Lu Duoxun became the first prime minister to be killed since the founding of the Han Dynasty. These words were spoken by Emperor Liu, even though his tone was colder, but they were light and airy, and there seemed to be no burden at all.
For the few people present at this time, it was a deafening feeling. Liu Yang raised his head slightly, looked at Emperor Liu in surprise, and then lowered his head slightly to hide his bitter expression.
As for Gao Qiong, he seemed to have heard nothing and understood nothing. He stared straight at the sparse yellow grass and made eye contact with insects and ants, but his heart was filled with ups and downs.
In fact, when the prince arrived, Gao Qiong had already wanted to resign, but he did not dare to retreat rashly because he was unsure of Emperor Liu's pulse. However, the questions and answers between the emperor and the prince were poured into his ears unstoppably, and he could not stop them.
When he heard that Emperor Liu sentenced Lu Duoxun to death, even Gao Qiong couldn't help but tremble in his heart. Although Gao Qiong was not familiar with Lu Duoxun, and had never even had any communication with him, he was the prime minister after all, and the most openly powerful minister in the court besides Zhao Pu.
However, with such an identity and status, Emperor Liu would kill him if he said so. Although Gao Qiong lacks cultural literacy, he is not stupid. On the contrary, he is very smart, has a certain political sense, and has always had a keen grasp of the situation. Without that insight and decision-making, he would not have taken the biggest risk during the Guanzhong Shu Rebellion. He grabbed a piece of cake and personally captured the rebel leader Wang Shun. At that time, Gao Qiong was just an insignificant Lieutenant of Yusi County.
What Gao Qiong is worried about is the possible impact of Lu Duoxun's murder. It is true that the Han Dynasty has never had a tradition of "not punishing officials". In the past thirty years, officials who have been killed for various crimes have There were hundreds or even thousands, but they never killed the prime minister.
In most people's understanding, being a prime minister not only represents a position of power, but also a halo. It is beyond a certain level and is different from ordinary ministers and bureaucrats.
Even if you make mistakes or fail in the political struggle, you can just be demoted and released. This was basically done in the past. Why behead? The benevolence and forgiveness advocated by many people and the political maturity pursued are probably reflected in this.
Even though Lu Duoxun was charged with dozens of crimes and so many people criticized the impeachment, most of them just wanted to bring him down in order to gain political interests. I’m afraid not many people really wanted Lu Duoxun to die. .
If Lu Duoxun is demoted from the capital and many positions occupied by the "Lu Party" are vacated, most people will be satisfied with this result. As for those who asked Lu Duoxun to be killed, they either had deep hatred or were short-sighted and lacked "awareness of the overall situation."
But now it seems that this unspoken rule formed over decades and the consensus reached by the officials and officials of the Manchu Dynasty is about to be broken. Even though this kind of unspoken rules and consensus was cultivated by Emperor Liu intentionally or unintentionally, now, in view of the many dissatisfactions and the various negative emotions accumulated in his heart, he can't wait to vent them out, break them with his own hands, and set a good example for the officials and bureaucrats. Typical, put another tight spell on them.
Gao Qiong naturally didn't think it was that deep, but he couldn't help but think about it. The prime minister can be executed, but what about the general? Over the years, the Han Dynasty has used the same military law to deal with a large number of generals and officers, but high-level generals have never been killed. At most, they have seized power and dismissed them.
Once Lu Duosun opened his mouth, does it also mean that the generals are not so safe?
Emperor Liu didn't care about the reactions of the people around him, but quickly calmed down his momentum and asked calmly: "I heard that Lu Yi is dead?"
After hearing the question, Liu Yang did not dare to be negligent and sighed with a little pity in his tone: "Lu Yi died of illness ten days ago. However, so far, the family has only simply collected the burial and set up a mourning hall, and no one has visited the house to express condolences... ..."
After hearing this report, Emperor Liu's face showed no emotion, but his tone completely softened, and he pondered for a moment, and said: "Lu Duoxun, father and son, are completely different types of people. Lu Yijin has been loyal to the king for more than 20 years. , there is no great achievement, and there is also hard work. If the scene is bleak tonight and I go away lonely, I can't bear it in my heart.
Lu Mengzhengdai's report made me even more emotional. How could he fail to fulfill his wish? Let's do this, let the Lu family help the spirit out of Beijing and return to their hometown for burial. As for the Lu Duoxun family, there is no need to be exiled to the border. Let them farm the land in the countryside and support themselves! "
After hearing what Emperor Liu said, Liu Yang solemnly responded: "Yes!"
At the same time, I was secretly relieved. Emperor Liu arranged this, but after all, he didn't go too far and still had a trace of mercy. Of course, this also benefited from Lu Yi's profound sense of justice.
"Lu Duoxun and the others don't dare to make decisions without authorization, what about the others?" Emperor Liu asked.
"After several months of investigation and trial, the results are coming one after another!"
"Speak directly! How many people were killed?" Emperor Liu glanced at Liu Yang.
Liu Yang paused for a moment, and then slowly said: "Based on the judgment of the Three Justice Division, it was finally decided that eighty-three people were sentenced to death, and the rest were sentenced to various exiles according to the severity of their crimes!"
Hearing this, Emperor Liu smiled a little, but with a dissatisfied smile, and said calmly: "Less!"
Then, in Liu Yang's somewhat horrified eyes, he gave instructions: "At least two hundred people!"
The autumn wind in August was not that cold, and even made people feel refreshed. However, when Emperor Liu said these words, it made people feel a bone-chilling chill. Such a naked use of the number of officials executed as an indicator is really cruel.
Liu Yang opened his mouth, subconsciously trying to dissuade him. However, seeing Emperor Liu's unquestionable expression, he still had to suppress his worries.
Emperor Liu ignored Liu Yang's thoughts and said to himself: "It's almost the Mid-Autumn Festival. It's inconvenient to kill more people during such a festival. Let's wait until after the Mid-Autumn Festival to have a separate autumn showdown. At that time, let all the ministers go to watch the execution and take a good look. Look at the fate of these corrupt people who form cliques for personal gain, and more! Go and punish them yourself!"
Under Emperor Liu's oppressive gaze, Liu Yang didn't dare to respond even if he felt panicked. He could only bow his head and say, "Yes!"
...
On the way back to the palace, Emperor Liu asked Liu Yang to ride with him on the Luan Chariot. Emperor Liu was still sitting there indifferently, and he was still interested in reading a volume of "General Classification of Kaibao", which was about criminal law. s things.
Liu Yang sat respectfully aside, his body swaying slightly as Luan Jia drove, but he looked slightly depressed, his face was deep, and his face was full of contemplation.
As the Tokyo city wall got closer and closer, Emperor Liu put down the scroll in his hand and finally said: "Why, you haven't figured it out yet?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Yang shook his head, pondered for a moment, and then said: "Since the outbreak of Lu Yu, it has shocked both the government and the public. So many people have been arrested. My father wants less Lu Duoxun, and my son agrees. Then, I will definitely kill him again." So human?”
Hearing this, Emperor Liu was not angry. He looked at Liu Yang calmly and said slowly: "I don't know when you became such a woman. Of course I also know that for your so-called stability People's hearts can kill less people, or even not kill people at all, but this time, they must kill!
The imperial court has been stable for so many years, and peace is peace, but it has also accumulated too many problems and has developed some ills that need to be rectified. The problem of Ludosun's party formation is the most obvious manifestation of it.
In this regard, the imperial court had to take heavy measures and impose severe punishments. Otherwise, the courtiers could not be frightened. The fundamental problem, as I have said before, is difficult to solve, but even temporary solutions should be used.
I also know that according to past practice, some people do not need to die, and their families do not need to be exiled. However, because of this, I cannot let them develop the habit of treating the court's tolerance as their wanton behavior. rely.
Some problems, without harsh punishments, are not enough to wake them up! Lu Yu has done such a big thing, involving so many people, and it must not end in an anticlimactic, non-human head, dripping with blood, and it is not enough to achieve results.
Let me remind you again, Renshu is for those loyal ministers, honest officials, and good people, not for these corrupt officials who are in line with the party and oppose dissidents, and violate the law and chaos. Who would be tolerant to them?
Is it tolerance or indulgence? Think about it yourself, if you want to be different..."
At this point, Emperor Liu stopped, frowned subconsciously, and was somewhat reluctant to continue. Looking at Liu Yang, whose expression was changing all the time, Emperor Liu said almost every word: "Remember, you are the prince and the heir apparent!"
Emperor Liu's words almost went straight to Liu Yang's heart. Probably forced by his momentum, his face turned a little pale.
After a long time, Emperor Liu softened his tone and said leisurely: "Why do you think I must kill Lu Duoxun? I promoted him all the way. However, perhaps because of this, he regarded my respect and tolerance as indulgence. , there is no room for maneuver when it comes to violating the bottom line, he has a reason to die..."
