eldest son of Ming dynasty

"Shoot yourself by hitting the wall?" Zhu Houzhao was really surprised.

"Yes, and under his leadership, several ministers went forward to follow him. Fortunately, there were guards who stopped him, so no one was killed. However, Minister Mao did hit his head."

Zhu Houzhao spit out the winter jujube core and said, "He just can't think of anything else. Go tell You Zhi now and put Mao Ji in jail."

"Yes, I don't know...what crime does Your Majesty want to imprison him on?"

"He left his post without authorization, valued his reputation over state affairs, and arrested him for dereliction of duty."

The eunuch thought to himself, this is also wonderful.

"Yes."

In fact, the emperor had already passed the Meridian Gate at this time, just behind Chengtian Gate. He came after hearing about this incident.

Just to see how much trouble these bastards can cause.

Outside Chengtian Gate,
You Zhi's appearance made the place a lot quieter.

He held his hands and said with a pinched voice: "Your Majesty has a message."

Yang Yiqing immediately led all the ministers to kneel down, "I will accept the order."

"Your Majesty said: I don't know what you mean, or why you should meet me specifically."

Yang Yiqing replied: "I have no intention of disobeying the holy will, but I am here to apologize."

You Zhi continued to serve as the emperor's mouthpiece. These were what he had been taught before, "I have pardoned you, and you don't have to plead guilty anymore. Return to the cabinet as soon as possible to handle government affairs. Besides, the head of the cabinet has the responsibility to lead all officials." Responsibility, the government of the country also depends on hundreds of officials, you can tell these people to disperse."

The emperor's words still seemed to be indifferent.

Yang Yiqing continued: "I do have different opinions from Your Majesty on the matter of the privileges and exemptions of the gentry. However, the status of monarch and ministers has been determined, and I will never dare to substitute the minister's will for the Holy One's. Therefore, there are many other matters for which I have to pay my respects to the Holy One." I think I have made a decision, so I beg your Majesty to show your grace and wait for me to see you."

"What exactly is it?"

Yang Yiqing said: "Jinglu Marquis Zhou Shangwen came to report that the Yarkand Khanate wanted to send envoys to pay tribute. He didn't know whether the Holy Emperor was willing to pay tribute."

You Zhi said: "What is Mr. Yang Ge's opinion?"

"I believe that our dynasty is a state of etiquette, and tribute and envoys should be summoned."

"Just do what Mr. Ge wants."

When the ministers heard this, they murmured in their hearts.

The emperor really has a trick up his sleeve.

Yang Yiqing's words are of course correct. With so many affairs in the country, it is always necessary to ask the emperor for instructions, so his original intention was to achieve the purpose of meeting the emperor in this way.

As a result, the sentence "Do as you wish" was returned.

After that, Yang Yiqing said a few more things, and You Zhi all gave the same answer. Even Yang Yiqing himself understood.

After that, an eunuch came behind You Zhi. He whispered a few words, and You Zhi nodded silently.

"Come here."

Several guards came to him.

"exist!"

"Mao Ji, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, left his post without authorization. He valued the name of the Qing Dynasty but neglected state affairs. He did not want to deal with the important affairs of the ministry, but he broke into the important place of Chengtianmen here and was imprisoned."

Mao Ji was startled. He was not afraid of going to jail, but he was afraid of being charged with this kind of crime.

And this was obviously intentional by the emperor,
When it comes to being AWOL, everyone here is AWOL today.

The fact that the emperor was deliberately trying to catch him now was "looking for trouble", but he couldn't deny it.

"It's not a pity to die for a minor minister who offends Tian Yan! But all major events in the world depend on your Majesty's thoughts. Even if your Majesty is furious, you must not miss your ministers, Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"

"The three departments of the Ministry of Punishment, Dali Temple, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate will review Mao Ji's crime of dereliction of duty. After the review is completed, it will be handed over to the cabinet for decision."

This sentence is more artistic.

If the emperor really wanted to deal with Mao Ji, wouldn't it be a crime of dereliction of duty? Wouldn't it cost him his life just to disobey an order?

But if this really happens, the reaction of these officials will definitely be huge.

On the contrary, the crime of dereliction of duty, which is neither minor nor serious, puts many people in a dilemma.

After all, the emperor didn't kill him, so they couldn't be too aggressive.

The "Da Ming Code" clearly records the punishment standards for the crime of dereliction of duty: any official who disobeys the public law and leaves his post without authorization will be punished with a penalty of one hundred rods and three years in prison; in more serious cases, he will be executed in prison, depending on the circumstances of the crime.

This kind of decision, which is handed over to the cabinet, is definitely a lighter crime of dereliction of duty.

Considering that he is not really derelict in his duties, it may be just a matter of dozens of boards.

But the amount of the sentence depends on what the people above said. If you were given a 'three-year apprenticeship', it would be quite uncomfortable. In the end, they are all derelict in their duties now.

"Mr. Yang Ge. Let's disperse."

Of course Yang Yiqing refused. The emperor's temper was neither right nor left. He couldn't let this situation continue. He didn't dare to make decisions on major matters in the court.

"I also ask my father-in-law to convey to His Majesty that as a minister of the Ming Dynasty, Yang Yiqing's loyalty to His Majesty can be learned from heaven and earth. I am willing to resign from office and also be punished with death. I just hope that Your Majesty will change his mind."

You Zhi said nothing, turned and left.

Wang Hao stood up and said, "Everyone has returned to his office. The more times like this, the more important it is for everyone to perform their duties. Government affairs are important and cannot be ignored!"

Mao Ji was taken away. Without such a source of trouble, everyone felt much safer.

It was the emperor and Yang Yiqing who had a bad temper, but they didn't want to end up with dozens of boards.Wait until everyone is almost gone,
Yang Yiqing was still looking at the words "Chengtianmen". He was thinking about the time when he first entered the palace, and also thought about returning to the capital and starting to serve as the Pavilion Elder...

Emperor Zhengde is a rare sage monarch. Before these two days, he had always felt that the person he met was the reason why he could make great achievements in this life. How did it end up like this?

Things happened too quickly, and things changed too quickly, making it difficult for him, an old man, to react.

But in the final analysis, the problem is still those four words: the gentry eliminates the superior.

"Jizhi. Tell me, is it possible that His Majesty is still right this time?"

Wang Hao couldn't explain it either, "I only know that the major events that His Majesty has determined will be unstoppable by thousands of troops and horses. He is determined and determined. This is definitely not a word of praise for the saints."

"Hey. But I am really worried. Since ancient times, the emperor and the scholar-bureaucrats have shared the world, and the court no longer treats scholars favorably. If this ancestral system is broken, how can the world not be in chaos?"

At this point, Yang Yiqing suddenly became curious, "Jizhi, what are you going to do?"

"I know that it is difficult to persuade Your Majesty, so if Your Majesty insists on doing this, I will do my best to assist Your Majesty and put an end to the chaos in the world."

Yang Yiqing's heart trembled slightly, "Maybe you are right."

But by this time, it was difficult for him to turn back.

Right is right, wrong is wrong.

In the world of a gentleman, the concept of right and wrong is very clear.

It's impossible to think that it was wrong two days ago and think it's right two days later. Will you still be alive?
That's what little people do.

Therefore, it is no longer possible to obey the emperor's plan to eliminate the superior gentry. Especially under this situation, the only way left for him is to leave.

But how to leave now is a problem.

"It's all the blame on that Mao Ji. The elder's original intention was to resign. Although he was annoyed by your majesty, it was not like what he is today. In my opinion, your majesty locked up Mao Ji for dereliction of duty because he also felt that he was always doing bad things. .”

So could this be a 'goodwill' from the emperor?

None of them have access to the emperor, so they can no longer be sure.

"Jizhi, what do you think I should do?"

"Alas, as things stand now, Mr. Ge can only serve as an official. And..."

"And what?"

"And he can serve in a way that satisfies His Majesty."

"understood."

The way to satisfy the emperor is not to make it appear that you became an official because you opposed the emperor's policy of eliminating the best gentry, and then the emperor really agreed to you, which seemed very ruthless.

This can really be called a tyrant.

What is a tyrant?Why was the overlord brought up?
In the final analysis, it is the emperor who wants to fight for his reputation with his ministers.

This is an expansion of imperial power, that is, the emperor not only controls the career and lives of his ministers, but also controls your reputation.

Of course, this was not Zhu Houzhao's first initiative. Why did Emperor Taizong hate Wei Zheng so much in the first place?One of the reasons is that someone told Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty that Wei Zheng would show his remonstrances to historians during his lifetime.

What does this mean?
Just go to the historian and be a conspicuous person: Hey, look at me, look at me, I am loyal to the master, not afraid of risks, and advise the emperor to do more good deeds. Please remember more for me, and remember it accurately. This is what I advise... …

So in the end, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty wished he could "pounce on the monument". If you let the historians remember you like this, how can you remember me, the emperor?The emperor is confused because of your persuasion as a minister.

With this precedent in the past, it is not too strange to have this intention today.

Yang Yiqing also knew where he was wrong: it is okay to become an official, but you cannot let the emperor carry the stinking thing left behind by becoming an official.If you really want to talk about it, this is not loyalty, but loyalty to one's own reputation.

However, if you understand, if you don't even cherish your reputation in the end, what will you cherish?

……

……

"Yinu, I think Mr. Yang Ge and the others may be at their wits' end now."

Zhu Houzhao continued to wander leisurely. He had been a courtier of the Zhengde Dynasty for such a long time and could not even figure this out. Who could blame him?

"Let them worry."

"But Your Majesty, it's not a problem if it continues like this."

"It's better if I don't create a eunuch for them to disrupt the government. If we are in a hurry, we will find Wang Zhensi and see what they can do."

You Zhi lost his temper at these words, and immediately knelt down and said: "Your Majesty, eunuchs... are not all those who mess up the government. You put it like this, and this servant is very panicked."

Zhu Houzhao made him laugh, "Why are you panicking? I just gave you this opportunity, what ability do you have?"

"Hey, yes, yes, your majesty scolded you well. Even if you have the intention, your servant is not strong enough. Besides, don't worry about it. Serve the emperor wholeheartedly. This is already a gift from heaven. Oh, no, no, no, the slave is just a serial servant. I don’t have this heart either. The slave holds the mouth, the slave holds the mouth.”

This ability to flatter is enough anyway.

"Okay, don't be clumsy. I know you can't mess up the government. I'm just making an analogy."

You Zhi's thoughts were seen through, so he could only laugh.

"But you're right, the play has to end at some point, and it won't work if it doesn't end."

Zhu Houzhao actually didn't bother to fight for his reputation. He didn't care how others evaluated him. What he fought for was power, or he fought for his reputation for the sake of power.

You cannot let the ministers decide whether the emperor is right or wrong. If these people can simply and easily define your right or wrong, this is essentially an infringement of imperial power.