Northern Dynasties Imperial Industry

In addition to being knighted not long ago, Gao Xiaowan was also an official in the palace, a minister in charge of ministerial duties, and he happened to be a fifth-rank official, so he had to prepare for court.

Last night, the Supreme Lord ordered Zhongshu Province to copy the documents presented by Zu Jue and distribute them to various departments. Gao Xiaowan happened to stay in Zhi Province and wanted to know from others why their Northern Qi State was destroyed, so he read it all night. At this glance, he discovered a secret that was closely related to him. After struggling all night, he saw Zu Jue attending the court meeting this morning, so he hurriedly stepped forward to inquire.

Zu Jue did not expect that the first person to show keen interest in his article would be a former Qi clan member, and he felt more or less embarrassed about having been caught as a thief.

However, he had experienced even the most embarrassing situations, and soon returned to normal. He cupped his fists towards Gao Xiaowan and said, "I'm going to disappoint Gao Fengyu. Now that I'm a new official, it will save trouble and I will be assigned to the court. After I retire from the court, I will return to the office to report." I really don’t dare to stay outside and not return.”

After Gao Xiaowan heard this, he couldn't help being disappointed. When he saw Zu Jue turning around to leave, he stepped forward and grabbed Zu Jue's belt, and asked quickly: "Although Zu Jun has no time, what do you want to say?" There will always be time for a sentence. I would like to ask if the scene when my father was killed as described in Zujun's book is true? Is it true that the two thieves Yang Zunyan and Cui Jishu fled one after another, so that my father had no way to hide and died? Killed by a thief?"

Zu Jue originally thought that Gao Xiaowan wanted to question him face to face because his book was so disparaging about the regime and personnel of the Northern Qi Dynasty. When he heard that Gao Xiaowan was only asking about the details of his father's assassination, he was secretly relieved, but then he felt a little worried. He said strangely: "Your Majesty, Feng Yu doesn't know about this?"

After hearing this, Gao Xiaowan shook his head and said with a sad expression: "When my father was killed, I was just a young boy. Suddenly I heard that the sky was falling, and my heart was in chaos. I had no time to care about anything else. It was not until long afterwards that I gradually realized that my father was a slave of thieves. No one has ever told the details of the harm."

Many people usually have a misunderstanding that the closer they are to someone of the same age, the better they know the truth about people at that time, but this is not the case. Especially when it comes to personnel changes involving the upper echelons of the ruling class, the more you live at the time, the more foggy it becomes, and it is easy to be blinded by a leaf.

When Gao Cheng was killed, his sons were all young, and even the news of their father's death was only learned through many rounds. As for the details of the process, no one told them in detail, and they had no intention to inquire in detail at the time.

Therefore, Gao Xiaowan was not very clear about the details of his father's assassination. It was only after reading Zu Jue's description of the situation that he learned how many people were present when his father was assassinated. Moreover, judging from the writing, it seemed that these few people were also responsible for his father's death. certain responsibilities.

Hearing what Gao Xiaowan said, Zu Jue became more and more calm, so he sighed and said: "Xiaguan used to serve in the Qi court, and he knew the affairs of Qi State very well, and knew the reasons for its decline. At that time, the world could not tolerate criticism, but now it is possible It goes without saying that one of the main reasons for the decline of Qi was the treachery of its rulers.

When your Majesty was killed, Chen Yuankang, Yang Zunyan and Cui Jishu were in the conspiracy room. When the thieves were assassinating, Yang Zunyan grabbed the door and fled. Cui Jishu hid in the toilet cubicle and refused to let anyone in again, so that your Majesty had no way to hide. Although Chen Yuankang was there, If you protect each other with your body, you will inevitably die on the spot.

The lower official was in the direct office at that time, and because he was entrusted by Chen Yuankang to write the internal affairs, he knew the inside story very well. What he said now is what he saw and heard at the time, and there is absolutely no falsehood. I wonder if this answer can resolve Gao Fengyu’s doubts? "

When Gao Cheng was assassinated, it was a critical moment when the Gao family was preparing to usurp the power of the Eastern Wei Dynasty. Although Gao Yang promptly and properly handled the aftermath and avoided further deterioration of the situation, the news of Gao Cheng's death was kept secret and took a long time to be made public. Including Chen Yuankang, who died together with him, he even made the illusion that he was assigned as a mission.

Zu Jue was entrusted by Chen Yuankang to write a suicide note for him at that time, so he was one of the few people who knew the inside story immediately. It was precisely because of the concealment of the news that he had time to calmly go to Chen Yuankang's home to do several votes.

Naturally, Zu Jue would not say much about the scandal of enriching himself and betraying the trust of his friends. However, he retold the old story of Gao Cheng's assassination in order to prove that the Northern Qi Dynasty was destroyed by the evil leader. at this point. Gao Cheng and Cui Jishu are representatives of treacherous officials.

Gao Cheng didn't know who he was, and his servant still didn't notice the murderous intention in his heart, but he still kept him by his side. As for Cui Jishu, he was a confidant whom Gao Cheng had always trusted. Cui Jishu also tried his best to flatter him. He even beat the then Emperor Xiaojing of the Eastern Wei Dynasty on Gao Cheng's order. As a result, when Gao Cheng was assassinated, he actually abandoned himself. Escape from the Lord.

In this matter, Zu Jue also used his usual style, a little artistic processing, and the writing hinted that Gao Cheng actually had the opportunity to hide in the toilet cubicle to avoid the assassination, but was rejected by Cui Jishu who entered first.

This kind of processing undoubtedly makes the effect of the master's fainting and the treacherous more prominent, and it also magnifies Cui Jishu's responsibility in this matter.

At the same time, Cui Jishu was also highly regarded in Tianbao Dynasty, which implied that this matter was closely related to Qi leader Gao Yang. After all, when Gao Yang handled this matter from beginning to end, he must have been aware of Cui Jishu's performance in the matter. Even so, he still reused Cui Jishu. Let's think about the reasons for ourselves.

Therefore, a real conspiracy theory is by no means a far-fetched one, weaving together all kinds of plausible clues and evidence. The change of a few words in the writing is enough to give people a lot of room for imagination.

After listening to Zu Jue's story, tears welled up in Gao Xiaowan's eyes, and he said bitterly: "Cui Jishu, this thief, took so much of my family's salary, and actually turned back on his master, he deserves to die! I hate the injustice of the old world, such evil deeds It’s been covered up, and it’s hard to know who’s own flesh and blood!”

He also thought that Zu Jue was originally a member of his family, but he had concealed the truth until now and refused to reveal it. Only then did his brother know the full story of his father's assassination, so he glared at Zu Jue again, and then wiped away his tears. Leave angrily.

Zu Jue's focus at this time was naturally not on these past princes and grandsons. Seeing that no one else came forward to talk to them, he went back to the official office of the Ministry of Rites. When he returned to the official office, his colleagues were starting to have breakfast. Seeing his arrival, they also invited him to have a meal with him.

After going back and forth, Zu Jue was also a little hungry, so he sat down and prepared to eat some food to satisfy his hunger. However, as soon as he sat down here, Cui Zhan, the Minister, walked in. After looking around for a week, his eyes fell on Zu Jue, and he pointed at him and motioned for him to follow him out.

When Zu Jue saw this, he stood up in a hurry and followed Cui Zhan despite his hunger. Cui Zhan looked back at him and said, "Yesterday, Zujun presented a book to the Supreme Being and ordered it to be copied to all departments, so that the officials of all departments can read it." I wrote a commentary for each, and I went back to the office this morning to briefly browse it. It is indeed thought-provoking. Because I know the shortcomings of Zujun's alignment, I have a good understanding of the shortcomings of Zujun. It coincides with the recent election of tributes from various states in Hebei to the imperial court, so I recommended Zujun to be in advance. Is the ancestor willing to take part in the tribute examination to appreciate the talents of his hometown?"

Zu Jue had been worried about this for a while. When he heard that his future was finally clear, and it seemed that he would still participate in the election of officials, he was overjoyed. He bowed and said: "When it comes to knowledge, "Jian Gaoming, I am really not as good as Cui Shangshu. Fortunately, I am recommended by Shangshu. Although I am not able to do it, I will try my best to ensure that I can get a clear and correct review."

The tribute scholars who came to Beijing from various states in Hebei were assigned to Chang'an Imperial College. After Zu Jue followed Cui Zhan, he saw many familiar faces among them, either children of famous families in Hebei or scholars with great academic backgrounds. A collection of talents. Some of these talents or positions are still above Zu Jue, but now they are all white-clad tributes, waiting to participate in the tribute examination to be held by the imperial court to be awarded official positions.

Unlike Zu Jue, who has mixed reputations and reputations, Cui Zhan is the first-class romantic talent in Hebei. He was born in the Cui family of Qinghe. His appearance, demeanor and literary talent are all outstanding. When he fled from Hebei to Shannan last year, , there are still some people from Hebei who lament Xitou, the Pearl of Xitou.

So this time, Cui Zhan, as the Minister of Rites, visited the prefectures and counties on behalf of the imperial court and called for tributes. Many people in Hebei responded, including Xiong Ansheng, a master of Confucianism, who went all the way to accompany him to the customs in preparation. Consultation.

However, when Cui Zhan announced to everyone that Zu Jue would participate in this tribute examination as one of the examiners, many of the tribute scholars present looked surprised and unconvinced. Although Zu Jue has a reputation for talent, his moral character is really not good. Everyone came all the way to Chang'an and had expectations for their official career. Naturally, they felt a little uncomfortable when they thought of having someone like Zu Jue weigh them.

Although no one dared to directly express their opposition due to Cui Zhan's reputation, their thoughts were written on their faces, and they felt that Zu Jue was not worthy of investigating them. This contempt was not only due to disdain for Zu Jue's character, but also because of his low official position. Wailang, the minister of worship, was only a sixth-grade official, which made these people feel that the imperial court seemed to have no regard for this tribute examination. Not much attention.

Also serving as an examiner was Lu Sidao from Zhongshushe. He also noticed everyone's thoughts, so he said: "A few days ago, Zu Xiaozheng presented a book to the court, commenting on the despicable death of Qi. After reading it, the Supreme Being deeply appreciated it, but he just felt it. The description is not complete, so I have copied it to enlighten others, hoping that some talented people can add to it. I have been away from home for many years, so my description of the topic is inevitably shallow. You have personally experienced it. If you can try to add to it, Don’t worry about losing your reputation!”

After Zu Jue heard this, he was slightly stunned at first, and then he couldn't help but puff up his chest. He thought that his previous article discussed Qi Mu's ills very profoundly, but he didn't expect that the Supreme Lord would appreciate him even more. He actually regarded this article as a model essay and a yardstick for measuring talents in Hebei!

Soon Zu Jue also realized that former Northern Qi officials such as Zhao Yanshen and Cui Jishu would inevitably suffer the harshest criticism this time.

Because in his article, he argued that cowardly ministers were an important reason for the demise of the Northern Qi Dynasty. Other commentators cannot deny this conclusion and can only continue to develop within this conclusion. Therefore, they can only criticize the actions of these important ministers. Carry out critical and in-depth analysis, thus triggering a comprehensive criticism of the politics and personnel of Northern Qi.

What Zu Jue thought was Li Tai's true intention. Since he did not recognize the Northern Qi regime, it was difficult to make an official identification of these old Northern Qi officials. If they are all classified as traitors and traitors, it will undoubtedly be detrimental to the absorption of talents in Hebei. However, if they are not purged and are simply absorbed, some of the personnel problems within Northern Qi will undoubtedly be absorbed into the Tang court.

Therefore, Li Tai wanted to use Zu Jue's article to involve people in Hebei and let them spontaneously carry out internal screening and criticism. Although it was inconvenient for the imperial court to directly judge a group of former Northern Qi ministers, it could achieve a relatively deep purge effect through criticism of morality and public opinion, as well as their internal struggles.

Moreover, in this process of eliminating dirt, a group of Hebei scholars who could understand the emperor's wishes and cater to the rule of the Tang Dynasty could be selected, which could be described as killing two birds with one stone.