Chapter 4794: Struggle of Interests
As Zhongshu Ling, the current prime minister, and the de facto head of the civil service, Liu Jie naturally represented the entire Tang Dynasty bureaucracy. How could he not be shocked or angry when he encountered such an official who was willing to destroy the entire system regardless of his intentions? ?
No matter what he thinks in his heart, he must show a desperate attitude to make His Majesty take action. Otherwise, if this matter is really implemented in the world, then his Zhongshu Ling will lose the support of all civil servants. Even if His Majesty does not remove him, it will only exist in name only.
He turned to look at Li Chengqian and saw that Li Chengqian was silent after the case. He suddenly felt cold. He took off his turban, knelt down on the ground, and cried sadly: "Your Majesty clearly knows that in ancient times, reforms not only need to consider whether the new deal is reasonable, but also whether it is reasonable. What matters is whether it is timely, If it is not timely, even the best new policy will suddenly increase chaos and even shake the foundation of the country. I would like to ask your majesty to review and discuss this policy. It will be trialled in Jingzhao Prefecture for the time being and must not be rashly implemented throughout the country. ”
It can be seen that His Majesty is already tempted by this political achievement. For an emperor who is obsessed with flaunting Taizong, sticking to the old rules can only be followed by others, and only by pursuing innovation and change can he achieve transcendence.
If we continue to vigorously oppose the implementation of this policy, it will easily anger His Majesty and lead to the promulgation and implementation of the edict.
Then we can only settle for the next best thing. This policy is limited to the Jingzhao Prefecture on a trial basis, giving officials around the world a buffer time. This is the best condition that he, a civilian leader, can strive for...
Sure enough, Li Chengqian thought for a moment and nodded in agreement: "Zhongshu Ling's words are very appropriate for the country's long-term development. No policy should be implemented rashly just because of temporary benefits. It will be tried out under the jurisdiction of Jingzhao Mansion, and the pros and cons will be tested during the period. Promote the advantages and improve the disadvantages.”
The hearts of the civil servants sank. Even if they found shortcomings, they would only improve them rather than abolish them. This shows that His Majesty's attitude is firm. It seems that this policy is about to become a permanent rule.
Everyone couldn't help but look at Ma Zhou, who stood upright and had a resolute face. They were filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred. Although this policy offended almost all officials and subordinates in the world, just the fact that it was famous in history was enough to make people want to do it. Pay any price...
Li Chengqian continued: "Sun Chuyue is upright and has outstanding talents. He can serve as the censor and assist the Jingzhao Mansion in supervising the implementation of the 'one-stop' office. If there is any violation of laws or regulations or obstruction, he can write to the censor to speak out the pros and cons." Gains and losses.”
The ministers were in an uproar and looked at Sun Chuyue with envy. This boy soared into the sky and actually had the qualification to directly submit a letter to the Royal Study...
Sun Chuyue shuddered excitedly, but managed to calm down, and bowed his head to the ground: "I obey the order!"
Liu Xiangdao sighed without trace. It was obvious that His Majesty was dissatisfied with his behavior of staying out of the matter and allowing civilian officials to impeach and criticize Ma Zhou. Judging from the promotion of Sun Chuyue, it was both a slap and a warning...
*****
Academy.
Xu Jingzong, who had just returned to Chang'an from Henan, and Fang Jun had lunch together.
After taking a sip of wine, Xu Jingzong put down his glass, stroked his beard, and sighed: "It's too late. If I had known about the 'one-stop' office earlier, I would have supported Ma Yiyi no matter what. This would be enough to make him famous forever." Achievements! ”
Everyone can see the advantages of this policy. It can be said to be a groundbreaking move that completely shattered the old government operating system and re-established a governance benchmark on the ruins. Such political achievements are destined to be famous throughout the ages. Ma Zhou is so lucky.
Fang Jun took a bite of the side dish, chewed it and said with a smile: "The biggest problem for you is greed. If you can control your desires, you may be able to go further. Presiding over the measurement of land is already a huge political achievement, so why bother to go to Longwangshu?" ? Doing this well will not only benefit the present and future generations, but also give you a fair evaluation in history. ”
The resistance to measuring acres is great, and ordinary people cannot do it at all. Only officials with "treacherous and sycophantic" qualities like Xu Jingzong can be at ease. This man was greedy, money-loving, tactful, and had countless shortcomings, which was why he was not reused by Emperor Taizong. However, there was only one thing that could not be ignored, and that was his outstanding talent.
It is always difficult to have the best of both worlds. An upright person will inevitably be stubborn and not know how to be roundabout, and a crafty person will inevitably have bad ethics and cannot maintain principles. In comparison, "officials" are better than "upright officials"...
Hearing this, Xu Jingzong raised his glass and toasted: "We have the opportunity to express our ambitions because of the unparalleled plan of the Duke of Yue. All these new policies that benefit the country and the people and will be famous throughout the ages are all from your hands, but in the end it is up to us. Gaining fame and gain is shameful.”
Fang Jun clinked glasses with him and said calmly: "The difficult thing about anything is not coming up with ideas and planning, but the specific implementation. This political achievement is something you deserve, so don't be uneasy. Besides, it's impossible for people like you to harbor such worries." Uneasy... I hope you put the country and the people first and keep some bottom line when doing things, so that I don’t regret recommending you.”
"I'll be sure to follow your lead!"
Xu Jingzong drank it all in one gulp.
He didn't care about the warning in Fang Jun's words. He knew his own family affairs, so he naturally knew what was wrong with him. It was a good thing to have a sharp sword like Fang Jun hanging over his head to keep him alert at all times, otherwise he would face The beauties with money and silk from those aristocratic families may have been lost long ago...
Therefore, Xu Jingzong feels that he cannot be the leader. Once no one controls him, his greed will overflow and he will be able to do anything.
It's good to have someone like Fang Jun who is outstanding in all aspects to make suggestions at the front.
Moreover, he also knew that even though Fang Jun came up with some shocking but effective "New Deals" from time to time, he was too lazy to implement them himself. It was exactly in need of a talented and trustworthy person like him to go through fire and water and overcome all obstacles.
Not everyone is qualified to help Fang Jun.
From the current point of view, Ma Zhou will definitely succeed Liu Ji. Cui Dunli, who is in charge of the Ministry of War, may become the Minister of the Ministry of War in the future. Liu Rengui will continue to hold the Ministry of War in his hands. Su Dingfang will travel across the sea and the Gobi Desert. He Xu Jingzong's official appointment as a servant is almost certain.
Quietly, Fang Jun's power almost spanned the civil and military circles, and he was the only one in the court.
The power structure formed by these people will support him in continuing the New Deal.
To put it bluntly, it will no longer matter who sits in the emperor's position by then, the left and right will be nothing more than puppets...
The two of them had a small gathering and drank some wine. After the meal, they walked hand in hand in the academy. They took a look at the big clock tower, the dining hall, and the star observation tower. They happened to meet the person who came to report today. Yin Wenchao and accompanying Li Jingxuan.
The two sides met by chance, and Fang Jun, who had the highest status, took the lead in saluting: "It turns out that Guanzhu Yin is taking up his duties today. I am honored to meet you."
He has great respect for this Taoist Caolou temple leader who is as famous as Cheng Xuanying.
Yin Wenchao hurriedly returned the gift, with an excited look and an impassioned tone: "The Duke of Yue is so polite. He has heard about the name of the academy for a long time, but he has not been able to go there to see what is going on because of his prejudice. If it hadn't been for the Duke of Yue's promotion, he hired a poor man to join the academy. How could he know that there is such a poor place for learning in the world when he teaches astronomy? It’s only because of his luck that he met me!”
Li Jingxuan on the side smiled and said: "You don't know. Just now, Taoist Master Yin was salivating when he saw the high-power telescopes that had just been made in the Star Observation Building. Even if he put the first prostitute in Pingkangfang in front of him, he would be afraid. That’s all.”
Several people laughed.
Yin Wenchao said sternly: "Li Siye's words are wrong. A beautiful woman like jade is nothing but a pink skeleton. A hundred years later, if you pick off the white bones and sticks of loess, your unparalleled splendor will also be blown away by the wind. However, knowledge will not dissipate. With the passage of time, generations of people have studied and become more and more refined. The reason why our Tang Dynasty is so proud of others and looks down on the world can it be repeated again and again. To prosper again after a war, it depends not on the monarch of life, nor on the famous ministers and generals, but on the knowledge that shines like stars, the knowledge of farming, the knowledge of weaving, the knowledge of blacksmithing, the knowledge of stargazing... China has passed down this knowledge from generation to generation, and as long as there is a piece of land, a splendid civilization can be developed.”
Except for Fang Jun, the others were stunned.
Strictly speaking, these words are a bit "disrespectful" and are suspected of belittling the king.
But then I thought about it, it’s not a big deal. It seems that since Taizong passed away and Jinshang ascended the throne, the king’s authority has been far less than before. People in the world respect and fear Taizong, but have neither respect nor fear for Jinshang. Half of his outrageous words are privately It doesn’t hurt to talk about it...
Fang Jun was a little shocked: "Taoist Master Yin is very knowledgeable and knowledgeable, I admire him."
It is amazing to be able to have such a knowledge in such an era. The people's wisdom is not yet developed, science is not prosperous, and no one has ever understood the world from a humanistic perspective. The rise and fall of rise and fall are just drifting with the tide, and no one has ever delved into the reasons. , "It rises vigorously, and its demise is sudden." It regards the king as the son of heaven, and thinks that all rise and fall are in the hands of the emperor.
Only by recognizing the source of our own continuity can we avoid the disaster of dynasties.
Yin Wenchao was ashamed: "In front of the Duke of Yue, who in the world dares to call himself 'profound knowledge'? The 'mathematics' and 'physics' you pioneered are unparalleled in the world and laid the foundation of Chinese knowledge. After hundreds of generations, you will be famous and famous." The inheritance is endless, you can be a sage!”
Fang Jun felt like he suddenly knew who he was. He patted Yin Wenchao affectionately on the shoulder and said with emotion: "That's why others don't know the profound significance of what we have done. The seas are changing, the stars are changing, people can die, and countries can perish. , but I The knowledge created with a lifetime of effort has been passed down for a long time, nourishing generations of people, allowing them to continue to work hard and climb to greater heights on the basis of our bodies. As long as this knowledge is immortal, China will never be destroyed."
Although Confucianism has all kinds of dregs, it is undeniable that it is precisely because of the existence of Confucianism that Chinese civilization has been united and formed into a thread, which can be passed down from generation to generation without interruption. What the academy is trying to do now is similar to that of Confucianism. The two are not contradictory, but complementary.