Chapter 4305: Unrest in officialdom
Throughout the Zhenguan Dynasty, although His Majesty Li Er was very talented and decisive in killing, he was as broad-minded as the sea and could tolerate hundreds of rivers. His tolerance for his ministers, as long as it did not violate principle issues such as treason, was nothing more than serious. He was dismissed from the capital and demoted, and ordinary censors did not care at all about the impeachment of officials.
In the view of His Majesty Li Er, there are only a few saints after all, and ordinary people cannot be held to the standards of saints. It is human nature for officials to be a little greedy and lazy. Is that a problem?
Therefore, the officialdom of the Zhenguan Dynasty was extremely relaxed. Everyone was tit-for-tat in the court, and after the court, they often hugged each other and drank and had fun.
Most officials experienced the wars in the late Sui Dynasty and knew that the current prosperity and stability were hard-won. Therefore, even if violations of law and discipline could never be eradicated, they generally had restraints on doing bad things and would not easily break the bottom line.
The emperor is tolerant, his ministers behave according to the rules, and the whole court is naturally harmonious. Officials are rarely demoted due to fault. Most of them will return to their hometowns when they are old enough to have grandchildren.
Therefore, as soon as Liu Xiangdaofu took office, he was sharpening his sword and intending to go to war, which some officials in the imperial court could not accept.
Since you, Liu Xiangdao, want to use us as your stepping stone when you take office, then don’t blame us for attacking first...
……
Liu Xiangdao was born in the Liu family of Guangping. His father, Liu Linfu, was in charge of secrets in the early years of Wude and was famous for his talents. He cooperated with Zhongshu Ling Xiao Yu and others in writing laws and regulations, and wrote more than ten thousand words in "Lv Yi". After much merit, he was promoted to the Minister of Zhongshu and was given the title of male from Leping County. In the early years of Zhenguan, he moved to the Ministry of Officials to serve as minister. Before his death in the third year of Zhenguan, he still recommended virtuous people and was commended by His Majesty Li Er.
Liu Xiangdao entered the official position and inherited his father's title. During the reign of Emperor Taizong, he served as a minister of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and later served as a minister in the Ministry of Civil Affairs. He was always known for his tough style and unreasonableness. He was not popular and was slandered a lot.
This time, he suddenly gained the emperor's favor and ascended to a high position to take charge of the Yushitai. He was grateful for the emperor's favor and vowed to serve him wholeheartedly, share the emperor's worries, and clean up the officials. After receiving the emperor's hint, he did not hesitate and was ready to fight, but he was the first to encounter The ministers reacted against him, and the imperial study room of Wude Palace was almost filled with memorials to impeach him.
Even though he knew that these impeachments would not shake the emperor's trust in him at this stage, according to the rules, he still had to go to the palace to plead guilty and prove his innocence.
Liu Xiangdao, who was just fifty years old, was thin, with a pale face, and was meticulously dressed. Under the guidance of the chamberlain, he entered the Chengtian Gate and went straight to the Wude Hall. In the imperial study room, he saw Li Chengqian after the imperial case, and also saw the desk and the imperial court. Memorials half as tall as a person were piled up on the side...
"I have an audience with Your Majesty."
"Nan Si, there is no need to be polite. Please take a seat." Li Chengqian's voice was low and soft, which sounded very comfortable, without much domineering power.
"Nansi" was another name for Yushitai during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. It could also be called Yushitai's boss, Yushi Zhongcheng...
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Liu Xiangdao felt relieved and sat on the chair by the window, but he didn't dare to sit down fully, only touching half of his buttocks. He put his hands on his knees, leaned his upper body slightly forward, his expression was respectful, and his eyes fell on the emperor's chest. Don't dare to look straight.
Although I knew that His Majesty promoted him for great use and would not blame him for impeachment, I still felt at ease when I saw Li Chengqian's fat and kind face and listened to his soft and pleasant voice.
The waiter served him tea inside and then retreated outside the door.
Li Chengqian picked up the tea cup and took a sip. After putting down the tea cup, he pointed at the bookcase and the memorial on one side and said with a smile: "Look, you have made it through a hornet's nest. There are officials in the three provinces, six ministries, nine temples, and almost all the yamen in the central government." Write a letter to impeach you, Either he is stubborn and refuses to correct his mistakes, or he is corrupt, accepts bribes and favors others, or he accumulates property and annexes property, or he is narrow-minded and retaliates... If I hadn't known you well, I would have thought that you are a heinous traitor. "< br>
Liu Xiangdao was frightened and stood up and said: "Your Majesty has learned clearly that although I dare not claim to be incorruptible, fair and selfless, I will never trample on the bottom line of being an official or a human being."
Li Chengqian waved his hand and said disapprovingly: "Sit down. As the saying goes, don't use doubters and trust others. Since I have enabled Aiqing, I have absolute trust in Aiqing's character and integrity. A little slander from others cannot interfere with me."< br>
He is the emperor and must stand firm. How can the ministers who have just been appointed be dismissed because of a wave of impeachment?
Not to mention that most of these impeachments are based on rumors and have no basis. As long as they do not involve unforgivable issues of principle, he will turn a blind eye and say nothing...
Otherwise, who would be willing to work for him wholeheartedly?
Liu Xiangdao burst into tears with gratitude: "Your Majesty has great trust, and I will deeply appreciate it."
Li Chengqian asked him to sit down and sighed: "My dear, don't blame me for not punishing me even though I know that most of these memorials are slander. My character is a bit soft, and I also know that it is not easy for my ministers to be officials. I can't bear to do it because of some small things." If you make a mistake, you will be held accountable. In the final analysis, you still have insufficient prestige, and no one dares to disobey him as the late emperor did."
Liu Xiangdao suddenly became excited, patted his chest, stood up again, bowed his hands to the ground, and said loudly: "Your Majesty is so kind, it is a blessing to the whole world! I am willing to be your Majesty's eagle and dog, clean up the officials, severely punish the lawless, establish your Majesty's prestige, and lay the foundation for a prosperous future. The cornerstone, no matter how hard you work, you will never fall into this ambition!”
He knew Li Chengqian's purpose, wasn't he to take charge of the Yushitai and kill the people in the court who were "remembering the late emperor" and "offending Yan Zhijian"?
If the king meets his ministers as a nobleman of the country, then the minister will repay him as a nobleman of the country!
Sitting in the position of Censor Zhongcheng, enjoying the high official salary and rising to the top, he will naturally have to pay a corresponding price. He does not care whether political enemies will be all over the government and the public, because the emperor is a kind person and will never do anything to kill the donkey.
As long as the emperor can remember his heroic contribution to the battle for him, what's the problem if the whole world is his enemy?
Li Chengqian was also moved. How could he not know that if Liu Xiangdao acted according to his wishes, the consequences would be enemies of both the government and the public, and a slight mistake would lead to a bad end?
Knowing that there are tigers in the mountains, I prefer to travel to the Tiger Mountains. If I am so loyal, courageous, and fearless, I must treat myself favorably...
He stood up, stepped forward and stretched out his hands to hold Liu Xiangdao's shoulders to lift him up, and then patted him hard: "I have just ascended the throne, and I have great ambitions to reform the shortcomings of the government. However, the foundation of government lies in the administration of officials, and love. As long as you are in charge of the Yushitai, you can be honest and selfless, and you can do things boldly and boldly. Even if it rains and winds sometimes, I will protect you from the wind and rain!"
……
The next day, Political Affairs Hall.
It has been raining for the past two days, and all the prime ministers and officials involved in political affairs gathered together in the hall. The tea in the cups was steaming and the fragrance was thick. The rain was gurgling under the eaves outside the window, and dripping in the water tank under the window. A soft ding-dong-dong sound.
"Your Majesty felt a little unwell when he got up in the morning. After diagnosis and treatment, the imperial doctor said that he had accidentally caught wind and cold. He has taken medicine and has stopped. He will not come to observe the government today." Li Ji, who was sitting in the main seat, took a sip of tea and slowly explained. The reason for His Majesty's delay in arriving.
When the rest of the people in the hall heard this, they suddenly felt as if they were punched in the air...
In the past two days, Liu Xiangdao took charge of the Yushitai, and mobilized the Yushi to review the files. He dug out all the files on reports, reports, visits, and complaints against imperial officials in the past few years, classified them into categories, summarized them, and then wrote them one by one. The official letter was delivered from the Yushitai, and flew to various government offices in the three provinces, six departments, and nine temples. Dozens of officials received the official letter, requiring them to take the initiative to explain the problem at the specified time and place.
Up and down the government and the public, the sky is filled with excitement.
The struggle for interests is an eternal melody, so the official struggle that represents the highest interests is the most cruel. In any peaceful year, invisible gunpowder smoke is always floating in the court. You sue me today, I will sue you tomorrow, if you catch me with conclusive evidence, I will fabricate your perjury... Even if it is not life and death, the difference between victory and defeat is very dangerous.
Anyone who has been in the officialdom for more than three years will not be able to distinguish between true and false guilt.
In the past, perhaps due to lack of evidence, perhaps because stability was the overall goal, or perhaps because the competition for power always reversed, many evidences, letters, and official documents of each other's reports and accusations were stranded at the Yushitai. Over time, everyone began to think of this. Forgot.
Now Liu Xiangdao, a lunatic, once he had the power, he carried out the orders and started to investigate them one by one, regardless of whether they were true or false...
Who can bear this?
Everyone also vaguely understood that Liu Xiangdao was now the sword in His Majesty's hands. Anyone who disobeyed and was not loyal to the emperor would be knocked to the ground and kicked out of the court. On one side, Liu Xiangdao was holding a knife and shouting to kill, while on the other side, he was constantly pushing young officials to rush into the center. They seemed to have inconspicuous positions, but in fact they were all in important positions.
Under the coercion and inducement, many people were afraid and came to Liu Jie and others, hoping to persuade His Majesty to stop the war, let everyone go, and no longer dare to go towards Qin Muchu half-heartedly...
I had made an appointment to advise His Majesty at the Political Affairs Hall today, but unexpectedly His Majesty seemed to have foresight and actually avoided seeing me.
What should I do?
Liu Ji raised his eyebrows and looked at Liu Xiang who was sitting upright and said: "Liu Nansi, as far as I know, you have ordered the imperial censor to issue many official letters in the past two days to investigate the past prosecution cases of officials. However, those cases have been too long. There is no need to trace back, or it is purely a false accusation without any evidence. Such a big fanfare will cause people to panic, especially under the current tense situation, which will do more harm than good. "
The Yushitai has always been his foundation, but now that Liu Xiangdao has taken over the Yushitai, not only does he not listen to his words, but he also cleans out dissidents. In just two days, several former subordinates have been sent to idle positions, which makes his own party members Complaints are endless.
It was even heard that Liu Xiangdao was going to launch an internal self-examination, which made the internal discussion in the Yushitai even more serious and made him sleepless at night... If the Yushitai was completely controlled by Liu Xiangdao, how could Liu Jie accept it?
(End of chapter)