A plea of guilty?
Wang Ao and Yu Shiyue looked at each other and saw the wry smile on each other's faces.
They only knew that that day, the emperor ordered the Jinyi Guards to seal off the Yu Mansion, ground Yu Qian, and not allow other ministers to visit, but they did not expect that there was such a decree.
No wonder Yu Qian has been silent for so long. It turns out that this is the crux.
If it had been anyone else, forget it. You could avoid disaster by bowing your head and being submissive. It couldn't be easier. What's more, it is to admit your mistake to the emperor. There is nothing shameful. Admit it happily. In the previous memorial, the emperor If you say it so clearly, you won’t blame me, so what else do you want?
But unfortunately, this person is Yu Qian.
If you want this stubborn person to bow his head and admit his mistakes, it will be even harder than reaching the sky.
Sighing silently in his heart, Yu Shiyue stepped forward.
"Your Majesty clearly knows that in the previous affairs of the palace, Yu Shaobao was suspected of offending and forcing remonstrance, but after all, he had the heart of serving the country. As your Majesty said, I and the chief minister came here to intercede for Yu Shaobao. However, I don’t want your Majesty and Yu Shaobao to have a rift in their hearts because they don’t know their respective intentions, and the monarch and his ministers will drift apart.”
"Individual affairs should not be discussed in the court, but your Majesty must also know that I have been friends with Yu Shaobao for many years. Based on my understanding of Shaobao, although he is upright by nature, he is not a person who does not know how to adapt. The reason why I offend Your Majesty this time is because Shaobao knows that Your Majesty knows his heart and will not doubt his loyalty, and more importantly, because Yu Shaobao expects from Your Majesty that he will be a sage king through the ages."
"Because of this, he cannot watch His Majesty make mistakes due to his temporary likes and dislikes, nor can he bow his head and admit his mistakes because of His Majesty's authority. Although the heart of this loyal minister is extreme, please still keep it in mind. Stay loyal and forgive me a little."
It should be said that the two of them came here to plead for Yu Qian this time, but begging and pleading are also different.
Wang Ao was willing to come because during these days, there was great pressure from public opinion in the court. As the chief minister of the cabinet, he had to come. Moreover, without Yu Qian, many affairs of the Ministry of War were left undecided, which indeed affected the normal operation of the government. , so his request is clear and clear, that is, he hopes that the emperor can release Yu Qian as soon as possible and let him continue to run errands. As long as he is not grounded, it doesn't matter even if it is other punishments.
But Yu Shiyue was different. Although he also wanted Yu Qian to be released as soon as possible, what he was more worried about was that there would be a estrangement between the emperor and Yu Qian because of this incident. If so, even if the emperor released Yu Qian for a while, he would still have some problems in his heart. If it is not solved, it will also leave great hidden dangers.
Therefore, he was not so anxious to ask the emperor to release Yu Qian, but was more willing to express his feelings for Yu Qian in front of the emperor with sincerity.
However, after saying these words, Yu Shiyue still felt a little worried in his heart, because he knew very well that the emperor was a human being, not a saint!
During this period of time, he has been confused about many of Qian's actions. As Yu Shiyue said just now, Yu Qian is not a stupid young man who has just entered the officialdom. He is a minister of the Ministry of War who has been in the officialdom for decades. .
Except for a bit of coincidence when he finally became the Minister of Jin, his footsteps were steady step by step. It is impossible for such a person to be unaware of the dangers of the officialdom, let alone a person who only A person who knows how to rush hard but not how to be gentle and gentle.
However, he still did it. Yu Shiyue never understood this. You must know that when the emperor first ascended the throne, Yu Qian clearly did a good job. Even on such a big political matter as the Battle of Zijingguan, he still He just tried his best to dissuade, but since the emperor insisted, he would not insist on his own way, but would find ways to cooperate with the aftermath.
Why has Yu Qian's temperament become so hardened in the past few years? Is it possible that he has lost his modesty because of his great achievements?
Yu Shiyue had thought about this before, and because of this, his recent private relationship with Yu Qian had become somewhat distant.
However, Yu Qian's words outside the palace completely cleared up his doubts.
Yu Qian knew what to do was the best way, but he was unwilling to use it. The reason was that he had different expectations for the emperor.
What he wants to solve is not to solve the problem, but to change the emperor as a person.
The temporary gains and losses of government affairs were not in Yu Qian's heart, but whether the emperor could become the holy king in his heart was what he cared about very much.
Although it is unreasonable to think so, in a sense, the reason for this is also the emperor himself. It is precisely because the emperor showed extraordinary keen insight and foresight after ascending the throne that Yu Qian saw the Ming Dynasty prospering again. hope, so he chose to do this.
If a mediocre and incompetent monarch was in power, maybe Yu Qian would not be so rigid, but would use more gentle and gentle methods to persuade.
Now, what Yu Shiyue can do is actually express Yu Qian's thoughts. This approach is very risky, but it is undoubtedly possible to resolve the emperor's feelings towards Qian.
However, this is also very dangerous, because it is essentially a bet on the emperor's sanity and the emperor's affection for Qian. In fact, if we only look at Yu Qian's actions, it is said that he is proud of his merits and has no regard for his superiors. , no problem.
Therefore, the nature of his actions in the eyes of the emperor depends on how much affection and trust the emperor still has in Qian. After passing the level of affection and trust, it also depends on whether the emperor can be open-minded and rational. Understand Yu Qian's choice.
But the problem is precisely that the two are contradictory. If the emperor is rational enough, then he will understand that as an emperor, he must not blindly and unreservedly trust any minister, even if this person is Yu Qian.
And if the emperor valued his friendship with Yu Qian and was willing to believe that what he did was out of loyalty and out of the hope that the emperor could become an eternal sage, then the emperor would definitely be angry because of Yu Qian's distrust.
So, this is almost a dead end.
If he had a choice, Yu Shiyue wouldn't want to say this, but in the current situation, the emperor obviously had opinions about Qian, so he could only take a gamble.
However, I am afraid that I will lose this bet no matter what. I can only hope that if Yu Qian finds out, he will not blame him...
Sure enough, as Yu Shiyue expected, after he finished speaking, the emperor's expression changed. Finally, the emperor snorted heavily and said coldly.
"So, in this whole dynasty, Yu Qian is the only one who is a loyal minister, and he is the only one who is a capable minister. You, as well as the other officials of the six ministries, are all sycophants who only flatter me. I, the emperor, are not as good as He, the Minister of War, has a long-term and far-reaching view, right?"
These words were not unimportant, and they immediately pushed other ministers of the imperial court and Yu Qian to the opposite side, making it impossible to accept them.
If they say that Yu Qian is right, then what do they think of the ministers, including themselves, who are silent about the imperial village these days?
But if Yu Qian is wrong, what are the two of them doing now?
At this moment, he was no longer human inside and out, so much so that Wang Ao on the side couldn't help but look at Yu Shiyue complainingly.
But in contrast, Yu Shiyue felt relieved in his heart. The emperor would be angry, which showed that he still trusted Yu Qian. However, Yu Qian's actions made the emperor feel a little chilled.
Of two evils, this is the lesser of two evils...
The emperor was angry, so the two of them knelt down and apologized, Wang Ao said.
"Your Majesty, calm down. I and Yu Cifu have no intention of disrespecting Your Majesty. However, Yu Shaobao is an important minister of the country after all, and he has always been upright. Although he is suspected of offending again this time, it is still out of public interest. He is just a little impatient at the moment. Your Majesty Be kind and decisive, don't get angry because of this matter."
Again, Wang Ao and Yu Shiyue had different goals, so what he hoped was just to get Yu Qian released as soon as possible. Seeing that the emperor's face softened slightly, he continued.
"What happened outside the palace is indeed Yu Shaobao's fault. I don't want to absolve him of his fault. It's just that although Yu Shaobao acted carelessly, his long-term confinement always delayed the affairs of the Ministry of War. Although the Minister can act as his agent, the Minister is different from the Minister after all, and many matters must be decided by His Majesty himself."
"Yu Shaobao has done something wrong. His Majesty issued an order to reprimand him. He can be punished with a fine, but even a long-term grounding is not an option. Your Majesty, please think twice."
Although he knew that Wang Ao was only looking out for his immediate needs, Yu Shiyue said everything he could say, so he naturally stopped entangled with him too much.
After all, he is a minister of the imperial court. It is not just Yu Qian's old friend. Wang Ao is right. As the Minister of the Ministry of War, Yu Qian has been banned from the government for a long time, which will affect the normal operation of the Ministry of War.
What's more important is that now is the time when the military government is reorganizing, and Yu Qian is the presiding officer. This job cannot be replaced by the two assistant ministers of the Ministry of War. If he cannot leave the government for one day, this job will stagnate in place for one day. There is no way to advance.
And the government affairs of the court cannot be postponed forever. If the emperor and Yu Qian are still unwilling to make concessions as now, then Yu Qian can only continue to be imprisoned in the palace.
After a while, everything else was easy to talk about, but the issue of ordering the military government was not just the Ministry of War. Obviously, the emperor had not thought about it yet, but if Yu Qian refused to bow his head, that might be the case.
This is also the reason why the two of them came in a hurry without waiting for the emperor to completely calm down. It is said that during these days, Mr. Zhang from the British government had already started running around and rekindled friendship with various nobles. Not a good sign.
Therefore, people who can get to their level are all human beings. Now it is just Yu Qian who is confined in the house. When Zhang Shi and other nobles moved around, they immediately thought of rectifying the army and made some decisions. The reaction was not unpleasant at all.
Unfortunately……
"I have given him enough opportunities. In the past, I have repeatedly contradicted him. I have always thought that he was out of public interest and did not care about him. But this time, he really went beyond the duties of a minister. I have already said that he should go to the court. Submitting an apology form is not only an explanation to me but also to the imperial court. Otherwise, it will be the same for everyone in the imperial court. Where is the power of the emperor under the laws and regulations?"
In the pleading eyes of the two people, Zhu Qiyu finally shook his head and said.
"Two gentlemen, there is no need to say anything more about this matter. This punishment is already very light. If Yu Qian refuses to even write an apology form, then even if it is for the sake of the court's law, I will not tolerate it!"
Yes, the emperor also raised the banner, which was regarded as blocking this topic.
If the emperor himself was angry, then they could have tried to persuade him, but now the emperor said that the apology form was not only for him to see, but also for the whole court to see. This was considered a political incident.
In other words, Yu Qian had to bow his head in this matter, not only for the emperor's face, but also for the authority and credibility of the emperor.
For such reasons, even if they wanted to persuade him, they could not continue to persuade him.
In desperation, the two looked at each other. Even if they didn't want to, they could only use the last resort.
After a moment of silence, Wang Ao took out a few more memorials from his sleeve and said.
"Your Majesty's will, I will naturally comply with it. However, recently, in addition to interceding for Shaobao, there are also many people in the court who... impeach Eunuch Shu for disrespecting the honor of the ministers and offending the courtiers."
"Here are the details. Your Majesty, please take a look."
When saying this, the two elders were a little embarrassed. After all, complaining in person is not something worth boasting about.
It would be fine if Shu Liangguo was really guilty, but the problem is...
"You are so brave!"
After the memorial was presented, the emperor flipped through a few books, and his voice suddenly became colder. He lightly patted the table in front of him, obviously angry, and said.
"It is my order to order Shu Liang and Yu Qian to be taken back to the house for confinement. What are you trying to do?"
"Are you going to keep targeting Shu Liang if I don't let Yu Qian go?"
"Your Majesty, I forgive you. I definitely had no intention of doing so."
Wang Ao and Yu Shiyue were obviously well prepared for the emperor's reaction. They immediately knelt down and spoke.
"It's just that although Eunuch Shu acted in accordance with the decree that day, on the one hand, he only had oral instructions and no explicit edicts. On the other hand, he sent people to force the first-rank ministers to leave the imperial city. After all, it was unbecoming and suspected of offending the court officials."
"Your Majesty's decree that day was just to order Eunuch Shu to bring Shaobao back to the palace, but Eunuch Shu's method... was indeed inappropriate. The courtiers impeached him because of this, and for the sake of the court's dignity, please calm down your anger."
It should be said that regarding this matter, the ministers of the DPRK also knew very well that Yu Qian did not do the right thing. Therefore, even if they interceded for him, they were just ordinary officials. Most of the important ministers did not know this. plead.
After all, as the emperor said, Yu Qian's behavior violated his duty as a minister, and it would be unjustifiable if he was not punished.
But it would be fine if it were another punishment. After all, not all people in the court got along with Yu Qian, and there were also many who couldn't stand him.
However, when it comes to the issue of reorganizing the military government, Yu Qian cannot let him lose his job just like that, at least not now.
Therefore, he still needs to be rescued. In this case, he can only find faults and start with Shu Liang.
This Eunuch Shu is the emperor's most favored eunuch. The last time he announced the government, they couldn't do anything to him. This shows that the emperor protects him. They are holding on to Shu Liang. In fact, they want the emperor to let Yu Qian go. One horse.
But it has to be said that this method is also very risky, especially for Wang Ao and Yu Shiyue. Although they did not look directly at Shu Liang at this moment, they just glanced at Ming Ming. The feeling was enough for them to realize that a certain Dongchang eunuch was staring at them from behind...
(End of chapter)
