Chapter 2102 The emperor's mind is still a brotherhood
Liu Zhengyan, the son of veteran general Liu Fa, who was in charge of the army when he assisted Xiao Tang in his southern and northern expeditions, and who also contributed a lot, instigated the soldiers of the imperial army to launch a mutiny when the Qi army approached Bianliang City, and opened the city gates to release the Qi army.
After entering the city, Zhao Huan, the king of the Song Dynasty, had to surrender to the Zen position. It must be said that it was the Miao Fu who made the most contribution. Xiao Tang had never treated them badly, but generously granted Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan the title of Yanjing's military envoy.
The Sidu is in charge, the deputy is in charge... However, due to nature, if Liu Zhengyan and Miao Fu were contented, they would have enjoyed official status and a good death. However, they were both high-handed and short-sighted, and they still disliked Xiao Tang's rewards.
It is not enough to match their achievements, which will inevitably lead to long-term resentment and hatred.
However, Yanjing is not far from Damingfu, and it is also an important place where the Qi Dynasty will move its capital. Liu Zhengyan, who has never been very bright, conspired with Miao Fu, who had gathered some old troops, to launch a mutiny and occupy Yanjing.
, imprisoned Li Zhi, Pei Xuan and other important court ministers serving in Yanjing threatened Xiao Tang to submit, and then led the army to siege the palace when Xiao Tang patrolled Yanjing, whether it would be possible to control the emperor... The eight characters have not yet been revealed.
Leaving aside, Shi Xiu, who had already discovered the clues, arrested and tortured the accomplices, and then quickly captured Liu Zhengyan. Miao Fu even joined the rebels and was imprisoned...
There is no need to elaborate on the ruthless methods used by Shi Xiu during the interrogation in the Fusi Prison of Yiluan Town. After verifying the charges, Liu Zhengyan and Miao Fu were found guilty of unforgivable crimes and were executed along with a group of other party members.
As for Liu Zhengyan's father, Liu Fa, who had been living in seclusion, he was certainly heartbroken when he heard that his unscrupulous son was trying to incite a mutiny and was sentenced to death. But how could he not know that Liu Zhengyan was greedy and was to blame himself? What if he had committed such a crime during the Song Dynasty?
The crime of treason was not only to be beheaded alive, but also to kill the nine tribes and the three Yi tribes. However, with Xiao Tang's permission, in memory of Liu Fa's achievements in the past, he taught Liu Zhengyan to die a happy death, and the disaster
If he is not as good as his relatives, he will still be allowed to use Liu Fa's regular money and food expenses, so as to ensure that the Liu family can still live in peace and contentment.
In addition, Liu Zhengyan already had an heir, and Liu Fa knew that Xiao Tang had been merciful outside the law, so he only took care of the family as a member of the Liu clan who had raised his grandson and was not implicated. Liu Fa was praised as a natural god general.
After all, his achievements and deeds were not erased by the imperial court because his son launched a rebellion. His biography is also preserved in "History of Song" and "History of Qi"...
However, Shi Xiu's resolute and ruthless behavior undoubtedly made many courtiers hate and fear him even more.
What's more, in addition to inspecting and interrogating treacherous ministers and traitors, and gross corruption and abuse of officials, many matters related to the power of the court are not black and white. Whether it is the court of the founding of the country, or the court of the last dynasty, such as the old and new party disputes in the Song Dynasty, it is inevitable among the courtiers.
Factions with different political views appeared and attacked and impeached each other. Even during the reign of Emperor Shenzong, who was relatively successful in the Song Dynasty, there would be inter-faction disputes such as the Wutai Poetry Case, in which some underhanded tactics were used.
Any faction that dominates the situation will undoubtedly threaten the rule of the imperial power. Therefore, in the following years, Shi Xiu's focus of thorough investigation inevitably turned to the civil servant group of the imperial court.
Later, when he continued to control the Fusi of Yiluan Town to track down the unscrupulous ministers, Shi Xiu's three most distinctive character traits of fighting against injustice, deep loyalty, and ruthlessness were also fully displayed. Because he was good at fighting against injustice, compared to the commanders of Jinyiwei such as Ji Ji Gang in the Ming Dynasty
Of course Shi Xiu, the envoy, would never rely on Xiao Tang's favor to falsely convey the imperial edict, kill innocent people indiscriminately, or seek bribes for corruption;
However, Shi Xiu Jianghu has a deep sense of loyalty. After all, he is not a fair and virtuous minister who is as clear as a mirror and as clear as water. He can also play with people's distance and distance. However, some of the brothers who gathered together for righteousness in Shuibo Liangshan at the beginning, as their identities changed, became Of course, it is impossible for an official to be without any stains, but when Shi Xiu learns that an official from the Liangshan faction has something to do with it, as long as it is not a small crime that endangers the rule of the Qi Dynasty, he will not be like Pei Xuan. Try to enforce the law impartially and impartially as much as possible, but find an opportunity to talk to your brothers while having a drink, and remind them that they need to know what is appropriate;
In terms of cruelty and ruthlessness, Shi Xiu treated other civil servants and generals, whether you were plotting rebellion, being greedy and amassing money, forming a clique for personal gain, or ridiculing the government... Even if you thought you were upholding the principles of justice, I thought it would harm my brother. I want you to die a good death!
In this way, during the nearly 15 or 6 years that Shi Xiu was in charge of Yiluan Town and Fusi, he arrested, interrogated, convicted and executed more than 3,000 to 4,000 people, including those who were implicated. This number is of course far less than Ming Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di, who ruled the country violently, killed many officials when they were in power. However, Shi Xiu only used his identity as Xiao Tang's confidant and favorite to arrest and purge officials. The method of heavy and quick measures was too radical, and it was inevitable that there would be some unjust cases. ..In the eyes of the bureaucracy, Shi Xiu is not powerful and bold.
It has aroused public outrage, and although Shi Xiu has been faithfully carrying out his mission to Xiao Tang for many years, he is not so innocent that no one can get hold of him. There are even imperial envoys and ministers who jointly impeached Shi Xiu. Shi Xiu had too much power, had recruited party members, and had killed officials unjustly. We sincerely requested that Shi Xiu be dismissed and convicted to quell public anger.
He knew that Shi Xiu had Xiao Tang's backing, and that the crimes cited by Shangshu for impeachment were of no importance to the emperor's favorites. However, many courtiers still wrote a letter to express their disapproval. This can also be seen from the fact that it represented The conflicts between Shi Xiu, who acted as a check and balance among the official factions in the Fusi Department of Yiluan Town, and many civil servants were at an irreconcilable level.
Of course, Xiao Tang could not depose his close brothers because of the impeachment of officials in the court, but giving Shi Xiuyiluan the power to control the Fusi was originally a special decision made in the early days of conquering the world. As the situation became increasingly stable, The Yiluan Town Fusi has great power and is independent of the national judicial system. Now it not only arouses the anger of the civil servants who are being checked, but if it is not restrained for a long time, it will inevitably lead to a lot of abuses. Now it seems that it is time to restrain it. The power of Yiluan Zhenfusi...
In the imperial study room of the Imperial City, Shi Xiu once again met with Xiao Tang. After a long and heart-to-heart talk, Shi Xiu thought for a moment and still said frankly: "Your Majesty... Wei Chen once said that back then, Those who want to do great things must do it even if they are unwilling to do it or do things they don’t want to do. If they are tired, the humble minister will be the sword in your majesty’s hand, and the humble minister will do the things that are inconvenient to do. And now your majesty You have led us and other brothers to achieve great things. After all, it is easy to conquer the world, but it is difficult to defend the world. As an emperor of a country, you must be decisive in killing... But now, if your majesty feels that it is time to sheath the sword, I will obey your orders. There will never be a single word of complaint.”
Xiao Tang looked at Shi Xiu with emotion, and suddenly sighed: "Sanlang, you said you are willing to be the killing knife in my hand, and if this knife is used too much, it will inevitably be hated by the court officials, but after all, they will
I dare not find out who this sword was used for. It is said that when the emperor was angry, millions of corpses were laid down, and blood was shed in the oars. The emperor's mind was to plan the overall situation, and some of his actions were committed by the world, and they were criticized by the world.
.. Even though our status as monarch and minister are different now, the brotherly love is still the same. In fact, it is you, brother, who has taken on a lot of infamy for me over the years. How could I not know? Although it is time to put this sword in its sheath...
.But I still need a good brother like you by my side."
Shi Xiu, who always had a bold and fierce look in his eyebrows, was slightly startled, and suddenly he felt a warm current surge in his heart. After a while, he showed a sincere and gratified smile, and then said with emotion: "Back then,
I am lucky enough to be reunited with my brother, and I am willing to trust each other with my life, whether in water or fire, even if I die without regrets... To this day, since my brother still needs his younger brother, I am still by his side to serve him, no matter whether he is a king or a minister.
Brotherly love is everlasting..."
Two days later, Shi Xiu took the initiative to submit a letter requesting to be relieved of his post as head of the Fusi Department of Yiluan Town. Xiao Tang approved the petition in court and transferred Shi Xiu to the Tongyu Department of the Palace Household Office. However, although Shi Xiu voluntarily chose to resign from Yiluan,
Although he held an important position, there were still courtiers who refused to give up, and still proposed to thoroughly investigate and convict Shi Xiu for his crimes. However, Xiao Tang dismissed the officials who insisted on punishing Shi Xiu for his crimes with just one sentence, and they were not acting in accordance with the emperor's instructions.
The tone of the minister was more like that of brother Juyi who supported his brothers when they were in Liangshan: "Whoever dares to touch Sanlang will have trouble with me!"
