The court meeting had just begun when a courtier came out and said, "Your Majesty has shown your grace by not punishing Duke Xuan for his crimes. However, Duke Xuan went against the grain and actually wanted to assassinate the Holy Master. Such behavior is outrageous. I ask your Majesty to kill him immediately." Duke Xuan Guo rectifies the laws of the country!"
As soon as he said this, many courtiers came out, and they all said in unison: "I second my opinion!"
Before Zhu Yuanzhang could speak, Yuan Kai had already stepped out and said: "Your Majesty, it is not known whether the assassination was done by Duke Xuan. This matter has yet to be verified. I sincerely ask your Majesty not to act too hastily."
Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and asked Yuan Kai, "I remember your name is Yuan Kai, right?"
Yuan Kai replied: "Yes."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, "You don't seem to be afraid of me?"
There is some knowledge in this question. Whether the answer is afraid or not, it seems that it is not good. Yuan Kai's mind is not good at turning. Zhang Ren was afraid that he could not answer this question, so he immediately stepped out to answer: "Your Majesty commands the four seas and is the lord of the world. Like the father of all nations, your Majesty is not something to be afraid of, but something to respect in your heart."
Zhu Yuanzhang raised his eyes and looked at Zhang Ren, "You have a good brain, and you will become a sycophant sooner or later."
Zhang Ren bowed forward and said, "With your Majesty's supervision, a humble minister will never become a sycophant."
Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and ignored Zhang Ren, and Zhang Ren also retreated consciously.
"I'm a little tired today, so let's stop here for the court meeting. Zhang Ren and Yuan Kai will stay, and all the other beloved ladies can leave."
With the sound of "Retreat from the DPRK", today's DPRK meeting came to an end in a hurry.
Zhang Ren and Yuan Kai went to the imperial study room under the leadership of the chamberlain.
This was the first time Yuan Kai was summoned alone by Zhu Yuanzhang since he became an official, and it was also the first time he went to the Imperial Study Room.
He couldn't hide the joy in his heart, but at the same time he was a little nervous, "Brother, what do you mean His Majesty summoned us for?"
Zhang Ren shrugged and replied, "Where do I know where to go?"
Yuan Kai clapped his hands, but seemed to have his own thoughts, "His Majesty did not pronounce the guilt of Duke Xuan at the court meeting. It must be because of this matter that he let us go. Your Majesty must know that Duke Xuan was unjust."
Zhang Ren looked at Yuan Kai and thought to himself: What a silly boy. Your Majesty asked us to go there because of Li Shanchang's affairs, but Zhu Yuanzhang will definitely not give up this time, otherwise why would he have to do such a troublesome thing?
The two of them entered the imperial study room together. Zhu Yuanzhang placed a few folds on the papers and asked Yuan Kai: "You are an upright boy, but you are just a little too upright. You should understand that it is easy to break things if you are too strong. You will need to do more in the future." Learn more about it."
Although Yuan Kai went against Zhu Yuanzhang's wishes several times, Zhu Yuanzhang liked his upright character. There are definitely not many people like him in the court today. Things are rare, and so are people. Calling Yuan Kai here today is not only to encourage him, but also to give him more encouragement. If Yuan Kai can listen, then his career will be smooth in the future.
Yuan Kai was a little excited, and immediately raised his hands and said: "Wei Chen is the censor, and it is his duty to be more upright."
Zhu Yuanzhang didn't say any more, but clicked on the fold on the table and said, "The prince has been following me in charge of government recently. I have compiled a list of people who need to be beheaded. You two can send this fold to the prince."
"Your Majesty, as far as I know, the Three Justice Divisions have not heard any serious cases recently. I wonder where this list of beheadings came from?" Yuan Kai asked in confusion.
Zhu Yuanzhang leaned back and said, "The people inside are Li Shanchang and his relatives."
After hearing this, Yuan Kai immediately knelt down on the ground, "Your Majesty, how can there be any reason in this world to sentence people to death without trial? Besides, there is no witness or physical evidence in this matter, let alone the signature of Duke Xuan. How can oral confession count?"
Zhu Yuanzhang lifted up his sleeves, revealing his injured arm, and said, "My arm is the biggest evidence. Li Shanchang's intention to rebel is obvious. If you plead for him again, you will be treated as an accomplice!"
Zhu Yuanzhang had obviously begun to get angry. If he angered an emperor, the consequences would often be very serious.
Zhang Ren was afraid that Yuan Kai, a stupid young man, would accidentally lose his head, so he immediately stepped forward.
He covered Yuan Kai's mouth, took the folder on the document, and said to Zhu Yuanzhang: "Your Majesty, don't worry, we will send this list to the prince immediately."
After saying that, Zhang Ren immediately pulled Yuan Kai out. Although Yuan Kai struggled hard, in the end he was just a scholar, and his strength could not be compared with Zhang Ren. Even though he had exerted all his strength, he could not Still couldn't break free from Zhang Ren's shackles.
Zhang Ren didn't let go of his hand until he was out of the imperial study room.
Yuan Kai gasped for breath, then pointed at Zhang Ren and rebuked loudly: "Your Majesty did something inappropriate. As ministers, we should warn your Majesty, but why did you pull me out?"
Zhang Ren then said: "Are you still warning Your Majesty? I think your brain is showing off, right? You don't want your brain anymore?"
Yuan Kai shook his head solemnly and said: "A person's death can be lighter than a feather or heavier than Mount Tai! As a minister, I advise my king that even if he dies, it will be a well-deserved death. What's more, when have you ever heard of Yan Guan? Will I be punished for my words?"
Zhang Ren patted his forehead. Yuan Kai is definitely the kind of person who is stupid because of reading. He has completely engraved the benevolence, justice, etiquette, wisdom and trust he learned in the book into his bones. This kind of person is sometimes scary. It is really possible. Laugh in the face of death.
Zhang Ren knew that it would not make sense to explain the principles of life to Yuan Kai, so he could only change his mind and said: "Li Shanchang was sentenced to death without any regrets at all. Yes, the assassination had nothing to do with him, but you know this How much food has Li Shanchang spent over the years? In my eyes, Li Shanchang is a good person. He has never offended anyone or harmed anyone. Even when facing ordinary people, he can do no wrong. But after all, he manages After so many years of money and food, the amount of money he has spent has already exceeded your imagination."
Zhang Ren did investigate Li Shanchang and knew that although Li Shanchang had not killed anyone, he had also embezzled a lot of money from the treasury.
Zhang Ren's words seemed a bit difficult for Yuan Kai to accept. As the founding prime minister of the Ming Dynasty, Li Shanchang was a role model for many scholars. Yuan Kai had regarded Li Shanchang as his idol since he was a boy.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Everyone praises Duke Xuan as a wise prime minister, so how could he be greedy for money?" Yuan Kai shook his head, his face full of disbelief.
Zhang Ren sighed and decided to teach this silly boy a lesson, "Do you think being upright is good? People who are too upright don't know how to adapt and can easily offend others. Such people have no friends and are very difficult in officialdom. It’s hard to get a chance to be promoted. Brother Yuan, that’s the kind of person you are. People sometimes need to be flexible. Brother Yuan, do you understand what I mean?”
Yuan Kai shook his head dully.
Zhang Ren continued: "Li Shanchang was the Prime Minister at the beginning. What he wanted to do was to help His Majesty sort out the Ming Dynasty, which was full of injuries. Only by having a good relationship with everyone could he manage the country better. He must not A sinner treats virtuous ministers with sincerity, and chooses to go along with them when facing female cadres. Although he is dirty, he also achieves his goal!"
Yuan Kai's eyes seemed to have regained some color. He looked up at Zhang Ren and asked, "Is Duke Xuan's corruption of ink for the sake of the country?"
Zhang Ren nodded, "It's true that it's for the country, but it's also a fact. Many times we don't have many answers to choose from. Li Shanchang did what he thought was right. I can understand him, but I can't agree with him. Okay. Yes, I will tell you this much. As for how much you can experience it and what choices you make in the future, it is your own business. I will tell you this."
After saying that, Yuan Kai couldn't react, so he pulled him towards James's house.
There is an unknown tree in the courtyard of James Mansion. In summer, it had many branches and leaves. Now that the weather is cold, there are not many leaves left on it, but the trunk is more tall and straight.
At this moment, Sun Qiyue was walking in Zhan Shi's house and was sitting on a tree, sipping wine. She was also drinking. The picture Sun Qiyue showed was much more beautiful than Luo Kedi. Zhang Ren thought about it, and he probably was also affected by his appearance. After all, one is an unshaven old man with an unkempt beard, and the other is a beautiful woman with childish face and big breasts whose age cannot be seen.
Yuan Kai was not in the mood to appreciate this beautiful picture, because Zhang Ren's words today had completely subverted his understanding.
On the other side of James's house, Jia Yuntong leaned against
Another bare tree was in a daze, and his eyes seemed a little far-reaching. It was unclear whether he was looking at the scenery or Sun Qiyue.
Zhang Ren and Yuan Kai passed by the two of them and greeted them with a smile: "Hello, Grandma Jia, Gongsun and Grandma, are you two busy?"
The two of them were walking around as Zhan Shifu. There really was nothing to do except protect the prince. Sun Qiyue was still drinking in the tree and ignored Zhang Ren at all.
Jia Yuntong gave Zhang Ren a look, and the meaning was very clear, get out of here, don't bother me to see the scenery.
Zhang Ren's greeting was a relief from his loneliness. He could only shake his head helplessly and took Yuan Kai to find the prince.
All the way into the palace, the two of them saluted the prince together: "We have met His Royal Highness."
The prince's condition seemed to have improved a lot. He nodded kindly and said, "No need to be polite, Zhang Ren, who is this person next to you?"
The prince has just joined the regency, so it is normal for him not to know the ministers of the court.
Before he could open his mouth, Yuan Kai had already introduced himself: "The humble minister Yuan Kai is the censor of the Inspectorate."
The prince was extremely kind, no matter when he faced anyone. He smiled and nodded at Yuan Kai and said: "It turns out it's Yuan Yushi, and Yuan Yushi is a noble man. Yuan Yushi entered the army at a young age. If you join the Inspectorate, your future will be limitless."
Today, Yuan Kai was praised by both the current emperor and the future emperor. He should have been very happy, but now his mind was filled with the ideas that Zhang Ren had instilled in him. How could he be happy?
