"As human ministers, we should naturally help the country!"
Wang Zeng pointed at Kou Ji's nose and yelled, regardless of his appearance.
Kou Ji asked back: "Is it support or guidance? You have arranged everything clearly. You only tell the officials what can and cannot be done. You don't care at all what the officials think or do.
.
What was the court like before I showed up?
A large group of you control the government and tell the officials what went wrong and what to do.
Instead of listening to the officials’ instructions on what to do.”
The king once shouted: "We feed the emperor's salary, but you are worried about the emperor, and give advice to the emperor for your adoption. What's wrong with that?"
Kou Ji nodded and said: "Yes, yes, but you only let the king follow your suggestions. You will collectively oppose whatever the king wants to do. You don't give the king any room to make his own decisions."
Once the king violates your wishes, you will use all kinds of remonstrances and threats.
If the king kills one or two of you because of this, then you can spread the word everywhere that the king is an ignorant and ignorant king.
What you have done has gone beyond what a human being should do.
You have earned a lot of fame for this, but the king has gained notoriety for it."
Wang Zeng angrily pulled Kou Ji's sleeves out of the palace, went outside the palace, found a deserted place, roared at Kou Ji with red eyes: "That's an angry dragon, living in the palace, everyone is here."
It's safe and sound, but once you leave the palace, things will turn upside down."
Kou Ji sat down in the deserted tea shed that Wang Zeng had found, stared at Wang Zeng coldly and said: "Since you want to tie up the angry dragon, why don't you tie it up tightly?
Completely take over the magical power of the angry dragon to move the clouds and spread the rain?"
Wang Zeng almost threw himself in front of Kou Ji, spitting on Kou Ji's face, "That's holding the emperor hostage to order the princes. That's Cao Cao's style, the style of a traitorous eunuch."
Kou Ji asked in reply: "Although my grandfather has become a sage, when he was in charge of the court, what was the difference between his power and actions and coercing the emperor to order the princes?
It's just that I have more respect for the imperial power than Cao Cao.
But in terms of power, approach, and influence, there is no difference.
The rest of you are no different than what my grandfather did.
My grandfather just sat a little taller."
Wang Zeng heard that Kou Ji and even Kou Zhun criticized him, and he immediately felt that Kou Ji was crazy.
"What on earth are you going to say?!"
Wang Zeng felt that Kou Ji was crazy and did not want to tangle with Kou Ji anymore.
Kou Ji said calmly: "If you want to take it, just take it directly. Why did you take 90% but keep 10%?
In order to protect your reputation, why do you watch this country being ordered to go out of business?
Since you have taken power, why don't you govern this country well?
Instead, the governance of a country has been changed beyond recognition with a hammer here and there?
What's more important is that when you take power, you do nothing, and officials with 10% of the power are not allowed to do anything.
The annexation of land was well known to everyone in the government and the public.
The rich and powerful people took advantage of this to make themselves fat.
Have you ever taken care of it?
Since the founding of the Song Dynasty, we have rebelled dozens of times.
The reason why those people rebelled was because the wealthy families annexed their lands and occupied their fields, forcing them to rebel in order to survive.
Now that we, the Song Dynasty, have conquered a huge territory, we want to distribute the land to the people who have no land.
Let them live.
But you just refused to let me go.
The fields are taken away, but the people must remain.
Do you have to force them to rebel before you give in?
I wanted to kill a few people, but you, Wang Zeng, stopped me on both sides.
When they were lying on the bodies of tens of thousands of people, eating flesh and drinking blood, why didn't you stop them?"
Wang Zeng trembled with fright and anger, "I can see..."
Kou Ji asked sternly: "You saw it, why didn't you care? Don't you have the power in your hands?"
"Implicated..."
Wang Zeng wanted to say, "The implication is too wide," but before he could say it, Kou Ji said mercilessly: "You want to say that the implication is too wide, but you want to figure it out slowly?
If you are seriously ill, you need strong medicine.
Previously, the Song Dynasty had extensive involvement in Hexi, Xixia, Dali, and the Liao Kingdom?
If we had followed it slowly, when would the Song Dynasty be like today?"
Kou Ji casually took a look at Bianjing City and said angrily: "Officials big and small in Bianjing City are all thinking about Xu Xu's plan. In the end, the plan will be nothing.
Since the founding of the Song Dynasty, we have produced many capable ministers and officials.
Each one of them is either a virtuous minister or a virtuous prime minister who is well-known among the people.
If he really was Xian, how could we, the Song Dynasty, have suffered the hardships we are experiencing today?
Of all the ministers who are capable in governing the world, who would not join hands with the emperor to create an unprecedented prosperous age?
Without a prosperous age, what kind of wise minister is he?
When you have nothing to do, challenge the royal family, sit in your own house and write a few poems about fame and death, and spread them out, and you will become a virtuous minister?
It's obvious that you took the power and did nothing, but people mistakenly thought it was the emperor who did nothing.
You have become good ministers one by one. Instead of governing a prosperous age, you have become the emperor's fault.
Thousands of years later, each of you will be famous, but the emperor will be infamy.
Others praise you as virtuous ministers, but do you really think you are virtuous?
If you were really virtuous, would you let the king take the blame for you?
Is it a virtue to trap the king in injustice?
The king carries a bad name, but you carry the name of a virtuous minister. What kind of virtuous ministers do you think you are?
Pan Mei is more virtuous than you.
Yang Ye died in Chenjia Valley, and Pan Mei took the blame for the king.
There is a popular rumor among the people that it was Pan Mei who killed Yang Ye.
But you, Wang Zeng, know exactly what is going on."
Wang Zeng had stumbled and was a little unsteady on his feet.
Seeing this, Kou Ji gritted his teeth and suppressed the anger in his heart.
"I'm already doing it..."
Wang Zeng shouted out of breath.
Kou Ji's words revealed all the disguises of the civil servants of the Song Dynasty and completely exposed their true faces to the sun.
Wang Zeng looked around and saw that every one of them was extremely ugly.
He is barely pretty inside.
Kou Ji asked unceremoniously, "Where are the results? Before I came to Beijing, your only way to deal with land annexation was to continuously dispatch our elite soldiers from the Song Dynasty from the border to the hinterland of the Central Plains.
Guard against the people, and constantly strengthen our strength to guard against the people.
Yes, they are the people you want to protect, but they are definitely not the people you need to guard against.
I took my soldiers and horses to rob the four sides of the Song Dynasty and fed them.
Now if you look at it again, are there any common people still rebelling?
The rich and powerful families have already taken away the fertile farmland in their hands, and you will continue to add troops and horses to eat up the last grain in their hands.
They are already skin and bones from hunger, and you don't want to find a way to fill their bellies. Instead, you use all your means to prevent them from grabbing food from your hands.
Then, after squeezing them clean, he would sit in his own house and say to himself, "The wine and meat smells stinky, and the roads are frozen to death"?
If Du Shaoling knew that you were using his poems in such a place, he would definitely not cut out his tongue and never speak a word for the rest of his life.
Lest you tarnish his reputation."
Wang Zeng already felt like stars were shining in his eyes.
Kou Ji stared at Wang Zeng and said: "Now, I want to do what you don't dare to do, I want to feed those people. It's okay if you don't help, why are you stopping me?
Are you the ones who really eat the flesh of those people and drink the blood of those people?
Are those so-called wealthy families just accomplices?"
Wang Zeng covered his face with his sleeves and never said a word to Kou Ji. He stumbled into his carriage and ordered the coachman to drive away quickly.
Kou Ji's words today greatly stimulated him.
His king has always done things with no regrets in his life.
He thought that he had done a lot of things that were beneficial to the Song Dynasty during these years.
But when Kou Ji finished speaking, he woke up and understood.
Of the many things he has done over the years, he can only mention two or three.
Although it has exceeded 99% of the officials in the Song Dynasty.
But he still felt overwhelmingly ashamed.
Kou Ji watched Wang Zeng stagger away with his face covered, and let out a long sigh.
He didn't want this.
But he had to do this.
Wang Zeng was one of the few capable ministers among the many officials of the Song Dynasty he had met.
But he is too kind.
Although he has beheaded many people.
But he killed all the people who deserved to die.
He can't do anything to those who are in the middle between those who deserve to die and those who don't deserve to die.
Kou Ji originally thought that Wang Zeng would be more relaxed after knowing about his and Zhao Zhen's plans.
But Wang Zeng still couldn't harden his heart.
Zhao Zhen is actually the same.
Because Zhao Zhen adopted a gentle approach when facing the wealthy families in Jiangnan and Hedong.
If Kou Ji handles this matter.
Either raise the butcher's knife and plow through.
Or let Zhao Zhen establish a new capital.
In the name of building a new capital, most of the poor people in the south of the Yangtze River and the east of the river were forcibly evacuated. Anyone who refused would be killed, and whoever stood in the way would be killed.
Kou Ji is not a person who regards human life as trivial.
But when he has a big responsibility on his back and someone needs to make sacrifices, he will not hold back.
The imperial court cares about the life and death of everyone in the world, as well as the long-term peace and stability of the country and the country.
Instead of disregarding the life and death of others and the comfort of the country and the country for the sake of the lives of one or two people, or the interests of one or two people.
Wang Zeng fell ill and was very ill.
Zhao Zhen went to visit and gave Kou Ji a message.
‘Kou Ji is not allowed to visit’.
After Kou Ji heard this through Chen Lin's mouth, he knew that his words had seriously hurt Wang Zeng.
But he did not go to the palace to say soft words, nor did he go to apologize to Wang Zeng.
Instead, he took over the power of the Political Affairs Hall and decisively sent an official document to Bao Zheng and Han Qi.
The distant Hanhai Mansion.
The sea breeze is fierce.
The merchants shouted to the helmsman to quickly fold the sails to prevent the fierce sea wind from overturning the ship.
The convict laborers on the dock carried bags after bags of goods and piled them up quickly, while the vicious overseers waved their whips and yelled loudly.
The shopkeeper who was in charge of the merchant smiled and approached the government officials who were collecting taxes on the dock. The officials were divided into two groups.
One group of people went to check the quantity of goods they traded, and another group of people looked at the account books in boredom.
After verifying the quantity of goods and transaction amount.
The shopkeeper who was in charge of the business handed the handouts to the government servants with a smile on his face.
Taking advantage of the situation, he quietly stuffed a handout into the officer's sleeve.
The yamen officer quickly issued the tax bill, and the shopkeeper who was in charge of the business immediately called his subordinates to take the tax bill to the tax office to exchange for a tax stamp.
The pier is very lively.
Su Xun, the prefect of Bohai Prefecture, who was in charge of the livelihood of everyone on the dock, and Bao Zheng, the supervisor of Bohai Prefecture, stood at the corner of the dock with frowns on their faces.
Su Xun yawned and said to Bao Zheng with a sleepy look on his face: "When I heard that you were leaving, the government officials on the dock became a lot more aggressive. I remember that when they were forced to stay from the relocated people, they all
I really hate being a yamen servant.
I just feel that farming is the best thing in the world.
When businessmen offered bribes to them, they could expose them on the spot without any shame and send the person to the Yamen.
It has only been so long now that I have learned to accept bribes.
As the inspector of Bohai Prefecture, you can take charge of it."
Bao Zheng frowned and said coldly: "Of course I will take care of it. I will definitely make them miserable."
Su Xun sighed and said: "Bohai Mansion is the only port in Liao Province. There is an endless stream of passing merchant ships, and the annual tax revenue exceeds one million.
Seeing so much money flowing through every day makes everyone feel greedy.
If it weren't for my rich family, I would want to make a fortune, let alone people like them.
You should stay in Bohai Mansion and help me keep an eye on these people.
Otherwise, if you process one batch, the next batch will appear again."
Su Xun and Bao Zheng were very happy working together.
He worked hard, and Bao Zheng checked and filled in the gaps, quickly managing the originally barren Bohai Mansion to become prosperous.
In the past, Bohai Mansion only had passing merchants and criminal records.
Later, there were more local soldiers and extremely poor people.
The year before last, some people began to settle in Bohai Prefecture.
Bohai Prefecture is also the first prefecture in Liaoning Province to issue registration slips to people who voluntarily register.
Up to now, the number of people registered in Bohai Prefecture has exceeded 10,000.
The prosperity of Bohai Mansion is just around the corner.
Su Xun believed that if he and Bao Zheng were allowed to govern Bohai Mansion for another term, Bohai Mansion would surely become a place richer than most state capitals in the Song Dynasty.
When the time comes, the two of them can walk into the Chui Gong Hall together with their heads held high to accept the reward from Zhao Zhen.
But now, Bao Zheng is leaving.
Su Xun instantly felt that half of Bohai Mansion was about to collapse.
He is not the kind of person who likes to use gentle words to retain people.
So I can only tell Bao Zheng in this euphemistic way that Bohai Mansion needs him.
Bao Zheng heard the profound meaning of Su Xun's words, stared at the dock of Bohai Mansion, and said quietly: "This is the first place I governed, and I can't let it go.
It's just that you can't disobey your orders.
The official order to transfer me to Jiangning Mansion came yesterday.
He ordered me to rush to Jiangning Mansion before winter, so I must rush to Jiangning Mansion before winter.
You have also read the official decree.
Jiangning Mansion’s burden is not light.”
Speaking of this, Bao Zheng looked at Su Xun and said with a smile: "If I solve the problem in Jiangning Mansion, your place will also benefit. Those local soldiers assigned to work here will become civilians in an instant.
.
Cultivated fertile land will grow exponentially.
I'm afraid the Dingkou tax can be doubled several times.
When the time comes, your achievements will be enough to propel you to success."
The more genuine the smile on Bao Zheng's face, the more uncomfortable Su Xun felt.
"Can't you stay and help me?!"
Su Xun has a bit of a stubborn temper and doesn't like to ask for help. Except when he lowers his head in front of elders like Kou Ji, he always holds his head high towards others.
So he wanted to retain Bao Zheng, but his words were very harsh.
Bao Zheng smiled and said: "The official issued an order, you should understand the consequences of disobeying the order."
Su Xun shouted: "As long as you are willing to stay, I will find your husband to intercede."
Bao Zheng shook his head and smiled, "If sir, you really don't want to separate us, do you think that the order for me to leave will be sent to Bohai Mansion? Don't forget, sir, it's a matter of peace now.
If he does not affix the seal of Zhengshitang, his decree will not be able to leave Bianjing City."
Su Xun gritted his teeth and glared: "You have always been able to see through people's hearts, and your husband values you very much. If you tell him, maybe you can stay."
Bao Zheng sighed and said: "We serve as officials for the people, for ourselves, not for our husband. We cannot rely on our husband's high status to act on his temper.
It's not like you can't tell the thoughts of the local soldiers here.
They wished they could run home in person and welcome the old, weak, women, children, brothers and sisters at home.
It had been so long since I had written to them, but there was no movement from my family, and I couldn't bear it any longer.
They are now soldiers. If they are stupid enough to escape from Bohai Mansion, they will be beheaded.
They are very hard-working, and I can't watch them risk their heads.
So I have to go to Jiangning Mansion."
When Su Xun heard this, he knew that Bao Zheng also had the intention of leaving, and said angrily: "If you leave Bohai Mansion, then I won't be an official either.
Without your help, I can't manage Bohai Mansion."
Bao Zheng stared and shouted: "Nonsense! Is it possible that you don't want the status of a court official? Do you think that the laws of the court are child's play?"
You are considered the lord of the house. How can you deserve the cultivation of the imperial court and the trust of your husband by acting so wantonly?
Such an important place in Bohai Mansion was handed over to you instead of anyone else.
It shows that sir has high hopes for you.
If you let your husband down so much, aren't you afraid that he will be disappointed?
A few days ago, you were bragging to me, saying that your first son and second son were all heroes, and you planned to send them to your husband for guidance when they were older.
If you let me down, sir, how can you have the face to come to our house?"
Su Xun was scolded by Bao Zheng and stared blankly. When he saw that his threat to resign failed, he shouted at Bao Zheng: "If you don't stay, I will tell you that you like Zhao Xu."
Bao Zheng's face darkened and he yelled, "That's nonsense!"
Su Xun frowned and said, "Am I talking nonsense? Your brothers and sisters-in-law have introduced you to so many families, why don't you marry any of them, or even look at them?"
Before your father passed away, he arranged a marriage for you.
When you left Feidong, you didn't say anything.
But after you returned to Feidong, you immediately canceled the marriage.
Why?
It’s because you like Zhao Xu and you are afraid that if you marry a wife, you will never have a chance with Zhao Xu in this life.”
Bao Zheng was so angry that he flew into a rage and said, "I broke off the marriage because I wanted to fulfill my filial piety in front of my parents. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to take care of my wife."
After my parents die, I want to observe filial piety. How do I get married?
As for the families introduced by my brother and sister-in-law, they are either merchants or wealthy families. They all value my power in Bohai Mansion, Bao Zheng, and want to take advantage of the imperial court by marrying me.
How could I let them have their way?
I have long pledged my life to the country.
I don't care at all whether we get married or not."
Su Xun ignored Bao Zheng's words at all. He hummed: "You must reply to Zhao Xu's letter. You always stay up until midnight every time, thinking about it word by word. Do you dare to say that you don't?"
You kept every letter from Zhao Xu in the corner of the box and secretly took it out to read when you were free. How dare you say you didn't?"
Bao Zheng said angrily: "I just want to know what's going on in Bianjing City."
Su Xun snorted coldly and asked, "If you want to know what's going on in Bianjing City, why don't you find Mr.? Could it be that Zhao Xu, a little girl, knows more about what's going on in Bianjing City than Mr. Xun, who is a simple matter."
Bao Zheng cursed loudly, "You are talking nonsense and spewing feces..."
Bao Zheng cursed a lot in one go, but Su Xun just looked at him coldly. It wasn't until Bao Zheng finished cursing that he curled his lips and said, "Deceiving yourself and others..."
Just as Bao Zheng was about to retaliate, he saw a horse charging towards them.
The horse stopped in front of them and interrupted their conversation.
There was a soldier on the horse. After jumping off the horse, he handed an official document to Bao Zheng and then rode off.
Seeing that it was an official document, Su Xun did not quarrel with Bao Zheng, but quickly put his head aside, waiting for Bao Zheng to unfold the official document and read it together.
Bao Zheng unfolded the official document and saw that there was only one sentence in the official document.
‘If people don’t leave, they won’t seal the sword’.
Written with a red pen, every word is like blood.
Bao Zheng and Su Xun stared at each other.
"What a murderous aura!"
Su Xun gasped and muttered in a low voice.
Bao Zheng put away the official document and said in a deep voice: "Those wealthy families in Suzhou have indeed gone too far. They are squeezing the people themselves and not letting them eat enough, and they don't let their husbands take care of the people.
It is reasonable for Mr. to have such murderous intent."
Su Xun patted his chest and said, "Fortunately, it wasn't your husband who took action, otherwise there would be no wealthy family in Jiangning Mansion."
Bao Zheng and Su Xun had seen Kou Ji's murderous nature before.
The criminal records in Liao still tremble when they hear the names of Kou Ji and Di Qing, which shows how murderous Kou Ji is.
Kou Ji killed many people in Liao territory to the point of being unreasonable.
Will you be able to reason when you go to Jiangning Mansion?
If you can reason, then you are not Kou Ji.
Bao Zheng glanced at Su Xun and said in a deep voice: "Since you have spoken, sir, I must go to Jiangning Mansion. You don't need to keep me here.
I believe that the imperial court then sent an inspector, who should be no weaker than me."
When Su Xun saw the official document given by Kou Ji, he knew that he could not keep Bao Zheng.
So he said with some sadness: "You are older than me and more calm than me. I should call you brother. Brother, not everyone dotes on me, lets me, and helps me solve all the troubles that I can't solve."
Su Xun suddenly stirred up feelings, and Bao Zheng really couldn't handle it.
Humans are not like vegetation, so how can they be ruthless?
Bao Zheng pursed his lips and said softly: "You go to the court first and wait for me, and then we will work together in the court. Then I allow you to treat me to a good meal."
Su Xun sighed and nodded.
If you can't bear it, you can't bear it.
I don't mind being treated like my little daughter.
In the past, among Kou Ji's many students, he was the youngest and was always teased by others.
Especially the wilted and wilted Han Qi.
So Su Xun didn't want to get close to them.
Although Bao Zheng always excelled in knowledge, he never teased him.
On the contrary, he helped him solve a lot of troubles and got into trouble several times.