Xiao Yu has always admired Cen Wenwen for his ability to govern and control people's hearts. He has a noble status and outstanding achievements. He can do some metaphysical work, but the specific implementation is slightly inferior.
At this moment, after listening to Cen Wenwen's analysis of Fang Jun's behavior, I felt deeply convinced.
"So, the purpose of Fang Jun and Li Jing's move is to force Liu Jiefeng to refute His Majesty's will, so that His Majesty will not dare to depose the crown prince at will?"
"Your Majesty cherishes feathers the most. Although he has done many wrong things, he cares more about his reputation. Whether he tolerated Wei Zheng's repeated mistakes and outspokenly admonished him or later devoted the whole country to the eastward expedition, all he did was to catch up and surpass him. Emperor Qin and Emperor Wu of Han achieved the reputation of 'one emperor through the ages'. Just imagine, once the reputation of 'willfully abolishing the crown princes' and 'treating meritorious officials harshly' spreads among the people, how can they achieve eternal hegemony?"
"Tsk, tsk, this move of 'retreating in order to advance' seems simple, but in fact it hits His Majesty's weak point. As the saying goes, 'attack what you attack, you must save', it is very clever."
"No surprise, this should be Fang Jun's handiwork."
Cen Wenwen took a sip of hot tea and praised him, then sighed again and said with regret: "It's a pity that Liu Jie is diligent but has average talent and weak will. He is left to serve in the ministry." Yes, but it is not enough to take charge of one department, which makes it difficult for me to take on such a big job."
He originally wanted to choose Liu Jie to succeed him before taking office, inheriting his political resources so that he could take care of his nephew in the court in the future. However, it seems that Liu Jie is a person who is following the wind. Weighing in is not something you can do big things with.
It is conceivable that when the public opinion between the government and the public is brewing, Liu Jie must cherish his reputation and refuse to be a "slanderous person". Therefore, he would rather offend His Majesty than reject His Majesty's decree to allow Fang Jun and Li Jing to resign. go.
Suddenly, I remembered that after everyone came out of the Taiji Palace after the meeting that day, Fang Jun boarded Liu Ji's carriage in the rain... Maybe there were other means to force Liu Ji to submit.
This second roommate is very clever. I'm afraid His Majesty will really suffer a big loss this time...
Xiao Yu held the pot and poured tea for Cen Wenwen, and said in a low voice: "Then we should also cooperate this time and try our best to give the East Palace the power to protect itself. Yi Chu can do it, but the prince must be preserved."
Cen Wenwen nodded slowly: "That's exactly what it should be."
The prince represents the integrity of the empire and should be honored even if he is deposed. However, throughout the ages, has there been any deposed prince who has a happy ending? Every time a prince was deposed in the past dynasties, it meant a huge political wave, or even a stormy sea, in which countless people were swept into pieces and shattered to pieces.
Just after the next imperial examination, the children of Jiangnan and Shandong are about to enter the court to replace the original position of Guan Longxungui. At this juncture, everyone does not want to see violent political turmoil, which is obviously not in their interests.
Xiao Yu was about to speak but stopped, hesitated for a moment, and finally just let out a soft sigh.
It is rare for a prince to die a happy death after he is deposed. The two successive generations of emperors were not succeeded under normal circumstances. They must follow the same example in the future. The subsequent changes in imperial power in the Tang Empire will be accompanied by countless bloody storms; keep the prince. This means that no matter who ascends the throne or even succeeds to the throne in the future, he will have to face the deposed prince, a great threat to the imperial power. The struggle between them is a life-and-death struggle that will not stop for a moment. …
What kind of evil has His Majesty Li Er been possessed by? He can only live a good life, but he must be saved easily and leave endless hidden dangers?
*****
Liu Ji returned to the provincial government office, sat alone in the duty room for a while, and then called a clerk in.
"Presumably the news that Duke Yue and Duke Wei have resigned has spread, right?"
The scribe was a little nervous and hesitated: "This... humble position is not very clear."
Even if everyone knows that Menxia Province is a sieve that leaks air everywhere, it is indeed not very decent for the officer to go to Tai Chi Palace to meet with His Majesty to give details, and then the news spreads like wings and flies all over the sky. If Liu Ji gets angry because of this, he can take advantage of it. Rectifying the personnel authority within the yamen would be a big problem.
How could Liu Jie care about this? It is true that the new official has three things to do when he takes office, but he also knows that it is better to be still than to move at the moment. If he is involved in the Yichu crisis, he will have to suffer a lot.
He asked impatiently: "In front of me, speak honestly and ignore others. I just want to ask you what the Yamen thinks of this matter?"
The clerk was considered his confidant. Wen Yan breathed a sigh of relief, turned around and closed the door, returned to the desk and whispered: "There are some words in the yamen that are really unpleasant. Everyone thinks that Duke Yue and Duke Wei took the initiative. They resigned, but they were probably forced by His Majesty, so they were all a little dissatisfied. After all, those two men had great military exploits and destroyed countless countries. At this moment, His Majesty cut off the wings of the East Palace for the sake of easy storage, but spared no effort to suppress them. It is unfair and inevitable. There is a suspicion of treating the meritorious officials harshly."
Liu Jie nodded, that was for sure. He also believed that Fang Jun and Li Jing's move was to retreat in order to make a counterattack, using public opinion to fight against His Majesty, which made His Majesty have to cherish his reputation and slow down the suppression of the East Palace.
But His Majesty's reaction was obviously beyond the expectations of Fang Jun and others, and he actually agreed... His Majesty still had the upper hand.
Seeing that the scribe was about to speak but hesitated, he asked again: "What else is there?"
The scribe hesitated for a moment and had to say: "Everyone is still waiting to see how the Chamber of Servants will handle this matter."
Liu Jie asked curiously: "What does this have to do with me?"
The clerk said: "The province under the command has the right to refute the edict. If your majesty agrees to the resignation of the Duke of Yue and the Duke of Wei, this will be a rebellion. The servant should refute it to show the character of a civil official. If the servant If it is not refuted and published according to the order, I am afraid that comments such as 'slanderous words and flattery' and 'no character' will surely follow one after another and make endless noise."
"Hiss—" Liu Ji took a breath of cold air.
Has public opinion deviated so far?
Anyone who complies with Yi Chu is a flatterer and has no integrity. They only know how to agree with His Majesty's "chaotic orders" and are sycophants of the country. Those who are not afraid of imperial power and consequences are the real upright people, the backbone of the empire, and the emperor. The conscience of the court...
So, Yi Chu has gone against the will of the world?
Then I thought that if I refused to refute His Majesty’s imperial edict approving Fang Jun and Li Jing’s resignation and promulgated it throughout the world, I would definitely be regarded as His Majesty’s lackey, assisting His Majesty in persecuting the heroes and killing the prince…
Mom, why don’t you give up your old life?
He doesn't mind being recognized as His Majesty's lackey. After all, not everyone can be a lackey... But if His Majesty cherishes his reputation too much and has to change his ways and give up Yi Chu under heavy pressure, then he may be His Majesty was the first to be thrown out as a scapegoat...
But to refute His Majesty's will is not only to violate His Majesty's will, but also to disrupt His Majesty's planning and layout. How big a crime is it?
Liu Jie was a little panicked. He was really in a dilemma and a dilemma.
what to do?
However, before he could make a decision, officials from Shangshu Province came to Menxia Province with the drafted decree and went directly to his duty room: "This imperial edict of Your Majesty will be reviewed and sealed by Menxia Province and promulgated throughout the world."
All the officials in Menxia Province put down their papers and stared at the waiting room to see if Liu Jie was a flattering minister who bowed before the imperial power, an imperial eagle, or a strong-willed civil servant who was not afraid of power.
Liu Jie opened the imperial edict with sweating profusely and read it carefully. His luck in his heart completely collapsed. There were not many words in the imperial edict, but His Majesty actually agreed to Fang Jun and Li Jing's request, allowing them to step down from all positions and instead go to the academy to teach and compile textbooks...
When the officials of the Shangshu Province saw Liu Ji's eyes wandering and wandering, they frowned and urged: "I have to go back and report to your majesty. Please use your seal!"
Although the three provinces are all the highest authorities in the imperial court, because His Majesty Li Er himself serves as the "Shang Shu Ling" and the second-in-command "Shang Shu Zuopu She" is the de facto head of the empire, the Shangshu Province regards itself as superior, even if it is a Shangshu Zuo Cheng could also stand upright and speak in front of court officials like Liu Jie.
Liu Ji held the imperial edict and weighed it in his mind.
If you offend His Majesty, you will definitely attract thunder and wrath, your career may be in ruins, and you may lose your job as a servant before you take the hot seat; but if it arouses public opinion and is regarded as the emperor's hawk or a flattering minister, you will offend the whole world. A scholar will definitely be infamy and be infamy for thousands of years. If he encounters a tough-necked historian, he will be included in the history...
Liu Ji shuddered, wiped the sweat from his forehead, gritted his teeth, returned the imperial edict with both hands, and said sternly: "The soldiers of the Yue Kingdom came out to overthrow Xue Yantuo, wiped out the border troubles in the northern frontier of the empire, and fought thousands of miles away. Defeating several strong bandits in succession to protect the territory, the Duke of Wei, the world's best commander, rushed to the north of the Great Wall to annihilate the Turks. Not only did he avenge the "Wei River Alliance" with one stone, but he also wiped out the world and helped His Majesty wipe out all the forces in the southeast. Rebellious thieves... Both of them are the emperors of the country and have made great achievements, especially Fang Jun, who is in his prime and should do his best for the empire. How can we let him resign from office and remain a virtuous man in the country? This imperial edict of your majesty is a mess. The Ministry of Education has the right to refute the imperial edict, so... it boldly rejects it."
The provincial officials at the left and right gates spoke warmly, their faces glowing, and they subconsciously straightened their backs.
The official from Shangshu Province was stunned for a while. When Liu Ji made an impassioned speech, he asked in confusion: "Is Liu Shizhong... refuting His Majesty's imperial edict?"
Since entering the Tang Dynasty, the Menxia Province does have the right to "refute", but the imperial edict that actually refutes... This is probably the first time it has happened, right?
Mother!
You are not just slapping His Majesty in face, you are also saying that His Majesty is a foolish king who messes up his life!
Do your subordinates want to rebel?
Liu Jie was determined, with his chest and belly raised out, showing his virtuous demeanor without fear of the imperial power, and said loudly: "That's right! We are eating the emperor's salary and being loyal to the emperor. Since the emperor has messed up his life, we should refute it. , bring order to the chaos!"
The officials from Menxia Province were so excited that their faces were red. If there were not officials from Shangshu Province here at this moment, they would have thundered applause to applaud Liu Jiejie!
There was Wei Zheng first, and then Liu Jie. Our sect, the province, was so unfaithful to Yan Zhengjian and iron-clad!
(End of chapter)
