"What do you want to do next?" Lu Zhao asked.
Prime Minister Zuo cleverly drew the world's literati into the battle. Although Chen Xueying responded by "giving money when you curse" to curb the literati's control of the situation, she did not let the label of "the demon queen who brought harm to the country" be slapped on her, but in fact She is not a sure winner either.
After all, the literati in the Northern Qi Dynasty were not all slanderous Confucians. There were also real Confucian scholars and real scholars. They didn't understand Chen Xueying, but they just felt that it was obviously unreliable for a young queen to suddenly come to the throne.
What's more, this queen is a princess of an enemy country. She has not made any outstanding contributions and is not convincing at all. So when someone among them stands up to speak, it is really a response.
After all, these great scholars are really popular all over the world. Even ordinary people, many people have heard of their reputation. Even if there is the temptation of money, when faced with the voices of these great scholars, the common people will become guilty, and even Avoid direct confrontation with them.
If things continue like this, Chen Xueying may lose.
Even though she is the Lord of the Sixth Palace, she is still a woman. In a country like Northern Qi where men are superior to women, the infringement of reputation will be very detrimental to Chen Xueying, so she cannot sit back and wait for death.
"If it is not good for me to stand still, I will naturally start to move, and I have to force the literati to move first. Soldiers are crafty."
Chen Xueying had obviously considered this issue. She picked up a military book and shook it. This was the one she had been reading recently.
"Your Majesty, I have to ask your shadow guards for help again. This matter is extremely important and we cannot leak any information, otherwise I will really become the Demon Queen who will bring disaster to the country." She said softly.
"It's easy to say." Lu Zhao waved his hand, "Husband and wife are one. Those old guys have brought out the Lu family ancestors to suppress me. If I don't show them some color, they really think I am an easy person to get along with."
After speaking, his tone became much lower and the atmosphere became dull.
These courtiers have been suppressed by Lu Wuji for many years, and they will still find ways to cause trouble. After all, the emperor and his ministers are both loyal and subservient, and they also have the intention of containing them.
The imperial power was too centralized, and their ministers had no room to express their will. They only had to obey orders. But after reaching the position of a first-rank official, who wouldn't want the emperor to listen to their opinions more.
Now that Lu Zhao has ascended the throne as the new emperor, the new thoughts of the courtiers have become more obvious, and they are completely eager to suppress the imperial power and allow them to have more control over the government.
The couple exchanged their thoughts and opinions with each other, and then called the shadow guard over to explain what they had to do.
The market was very lively, and the topics discussed no longer revolved around the queen and the world's literati.
After all, there was a fight between the two sides, and many people were busy following it. However, after working for several days, they went to teahouses and restaurants every day to prevent them from speaking ill of the Queen, but they didn't even get a few pennies.
These shopkeepers have also united together. Even if their business is affected, they will not give money, otherwise they will feed the appetite of these scoundrels.
Sure enough, half a month has passed, and there is still no money, and everyone's desire to stay still has faded.
The heat gradually dissipated, but the denunciation of the literati did not stop. They still wrote all kinds of passionate words and used gorgeous rhetoric to criticize.
Over time, in fact, many
Everyone can see the queen's defeat.
There are many scholars in the world, and they will arm themselves with etiquette, and what they say will sound so reasonable. If the teacher accepts a disciple, the political views they advocate will also affect the students, or even be passed down directly.
This kind of efficiency of passing from ten to ten is simply terrifying.
Although the Queen is the Lord of the Sixth Palace, she is not the monarch of the world after all. In the past, she was hung up by money. Many people spoke for her, but most of them were rabble-rousers. Their words and conversations were not inflammatory, and even revealed the character of a rogue. Sex, the right time, the right place, the right people, and the right people were not taken advantage of.
Just when the civil servants thought they were about to usher in the dawn of victory, suddenly bad news came from outside.
On one of the most prosperous streets in Jicheng, two people suddenly jumped out one behind the other, obviously in a chase.
"Stop, catch the thief!" The people chasing behind shouted loudly, hoping that someone would see injustice on the road.
But the man running in front was also shouting that he was wronged.
"Help, there are bad guys chasing me! I saw students from Jisi Academy secretly giving money to talk ill of the Queen. I also wanted to ask for a job, but I didn't expect those students to ask for help after seeing me. People catch me!”
"Someone come to save me, this is definitely going to kill people and silence them!"
"Don't listen to his nonsense. It's nothing. This thief is just talking nonsense to get away with it!"
"Everything I said is true. I saw it with my own eyes! The student uniforms of Jisi Academy are easy to recognize. Unless they are burned to ashes, most of the people in Jicheng will recognize them. Don't even think about slandering me!"
The two men chased and shouted, instantly attracting the attention of other people on the street.
Soon more and more people were chasing him, and it was obvious that many helpers were coming.
The person who was escaping saw that there were more and more people, and his shouting must have been heard, so he simply started running into the intricate alleys.
"Everything I said is true. I just broke into their secret. I will be killed eventually. I guess there won't even be a whole body." After shouting the last sentence, he turned into the alley and looked no further. There was no trace of him.
Later, some officials also came to investigate. They followed several nearby alleys and checked house to house. They said that the man who escaped was a gangster, and if he hid, he would be guilty of a serious crime.
Although the investigation of this matter was carried out very quickly and the final result was in vain, the news still spread all over the world, and everyone even started to start conspiracy theories.
Immediately afterwards, many inside stories were exposed in various places, saying that there was collusion between literati and businessmen. The literati contributed their efforts and the businessmen contributed money, and together they distributed money to the people. As long as someone seriously slandered the queen, they would give money on the spot.
People who had been quiet before rekindled their enthusiasm and began to inquire privately about where they could give money. They were willing to say something bad about the Queen, as long as they really gave her money. If they gave more money, they would change their words.
The scholars who were surrounded and beaten by the common people when the petition was released were surrounded again this time.
"Er Niu, it was wrong for my uncle to hit you before, but you have also seen my uncle scolding people. It was so scary to see a ghost. His scolding is more fancy than your articles. Please tell me where to get the money. I I promise to use all the curse words I know in my life!"
"Tiedan Tiedan, my aunt is looking for you. Look, you have lost weight again. Eat an egg first! My aunt is a famous shrew in eight villages in ten miles. She cries twice every time.
It is my strong point to make trouble and hang myself, and I will not be soft-spoken towards the Queen. I scold you in front of you. Can you pay me immediately after scolding me? "
Suddenly, these students and scholars were chased and intercepted again, all begging them for money.
The scholars who can be entangled in the village must be from poor families. They live a tight life and wish they could break it in half. Faced with so many people's self-recommendations, they all want to say, where can I get it? They will hand out the money in person.
"Uncles, aunts, uncles, aunties, I really don't know where people give out money. There is no place where they give out money to curse people. You must have heard wrong."
"It's true. Don't try to hide it Tiedan. Whoever earns this money is not earned. Dear fellow villagers, when your family was in the most difficult time, we all pooled the money together. Why are you turning your back on us? ?”
"Really not. If I really had money, I would have written so many articles to expose the true face, but I still didn't get a penny!"
When everyone heard this, they immediately understood. Their faces changed in an instant and they sneered at him.
"Tiedan, then you can't get along well. I said before that all my classmates were friends with you, but in the end, I didn't even take you to a big job that makes money!"
"Okay, return the eggs to me. It's not easy for my aunt's chickens to lay eggs. You have a brain to study, but you can't choke to death on eggs!"
Everyone dispersed in droves again, and even the eggs in their hands were snatched back.
The scholar didn't know whether to laugh or cry. After watching the villagers leave, his eyes were full of worry.
They were scolded as poor scholars, but they were able to stand upright and confront the court and demand that the queen return to court. Isn't it because they are passionate and are not deceived by money and interests?
They will neither give up for five buckets of rice nor buy for gold and silver. They are passionate and full of ambition.
But if this matter really involves gold and silver, then what qualifications do they have to criticize the queen? They're just like the same thing.
Among Jisi Academy, this is the oldest academy in Jicheng, with countless students. Many officials in the court were students here before the imperial examination.
At this moment, in the Qingzhu Residence where the dean lives, there are two old men playing chess face to face.
One of them is obviously the Minister of Rites, and the other, an old man with gray hair and a childlike face, is obviously the dean.
"Master Shangshu, are you going too far by inducing students to collude with businessmen? Just forget about the collusion between government and businessmen, but now you don't even want to spare this pure land?"
"Yuzhi, please calm down. This is simply nonsense. It is a misunderstanding deliberately created by someone who wants to slander my reputation as a scholar in the Northern Qi Dynasty. The queen has evil intentions and obviously wants to seize power, Si Chen. We need you right now. When these great scholars take action, let her retreat when faced with difficulties, otherwise the situation will be unimaginable."
Yuzhi is the name of Dean Xing.
The Minister of Rites and Dean Xing were good friends when they were students. However, Dean Xing was unlucky and ranked low in the imperial examination. He was assigned to be a county magistrate in a remote place, and his political achievements were not outstanding.
After that, he was transferred to another remote place. He wandered around like this for ten years and was never transferred back to Jicheng. He was depressed and frustrated.
During the ten years when he was an official, he was frustrated in the officialdom, so he went to compile books. He was good at learning, and he also accepted several students. The students' scores were very good, and they even ranked among the top three.
For a while, everyone said that he could teach but not be an official.
Dean Xing simply said
After becoming an official, he concentrated on teaching and educating people. After that, he successfully returned to Jicheng and became the dean of Jisi Academy.
The Minister of Rites, on the other hand, had a prosperous official career and climbed to his current position.
"The Queen's behavior is indeed inappropriate, but she has not done anything excessive. Not to mention Si Chen, I think she just cares about rare treasures and wants to make her life more comfortable. At this moment, she feels like she is facing a formidable enemy. , are you too nervous?" Dean Xing did not agree as usual, but raised questions.
"It is precisely because the queen is an arrogant and extravagant person. Her ambitions have grown bigger and bigger since then. Her status is too high when the emperor and empress share the throne. In the face of power, few people can maintain their original intentions. Sooner or later, she will not be able to help but intervene. Yes. Say something unlucky. If the emperor suddenly passes away and the prince is young, the queen will be able to control the government. What's more, there is no prince yet, so it will be even more dangerous." The Minister of Rites continued to persuade.
Dean Xing ate several of his chess pieces in a row, and then looked up at him.
"I'm sorry I can't agree."
"Why?"
"I'm just a teacher now. Where do I get so much energy? I don't even have the ability to compete." Dean Xing refused directly.
The Minister of Etiquette had a confused expression on his face, and simply opened the skylight and spoke frankly: "There is no need to say these false words. Everyone knows that Dean Xing is full of talents all over the world, and he has handed over more number one scholars than you can count on one hand, so you can't Go to court, otherwise half of the officials in the court may be your students. If you are not capable, even the two prime ministers will have to resign and go home."
He no longer addressed Dean Xing by name, and his tone became serious, which was obviously threatening.
Dean Xing's face became solemn and he became serious: "Since your Excellency said so, I might as well tell the truth. What you just said about letting students collude with businessmen is nonsense. There are people behind the scenes who are deliberately pushing the boundaries. Yes. Is it really so?"
"Originally, you threatened the Demon Queen with harming the country. I thought it was a sure thing, but the Queen resolved it. She used gold and silver to guide public opinion and stood opposite you. No matter how many articles a scholar publishes, they are not as useful as two strings of copper coins. , will you really let this matter go?"
"Don't you think that if she can use gold and silver to induce public opinion, other people can do the same? Several academy students came to visit almost all the time. I met you first and asked them to go to the side courtyard. Guess I started from Can anything come out of their mouths?”
His series of questions instantly forced the Minister of Rites to retreat.
They are both masters of playing with words. They can understand each other's meaning without saying something too straightforward.
The face of the Minister of Rites changed several times, but finally returned to indifference. !
