Chapter 4021 Confrontation between monarch and minister
On the early morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, the sky was not yet bright, and the sky was filled with dark clouds that were as heavy as lead. Suddenly, there was thunder, and huge raindrops poured down, and the majestic Chang'an City was shrouded in the rain.
The gate of the square was opened, and the cars were not delayed for a moment due to the heavy rain. When they left the gate, they followed the streets and alleys and converged towards the Tai Chi Palace. When they arrived at the Chengtian Gate, officials in red and purple attires gathered in front of them. He got out of the car and held up an umbrella, not caring about the rain splashing on his shoes and clothes, and hurriedly entered the palace and went straight to Wude Hall.
But when the officials arrived at the courtyard in front of the Wude Hall, they were all dumbfounded.
A court meeting is held every month on the New Year's Day. Officials of a certain rank and above in Beijing and from all states in the world who have important matters to report will attend. The number of people is often hundreds. In the past, the great court meeting was held in the Tai Chi Hall. Even though the Tai Chi Hall was so grand, there were still officials of insufficient rank who needed to stay outside the hall. Now that the Tai Chi Hall was seriously damaged and was being repaired, the court meeting was changed to the Wude Hall. Compared to Taiji Palace is a very small palace that can barely accommodate officials of fourth rank or above. Almost sixty-seven out of ten officials have to wait outside the palace in the rain...
Fortunately, the chamberlain had already built a series of simple sheds against the flower walls and eaves outside the palace before dawn. Fortunately, there was construction everywhere in Tai Chi Palace, and there was no shortage of building materials, so wooden sticks were used as pillars and thin wooden boards as roofs. , barely shielded from the wind and rain.
A group of officials who were all parents of the same place huddled under the shed, cold, hungry, and shivering...
……
The interior of Wude Hall was as warm as spring, with sandalwood burning in the corners. Dozens of high-ranking officials above the third rank were gathered together, rubbing shoulders and heels. Their body odors were mixed and intertwined, making it difficult to breathe. After a while, sweat appeared on the forehead.
Fortunately, such court meetings usually involve His Majesty listening to the memorials of governors from all over the country singing their praises. Occasionally, natural disasters occur that require the court to provide relief, and few specific matters are dealt with. After those court meetings that are necessary, His Majesty will convene ministers to organize separate meetings to study and deal with them in detail, so there is not much time. would be too long.
But there are hundreds of prefectures in the world, and the governors and governors have to go up to the table to explain everything. Especially when His Majesty returns from the Eastern Expedition and the fall of Goguryeo is a great joy, no matter what, he must praise it... In this way, It took three full hours before the court meeting came to an end.
The officials who had nothing to do quickly dispersed and stood under the shed for a long time. Their clothes were still wet from the breeze and rain, and they were shivering with cold. In addition, most of them had not eaten when they got up early. At this moment, they were cold and hungry. They just wanted to He quickly returned home and hugged his sweet and warm concubine, ate and drank enough to get a good night's sleep.
The officials who moved to the side hall to continue the court meeting quickly took the time to go straight to the latrine. It was the first time for the court meeting to be held here in Wude Hall, and there were no corresponding facilities. The toilet was also the place where palace residents used to relieve themselves. There were no single rooms, and more than a dozen elders were there. The policemen untied their belts and stood in a row of water. The scene was extremely spectacular.
It’s just that you are not young anymore, so it is inevitable that someone will get their shoes wet due to the breeze and rain...
Returning to the side hall, everyone knelt down in front of the throne. His Majesty Li Er looked around and got straight to the point: "The cause of King Jing's death has been investigated clearly by the 'Baiqisi'. It was all caused by the right guard who did not distinguish between ourselves and the enemy and sent troops recklessly." As a result, can Duke Yue have anything to say about this? ”
Everyone looked at Fang Jun.
Isn’t anyone present well aware of the cause of Li Yuanjing’s death? Thinking that the East Palace was on the verge of collapse under the fierce attack of Guanlong, they wanted to take advantage of the East Palace's back route, but unexpectedly, the Youtun Guards were invincible. Even with only half of their troops left, they still defended the Xuanwu Gate under the leadership of Gao Kan. , Li Yuanjing and Chai Zhewei lost their armor and were defeated.
Of course, everyone will understand His Majesty Li Er's intention of confusing right and wrong and calling deer a horse. It is probably because he does not want to involve too much. Otherwise, once it is confirmed that Li Yuanjing is complicit in rebellion, we will have to dig deeper. It is very likely that the royal family will be affected by this... …
In the current situation, stability is the top priority and everything is for easy storage.
Fang Jun was calm and composed, nodded and said: "I am the general of Youtun Guard, and I should bear all the responsibilities of Youtun Guard. Although I was far away in the Western Regions fighting against the Dashi army at that time, I will never shirk my responsibility and be willing to accept all punishments. ”
His Majesty Li Er was choked.
Even if Li Yuanjing was really accidentally killed by the Youtun Guards, the Youtun Guards made great contributions to protecting the empire. Fang Jun even led half of the Youtun Guards to fight for thousands of miles, defeating powerful enemies one after another to ensure that the territory was not lost, which can be called Qingqing. How can they be punished with white jade pillars in the sky and purple gold beams across the sea?
What's more, who doesn't know that Li Yuanjing wanted to rebel and was defeated and died?
If I forcibly put the blame on Fang Jun, perhaps no one in the court would dare to speak out, but sympathy for Fang Jun will inevitably grow in their hearts, especially those in the East Palace who will inevitably share the same hatred...
Thinking of this, he paused slightly.
"Ahem..." Liu Ji on the side coughed dryly and said, "In my humble opinion, the Duke of Yue cannot be blamed for this incident. After all, the Duke of Yue led his army in bloody battles and traveled thousands of miles, defeating the invaders one after another. The powerful enemy ensures that not an inch of territory is lost..."
Everyone looked at Liu Ji with amusement. They had never seen that this guy was so good at observing words and flattering people... so they were all waiting for his butt.
Liu Jie was attracted by everyone, his face remained as usual and his expression remained calm, and he continued: "...But His Royal Highness King Jing was a prince. How could he not be given an explanation when he died in the chaos like this? Therefore, Wei Chen suggested that he The Duke of Yue can simply impose punishments, which will not only give an explanation to the world and the royal family, but also prevent the heroes from being disappointed. "
His Majesty Li Er asked: "In your opinion, how should punishment be imposed?"
Liu Jie said: "We can grant the title of Duke of Yue to the Zhu Kingdom, remove the post of General Youtunwei, and appoint him as the Minister of Rites. Someone else will take up the post of General Youtunwei."
All the ministers looked at the monarch and his ministers asking and answering questions without saying a word.
It was obviously a well-researched routine...
But it's not bad to deal with it this way.
Everyone knows that His Majesty Li Er must first cut off the Donggong wings if he wants to change his position. Among the Donggong wings, Fang Jun is the strongest, so it is inevitable that he will bear the brunt. It is almost impossible to retain military power. Since the military power will definitely not be retained, it is the best result to be changed to the Minister of Rites and granted the title of Shangzhu Kingdom.
Although the Ministry of Rites is more pragmatic than pragmatic, it is still the nominal head of the six departments. The Minister of Rites is only one step away from the Prime Minister...
His Majesty Li Er looked at the prince: "What does the prince think of this?"
Li Chengqian shook his head and said respectfully: "Father, Emperor Qiangang can make his own decision, and my sons and ministers have no objections."
His father Yi is determined to become the crown prince. The more he struggles as a prince at this time, the more severe suppression he will incur from his father. It is better to just lie down and let him be manipulated, dispelling his father's vigilance, and possibly triggering his father's anger. Sympathize and feel guilty, so as not to treat the subordinates of the East Palace too harshly.
Seeing that his son was so knowledgeable, His Majesty Li Er was very satisfied, nodded slightly, and then asked: "Do you have any suggestions for the new general of Youtunwei?"
Generally speaking, when officials at the level of Sixteenth-level Minister or Sixteenth General are transferred, the original chief officer's opinion of the successor will be asked. If there is no big deviation, it will be an extremely important reference. However, the transfer of Fang Jun this time is to eliminate the military power of the East Palace and cut off the wings of the East Palace. The person recommended by Fang Jun must have a deep relationship with him and is also a person entrained by the East Palace. How can His Majesty Li Er appoint him?
So let's just go past Fang Jun.
Fang Jun was too lazy to get involved. If his successor was mediocre and incompetent, or shrewd and capable, he was confident that he would be completely eliminated, and Youtunwei would still be under his control.
Xiao Yu, who had been silent until now, said: "Xue Rengui, Sima Xue Rengui of the Anxi Protectorate, is proficient in the art of war and is brave and good at fighting. When the Dashi army invaded the Western Region, he led the army to resist and performed amazingly. He is certainly qualified for the job."
Cen Wenwen also said: "The old minister seconded the suggestion that Xue Rengui is young and powerful, and has made great military achievements. He should be placed in the capital for cultivation, and he will become a pillar of the empire one day."
The other ministers were silent, wondering in their hearts that these two people were going to the East Palace?
The purpose of transferring Fang Jun was to cut off the military power in the East Palace. However, Xue Rengui was brought out by Fang Jun and he obeyed his words. What is the difference between letting Xue Rengui serve as the general of Youtunwei and Fang Jun himself?
This advice will definitely not be accepted.
However, His Majesty Li Er frowned and remained silent...
Liu Jie was also a little depressed.
Even the ministers in the palace could see that it was impossible for His Majesty to appoint Xue Rengui as the general of Youtun Guard. Could it be that Xiao Yu and Cen Wenwen couldn't see that? Obviously, the real intention of picking out a candidate like Xue Rengui, who would never be accepted by His Majesty, is to give His Majesty a comparison - of course it is okay not to approve of Xue Rengui, but the final candidate must be better than Xue Rengui, right?
Otherwise, how can we convince the public?
But here's the problem... Looking at the entire imperial military, who among the younger generation of generals can surpass Xue Rengui in terms of ability and record?
Xiao Yu and Cen Wenwen are not helping the East Palace, they are simply causing trouble for His Majesty...
Sure enough, His Majesty Li Er frowned and remained silent.
There was a slight silence in the hall for a while, and Xiao Yu said again: "Your Majesty, I have recommended Duke Guo for this position. Duke Guo is a meritorious figure of the empire, with great military exploits and profound qualifications. Moreover, he has served as the general of Youtunwei before. They are all his old troops, and they will be able to quickly reorganize military affairs and build the defense of Xuanwu Gate.”
His Majesty Li Er narrowed his eyes and glanced at Xiao Yu. This old guy was simply a poisonous snake, specializing in biting people's vital parts.
Before the Eastern Expedition, Zhang Shigui, the Duke of Guo, had always been the person he trusted most. His level of trust was even higher than that of Cheng Yaojin, Qin Qiong and others. Otherwise, how could he be given the task of guarding the palace? But before the Guanlong mutiny, Zhang Shigui openly opened the Xuanwu Gate to let the prince out of the city, and then defended the Xuanwu Gate to resist the Guanlong army. This made his loyalty to Zhang Shigui waver.
What if Zhang Shigui has completely defected to the East Palace and now appoints him as General Youtunwei? Isn't he waiting for a critical moment to stab him in the back?
But outsiders did not know that Zhang Shigui went against his will. Will rejecting Xiao Yu's advice now make Zhang Shigui become more alienated? And what do those old guys who have always been loyal to themselves think?
Xiao Yu's advice put His Majesty Li Er in a dilemma. You can imagine his anger...(End of Chapter)