Before Li Shimin could speak, Li Mu said: "Your Majesty, I think that 'knowing your mistakes can make a lot of improvements.' Master Chen has already realized his mistakes. I have always been kind to others, so please spare him from punishment."
As soon as this statement came out, the expressions of all the civil and military officials in the dynasty were very wonderful. "Be kind to others? Do you have some misunderstanding of the idiom? If you are kind to others, what happened to the two censors who were just dismissed? One was fined and the other was directly exiled. This
If you are kind to others, then there will probably be no bad people in the court.
Li Shimin didn't want to make more enemies for Li Mu. After hearing what Li Mu said, he borrowed the donkey from the slope and said, "Since Zhu Luhou is magnanimous, I will exempt you from punishment. In the future, you should always think about your own mistakes and work diligently as an official."
"I accept the edict and would like to express my gratitude to Your Majesty for your grace and to the Marquis of Zhulu for his generosity."
Chen Danqiu withdrew, sued someone and apologized instead. It was not shameful, but fortunately he left early and was not punished, which is considered lucky. This is also related to his relationship with the wealthy family. Although he accepted the wealthy family
However, he came from a poor family and had very few connections. The impeachment was probably for Kong Yingda's sake, and he wanted to restore some face to the Imperial College. Since he couldn't regain it, it would be better to evacuate as soon as possible.
The last one, which is also the highlight of the day, is Zhao Qing, the Censor in the Censorship. There is one Censorship official and two Zhongcheng in the Censorship. Zhao Qing is in the Censorship, which is equivalent to the second-in-command and the fourth-rank official. The weight of his words,
One person is greater than the two before him combined. Zhao Qing is known as "Little Wei Zheng" because he hates evil and disowns his relatives. If he accuses anyone, he will die, and if he remonstrates, he will die. He often fights in public. In addition, he comes from a poor family
, has always prided himself on being clean and honest, and has an excellent official reputation. He is as smelly and hard as a stone in a latrine, and no one is willing to offend him easily.
He was able to play today, and everyone was sweating for Li Mu.
"Zhongcheng Zhao Qing, the imperial censor, accused Zhuluhou, and Li Mu, a doctor in the Ministry of Industry, gathered people to make trouble and abused lynching. This was done in public, and the people of Chang'an saw it. I'm afraid Zhuluhou could not defend himself."
Li Mu thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty has punished me with a ten-day grounding."
Zhao Qing looked at Li Shimin and said: "I think your majesty's punishment is too light. The law of the Tang Dynasty states that punishments cannot be used privately. If slaves are punished too harshly, they must be fined. Cui Yuyan, the eldest grandson of Boling Cui family, has a different status. Zhulu
Marquis Li Mu was whipped in the street, causing serious injuries, but Your Majesty only punished him with a ten-day grounding, which is unfair."
Li Mu raised his eyebrows and said, "I wonder how Zhao Zhongcheng thinks he should be punished?"
"Take back your title and official position, flog him fifty times, and exile him for three thousand miles!"
"Hahaha..." Li Mu laughed three times, his face turned cold, and he saluted Li Shimin first and said: "Your Majesty, I am afraid that what I am going to say next may be vulgar, so please forgive me."
Li Shimin said: "It's okay. It's inevitable to use vulgar language during an argument."
"Zhao Zhongcheng, I would like to ask you, if someone bumps into your first wife, what should you do?"
"I will report to the official and ask the government to deal with it."
"Okay!" Li Mu said: "Zhao Zhongcheng really abides by the law. But I am different. I was born in Mayi, a small border town, which is often plundered by Turks. We men in Mayi are born with two responsibilities.
The first is to protect the country, and the second is to protect the family. My first wife and I grew up together as childhood sweethearts. When my mother was seriously ill, she was by my side. When I was captured by the Turkic cavalry, she did not leave me. I heard that she was charged by a tiger.
, I was so angry that I couldn't care about much and had to stand up for her. I thought this was an act of a passionate man. I was deeply proud of it and didn't realize there was anything wrong. Even if I did it a hundred times over, I would still be the same. Not
As Zhao Zhongcheng said, go and report to the official first."
Zhao Qing seized the opportunity and said, "You are flouting the law!"
"No!" Li Mu said: "I might as well point out today that aristocratic families have close ties with China. Cui Yuyan is an example. The incident happened in Dongshi that day. Dongshi belongs to Wannian County, but the government servants who came here are all from
Chang'an County. Because Wang Zhongyuan of Chang'an County was a good friend of the same age as Cui Yuyan's uncle Cui Wensheng, the government officials wanted to flatter him and arrested him indiscriminately across borders. With officials protecting each other, Zhao Zhongcheng, what's the point of me reporting to the government?"
Zhao Qing choked for a moment, but still said: "You can file a report, but you can't abuse lynching!"
"Ha! Zhao Zhongcheng is very well-behaved. How about I go to your house tomorrow and arrest your mother and first wife, and then imprison you in my house for seven days. During these seven days, you can write a letter to me. After seven days, I will take your
I will return my mother and my wife unscathed, I will apologize to you, and then tell everyone that I have no fault with your wife Qiu, will you agree?"
Zhao Qing's face flushed immediately and he said, "You, how dare you insult me!"
"Then how dare you insult me!" Li Mu approached Zhao Qing and said, "You bullied me when I was young, despised me, were jealous of my position, and were indignant. It's really ridiculous! My title and official position,
It's all because of your merits and the country, but you haven't had the slightest luck to advance. Your merits are not as good as mine, so why are you unfair to me? Just because Cui Yuyan comes from a famous family, you respect him seven points. What I do is yours.
When it becomes a mistake, I would like to ask you a question: What position does Cui Yuyan hold and what title does he hold?"
Zhao Qing was overwhelmed by Li Mu's momentum and was speechless. Li Mu replied: "He has no official position, no title. How is he different from ordinary people? Just because he comes from a wealthy family, he should be looked at with high regard? I, the Marquis,
I don’t understand this.”
"I come from a humble background, just like a commoner in a border town. Your Majesty's wise eyes and talents have made me what I am today. I am well aware of the sufferings of the people and feel pity for them, so I care about them. I am favored by your Majesty and am able to serve as an official. I am afraid that I will not be able to do this job well."
Officials, so I work conscientiously, reform the system, and give the Ministry of Industry a new look, just to repay His Majesty's kindness. As an official, you have many things to worry about. As an official, I only want to be loyal to the emperor and love the people. I can do both. As for the family names, etc.
, not in my eyes. What about the eldest grandson of Lord Cui? If he offends me, he will still whip him. Even if Lord Cui is in front of me, I will tell him that your grandson is unworthy and I will discipline him for you."
"You are the censor. You don't care about the grievances. What do you do when you focus on me? In my opinion, you are just a lackey of a powerful family and you are not worthy of being an official! I am a citizen of the Tang Dynasty and your Majesty's
Minister, receiving rewards and punishments depends on your Majesty's will. An Neng can crush your eyebrows and bend your waist to serve the powerful, which makes me unhappy! If you want to go away like a lackey, don't think of me as a person like you!"
Zhao Qing turned pale after being scolded. He pointed at Li Mu and was speechless for a long time. His lips were trembling. It took him a long time to hold back a sentence: "You, you are such a mouthful. Who doesn't know that I, Zhao Qing, come from a poor family and am an upright official? Where are you?"
Do you only see me as a stooge?"
Li Mu sneered and said: "I have seen it with both eyes. The jade pendant on your waist is fine in texture, moist in color, smooth and crystal clear. How can you afford it with your salary? Zhao Zhongcheng, I can't
I want to expose you, but when I see your face, I really can't bear it. I come from a poor family and am willing to be the dog of Cui family. What a villain! If Your Majesty hadn't repaid your kindness, how could I be an official in the same palace as you?