The Duke of the country and the prince of the county are completely different. If Li Muruo becomes the Duke of the country, the power of the Shandong gentry in the court will be destroyed sooner or later in his hands. Wei Zheng himself has no doubt about this.
Being ill at home these days, Wei Zheng only did one thing, which was to study Li Mu. He always felt that Li Mu's behavior seemed absurd, but in fact it contained profound meanings, but he had not seen through it yet. Not only did he not see through it, the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty
Being kept in the dark by him, being led along by him.
The most amazing thing is that anything he encounters is not initiated by him, and there is no utilitarian effect, which makes it impossible for people to doubt his plans.
Can today's pursuit of the seal be considered his plan?
Wei Zheng himself didn't believe that he had abolished such a big Zhou Zhang, just for the title of a county boy. What was the purpose? With Li Mu's current financial resources and influence, it doesn't matter whether he has this title or not!
Wei Zheng was silent, but it did not mean that he had given up. Because he knew that no one would agree to Li Mu being granted the title of Duke. As expected, Wei Zheng stopped talking, and Changsun Wuji immediately left the mission, raised the wat board, and said: "Your Majesty, minister
I have something to say."
Li Shimin glanced at Changsun Wuji. Perhaps the timing of his appearance was not appropriate. Li Shimin suddenly remembered what Li Mu said yesterday. If the prince is not virtuous, the uncle cannot be trusted either.
Li Shimin had never doubted Changsun Wuji, but Li Mu's seemingly casual remarks yesterday made him think for a long time. The exclusive power of relatives has existed since ancient times, and there are many examples. Li Shimin is confident that he will be able to do it one day
, the eldest son's family must live in peace and contentment for a day, but what if he is gone? The eldest son is the uncle of the country, and has the power of being the prime minister and assistant. It is really too big to lose.
The emperor's thoughts often only last for a moment. Li Shimin had this thought, but did not show it at all. He said in a deep voice: "Auxiliary machine, if you have any opinions, let me tell you."
"Your Majesty, I second your Majesty's proposal to confer the title of Li Gan, the father of Zhulu Marquis, but do not agree to confer the title of Duke of Li Mu on Li Mu."
"reason?"
"A tree that is as beautiful as the forest wind will destroy it. Zhuluhou is a rare talent in our Tang Dynasty, a great talent. I believe that Zhuluhou should be treated separately and protected as the first priority. When Your Majesty ascended the throne, he said that merit will be
Reward, punish for delinquency. This statement applies to most people, but it does not apply to him. Zhuluhou often makes inventions. Each item can be regarded as a great achievement. If all items are rewarded, sooner or later there will be no reward.
This is not a good thing for him. And from what I can see, Zhuluhou has never cared about any rewards."
"The Marquis of Zhulu manages his business well and has a fortune of tens of millions. He may not see your majesty's rewards in his eyes. The key to rewards and punishments is to be practical. Reward if you need it. If you don't need it, rewards are useless. Marquis Zhulu values filial piety, and your majesty pursues it.
Granting the title to his father is exactly what he wanted. As for the so-called precedent, I believe that if there were no Li Gan, there would be no Li Mu. Without Li Mu, our Tang Dynasty would not have artifacts such as the Zhenguan plow. Is this a small contribution? I am pursuing the title of county man.
, is not enough to commend his merits. His merits can only be commended by giving him a fiefdom in Mayi County and offering incense from generation to generation."
As soon as this statement came out, all the civil and military officials in the court fell silent. Why did the words of the uncle Guo have a sense of referring to a deer as a horse? It is true that Li Mu has meritorious service, but what does this have to do with his father? Is it possible that who established it?
Do you owe all your merit to your ancestors?
But after all, Changsun Wuji has different weights. After he spoke, the matter was half settled. Everyone glanced at Wang subconsciously. Wang was punched by Li Mu and his swelling had just subsided. He was a step too late and was snatched by Changsun Wuji.
First, now that Changsun Wuji had finished speaking, he hurriedly left the class and said, "Your Majesty, I also have something to say."
"My dear, please speak."
"The old minister believes that if merit is not rewarded and if fault is not punished, the law will be abandoned. If the law is abandoned, the country will perish. But what the uncle said is also reasonable. Zhuluhou is very special and cannot be explained by ordinary theory. But if there is merit,
Who would be willing to serve your majesty and serve the imperial court if he has not been rewarded? The old minister agreed with my uncle’s advice, grant him what he needs, commend his father, and treat him with great honor, as a precedent and an example for future generations."
Li Shimin nodded slightly, looked at Wei Zheng again, and said, "Ai Qing, do you have anything else to say?"
Wei Zheng took a deep breath and said: "I have said everything I should say, and there is nothing left to say. Your Majesty's Sacred Heart is arbitrary, and I am only doing my duty."
"Okay!" Seeing that Wei Zongwen had softened, Li Shimin felt very happy and said, "Then let's do it like this. Li Gan, the father of Li Mu, will be named the Marquis of Zhulu as the son of Mayi County.
Absolutely!"
All the officials shouted for the Holy Spirit.
After Li Shimin finished talking about his affairs, the court meeting officially began. Eunuch Gao gave a formal shout of "Return to the court if you have a book but not a book", and someone immediately responded.
"My lord, the imperial censor, the Prime Minister Wang Jingze, has a written memorial."
Wang Jingze?
Li Shimin raised his eyebrows. His impression of this name was still very fresh. A few days ago, he had just fought a battle with Wei Zheng and named this boy Yushi Zhongcheng in order to give Li Mu a voice in the court. At the same time,
It was also to insert a nail into the censor's desk, so as not to be beaten into pieces by Wei Zheng. Seeing him stand up and speak, Li Shimin just thought it was because he wanted to show off, and glanced at the expressionless Wei Zheng, thinking to himself, old man, you disgust me.
, I am also disgusted with you, so I said: "Wang Aiqing, I have this memorial."
Wang Jingze raised the wat board and left. He took a step back, grabbed it forward, knelt down on the ground for half a meter, knocked his head on the ground, and said loudly: "Your Majesty, I and other eight censors are here to impeach the deer.
Marquis Li Mu colluded with the king of servants, secretly gave and received, and stole state property! I have clearly investigated the facts and listed them in a memorial. Please read it to your majesty!"
As soon as this statement came out, the whole court was in an uproar!
This Wang Jingze is so courageous! He not only impeached Li Mu, but also brought Wang along with him. The imperial censors impeached Li Mu before, somewhat bullying him because he had no foundation. But who is Wang? He is from the Taiyuan Wang family, the leader of the world.
, his foundation is extremely profound, and he even occupies the position of prime minister. As a high-ranking official under his sect, how can he tolerate such slight humiliation?
Almost subconsciously, people thought of Wei Zheng. This Wang Jingze was the Yushi Zhongcheng, and Wei Zheng was the Yushi doctor. Such a big thing must have been ordered by him!
But then, the officials felt that it was impossible. Wei Zheng had strongly opposed Wang Jingze's promotion earlier, so it made no sense for them to reconcile in just a few days. Was it wrong? This matter was Wang Jingze's idea? If so,
This guy is still too young. Even if he was eager to show off, he wouldn't show off like this. Isn't this looking for death?
Just when everyone was speculating that Wang Jingze would soon be drowned in the saliva of Wang Gangyu, the atmosphere changed subtly.
After Wang Jingze finished speaking, there was a strange silence. Not only did no one jump out to criticize, there was no sound. Wang said nothing, Changsun Wuji said nothing, and even Wei Zheng only glanced at Wang Jingze and said nothing.
.
Li Shimin was silent for a while and signaled Eunuch Gao to take the memorial. He opened it and took a look, and the content was roughly clear. What Wang Jingze knew was not much different from the news. It was just that the Wang family in Taiyuan built the road first, and then
He didn't know the exact amount of tolls collected. The terrible thing was that Wang Jingze called the 'tolls' collected by the Wang family in Taiyuan as 'road taxes'. There is a difference between the word 'fee' and 'tax'.
, the meaning is quite different.
Anyone can ask for 'fees', but 'taxes' can only be collected by the court. If a powerful family wants to collect taxes, what do you want to do, rebel?
After Li Shimin read it, he motioned to Eunuch Gao to take it and circulate it, and said to Wang Jingze: "Wang Aiqing is interested, you get up first. I have read your memorial, and it makes sense. But does it have anything to do with the person you are impeaching?"
As far as I know, in this matter, Zhulu Hou did not gain even half a cent. Is there any misunderstanding by Aiqing?"
Wang Jingze said excitedly: "Your Majesty must not be deceived! The idea of building the road came from Zhulu Hou, and it cannot be faked. Although I don't know what kind of deal there is, I know one sentence, if there is no profit, I will not start early."
.If there is no benefit, why would Zhuluhou help with advice? I don’t believe that there can be such a selfless person! The king of servants is a common man. He is in a high position and has no intention of serving the country. He only seeks personal gain. How disgraceful!
I would like to ask Wang Shizhong, in your heart, which one is more important, family and country?"
Wang was sweating profusely after being scolded, and he wanted to reply, but thinking about what happened a few days ago, he gritted his teeth and held back.
Li Shimin also had a headache.
After Li Mu's explanation, Li Shimin has now realized that building roads really has to be done by borrowing manpower. The court would spend too much money on it and couldn't afford it. Originally, the matter had been settled, but unexpectedly it suddenly happened again.
The emergence of Wang Jingze. People keep saying that it is for the sake of the country. If they are suppressed, it is not an option.
Li Shimin was distraught. Faced with the young censor's questioning, he had no choice but to look at the king and asked: "Ai Qing, the censor Wang is asking you, which one is more important to the family and the country? Please answer!"
The king lived up to his reputation as an old fox. He pondered for a moment and said, "To answer your Majesty's question, for me, family and country have long been indistinguishable. An old man can die for his family or for his country, it's all the same.
"
Li Shimin looked at Wang Jingze and said, "Ai Qing, are you satisfied with this answer?"
Wang Jingze sneered and said: "If you say it, you haven't said it yet. Why does Wang Shizhong play with words?"
Wang turned back and glanced at Wang Jingze and said, "I speak from the bottom of my heart. If Wang Yushi doesn't believe it, there's nothing I can do about it."
Wang Jingze had already received instructions from Li Mu. He simulated what might happen today several times at home. He didn't panic at all. He grabbed Wang and continued to chase him. He said, "Shizhong Wang, don't look around to talk to him. You
Is it possible that you were bewitched by the Marquis of Zhulu and deceived Your Majesty into taking the opportunity to build a road in an attempt to collect road tax on behalf of the imperial court? Is it possible that you conspired with the Marquis of Zhulu to steal national wealth? Do you still want to deny it?"
Wang gritted his teeth and said bravely: "There is indeed a matter of road construction. But the matter of road construction has nothing to do with stealing national wealth! The road conditions between Chang'an and Taiyuan are extremely poor, and the movement of materials is blocked. Road construction is imperative.
The imperial court now has no money and food, so why should it just wait? Is it wrong for the Wang family in Taiyuan to take out the food stored at home to build roads when they have difficulties with their country? Your Majesty has pity that after building the roads, the money will be recovered, and that's it. I really didn't think about it.
I don’t know where Wang Yushi got the information from, but he slandered such a righteous deed. It’s a shame!”
"Haha!" Wang Jingze laughed, feeling extremely relieved. Now he finally understood how refreshing it was for Li Mu to use his big move after sneering three times. This kind of pleasure of forcing the opponent into a corner is really indescribable unless he has experienced it personally.
I have been a censor for three years, and I have never experienced such a situation. Now that I have embraced the lap of Zhuluhou, I not only have gold bars, but I can also reach the peak of censor life. It is really a pleasure.
"Shizhong Wang, if it's true what you said, then I've misunderstood you. Your Wang family in Taiyuan has some surplus food, so you use it to build roads. After building the roads, you just get your capital back. It's really nice to say that you don't want to make money! If you really say that.
, can I understand that the Taiyuan Wang family suffered a loss?"
"This..." Wang opened his mouth, not knowing how to answer.
Wang Jingze sneered and continued to ask: "If you have suffered a loss, you have to tell me! There must be many generous people in the Tang Dynasty. We cannot let the Wang family of Taiyuan suffer a loss, so why not divide the road construction rights into ten shares?"
, everyone suffers together, what does Wang Shizhong think?"
"This..." Wang Zhengang said: "It's not necessary, the Taiyuan Wang family can handle it."
"You still say it's not for profit?!" Wang Jingze fell to the ground and said loudly: "The facts are clear, please His Majesty's Holy Judgment."
Wang helplessly knelt on the ground and worshiped: "Your Majesty, veteran... veteran..."
Li Shimin showed a displeased look and said: "I was almost deceived about the road construction matter. Thanks to Wang Aiqing's reminder, it seems that I have a good eye. The position of censor Zhongcheng will be given to young and talented people like Wang Aiqing."
Because you are not afraid of the hands of powerful people. Wang Aiqing, I am very optimistic about you, and I will give you a pair of iron tablets to show your iron bones."
Wang Jingze was immediately overjoyed. He tried his best to control his emotions and bowed down calmly: "I don't dare to take credit unless I do my duty."
"My dear, your character is extraordinary and commendable. Since I have given it to you, you should keep it and give me more advice in the future. Don't let the wat tablet in your hand be shamed." After Li Shimin finished speaking, he glanced at everyone in the hall and looked at Changsun Wuji and Wei Zheng.
The expressions of the others were all in their eyes, and they pondered for a moment, and said: "As for whether Zhulu Hou and the Wang family of Taiyuan communicated privately, I will investigate. As the same saying goes, merit must be rewarded, and demerit must be punished. And the benefits of building roads,
I will also make careful calculations, and if someone really deceives me by treating road construction as a business, I will not let him off easily."
After Li Shimin finished speaking, he stood up with a flick of his sleeves. Seeing this, Eunuch Gao hurriedly shouted: "Retreat from the court!!"
All the officials filed out, with Wang Jingze striding in front, and his seven younger brothers following him, showing his own imposing manner. Wei Zheng was not well yet, so he moved a little slower, watching the eight of them gathering together
The censor's back was showing something moving in his eyes.
Behind him, Changsun Wuji stretched out his hand and pulled Wang up. Wang looked at him with a wry smile and said, "Auxiliary machine, I regret it now. If I had known this, I might as well not have done it."
Changsun Wuji smiled and said: "I think exactly the opposite to yours. If you don't do it now, then when will you wait?"