Wen Junshi looked at Wang Wenchuan, his eyes slightly narrowed, obviously full of suspicion.
"Prime Minister, the plan for this new law seems to have changed a lot compared to the previous one."
Wang Wenchuan, played by Chu Ge, nodded sincerely: "Yes, Wen Jianyi. During this period of time, I thought about it and finally revised the plan for the new law."
Wen Junshi: "Why?"
He can be said to be Wang Wenchuan's confidant. Even Wang Wenchuan is as stubborn as himself and is almost impossible to be persuaded.
Wen Junshi actually wrote several letters to Wang Wenchuan before, hoping that he would give up the reforms that were "harming the country and the people" and return from his lost ways.
But Wang Wenchuan also wrote a "reply and remonstrance", comprehensively refuting his views and firmly stating that he must advance the new law at all costs.
Who would have thought it would change so quickly.
So Wen Junshi's first reaction was not joy, but confusion, and then he wondered if there was any misunderstanding.
Chu Ge sighed softly and put on an expression of concern for the country and the people: "Wen Jianyi, I have thought about it for a long time, and I think what you said is indeed very reasonable. The reform issue is related to the destiny of our country, and it should indeed be Think carefully and don't act rashly.
"So, I decided to put some of the more controversial laws on hold."
Wen Junshi carefully looked at the somewhat unfamiliar Wang Wenchuan, and Chu Ge also gave him very positive feedback with his superb actor-level acting skills.
The degree of this is indeed difficult to grasp.
Because Chu Ge can't act too fake directly. If he immediately turns into a mediocre person who has no independent opinions and follows the crowd, it will be completely inconsistent with Wang Wenchuan's original image.
Therefore, at this time, Wang Wenchuan still maintained the same stubborn character as before, and when he talked about the plan to change the new law, he still had very deep regret in his tone.
But on the other hand, it also showed a compulsion to compromise, as if this was a concession finally made after a difficult battle between heaven and man.
Finally, Wen Junshi showed some approval on his face and nodded slightly: "Wang Xiang, you have really made some progress if you can figure this out.
"But I still want to say that reform is harmful to the country and the people. I still hope you can think more carefully and give up all your plans.
"If you shelve it temporarily, you should never implement it again in the future; if you plan to implement it this time, please give up decisively."
Chu Ge couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth slightly, thinking, good guy, are you trying too hard?
My current plan has already made a lot of concessions. For the original Wang Wenchuan, it was simply impossible.
If you give in again, no matter how good your acting skills are, you won't be able to save him. Wang Wenchuan's character will collapse in an instant.
As a result, Wen Junshi was not satisfied yet.
Well, that's to be expected.
If Wenjunshi can compromise, then he is not Wenjunshi. Chu Ge had to wonder if a demon possessed him.
Thinking of this, Chu Ge immediately made a serious face: "Wen Jianyi, I have said many times that reform is imperative!
"You must not regard this plan as a concession or compromise. No matter how you view it, the reform must continue!"
Seeing that the two of them were about to start arguing in the court hall again, the emperor said in a deep voice: "Okay! Prime Minister, Wen Jianyi, you two should stop for now. I told you that this court meeting is not about whether to implement or not. The problem with the new law is the specific plan of the new law!
"Everyone of you, gentlemen, please express your opinions."
After suppressing Wang Wenchuan and Wen Junshi, the emperor looked at the other officials.
Soon, officials from the old party and the new party began to explain their own views.
If it had been before, the two sides must have been clearly divided and had the same potential.
The new party must be in full support of the new law, while the old party is completely opposed to it.
But this time, things have changed.
Most of the new party followed Wang Wenchuan's lead. Although they found that many key measures such as the Green Seed Law were missing, they were unable to question their own people and still fully agreed.
The situation in the old party was different.
It turned out that some officials of the old party were no longer completely opposed, but had some loosening of tone.
"Officials, I believe that although this new law is still harmful to the people, it has been greatly improved compared to before."
"The new exemption law has a love for the people, which shows that the king knows that mistakes can be corrected and good things can never be done. Of course, no matter what, I still do not agree with the new law."
Although these old party ministers are still relatively rigid, some of them have loosened their attitudes.
This is because the compositions of the old and new parties are completely different.
In the new party, except for a few who, like Wang Wenchuan, are reformists who hope to make the country prosperous and strong through reforms, there are also a large number of people who are outright opportunists.
These opportunists hope that through the new law, they will have a prosperous official career and be promoted faster.
They planted huge hidden dangers for the new law. In real history, a few of them cheated Wang Wenchuan miserably.
But the advantage of these opportunists is that, at least on the surface, they are of the same mind as Wang Wenchuan.
At most, they would chant crooked scriptures when they got to the local level, or go against the rules, but in the court, they would never say "no" to Wang Wenchuan's plan.
But the composition of the old party is much more complicated.
Among them were absolute ideological conservatives like Wen Junshi, and bureaucrats whose interests were highly tied to the landlords, but there were also some officials who were not opposed to reform but opposed Wang Wenchuan's plan.
And these officials who are not opposed to reform and Wang Wenchuan's plan are a powerful force that cannot be ignored in the old party.
For example, some people have proposed before that the draft exemption law should be implemented, but money should be collected from the rich instead of the poor.
Chu Ge made some adjustments to the content of Wang Wenchuan's reform, which objectively had the effect of winning the support of this group of people.
Therefore, the atmosphere in the court at this time has obviously changed compared to before.
The old party officials looked at each other. Obviously, many of them were worried about this.
The change in wind direction made them worried.
However, Wang Wenchuan temporarily decided not to implement the Young Crops Law and the Market Change Law. After these two most criticized and most easily targeted laws were removed, the old party's direction of attacking the new law was undoubtedly severely restricted.
But soon, they found a new direction.
An old party official said as if he had discovered a new world: "Officials, this official system of laws is definitely not feasible!"
A long speech, stating the pros and cons.
In fact, these officials opposed the official system law for two reasons. One is that the official system law can play a role in eliminating redundant officials, which is a harm to the interests of these officials. The second is that the imperial power is further strengthened, which makes Some important ministers were dissatisfied.
These die-hard members of the old party obviously hope to use the official system law as an entry point to continue their fierce attack on the new law.
However, before the official finished speaking, he saw the emperor's face darken.
"The official system law is a plan that Wang Qing and I have carefully considered. It is imperative and does not require discussion!"
The official was stunned.
He originally wanted to find a breakthrough, but unexpectedly, he kicked the iron plate inexplicably?
The emperor's attitude was so resolute, which greatly exceeded many people's expectations.
But this did not stop the topic. Instead, it made more old party officials pay attention to this issue.
Originally, the official system law was mixed with other new law plans, and many officials subconsciously ignored it, or even after reading it, they did not realize its true meaning.
The emperor's reaction at this time actually served as a reminder.
Soon, opposition voices arose one after another!
Even Wen Junshi expressed his dissent.
"Officials, there is no need for such official laws. The sage said that the Holy Emperor governs from the top of the arch, and some minor matters are handled by the superiors. Why do the officials need to do it themselves?"
Unknowingly, the focus of the debate among the courts has shifted from the proposal of new laws such as the exemption law to the official law.
And the emperor's face became more and more ugly.
Throughout the process, almost all officials from the old party spoke, while officials from the new party remained silent.
Of course Wang Wenchuan, played by Chu Ge, cannot speak, and the situation at this time is exactly the effect he wants.
Although there are many other officials of the New Party who are dissatisfied with the official system law, but again, whether they are reformists or opportunists in the New Party, they basically follow Wang Wenchuan's lead and will not openly undermine them on such occasions.
Chu Ge secretly observed the emperor's reaction and knew that this time the matter was more than half successful.
The emperor's hatred for these old party officials is obviously increasing!
All I had to do was take a small notebook and write down all these old party officials who had spoken.
This was obviously due to Chu Ge's previous deception.
The emperor was determined to take back the imperial power. At this time, even the prime minister Wang Wenchuan had taken the initiative to hand over power, but these old party officials were stubborn?
Especially Wen Junshi, what does "the Holy Emperor rule by leaning down the arch"? What does "the prime minister do some small things for you"?
Is this something trivial?
The emperor has long been unhappy with this situation. He has always had ambitions in his heart, but every time he wanted to do something, there was always a prime minister standing in front of him.
It's like a young man who is just starting out. Every time he wants to start a vigorous business, there is always an elder who comes out to tell him what to do.
Maybe this elder is doing it for his own good, but in his own opinion, regardless of success or failure, he will definitely continue to accumulate hatred for this elder, and even hate it to the point of death.
The emperor's face was ashen. Facing the group of old party officials led by Wen Junshi who attacked, he did not get angry or hurriedly refute. Instead, he silently wrote down the names of these people and said This further confirmed Wang Wenchuan's statement in his mind.
Before, he would have been helpless and furious. Facing the monolithic civil service group, there is no good solution at all.
But now, he already has an idea in mind.
As long as you rely on Wang Wenchuan, these people have nothing to worry about!
Sure enough, only Wang Qing is the one who understands me best. These old parties all talk about the methods of their ancestors, but in fact they still want me to be an emperor who "rules from the top" and doesn't care about anything. Let them In the future, he will be a leader and do whatever he wants...
"Today's discussion will come here first. Dismiss the court!"
After a dispute, the emperor walked away.
Wen Junshi looked at the emperor and frowned slightly.
As the leader of the old party, his political sense was not bad, and he had keenly sensed something was wrong in the emperor's reaction.
But at this time, after all, like Wang Wenchuan, he was only in his early forties, and he had not yet reached the point where "you are a thief if you are too old to die".
What's more, Chu Ge's gameplay actually uses theoretical support hundreds of years later, and it is impossible for Wen Junshi to come back to it in the short term.
…
The fog in front of me gradually gathered and dispersed.
Wang Wenchuan, played by Chu Ge, returned to the political hall again.
But the difference from before was that in front of him there was no longer a mountain of memorials from ministers to impeach him, but a lot of good news that made the corners of his mouth curl up slightly.
Under the emperor's strong push, the new law was implemented vigorously and vigorously.
Many people in the old party in the government have been impeached, including those who have substantiated the scandal, as well as baseless attacks, and even those who want to accuse them of crimes without excuses.
In history, there were old party officials who were impeached by the imperial censor because of a few poems. In the Qi Dynasty, although the Literary Prison was not as terrifying as it was later, there were still many civil servants convicted for their words.
In real history, although Wang Wenchuan had different political views with these old party officials, he also said a key sentence at a critical moment: "Is it okay to kill talented people in a prosperous age?"
This sentence obviously played a big role. Many impeached officials of the old party were only demoted in the end and did not suffer particularly severe retaliation.
This shows that Wang Wenchuan himself is still a person who adheres to principles. He does not use such despicable means to attack political opponents, and even speaks justice for political opponents in turn. Even if these people are opponents of the reform.
But since Chu Ge is determined to be a traitor, of course he will not do such a dignified thing.
With the stroke of a pen, all these old party officials will be dealt with severely and severely!
Those who can be beheaded will never be exiled; those who can be exiled will never be demoted to Lingnan; those who can be demoted to Lingnan will never be demoted to economically developed areas.
A fierce party struggle, driven by Chu Ge's determination, soon swept through the Qi Dynasty's court.
Party strife is obviously extremely harmful to a country.
Because this means that from now on, the two sides will continue to attack each other, and they will attack people and things.
But Chu Ge didn't care at all.
On the one hand, it is because he knows that in history, although Wang Wenchuan has always been very tolerant to old party officials and has always avoided party strife, after his death, party strife spread quickly and would not happen because of his kind thoughts. Change; on the other hand, it is because hesitant party struggle is more harmful.
Because the officials of the old party will not appreciate it. They will not think that Wang Wenchuan is magnanimous and open to them. They will only remember Wang Wenchuan's suppression of them.
As a result, the hatred between the two sides continued to escalate, but neither side was able to completely eliminate the other side. The party struggle will continue endlessly until the demise of the Qi Dynasty.
But what if one of the parties is directly withdrawn from the stage of history through extremely cruel party struggle?
Then there will be no more partisanship, because it will become a matter of one voice.
Although this may cause the entire country to slide into the abyss at a faster speed, it does avoid the harm of internal friction caused by party strife.
In short, if you bet correctly, your life will be greatly extended; if you bet wrong, you will die suddenly on the spot.
The severe attack on the old party naturally triggered a strong counterattack by the old party.
But these counterattacks were quickly suppressed.
Because Chu Ge was fully prepared.
First of all, he won the emperor's absolute support, especially by adding the official system law to the content of the reform, and by actively handing over part of the prime minister's power, the emperor trusted him more and became more disgusted with Wen Junshi and other old parties;
Secondly, the adoption of the new law caused divisions within the old party, and some neutral factions emerged, which failed to unite to deal with the crisis immediately;
Thirdly, Wang Wenchuan, played by Chu Ge, showed some tolerance, compromise and concession without ruining his character. This made many members of the old party think that Wang Wenchuan had the possibility of compromise, making them become careless, let alone Thinking that Wang Wenchuan, who is so courageous, would be so unscrupulous;
In the end, Chu Ge firmly grasped two institutions, namely Wudesi and Yushitai.
Wudesi continuously provided him with dirty information about officials, and Yushitai impeached these officials. Finally, the emperor was furious and dealt with these officials severely.
Among them, there are also some New Party officials who are particularly corrupt and bend the law.
During the entire process, Wang Wenchuan did not need to do it himself at all.
In history, Wang Wenchuan also carried out drastic purges in order to better implement the reform. For example, driving the elders of the old party to their respective places, promoting officials who support them in the Yushitai, etc.
But these methods are too obvious and not subtle enough. People can tell at a glance that this is what Wang Wenchuan did.
Of course, this may also be because Wang Wenchuan's character adheres to the principle of one person doing things and one person taking responsibility, and he doesn't bother to engage in conspiracies at all.
But what Chu Ge did at this time was to completely hide himself.
On the surface, it was Wude Si who dug up dirt on officials, Yushitai was the one who impeached officials, and it was the emperor who ultimately made the final decision to be dealt with harshly.
In this process, many new party members were also affected.
On the one hand, it was because Chu Ge wanted to make a gesture that would make people think that he was not the mastermind behind the scenes. On the other hand, it was also to get rid of the particularly deceitful speculators in the new party that he knew, leaving behind relatively obedient and relatively productive people. capable.
For wily members of the old party like Wen Junshi, this level of cover-up will certainly not have much effect, but for some centrists or officials with less political wisdom, it is very confusing. .
In this way, even if some senior officials in the old party realize the danger and want to fight back, there is no room for them to fight back.
However, Chu Ge did not feel complacent because he knew very well that he still had a long way to go before becoming a qualified traitor.
…
[From the Battle of Uuzhu: 5 years]
The fog in front of my eyes dissipated again, and in the blink of an eye, five years had passed.
So far, Chu Ge’s first phase plan can be said to be proceeding smoothly.
After sparing no effort and using any means to suppress dissidents, the old party in the government has been dealt with to pieces.
"Sure enough, it is still difficult to completely turn the imperial court into one's own and kill all the old parties within five years."
Chu Ge still felt a little regretful.
The environment of the Qi Dynasty was still tolerant to scholars. Although Chu Ge had been using all means to eliminate political opponents, it was still difficult to eliminate them completely.
Of course, those little people in the old party can be easily dealt with, but for important ministers like Wen Junshi, there is no good way.
On the one hand, these people are very vigilant and will not be caught with obvious reasons. On the other hand, they are also important in the emperor's mind.
The emperor didn't want to kill them, nor did he want to demote them to a barren land like Lingnan, so Chu Ge was naturally helpless.
At most, Wen Junshi was driven away from the court to repair books, but these senior officials of the old party could still write letters to the emperor and still had a certain influence on the emperor.
It is impossible to completely kill them all, and Chu Ge is about to prepare for the next stage of challenge.
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
I’m back from the confinement center, and there will be more updates starting from tomorrow.
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