Chapter 2986 The King of Benevolence and Righteousness (Part 1)
When Li Chengqian heard this, he hesitated a little and said hesitantly: "This... is not necessary for now? After all, the cause of the fire has not yet been found out. If he rashly seizes military power from a general who is in charge of the army, I am afraid it will be unfair. In case it is found out later. It was indeed an accidental fire, I’m afraid it won’t end well.”
He was still thinking about Princess Baling's previous request to enter the palace, so he didn't want to be so harsh.
Chai Zhewei holds the title of Duke of the country and is one of the sixteen generals, with a very high status. Once Guo seized his power to command the army, it meant that the court's trust in him dropped to an extremely low level, and he was considered to bear the main responsibility in the whole incident. He must be strictly reviewed by the Sanfa Si and Zongzheng Temple afterwards.
Generally speaking, if Guo seizes the military power of a general, it means that he must be dealt with strictly and severely. As long as Chai Zhewei is found to have slightly important dereliction of duty during the review process, he will most likely be punished by being demoted or dismissed.
He believed that Chai Zhewei did need to be punished, but he couldn't bear it if his title was endangered...
Xiao Yu frowned and said in a harsh tone: "Your Highness is generous, which is a blessing to the ministers. However, the country has national laws and the family has family rules. How can the court's laws be slacked? No matter whether the fire in Zuotunwei was intentional or accidental, since has caused shock and tension in Gyeonggi Province, then it must be Conduct thorough investigations and impose severe punishments. At this time, it is most important to stabilize people's hearts. The slightest negligence may lead to the deterioration of the situation. Once it affects the Eastern Expedition, we will be guilty of a big crime! Chai Zhewei is responsible for the fire in Zuotunwei and the earthquake in the capital. ! ”
Ma Zhou echoed: "Not only that, officials from the Ministry of Punishment, Weiwei Temple, and Dali Temple should also be mobilized to jointly station in Zuotunwei to thoroughly investigate the truth about the fire and give an explanation to the court and the people. Otherwise, once rumors spread, people will be affected. Agitate, the consequences are unimaginable.”
Although these words are also refuting Li Chengqian, they are actually thinking about Li Chengqian.
No one believed that Zuotunwei's fire was really an "accidental fire". How could such a coincidence happen in the world? In order to evade the court's inspection, he deliberately set fire to destroy the evidence of the account books. Once this kind of thing spreads, it will give an unparalleled blow to the prestige of the court.
His Majesty Li Er had just left the capital with his personal expedition, and such lawless and evil behavior had occurred. No one would say that Chai Zhewei was so bold that he should be severely punished. They would only mock His Highness the Crown Prince for being weak and lacking in prestige.
And how to establish prestige?
Fear of power is better than kindness.
To treat your ministers with kindness and kindness requires perseverance and perseverance, so that the ministers can feel the character of the king. Killing chickens to scare monkeys is the best way to quickly establish prestige. Catch a chicken and kill it, so that everyone in the world can see your decisiveness in killing. Who dares to be disrespectful and disobedient?
Especially at this time, it is most useful to kill one person to serve as a warning to hundreds.
To a certain extent, Chai Zhewei's intervention at this time is the best time for Li Chengqian to establish his prestige...
Li Chengqian nodded and said: "What you all said makes sense..."
But he glanced at Fang Jun, hoping that Fang Jun would stand up and support him. Chai Zhewei must be punished, but he didn't want to bring this matter to the point of endangering his title.
Fang Jun drooped his eyelids and turned a blind eye to Li Chengqian's look for help.
There is no such thing as perfection in the world. The shortcomings of an honest person in a position of leadership are that he is not ruthless enough and his hands are not strong enough. He is easily entangled and hesitant and difficult to make decisions when encountering problems.
But relatively speaking, the Tang Dynasty now needs such a benevolent monarch to lead the giant ship of the empire to move smoothly on the established route, and everything will fall into place. Rather than another peerless hero like His Majesty Li Er, who is so talented, wise and wise, he can work hard.
Seeing that Fang Jun was not going to help him, Li Chengqian had no choice but to continue: "...In this case, let Chai Zhewei temporarily hand over the military power, enter the city overnight, and stay in the political hall tomorrow to discuss the fire at Zuotunwei."
"Your Highness is wise!"
"This is very good. Chai Zhewei has no rules and discipline. He should be punished in the name of the court. He should avoid past mistakes and warn the courtiers not to make the same mistakes again."
All the ministers in the East Palace agreed one after another.
Seeing that the overall situation had been decided, Li Chengqian had no choice but to admit it, and said to Li Junxian who was silent on the side: "I would like to trouble General Li to go there personally and escort Chai Zhewei into the city, but he must stabilize the situation of Zuotunwei. There is no need to change anything. After entering the city, there is no need to put him in prison. For now, let him go back to his residence and go to the political hall to defend himself. "
Everyone approved of this treatment.
After all, he is the Duke of the country, the commander-in-chief of an army, and a relative of the emperor, so he still has to have the necessary dignity. If he were thrown directly into jail without asking any questions, it would not only severely weaken Chai Zhewei's prestige, but also make the court look mean and unkind.
In any case, Zuo Tunwei's fire has caused chaos and arrogance inside and outside Chang'an. The martial law tonight cannot be cancelled, and everyone's actions must be restrained to ensure that nothing happens. After tomorrow's political meeting, we will discuss whether to lift martial law and return to normal.
After discussing various possibilities for a while, the ministers left one after another.
Li Chengqian left Fang Jun behind, but did not stay in the main hall. Instead, he walked out of the back hall and walked a short distance to an attic near the water.
I don’t know when fine raindrops started to fall from the sky again. The air was damp and cold, which made me feel refreshed.
There are no carved beams or luxurious furnishings in the attic, it is just a simple place. The mahogany floor is clean and shiny, and the nanmu beams and columns do not have any complicated or gorgeous patterns, but the natural wood texture reveals the original and natural comfort.
The two of them entered the attic one after another, and the slender little palace maid came forward with hot water to help them wash their faces and hands.
After the two of them knelt down on the floor mat in front of the window, a palace maid lit a wisp of sandalwood, placed several plates of exquisite dishes and a vat of white porridge on the coffee table, and then quietly left.
Li Chengqian said: "I haven't eaten enough for dinner and I'm a little hungry. Let's take a bite to fill our stomachs."
Picking up the chopsticks, he said to Fang Jun: "I'm a little bored. Open the window."
"No."
Fang Jun stood up and opened the window. The breeze carried a few drops of rain on his face, refreshing and refreshing. A pool of water outside the attic was illuminated by a lantern hanging under the eaves. The water surface was flooded with fine raindrops. Ripples rise layer by layer.
I went back to the coffee table and sat down. I served myself a bowl of white porridge, put in a green pickled cucumber, took a sip of the porridge and a bite of the cucumber, which made me feel very appetizing.
Li Chengqian picked up a piece of vinegar and parsley with chopsticks and put it into his mouth, and said with a smile: "I used to like big fish and big meat, and I couldn't get enough of fine meats or fine meats. But in the past two years, after seeing those delicacies, I have lost my appetite. On the contrary, I like these lighter side dishes, and I have lost some fat on my body, and I have more energy on weekdays. If I get up early in the morning and exercise my muscles, I will be more energetic throughout the day. ”
Fang Jun took a sip of the porridge, nodded and said, "You should really pay attention to your health. Your Highness sees those Taoist priests and monks who hardly eat meat and go to the deep mountains and forests to cultivate themselves and live a long life. Don't do it because of temporary appetites. , making the body bear too much burden and having enough energy to do more things. ”
Chatting casually, every moment, a few plates of side dishes and a jar of white porridge were divided between the two.
The palace maid removed the dishes and made a pot of fragrant tea to serve.
Fang Jun waved his hand to repel the palace maid, washed the tea cup with his own hands, poured tea into the cup, took a sip, and asked: "What do you have to say, Your Highness?"
Li Chengqian held the tea cup in his hand, but did not drink it. He frowned and said: "Tomorrow's political affairs hall meeting, do you think it will endanger Chai Zhewei's title?"
Fang Jun was speechless, are you still worried about this?
It is a good thing to be kindhearted, but it is not advisable to be indecisive...
After thinking for a while, he said: "When Wei Chen was ordered to establish the Jingzhao Mansion and served as Jing Zhao Yin, he once hung a painting in the duty room. After hearing this, His Majesty specially praised Wei Chen."
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Li Chengqian said: "Gong produces enlightenment, and integrity produces prestige?"
Fang Jun nodded and said: "Exactly. The officials do not fear my strictness but fear my integrity. The people do not obey my ability but obey my father. If I am honest, the officials will not dare to be arrogant, and if I am honest, the people will not dare to bully. The governor of a government is as good as the governor of a government. The crown prince of a country is actually not much different. What he upholds is prestige. "
Li Chengqian shook his head and smiled bitterly, took a sip of tea, and said with emotion: "I am not a fool, so how can I not understand the truth? I know how to establish authority, and make everyone in the government and the public sigh that the prince is a decisive person who kills and rewards and punish. A clear person. But... I don’t want to be like that.”(End of Chapter)