Yang Guang has a lot of government affairs to deal with every day, which makes him busy and hard every day. Sometimes he wants to stop for a while like Empress Chen to enjoy life and do what he likes, but when he Thinking that people all over the world say that he is a wise and benevolent king who loves his people like his own son, he suddenly felt that if he took a day off, countless people would suffer and be tired, and he would also be despised by these people. So I got busy again with full energy.
At noon the next day, Yang Guang and Yang Ji had just finished lunch, and he hurried back to the front hall of Renshou Hall to handle government affairs as usual.
At this time, Yang Guang was listening to Su Wei's report, and Yang Ji was also listening.
Su Wei was the son-in-law of Yu Wenhu, but he successfully avoided the liquidation of Yu Wenyong and Yu Wenyun, and later became one of the founding fathers of the Sui Dynasty, which shows his political wisdom. However, in the period of Queen Kai, she completely turned into a person who had no limits in seeking benefits for the Su family, which caused Yang Jian to be dismissed many times and Yang Guang to be dissatisfied. However, once he takes things seriously, his extraordinary intelligence and rich experience immediately turn him into a top capable minister.
After Su Wei was severely punished by Yang Guang last year, he finally became honest and did not dare to rely on his elders and suppress his younger generations like before. When he presided over the major case of the Li family in Longxi, he enforced the law impartially and served the public health wholeheartedly. What's rare is that he can easily crack complex cases with his rich experience, thus saving the court a lot of time.
"Sage, the cases related to the Li family in Longxi are basically over now; those who deserved their crimes have been arrested one after another and received the punishment they deserve." Su Wei glanced at Yang Guang and saw a good expression on his face. , continued: "Due to the huge impact of this case and the national attention, I have severely punished all the criminals. From the current point of view, the effect of adhering to 'killing chickens to scare monkeys' has been achieved."
"Well done!" Yang Guang was very satisfied after hearing this. He also understood that the imperial court was the darkest and filthiest place in the Sui Dynasty, where people killed people without using knives. Although he and Yang Jitian shouted anti-corruption and anti-corruption, they I work with the most corrupt and greedy people in the world every day. If everyone has to be whipped as hard as he did to Su Wei, then he won't mind dealing with them one by one in the future.
Looking at the respectful Su Wei, he added: "This case has attracted nationwide attention. Even if some generals who are related to the Li family in Longxi do not have any criminal records, they are still in fear all day long for fear of being implicated. In the long run, the country will be in trouble. It is not a good thing for the people. In my opinion, the case should be settled as soon as possible to avoid panic. As the person presiding over the trial, Mr. Su, do you have any suggestions?"
After hearing this, Su Wei felt relieved. He bowed to Yang Guang and said seriously: "The saint is concerned about the country and the people, and I admire him. For now, the case can indeed be closed, but When I was handling the case, I got a lot of evidence and confessions related to the Guanlong family. I didn't know what to do for a while, so I hoped that the saint would make a decision."
Yang Guang was stunned for a moment, and seemed to understand something in his heart: This Su Wei was really cunning and cunning, and he was able to seize the opportunity at this critical moment. However, this was also the fundamental reason why he retained Su Wei's position last year. Seeing that he was determined to deal with the Guanlong nobles, he made a very clear statement: "My principle is that guilty parties must be held accountable. However, listening to Su Gong's words, these confessions and There must be quite a few aristocratic families involved in the criminal evidence, right?"
"That's right!" Su Wei nodded and said solemnly: "Basically every aristocratic family is involved."
Yang Guang pondered for a long time and said meaningfully: "I'm afraid it's a bit difficult for Mr. Su alone, right?"
Su Wei understood that Yang Guang was hinting that he could boldly let go of his hands and feet, and he had confidence in his heart. He smiled slightly and said: "The old minister and Li Tong are nobles, and he can be persuaded to contribute together. It's just that he, the prime minister, represents the nobles of Shandong. He seems to be very anxious recently, and I am afraid that he has more than enough energy."
As soon as he heard what Su Wei said, Yang Guang knew that he had been in contact with Li Ziquan. Li Ziquan's condition was to let Yang Lun, Xiao Yu, Xue Shixiong and others be lenient to the Shandong gentry. However, Su Wei did not know clearly at this time. He was about to say it, but he had already interceded on his behalf. At the same time, he also said that leading the Shandong nobles to fight against the Guanlong nobles was the top priority. At the moment, the Shandong nobles should be given some sweetness.
Let’s talk about what happens next.
Thinking of this, Yang Guang said to Su Wei in a deep voice: "Su Gong talked to Li Xiang and asked him to help the court handle this matter with confidence."
"Old minister, I obey!" After receiving Yang Guang's promise, Su Wei breathed a sigh of relief, discussed the specific details with Yang Guang, and then retreated.
Yang Guang had his priorities in mind, and he immediately ordered the attendants on standby: "Send a message to Jizhou and Youzhou to tell them to stop."
The anti-corruption actions in Jizhou and Youzhou were indeed a ploy by him and Yang Ji. First, they used the momentum of victory and public opinion to clean up the situation; secondly, the position of the Shandong nobles has always been uncertain between the imperial court and the Guanlong nobles. Unpredictable, he wanted to force them to become clear through the general trend and make a choice between the Shandong nobles in the court and the Guanlong nobles.
"Now it seems that the purpose and effect have been achieved. I plan to leave it alone for the time being. Next, let's take a look at the performance of the Shandong nobles. What do you think?" Yang Guang said to Yang Ji next to him.
"A wise choice!" Yang Ji didn't even bother to raise his eyelids and commented straightforwardly: "Due to historical reasons, the Shandong gentry, as the loser, was extremely hostile to the Sui Dynasty and the Guanlong nobles. They were unwilling to fail, so since the Renshou period, They have repeatedly made trouble in Bingzhou, Youzhou, Jizhou, and Qingzhou. Now that they see the peace and prosperity of the Sui Dynasty, they finally want to make a difference. The funny thing is that they are so arrogant that they are still putting on airs, thinking that their brother can't do anything without them. Similar."
"Haha, human nature is understandable." Yang Guang also despised the practices of the Shandong nobles. However, facing a guy who was more contemptuous and radical than himself, he tried his best to maintain a calm demeanor and show his foresight.
"That's true, but the Shandong nobles are not a good thing and must be guarded against." Yang Ji acted with an 'angry' look on his face.
"Of course." Yang Guang chuckled and said: "If they continue to want benefits but don't want to offend others like they are now, we will choose the southern gentry and the Hedong gentry as the sharp blades pointing at the Guanlong nobles. As for the Shandong gentry, we will Let it continue to weaken."
"Just wipe them out." Yang Ji glanced at Yang Guang and saw his smile froze on his face, and then said: "I am idle anyway, why not let me go to Jizhou: I will definitely be able to make Fan Yang The Lu family, the Boling Cui family, the Qinghe Cui family, and the Zhaojun Li family have become history like the Longxi Li family."
"We'll discuss it later, we'll discuss it later! Let's be steady first and come one by one. We must not rush for quick success." Yang Ji's bold and aggressive attitude scared even Yang Guang. He knew that if Yang Ji went Jizhou will definitely be able to pull out a lot. It's not that Yang Ji likes to cause trouble, but that the family has a great cause and a lot of sins. As long as you find one point, one sinner, you can follow the clues and pull out more sinners, so it is not difficult to annihilate them all. things.
Yang Ji didn't turn a blind eye like others. If he met a criminal, he would definitely investigate and kill him, leaving a mess behind, but he ran away.
Yang Guangsheng was afraid that Yang Ji would continue to entangle him, so he quickly changed the topic: "For now, the anti-Sui forces in the south are the top priority, and they are also the ones that need to be solved urgently. What does Feng Ang say? Does he have any Who is the right person?"
This is what Yang Guang told Yang Ji more than two months ago. However, the Li family case in Longxi suddenly broke out, and Yang Ji was ordered to enter the border to break the situation. As a result, the plan to use the Feng family as internal agents was delayed. However, Yang Ji did not ignore the matter. He had discussed it with Feng An before entering the customs. Feng An also made a special trip to visit yesterday and said that he had a candidate. When Yang Guangke asked, he immediately said: "Yes, he is the candidate." His elder brother Feng Xuan."
Yang Guang was also drawn into this matter. He frowned and said, "When I was the general manager of Yangzhou, I heard that Feng Xuan had a falling out with Feng Ang because of his position as the head of the family. Can this person be trusted?"
"I also asked Feng An. He said that when the Feng family was controlled by the Chen Dynasty, in order to inherit the family and deal with the Chen Dynasty, they passed the title of family head to their second son Feng An, while the eldest son Feng Xuan was... The purpose is to let Feng Xuan play the role of someone unwilling to lose power, so that Chen Chao will think that he has a sharp blade to deal with the Feng family." Yang Ji glanced at Yang Guang and continued: "Although he did not reveal more information, but I heard what he meant: they have a very good relationship as brothers, but they are just playing different roles; one seems to be good and one is bad, one is righteous and the other is evil, but in fact they are all working for the inheritance of the Feng family."
This has been the way for the aristocratic family to survive from ancient times to the present, and it was also a knife that was deliberately handed to the emperors of all dynasties to make the emperors feel at ease with them. Therefore, Yang Guang was not surprised and asked: "In other words, the Feng family Is this still the case now?”
Yang Ji nodded: "I think so!"
"According to what you said, Feng Xuan is indeed a very good candidate, but the forces in the south are extremely cautious, and it is impossible not to know the true intentions of the Feng brothers, one good and one evil." Yang Guang pondered for a while, and said: "What if I If Feng Xuan is asked to hold an important position in Yangzhou, do you think the other party will trust Feng Xuan?"
"The Feng family is the leading hegemon in Jiaozhou. This existence alone is worth the risk for that force." Yang Ji said: "And Lai Hu'er has become the focus of their analysis. Feng Xuan was overshadowed by Lai Hu'er's brilliance. Naturally, it doesn’t look so dazzling and alarming anymore.”
"It makes sense!" Yang Guang thought for a long time and asked Yang Ji: "Vajra slave, do you think it is better for Feng Xuan to serve in the Yangzhou Prefectural Mufu, or is it suitable to go elsewhere?"
"Brother also said that that force is very cautious, so the Yangzhou Prefectural Mufu and Jiangdu County where Brother Cai Wang is sitting are not suitable." Yang Ji came well-prepared, and after denying Jiangdu County, he expressed his thoughts: "In order to dispel For the doubts of that force, in order to facilitate the contact between Feng Xuan and King Cai, it is not good to be too far away. So Zhongli, Liyang, Danyang, and Lujiang nearby are all good."
Yang Guang had some concerns and asked again: "Where does Feng Xuan work now?"
"No official, no position." Yang Ji said with a smile: "It is said that he lived in the south all day long, talking nonsense, creating an image of being unappreciated and depressed. Occasionally, he would curse his mother for being unfair and Feng Ang for being treacherous."
Yang Guang frowned and said, "Mrs.
Yang Ji looked at Yang Guang and said speechlessly: "You are an aloof and indifferent emperor. How do you know the difficulties of ordinary people? In order to survive, we ordinary people have to do things we don't want to do."
After hearing such shameless words, Yang Guang suddenly became angry: "I am high and mighty, but you, King Wei, must speak according to your conscience. I don't like to hear what you said, and I feel very unhappy."
"Why?" Yang Ji was puzzled.
"You have the nerve to ask why? I'll tell you now." Yang Guang sneered: "When Aye Aniang was alive, you would only cause trouble all day long, but as brothers, our lives are simply better than yours." It’s hard to be a dog-legger. If I help you, I will definitely get beaten; if I don’t help you, the beating will hurt even more. Even if you are wrong, even if we pretend not to know, we will still be beaten in the end. Even if I become the emperor now, there are many I always follow your orders."
After the accusation, Yang Guang looked at Yang Ji questioningly: "King Wei, Prime Minister, Shangshu Ling, General Zuo Yiwei, General Youyiwei, Minister of Military Affairs of the School, General Zhenjun, Dr. You Guanglu, Shang. Your Excellency, Zhuguo, Liangzhou Mu, God of War, God of War, God of Killing, King of Poetry, tell me now, since you were a child, has there ever been a day when you were ordinary? Is there a day when you were not a master?"
"Okay, okay, all the mistakes are my fault." Just when Yang Guang felt a little relieved, he raised his hands in surrender but pushed the matter aside: "But it's not my fault, everything is my fault." Mom asked me to hide my edge in a sheath, and I don’t dare to resist at all. If you are dissatisfied, unhappy, or don’t believe me, just ask her!”
"..." Yang Guang didn't believe Yang Ji's lies at all, but he really didn't dare to ask. Dugu Min is the elder, but the key is that he vigorously promotes loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, righteousness, etiquette, wisdom, and trust, and has always Lead by example. If he, the emperor, came to kill him because of a "little" family matter, I really don't know how much trouble there would be.
Seeing the opportunity, Yang Ji immediately got down to business: "Our family affairs are trivial and insignificant. The focus is on the anti-Sui forces in the south, and the focus is on Feng Xuan. If this matter is not handled properly, it will be difficult for us."
Yang Guang knew clearly that he was evading important matters and changing the subject, but he just followed his example, and laughing and joking with Yang Ji was the only fun in his "boring" emperor career. He smiled and said, "You said it would be better to be the eunuch for Feng Xuan, but you still have to decide."
"The second officer is better!" Yang Ji said: "He has no official position now. If he is promoted to the chief officer rashly, not only will the forces be wary, but it may not be a good thing for the people. If he does well, just promote him quickly. "
"In this way, it will not appear obtrusive, and it will easily give people the illusion that Feng An is being restrained and replaced by Feng Xuan."
"Yeah!" Yang Guang nodded when he heard this. He was silent for a moment and then said: "Although I don't have any real evidence in hand, I always feel that the leader of that force is the Chen family, and Danyang was once the core area of the Chen Dynasty. Let me be the chief historian first. .”
. . . . . .
After Su Wei left Renshou Hall, he returned to the official office of the Assembly Hall. Li Ziquan, who was in charge today, had been waiting for a long time. When he saw Su Wei arriving, he quickly greeted him and asked softly: "Prime Minister Su, how is the situation?"
Su Wei did not give him an immediate reply. He sorted out his conversation with the emperor and what Yang Ji might say, and then said to Li Ziquan: "The sage's intention is very obvious. He mainly uses the nobles to deal with the Guanlong nobles, but the nobles are also divided into They are the Guanzhong gentry, the Shandong gentry, the Southern gentry, the Hedong gentry, and the Central Plains gentry, so there are at least five gentry that the saint can choose from."
After saying that, he asked Li Ziquan again: "Does Mr. Li understand what I mean?"
"I understand, thank you, Prime Minister Su." Li Ziquan nodded. He knew that Su Wei's overtone was that the Shandong nobles were not the only choice for saints. If the Shandong nobles still want to reap benefits but don't want to do anything, if they still want to play both sides and be ambiguous, , not only will you get nothing in the end, but this opportunity will also fall into the hands of others.
Once the opportunity is lost, you will fall behind and be controlled by others.
"You're welcome!" Su Wei chuckled and said, "Next, we should act according to the evidence and confessions. What does Li Xiang think?"
"This is something that benefits the country and the people. Li will naturally follow Prime Minister Su's order." Li Ziquan said solemnly.
"That's good!" When Su Wei heard this, he knew that Li Ziquan had already negotiated with the Shandong nobles, and he was relieved to get this promise.
