Linxia

Chapter 243, Going to Die

Capital.

Zhang Ruian came back and locked himself in the study. Thinking of the head of Wei Zhongxian he saw outside, he was deeply saddened: "Your Majesty forced the factory master to death, which was like cutting off his own wings. Moreover, the factory master is dead, and he will not even have a complete body. He will be cut into pieces and his head will be hung in the market... With such an end, who will dare to work for the country regardless of gains and losses and sacrifice their lives in the future?"

It is said that he escaped the catastrophe when the capital was clearing out the "Wei Party" recently.

After all, he had refused Wei Zhongxian's offer of love and resolutely returned home, which could be regarded as a rejection of corruption; in addition, he had saved some civil servants during Wei Zhongxian's rule, which could be regarded as a legacy of loyalty; furthermore, civil servants who were truly determined to fight to the death, such as Dong Zugao's father-in-law Tao Chengbi, had long been sent to hell by Wei Zhongxian; finally, when he returned to the capital this time in mourning, he had no open contact with Wei Zhongxian and cut off ties with him early... Due to various factors, he was not affected too much, which was also expected.

Of course, he tried to avoid being classified as a member of the "Wei Party" and escape liquidation, but it was impossible for him to become a Grand Secretary of Jianji Hall like before his period of mourning. Now it was just a sinecure of the fourth rank.

"Master, you chose the worst option among the three options. You ultimately misjudged His Majesty and wasted your life."

Zhang Ruian lamented in his heart, asked the servants to bring some wine, and drank it in the study.

Now, everyone wanted to kill Wei Zhongxian, and even those who cried and wanted to collect his body would be implicated. In order to save his own life, he could only watch from afar and could only grieve at home.

A moment later, when Zhang Ruian was slightly tipsy, he suddenly received news that Emperor Chongxiang and Minister Zhou were planning to carry out reforms: abolishing industrial and commercial taxes in the Jianghuai area, collecting Liao taxes from the people, and disbanding post stations...

When he heard these three things, his pupils dilated a little bit, and the alcohol in him disappeared. His lips moved, and he couldn't help but cursed out loud: "Stupid monarch!"

I thought that the three years of mourning had tempered me to a calm mind, able to remain calm even when faced with a catastrophe. But now my defenses were broken.

call!call!call!
Zhang Ruian closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths, and then calmed himself down. He found that his previous evaluation of Emperor Chongxiang was still an "underestimation".

"I once told the factory master that if he died, within thirty years, the Great Xia would be irreversibly degraded. Now it seems that even if the Great Xia could survive for twenty years, let alone thirty years, it would be a stroke of luck."

Just as he said when he instigated Wei Zhongxian to take action against Emperor Chongxiang, a person without the corresponding ability forcibly sitting in that position would be a disaster for Daxia. Moreover, the more helpless the other party was and the more trouble he made, the faster Daxia would be destroyed.

It can be said that the destructive power caused by a foolish emperor is ten or a hundred times more terrifying than placing a clay or wooden sculpture in that position!
"Your Majesty... Alas, Your Majesty is ignorant. Has Zhou Jingchong also become senile and confused? He is such a mediocre fool!"

After Zhang Ruian finished scolding, a gleam of light suddenly flashed in his eyes: "No, this person is not stupid, he is evil!"

He probably figured out Zhou Jingchong's thoughts. To say that he couldn't see the consequences of these three points? I'm afraid that's impossible.

He could probably see it, but he didn't care - as long as he was well fed, what did the Great Xia country and the people of the world have to do with him, Zhou Jingchong?
However, the people will suffer and His Majesty will bear the blame, and he will not even be implicated. The worst result is that he will resign and return home, and by then he will have both face and money.

The so-called "inside" refers to the benefits of money, needless to say, and the "face" refers to the official reputation.

——Yes, although Zhou Jingchong proposed such a bad policy, he protected the interests of the interest groups behind him, and these people will praise him, and his reputation will never be ruined. On the contrary, people like Wei Zhongxian, who often took action against the civil service group that controlled public opinion, will not have a good reputation!

"I think Zhou Jingchong is thinking that His Majesty will bear the blame. If there is any trouble, he can just resign and return home. By then, his pockets will be full, and he will have a good reputation, and he can enjoy his old age in wealth and glory... But this is probably a blind idea. What kind of person is Your Majesty? Haha! The fate of the factory owner is a lesson for us."

Zhang Ruian thought he had understood Emperor Chongxiang now. He could be described in four words: mean and ungrateful. Now that he trusted Zhou Jingchong, everything would be fine. But if the new policy went wrong and trust was shaken, he would be guilty of everything! Still want to just walk away? What a delusion. It would never end well.

Zhou Jingchong was not a stupid man. He did not think of these things. Perhaps he was blinded by selfishness, or because he was in a trap, or perhaps it was the tradition of previous emperors of Daxia to favor civil servants and not kill them, which made him ignore it out of habitual thinking.

"Let's not talk about Zhou Jingchong. He will suffer the consequences sooner or later. Let's just talk about the new policy. It's been less than a month since the death of the factory owner, and everything he did when he was in power has been completely overturned. I'm afraid he will not rest in peace in his grave... Sigh, at this moment, what choice should I make and where should I go?"

Zhang Ruian thought of Fang Lin's letter, in which he had invited him to go overseas, to give him advice and help manage the foundation. He knew in his heart that this was a good place to go, but then he remembered that his mother had hanged herself and left behind a blood letter to express her loyalty to the country... He paced back and forth for a long time.

"If it weren't for what happened to my mother, I would probably choose to seek refuge with my benefactor and go abroad, but...there are no ifs in this world."

He smiled bitterly, his eyes became firm, he had already made his choice, to stay, to serve his country loyally, and to die for Daxia.

——Yes, Zhang Ruian had already seen through the true nature of Emperor Chongxiang and knew that making this choice would most likely not end well.

"The most urgent task is to explain the pros and cons and ask Your Majesty to withdraw the three new policies... Among them, the collection of Liao tribute from the people is doomed to be irreversible."

Because the treasury of Daxia is empty, even if the silver confiscated from Wei Zhongxian is used, it will not last long. Even if the Liao salary is not collected now, it will still have to be collected in the future, and the only difference is the name or the excuse... Unless one follows Wei Zhongxian's example, there is no solution to this problem.

"So, at most, we can block the two items of 'cancelling the industrial and commercial taxes in the Jianghuai area and abolishing the post stations.'"

Even these two would encounter great resistance. The former involves the interests of all parties in the Jianghuai region, and anyone who wants to stop it will inevitably be regarded as a thorn in the eyes and a thorn in the flesh by these people. The latter was proposed by Emperor Chongxiang himself, and writing a letter of opposition at this time would be such an inappropriate and disappointing remark, how could Emperor Chongxiang be willing to listen to it?

The most recent people who had destroyed Emperor Chongxiang's prosperity were the people who had cried to Wei Zhongxian and wanted to collect his body. Now, they were either dispersed by force or thrown into jail.

"I know that writing a letter of advice will not only be useless, but will also anger His Majesty and bring disaster upon myself, but I still have to do it! As long as there is a glimmer of hope that His Majesty can reverse this evil policy that has greatly damaged the country's destiny, it will be worth it!"

Zhang Ruian's eyes were firm. This kind of helplessness of doing something knowing it was impossible made him understand Zhuge Liang's feelings when he went to Qishan six times.

"If it doesn't work, and the worst happens, like the factory owner dies... then I'll die!"

"Now, Daxia has reached a turning point of prosperity and decline. I failed to convince the factory master to take action against His Majesty and replace him with a wise ruler. Now, if I can use my own blood to awaken His Majesty, it would be a good thing... Even if it is impossible today, when the three new policies are introduced in the future and the world is in turmoil, His Majesty may reflect on his mistakes when he thinks back."

After making the decision, Zhang Ruian contacted the two people sent by Fang Lin, entrusted his family, wife and children to them, and secretly sent them out of the capital overnight. Then, he began to write the memorial with a calm expression.

Perhaps it was because he was prepared to die and his different state of mind allowed him to unleash all his potential. The words in this memorial were sharp, and every word was as sharp as a knife.

……

On the tenth day of the third month of the first year of Chongxiang, Zhang Ruian wrote a memorial to the emperor, strongly refuting three points of the new policy and asking Emperor Chongxiang to withdraw his decision. Zhang Ruian's memorial was too well written and too sharp. After reading it, Emperor Chongxiang looked uncertain, and it was obvious that he was already angry.

At this time, because Zhang Ruian refuted the new policy, officials from the Jianghuai area were very jealous and resented him. They spoke out to refute and impeach him. Finally, Zhou Jingchong made the final decision with one sentence: "This man has old ties with Wei Zhongxian and is a member of Wei's party."

When Emperor Chongxiang heard this, he thought of Zhang Ruian's resume. This man once relied on Wei Zhongxian to enter the cabinet. In the major case in the fifth year of Tianshun, it was also because of this man that the civil servant group failed... He was immediately furious and ordered Zhang Ruian to be thrown into the imperial prison and executed on the same day.

——He was already very angry about Zhang Ruian's memorial. Now after listening to Zhou Jingchong's words, he saw that Zhang Ruian had a relationship with Wei Zhongxian, even though Zhang Ruian refused Wei Zhongxian's offer of love; even though Zhang Ruian saved some civil servants during Wei Zhongxian's rule; even though Zhang Ruian returned from mourning and did not surrender to Wei Zhongxian again... But, you, who have escaped a disaster, don't behave yourself and dare to jump in front of me. Who else should I kill if not you?
To put it more bluntly, Emperor Chongxiang was already angry and was looking for an excuse, but Zhou Jingchong handed him a knife and implicated Zhang Ruian with Wei Zhongxian, whom he now hated the most. Naturally, all new and old grudges were settled together, and he was convicted and executed.

……

On March 12, Zhang Ruian was taken to the execution ground. He showed no fear and said, "The three new policies will cause chaos in the world. The Liaodong Tartars are eyeing us covetously. We may repeat the disasters of the Hu invasion and the Mongol Yuan Dynasty at the end of the Song Dynasty. Great Xia will perish!" He also said, "The country has nurtured scholars for three hundred years. At this critical moment, how can there not be people who sacrifice their lives for the country? If there are any, please let me, Zhang Ruian, be the first one!"

These remarks made the executioner, who still had a conscience, cry, and he took out some wine to bid farewell to Zhang Ruian.

On that day, Zhang Ruian died bravely.

The death of Zhang Ruian did awaken some people. The next day, twenty-three civil officials jointly wrote a letter to Emperor Chongxiang, requesting him to withdraw the three new policies. Emperor Chongxiang was furious and dismissed all the officials who wrote the letter.

After that, no one in the court dared to stop it.

——It can be said that after this incident, the few officials who still had conscience in the court were screened out. After they were dismissed from office, it is easy to imagine what was left in the court. Naturally, everyone was silent.

In April of the first year of Chongxiang, the three new policies were implemented throughout the country.

……

Longdi, Yinchuan post station.

"The court has issued an order that all post stations will be closed from now on. Everyone, get up, and go!" An official with a horse face came over and said.

"Sir, this post station was closed just like that. What's going on?"

"Yeah, is there an explanation?"

"We all rely on the post station for our living. Now that the post station has been closed, what are we going to eat and drink? Is there any compensation?"

……

"It says that His Majesty ordered the closure of the post stations. Who knows? You want an explanation, and I want one too! As for compensation, the court is so stingy that there is not even a penny."

The horse-faced official said, turning around and leaving: "Let's go, everyone, go find your own way out. If you stay here, you won't get any salary in the future!"

A group of post station clerks packed their bags, cursing and swearing, with anger on their faces, as well as confusion and worry about the future.

In recent years, Longdi has also been hit by natural disasters. Fortunately, sweet potatoes were introduced. Sweet potatoes are drought-resistant, have high yields, and the vines and leaves can be eaten... Although eating this often makes your stomach feel like it's on fire, it's better than starving to death. Ordinary people can barely survive with sweet potatoes. For example, the post station clerks are better off. They have post station salaries and oily business. Their lives are not very good, but they are not absolutely difficult. In addition to maintaining food and clothing, they can occasionally eat something good.

But now the post station is suddenly abolished, and I lose my official position. I have suddenly become a commoner, no, I am even worse than ordinary people... Moreover, the court has not given me any compensation. I heard that they will levy some kind of "Liao salary" in the future. I can't survive all of a sudden. It's simply driving me to death!

Several of them found a young man named Li and asked in a confused manner.

"Brother Li, you are a man of your own ideas. We brothers all believe in you. Do you have any ideas? If you have a place to go and you don't mind, I will follow you...Brother Li, if you don't like it, I will go somewhere else."

"Me too, Brother Li. If you're willing, I'll follow you... Now that I've lost my job, the imperial court is still collecting Liao tribute. It's really driving me crazy!"

"Yes, the imperial court said that the Single Whip Law included all taxes. Why are they imposing new taxes now? Damn it! The imperial court cannot be trusted!"

……

"Since everyone trusts me, I can't be disloyal."

A fierce light flashed in the eyes of the young man surnamed Li: "Damn it, we can't let a living person die of suffocation. If we really can't live like this, we can just become bandits like in the Water Margin novels..."

"Go ahead!" A man nearby heard this and clapped his hands, saying, "Brother Li is right. However, if we want to become bandits, I think we are still missing someone, the military advisor in the Three Kingdoms stories. I think the scholar Niu from Sanshui Village is good. Let's capture him and bring him in!"

"Yes, that scholar's name is Xing. According to the Water Margin novels, he is called a person who corresponds to the stars!"

"I know him, his name is Niu Jinxing!"

The young man surnamed Li stood with one foot on the chair, waved his hand and said, "Okay, it's settled. Let's go, brothers!"

……

Huai'an.

Fang Lin received a call from Zhang Ruian's wife and children, and heard the news of Zhang Ruian's beheading and the three new policies. While sighing for Zhang Ruian, he looked to the north and said, "As soon as the three new policies were announced, civil unrest broke out in the north. The Great Xia Dynasty has entered a countdown since then!"

……

(End of this chapter)