After all, Yu Qian is Yu Qian. He is the only one in the whole court who dares to speak to the emperor like this.
Even if the emperor is good-tempered and favors Yu Qian, under this situation, his face will darken visibly.
However, Yu Qian didn't care about this. He looked solemn, held the wat board in one hand, lifted the hem of his robe with the other, knelt down on the ground, and said.
"Your Majesty clearly knows that the land that Song Wenyi seized from the people in various places in the capital is roughly estimated to be hundreds of hectares. These fields are not worth mentioning in the imperial court, but for the people, they are the foundation of their lives. "
"Just now, His Majesty said that I was making a fuss out of a molehill, but I thought otherwise. To put it simply, these fields involve the food and clothing of dozens of squires and hundreds of tenant farmers. If left unchecked, these people will have no way to redress their grievances and will be on the verge of losing their families and their families. , not to mention the injuries of the people who were beaten and injured by Song Wenyi when he took advantage of the situation."
"Hundreds of hectares of land are worth a drop in the ocean to a country. However, once the eunuchs oppress the people and take things by force, it will be difficult to stop them. If things go on like this, the country's laws and regulations will be lost, local turmoil will be turbulent, and people's resentment will boil. It will be too late to regret it. That’s it.”
"In the past, the Supreme Emperor's favor and trust in Wang Zhen started out of trivial matters. However, if the desire for power comes together, no matter how difficult it is to contain, it will eventually lead to a catastrophic disaster. This is a lesson from the past. Your Majesty should take this as a lesson. You must not be deceived by eunuchs again. It's a trivial matter." Yu Qian's tone was unhurried and unhurried, with an inexplicable heaviness.
However, smart people noticed that as he spoke every word, the emperor's face became more and more ugly, until finally, the emperor's face was so gloomy that he was about to drip with water.
After the words fell, the palace fell into silence for a while. The officials who had followed Yu Qian in the performance also felt regret at this moment.
As for the important ministers next to them, they all had different expressions, and their brows were all furrowed... The palace was silent for a moment, and then the emperor's voice finally sounded, saying.
"I understand what you said, sir. I have made my own decision on this matter. Let's stop here today." After saying that, the emperor rarely waited for the ministers to salute, and stood up and left.
However, even with such a clear attitude, Yu Qian still refused to give up and looked at the emperor's figure and said.
"His Majesty……"
"Retreat!" But this time, Wynn on the side was faster than him. He flicked the whisk in his hand and a loud voice sounded, which immediately overwhelmed Yu Qian's voice.
Immediately afterwards, there were the voices of the ministers shouting for long live the mountain, and Yu Qian's voice was drowned out until it could not be detected. By the time everything was over, the emperor's figure had already disappeared from the palace.
Seeing this situation, Yu Qian sighed, stood up, still with a dark face, and turned to leave. A sharp-eyed minister even saw that Yu Cifu of the cabinet was walking towards this direction, but Yu Qian did not show any signs of it. Instead of paying attention, he quickened his pace and left the palace directly... Soon, Wang Ao and Yu Shiyue from the Cabinet, Hu Hui from the Ministry of Rites, and Chen Xun from the Ministry of Works were summoned into the palace.
After the salutes were completed, several people looked up and saw the unhappy emperor on the throne. They looked at each other, and they all saw the wry smile in each other's eyes.
Yes, Yu Shaobao did this casually. In the end, they still had to clean up the mess.
These few of them were either prestigious and experienced in the court, or they had some personal relationships with Yu Qian.
At this moment, the emperor summoned them, and his intention was self-evident. So, after exchanging a few glances, Wang Ao had no choice but to step forward and said.
"I wonder why your Majesty summoned us?" The emperor then raised his head, glanced at the people below, and asked.
"What do you gentlemen think of what happened in court this morning?" Knowing that this was the question, a look of helplessness flashed across their faces, and none of them responded immediately.
Looking at the situation in Chao Shang, we know that the emperor is very angry now, so it is definitely not possible to say nice things.
But the problem is that Yu Qian's trust in the emperor is unmatched by ordinary ministers, so he can't be too negative. Otherwise, if the emperor calms down, who knows whether they will think that they are deliberately criticizing Yu Qian.
Just now Wang Ao opened his mouth, but this time he refused to speak any more. So, several people were silent for a moment. Finally, Mr. Hu Hui, the most senior person, spoke.
"Your Majesty, I think this is a good thing!"
"A good thing?" As soon as these words came out, other ministers present were a little surprised, and of course the emperor was the same, and his tone became a little unhappy.
However, Hu Bi took his time and continued.
"Your Majesty clearly knows that I have read the history books and seen famous ministers throughout the ages. There is no one named in the history books more than Wei Zheng. It is precisely because Wei Zheng directly admonished the emperor several times and stabbed the emperor in his face that the emperor and his ministers worked together to create the prosperity of Zhenguan." Hearing this. After saying that, the emperor's face became more and more ugly, and he said gloomily.
"Does Uncle Zong want to persuade me to be tolerant and imitate Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty to be a wise king?" This is obviously a rhetorical question. If I really agree, I am afraid it will really add fuel to the fire. With Hu Hui's cleverness, , naturally will not make such a mistake.
The old man twirled his beard, shook his head and said.
"No!"
"I want to say that remonstrances are common, but wise kings are not always the same. Since ancient times, throughout the dynasties, there have been countless people who have dared to remonstrate directly, and some have even died as a remonstrance. However, among many remonstrators, Wei Zheng is the only one. To leave a lasting legacy, what is it? The king and his ministers know each other, and they have to meet a wise king!"
"Throughout the past dynasties, there have been many sages like Wei Zheng, but few as wise as Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. Without Taizong's magnanimity and magnanimity, even if there was Wei Zheng, he would be just an ordinary remonstrating minister. How could he become a famous minister throughout the ages?"
"Wei Zheng is lucky to have Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, and our court is lucky to have His Majesty. Yu Shaobao's behavior in contradicting His Majesty in court today is really inappropriate, but it is precisely because Your Majesty has a tolerant mind, otherwise, His Majesty would be in trouble today." The people in front of me should not be ministers, but should be guards in royal robes. It is difficult for Yu Shaobao to stand in the court, but must be in prison."
"A wise king has a place for direct ministers. Your Majesty has such a broad mind, and Yu Shaobao has such a heart for the country. Thinking about it thousands of years later, it will be a story that is as good as that of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty and Wei Zheng. Therefore, I say, this It's a good thing." After saying this, the ministers on the side were stunned.
No wonder people say that Mr. Hu is an all-rounder and a veteran of five dynasties. His abilities are indeed not in vain. Can this be said like this?
All the elders present felt that they had learned a lot. I have to say that the effect of these words was very good. After the emperor heard this, his expression really softened. Of course, the emperor was not a good person, so he could naturally tell that Hu Hui was trying to appease him. He snorted softly, and the emperor said .
"When Uncle Zong said this, he made me stand up. Yu Qian is Wei Zheng, so if I blame him, wouldn't I become a foolish king?" Although he said this, his tone became much calmer. From the rage just now, he started to It turned into helplessness and complaint.
Seeing this situation, Hu Hao smiled and said with a smile.
"Your Majesty clearly knows that I have no such intention!"
"It is a great blessing for the country that the king is wise and the ministers are wise. If your majesty really wanted to blame Yu Shaobao, he would have punished him in the morning. Moreover, he would not have summoned the ministers to wait for him. Therefore, your majesty is convinced by what I said. Understand, what I said in praise is actually the truth."
"In the past, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was remonstrated by Wei Zheng. After returning to the palace, he still had tempers. This is normal for this person, but he was able to control his temper, separate his emotions from the government affairs of the court, and would not punish him because of his temporary anger. Just like your Majesty is now, therefore, when I say that Your Majesty has the wisdom of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, I actually mean it from the bottom of my heart!" These words are obviously flattering, but, I have to say, the effect is very good, even if I know that Hu Hui is here. Although he said good things to Yu Qian, the emperor's mood still dissipated a lot, he said.
"Uncle Da Zong is still good at talking. Yu Qian should have learned this skill from Uncle Zong long ago..." Hu Hui smiled and cupped his hands, but did not speak.
So, the emperor sighed, his face became solemn, and said.
"What Yu Qian said is not unreasonable. I know this, but his temper really needs to change."
"As an important minister of the imperial court, it is indeed unseemly to contradict him in court early on. I can be as broad-minded as Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, but etiquette and laws are always required. I want to become a good story between the emperor and his ministers, but he must also know the appropriateness."
"Several gentlemen are colleagues with him. It's time to tell Yu Qian my intentions and advise him not to contradict him on these trivial matters and lose his duty as a minister." When he began to speak, the emperor's tone remained calm, but As he went further back, his temper seemed to be rising, and his tone became slightly harsh.
Several elders looked at each other and couldn't help but feel helpless. They couldn't persuade Yu Qian's temper.
However, they can only accept it at the moment, Qi Qi said.
"I obey the order..."
"Dongchang and Jinyiwei have already reported the details to me about Song Wenyi. The inside story of this matter is not as simple as it seems." After venting his emotions, he still had to deal with things.
Therefore, seeing several people below bending down to receive the order, Zhu Qiyu pondered for a moment and continued to speak. As he spoke, he took out two copies of the secret memorial from the royal eucalyptus at hand, then ordered someone to pass it on, and then said
"Yu Cifu has told me about this matter several times. In addition to Yu Qian, the ministers of the DPRK have also been involved in this matter. So I first ordered Song Wenyi to report it, and then asked Shu Liang to verify his statement. Facts have proved that he There is nothing hidden from me.”
"The courtiers reported that there were indeed some clever and plundering moves. The hundreds of hectares of land that Song Wenyi ordered to be merged into the Imperial Village were indeed purchased at a price far below the market price. Some tricks were indeed used and some people were injured. "
"However, the original origin of this matter was that the land belonging to the eunuch family in the palace was taken away by the local gentry, and the lawsuit was brought to the government office. The county government responded favorably, so they established a relationship and approached the eunuch in the palace. It happened that this eunuch was Song Wenyi subordinate, so he took action to investigate the matter."
"After further investigation, I found that in recent years, due to wars, disasters and other incidents near Gyeonggi, many wealthy gentry have taken the opportunity to lower the price of land and forcibly annexed it. Many people have no way to seek help, and have no food or clothing. Finally, they have taken shelter in the imperial village and become tenant."
"The houses and food were also seized along with the land. The government could neither control nor want to control these matters. Song Wenyi was in charge of the imperial village. When he investigated the matter, he asked many tenants, and later came to the door. There are more and more tenants in the imperial village. For this reason, Song Wenyi led people to buy back many of the fields that had been annexed by local gentry and wealthy households and put them into the imperial village..." Several secret books The memorial was circulated among several ministers, and coupled with the emperor's explanation, they quickly understood the ins and outs of it.
At the same time, a hint of understanding flashed across his face. No wonder the emperor has always been unyielding. To put it bluntly, Song Wenyi was at fault in this matter, but the wealthy gentry households who were so-called "grievances" were not much better. Both sides were equally divided, one oppressed the people, and the other bought and sold by force. For these gentry It is not an exaggeration to say that what happened now is deserved. Even if Song Wenyi's methods were a bit extreme, for the emperor, it was not really a big mistake. He just turned a blind eye and passed it by.
So, from this point of view, the emperor said that Yu Qian was making a fuss out of a molehill, which is half true. To put it bluntly, this matter is actually a dog-eat-dog mess. It's just that Song Wenyi has the emperor's back, so these squires can't rob him. It's just him. Although Song Wenyi's actions are abominable, these wealthy squires do not deserve sympathy.
Yu Qianyan spoke categorically for these people who were running rampant in the countryside, and kept extending it. He said that when the emperor favored the powerful officials and competed with the people for profit, it would be strange that the emperor would not be angry.
Seeing that everyone had finished reading the memorial, a trace of grievance flashed across the emperor's face and he said.
"Gentlemen, now that you know the inside story, you should understand that these things cannot be discussed in the court. Otherwise, if you argue, it will be a mess. You will not be able to distinguish right from wrong, and it will only cause internal friction in the court. Therefore, I I have always wanted to turn this matter into a small matter.”
"But who would have thought that Yu Qian's memorial was not enough, and he actually questioned me in public in the early morning court. Could it be that in his heart, I am such a mediocre person?" In these words, there was inevitably a trace of complaint, which made Everyone present laughed bitterly.
However, now that they know the full story, they can understand the emperor's approach. Above the court, the world is so vast that not everything can be divided into right and wrong. There are a lot of gray areas in many things.
Take the case of Song Wenyi as an example. Yu Qian was right, and so were the officials who reported the case. They took advantage of others by taking advantage of them, buying and selling by force, and even beating the other party because they didn't cooperate. This kind of thing cannot be justified anywhere. It turned out that none of the charges on Yu Qian were exaggerated.
But the problem is that these wealthy squires are not innocent. What Song Wenyi did, if we don’t look at the process but only the result, can be regarded as seeking justice for the tenants of Huangzhuang. However, it did not go through the formal process of the government. That’s all.
Some people may think that these two things cannot be confused. Song Wenyi's fault is Song Wenyi's fault. It is their problem that the gentry and rich households torture the people, and they can deal with it individually. But if this is the way of thinking, the most it can do is be a county. Ordered.
No, to be precise, even the county magistrate is incompetent, because these two things are inherently entangled and impossible to separate. Anyone who wants to treat them separately is either stupid or bad!
