Why did the emperor rebel?

Chapter 772 Accompanying the king is like accompanying a tiger

Under the imperial steps, Yang Jie couldn't help but see a trace of sweat from his forehead when he heard the emperor's question.

Although before entering the palace, he had already anticipated the current scene, even though, a long time ago, he had imagined the scene where he stood in the palace and played the right scene.

However, at this very moment, when he was standing in the hall, he was still extremely nervous.

You know, the one sitting in front of him is His Majesty the emperor who is supreme in the entire Ming Dynasty and has the power of life and death in his hands.

Not to mention, Yang Jie already knew in his heart that although this emperor is young, his scheming and strategy are very comparable to others.

Speaking in front of such a person, it is impossible to say that you are not nervous.

Fortunately, when the memorandum was handed in, Yang Jie expected that the emperor would interrogate himself, if not to him, at least to his father.

Therefore, he has already prepared for what the palace should play correctly.

He exhaled lightly to relieve the tension in his heart, Yang Jie said.

"Returning to Your Majesty, this melody was written by my father. However, my father is old, so this melody is written on behalf of Caomin. My father also talked a little about the words in it."

Admitting is definitely not admitting.

In fact, when he heard this question, Yang Jie suddenly realized why the emperor greeted him when he first entered the palace.

That was not a simple random question, but a faint intention of beating.

The outside world did call Yang Jie the son of Marquis of Changping. In fact, there is nothing wrong with saying that. After all, as Yang Hong's son, he is destined to inherit the title of Marquis of Changping in the future.

But the problem is that the term son, strictly speaking, has a special context, and it actually belongs to a special title.

According to the court code, only the heir to the prince who has been canonized by the court can be called "the son of the prince".

This is an exclusive title, and other people, even the son of the county king, cannot use it, let alone the son of a mere marquis.

On a larger scale, this is a violation of etiquette!

Of course, the etiquette system is a ritual system. In the actual scene, everyone is more casual. Let alone the Marquis's Mansion, it is an ordinary Earl's Mansion. When outsiders see it, they will call it the son of the world, let alone other things. The County King's Mansion, the Duke's Mansion and the Marquis' Mansion.

The flowery sedan chair was just carried by everyone, it was nothing, and even the emperor just now did not reprimand him on this matter.

However, if you look at these two sentences together, Yang Jie has to be more cautious.

To put it bluntly, the term "Shizi" is just a way for people to praise each other, and it just sounds nice, and it doesn't mean the real meaning.

In other words, what the emperor said was actually reminding Yang Jie that above the court and in front of the emperor, his status as a descendant of an honored relative was actually nothing.

In detail, the sons of Changping Houfu are no different from ordinary common people in the imperial court.

Since this is the case, then the following question is full of pitfalls.

Yang Hong is the Marquis of Changping bestowed by the imperial court, so he has the right to present himself. However, Yang Jie is only a white man, so why dare to present the memorial on behalf of his father, discussing the government with such fierce words?

Therefore, it cannot be admitted, but neither can it be denied.

The Son of Heaven summoned his father and son into the palace together, but only called him into the palace. Obviously, he had already seen something. Nothing will end well.

Therefore, in the end, Yang Jie could only choose a relatively safe statement, half-confident and half-denial.

The memorial was written by him, so he knew the specific content, and Yang Hong had discussed it with him, so it is normal for him to have his own views on the content.

In this way, it can not only answer the emperor's follow-up questions, but also avoid the crime of violating the ritual system.

Zhu Qiyu naturally saw this response. In fact, since Yang Jie entered the palace, he did intend to show off his power to see the young man's heart.

Today's performance, it should be said, is barely qualified!
So, Zhu Qiyu nodded slightly and said.

"He's a young talent, sit down!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

A servant came forward and moved up the prepared pier. Yang Jie gave another salute and sat half-empty, feeling a little relieved in his heart.

At the same time, the sliver of arrogance that was originally in the heart also disappeared.

The folks say that accompanying a king is like accompanying a tiger, but if you don't really stand in front of the emperor, you can't feel the powerful oppression from the majestic imperial power.

The prelude to the hall is right, one thought of life, one thought of death, no matter how talented one is, if one can't keep awe and respect in his heart, and if he makes a mistake for a while, it will be a catastrophe.

"Since you wrote this memorial on behalf of your father, then I will not call your father to inquire, and you will answer it."

Yang Jie was cautious when speaking, but Zhu Qiyu didn't have such scruples, and directly pointed out that Yang Jie wrote this memorial for his father.

Afterwards, Zhu Qiyu narrowed his eyes slightly, looked at Yang Jie below, and said.

"Yang Jie, what do you think of the battle at Yaoerling?"

This is another test.

In this memorial, the beginning is to describe his views on the Battle of Yaoerling. Since it has been written, it stands to reason that the emperor does not need to ask again.

However, the Son of Heaven still asked, and Yang Jie couldn't help raising his heart that had just been let go. He was a little uncertain for a while, whether he was dissatisfied with the content of the memorandum, or hoped that he would have a firm attitude.

After a moment of hesitation, Yang Jie decided to tell the truth.

Although he usually has self-respect, he is not a person who can't listen to words. Long before entering the palace, Yang Hong repeatedly asked him to be respectful and truthful in front of the emperor.

Now that I don't know what the emperor's intention is, to be honest, it should be the best choice.

Therefore, after pondering for a while, Yang Jie said.

"Returning to Your Majesty, since it is on the battlefield, the victory and defeat should be decided by the main general. This is beyond reproach. In this regard, Zhu Yong, who was defeated in the battle of Yao'erling and became the Duke of the country first, has an inescapable responsibility and deserves to be punished." !"

"However, Your Majesty, with all due respect to the grassroots, right and wrong in the imperial court are important, but what is more important is whether it is beneficial to the imperial court!"

"What's more, it has been stated in the memorandum of my father that the cause of the Battle of Yao'erling was complicated, and it was not solely Zhu Yong's responsibility."

Since it was a war, it was understandable that the leader of the army should be held accountable first if he was defeated.

In fact, this was also the reason why the court quickly came to a conclusion about the Battle of Yaoerling after the news of the civil engineering battle was sent back to the capital.

It's not that there are discerning people in the court, they naturally knew that there were various situations during the battle of Yao'erling, but since Zhu Yong was the leader of the army, if something happened, he should be responsible!
Hearing this, Zhu Qiyu leaned over, but instead of following Yang Jie's question, he asked in a rather embarrassing manner.

"So, you don't think justice is important?"

This question was also difficult to answer, so that after listening to it, Yang Jie's forehead was dripping with sweat. However, he is not a mediocre person after all, so he thought about it for a while and said.

"Your Majesty has learned that when the grassroots were studying, they heard about the dispute between Confucianism and Legalism, which lasted for thousands of years. The grassroots are not talented, and they have gained a little. Please forgive me for speaking rashly."

"The Legalists rule the world by law, and the Confucians use virtue to stabilize the country. What they do is to stabilize the world and protect the country."

"However, the difference between the two lies in the way of governing the country."

"Legalism puts system and laws first. When Shang Yang reformed the law, there was a saying that 'the prince violated the law and committed the same crime as the common people'. "

"In the Qin Dynasty of the Han Dynasty, Huang Lao was first promoted, and Confucianism was respected later, and the world was prosperous. However, in the former Song Dynasty, Confucianism flourished, and literature was dominated by martial arts, but there was the disgrace of Chanyuan, and the disaster of moving south, what?"

"It's all because of the way of governing a country. There is no law that is difficult for all ages. Legalism seeks justice, and Confucianism emphasizes benevolence and forgiveness. Both are brilliant and righteous ways. If used properly, the country will prosper, and if used improperly, it will be the way to bring disaster. "

"Therefore, there are no fixed rules for the use of Confucianism and Law. Your Majesty's sages are wise and wise. As a holy king through the ages, you should take justice and benevolence and forgiveness. It is in your Majesty's heart. For the sake of the country, Confucianism and Law are the right way of the country. , Your Majesty, please teach me."

Obviously, Yang Jie had drafted the draft, otherwise, within such a short period of time, it would be impossible to say these words in such a clear and coherent manner.

But it doesn't matter whether you have prepared or not.

Zhu Qiyu looked at the young man in front of him with a complicated expression. After a while, he sighed softly and said.

"Well said, it fits my heart very well, but, Yang Jie, you can understand that if you don't tell me what you said, any emperor will kill you on the spot!"

You must know that the dispute between Confucianism and Legalism has been a very sensitive topic in all dynasties.

Although the emperors of all dynasties inevitably quoted the practices and ideas of the Legalists when governing the country, no one would proclaim them.

Because doing is one thing, saying is another.

Today, Confucianism has long been the mainstream thought in the court, and facts have proved that the Confucian way of benevolence and forgiveness is indeed the most useful for governing the country.

At least, it is much stronger in maintaining the stability of the country than the harsh punishments of the pure legalists.

But Yang Jie's words overturned this mainstream view.

In his view, regardless of whether Confucianism or Legalism emphasizes benevolence and forgiveness or justice, the ultimate goal is to put the community at the root.

In other words, the use of Confucianism depends on the situation. If such remarks are placed above the court, they will definitely be attacked by groups.

You must know that academic disputes have never been easier than both sides on the battlefield.

However, although Yang Jie was nervous about this "threat" from the emperor, he still kept calm on his face and bowed his hands.

"Precisely because today's son is His Majesty, the grassroots know that His Majesty is the holy emperor who puts the country as the most important thing in everything. Therefore, I dare to say this from the bottom of my heart. Your majesty is wise, and you should know the heart of the grassroots."

These words were regarded as a little flattery to Zhu Qiyu.

However, Zhu Qiyu was not moved by Yang Jie's method of alleviating the atmosphere. On the contrary, he still looked at Yang Jie seriously and said.

"No, you didn't understand what I meant. If anyone else heard what you said today, except for me, you would not be able to escape the death penalty!"

Yang Jie's forehead was dripping with cold sweat. He finally realized that he seemed to have said something wrong. Although he hadn't figured out what went wrong, he didn't dare to hesitate, and immediately knelt down and said.

"Your Majesty, the grassroots are convicted."

Zhu Qiyu shook his head, and said in a serious but plain voice.

"No, you don't know!"

"Governing the country is based on benevolence and virtue. This is the words of sages and sages, the way to prosperity, and all the princes in the court, all respect it. How dare you make such wild and rebellious words when you are a mere weak crown?"

"Could it be that you are worse than the princes of the court?"

These words were a bit heavy, so that Yang Jie's heart sank, and he quickly kowtowed again.

"The grassroots dare not!"

Sighing again, Zhu Qiyu said.

"Yang Jie, there are many smart people in the court, and there is a reason why all the laws are not used. I will not pursue today's words, but you must remember that when you come out of this door, what you said just now is a word." Don't mention it again, otherwise it will lead to disaster, and I will not be merciful!"

"Yes, thank you Your Majesty Long!"

Yang Jie kowtowed again, and he finally let go of his hanging heart. Of course, the doubts in his heart remained undiminished, but at this moment, he didn't dare to open his mouth to ask again.

Because, just now, he could feel that at a certain moment, the emperor really wanted to kill him, but the killing intent was so swift that Yang Jie almost thought that he felt wrong.

After this episode, Yang Jie didn't dare to speak again, but Zhu Qiyu continued.

"In the Battle of Yao'erling, what you said was not unreasonable, but what was said in this memorial is not trivial. You know that if this memorial is spread, your Changping Marquis Mansion will offend all the court officials all over the place." !"

You know, the right and wrong of the civil engineering battle has already been concluded.

And Yang Hong's memorandum started with the Battle of Yaoerling, but in fact, what he said was the attribution of the First Civil War.

At the beginning, the officials of the court attributed the defeat of civil engineering to the rebellion of the power eunuchs.

However, in this memorial, Yang Hong put forward a new view.

He directly pointed out that the failure of civil engineering was due to the abolition of the military system, the failure of the imperial court to emphasize civility over military affairs, and the failure of the imperial court to cultivate military equipment.

In the clear, he accused San Yang of failing to teach the Supreme Emperor, but in essence, he pointed his finger at the trend of suppressing military generals in recent years.

This is actually quite understandable.

Taking the Battle of Yaoerling as an example, if Zhu Yong had absolute leadership and command power when he went into battle, then with his strategic quality, he would surely fight steadily and would not underestimate the enemy and make rash advances, leading to such a big defeat.

Taking a step back, even if the court system is in charge, it is impossible for the chief general to be in charge of the army alone. Then, if the military supervising ministers and eunuchs can have basic military literacy and do not interfere with the orders of the leading generals, there will be no This scourge.

The root cause of all this lies in the fact that the status of military generals in the imperial court is declining day by day, and the reason why military generals are increasingly suppressed by civil servants is that, since Sanyang came to power, the court has long permeated contempt General's atmosphere.

In the Yongle and Xuande dynasties, the armed forces were magnificent, and the army was invincible wherever it went, so that, in Sanyang's view, the great power of the Ming Dynasty was not in the army but in the general.

To put it bluntly, with the presence of millions of officers and troops of the Ming Dynasty, no matter who the leading general is, whether he has a strategic strategy or not, he can win the battle.

This kind of eccentric self-confidence has led to the entire orthodox era being full of confidence in side affairs and ignoring side affairs.

Therefore, when San Yang taught Zhu Qizhen, he never emphasized martial arts, but preferred civil rule, so civil servants dared to suppress noble generals unscrupulously, so during the civil war, the whole court thought that although Zhu Qizhen was messing around, But at most, the loss is heavy, and it will not be defeated.

However, the facts taught each of them a harsh lesson!

So in fact, Yang Hong's memorial, the Battle of Yaoerling, is just an introduction. What he wants to do is to rehabilitate many generals in the Civil War.

What's more, at a deeper level, he wants to give the honorable generals who have been suppressed for a long time a sigh of relief and fight for a victory!

(End of this chapter)