts are also scholar-officials.
The arrogant and domineering scholar-bureaucrats also reflected the weakness of the imperial power. Facing the scholar-bureaucrats, the emperor of the Song Dynasty had been making constant concessions. The reason why Li Qi had repeatedly won was partly due to external forces and partly due to the common people.
Another key reason is that there is also class struggle within the scholar-official class. Li Qi took advantage of this to bring considerable benefits to some scholar-official families and let them fight among themselves in order to achieve their own goals.
In fact, this box of memorials was also one of the reasons why Song Huizong was eager to withdraw from the court, because once this matter was brought up for formal discussion, Song Huizong would have to make a choice immediately, and it would be difficult to get off the throne. This shows that he still valued Li very much.
Oddly, it gave Li Qi a buffering stage. Otherwise, even if Li Qi could break the rules, he might not be able to save the lives of Qin Hui and Han Shizhong.
However, what's even more terrible is that Cai Jing, Wu Min, Li Bangyan and others were all civil servants. They were all in the class of scholar-bureaucrats. In this regard, they naturally supported the scholar-bureaucrats. In fact, they did not speak out to help, and they added insult to injury.
, which can be regarded as giving Li Qi a great deal of face.
Li Qi read more than ten books but didn't bother to read them. Anyway, they all said the same thing: It's your fault to kill scholars and scholars. This is an ancestral precept, and any violation of it will be detrimental to the fate of the country. In fact, Li Qi had already expected that he would change the law.
Sooner or later, there will be a battle with the scholar-bureaucrats, but in order to prepare for the Jingkang Incident, he has always chosen a delaying strategy, trying not to confront the scholar-bureaucrats head-on, at least he has not yet broken his face. However, the matter has come to this, and he knows that it is inevitable now.
, pondered for a moment, then laughed and said: "Your Majesty, these people are threatening you."
"Bold."
Cai Jing immediately shouted angrily and said, "Li Qi, you don't have to talk nonsense."
Li Qi knew that Cai Jing was also helping him, reminding him not to make things irreversible, but he didn't think so, and said: "The grand master taught me a lesson. I wonder how the emperor plans to deal with this matter now?"
Song Huizong sighed: "Actually, I have ordered Qin Hui to stay on standby a few days ago. As for how to deal with it---."
Cai You hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, this may not be enough. Now we have to immediately remove Qin Hui from his official position and take him into custody pending trial. Only then can we appease the hearts of the scholars in the world. In addition, Han Shizhong should be dismissed from his post and investigated."
Song Huizong frowned and glanced at Li Qi, with a look of helplessness on his face. What Cai You said was exactly what he thought.
Li Qi also understood Song Huizong's difficulties, but understanding did not mean submission, so he held his hands and said: "Your Majesty, if you want to compromise, then Wei Chen has nothing to say. I also ask the Emperor to remove Wei Chen from his official position and spare General Qin Hui and Han.
However, if the emperor believes what Wei Chen says, Wei Chen is confident that he will make those people bow their heads and admit their mistakes within three months."
As soon as these words came out, everyone was shocked.
The emperor has to bow his head to the scholar-bureaucrats. No matter how capable you are, you are still no better than the emperor.
Why is this kid so confused! Cai Jing said quickly: "Li Qi, what is compromise? Who dares to ask the emperor to compromise? This is a crime of great disrespect, and you have not confessed to the emperor yet. Now the matter has not reached the point of irreversibility.
As long as you take a step back, there is still an opportunity. If you insist on doing this, you will have to get yourself involved."
The implication is very obvious, that is, Qin Hui and Han Shizhong are used as scapegoats for Li Qi, because the scholar-officials have not really attacked Li Qi yet. After all, some people within the scholar-officials are against Li Qi, and they still
Cai Jing, Zhu Meng and other party members were all helping Li Qi. In fact, Cai Jing originally thought that Li Qi was just killing the chicken to scare the monkeys. After all, the Song Dynasty treated literati very favorably. Who would have expected that Li Qi would eradicate the roots this time without leaving any room for it. Moreover, he also
I didn't understand the twists and turns here, so I killed them all the way. Now I feel very regretful.
Zhao Huan saw this and said hurriedly: "Economic envoy, please don't act out of loyalty! You should put the overall situation first."
"Thank you, Grand Master, for your kindness." Li Qi bowed his hands towards them, and then saluted Song Huizong and said, "Your Majesty, I am guilty of a minor crime, please punish me."
Song Huizong clenched his fists and was silent for a moment. He slapped the table and said angrily: "Okay, okay, you are forcing me!"
"Wei Chen dare not."
Everyone said in unison.
"You people are relying on my favor to do whatever you want. It's really unreasonable." Song Huizong snorted angrily. In fact, he also felt aggrieved!
"Wei Chen is guilty."
Everyone saluted again.
Song Huizong snorted, but did not let them off the hook and said calmly: "Li Qi."
"Wei Chen is here."
"What did you mean by what you just said?"
Li Qidao: "Wei Chen just feels that these people are already challenging the emperor's imperial power. They are not even allowed to kill corrupt officials. If the emperor repeatedly gives in, it will only encourage the arrogance of those people. Where is the national law? Where is the imperial power?
In order to repay the emperor's favor, the humble minister is willing to use his own life as a soldier to safeguard the imperial power, go to war with the scholar-bureaucrats, and teach them a harsh lesson."
Domineering!
So domineering!
In the Song Dynasty, no one had ever dared to declare war against the scholar-bureaucrats. You know, except for Song Huizong, his son, and Gao Qiu, everyone here belonged to the scholar-bureaucrat class.
Almost everyone was dumbfounded.
But at this time, only Song Huizong was sober. The Song Dynasty valued literature over military affairs, which was the reason for the demise of the Tang Dynasty. It was afraid that military generals would rebel. It is undeniable that this did achieve obvious results, but also because of this, over time, the scholar-bureaucrats
The power of the Song Dynasty has become more and more powerful, and it has begun to encroach on the imperial power. This gave the emperor of the Song Dynasty a headache and a dilemma. Song Huizong also understood this deeply. When he saw those memorials, he was furious. This was really deceiving.
It's too much. You have colluded with the grass bandits to seek wealth and death. If you can't kill him, how can you kill him? He even felt that it was time to give the scholar-officials some pain, otherwise the scholar-officials would have to sit on his head and shit in the future.
No, however, Li Qi's words resonated in his heart, his eyes flashed, and he said slowly: "Are you sure?"
A few simple words, but Cai Jing and others were startled into sweating.
Li Qi nodded and said: "If you are not sure, I will never dare to say anything nonsense. Your Majesty only needs to promise me one thing."
"What's the matter?"
"According to what the British government said, Qin Hui and Han Shizhong will be detained pending trial, and the ministers will be ordered to serve." Li Qi said calmly and calmly.
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