The imperial power is supreme and the Nine-Fifth Emperor speaks the Constitution of Heaven and follows the laws. Who can be indifferent to the most extreme power in the world?
However, the closer you get to this position, the more you can feel the unparalleled pressure.
The sword has two edges, and things in the world always have pros and cons. The most extreme power also means the greatest pressure. Once you sit in this position, the auras of countless emperors throughout the ages will come to you as if they traveled through time and space, making you trembling. , Walking on thin ice, no one wants to be the most incompetent among the emperors, and always wants to be the best.
When you realize that your abilities are actually not enough to do better, the panic is enough to crush you.
It is impossible for Li Chengqian not to covet the throne. After all, he is the crown prince who has been canonized by Jin Dian since he was a child. Countless great scholars have given him advice and advice. Everyone hopes that he will ascend to a certain position in the future and become a qualified person. The emperor.
However, as time went by, he found more and more that his talents were not qualified for the position of emperor, and his panic and fear made him at a loss what to do.
However, his father's increasingly ambiguous attitude towards supporting the kings of Wei and Jin to participate in the fight for heir apparent pushed him to the brink of collapse.
If he had his heart in mind, he would actually be willing to give up his throne. However, he also understood what would happen if he was deposed as a prince. For himself, his wife and children, he could only grit his teeth and hold on. Stand still, not even half a step back.
There was a time when Li Chengqian almost went crazy. He even wanted to use some extreme means to express an angry protest to his father. Since he appointed me, the eldest son, as the crown prince, why should he depose me again?
Fortunately, Fang Jun's support relieved his pressure. Later, his father led an army to the east and ordered him to supervise the country, which stabilized the shaky reserve position.
On the day that his father passed away, when he heard the cruel and sad news that he had vaguely hoped for in his heart, Li Chengqian burst into tears and was heartbroken, but he also felt a little secretly happy.
This is of course unfaithful, unfilial and rebellious, but I really can’t help it...
For this reason, Li Chengqian blamed himself for a long time, but when the rebels were wiped out and he sat on the throne to guide the country, all his emotions were swept away. What he faced was to restore this slightly damaged country to its original state. , or even go further, otherwise the world will regard him as incompetent.
……
"The news of the land measurement has spread all over the world. Now everyone is in panic. If they can't be comforted, there will be chaos."
"What do you mean by 'everyone is in fear and uneasiness'? In my opinion, only those wealthy and aristocratic families are in fear and uneasiness. What does measuring land use to the common people? They have no land at all!"
"Although the noble families participated in two mutinies before and deserved to be punished for their crimes, they have been punished and taught after all. The world still has to rely on the noble families to maintain it. We can't let ordinary people be officials, right?"
"Suffice it to say that the crime must be punished? The existence of aristocratic families can certainly stabilize the country, but it is also a hidden danger to the unification of the country. The more severely the aristocratic families are suppressed, the more stable the country will be. On the contrary, the more prosperous the aristocratic families are, the more prosperous the country will be. The more internal and external troubles a country faces, the more important it is to suppress wealthy families. Anyone who speaks for a wealthy family has ulterior motives."
"This is wrong. How can national affairs be either this or that? You are going to start a struggle. The 'disaster of the party's control' is still there. Don't go astray and harm the country and the people."
In the political hall, all the prime ministers and ministers were quarreling over the matter of "measuring land acres", especially Liu Jie and Xu Jingzong. They blew their beards, stared, and foamed at the mouth. They had no magnanimity to rule the world, just like market people. They are like peddlers and pawns who have to compare every penny with each other.
But it's no wonder that the traffickers and lackeys refused to give in for a few pennies, and the zaifu doctors argued endlessly over measuring the acres of land. They seemed to be completely different, but in fact they were essentially the same. In the final analysis, they were all for profit.
Looking at it this way, the superior ministers are no different from the traffickers...
Li Chengqian sat in his seat and drank tea leisurely, neither participating in nor stopping the quarrels between the prime ministers and ministers. Fang Jun next to him glanced sideways at Li Jingxuan, the person in charge of recording the meeting minutes, and saw that he was writing. Rufei recorded the words of Xu Jingzong and Liu Jie, and said with a smile: "These words do not need to be recorded."
Li Jingxuan was stunned, stopped writing, and looked at Fang Jun blankly.
His duty is to record the different opinions on various government affairs in the political hall every day, and then organize and archive them, so that they are well documented.
Fang Jun felt that the innocence and cuteness of these famous people in history before they had grown up was interesting. He smiled and said: "Of course, those responsible for recording must be realistic, and everyone's views and ideas must be described in detail, but also If you want to 'keep it taboo', for example, the dispute between Liu Zhongshu and Xu Shangshu, if you record it in detail, they will all be dead in the future. , and then looked through the minutes and found that these two were just as rude as shrews. Would it make people think that we, Renhe, were such bad-tempered and low-quality people, so we only need to record their political opinions? There are occasional nonsense words, which can be deleted as appropriate to save some face for these two people.”
His voice was not loud, but not too quiet. The two people who were arguing could hear clearly, so they quickly closed their mouths and drank tea separately.
It is common to quarrel over political opinions in the court. Officials who have reached this position have their own governing philosophy and are firm-minded. They will not easily be swayed by other people's opinions. When it comes to principles, they will not give in.
However, if some unpleasant words are recorded during the dispute, it will definitely become a scandal and tarnish the reputation.
If you are not a treacherous person, you should always give something decent...
Li Jingxuan was a little ashamed: "Thank you, Duke of Yue, for your suggestion. I was just a low-ranking official."
When Fang Jun saw that the quarrel between Liu Ji and Xu Jingzong had stopped, he smiled and said: "It's just a casual comment. You can just listen to it. After all, you are not in your position and do not fulfill your duties. Since you are responsible for the meeting minutes, you still can't Departing from the principle of seeking truth from facts, for example, measuring acres of land. If someone agrees with the policy of drawing a map of the world, you must record the reasons for the approval. Similarly, if someone opposes it, you must also record the opponents' reasons in detail. When future generations read this record and look for governance ideas, use it as a guide. ”
Liu Jie: "..."
He swallowed, straightened his clothes that were scattered due to the excitement of the quarrel, and sat back upright.
Regarding the measurement of acres, the reason given by the emperor was "to facilitate the drawing of an unprecedentedly accurate imperial map." However, some knowledgeable people believed that it must not be so simple, and the emperor's real purpose must be to target the noble families.
After all, whether it was helping the kings of Wei and Jin compete with Li Chengqian for the throne, or the two mutinies of Guanlong and Jin, the main subjects were the aristocratic families. It is easy to imagine Li Chengqian's disgust for the aristocratic families.
The civil service system is almost the exclusive domain of aristocratic families. People from poor backgrounds may still be able to rely on their bravery in the military to win military exploits and gain a wife and a wife. However, if you want to become an official, it is absolutely impossible for someone without a family background that has collected thousands of books and has been serving as officials for generations. Looking at it, In this world, there was only one person like Ma Zhou who came from a poor family and rose to a high position. Besides Ma Zhou's own ability, luck was also an important factor. It would be difficult for others to copy him.
As the leader of the civilian system, Liu Jie must maintain the interests of the civilian officials. Otherwise, how can he have the prestige to lead the people to compete with the military?
Since the measurement of acres was aimed at the wealthy family, he must object.
But after all, this is for self-interest and against the imperial policy. At the moment, everyone can accept it and take it for granted, but what about ten years from now or a hundred years from now? What is correct today may not remain correct in the future. By then, he will be a villain who "brings disaster to the country and the people"...
Xu Jingzong became more and more energetic. He spoke with righteousness and majesty, and said loudly: "You are all the cowards of the country! You only know that you have a family, but you don't know the country. You abandon the interests of the country for your own selfishness, and you are ashamed to live in secret." I am ashamed to be in a high position and wear purple clothes!”
Then he paused for a moment and looked sideways at Li Jingxuan who seemed to have not written, so he asked curiously: "Why don't you remember it?"
Li Jingxuan was a little embarrassed, but he still listened and said: "Xu Shangshu's words are suspected of slander and slander. Since there is no conclusive evidence, I dare not record it on paper rashly, otherwise it will damage the reputation of others."
Liu Ji said happily: "Young people should be upright and not afraid of power. This is what they should be!"
He found that he was no match for Xu Jingzong in terms of bickering and debating. He was defeated by the other party in almost every quarrel, and he was constantly accused of such things as "party fighting to blame", "partying for personal gain", "selling one's official position to gain title", and "corruption is common". If the crime is recorded in the minutes of the meeting, and if things go on like this, and others don't know the inside story, they are afraid that he will be classified as such a scum, then how can he get it?
Li Jingxuan couldn't help but turn his head and glance at Fang Jun. After all, he knew that Xu Jingzong was just a pawn, while Fang Jun and Liu Jie were the opposing factions in the court. When he saw Fang Jun smiling and nodding slightly, he was immediately relieved.
I am full of admiration and admiration for Fang Jun from the bottom of my heart. Like Fang Jun, he can stick to the bottom line even when facing political opponents, and will not slander, slander or retaliate. Only with this kind of mind can he be worthy of the praise of the first person in the dynasty, and remain silent on the sidelines. , Li Ji, who didn't care, could not help but worry about some things that had nothing to do with him, which was unworthy of being the leader of a prime minister...
Li Chengqian, who had not spoken until now, put down his tea cup and said calmly: "As for the matter of measuring the land, there is no need to argue in the court. I have made up my mind and must do it. According to the previous discussion, Xu Shangshu is fully responsible for this matter. All yamen and everyone from top to bottom must cooperate and not obstruct.”
If you want to secure the throne, clean up the current somewhat broken mountains and rivers, and not slander future generations, then you must implement the New Deal. As the core of the New Deal, measuring land, how can you allow others to obstruct it? Not to mention Liu Jie, even if all civil servants stand up to oppose it, it is still inevitable.