Whether it is the Feng Deyi case that has caused a stir in the court recently, or the Dang Renhong case that came from behind and attracted all the attention of the government and the public, in Li Chengqian's view, they are not as important as disaster relief.
People are water, and water can carry a boat or capsize it. If people's livelihood is in trouble and the people are in hardship, the country will not be prosperous and the country will be unstable. This is the top priority.
In comparison, what does it matter whether Feng Deyi was counterattacked or not, and whether Dang Renhong was punished by Ming Zhengdian?
Ma Zhou quickly came out and reported back: "Your Majesty, the 'Emergency Rescue Yamen' jointly established by Jingzhao Mansion and various yamen has been operating. Although the snow is heavy, the yamen and more than a hundred officials under their jurisdiction are working day and night. To maintain the smooth flow of disaster relief, various ministries and departments have formulated disaster relief plans, subordinate officials have coordinated the mobilization of supplies, recruited civilians to transport money and food, and rural organizations have cooperated in repairing collapsed houses to resettle the affected people. They have coordinated and worked together from top to bottom. As of now, less than ten people have frozen to death. All of them are chronically ill and too old, and the rest have been properly accommodated."
Since Fang Jun established the "Emergency Rescue Yamen" for the first time and ordered the army to participate in disaster relief, various Yamen in the imperial court that are related to people's livelihood have accumulated rich experience in disaster rescue. Once it is discovered that bad weather may cause a disaster, various Yamen We will be well prepared. If a disaster occurs, a rescue plan will be formulated and issued as soon as possible. All levels will perform their duties, and the disaster relief work will be timely and effective.
In this way, the support of the people in Guanzhong for the empire continued to rise. Therefore, during the two consecutive mutinies, except for the domestic soldiers and servants belonging to the Guanlong families, ordinary people did not pay attention to their recruitment at all, and even paid to buy from the private sector. Very few people responded with food and fodder, which prevented the Guanlong rebels and the Jinwang rebels from making greater momentum.
Most of the people are illiterate and do not understand the meaning of family, country and world, but they have the simplest values: they will support whoever is truly good to them and who brings them more benefits.
Li Chengqian nodded slightly and felt relieved, but still warned: "The people are the cornerstone of the empire. Although the empire has hundreds of millions of people, there is not a single superfluous person. The whole court must go all out to rescue the victims. Who dares to neglect their duties?" Treating human life as child's play, whoever dares to use his hands to embezzle the life-saving money and food of the victims, I don't care what official position he has, what title he has, what achievements he has made, we will definitely destroy the three tribes and punish him severely!"
The voice was sonorous and murderous!
The civil and military ministers in the court were briefly stunned, then bowed one after another and shouted in unison: "Your Majesty loves the people like a son, and you should be a prosperous and wise king. Long live!"
For a long time, Li Chengqian has given the world nothing more than the word "weakness". Even though his abilities are not bad, he always lacks the brilliant deterrence of the Nine-Five Supreme, and cannot make people sincerely awe him.
But now these words are rarely made with anger, and they are a bit domineering like the Lord of the Empire...
In fact, the ministers' minds are also very contradictory. A monarch with a weaker personality is actually a good thing for everyone. He can forgive some mistakes even if they are serious. Even if it is serious, he will not kill everyone. As an official It's natural, comfortable and leisurely, and you don't need to be severely punished for making mistakes.
But in this way, the king naturally lacks charisma, and how can a king without charisma intimidate the public and control the country?
Now that Li Chengqian has finally shown his domineering side, the ministers don't know whether to be happy or worried...
…
"Your Majesty, I have a starting point for you!"
Dai Zhou, the minister of Dali Temple, stepped forward.
Liu Xiangdao, who was about to leave the queue, had to stop taking half a step. He was a little annoyed in his heart. Why was he a step too slow?
Could it be that this old thief had been staring at me and only moved when he saw me moving?
The Feng Deyi case and the Dang Renhong case can be said to be indistinguishable in terms of impact. Whoever can take the lead in impeachment will have the upper hand, and whoever is late will follow suit and receive very different praises. .
But since it's too late, that's all. Even if he steps forward at this moment, according to the rules, His Majesty can only listen to Dai Zhou's impeachment first.
This old thief is usually silent, but his thoughts are so meticulous that he is almost perfect...
Li Chengqian looked at Dai Zhou who stood out from the crowd and sighed in his heart, but his face was warm and gentle: "What's the matter with Dai Ai Ai?"
"I impeach Dang Renhong, the governor of Guangzhou, for embezzling public funds, exploiting merchants, gathering family members to fight against each other, and disturbing the local area..."
One after another, the charges were announced in public, and Dang Renhong was simply a dominating villain in the fish and meat village.
No one spoke up to refute Dai Zhou or plead for Dang Renhong.
Once the evidence of Feng Deyi and Dang Renhong's crimes is accurate, it means that Emperor Taizong "appointed traitors" in a sense. This will greatly damage Emperor Taizong's almost perfect reputation. As his son, Li Chengqian will inevitably bear a burden. The reputation of "disloyal and unfilial", after all, the cases of these two people broke out when he, the emperor, was in power, and he had no way to avoid or hide.
And if these two people are pardoned, it means that the imperial power is completely above the law, and they will definitely be criticized and opposed by civil servants all over the world...
They are all waiting to see how His Majesty will deal with it.
Li Chengqian paused and asked, "Where is Dang Renhong?"
"Just outside the temple."
"Proclaim him to go to the palace and allow him to defend himself."
"Here!"
The censor who maintained order in the palace quickly came to the palace gate and loudly said: "Your Majesty has a decree to announce that Dang Renhong will go to the palace!"
In a moment, Dang Renhong, who had taken off his official robe and crown, was escorted by two guards into the Tai Chi Hall. As soon as he entered the main hall, Dang Renhong knelt down with a bang, paused on the ground with his head, and cried bitterly: "I have sinned deeply and deserved death. I am willing to dedicate all my family property to your majesty. I only ask your majesty to consider my past." For the sake of the empire and the whole family, please spare my life!"
Everyone's eyes were amused. Dang Renhong relied on such an act to win the mercy of Emperor Taizong and forgive him for all his crimes. However, he did not repent afterward, but worsened his situation.
I don’t know how His Majesty will deal with such an old minister who relies on his old age and takes credit for his achievements...
Li Chengqian looked kind and cheerful under the attention of everyone, and said warmly: "Loving you is a meritorious service of the empire. No matter what the situation is, you can state it in front of the emperor."
Dang Renhong kowtowed and cried: "I am confused and have made mistakes. I dare not defend myself in front of you. I only ask your majesty to spare my life."
This is not even a quibble. He lies down and pleads guilty, but he keeps talking about his past achievements and begging to avoid death.
Li Chengqian looked at Dai Zhou and asked, "According to the law, how should he be punished?"
Dai Zhou said: "This person is extremely corrupt and has caused endless disasters. His crimes are extremely heinous. He should be punished with the death penalty for several crimes."
Dang Renhong was so frightened that he fell to the ground and cried, begging for mercy again and again.
Li Chengqian sighed and said: "Although Dang Aiqing's crime is unpardonable, if he does not make sophistry and is willing to plead guilty, can his crime be reduced to one level?"
Dai Zhou's face was expressionless and his tone was strong: "If you are guilty of the crime easily and have a good confession attitude, you can indeed reduce the punishment as appropriate. However, Dang Renhong was the one who caused the trouble, which caused turmoil in Lingnan and local unrest. Feng An, the general manager of Gaozhou, repeatedly impeached him during his work in Guangzhou." Lawlessness is rampant in the land, if we cannot impose capital punishment, how can we appease the land?"
At the beginning of the founding of the Tang Dynasty, Feng Ang had already occupied Lingnan. Many people suggested that he follow Zhao Tuo's old example of ceding territory and becoming king, but Feng Ang was unmoved. After Li Jing issued an appeal, he led the twenty states in Lingnan to surrender. In the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Gaozu established eight states of Gao, Luo, Chun, Bai, Ya, Dan, Lin, and Zhen in Feng An's jurisdiction, and appointed Feng An as the governor of Shangzhu Kingdom, Gaozhou, and Duke of Wu.
In fact, it was equivalent to acknowledging Feng Ang's control over the entire Lingnan.
Dang Renhong held his own merits and clashed with Feng Ang when he was the governor of Guangzhou. This was very likely to cause turmoil in the entire Lingnan region. If Feng Ang believed that Dang Renhong's actions were supported by the imperial court, he might be able to rebel.
Compared with corruption and other crimes, this was Dang Renhong's biggest sin, because the court wanted to give Feng Ang an explanation to reassure him.
Li Chengqian asked again: "How about allowing him to use his merits to offset his faults and stay in the capital for his retirement?"
Dai Zhou looked firm: "If everyone follows suit in the future, will your Majesty also forgive them?"
Dang Renhong kept his head down and cried for mercy. After a while, he cut his forehead and the gold bricks were stained with blood, which looked pitiful.
Li Chengqian looked unbearable and couldn't help crying: "Why is this happening? Although Dang Aiqing was wrong, her meritorious service and loyalty were outstanding. Both of her sons died in the battle to establish the empire. She can be said to be full of loyalty. The late emperor was even more fond of him. Now that I have ascended the throne, but my hero is about to die, how can I face the late emperor and the world's meritorious deeds? Please be patient with Dai Aiqing."
The civil and military ministers in the court were all moved.
If it were Emperor Taizong who was sitting on the throne now, then this scene would be an act for everyone to see. But now it is Li Chengqian who is crying and begging Dang Renhong, and everyone thinks that this is a reveal of his true feelings.
They are also dissatisfied with Dai Zhou. Although you can be selfless and selfless, you can gain the reputation of being a direct minister, but where do you put the king? This Dang Renhong is a hero whom Emperor Taizong has repeatedly forgiven. If you force His Majesty to punish him, wouldn't it push His Majesty into the realm of "disloyalty and unfilial piety"?
Too much.
Even Liu Ji couldn't bear to see Li Chengqian being forced to look helpless. He was a good emperor with a soft heart. Why did he have to force him to be impartial, selfless and decisive in killing?
Then he said: "Although Dang Renhong's crimes are extremely heinous, the crimes he committed are not among the ten evils. Thinking of his past merits, he should be generous."
In the first year of Emperor Wen's reign in the Sui Dynasty, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty formulated the Criminal Law "New Code", which included ten evil articles, which were mostly adopted from the system of the later Qi Dynasty. The fifth one is disrespect, the sixth one is disrespect, the seventh one is unfilial, the eighth one is disharmony, the ninth one is unrighteousness, and the tenth one is civil strife.
This is an unpardonable crime, and even if the prince commits it, he should be punished with death.
Although Dang Renhong caused outrage and turmoil in Lingnan, he never violated any of the "Ten Evils". Now that the emperor is crying and begging for mercy, why should he be forced to execute him?
(End of chapter)
