Red Mansion Royal Cat

Chapter 554 Attacking Zi’s Shield with Zi’s Spear
The festival is just around the corner, and the court has been in turmoil for so long that everyone actually wants to end the court meeting quickly, take a break, and go home to have a rest.

Originally no one wanted to cause trouble today. No one expected that Jia Cong would stand up and take down everyone at once. He named all the court ministers who had blocked the door in recent days and put them all on the impeachment list.

"Meng Luoyi, the doctor of the Ministry of Rites, and Li Xudong, the deputy director of the Ministry of Rites..."

Jia Cong recited the menu... the list in one breath, handed the memorial to Xia Shouzhong, took a breath, and said righteously: "Your Highness, colleagues, let's talk about the matter today. How can you block the emperor's door in this world? And you are carrying a coffin. Is it for justice or for personal gain?"

"We are naturally waiting for justice..."

"it is good!"

Jia Cong bowed to Meng Luoyi and others whose faces were red with anger: "I believe what Doctor Meng, Mr. Li and other colleagues say. Even if it is for the sake of justice..."

Meng Luoyi immediately emphasized again: "What do you mean by even if it is, it is what it is!"

"Good good!"

Jia Cong was also amused by this upright doctor of the Ministry of Rites. To be honest, many people in the Ministry of Rites were upright and respectful of etiquette, and they really had no bad intentions.

He clasped his hands again and said, "It is our duty as disciples of the saint to uphold justice. But we have to consider the method. What will the people think if we block the palace gate with a coffin?"

What will the people think?
Jia Cong's question stumped Meng Luoyi and others.

Why should the government care about what the people think of it? This is their subconscious reaction.

Meng Luoyi frowned slightly and replied: "The sage said that reputation can be made, but it cannot be known..."

"If the people can do it, let them follow it; if they can't do it, let them know it. Of course, I won't be a nerd today. I just want to ask you one question. The people don't know the situation at all. If you carry the coffin and give advice, will the people think that Your Majesty has done something that angered the heavens and the people, so that your colleagues are willing to die to give advice?"

Jia Cong's further question made everyone in the hall take a deep breath.

Meng Luoyi and others may not have bad intentions, but someone has bewitched them into doing so. Isn't this the purpose?

This kind of thing cannot stand up to scrutiny. As long as someone calms down and thinks about it carefully, they will find that this time's coffin-carrying and remonstration will only cause a great loss of the court's prestige in the hearts of the people.

After all, the title of "Stubborn Fourth" is not given in vain. If the current emperor is determined to do something, ten oxen cannot pull him back.

People have already taken refuge in the Dragon Head Palace. What can be done by carrying the coffin? What can be done by blocking the door?
Seeing that everyone was silent, Jia Cong sighed and said, "You might as well take off your official robes and go to the streets to ask around and find out what the people think about this matter. I think Cao Du should have a lot of such comments in his hands."

Cao Jiugong, who usually seldom spoke at court meetings, coughed twice, stood up and said, "The rumors are very confusing, and there are all kinds of rumors. Many rumors directly attack the prestige of the court. Some people even say that your majesty is arrogant and complacent, and will not listen to advice, forcing loyal ministers in the court to die to give advice. Some people say that blood is flowing outside the Dragon Head Palace, and your majesty has killed most of the court..."

Carrying a coffin to make a suggestion is something that has a very special sacred feeling in the hearts of the people.

When the common people heard that something like this had happened in the court again, they would only think that an official who dared to risk his life to make suggestions must be a good one.

Needless to say, the emperor was definitely wrong.

Although the current emperor is very wise, even the wisest person can make mistakes sometimes... right!

Look, doesn’t the logic come together now?

Cold sweat broke out on Meng Luoyi's forehead.

He could not answer Jia Cong's question. What Cao Jiugong said had confirmed Jia Cong's opinion on them carrying the coffin to make remonstrances.

Just when Meng Luoyi and others were looking pale and obviously shaken, someone stood up.

Wu Guozhong, the Imperial Academy Attending Scholar, if Jia Cong remembered correctly, was a member of the Shu Party, and was now considered one of the important pillars of the Shu Party in the court.

"You are exaggerating! The people believe everything they hear. These are just rumors. Can't you just explain them clearly? The imperial examination is the great ceremony for selecting talents in the country and the foundation for the stability of the world. Your Majesty is determined to change the imperial examination system, which will shake the foundation of the country. If we don't stand up and stop it, the country will be overthrown..."

This man seemed to be righteous, but what he said made Jia Cong sneer.

Ah……

He sneered and retorted, "You always talk about the foundation of the country. The foundation of the country is the people of the world and the civil and military officials who are loyal to the country. The country is safe when the people are safe. This marquis has never heard of a country being overthrown when the people are well fed and well clothed and loyal to the emperor."

This one sentence made Wu Guozhong's face turn red, and he didn't think of refuting Jia Cong's theory for a long time.

Because Jia Cong was not wrong. Whenever there was chaos in the world, the imperial court would lose its prestige and the people would be displaced.

By that time, even if everyone was enrolled as a scholar, juren or jinshi, what would be the point of enfeoffing the whole country?

"Your Majesty has only increased the proportion of mathematics in the imperial examinations, and has not banned the imperial examinations. Why has it caused so many people to oppose it?"

Jia Cong suddenly changed the subject and broke the last layer of paper.

"Is it really for the justice of heaven? I don't think so. Some people just don't want others to split the delicious food on the imperial examination plate! The imperial examination broke the monopoly of the aristocratic families. After a thousand years, the imperial examination is no longer suitable for the development of the country. Naturally, it must be reformed. In my opinion, not only should the proportion of mathematics be increased, but also military, industry, commerce, medicine, etc. should be added, and materials should be selected according to needs!"

"You are spreading rumors to confuse the people. Jia Cong, you are also a disciple of the saint, how dare you question the saint's way!"

"How dare you! The imperial court has its own ancestral method for selecting scholars. If you easily abandon or change it, wouldn't it be a waste of ten years of hard study for thousands of students?"

All of a sudden, the Fengtian Hall was in an uproar again.

Liu Hong did not expect that Jia Cong would suddenly break the window paper that maintained the last bit of peace, and even dropped a big bomb in the court.

Suddenly, many people didn't care about whether he was a marquis or not, and just started to scold Jia Cong.

Jia Cong was not afraid and retorted one by one.

"The law of our ancestors. In our ancestors' time, there was no struggle for hegemony among nations. Look at the Western barbarians, and then look at us. You don't really think we are the Celestial Empire, do you? Falling behind means being beaten. We spent a lot of money to buy the red cannons and warships from the Western barbarians. Have you forgotten so quickly?"

"The sage said, 'When three people walk together, there must be one who can be my teacher. I will choose the good ones and follow them, and change the bad ones.' You always say the sage says the sage. When did the sage tell you that the teachings of the sage way cannot coexist with the teachings of others?"

"Don't forget, Confucius also asked Laozi for advice!"

What Jia Cong hates most is people talking about Confucius. Confucius devoted his entire life to teaching everyone. If he knew that his disciples were always thinking about banning all schools of thought, respecting Confucianism alone, and monopolizing knowledge, he would probably come down from the sky and beat these unfilial descendants to death with his fists.

He didn't say any harsh words, but suppressed the disgust in his heart and uttered the last words.

"Look further ahead. The great trend cannot be violated. The Great Xia is stable, and you can take the high position to direct the country. When the upward channel is completely monopolized by you, the people at the bottom will one day try their best to break the monopoly. By then, it will not be a gentle means of reform, but a bloody blade!"

These people don't understand the cruelty of class struggle at all. King Louis XVI, the genius locksmith of France, was sent to the guillotine he himself improved just because he hindered the general trend of chaos.

Forget it. I guess these people won’t believe me even if I tell them.

Jia Cong finally waved his hand and said, "I will just say this to you. Many of you have been used by people with ulterior motives. It is better to calm down and think about it, look around, and listen to the voices of the people. What is a scholar? Those who worry about the worries of the world before they worry about themselves, and are happy after the world is happy, are scholars!"

After saying this, he no longer paid attention to those who opposed him, bowed to Liu Hong, retreated back to the queue, closed his eyes and said no more.

He fired the cannon.

Next, it depends on how powerful the shells can be.

……

The grand court meeting almost became Jia Cong's personal show. The turmoil stirred up by one person was even bigger than the one caused by the emperor's decree to reform the imperial examination system a few days ago.

Carrying a coffin to make a remonstration seemed to have lost its justice, because the commotion it caused among the people was inevitable.

The controversy was so big that when the officials returned to the yamen and sent people to inquire about it, they heard all kinds of rumors.

Some said that the emperor wanted to depose the crown prince and appoint another heir, some said that the emperor was addicted to drugs and was insane, and some said that the emperor was unfilial and killed his father...

Anyway, as long as anyone said something bad about the emperor, all kinds of charges would be thrown at them.

If it weren't for the fact that the emperor was diligent in his work and loved his people, and had a very high reputation among the people, this might not have been just a rumor, but the country would have been in turmoil due to the instigation of someone with ulterior motives.

It’s okay now, it’s just gossip before and after meals, it hasn’t reached the point where it’s irreversible.

"We must quickly arrange for someone to announce to all quarters that His Majesty has issued a decree to reform the imperial examination system..."

Meng Luoyi was panicked. He really didn't expect to get into such big trouble.

He was about to go to the cabinet to make a remonstrance, but he heard Jia Cong's voice from outside the duty room: "It's too late. The people will not believe the government's current announcement..."

All kinds of rumors have caused the people to subconsciously doubt the government. Only by finding out the facts and laying out the evidence thoroughly before the people can the people's doubts be dispelled to the greatest extent.

This is the government’s disadvantage in the war of public opinion.

It only takes one lie to spread a rumor, and even if you run yourself ragged trying to dispel it, you may not be able to completely dispel people’s doubts.

"Marquis Yongfeng, I am wrong. Please teach me, sir!"

Meng Luoyi is a real man. He will admit his mistakes and feel extremely guilty.

Such people do have great shortcomings, but they are also the best clean officials.

Jia Cong helped Meng Luoyi, who was bowing to him, to his feet, and led him to sit down. Then he said, "Doctor Meng, you might as well think about it carefully. Who first brought up the idea of ​​carrying the coffin to make a remonstrance?"

Meng Luoyi frowned immediately, as if... maybe... he was the one who brought it up first...

No, at the beginning he just said that they would jointly write a letter to advise the emperor, which was something that these upright officials often did.

"I remember that after His Majesty issued an order to reform the imperial examination and increase the weight of mathematics in the imperial examination, some people united and went to sit in protest outside the Great Xia Gate that afternoon. Doctor Meng, think about it carefully. How could such a large number of people be gathered in such a short time? It was not possible that such a hasty decision could be made on the spur of the moment."

It would be strange if there was no one to organize this. Even if there was no reform of the imperial examination system, there would be other things that would cause this.

After Jia Cong's reminder, Meng Luoyi's mind immediately became much clearer.

He suddenly slapped his thigh and said, "I remember now. It was Wu Guozhong... It was him. Originally, we just wanted to write a joint letter to persuade His Majesty, but Wu Guozhong said that His Majesty is now stubborn and conceited and will not accept honest advice. It is better to follow the example of our predecessors and carry the coffin to make a remonstrance to show our determination!"

Tsk!
Jia Cong almost clapped his hands. If he remembered correctly, Wu Guozhong was not among the crowd carrying the coffin to make remonstrances.

It turns out that this group of fools... ahem, this group of upright and honest people were played around by others.

You take care of the dying and I'll take care of the enjoying.

Jia Cong even felt a little pity for Meng Luoyi. He was an honest man, a really honest man.

Meng Luoyi didn't notice Jia Cong's sympathetic eyes at all, and continued to speak angrily: "If the Marquis hadn't mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten that Wu Guozhong also said that reforming the imperial examination would shake the foundation of the country, but the most terrifying thing is that Your Majesty supports the Grand Chancellor to reinterpret the words of the saints. The Grand Chancellor reinterpreted the classics of the holy way, which means that the court has intervened in the affairs of the Confucian holy way. From now on, the officials will no longer have freedom. Wang Yiyan, no one dares to speak, and the streets are full of eyes."

Wow, King Li of Zhou has come out.

It seems that Mr. Zhou Jiong has a long way to go in his mission of writing books and explaining the Dharma!

The more Meng Luoyi spoke, the clearer his mind became.

He finally figured out one thing: someone instigated the issue of carrying a coffin to give advice, which was just Xiang Zhuang's sword dance, targeting the Duke of Pei!
He was angry and ashamed, and stood up to bow again.

Jia Cong wanted to help him up, but Meng Luoyi was so honest that he just bowed and thanked him, saying, "If it weren't for the Marquis's reminder, I'm afraid we would have put the king in an unjust position."

Carrying a coffin to make remonstrances is like throwing dirty water on the emperor.

The fact that the emperor has endured until now is already a sign of his mercy.

But mercy has its limits. When their actions cause the people to question the court and its prestige, the emperor has to deal with them severely even if they have no bad intentions.

Jia Cong laughed when he heard this. It’s good that he can admit his mistakes!

In this way, he can implement the next plan.

Jia Cong helped up the ashamed Meng Luoyi and advised him earnestly, "I know that Doctor Meng is a loyal minister with good intentions. Now that the incident has happened, what we need to do now is to catch those who deceived the loyal ministers and coerced the king, find out the facts and find evidence. Only in this way can the people of the world see the essence of the matter and regain their trust in the court and Your Majesty. Doctor Meng, do you think what I said is right?"

"Yes! Yes! That's it!"

Meng Luoyi already had 100% trust in Jia Cong. In addition, he felt guilty for almost putting the king in an unjust position. He immediately looked forward to Jia Cong giving him some advice.

After all, Jia Cong is famous for his wit.

"Please teach me, sir, how should I do this?"

Seeing that the honest man was about to bow again, Jia Cong pulled him back, glanced at the empty door, and then whispered some advice.

"The enemy is powerful and cunning, and we cannot fight alone. Doctor Meng was the first to propose a joint petition, and he is also a famous scholar. Why don't we unite with like-minded people... Most of the people outside the Dragon Head Palace are righteous and loyal... Doctor Meng might as well use his personal experience to try to persuade a few..."

　Some of my recent writings were reported to have alluded to reality and were politically involved, so they were blocked and censored, and the updates have been unstable.

　　I've skipped the blocked parts, so please just make do with it for now. I'll revise and add them in over the weekend.

　　That’s all for tonight. Continue tomorrow. Good night.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)