Liu Xiding immediately pricked up his ears and listened carefully. Vice Minister Wu finally got to the point.
"...The recent events in the imperial court are very disturbing. The Qingjiao rebellion has caused panic. The emperor is restless and in a bad mood. The imperial court is also in chaos. In short, the past two months have been chaotic, everyone.
Life is not easy. I am very busy with counterinsurgency matters, and Prime Minister Lu is also very busy. He even went to the front line to express condolences to the army. In short, these two months have not been easy for anyone."
"Yes, the rebellion caused by the Qing Jiao bandits has indeed caused unrest. Public opinion in the capital is boiling, and rumors are flying all over the sky. Alas, these bandits are the cause of the trouble." Liu Xiding nodded hurriedly.
Wu Chunlai said in a deep voice: "Things are not as simple as you think. Although the chaos was caused by the bandits, it also has something to do with the people in the court. The Qingjiao bandits became like this in less than two years.
The climate, I'm really scared when I think about it. If time had passed and its strength had increased again, I don't know how this chaos would have ended. Fortunately, this didn't happen and the rebellion finally subsided, which can be said to be my great blessing."
Liu Xiding nodded and said: "Yes, fortunately, fortunately. It's a pity... this time I got the advantage of Lin Jue. I don't know why he got the credit by accident. I originally thought that King Huai would sweep away the cult bandits this time.
The one who made great contributions. In the end, it was Lin Jue who helped the King of Jin win the victory against the rebellion, which really makes people feel a little unhappy."
Wu Chunlai looked at Liu Xiding and said: "Liu Xiding, don't say these things out loud, it won't be good for you. However, what you said is right. This counterinsurgency was indeed beyond everyone's expectation. No one deserves credit.
It’s really upsetting to make meritorious deeds but benefit people who don’t deserve them.”
Liu Xiding smiled apologetically and said, "Isn't that right? What the official said was true to his heart. The official knew that both Prime Minister Lu and Vice Prime Minister Wu hoped that King Huai could make meritorious deeds and make great achievements in suppressing the rebellion, which would help him compete for the crown prince's position in the future.
It will be of great benefit. This is great. Now that the King of Jin has made a great contribution, I am afraid things will be difficult to handle. Prime Minister Lu must be very annoyed."
Wu Chunlai looked at Liu Xiding sideways and said, "Master Liu knows a lot, do you understand these things too?"
Liu Xiding smiled awkwardly and said: "Xiaguan always thinks from the perspective of Vice Prime Minister Wu. It is not difficult to understand these things. Naturally, Prime Minister Lu is on the side of King Huai. Is it possible to support King Jin? The Vice Prime Minister is on the side of King Huai.
I am on the side of Prime Minister Lu, and I am on the side of the Deputy Prime Minister, so I naturally feel the same way. You don’t have to hide it from me, I understand it in my heart."
Wu Chunlai laughed and said in a deep voice: "Yes, I shouldn't hide it from you. You are right, the situation is exactly like this. This time it is indeed a bit unexpected. But who do you think Mr. Lu is? Just for such a small thing
Annoyed and angry? Besides, if you successfully suppress the rebellion this time, you will be able to secure the position of prince? That is not necessarily the case. The matter has just begun, and we still don’t know who will win."
"That's right, that's natural." Liu Xiding bowed.
"However... Prime Minister Lu was not very happy, but he was unhappy because some people acted according to the prevailing circumstances. King Jin had made meritorious deeds and had been inspected, so they all thought that King Jin was destined to be crowned prince by the emperor.
They all ran to show their courtesy. The grasshoppers, the wind blows on both sides, these people are the most hateful. The reason why Prime Minister Lu is angry is because of the behavior of these wallflowers. They did not take Prime Minister Lu seriously at all."
"That's right, these people are the most hateful. They are like flies, flying wherever there is shit... That... Deputy Prime Minister, don't misunderstand me. I am not comparing Prime Minister Lu and you to shit. What I mean is..."
Liu Xiding realized that he had said the wrong thing and hurriedly explained.
"Well, I understand what you mean. There is no need to explain." Wu Chunlai waved his hand and interrupted: "It is impossible to let these people ignore the authority of Prime Minister Lu. Now King Jin and the others are cheering and thinking that they have a chance to win. Those who support King Jin
Now they are all celebrating our jokes. In this situation, it is impossible not to punish them. We must kill the chickens to scare the monkeys and let them calm down. Don't think that Prime Minister Lu can't do anything to them."
"Yes, you are right. These people can't do it without punishment. Let them understand who is in charge of our Zhou Dynasty, it is Prime Minister Lu, not others. Prime Minister Lu and Deputy Prime Minister Wu will not show their power, so that they will treat them as sick.
Cat." Liu Xiding clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.
Wu Chunlai smiled and said, "Yes, if a tiger doesn't show off its power, it will be treated as a sick cat by them. So, I called you here for a meeting just for this matter."
Liu Xiding was startled and said in astonishment: "For this matter? Vice Minister Wu, the official is just the chief writer of the Regulations Department, but he does not have the power to impeach officials. Aren't there a lot of officials available for this matter?"
Wu Chunlai shook his head and said: "You have misunderstood. I am not asking you to go to court to impeach others. There are other things."
Liu Xiding secretly breathed a sigh of relief, puffed up his chest and said, "Oh, Vice Minister Wu, don't worry, but if a lower official can do it, he must do it with all his heart. Even if it means impeachment, the lower official is willing to do it."
Wu Chunlai shook his head and muttered: "As I said just now, although the rebellion has subsided, the matter is not over yet. In the next few days, Prime Minister Lu and I will join forces with many ministers to impeach the reformist officials led by Yan Zhengshen and Fang Dunru.
, this time to scare the monkeys, we will start with them."
Liu Xiding shuddered and said in astonishment: "You mean to impeach Yan Zhengsheng and Fang Dunru? But... where is the reason? They haven't caused any trouble in the past two months. The court asked them to allocate
All funds for counter-insurgency have also been allocated. All we have done in the past two months is to re-write the provisions of the "Disarmament Law", but because the rebellion has not been submitted to the emperor for approval, we are basically busy with Changping's new law and employment
It’s just a matter of promoting the service law.”
Wu Chunlai sneered: "They actually have the leisure to draft a new law, but they really don't take it seriously. Liu Xiding, are you confused? Are you asking about the reason for impeachment? The root cause of this Qingjiao rebellion is the new law. If not
How could the Qingjiao exploit the loopholes of the people everywhere who are struggling with the Changping New Law and the Employment Law? We have clearly investigated, and there are thousands of specific confessions. When the gangsters who participated in the Qingjiao explained their motivations for joining the Qingjiao,
They confessed that it was precisely because of the new law that they had no livelihood, so the Qing Sect took advantage of it. They joined the Qing Sect in order to survive, and were eventually deceived into rebellion. The new law was the root cause of this rebellion. Such a big thing happened.
Shouldn't Yan Zhengsun and Fang Dunru be held accountable? Isn't it unforgivable? This time, Lu Xianghui personally submitted a memorial, as well as his own officials, dozens of important ministers in the court, and hundreds of officials from various places and prefectures. It is inevitable.
Let the emperor repeal the new law and punish the culprits who caused the rebellion. Yan Zhengsheng and Fang Dunru can’t get away with it this time.”
Liu Xiding opened his mouth and was horrified. He understood that Prime Minister Lu and Vice Prime Minister Wu were really angry. This time they were determined to win and must overthrow Yan Zhengsheng and Fang Dunru. This might not necessarily be because of their dissatisfaction with the new law.
What kind of hatred is there, even though they are also opposed to the new law. The purpose of doing this is to show their power as mentioned before, to scare the monkeys. Yan Zhengsheng and Fang Dunru are trusted ministers of the emperor, and the reformists have a high status in the court.
, if they are all overthrown by Prime Minister Lu, it will be enough to show their great power to other ministers in the court and make those wallflowers wake up.
Fundamentally speaking, this impeachment is because after the failure of the counter-insurgency, they must find an opportunity to regain their strength and restore the situation. Unfortunately, Yan Zhengsu and Fang Dunru were their first targets to reverse the defeat.
Taking down Yan Zhengsheng and Fang Dunru will serve as a weathervane, allowing all courtiers to understand who is in charge in the court.
Moreover, the reasons and opportunities for impeachment this time are also perfect. If, as Wu Chunlai said, the root cause of this bandit rebellion is the disaster of the new law, then I am afraid it will be difficult for Yan Zhengsu and Fang Dunru to defend themselves.
"What's wrong? What's wrong with you?" Wu Chunlai shouted with eyes wide open.
Liu Xiding woke up with a start and hurriedly apologized with a smile: "No...it's nothing. I was confused and realized that the culprit of the rebellion was Xinfa. In this case, it is natural to hold accountable. Yan Zhengsheng and Fang Dunru will not be able to escape this time
It doesn’t matter. They’re going to die.”
Wu Chunlai frowned and said, "That's not necessarily the case. No one can say for sure whether we can defeat them this time. Even Prime Minister Lu and I are not completely sure."
Liu Xiding said in astonishment: "Why is that? Since they are the culprits of the rebellion, how can they not be brought down? I don't understand this."
"It's very simple, because there is someone behind them. If this person doesn't let go, it will be useless even if we unite all officials to impeach him." Wu Chunlai drank a glass of wine and put the glass down heavily.
"Are you talking about...the Emperor?" Liu Xiding said softly.
"If you are not confused, it is the Emperor. This reform is fully supported by the Emperor. The reason why we impeach them this time is the disadvantages of the new law. The Emperor will think that this is directed at him. According to the Emperor
Due to his temper, he will definitely refuse to agree to our impeachment in order to protect his face. This is the most difficult part." Wu Chunlai clicked his fingers.
Liu Xiding suddenly realized that if he said that the new law caused rebellion, wouldn't this be a slap in the emperor's face? The emperor would definitely not agree with this statement. This is a troublesome matter.
"Liu Xiding, so I invite you to meet today because I have placed great trust in you. This impeachment must be successful. If Yan Zhengsheng and Fang Dunru cannot be brought down, both Prime Minister Lu and I will lose our face, and the consequences will be unimaginable. From now on, there will be no more
We can no longer suppress them, and some people in the DPRK will never take us seriously again. Therefore, this time we need your cooperation. If this is done, I guarantee you will be a fourth-grade official.
"Wu Chunlai said in a deep voice.
It was only now that Wu Chunlai returned to the topic of inviting Liu Xiding to meet today. Liu Xiding knew the importance of this matter, stood up and stood solemnly, bowed and said: "Please make it clear to Vice Minister Wu that I will do my best to serve Lu
Prime Minister, work for Deputy Prime Minister Wu."
Wu Chunlai nodded slowly and said: "Very good. If you want the impeachment to be successful, your Majesty must nod. If you want your Majesty to nod, you must make him think that Yan Zhengsu and Fang Dunru are hopeless and have completely deviated from his appointment of them."
Original intention. Therefore, I want you to record every word spoken by Yan Zhengsheng and Fang Dunru from now on, copy every article they write, and monitor their every behavior. Find clues from these. If there is any serious rebellion,
Words that are disrespectful to the emperor and words and deeds that are disloyal to the court will be weapons to destroy them. The emperor is upright on the outside, but in fact he is suspicious in his heart. These things are the most useful. Even more useful than our impeachment memorials and the official memorials.
To be useful, you must find these evidences. Do you understand?"
Liu Xiding swallowed his foam and nodded: "I understand, I will definitely do as I am told. But... what if I can't find anything useful?"
Wu Chunlai said coldly: "How is it possible? As long as you are willing to use your brain, you will find it. There is nothing impossible in this world, only you can't think of it. Use your intelligence and think about what to do. You will definitely be able to do it.
If you can't do it... then... you can jump directly into the Bian River now to avoid someone throwing you in in the future."
Liu Xiding was sweating profusely and said repeatedly: "Don't worry, Deputy Prime Minister, I understand, I will not let the Deputy Prime Minister down."
