Whether it was about Wei Yan being demoted or Ma Dai being imprisoned, according to Chen Chong's decision, there was actually nothing wrong with it. However, both of them are important generals in the army. In addition to the law, they can also be punished by military discipline. Liu Xie used this to convict the two of them, and all the officials in the court were blameless for this. It's just because of the crime, the crime can be big or small. If the person is punished with demonic words, he can be beheaded on the spot. If he is punished with grudges, he will only be demoted a few levels. Now Wei Yan is being treated lightly, but what will happen to Ma Dai who is imprisoned?
As the initiator, the emperor's attitude towards this matter was ambiguous. Instead of coming to a conclusion on his own, he waited until he returned to Luoyang from Chang'an to bring the matter to the court, making all of Ma Dai's remarks known to the public and asking all officials to discuss his crime. When everyone first heard Ma Dai's words, almost all of them changed their expressions. They couldn't help but secretly curse Ma Dai for being a fool for daring to contradict the emperor like this. But when I heard what happened next, I couldn't help but be moved by it. Thinking of the new emperor's vigorous and resolute methods of eliminating the old and establishing the new, I felt very sad in my heart.
First of all, Zhuge Liang, the captain of the Sili School, came out to express his position. He said in public: "Ma Dai relies on his talent and is arrogant, which is harmful to the country. It is a big mistake. However, considering his actions before and after, he has not lost any integrity, and he has indeed cooperated with him in the past. It is a meritorious service to the country. If your Majesty had ordered Ma Dai to fight twenty battles this time, and then sent him to Yunbei to guard the border, and made him suffer some hardships, he would naturally remember the lesson, and there would be no need to mobilize troops like this."
Zhuge Liang, as a talented person appointed by the late emperor to serve as the king's assistant, Jingchu Wolong, naturally had great weight in his speech. But at this time, he supported reducing the big matter to a trivial matter, which was obviously not in line with the emperor's holy will. Therefore, although the ministers agreed in their hearts, they did not dare to speak out, but continued to wait and see the development of the court situation.
Sure enough, as soon as Zhuge Liang finished speaking, someone stood up and said: "What Mr. Zhuge said is a big mistake. It is naturally not a big deal to rely on one's talents and be negative, but to contradict the emperor's father and interfere in the government's affairs, how can it be regarded as a small matter?" Everyone looked at it. Among them, it turned out to be Chen Lin, a surrender minister of the Eastern Dynasty. Now he was just a literary rafter in Luoyang, with an official rank of about 600 shi, but he dared to contradict the captain of Sili in public. It was really weird. But all the officials knew clearly that this must be the emperor's instruction.
Chen Lin continued: "If we talk about merit, there are more than a hundred people who have made meritorious service to the court? If everyone relies on merit to pay for their crimes and praise their deeds, where will the laws of the country be concerned? Sun Wu trained his troops and put strict law first, so he killed the second concubine of the King of Wu. What's the crime for the second concubine? However, not killing her is not enough to establish the authority of the army and to show the superiors and subordinates. If your majesty is a holy king and a master, you will never start such a dissolute trend."
It should be noted that Zhuge Liang is a master of law and has always been known for his strict laws in the court. Now he was ridiculed by Chen Lin for being lenient, which made people laugh and laugh. However, Zhuge Liang still refused to give in and refuted it in public: "Chen Jun is like this." Using allusions would be unjust. When Sun Wu trained his troops, he had to follow orders and prohibitions, and be united as one, rather than criticize the soldiers. Although Ma Dai complained, he did not disobey orders. How could he be guilty? Moreover, the method of training troops is not exclusive. Those who go up, caress those who come down. Being so inhumane and acting purely according to laws, Mr. Chen is not afraid of repeating the mistakes of the former Qin Dynasty!"
Although Chen Lin was good at writing, she was not good at verbal disputes. She was left speechless by Zhuge Liang for a moment. She was entrusted to the emperor and did not dare to give up easily, so she talked about him left and right, making the situation deadlocked. Seeing that Chen Lin was at a disadvantage, Liu Xie ordered the two to stop arguing and asked the officials for their opinions. Most of the officials were obedient. Although they did not want to disobey the emperor, they did not dare to embarrass Zhuge Liang, so they did not dare to easily Take a stand.
Seeing all the officials walking on thin ice, Liu Xie was extremely bored for a moment. He couldn't help but think to himself that in comparison to this group of people, who only care about their own interests and dare not express gains and losses, Ma Dai is actually a good guy. So he simply turned his head and asked Ma Teng, the hussar general who was watching: "In public opinion, how should I deal with it?"
Ma Tendun was frightened. He turned around quickly and wanted to stand up to salute. However, he couldn't help the anxiety in his heart. Coupled with his old age and frailty, he fell to the ground for a while. He finally got up and raised his hands and said: "My nephew is contradicting Your Majesty." , naturally the crime is unforgivable, but he is just a rough man, not good at words, and not very thoughtful, but in the end he is still loyal to your majesty, I would like to ask your majesty to give you a lighter sentence." At the end, Ma Teng's words actually became vague. Crying tone.
Liu Xie didn't want to cause such embarrassment, so he quickly went down the steps to help Ma Teng. Ma Teng lamented again: "Your Majesty, he is the only heir of my third brother. If he dies, I am afraid that my third brother will be extinct. How can I see him in a hundred years' time? Your Majesty must agree to forgive me!" "
Liu Xie had no choice but to respond: "General Hussars, hurry up and sit down. I will definitely think twice."
He pulled Ma Teng up hard and asked the palace maid to help him to the side hall to rest, and then returned to the chairman to sit down. After this incident, all the officials in the court whispered to each other, and the hall was buzzing. Liu Xie originally just wanted to use this incident to establish his authority, but he didn't want to do anything to Ma Dai. At worst, he would be like Wei Yan, sent to Yanmen to raise horses. As a result, when Ma Teng cried like this, he was the one being held back. Anything he said would undermine his dignity. Thinking of this, Liu Xie simply ended today's court meeting hastily, citing the turmoil of public opinions and the excuse that he wanted to make a long-term decision and was unable to make a decision.
It was just that several days passed, but Liu Xie couldn't figure out a good way. How could he take care of his own dignity and show his mercy at the same time? He really had no choice, but every time he went to court, he could not help but feel a little ashamed and annoyed when he saw the weird expressions of the courtiers. Finally, he gave up his dignity and privately asked his friend Zhou Buyi for advice.
It was the first time Zhou Buyi saw the emperor in such embarrassment, and he couldn't help but laugh a little. It was already the early summer of the second year of Long'an. He fanned the fan with one hand and drove away mosquitoes with the other, and said slowly: "Your Majesty, if you want to resolve this matter at court, , I’m afraid it’s difficult, and I don’t have any good ideas, so why not let Ma Dai go directly for General Ma’s sake, which will also show the emperor’s great kindness.”
"No." Liu Xie angrily slapped the table and said: "If we let it go this time, these old thieves will definitely become wildly successful. From now on, they will judge me every day based on seniority. How can I govern? One step is not as good as one step forward. I must tell them not to do it." Dare to cause trouble!"
"Let's talk about it later! The current matter is urgent right now. There is really no way inside the court, but your Majesty, don't forget that there is help outside the court!" Zhou Buji persuaded Liu Xie.
Liu Xie came to his senses and suddenly asked: "You mean my uncle? I asked him to be the peacemaker, wasn't it just me showing my cowardice?"
Zhou Buyi smiled and waved his hand and said, "Hey, the Prime Minister's ability is not what Your Majesty expected? But if you write a letter with him, he will definitely arrange everything for Your Majesty!"
Liu Xie had no other choice but to follow Zhou Buyi's instructions and write a letter in his own name and ask him to deliver it to Chen Chong. Early the next morning, he came back to Liu Xie and said, "The prime minister has agreed. My emperor just needs to wait for a month and the arrangements will be made."
In fact, we can't wait until January, probably after the 20th, which is mid-May of the second year of Long'an. Han Ji, the prefect of Hanzhong, suddenly came to the table and said that just last month, a white deer appeared in the Longting area of Nanzheng. It lingered on a mountain top for a long time. After the officials got the news and approached, it left leisurely and settled down. There, a farmer picked up a stone and a tree root in the shape of a flying dragon. There was a piece of blue jade underneath, and the word "成" was engraved on the surface of the jade. Han Ji thought that this was an auspicious sign from heaven, which meant good luck, so the jade was already on its way to Beijing. He himself first reported his congratulations to the court.
As soon as Liu Xie received the report, he knew that this was Chen Chong's "arrangement", so he followed the trend and accepted the congratulatory form in public. Then he turned to Zhou Buji and pretended to ask: "Wen Zhi, heaven has sent auspiciousness, how should I express it?"
Zhou Buyi said: "The White Deer is the most auspicious thing in the world. The king's clear benefits will come to those below. It can be seen that your majesty acts benevolently and wisely, and heaven also feels it. Your majesty can grant a general pardon to the world, pardon those who have died without guilt, and share the land of the common people." Half of the rent will be given to the filial piety and the land."
Liu Xie nodded slowly and said, "Since it is God's will, let's do it like this!" Then he ordered Wei Xi to draft an edict and notify the east and west states and counties about the matter. When the people in various counties heard about the tax reduction and rent exemption, they were all excited and encouraged, and they all praised the emperor's virtues. There was a joyous scene all over the country. Seeing the lively atmosphere, the imperial court simply lifted the curfew for a few days, allowing the people to enjoy themselves in the night market.
At the same moment, Ma Dai was also released back home. Although he was imprisoned with great fanfare, it seems now that he was actually just stripped of his third-level title. He was quickly activated and transferred to Ningzhou to appease the barbarians. The matter was officially settled.
After autumn came, there was another new change in Shu, but this time it was military. After resisting for four years in a corner of Jiangzhou, King Liu Fan of Shu finally ran out of gas and died of illness in Jiangzhou. The remaining forces had no intention of resisting. After discussion, Huang Quan, the minister of the royal palace, took the decision and led the crowd to the west palace to supervise the army. Hui surrendered. Li Hui had already decided to accept it and sent a victory document to Luoyang.
This was Liu Xie's first expansion of territory after he ascended the throne. Although it was only one county, he was still very happy after hearing about it. In addition, there was no fighting with the northern and southern captives this year, and the weather was smooth. It was considered a very rare year of peace. So during the Mid-Autumn Festival, after Huang Quan and others entered the capital, he held a rare banquet in the palace. All the officials and family members of the capital came to the Deyang Palace for a gathering. There was no distinction between southerners, northerners, and veterans. Xinchen, everyone sits around the table, drinks as much as they want, and enjoys the rare harvest and tranquility. And, of course, there is hope for next year.
Liu Xie himself was one of the few at the banquet who did not drink alcohol because of his agreement with Chen Chong. He drank tea and wine, and while chatting with Huang Quan and others, he was still thinking about his plans for the coming year. No matter how many episodes occurred in the middle, and the methods were urgent or slow, at least for now, he has initially established his prestige, but how will he achieve his great cause next? After the First World War in Hebei, he realized that perhaps the great undertaking of Hun Yiyu Nei was not as easy as he first imagined.
