Yingping sat on the dragon chair with bright eyes. Although he had not slept all night, he was not sleepy at all. At this moment, the scene of his conversation with Wen Junchen last night was always in his mind. The words "Time waits not for me" and "Yin Xiang" The back and forth was going around in his mind, so much so that even though all the officials in the lobby were noisy, he didn't react at all.
A few days ago, Yingping had officially announced that he would implement the "New Law" in a drastic way. The book written by Wen Junchen has now been printed in a booklet and distributed to civil and military officials. This can be said to have stirred up a thousand waves with one stone, and the government and the public were in an uproar. It turned out that the news that had been rumored some time ago was not a whim, but it was true!
Since then, people from various ministries and regions, and even those who had been away from the government for a long time, came to present memorials one after another, trying to persuade the Holy Emperor to withdraw his orders. At first, Yingping's stubborn temper was quite strong. No matter what rank you were, or what rank you were, he would refuse to see you. But gradually, the voices of these petitions became inexplicably connected and twisted together. In the end, all the princes and ministers knelt at the gate of the palace to ask the Holy One to think again. By this time, Yingping was a little frightened. He originally thought that the Wang family and his party members would stand up to oppose him, but he did not expect that this would become an overwhelming trend. Over the years, he had also secretly cultivated some young or long-term members. A frustrated official, he originally wanted to let his own people come out to argue when the Wang family stood up to oppose him. When the time comes, "You have no joke", he can still implement it, but in today's battle, he really didn't. think.
In fact, Yingping was a little bit discouraged, but it was because he was holding on to his face. When Wen Junchen was talking to Yingping last night, he saw his disciple's concerns, so he talked with him all night last night. During the long conversation, Wen Junchen analyzed the "necessity" and "urgency" of this matter for Yingping. In fact, Yingping already knew the necessity - he was a young emperor, wandering around all year round, and he had nothing to do with the government and the public. There is no foundation. If you want to firmly control the power in your own hands, what you must do is to 'shuffle'! As the saying goes, "If you can't break up, you can't establish." If you can't completely break those old forces, then he will always be controlled by others, and in the end he may be no different from a "puppet". As for the urgency, Wen Junchen also mentioned a person——
That is Yin Jingting.
Yin Jingting was a veteran of the three dynasties and had high prestige in the court. Even the Queen Mother respected him. The key to the success of the implementation of this new law lies in Yin Jingting's attitude. Yingping tested Yin Jingting's attitude several times before, but he also changed from being hesitant at the beginning to gradually accepting it, and finally became acquiescent. It was precisely because of this that Wen Junchen had the confidence to officially carry out this "new law". But after all, Yin Jingting is an old man who is over 60 years old. I don't know how many years his body can last. If one day he suddenly leaves the court, then it will be really difficult to implement the "new law" by then! So if you want to achieve something, it can be said that 'time waits for no one'!
After yesterday's conversation, Yingping finally understood his situation - now that the arrow is on the string, he has to shoot, and there is no turning back when the bow is fired. If he is retreating now, then if he wants to restart 'this law' in the future, I'm afraid It really became a fantasy.
The four ministers stood in front of the steps without saying a word. All four of them lowered their heads and put their hands into their sleeves, despite the commotion behind them, as if they could not hear or see all this. The other officials were all red-faced and excited, as if this was Jindingfang rather than a court hall.
Yingping sighed softly. He rubbed his temples and slowly opened his eyes. Facing the noisy scene in front of him, his heart was in chaos, but he knew that it would never end if this continued. What he started would eventually end on his own. He waved his hand and signaled Chen Jinjue, who was beside the dragon chair, to maintain order at the scene.
Chen Jinjue understood what he was thinking. He stepped forward and shouted loudly: "Quiet—quiet—"
Eunuch Chen's voice was still extremely sharp, piercing through the entire court. Seeing that His Majesty seemed to have something to say, the ministers quickly stood up, bowed their heads respectfully, and waited quietly for the man on the dragon throne to speak.
The lobby, which was as lively as a vegetable market just now, was silent. Yingping looked at the officials who suddenly became quiet, and suddenly felt a pressure in his heart. Although these people had their heads lowered, he felt as if there were thousands of pairs of eyes staring at him. . Yingping swallowed his saliva, steeled himself and said, "My dear friends, what do you think about the 'new law'?"
There was still silence in the hall. It seemed that no one was willing to make the first move at this time. The thousands of words just mentioned were now firmly hidden in their hearts.
'Cough - hum -'
An extremely small cough came from below. The sound was extremely small, and the person who coughed seemed to be trying his best to cover it up. If it weren't for the silence in the palace at this time, which could make you hear a pindrop, everyone might have heard the cough. Yingping couldn't help but frown in search of prestige. The person coughing was none other than Wang Yanqing, who was standing at the head of the civil service row.
I don’t know if it was a coincidence, but as soon as Wang Yanqing coughed, a figure came out from among the officials and said loudly: "Your Majesty - I have something to say -"
The officials turned around and saw Lian Xing coming out of the queue and speaking to Ying Ping in a voice that was neither humble nor arrogant.
"Tell me—"
"The new law is of great importance. Our laws of the Tang Dynasty have been implemented for hundreds of years without any major changes. This is in fulfillment of the saying of 'according to God's will and obeying the people's will'. Now the Holy Spirit wants to completely replace our laws of the Tang Dynasty with the new laws! So! This move is tantamount to shedding his skin and replacing his bones! If something unexpected happens, the power of Heaven will be damaged in a small way, and the foundation of our country will be harmed in a big way! Today, in front of the Holy Lord and all his colleagues, there are some things that the veteran has to say. ! If the Holy One...if the Holy One insists on having his own way! I'm afraid that the Tang Dynasty...I'm afraid that the Tang Dynasty is not far away——"
After saying that, Lian Xing knelt down with a plop and began to cry and choke on the ground, as if he would risk his life to say these words to dissuade Ying Ping, which made people look like a selfless critic.
Ying Ping felt sick in his heart when he saw Lian Xing's pretentious gesture, but on the surface he did not dare to show any signs of it and instead tried to comfort him with words.
Just when Yingping was about to speak, another person suddenly stood up and said loudly: "Your Majesty, Wei Chen thinks that what Lord Lian said is very true-"
Yingping looked up and saw a dark-skinned official coming out of the queue. Upon closer inspection, he saw that this person was none other than Zhang Xiujie's father, Zhang Shouguang.
"The law of our dynasty has been enforced for hundreds of years. It was decreed by the Holy Ancestor and set down a precept for all eternity, so that our Tang Dynasty will always abide by this law. If it is completely overthrown by this dynasty, it will actually violate the ancestral system! It is a taboo!" Zhang Shouguang! Equally impassioned.
"What Zhang Aiqing said makes sense..."
"I have something to say before I report to your Majesty - I think that several of the laws and regulations in the new law are actually inappropriate! The new law clearly states that 'except for the ancestors who have contributed to the country, no one else can be sacrificed', but the people everywhere or Those who offer sacrifices to the gods they believe in, or those who are benevolent in the local area, are now beaten to death with a stick, for fear that the people will not accept it!"
"The new law says that 'forbidden worship' is forbidden! Those who are 'fornicated' are indulgent and immoral! My new law does not prohibit sacrifices, but it is the practice of building temples and carrying out large-scale sacrifices in some places, which has a bad impact on the people. overwhelmed…"
"Your Majesty! I think that the new law saying that 'noble titles are not hereditary' really has the heart of the Han people! Is it possible that all the princes sacrificed their lives for the country or made immortal contributions to the Tang Dynasty? The titles will be passed down from generation to generation. According to legend, his contribution could not be fully appreciated, but now..."
"But the descendants of these people..."
"Your Majesty, I also have something to say..."
"My dear, this is wrong..."
"Your Majesty——"
…
The whole hall was like a pot exploding, and all the officials were admonishing each other, leaving no room for Yingping's explanation.
Yingping felt powerless. It was like a tug-of-war at this moment. There were more and more people standing on the opposite side, but he was alone on his side. Yingping felt a little scared at first, and then a little desperate. He looked at the excited ministers below, and his palms gradually became sweaty.
Then, the noisy sound gradually became louder and louder, until finally it suddenly disappeared in his ears - Yingping's mind had fallen into a sluggish state, his eyes could no longer see the chaos in front of him, and his ears could no longer hear the chaotic sounds. . He had never felt so lonely before, even if he was bullied by other children back then, he was fearless. But now, he was sitting alone on the throne, facing a chorus of opposition...
He is afraid!
Wen Junchen was just a bachelor walking in the East Pavilion, and he was not qualified to stand in the court at all. Although Ye Changshan entered the palace as a guard, he stood outside the palace. The master and the Emperor of Tang were far away, and it was even less possible to help him. ...Now, besides himself, who else can he rely on? Yes...who else can I rely on...who...
Although the hall was extremely noisy, Yingping's heart was as gray as ashes at this moment, with no hope of life in sight.
But it was precisely this that made him calm down. After experiencing the fierce battle just now, Yingping's fear retreated slightly.
He took a deep breath, steeled himself and glanced around the hall. Suddenly, something caught his attention - it was very lively down there... But he always felt like something was missing... Yingping rubbed it His eyes scanned the ministers again, and finally, his eyes stopped in front of him——
Yes, right in front of you! The two places closest to me.
The four ministers who cared about life did not say a word! Now, no matter how fierce the quarrel is, it's just brats fighting! This matter has not yet been decided!
Yingping captured this keenly and couldn't help but feel excited! He stared at Yin Jingting eagerly, and Yin Jingting seemed to feel Yingping's eager gaze. He raised his head to look at Yin Jingting, and then lowered his head with his hands.
Hum - most of the people wailing and choking in the hall are Wang Yanqing's lackeys, but no matter how loud these loyal dogs bark! As long as their master hasn't spoken yet, all this doesn't matter! correct! I must stop this opposition immediately! Shut their mouths before their master speaks to end this! In this way, I can gain time and space for myself and Prime Minister Yin! Um! What should I say? How should I argue with them?
Yingping's eyes sharpened, and his mind was working rapidly. Looking at the barking lackeys in front of him, he finally saw the essence of today - just like facing a powerful enemy, the real owner has not yet spoken, but in his hands The vicious dogs they were holding kept roaring, but as long as the enemy didn't let go of the leash, there was nothing to fear from these vicious dogs. As for the enemy, he just wanted to scare himself with the barking of the vicious dog and make him stay away.
Thinking of this, Yingping shook his dragon robe and stood up. He looked down at the ministers in the hall, his eyes full of disdain and determination.
