Chapter 118 Let you, Li Mengyang, be scolded by everyone in the world
Ma Wensheng was indeed told by Li Mengyang that he almost had a heart attack and was completely discouraged. But now that Zhu Houzhao happened to appear and patted him on the shoulder, his mood calmed down a little: "Your Majesty!"
However, Ma Wensheng didn't know what to say at this time, because he couldn't seem to find an answer to convince himself why he had to be betrayed by the whole Shilin. At the same time, he became confused, thinking that it was wrong to make decisions for the people of the world. Otherwise, why He was so hated that he was even more hated than the regicide minister.
Zhu Houzhao also knew that Li Mengyang's words had completely exposed the selfish nature of the gentry group, which could also be said to be the nature of human nature, and had also shaken the confidence and confidence of the reformist civil servants to fight against the gentry. Now he must give these reformists the opportunity to continue to persevere. confidence and motivation.
Zhu Houzhao looked at Li Mengyang who looked astonished: "You said that today's scholars will scold Ma Wensheng for the rest of their lives, and even scholars a hundred or even a thousand years from now will think that Ma Wensheng is a traitor, right? But those common people in the world who should really be grateful to Ma Wensheng will forget Ma Wensheng." I don’t even know who Ma Wensheng is, right?”
"I will tell you today that I will make all the common people in the world become scholars during my lifetime. You scholar-bureaucrats are just relying on fooling the people and manipulating history and the current world with your pen and ink. But if I Let all the people read, from traders and soldiers to emperors and generals, everyone is a scholar. I don’t believe that all the people in the world will be blind and just listen to your casual slander without being able to distinguish right from wrong!”
Knowledge in the hands of a few will become a means of enslaving others, while knowledge in the hands of everyone will become a tool to safeguard human rights.
Therefore, the literati of Zhu Houzhao's era can be so arrogant simply because they control the right to speak. What is good for them is good, and what is not good for them is bad. However, the elites of this era may not know that there will be people in the future. One day they will receive public education and receive public supervision. Public opinion will no longer be a tool for elites like them but a shackle that restricts their enjoyment of privileges! The pressure of public opinion will make them extremely uncomfortable! They will hate public opinion very much.
And heroes like Ma Wensheng will not fight alone! There will be a class of people behind him cheering for him!
Li Mengyang also understood what Zhu Houzhao meant, and even threatened Zhu Houzhao directly: "But Your Majesty, if you do this, you will also harm yourself! Because if you do this, you will not only be supervised by Shilin but also by everyone in the world!" < br>
"What are I afraid of! Do you think that I am a power-hungry and selfish person like you? If a hypocritical and arrogant villain like you, Li Mengyang, cannot survive in the world, what if I don't become the emperor!"
When Zhu Houzhao said this, Ma Wensheng was so frightened that he directly raised his hands and said: "Your Majesty, please don't say that. The world cannot be without a king, and the country cannot be without a master!"
"I just said this, what are you afraid of?" Zhu Houzhao said.
At this time, Li Mengyang laughed directly: "Okay, since Your Majesty is so calm, I don't want to say anything more, please give me the death penalty!"
"Are you anxious to death so soon? I haven't finished speaking yet."
Zhu Houzhao said and then ordered: "After returning to the palace, I will draw up my decree. A hundred years from now, if any future king dares to vindicate the treacherous villain Li Mengyang, the people of the world will punish him. Such a king is not worthy of inheriting my throne! The future generations will Anyone who dares to restore the reputation of the treacherous villain Li Mengyang will be punished for treason. Such a minister is not worthy of being a minister of the Ming Dynasty! "
Li Mengyang heard Zhu Houzhao's words as if he had been slapped hard. His confidence now is that in the future, future kings and ministers can restore his reputation and add a posthumous title. But now, Zhu Houzhao's doing so is tantamount to destroying him. Thoughts.
Li Mengyang was extremely shocked and unwilling: "Your Majesty! You are letting me die without a burial place! I only want to impeach a traitor, why do you treat me like this!"
"In addition, this imperial edict is placed in the Fengtian Palace and engraved on the golden throne of the Fengtian Palace! As long as our Ming Dynasty is still alive, Li Mengyang will never get the name of loyalty and martyrdom!" Zhu Houzhao ignored Li Mengyang at first and continued to give instructions. Just told Li Mengyang Said: "You are willing to be the lackey of the gentry, but you scold me as a scumbag minister. You intend to destroy my determination to reform the Ming Dynasty and to block the way for the Ming Dynasty to renew itself. You want my Ming Dynasty to have no way to retreat, so I will give in first." You will die without a burial place!”
Li Mengyang began to feel fear at this time. He did not expect that Zhu Houzhao would be so protective of Ma Wensheng.
At this time, Zhu Houzhao continued to order: "I decree that the family members of Li Mengyang's three clans will be escorted to Beijing, their genealogy will be confiscated, their ancestral graves will be demolished, and they will be burned together. After they are escorted to Beijing, they will scold Li Mengyang and change their surnames and be exiled to Dongfan Island. , otherwise, he will be killed on the grounds of disobedience!
Before that, Li Mengyang was escorted and ordered to be scolded by hundreds of officials. The scolding words were engraved on stele and inscribed in various Confucian temples in the capital!
The imperial edict was issued to the world to publish articles criticizing Li Mengyang, and those who excelled would be rewarded with ten stones of grain, and the entire clan would be exempted from corvee for one year! Huang Ming Bao selects the outstanding ones and publishes them! The Hanlin Academy compiled it into a book for future generations! If there are any articles sympathetic to Li Mengyang, copy them and burn them! ”
After hearing this, Li Mengyang became even more frightened and hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, why are you so cruel! Why!"
"If you want to destroy my Ming Dynasty's foundation for eternity, I will destroy your Li family's foundation for eternity and make you notorious for eternity. I don't believe that hundreds of years later, people in the world can really think that you, Li Mengyang, are loyal ministers." He said , Zhu Houzhao said again:
"Fabrications are allowed, and there is no need to investigate whether they are true or false. The content should be based on the degree of shamefulness. Adultery, collaboration with the enemy, incest, chaos in the country, seeking wealth, murder, and despicability can be written down!"
Zhu Houzhao said with a smile.
Li Mengyang couldn't help but trembled with anger, trembling: "Your Majesty, you, you!"
"Don't worry, I will let you die, and I won't let you live beyond this year! And I will let you die heroically enough to fulfill your wish. You can choose to be beaten to death with sticks, broken into pieces, quartered with five horses, or Ling Chi! I will give you the choice! Your right to choose!”
Zhu Houzhao said, "Aren't you still worried about Ma Wensheng? Are you worried that he will be scolded by scholars all over the world? I am now issuing an edict to ask scholars all over the world to praise him. The next edict is to order the whole country. All living members and above must come forward to praise Ma Gong. Excellent person! Anyone who violates this rule will be punished. Honor! All local officials are required to build a shrine for Ma Gong in the administrative office. As many Confucius temples as there are in the world, there must be as many shrines for Ma Gong! Those who are excellent in writing must be included in the genealogy of the author, and they are not allowed to resist the order, and they will be given the honor. For ten stones of grain, the whole clan will be exempted from corvee for one year!”
"In addition, the reasons for Ma Wen's success in passing the examination should be written on the stone tablet, and listed in the Wenhua Hall and the main hall of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, so that future generations of monarchs and ministers can view them! From now on, the daily notes must be reviewed by me before they can be passed down. , those who have not passed will be burned. Get rid of those who dare to slander Ma Gong and even the New Dealers. Those who have official positions will be deposed and exiled for three thousand miles. The civilians will also be exiled for three thousand miles. Those who report will be rewarded with ten stones of grain and exempted from corvee service for one year. "
After Zhu Houzhao finished speaking, Li Mengyang was really stupid. Instead, Ma Wensheng couldn't help but ask: "Your Majesty, wouldn't this block the mouths of the people of the world and create a literary prison in the future?"
"It's okay! I just don't allow them to slander my loyal ministers. It doesn't mean that they don't allow them to discuss world affairs. It doesn't mean that they don't interfere with others, and I don't take their lives. I just protect your reputation, my beloved. This is The rights you deserve are called reputation rights. Maybe one day in the future, everyone in the entire Ming Dynasty will have the right to reputation, and no one will slander or slander them at will!"
Zhu Houzhao asked Li Mengyang: "How is it? What else do you have to say now?"
Thank you to book friend Liu Xiang for the reward of 100 starting coins
(End of chapter)