The second day.
Under the leadership of Zhao Tingzhi, one hundred thousand urgent memorials were once again placed in front of Zhao Xu, allowing Zhao Xu to make a decision.
The three prime ministers watched this scene with cold eyes. Although they knew that the atmosphere in the court was not right, they did not stop it. After all, they also wanted to test Zhao Xu's ability.
If Zhao Xu falls into the trap easily, it means that they are right to support Empress Dowager Gao to listen to the government behind the curtain. If Zhao Xu can see through the ministers' plot, then they will have to re-examine the possibility of Zhao Xu's personal rule.
High-end power struggles are often so simple and unpretentious, with the capable at the top and the mediocre at the bottom.
"Absolutely lawless!"
Zhao Xu looked at the memorial in his hand and said angrily.
Zhao Tingzhi and others were overjoyed, and they immediately knew that Zhao Xu's emotions had been affected by them. As long as Zhao Xu made any move, flaws would definitely be exposed.
Fan Chunren and others sighed inwardly. The official family was still too young and easily fell into the trap.
Zhao Xu said with an angry face: "My dear friends, please take a look. Among the unjust, false and wrong cases reported by Su Aiqing, the Criminal Division, there is one case that is the most outrageous. Bi Sheng later participated in the case of fake friends. The mastermind was innocent and the participants were innocent. Not guilty. After Bi Sheng was a craftsman, everyone was executed. Could it be that the officials who tried the case were blind?"
Zhao Tingzhi and others were overjoyed that Su Dun had rehabilitated Bi Sheng. It was precisely the civil injustice cases they carefully selected to anger Zhao Xu.
When Su Shi heard the official's memorial naming his son, he immediately seconded it and said: "This case has been a strange injustice for thousands of years. Instead of arresting the mastermind, the craftsmen were used as compensation for the crime. Please ask the officials to investigate thoroughly."
"According to the report! I've ordered someone to investigate thoroughly!" Zhao Xu said angrily.
"The officials are wise!" All the officials praised one after another.
Zhao Xu looked around and solemnly said: "I have recently seen the memorials of all my dear friends. It can be said that I have trouble sleeping and eating. I found that the common people were repeatedly oppressed, evildoers colluded with government officials and businessmen, and went unpunished. Kind people were oppressed repeatedly. If things go on like this, the Song Dynasty is in danger. as well as."
"I am panicking!" Zhao Tingzhi and others complimented one after another.
All civil and military officials had complicated eyes, and they knew in their hearts that the Song Dynasty would probably start another reform path from today on.
Zhao Xu looked around the court, no longer as angry as before, and said calmly: "Mencius said: The people are the most important, the king is the most important, and the country is the second. Taizong of the Tang Dynasty once said: The king is the boat, the people are the water, and the water can carry it. Even a boat can capsize. As the leader of the Song Dynasty, how can I sit back and watch the people be oppressed repeatedly?"
"Today I issue an order to punish traitors and eradicate evil. I order all roads and counties in the country to strictly deal with thieves, bullies, local ruffians, collusion between officials and businessmen, and other evil deeds that oppress the people."
"An order to punish rape and eliminate evil!"
The officials in the Manchu Dynasty couldn't help but be stunned. How come they had never heard of this new law.
Zhao Tingzhi and others couldn't help but frown. They didn't expect that Zhao Xu would go against common sense and create his own method instead of using a new method, which made the official's idea of deliberately irritating Empress Dowager Gao come to nothing.
However, Zhao Tingzhi was not discouraged, as there were bound to be loopholes in any reform. When the time came, they would only need to use some means to turn this seemingly selfless order to punish rape and eradicate evil into a bad government.
The three prime ministers Fan Chunren breathed a sigh of relief. Although His Majesty still has the ambition to reform the law, he has not restarted the new law. This is also good news.
As for the order to punish rape and eliminate evil, Zhao Xu stood on the moral high ground of valuing the people over the king, and they had no reason to refute. After all, the people were really resentful about the reports given by the court during this period.
At this point, the first official decree since Zhao Xu ascended the throne was officially issued.
"The government has enacted a new law!"
King Yong Zhao Hao received the news from the court immediately and couldn't help but be overjoyed. As expected, Zhao Xu's young mind couldn't stand loneliness once he gained power, so he promulgated the new law so rashly.
Zhao Tingzhi shook his head and said: "Your Highness King Yong, the order to punish rape and eliminate evil is not Wang Anshi's law, but a new law!"
Zhao Hao sneered and said: "It doesn't matter whether it is a new law or not, as long as it is a reform law, it will be fine as long as it becomes a law that will harm the country and the people."
Zhao Tingzhi nodded and said: "King Yong is wise!"
At that moment, Zhao Hao immediately entered the palace to fulfill his filial piety to his mother, while Zhao Tingzhi secretly collected loopholes in the order to punish rape and eradicate evil.
In Kaifeng City!
When the Kaifeng Mansion received Zhao Xu's order to punish rape and eliminate evil, Su Song immediately carried out the order meticulously.
On that day, Kaifeng County Lieutenant Fan Zhengping led the Kaifeng government officials to go out to arrest the gangsters and bullies in Kaifeng City. All those caught were severely punished.
Suddenly, Kaifeng gangs were in turmoil, either being caught or fleeing.
Even Gao Qiu, who was exiled thousands of miles away, did not escape the punishment. He was involved in a crime of extortion and was sentenced to another three years.
For a time, no one picked up lost objects on the streets of Kaifeng, and public security was excellent.
"Good! These ruffians finally found their comeuppance!"
"The officials really love the people like their own children!"
"The order to punish rape and eradicate evil is good governance!"
All along, no matter the new laws or the old laws, they have been used to manage the people of the world, and even work with the local ruffians to oppress the people. However, the order to punish rape and eliminate evil has prevented countless people from being bullied. Naturally, everyone applauded.
In Kaifeng City.
Zhao Tingzhi worked hard to collect loopholes in the order to punish rape and eliminate evil, but found that there was no way to start.
The orders to punish rape and eradicate evil are suppressing gangsters and bullies. These people were already complaining, but now they are severely punished by the government, and no one can speak for them.
On the contrary, by severely punishing these gangsters and bullies, everyone cries for peace and stability in the society, and officials also sit back and clear their names, getting the best of both worlds.
"Impossible? All reforms are controversial, and the order to punish rape and eradicate evil cannot be perfect?" Zhao Tingzhi said unwillingly.
Everyone in the court knew that the purpose of the order to punish rape and eradicate evil was to eradicate social cancers, and it must have come from Fan Zheng's medical skills. He tried his best to persuade King Yong and found an opportunity to take revenge, but now he was making a wedding dress for Fan Zheng.
"No! The order to punish rape and eliminate evil is not without loopholes. As soon as this order was issued, the prisons of Kaifeng Mansion were overcrowded. This is a method of cruelty." Zhao Tingzhi's face was ferocious, and he finally found a loophole.
"Officials should think twice. In the Song Dynasty, we governed the country with benevolence. The laws for punishing rape and eradicating evil were severe punishments. Small crimes were severely punished. There was a lot of dissatisfaction among the people."
At this moment, Zhao Tingzhi teamed up with the censor to attack the order of punishing rape and eradicating evil with all his strength.
Zhao Xu asked back: "Zhao Aiqing, please tell us in detail which people are upset and which people are dissatisfied."
Zhao Tingzhi was immediately stunned and said vaguely: "This order is too harsh and will damage your Majesty's reputation. There are many objections among the people, and even minor ministers have heard about it."
Zhao Xu sneered and said: "It's those local ruffians who are making noise! How did I hear that once the order to punish rape and eliminate evil was issued, people would not pick up lost items on the road, and everyone would applaud."
At the moment, Zhao Xu opened Su Song's memorial and handed it to officials for circulation.
Su Song was old-fashioned and stubborn, but his character was recognized by the whole court. With Su Song's memorial and what they had seen and heard, they couldn't help but nod slightly.
As Fan Zheng expected, local ruffians are like scabies and carbuncle. Everyone hates them and no one stands up for them. Some people may be sentenced harshly, but there are almost no unjustly accused people.
"The officials are wise!" All the officials said one after another.
The young Zhao Xu sat on the dragon throne among the complex officials of the Manchu Dynasty, and his first order in charge could be said to be a perfect pass.
Zhao Xu looked at the reactions of the officials of the Manchu Dynasty and couldn't help but feel relieved. He had finally passed the test in his first official performance, and now even the Emperor and Queen Mother could not find fault.
At the moment, Zhao Xu said again: "After I issued the order to punish rape and eliminate evil, the response from the people was very good. However, many problems were also exposed. Many police officers and bullies colluded with each other to harm the people. I am very heartbroken."
"Your Majesty is kind." Zhao Tingzhi quickly complimented.
"So I decided to reform the system of arresting people." Zhao Xu said in surprise again.
"ah!"
The officials were stunned and looked at Zhao Xu in disbelief.
Zhao Xu sneered in his heart. He had just taken over the power and wanted to show off his talents. How could he be satisfied with just an order to punish rape and eliminate evil?
At that moment, Zhao Xu said loudly: "The police officers are responsible for arresting criminals, protecting the people, maintaining public order, and are closely related to the people. However, the police officers in the Song Dynasty were low-ranking, and the good and the bad were mixed, so that officials and gangsters colluded to oppress the people. For this reason, I It was decided to decree the abolition of the lowly status of the police officers and the removal of the police officers with bad conduct."
Zhao Xu will carry out the second round of reform, targeting the police officers who performed unsatisfactory in the order of punishing rape and eradicating evil.
The policemen of the Song Dynasty were of low status, and the good men were not willing to serve as policemen at all. As a result, the quality of the policemen varied greatly, extortion became common, and the reputation among the people was extremely poor.
Lu Dafang frowned and said, "Your Majesty, think twice. Since ancient times, the status of police officers has been low. How can it be easily changed? This is not in line with the ancestral law."
With the success of the order to punish rape and eradicate evil, Zhao Xu said forcefully: "It is not true that it has been done since ancient times. Kissing has been done since ancient times. The consequences are endless. Footbinding has also been done since ancient times, making women all over the world miserable. Capture The security of the Song Dynasty is related to the peace and security of the people, so how can it be entrusted to the hands of a group of people with bad behavior? I decided to elevate the status of the police officer to an official and recruit good family members to take charge."
"Promoted to be an official? Is it the responsibility of a good family member?"
Zhao Tingzhi frowned and immediately caught the loophole in Zhao Xu's order and said: "The officials don't know something. The police officer is not just an ordinary position. He also needs certain martial arts. Otherwise, how can he catch criminals? I’m afraid a good man won’t be able to do it.”
Hearing this, Zhao Xu nodded slightly and said, "What Mr. Zhao said is true. Yesterday, Zhao Aiqing reported that the Song Dynasty had a serious redundant army. It was just right for the Imperial Guards who came from good families to serve as catchers, especially the soldiers who had made meritorious service to the country. In this way, it would solve the problem This solves part of the problem of redundant troops and allows these forbidden troops to do two things at once, from resisting foreign enemies to protect the territory and the people to maintaining public order."
"For meritorious service, the Forbidden Army serves as an agent?"
All the officials were in an uproar? Catching a police officer requires a certain amount of martial arts, and the Forbidden Army is proficient in martial arts, and it can inspire the Imperial Guard to perform meritorious deeds and kill the enemy, which is indeed a good recipe.
"On behalf of the 800,000 imperial guardsmen, I would like to thank the officials for their great kindness!" Privy Councilor Cao Hui solemnly said.
This method is extremely beneficial to the Forbidden Army, and the military naturally fully supports it.
Seeing this, the officials couldn't help but shrink their eyes. They didn't expect that the officials had a deeper intention to win over the military. They all remained silent and no longer objected.
In the Chui Gong Hall,
"The Queen Mother's order to punish rape and eradicate evil has been well received by the people, and everyone calls it good governance."
The Empress Dowager couldn't help but be silent for a while while listening to Liang Weijian's report.
She is conservative in thinking and has always opposed political reforms. However, Zhao Xu's order to punish rape and eradicate evil prevented her from doing so.
This method attacks a group of local ruffians who are black sheep, and gains the hearts and minds of the people.
I wonder, when she knows such a good law, I am afraid she will not refuse to implement the order to punish rape and eliminate evil.
"Mother, the official family has changed the law again. He actually abolished the status of the policeman and made the imperial guards serve as policemen!" Zhao Hao hurried in and said angrily.
"Abolish the police! The Imperial Guards who have committed meritorious deeds will serve as police officers!"
The Empress Dowager's eyes shrank, Zhao Hao would only come to complain, and she saw the brilliance of Zhao Xu's move. It could not only solve the problem of redundant soldiers and uneven agents, but also win over the military.
"Go! Bring the medicine to the Ai family!"
Queen Mother Gao said in a deep voice.
"yes!"
Liang Weijian was stunned and immediately followed the instructions.
Soon, the soup was ready. This time, Queen Mother Gao did not pour it away, but chose to drink it all in one gulp.
"Mother! If the officials are messing around like this, they will definitely cause big troubles. Mother, you must put state affairs first!" Zhao Hao said while trying hard to slander Zhao Xu.
Queen Mother Gao was silent for a moment and said: "Now that Ai Jia's body has almost recovered, you can leave Bianjing!"
The current situation is no longer a matter of testing or not. If this continues, she may lose her power.
"Mother!"
Zhao Hao was shocked when he heard this and looked at Empress Dowager Gao in disbelief. He did not expect that Zhao Xu had already used means to get involved in the military power, but the empress mother could still tolerate it and gave up on him again.
"The official family is the master of the world, and the military power belongs to him, so why should he interfere with it." Empress Dowager Gao saw through Zhao Hao's thoughts at a glance and said directly.
If Zhao Xu had no means, she would be very disappointed. After all, one of her tasks was to cultivate heroes for the Song Dynasty.
And Zhao Xu's various behaviors did have the appearance of a hero, which made him feel mixed.
"My son………………."
Zhao Hao still wanted to recover urgently.
"This matter has been decided and cannot be changed!" Empress Dowager Gao looked directly at Zhao Hao and said.
When Zhao Hao heard this, he stood there in a daze. He knew his mother best and knew that her mother's decision had been made.
"Mother, take care! My son, I say goodbye!"
After a long time, he kowtowed heavily to Empress Dowager Gao and left Chui Gong Hall in despair.
However, he did not see that Queen Mother Gao behind him was also crying and heartbroken.
If Zhao Xu really gains power and reinstates the new law, causing outrage and resentment, she will put national affairs first.
Now that Zhao Xu's performance has exceeded everyone's expectations, she naturally also has to put state affairs first and try her best to avoid chaos in the imperial power.
"The Queen Mother, take care of yourself!"
Liang Weijian on the side advised.
Empress Dowager Gao shook her head and said: "This matter is already the best ending. It is a hundred times better for the Ai family to be cruel today than to have His Majesty take action in the future."
She knew that if she allowed King Yong Zhao Hao to leave the capital, Zhao Hao would be able to live a prosperous and wealthy life. This was the greatest protection a mother could give him.
As the Empress Dowager recovered and returned to the court to listen to politics behind the curtain, Yong Wang Zhao Hao once again set off to leave Bianjing. This time, no one stayed with him.
When Zhao Xu got the news, he couldn't help but smile.
This time, he completely won, and no longer had the threat of threatening the throne. Now he is only one step away from taking charge.
Above the court, the Empress Dowager and Zhao Xu were sitting side by side. They looked the same as before, but in fact they were completely different.
The decrees issued by Zhao Xu to punish rape and eradicate evil and reform government officials were not repealed and no one mentioned them again, as if they had never happened.
However, the attitude of the ministers quietly changed. Previously, when the ministers discussed state affairs, they all faced the Empress Dowager directly, so that Zhao Xu could only see her back.
Now they are all like Su Song, first reporting to Empress Dowager Gao, and then respectfully reporting back to Zhao Xu.
Zhao Xu used his performance to win the respect of everyone in the court.
(End of chapter)
