I studied in modern times

Chapter 766: The Emperor of Han is possessed——The show begins!
April 15th, the second year of Yuanyou.

As usual, Zhao Xu got up and went to Jiying Hall to start today's imperial lecture.

The format of the imperial lecture in Jiying Hall changed completely after the first month of this year.

From focusing on the interpretation of classics as the main focus and discussing politics as the secondary focus, it became focusing on discussing politics as the main focus and interpreting classics as the secondary focus.

The group of imperial lecture officials headed by Fan Chunren, Lu Dafang, Cheng Yi, as well as Shen Kuo, Cai Jing and others who occasionally came, were Zhao Xu's secretaries.

Zhang Yuan, Han Yu and other companions served as clerks for the secretaries.

Although, no decision making is done here.

The officials in the imperial lectures only discussed the policies and current affairs of the capital and provided opinions and suggestions to Zhao Xu.

Anyone who has studied history knows what this means?
The Shangshu Tai of the Han Dynasty and the Menxia Province of the Wei and Jin Dynasties both developed gradually from this foundation.

Therefore, everyone is excited and full of energy.

Even the companions sent by the relatives to study abroad have changed their previous behavior and become extremely active.

Everyone kept their mouths shut about what happened in Jiying Hall.

Because Zhao Xu had issued an imperial decree - anyone who dares to leak what happens in the palace (Jiying Palace) is no longer my subject!

In the Middle Ages, when Confucianism was the guiding principle, the ruler was the ruler, the subject was the subject, the father was the father, the son was the son, and the moral code was the heavenly law that stood above everything else!

Anyone who dares to trample on the ethics between the ruler and his subjects, and between his sons, will not only be expelled from the court.

Even their human membership will be expelled - without a king, there is naturally no father. Those who are without a father and without a king are hated by both humans and gods, and cannot be tolerated by heaven!
So, all the buildings going back three generations were destroyed!
The three generations will be held responsible and will never be employed again!
Not only the people in the palace must keep it strictly confidential.

The imperial guards outside the palace also surrounded the Jiying Hall during the imperial lecture, leaving no one able to get in or out, let alone anyone spying.

The palace is guarded by the Yan Yuan brothers. Not even a fly can get in without an imperial edict!

Therefore, during the three months since the beginning of the first lunar month, not a single rumor about what happened in Jiying Palace spread out.

However, this situation should not last too long.

Because the Dutang seemed to have noticed the unusual movements in Jiying Palace.

Lu Gongzhu, Li Chang, Fu Yaoyu, Deng Runfu, and Li Qingchen have all expressed their desire to come to the Jiying Hall to listen in.

This is normal!

What the prime ministers feared most was that someone would report them to the emperor when they were not paying attention.

Just like in the first year of Qianxing, Wang Zeng used the excuse of wanting to adopt a son to ask for the throne of Zhangxian Mingsu.

As a result, he took the opportunity to expose Ding Wei's evil in front of Zhangxian Mingsu.

This enabled Zhang Xianmingsu, who was already dissatisfied with Ding Wei's monopoly of power, to accurately find Ding Wei's opponents and take down Ding Wei in one fell swoop!

The principle of being prepared for dangers and controlling crookedness was not only known to Emperor Zhao, but also to the ministers. They were all on guard against a second traitor like Wang Zeng.

Not to mention, doesn’t the prime minister know that once the Jiying Palace system matures, it may be possible to divide the power of the Dutang?

However, they did not dare to force their way in, so they had no choice but to squeeze into the Jiying Hall, following the tactic of joining if they couldn't beat them.

Zhao Xu was naturally happy to see this happen.

He just happened to have this need!
At the imperial lecture, Zhao Xu, Fan Chunren and others briefly reviewed recent political affairs.

Guo Zhongxiao from the Tongjiansi had already arrived at the Jiying Hall with today's memorial from the Censorate.

When Zhao Xu saw it, he was surprised: "Why are there so many impeachment letters today?"

Guo Zhongxiao bowed and said, "Please inform your majesty, I don't know!"

"Huh?" Zhao Xu exclaimed in surprise.

"Your Majesty, they are all sealed! I dare not peek! Nor do I dare to ask!" Guo Zhongxiao said.

Zhao Xu stood up immediately, and the entire Jiying Hall fell silent in an instant.

A real seal?!
He glanced at the impeachment documents in Guo Zhongxiao's hand and narrowed his eyes.

The sealed letter meant that it needed to be kept confidential. It also meant that it could only be opened and read by Zhao Xu himself. It also meant that the person the Crows wanted to impeach was probably some powerful figure!

"Present it!" said Zhao Xu.

"promise!"

Guo Zhongxiao held the memorial in his hand and walked to three steps in front of the emperor, then knelt respectfully to present it. Feng Jing stepped forward, took the memorial, which was in a dozen volumes, from his hands, and placed it respectfully in front of Zhao Xu.

Zhao Xu sat up straight and solemnly, picked up the notebook on top, and carefully checked the sealing wax before opening it.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Xu narrowed his eyes and his expression gradually became cold.

After finishing one book, he continued to open the next one, and his expression became more and more serious.

The atmosphere in the entire Jiying Hall thus reached a freezing point.

Everyone stared with bated breath, lowered their heads, and dared not speak or even breathe.

Guo Zhongxiao knelt down obediently and lay on the ground.

It was unknown how long it had been, until even his knees were numb, before Guo Zhongxiao heard Zhao Xu's voice: "Mr. Guo, please get up first!"

"promise!"

Zhao Xu held the impeachment letter in his hand, thought for a while, and then asked Guo Zhongxiao: "Have the censors of the Imperial Censorate sent copies of these letters to the two Empresses in the Palace?"

Guo Zhongxiao said: "As far as I know, there is no such thing..."

"All the imperial censors' letters should be sent directly to the inner east gate's Tongjian Division, begging for the emperor's judgment!"

The Censorate was the territory of the scholar-officials, and was also the eyes, ears and mouth of the imperial power.

This means that everyone in the Censorate, even a cat or a dog, must strictly abide by their position.

What position?
Loyal to the king!

Therefore, the Censorate is the natural base of the imperial party.

It is not an exaggeration to say that, to a certain extent, the crows in the Censorate and the eunuchs in the Inner Court are actually species of the same ecology - the source of their power comes from the imperial power.

Only when the imperial power is strong can the crows of the Censorate and the eunuchs in the inner court display their power and accuse Fang Qiu.

Once the monarch's power becomes weak, crows will immediately become hairless chickens, and the eunuchs will simply become insignificant slaves, at the mercy of others.

This point has been eloquently proven by facts in the late Eastern Han Dynasty and the late Tang Dynasty!

Therefore, as early as the second half of the eighth year of Yuanfeng, when Zhao Xu gradually showed his skills in front of the ministers, the crows of the Censorate had already automatically and consciously begun to stand on Zhao Xu's side.

As for now?

They are totally done pretending!
The open imperial party!
For many things, they acted on their own initiative and only reported to Zhao Xu, while ignoring the existence of the two palaces.

"Nonsense!" Zhao Xu scolded coldly: "The two palaces are behind the curtains, blessing and supporting me, so you should know it!"

This was not the first time Zhao Xu had reprimanded the crows of the Censorate.

He even punished several crows who refused to change their ways.

however……

The crows always admit their mistakes quickly, but dare to make the same mistake again next time.

Zhao Xu's punishment for them was just a salary deduction, and at most a pound of copper as a warning to others!

Some people even regarded these records of salary and copper fines as their military medals and honors, and considered them as records of loyalty!

Therefore, in the current Censorate, anyone who has not been fined by Zhao Xu may be considered "disloyal" by others.

And what about Zhao Xu?

Every time after the salary and copper were fined, these things would be quickly forgotten.

This time was no different. Zhao Xu just scolded him verbally and then did not mention it again. Instead, he looked at the ministers present.

His eyes swept over Fan Chunren, Lu Dafang and Cheng Yi, and finally stopped on Fan Chunren.

"Mr. Fan..."

"I'm here!" Fan Chunren stepped out and bowed.

"Sir, you are a Hanlin scholar, the best of the best in literature and art, well-educated, well-versed in history, and know stories from past dynasties..." Zhao Xu said slowly, "I would like to ask you a question..." "I don't deserve it!" Fan Chunren bowed quickly and said, "Your Majesty, please examine me..."

Zhao Xu thought for a moment and said, "I heard that the saints have a rule that relatives should protect each other..."

"Yes……"

"What does it mean to protect one's relatives?" Zhao Xu asked.

Fan Chunren suddenly got goose bumps all over his body!
He knew that this kind of question could be fatal!
But, he is the son of Fan Zhongyan and the heir of Fan Wenzheng.

Therefore, even if there was a bottomless abyss ahead, he had to answer truthfully.

"I will report this to your Majesty... The sages taught: A father conceals for his son, and a son conceals for his father. This is the truth!"

"Where is it?" Zhao Xu asked again.

“Dear ones, respect the elders, respect the elders… this is the order of human relations and the principle of heaven and earth!” Fan Chunren bowed again.

"Dear, respected, elder?" Zhao Xu smiled and clapped his hands in praise, "Good! I understand the teachings of the sage!"

Protecting one's relatives is the most important part of feudal ethics.

It is also an indispensable part of the imperial power system.

The reason is very simple - since the father conceals for the son, the son should conceal for the father.

What about the king and father?

If the king or father is wrong, what should the subjects do?
We must avoid mentioning this for the sake of our respected ancestors!

Therefore, even if the emperor made many mistakes, the ministers still had to help whitewash, embellish and dress him up.

Zhao Xu naturally knew in his heart that this set of ideas would definitely not be suitable for the development needs of future society.

But now, isn’t the Song Dynasty still stuck in a small peasant economy and feudal society?

so!

You can’t throw this stuff away now!

Of course, the right of interpretation must be in your own hands!

No one can just open their mouth and become Confucius and preach to the emperor.

If that's the case, wouldn't his study abroad be in vain?

Zhao Xu suddenly asked, "Why is there a story in the Spring and Autumn Annals about sacrificing one's relatives for the sake of justice? If so, doesn't it go against the sage's teaching that 'a father conceals for his son, and a son conceals for his father'?"

Upon hearing this question, Fan Chunren took a deep breath and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, it is not against 'protecting one's relatives' to sacrifice one's relatives for the sake of justice!"

"The sage said: A father conceals his son's secrets, and a son conceals his father's secrets. The truth is there. This is what Ye Gong said!"

"It's about Rangyang!" Fan Chunren bowed and said, "Rangyang is a small thing! The relationship between father and son is a big thing!"

"So we should protect each other's family members to preserve human relations and conform to the principles of heaven!"

"If you kill people, rob people, cause chaos, or engage in witchcraft..."

"If you harm others, your fellow villagers, or even the country and the world... you cannot hide it!"

"This is the reason why the sage praised Shi La and disparaged Zhou Yu and Shi Hou, making the usurping ministers infamous for eternity!"

The logic of Confucianism is naturally self-consistent and does not contradict each other.

Just like the second sentence of repaying evil with kindness is 'how to repay kindness'.

The premise of protecting one's relatives is that the mistake is a minor one, at most an economic one.

Even in the Han Dynasty, which advocated the Spring and Autumn Period for deciding cases, killing, looting, and robbery were not considered as protecting one's relatives.

Zhao Xu pondered for a moment, looked at Fan Chunren, and asked in a gentle and persuasive way: "Sir, what if it was me?"

"If I have a relative who makes a mistake, should I be Cain or should I kill him for the sake of justice?"

Fan Chunren swallowed his saliva, then raised his head and bowed resolutely: "Your Majesty, I have heard that what you say is public, and what you say is private, the king is selfless!"

"Your Majesty is the ruler of the world and the ruler of all people. You should regard the world as your relatives and the four seas as your home!"

"What you said is very reasonable!" Zhao Xu immediately responded, and then sighed: "What can I do..."

"Consort..."

"He is my uncle! I cannot bear to punish my son-in-law!"

Having said this, he took up all the impeachment documents on his desk in front of everyone else present and threw them into the brazier in the hall.

As he threw the things, he shed tears: "Shou Kangzhu, you are my mother's daughter, my aunt!"

"The Prince Consort is my uncle!"

"Although the laws of the country are ruthless, I cannot help but remember the way of kinship!"

"Well, the sages teach that justice is the greater good and that relatives are the lesser. Sir, you are also talking about the selflessness of a king..."

"I...I...I...I am in such a dilemma!"

"Thinking about it carefully, it might be because of me!"

"I have failed to persuade the prince consort, nor have I been able to set an example for the royal family!"

"Ugh……"

Everyone was stunned.

Then they all prostrated themselves on the ground, took off their hats and kowtowed, but there was complete silence.

Even people like Fan Chunren and Cheng Yi are honest gentlemen.

At this moment, I witnessed the young official burning the impeachment memorial in tears, and thought about the words he said while crying.

The same story popped up in their minds - Duke Zheng defeated Duan in Yan!
Your Majesty, how are you forgiving or pardoning the uncle he mentioned?
This is like putting the other party on the fire!
It is sending a clear and unmistakable signal to charge - come on!

If the crows in the Censorate knew what happened in the palace, they would risk their own lives and would tirelessly catch the prince consort and bite him madly!
You——

How dare you let the emperor mistakenly attribute you to himself?!
How can you be so worthy and capable?
For this reason alone, you are unforgivable!

but……

They still have doubts in their hearts.

No one dared to reveal even a single word of what happened in Jiying Palace!
Because this is the emperor's decree and it is also an iron rule.

If the emperor breaks it, then there will no longer be any secrets here!

Whoever created the figurines has no descendants?

The emperor burned all the impeachment documents, turned around, wiped his tears, and said, "It was I who lost my composure!"

"Please forgive me, gentlemen..." His eyes swept over the imperial lecturer.

It also swept over those shivering study companions.

Then, his face turned serious: "What happened in the palace today is top secret!"

"Anyone who dares to leak this will be killed!"

At this moment, Zhao Xu was aggressive and extremely serious.

This play must be performed to the fullest!

You have to immerse yourself in the play!
no way!
Who told the Liu family to play similar tricks so many times before?

As a result, latecomers can only rack their brains to find ways to innovate.

But, I can’t do without other people’s manuscripts.

Because if you don't play it this way, others may misunderstand you - after all, the Zhao family is famous for protecting their relatives.

After Zhao Xu finished speaking, he said to Feng Jing: "Feng Jing, go inform Yan Yuan that I am going to the Qingshou Palace to apologize to the two Empresses in the Palace!"

"We still have to go to Jingling Palace! We have to apologize to our ancestors!"

(End of this chapter)