Luoyang has been rainy recently, and at midnight, a touch of fish belly white appeared in the eastern sky. The lights in Daxing Hall were brilliant, and hundreds of palace lanterns illuminated the entire hall as if it were daytime. Daxing Hall is the second largest hall of the Luoyang Palace. Countless large nanmu columns that can be embraced by many people stand on top of the hall, together supporting a magnificent hall that can accommodate ten thousand people.
The grand scale, majestic momentum, and gorgeous decorations are far inferior to the Daxing Hall, the first hall of the Daxing Palace.
From north to south, the palace is divided into five staircase-like platforms. At the top is the emperor's throne, which looks down at the thousands of subjects below. It is so majestic that no one dares to look directly at it.
His Majesty Dan, with his dragons and phoenixes painted with dragons and phoenixes, is the platform exclusively for the prince; next is the platform exclusively for the royal family, and the platform exclusively for high-ranking officials of the fifth rank; and finally is the platform exclusively for officials since the fifth rank. This platform is also the widest one, reaching directly to Daye Gate due south.
This division not only represents the strict hierarchy, but also motivates the lowest-level officials, as if telling them at all times: As long as you have the ability and merit, you can move up to the next level.
However, although rules are dead, people are alive. In order to make it easier for officials to perform and listen to politics, the imperial court authorized low-level officials to stand behind their respective ministers, ministers, ministers, eunuchs, commanders, junior eunuchs, generals, and generals; Local officials also have this power. The governor and chief historian are assigned to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Tongshou is assigned to the Ministry of Punishment, and the Sima is assigned to the Ministry of War. The difference is that they do not have seats on the senior official ladder and can only stand behind the seats of the chiefs of the headquarters and divisions. If you have nothing to do, you can also sit obediently in your seat and listen.
At the right time, nearly a thousand princes, ministers, civil and military officials lined up on the left and right, taking their seats according to their rank. The chief officials of various ministries located in front of the high-level platform were always the speakers at court meetings.
There are also nearly a thousand officials from local areas. Among them, there are officials from Henan Prefecture, officials who report to the court and officials stationed in Beijing from various places. They sit on the lowest floor according to their grades. They are also people who have the right to speak, but what they talk about is usually related to their own affairs. For example, when the DPRK talks about disasters, construction, officialdom and other issues in a certain place, officials from that place who happen to be in DPRK can speak at an appropriate time.
In addition, there are thousands of non-service officials such as honorary officers, casual officers, and nobility officials. These officials belong to a group of people who work hard. They have always been observers. If their own interests are not involved, they rarely express their opinions.
The imperial court will inevitably affect the efficiency of the office. It will set the agenda for the next morning's morning meeting on the first day so that everyone can have psychological preparation and coping strategies. By the next morning's morning meeting, it can be dealt with three times, five times, five times and two times. This will ensure that ministers will not delay government affairs because of the court meeting. But today is a ceremonial Shuo Dynasty, so there were no issues issued yesterday and nothing important today. Everyone thought it would be over in half an hour at most, which also made the atmosphere in the palace very relaxed.
Since Emperor Yang Guang had not arrived yet, the ministers were all talking in low voices, and many voices converged into one place, making the hall buzz.
"Dang, Dang, Dang!" After a quarter of the time, the chamberlain immediately rang the bell in the palace to indicate that the emperor was coming and asked everyone to keep quiet. The bells stopped ringing, and then there was a burst of ritual music, and General Zhige shouted, "The saint has arrived!"
There was a sudden silence in the hall, and the officials stood up solemnly to greet him. In the side passages on both sides of the hall, two teams of guards with swords appeared on each side. They are not just a guard of honor, but the imperial guards responsible for taking care of people. Each one of them is the best among the best.
Without squinting, they extended straight towards the door. Two people stood every five steps, one at the front and one at the front. After taking their positions, they stood like spears between the wall and the large column.
Standing tall and motionless, the momentum is stern.
Immediately afterwards, hundreds of guards holding various ceremonial guards rushed out at the right time. Suddenly, yellow flags were fluttering, flags and streamers stood in rows, pumpkins and halberds were displayed, and they looked majestic. Followed by twenty-four chamberlains carrying golden plates, eight palace ladies holding long-handled feather fans, and finally a eunuch carrying a yellow umbrella, surrounded by the emperor's imperial robes and twelve swan crowns, the Sui Emperor appeared. .
Yang Guang walked to the dragon bed and then faced the ministers. Thousands of officials bowed and saluted, "Meet the saint!"
Yang Guang slowly sat down on the dragon couch, then slowly raised his hand and said: "Everyone, please get down."
The palace was designed very cleverly. Even though Yang Guang's voice was not loud, the echo was loud, so that his voice could easily reach the gate, ensuring that everyone could hear it.
"Thank you, saint." All the ministers stood up straight and took their seats with the sound of "dang".
The whole process is full of ritual; it is not an exaggeration to say that each process can be completed within seconds. At the same time, it is also the civilization, culture, and etiquette that foreigners throughout the ages have longed for but cannot learn!
"The First Clan"
Not to mention, Qimin Khan was envious and admired him very much. He even asked Yang Jian to allow him to bring this to the Turks. Yang Jian, like Yang Guang, both took it as their own duty to restore and promote Han civilization, not only He readily agreed to Qimin Khan's request and sent Gong Yan etiquette master to teach him. However, the living habits of the Turks were completely different from those of the people of the Sui Dynasty. No matter how hard Gong Yan's etiquette master taught them, they could not teach them.
Qimin Khan reluctantly put on this kind of battle, but it was neither fish nor fowl, and he ended up imitating others and making people laugh. However, he himself enjoyed it and enjoyed this supreme feeling.
As the ministers took their seats, the court meeting officially began.
Just like the usual Wangshuo court gatherings, before the curtain opens, the Ministry of Rites should present a congratulatory form, which should be recited on behalf of the people all over the world as a congratulation.
The content of the congratulatory form is similar to that of Han Dynasty Fu, which pays attention to parallel four and six figures, gorgeous rhetoric, and pursues the beauty of the situation. Cui Zhongfang, the Minister of Rites, is an outstanding figure of the Boling Cui family. He has beautiful diction and great talent. Naturally, this little thing will not trouble him.
Cui Zhongfang was good at reading, had literary and military talents, and passed the Ming Dynasty. Although he was in his sixties, he had an upright figure and an extraordinary bearing. He stood in the middle of the hall holding a congratulatory watch, reciting in a melody and with ups and downs of emotion.
When he began to promote paper books and movable type printing, he initiated the "Book Banning Order" with Taixue Doctor Zheng Shanyuan and Taixue Doctor Wang Long. Just when the three of them were in a stalemate with Yang Ji, Yang Su, Niu Hong and others, Zhang Jin came to help. Zhang Jin uttered wild words, saying, "Recently, there have been frequent reports from various states and counties of small groups of bandits gathering to cause chaos." This sentence completely angered Yang Jian, and in a rage, he dismissed the four people from official positions.
When Yang Liang rebelled, Yang Guang considered that most of the officials in Hebei were descendants of Shandong gentry, so he appointed Cui Zhongfang. Cui Zhongfang had made meritorious service in the battle and was restored to the position of minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs; then, Yang Guang bloodyly purged the Northern Qi Dynasty. The officialdom of the old land caused frequent riots in many places, so Cui Zhongfang was promoted to Minister of Rites.
Therefore, Er Cui united many noble families to come forward to appease the place and stabilized the old territory of Northern Qi. Yang Guang reciprocated the favor and allowed Cui Zhongfang to become the Prime Minister of the Council, which finally eased the relationship between his court and the noble families of Shandong and Qi's powerful people.
As Cui Zhongfang's clear voice sounded, a splendid hymn without any content sounded like the sound of broken jade in the Daye Hall.
At the end of the chapter, Cui Zhongfang bowed and said, "I congratulate the saint."
A smile appeared on Yang Guang's face, he raised his hand and said: "Cui Shangshu is dead."
However, Cui Zhongfang did not return to work as usual. Instead, he had plastic surgery to reduce his appearance, bowed his hands to Yang Guang again, and said loudly: "I, Cui Zhongfang, am ignorant of the death of the saint."
When the officials in the palace heard this, their expressions suddenly changed.
No business was discussed in Wangshuo's court. If there were no major emergencies, after the congratulations were over, the emperor would symbolically reward the virtuous elders and chaste women, and then the court would end.
But now, Cui Zhongfang actually wants to die without permission? Is he going to violate Yan Zhijian?
Compared with the civil officials with different expressions, the generals who were sleepy after hearing the congratulations suddenly perked up and looked at Cui Zhongfang with interest.
Facing the surprised and uncertain gazes, Cui Zhongfang turned a blind eye and said in a deep voice: "A great country can only be governed by strict laws, only by cultivating morals can it flourish, only by respecting the king can it be strong, and only by being wise can its ministers be wise. Today's saints are all over the world and work hard to govern, which can be said to be unparalleled throughout the ages. I met the Holy King. However, there are people who are greedy for personal gain and forget the great righteousness. They care about the small family at the expense of everyone. They ignore the king's law and treat the laws and orders as if they are nothing. They can be said to be the treacherous sycophants of the country!"
Even though Cui Zhongfang is as thin as a bamboo pole, he is full of energy and powerful at this moment. The sound echoes in the hall, which makes him look "majestic and tall".
Yang Ji secretly admired Cui Zhongfang after hearing this. Of course, Cui Zhongfang's literary talents are not worthy of mention, but if you impeach the Yang family's children, that's all. But "being greedy for personal gain and forgetting the great righteousness, caring about the small family at the expense of everyone" is beside the point.
On the imperial couch, Yang Guang understood. He straightened his expression and asked in a deep voice: "Cui Shangshu, who do you want to impeach?"
Cui Zhongfang raised his chest and raised his head, and said word by word: "I impeach King Yang Ji of Wei!"
Yang Ji was extremely surprised. He originally thought that Cui Zhongfang was the sitter of the Yang family, but he unexpectedly pointed the finger at himself. This was something he had never expected, but he did not have any overreaction and just stared at Cui Zhongfang.
Let's see what evidence he can come up with! If you just talk in general terms and accuse yourself of "unfounded" crimes, it's not too late to fight back.
Yang Guang's face darkened and he looked at Cui Zhongfang aggressively. Cui Zhongfang issued such admonishment when he congratulated Xianbiao, and it was Yang Ji who was impeached. Did he think he was stupid, or did he have ulterior motives?
The ministers were in an uproar, and the entire hall suddenly exploded like a drop of water dripping into a frying pan!
Not long ago, Yang Ji destroyed the Khitan, cleverly captured Sumo Mohe, forced the Xi tribe to surrender, and also used Sumo Mohe to eliminate more than 100,000 Goguryeo elite soldiers, opening up a good situation for the Sui Dynasty to march into Liaodong.
What if such a person and such a meritorious official is a coward and a treacherous traitor to the country? How can there be such a thing as "loyalty" in the world?
Su Wei, Gao Jun, Yang Xiong, Xiao Cong, Pei Ju who had returned from negotiations and others had close relations with Yang Ji, but at this moment their expressions were solemn, and they all felt a bad feeling in their hearts.
They have worked with Cui Zhongfang for decades and know that this person does not fight uncertain battles; the reason why he lost to Yang Ji that year was entirely due to the help of Zhang Jin, a pig teammate, and had nothing to do with Cui Zhongfang. Cui Zhongfang has been silent for so long, but now he suddenly attacks, he must be well prepared.
But at this moment, like Yang Ji, they were caught off guard and couldn't help if they wanted to. They could only wait for Cui Zhongfang to make his move, and then passively resolve them one by one.
Cui Zhongfang's face was firm and his clear voice was resounding: "Sage, for thousands of years, after great chaos, a strong Han is needed. Only in this way can a country have a prosperous national destiny. In the chaos at the end of the Qin Dynasty, the literary and artistic circles of the Han Dynasty stopped fighting, recuperated, and encouraged Farming and mulberry cultivation, water conservancy construction, and the rule of Wen and Jing emerged. Guangwu of the Han Dynasty implemented the national policy of "Yan Wu Xiu Wen", developed production, and promoted Confucianism, laying the foundation for the nearly two hundred years of the Later Han Dynasty. I, the first emperor of the Sui Dynasty, governed internally and externally With virtue, all the foreign tribes surrendered. Let's look at the fact that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty had a huge wealth left by Wenjing, but because of his aggressive military campaign, his treasury was empty and all his youth was lost. Now that the country has been peaceful for more than ten years, King Wei, in order to enhance his personal reputation, Assembling a large number of troops in Liangzhou consumes countless money and food every day. This move is not good for the country and the people!"
As soon as these words came out, the generals booed countless times.
Every time King Wei sent out troops, he supported war with war. He made profits without losing any money in the war. Afterwards, he also grabbed countless wealth, which was then used to improve people's livelihood in Liangzhou, build water conservancy projects, and build straight roads. Who doesn’t know this? Could you be more alarmist?
Moreover, before King Wei took office, Liangzhou was the poorest and most chaotic border state in the Sui Dynasty. Not only did the people not have enough to eat and lack of warmth, they were also constantly threatened by Tuyuhun, Dangxiang, and horse thieves, and they lived a precarious life.
After King Ziwei went to Liangzhou to take office, the court threw millions of disaster victims to him like a burden; but except for the first three years when he needed court funding, he was now self-sufficient. Liangzhou may not be as prosperous as the seven prefectures of Yong, Yu, Yan, Ji, Jing, Yang, and Yi, but it is far more prosperous than the five prefectures of You, Qing, Xu, Liang, and Jiao. Even Bingzhou is not as prosperous. If things go on like this, Sooner or later, you will become a "big taxpayer". In terms of public security and order, it is precisely thanks to the victory over foreigners and the raids on restless thieves in the territory that Liangzhou's public security ranks first in the world.
Liangzhou can have such a situation and beautiful prospects, but is it because King Wei is fighting? Didn’t King Wei plunder the wealth of foreign tribes to supply Liangzhou? You, Cui Zhongfang, are talking nonsense now, but you said that "King Wei, in order to enhance his personal prestige... goes to war to the detriment of the country and the people." Have you asked the people of Liangzhou?
Su Wei couldn't stand it any longer. He looked stern and shouted in a deep voice: "Cui Shangshu, what did you say? Have you asked the people of Liangzhou and Youzhou?"
When Yang Ji heard this, he was as steady as a mountain, sneered and said nothing, and had only one thought deep in his heart: this was a premeditated, organized, and planned political storm against him.
"Sage, Cui Shangshu has the most reasonable words. A saint king should educate all the people with virtue, instead of resorting to military punishment to destroy power. I believe that the so-called 'arms race' carried out by King Wei in Liangzhou is not taken seriously!" The successor was Du Zhengxuan. His ancestor was originally a descendant of the Du family in Guanzhong, and later moved to Yecheng, Xiangzhou. During the Renshou period, he and his younger brothers Du Zhengzang and Du Zhenglun passed the scholar examination together. Niu Hong tested his strategy, and Zhengxuan responded fluently and wrote well. Now he is Secretary Cheng Cheng, ranking from the fifth grade.
At this time, Liu Kui, a doctor in the Ministry of War and the younger brother of Liu Shu, also came out and said: "When the emperor is in court, he promotes benevolence and righteousness and does not want to use weapons. My minister Xue Wei also believes that King Wei's aggressive military actions are undesirable."
"I second the proposal!" Xue Wei came out to serve. Although it was only three words, he was a powerful minister of Dali Temple, and his words were very important.
"I second the proposal!"
"I second the proposal!"
"..."
In an instant, Shandong gentry officials responded one after another, which also represented the attitude of Shandong gentry and showed their presence in the court.
And the spearheads are all pointed at Yang Ji.
Their voices were like thunder, causing an uproar among the officials in the palace.
At this moment, the Guanlong Sect remained silent and watched with cold eyes.
Without him, the Shandong gentry were also the political opponents of the Guanlong faction. For them, this scene was like dog eating dog. No matter who loses, it will be beneficial to them without any harm.
If the situation is not right, they don't mind stepping on the weaker side.
As for the Jiangnan faction, there are also continuous voices of agreement.
There was no trace of smile on Yang Guang's stern face, his eyes wandered around the ministers below, and he asked in a deep voice: "Do you have any other high-level opinions, please share them all." The implication is obvious, if you are still so general, As for talking, just save it.
The ministers below could detect the anger in the emperor's tone, and they were all filled with awe!
In a depressing atmosphere, Cui Zhongfang knew that it was time for him to appear again. He solemnly said: "Sage, I believe that the words of the officials are the voice of the people. It is not appropriate to do martial arts in the Sui Dynasty. Sincerity is loyalty. words."
In fact, they had nothing to do with or care about the life and death of the Sui Dynasty. What they opposed was not militarism at all; what they opposed was the national policy of emphasizing military force over literature, the imperial examination that was opened to the whole country not long ago, and everything else. The New Deal is not conducive to them; and all these policies are closely related to Yang Ji.
At this moment, they firmly grasped the theme of "militancy", and countless officials who came to their senses responded.
In the end, it created a great and brilliant trend that swept the court!
"Oh? Really?" Yang Guang was already impatient and stared at Cui Zhongfang coldly.
He originally thought that after the Shandong gentry and the southern gentry boarded his ship, they would work together with the royal family to kill the powerful Guanlong nobles. Unexpectedly, these people refused to move and attacked his "spokesperson" as soon as they moved.
It’s really a matter of silence and a blockbuster!
