After dealing with the He Ruobi clan, Yang Jian held up another memorial and said with a smile: "There is news from the south that General Liu Fang defeated Li Fozi's forward in Dulong Ridge. Our army continued to move south and approached Li Fozi's camp. Li Fozi frightened me. The Sui army was so powerful that they surrendered without a fight and voluntarily went to Beijing to apologize. In a few days, they will arrive in Beijing with the victorious army. General Liu was afraid that the cunning people would rebel again in the future, so he killed them all. In this battle, General Liu used both kindness and power to make our army The soldiers have always been disciplined and united in the south where poisonous insects are infested and the climate is hot. What do you think about this?"
"What a joy!" Yang Ji, who was still standing in the middle before waiting for others to speak, raised his hands and said: "Sage, my nephew believes that this battle is important in the Sui Dynasty and Yangwei's southern border. Its significance and influence exceed the results. No matter how many General Liu beheaded, , it’s all a great achievement and deserves a heavy reward.”
"..." Yang Ji's self-promotion made the emperors and ministers of the Sui Dynasty dumbfounded. However, when a person likes someone, no matter what the other person does, they will always find him amiable and cute. Yang Jian was no exception. He asked with a smile: "Wang Yiwei, what are you doing?" See, how should I reward General Liu?"
Yang Ji cupped his hands and said: "There are so many princes, county princes and county magistrates in the capital. If you just throw a brick down, you can hit a prince, county prince or county magistrate. And among them, more than 90% of them are They have no ability. They enjoy the honor only because of the merits of their fathers and brothers. For example, He Ruolong, the Duke of Wudu, and He Ruodong, the Duke of Wanrong. They know nothing but corruption, perverting the law, bullying men and dominating women. If it weren't for something wrong in the family It would be difficult for a He Ruobi to even survive. But General Liu is a man of real ability and has made great achievements, so my nephew thinks it is normal to make him a county prince, and it is not too much to make him a prince."
"My son will reconsider." What Yang Ji said was also what Yang Guangzhi was worried about.
The Sui Dynasty was not a new dynasty that was established in response to the current situation. Although it was easy to establish, it also required huge compromises with the Guanlong nobles. The biggest legacy of this compromise was that there were so many redundant officials and redundant personnel who enjoyed tax exemptions and other privileges. And a large number of sons born from these redundant officials will continue to be canonized. It doesn't matter if it is a favor order from the Han Dynasty, but here is a real reward.
Over time, the land in the Sui Dynasty was simply not enough, and the meager taxes were spent on a huge number of redundant officials. In the future, what will the imperial court use to build places, support the army, and provide relief to the victims?
Moreover, the titles, casual titles, and honors that attract good generals and ministers will become worthless. Being an official title is unattractive. Who is willing to work hard and sacrifice his life for a cheap official title? What did the imperial court use to motivate soldiers to resist foreign enemies? What can be used to motivate officials to be diligent and honest?
Since even these wine bags and rice bags are entitled to the title of Duke of the country and the county, why can't Liu Fang, who made great contributions to the Sui Dynasty and became famous outside the region? Isn't it better for him to just go after He Ruolong and He Ruodong who took bribes and perverted the law?
"No!" Xue Zhou, the minister of Dali Temple, came out and said: "Liu Fang can only behead a few thousand people, and his merits are not enough to make him a prince or a prince."
"How can the credit be calculated like this?" Yang Ji said: "My father, in the third year of Kaihuang's reign, defeated Shabolu Khan's personal army in Baidao. However, there were not many beheadings. However, the sage said that the significance of this battle was more than the defeat of the Turkic dragon. Court, why did the sage say this? I think this battle broke the myth of the Turks being invincible, gave everyone in the Sui Dynasty the confidence to defeat the Turks, and gave the entire army the courage to face the Turks. Although our army no longer needs Li Fozi to cheer up Morale, but this battle had the effect of intimidating the chiefs of the Lingnan tribes, laying a solid foundation for the prosperity and stability of Jiaozhou, avoiding the second and third Li Fozi in the future, and also spreading the reputation of our Sui Dynasty to the south. And this is the significance of this battle, so my nephew believes that it is normal to make a county prince, and the prince is not too much."
Yang Ji's analysis was well-founded, clear and thorough, and even made some people nod in conviction.
Yang Jian looked at Yang Ji who looked exactly like Yao Di and was talking eloquently, feeling sad and happy at the same time. When he was about to speak, he heard Xue Zhou say coldly: "King Wei speaks for General Liu Fang like this, I'm afraid that Are you selfish?"
Yang Ji frowned and said, "I don't even know who Liu Fang is. I'm just discussing things. What selfish motives can I have?"
"Liu Fang made great achievements in the battle at Baidao. He was promoted by King Wei Zhao. Could it be that King Wei didn't know about it?" Now that he had a chance, he jumped out and applied eye drops to Yang Ji.
Only then did Yang Ji realize that Liu Fang was actually a general of King Wei's faction. If he worked hard to seek credit for him, he would probably get nothing from him. He had no choice but to say: "It doesn't matter who recommends or promotes a general or minister. What matters is that as long as the recommended person does not rebel, then he is a good minister of the Sui general. If this person has made meritorious service, but the recommender has been reprimanded, he will not be rewarded in the future. Dare the court recommend good talents?"
He glanced at Xue Zhou, cupped his hands and said: "You, a dignified minister of Dali Temple, don't even understand this most basic principle. If it were a troubled time where crime was everywhere, even if he was not dismissed for incompetence and talent, he would probably be burdened by countless cases. If you die, how can you stand in the court and speak nonsense? So you are lucky to be the minister of Dali Temple in the Sui Dynasty. I hope that when you handle the cases related to the He Ruo family, you can enforce the law impartially and bring all criminals to justice. If the victims of the crime express their dissatisfaction in the future, it will be because you, Mr. Xue Siqing, enforce the law unfairly and laxly, do not handle the matter well, and do not match your moral integrity."
"If King Wei doesn't bother, I will enforce the law impartially!" Xue Zhou glanced at the smiling Yang Guang and complained in his heart. Although their law enforcers have a transcendent status, they are also vulnerable to unfair and lax enforcement, exclusion of dissidents, and favoritism for relatives and friends. If Yang Guang and Yang Ji concoct "dozens of people who are dissatisfied with the outcome of the trial" in He Ruoshi's case, the black hat may not be stable.
He obviously still has such a big trouble, but he went to provoke Yang Ji. Isn't this just asking for trouble?
It's okay now.
"It's best to do this. Otherwise, I will have to argue with Xue Siqing." Seeing that Xue Zhou was hiding, Yang Ji returned to his seat and sat down.
What surprised him a little was that Yang Jian was not angry when Xue Zhou openly talked about factions, and everyone was used to it. It seemed that the differences between factions in the officialdom of the Sui Dynasty had become clear, and the factional disputes were very fierce, let alone something shady. secret. And whether Yang Ji recognizes him or not, all the civil and military officials will automatically classify him as a faction. It seems that he has to carry the banner of the King Wei faction.
When Yang Jian saw that the farce was over, he said to the ministers: "Our soldiers are generally suffering from diarrhea, edema and other diseases in the south. If General Liu Fang had not cleverly solved the poison of the miasma and relieved the illnesses of the whole army, I am afraid that our soldiers would have died during the march. If the whole army is wiped out, how can there be a final victory? Just because there are countless living people, the reward should be heavy. I have decided to make General Liu Fang the Duke of Lu, and also give a reward of 10,000 taels, and 10,000 pieces of silk cloth, damask, and silk. .”
…
The court meeting was gradually coming to an end. Yang Jian said slowly: "My lords, I have one more thing to discuss with you." He looked around the hall and said sadly: "It has been several months since the Queen passed away, but the progress of the Zen Temple is slow. , I am considering increasing manpower to improve the construction progress, what do you think?"
"Wei Chen completely agrees with the sage's proposal." Yang Su stepped out of the imperial court and said with cupped hands: "Queen Wenwen made great contributions to the Sui Dynasty's unification of the world, the control of the Turks in the north, and the prosperity of the country. Even if she drained the national treasury, she would have to In memory of my empress Sui Xian."
"Sage, I object!" As soon as Yang Su finished speaking, Xue Daoheng, the Minister of Internal Affairs, walked out of the courtroom and said sternly: "When Queen Wenwen was alive, she was diligent and thrifty, set an example and was strict with herself. She can be regarded as a model of maternal etiquette in the world. I think that not only Instead of increasing manpower, we should ban the Zen Temple to prevent the Queen’s reputation from being damaged.”
Xue Daoheng was not only a native of Xue, Hedong, but also the most famous poet and scholar in the contemporary era, with an unparalleled reputation among scholars. Xue Daoheng has a profound literary background, but he is quite rigid and upright. He is the kind of person who "doesn't look back until he hits the wall". As long as he is looking for something, he will hit it without hesitation even if the wall in front of him is full. Even if he hits his head and bleeds, he will not look back.
Some people may think he is stupid, but the literati of the Sui Dynasty don't think so. Everyone calls this behavior the character of character, which is the highest quality possessed by a true celebrity.
Attracted by this quality and talent, outstanding people such as Yang Guang, Gao Jiong, Yang Su, and Niu Hong all respected him, and hundreds of civil and military officials, celebrities from all over the world, and royal family members all rushed to make friends with him.
Yang Su and Xue Daoheng were close friends. The more than ten poems he wrote to Xue Daoheng are masterpieces of the world. At this time, when Yang Su heard his old friend's objection, Yang Su's face froze, revealing a look of helplessness.
The person who first proposed the huge project of Zending Temple was actually Yang Guang. In addition to commemorating his late mother, he also wanted to make good friends with Buddhism. After Yang Jian confirmed the project, opponents pointed their fingers at Yang Guang. Some of them were serious. Oppose waste, but more people oppose it for the sake of opposition. The situation has evolved so far, and Zending Temple has already had the political purpose of identifying the factions.
However, his old friend, who was a well-educated but politically unclear man, obviously did not realize the meaning. What made Yang Su even more troublesome was that Xue Daoheng used the life of Queen Dugu to advise him, making it impossible for people to decipher or object.
After what he said, if he continued to build the Zen Temple, it would be a stain on the queen's good name; if he did not build it, it would not only ruin the saint's interest in remembering and commemorating his deceased wife, but also ruin Yang Guang's purpose of distinguishing between enemies and friends.
"Sage, I am also opposed to the construction of the Zen Temple." As Yang Su expected, when Xue Daoheng opened his mouth, Shangshu Zuo Cheng Yuanshou followed Xue Daoheng's intention and said: "Large construction projects cost countless financial and people. The sage also said that the Great Sui Dynasty When building a new building, frugality should be the top priority. These words are still there, and I think that we, the kings and ministers, should not forget them even for a moment."
Zhang Jin, the right guard general, also came out and said: "A saint, you cannot break your promise to the people!"
"Sage, I also oppose the construction of the Zen Temple, so as not to tarnish the reputation of the Queen of Documents."
"Sage, I firmly oppose the construction of the temple. If the saint insists, I will remonstrate with my death!"
The opposition in the hall was fierce, and Yang Jian, Yang Guang, and Yang Su were so determined that they were unexpected. And the reason is that the emperor cannot go back on his promise and cannot tarnish the name of the empress. Everyone is thinking about the emperor and empress, and everyone is a loyal minister.
Yang Guang never expected that things would turn out like this. His face changed color several times. Seeing his father's hesitation, he felt extremely anxious.
In order to fulfill his father's desire to commemorate his mother and empress, and to fulfill his gratitude for his mother's kindness, he recently ordered hundreds of eminent monks and their disciples from all over the world to go to Beijing and settle in the Zen Temple in the name of the Crown Prince. If this temple cannot be built, , I am a disloyal Buddhist in the world.
If Buddhist believers all over the world knew that they had "deceived" hundreds of eminent monks, they would have to launch a riot. If the situation evolves to that point, I will not be able to absolve myself of the blame. If the opposition forces take the opportunity to cause trouble, they may step down as a result.
The anxious Yang Guang looked at Yang Su, Su Wei, and Yu Wenshu, and found that all of them were speechless. He also knew that if everyone continued to argue, they would be immediately attacked by the former prince's faction for "tarnishing the honor of the emperor and empress", and might be angered by his father. If they did not argue, they would lose themselves, and it would be difficult for them to be caught in the middle.
