The emperor wanted to play dumb, which was not too unexpected from Gao Pragmatic. After all, although Zhu Yijun had some of Emperor Jiajing's stubbornness, he also inherited some of Emperor Longqing's tact. In the original history, Zhu Yijun played a cold war with the civil servant group and engaged in non-violent non-cooperation, which was essentially a manifestation of this contradictory character.
Obviously, Zhu Yijun still embodies such a contradictory character.
From Gao Pragmatic's point of view, Zhu Yijun indeed values the relationship with himself. Whether his starting point is personal feelings or considerations as a ruler, it cannot change this fact - Zhu Yijun wants to maintain the intimacy and harmony between the monarch and his ministers. , don't want to destroy it.
But at the same time, Zhu Yijun is very clear about the nature of the "national dispute". As the emperor, he did not want to give in on this matter, because giving in on this matter was tantamount to acknowledging that the Confucian system was higher than imperial power, and the so-called "Confucian system" was actually just a tiger skin of civilian power.
In other words, giving in meant that he recognized that ministerial power could trump imperial power. As an emperor, it is normal to not accept this.
Therefore, Zhu Yijun chose another way to compromise, that is, to play the emotional card and pretend that in order to maintain the close relationship with you, Gao Shijian, I would rather compromise with you - I made these compromises because I am your classmate. friendship, not because of the pressing pressure of the civil service group.
Obviously, Zhu Yijun has a very pragmatic style, dividing and disintegrating, avoiding the important and taking the easy, and defeating each one... Oh, if you add the "Prince and Sub-Father" he promised before, then you also need to win over and bribe him. This is a perfect replica of Gao Pragmatic's political tactics for many years, and he is worthy of being Gao's good classmate.
"Your Majesty." Gao Pingshi said softly: "The heaven and the earth are unkind and regard all things as stupid dogs; the saints are unkind and regard the common people as stupid dogs. As a minister, I should treat the ruthless as sentient, manage Yin and Yang, follow the four seasons, and follow all things. It is appropriate to control and pacify the barbaric princes outside, and to personally attach to the people inside, so that the ministers and officials can fulfill their duties."
Zhu Yijun's heart gradually sank. He was not an uneducated person. The first half of this sentence is well known to everyone. It comes from the "Tao De Jing", which means that the movement of heaven and earth has its own laws. The second half of it is from Chen Ping, the prime minister of the Han Dynasty. Explanation of the office of prime minister. There is only one sentence in this passage by Gao Pingshi that is his own: "As a minister, you should treat ruthlessness as sentimentality."
Jun Zuo needless to say, he has placed his hope in pragmatism for so many years. Obviously pragmatism has done the same and done it well.
The bad thing is "regarding ruthlessness as emotion".
What is sentience? According to Zhu Yijun's understanding, being sentimental means pragmatically believing that he has responsibilities to the world, the country, and the people, and is also willing to use his talents here.
Being ruthless means being responsible to the world, the country, and the people. Pragmatism may be forced to do things that go against his own wishes, even if these things make him very embarrassed.
So Zhu Yijun's heart sank, because if pragmatism said this, it obviously meant that he did not think that Concubine Zheng's important performance was equal to the responsibility he shouldered, even if the request to "let Concubine Zheng go" was made by his own emperor. .
"Alas..." Zhu Yijun sighed. He didn't know what he should say, and he didn't even know whether he should believe the pragmatic words.
Are there really people in the world who wholeheartedly care about the world, the country and the people, and have no selfish motives at all?
Zhu Yijun didn't know that even though Pragmatic's performance over the years seemed to really value these things. However, Zhu Yijun would also think, if there is no selfishness at all, then how can you explain the wealth that you have now, which is as rich as the country?
"However, humans are not grass and trees, so how can we be ruthless?"
Just when Zhu Yijun fell into confusion, Gao Pragmatic spoke again. He sighed: "I ask myself, I have done some things for the Ming Dynasty over the years, and I have also received some exaggerated praise. But I understand that no matter how hard I work for the Ming Dynasty, I can't completely ignore myself.
Your Majesty, you see, I managed the Ming Dynasty's finances, and although I never cheated on a single penny, I still accumulated tens of thousands of wealth; I guarded the border for the Ming Dynasty, but I also had some influence in Mongolia and Manchuria; I opened up borders for the Ming Dynasty and made the Annan was restored and North Korea was annexed, but at the same time it also exerted certain control over the Three Propaganda and Six Comforts...
Your Majesty, I forgive my arrogant words. You and I, the monarch and your minister, have grown up together since childhood, so the emperor knows best. I will never ask the emperor to do something that I cannot do... Although according to the teachings of the sages, the emperor should be perfect. .
What a harsh accusation, Your Majesty. Since I am a minister, I have the responsibility to advise the emperor, but I will not criticize the emperor so harshly. Who can really have no selfish motives? At least I can't. All I can do is to consider myself after the country, the country and the emperor...
Therefore, Your Majesty, I will make the "Medicated Eucalyptus" have the best possible results, and will also comfort some people who I can comfort. As for the rest, I am only a minister after all, and I am afraid that I am beyond my power. Please forgive me, Your Majesty. . "
Zhu Yijun looked at Gao Jingshi blankly for a while, then suddenly took a breath and said: "Pragmatic, I... I really didn't expect you to say that."
Gao pragmatically bowed slightly and said calmly, "I have disappointed the emperor. I am guilty."
"What crime are you guilty of? If you are so guilty, then the whole court... Huh, I think it's time to kill the nine tribes." Zhu Yijun looked desolate, shook his head vigorously, and said: "Pragmatic, what you said today Did you want to say it a long time ago?"
"No, Your Majesty, I never wanted to say these words in my life."
"Really?" Zhu Yijun thought for a while, then nodded to himself: "Yes, you don't need to say that... I'm not blind, how could I not see what you did, you don't need to say it of."
Gao Jingshi remained silent, while Zhu Yijun continued: "Similarly, only you fully understand every move I make, otherwise you wouldn't say this...Pragmatic, I remember you once said to me when you were a child, the emperor is both You don’t need to apologize to anyone, and you don’t need to thank anyone, right?”
Gao Pingshi raised his eyebrows slightly, then calmed down immediately, nodded and said, "Yes."
"I forgot to ask why back then, can you teach me this lesson now?" Zhu Yijun asked.
"It is the ministers who are responsible for the emperor, not the emperor who is responsible for his ministers." Gao pragmatically said calmly: "The emperor is only responsible for the world, so he accepts the power of the world and bears the responsibilities of the world."
Zhu Yijun was silent for a moment and said: "But who represents the 'world'? I'm afraid the name belongs to the emperor, but the real thing belongs to the officials."
Yes, otherwise, how could there be so many years of national disputes?
Gao pragmatically nodded and said: "Hundred officials can steal the name of the people and use it to oppress the emperor; they can also steal the name of the emperor and use it to bully the people. Therefore, the purity of the world depends on the officials; the turmoil of the world depends on the officials. turbidity."
Zhu Yijun smiled, half sarcastically and half sighing: "Now the Ming Dynasty is called ZTE. It stands to reason that the people should be in full swing, but I don't know how much do you think this court is pure and how dirty?"
Gao pragmatic shook his head and said: "The pure has its turbidity, and the turbid has its purity, just like the water of the (Yangtze) River has its turbidity, and the water of the (Yellow) River has its clear source. There are many things in the world that are difficult to determine right and wrong. How can a person cover up good and evil with just one word?”
Zhu Yijun chuckled and asked: "I think people in the world can always sum it up in one word when talking about wise kings and cowardly kings."
Gao pragmatic asked: "Really?"
"Isn't it?" Zhu Yijun shook his head and said: "Imagine that Yang Guang, who 'shared little merit with Yu', was posthumously named Yang, while Li Shimin, who killed his brothers and forced his father to abdicate, was posthumously named Xiao. How should this be true? Do you understand?" [Note: "Taizong" is not a posthumous title. Li Shimin's posthumous title was "Wen" at first, that is, Emperor Wen, and later it was added to the great sage of civil and military affairs, Emperor Guangxiao, or Emperor Xiao for short. ]
Gao pragmatic also shook his head and said: "Your Majesty, during the Tang Dynasty and the Sui Dynasty, ministers rebelled against the emperor. If we did not disparage the previous emperor, how could we show the integrity of our dynasty? Wang Shichong also conferred a posthumous title on Yang Guang. He was the Ming Emperor of the Sui Dynasty. Why? ? It's just Wang Shichong who accepted Sui Zen's concession.
In the past, when the dynasties changed, the ministers either rebelled against the emperor or attacked each other. The posthumous title for the previous dynasty king was nothing more than political considerations. How many of them are fair? Our dynasty is the exception. Taizu expelled the Tartars and restored China. Since ancient times, there is nothing better than this to achieve the integrity of the country. Therefore, the posthumous title has the saying of "opening the sky and enforcing the way, establishing the discipline and establishing the extreme". "
】
Having said this, Gao Pingshi couldn't help complaining in his heart that the emperor's posthumous title was really getting longer every day. From the original one or two words, it had grown straight to Zhu Yuanzhang.
After thinking about his words of "opening up heaven and enforcing laws, setting up great sages, gods, benevolence, justice, martial arts, virtues, success and high emperor", Gao Pragmatic inevitably rolled his eyes - it's not good to just be a high emperor, he has to give future generations a whole life. Why are all the reviews piled up? It's really better to just follow what Qin Shihuang said back then... Are your descendants worthy of judging me?
However, Gao Pingshi's words actually changed the topic. Zhu Yijun obviously didn't fall for the trick and shook his head and said: "You know I'm not talking about this."
Of course, Gao Pragmatic knew that Zhu Yijun was not talking about this. The main point of his question just now was that future generations' evaluation of the emperor would eventually be simplified and stereotyped, which was exactly the opposite of what he had just emphasized on the complexity of people.
Gao Pragmatic felt helpless and said with a wry smile: "That's why Cai Chen also said that the people in the world are so harsh on the emperor and always demand full blame. It seems that every emperor must be a perfect man."
Zhu Yijun suddenly lost interest and said: "I don't know how I will be arranged in the future... But let them do whatever they want. At least your words today are pragmatic and have some human touch. Although you said that the emperor does not need to thank anyone, But...I still want to thank you."
Gao pragmatic shook his head and said: "I insist that the emperor does not need to express thanks. I have made contributions and the emperor will stop rewarding me."
"Reward..." Zhu Yijun laughed and said: "You are not short of money, and it is inconvenient to reward you with a title, so I have no choice but to promote you."
Gao Pingshi was startled, shook his head and said, "I am already a Taifu and cannot be promoted any further."
This seems to be nonsense. How can a living Grand Master be promoted casually? Even if your emperor wanted to be promoted, he wouldn't dare to ask for it.
But Zhu Yijun smiled, waved his hand and said, "That's not what I meant."
Then he walked to the imperial table, picked up the two memorials and said: "This is what I'm talking about - the Cis of Yuan Fu and Ci Fu, I have already approved them."
----------
Thanks to book friend "Cao Mianzi" for your reward and support, thank you!
Thanks to book friends "Yan Yunhe" and "book friend 20220827125515226" for their monthly ticket support, thank you!
ps: This chapter almost drove me crazy. I thought about five versions of the emperor's pragmatic answer. From Gao Pragmatic's personality, experience, and consistent style to the emperor's possible reaction, etc., I carefully considered and weighed things over and over again, which really put me to the test.
I was stuck here the night before yesterday. Last night I thought I should choose something less terrible and finish writing it and post it first...but I still didn't think it would work. I put it off until I woke up... In fact, I don't feel very satisfied with this version now, but I really can't put it off any longer, so I'd better post it before talking about it. After all, the characteristics of online articles are here. If I delay any longer, I am afraid that some readers will suspect that I am ready to cut it... Again, that is impossible.
