New Shun 1730

At the beginning of the court meeting, there was total silence.

Li Gan sat on the dragon chair, knowing that he would set the tone as soon as he opened his mouth.

"You all read yesterday's memorial. After reading it, I feel that although some of the words are absurd, there are also some merits. This man is indeed a great talent! This man's name is...Chen...what's Chen? "

Zuo Pingzhang spoke up and said: "Your Majesty, Chen Zhen. Named Changgong, a native of Kunshan. This man's ancestors were also loyal men. He was sent to the Eastern Han Dynasty as a false messenger. He refused to shave his hair and died in the great honor of the world. . He was buried with Zuo Maodi and others, and our court also held sacrifices."

"Oh, yes, Chen Zhen."

After the brief conversation, all the ministers in the court meeting breathed a sigh of relief, and some people's legs strengthened.

It's about compromise.

Have to bargain.

If he really wanted to use it, why couldn't the emperor even remember this person's name?

Apparently, the emperor remembered the name and only said it deliberately so that the officials present would hear that he had not remembered the name.

As for the sentence "Although I think some of the words are absurd," it even sets the tone.

Which ones are absurd?

What are the available words?

Didn't say.

Therefore, every sentence can be an absurd statement, and every sentence can be a usable statement.

It depends on what price the courtiers are willing to offer, which turns every sentence into absurdity.

Now that they knew this was a bargain, the ministers were in a good mood and had already discussed two options last night.

If the emperor really wants to use it, he will fight to the death and come forward to remonstrate.

If the emperor just wants to bargain, then try to find out the emperor's bottom line, and everyone signs an unspoken agreement: within your bottom line, we will not cause trouble.

Soon, an old minister from Jiaping Zhangshi came forward and said: "Your Majesty, although this Chen Zhen is upright and reads poetry and books, he does not know political affairs, and in fact he talks too much. Such people cannot be put to great use. If you want to use them, you must have some experience before doing so. ”

"Furthermore, Chen Zhen gathered his companions and beat up the good man. As the saying goes, when discussing crime, deeds are ignored. Although he didn't know it, that man was once a servant of Yi Guogong, and now he has made meritorious service in northern Xinjiang. That is the imperial court "The flying knight."

"My dynasty is no better than the previous dynasty, and our soldiers are as strong as Qiu Ba. When Taizu founded the country, he used the power of generals to control the ministers, and during the honor banquet, he even used left-wing military and right-handed writing. If such things are ignored, it will be afraid of the generals. Although he doesn't know it, it is not a reason to escape guilt. At most, his crime will be reduced. "

The fight between the two parties had already happened, and no one had mentioned this key point before.

As soon as the court meeting started today, someone immediately discovered the key point. Li Gan smiled secretly and said, "What you said makes sense. Since the crime is reduced to one level, what crime should be considered?"

The Minister of Punishment said: "When it comes to crime, you should receive twenty rods. If you don't know, then you should take it lightly and receive ten rods."

"Well. What do you think, sir?"

Some people set their sights on Yi Guogong Liu Sheng.

Liu Sheng has always been a good man, but everyone knows that this is just because the family has climbed to the top, so they should do less and make less mistakes.

After all, this incident brought shame on Duke Yi's family, and no one could directly say whether it was good or bad. If you really offend someone, you might be in trouble in the future.

When Liu Sheng saw others looking at him secretly, he thought that slapping him with ten sticks would be meaningless. Yu'er is planning to make him unable to stand up forever, to scare the monkeys, I don't care if it's ten sticks or twenty sticks.

I don't want to provoke public opinion in Shilin, but since Yu'er used a strange trick to break the situation, what will happen in the future is another matter.

So he said nothing, just pretending that it had nothing to do with him, or to avoid suspicion.

Seeing him like this, one of the ministers said: "Rewards and punishments are fair, there is nothing to say about it. It's like a stick of ten."

Li Gan nodded and said: "He beat the imperial guards out of anger. But since the beating was not completed, I think this crime should be forgotten. Since the dynasty has the legacy of Taizong in discussing politics and forming associations, this scholar will not discuss politics. It’s a crime. Liu Shouchang was negotiating with Rakshasa on the front line. It is inevitable that some people will misunderstand this matter.”

The Minister of the Military Government said: "Your Majesty, this is exactly what Ping Zhang said before: Chen Zhen cannot be used in a big way, and he talks too much. If he is to be used, he must be experienced first."

"Although the dynasty allows associations to discuss politics, those who discuss politics have no experience in political affairs and have not visited borders. How can they know about sacrificing sacrifices to the Rong? If Zhao Kuo could still make people obey his words, now what the associations discuss is not as good as even Zhao Kuo. "

"Even those who strive for fame will never stop talking without surprising. As a result, the literary style of the country often has the crazy meaning of the Song Dynasty. This is not a blessing for the literary world. When negotiating with the Rakshasa Kingdom, Chen Zhen knows how many Rakshasa there are? Does he know Rakshasa? How far is it from the capital? Do you know the affairs of the Rakshasa and the Mongolian tribes? Do you know how much money our country spent on sending troops? Do you know how long it took for our country to prepare for this war?"

"I don't know anything about it, so I just shake my feather fan and open my mouth as I should, just to make my ears smile more."

After the Minister of the Military Government finished speaking, everyone also seconded the matter.

Everyone understands that if the emperor sets the tone of "compromise and bargaining", then in today's matter, we cannot talk about specific reforms, but directly veto Chen Zhen from the soul level: this is just rhetoric. , pedantic people who do not understand military affairs and strive for fame.

Only by denying it from the soul level can we directly reject this matter without discussing the specific provisions of the reform - can you listen to the madman?

Although this lunatic is actually Liu Yu, there is no other way to borrow Chen Zhen's "inspiration".

At this point, it is obvious that the emperor wants to protect Liu Yu, so if he continues to find trouble with Liu Yu, he will not open his eyes.

If you seriously argue any of them, even the easiest one to refute, you would be a fool.

No specific details can be touched upon.

We cannot talk about the concrete, we can only talk about the abstract.

Give the emperor a step down, and give yourself a step down.

The veteran minister of Gapyeong Zhangshi added: "What the Minister of the Military Government said makes sense. I believe that Liu Shouchang assisted the Duke of Qi in negotiating with Rakshasa and expanded the land for three thousand miles, as well as the Yongning Temple stele and Yanran stone carvings to highlight our dynasty. He is heroic and has the majesty of the Han Dynasty. There is also a Rakshasa castle in the land, which can also be used for military exploits."

"In the past, Zhang Yi's play with Chu was considered a military achievement. I believe that Liu Shouchang's contribution can be further rewarded, and he will be awarded the title of Protector of the Army and a male title!"

The emperor had other purposes for Liu Yu. Seeing that no one came out to oppose him at this time, he thought that you really dare to make an offer for a third-grade guard who is less than twenty years old and a baron.

"That's inappropriate. Firstly, he is still young. At such a young age, he already has the honor of being a third-grade Protector of the Army. He is also arrogant. Secondly, he cannot be awarded any honors except for military merit. After all, the Duke of Qi is in charge of the negotiations. Protector of the Army "It's inappropriate."

Li Gan objected.

The Minister of the Military Government immediately understood the meaning and prefaced: "I also think it is inappropriate. Although he has made great achievements in expanding the territory, it is not a bad idea to be granted the title of baron. However, he is still young and has talents, so he should gain more experience. This is a matter of words and stone carvings. This is the civil rule of our dynasty. It is unprecedented for someone to be knighted and awarded military honors under the age of twenty. "

"I believe that I should be bestowed with literary honors and the heroic inscription of expanding the territory three thousand miles and extending the team far away, as a way to praise and govern Shaoyin."

Seeing that the emperor had no objection, all the ministers thought, come on, if Liu Shouchang can be admitted to the upper house and rated as a superior, he is also a man who can serve in both civil and military affairs.

It was clear that he could be awarded the Tenth Rank Martial Arts Honor, but His Majesty did not grant it. Instead, he was awarded a Civil Service Honor. He will definitely use it not only at the border in the future.

Just as the Minister of the Military Government was about to return to the army, he heard the emperor say: "Although his achievements have been achieved, there are many discussions among the scholars. It may be called the old humiliation of the Song and Liao Dynasties, or it may be called the dignity of the Celestial Dynasty."

"Now the imperial court refuses to demote him but instead promotes him. The imperial court knows its merits, and it is natural to reward him. I am afraid that the scholars will form a group to discuss, but think that the ministers and others are all treacherous and sycophants, which will deceive the superiors."

Li Gan finally got to the point. How could a group of people still not understand what this meant?

Shilin Society, Shilin Society, are those young scholars really the ones who really talk about things?

The emperor could not control public opinion, and of course it could not be spontaneous among the young scholars.

There are many ministers who know about the three hundred thousand taels of silver in the Rakshasa Kingdom's negotiations. Anyone who knows about it must know what is going on.

Why did the Imperial Academy Chang Hongshe know about the three hundred thousand taels but didn't tell the reason?

The emperor's meaning is very clear: I will not pursue this matter anymore. It would be useless to pursue it anyway.

However, we have to talk about the conditions. You can't always use this matter to pressure me.

Liu Yu is nothing now? Before he goes to school, he can only be a small honorary guard. Are you beating him to show me?

Now that things have happened, I don't want you to use Shilin public opinion to force me on other matters in the future.

The ministers also understood that the emperor was asking for a price, but the problem was that no one knew what the emperor's price was. There will always be testing in this matter, but where should we test it?

Just when the atmosphere was awkward and dull, Zuo Pingzhang spoke up and said: "Your Majesty, in my opinion, the so-called old humiliation of Song and Liao is nonsense."

"In the Song-Liao incident, the Song army shot Xiao Talan to death without knowing it, and our court captured the Rakshasa king's adopted son, which is known to the whole world. This is a farewell."

"In the Song and Liao affairs, Zhenzong wanted to escape but Kou Laigong blocked it. Our Majesty personally went to the front line to command and break the city. This is the difference between the two."

"In the Song and Liao Dynasties, we paid 300,000 yuan in annual currency every year; in our dynasty, we gave a total of 300,000 yuan in exchange for thousands of miles of land. This was just a matter of land acquisition during the Warring States Period. Qin, Wei, Zhao, Han, Chu, and Yanqi all had it. Moreover, Zhao Shang exchanged the He's Bi for earth, which is Sheji. Even if the He's Bi can be exchanged, how can the three hundred thousand taels be compared with the He's Bi?"

"The affairs of the Song and Liao Dynasties are about brothers, and they are discussed in order of teeth. Moreover, the Liao Dynasty has the land of Jizhou and Yongzhou; although our dynasty inherits the position of Rakshasa, the Rakshasa is outside Jiuzhou, and this is nothing more than the friendship between the Han and the Western Qin; the Tang Dynasty This is the difference between being acquainted with Dashi."

"As for outside the Song and Liao Dynasties, there was Wu Mu weeping blood and the sky was clear, and in the Rakshasa Kingdom there was also a foolish king who misled the country and caused his count to die of anger because of losing his land. How can they be compared?"

"Qin Hui has a beautiful beard, and Guan Yunchang also has a beautiful beard. Based on this, Qin Hui and Shouting Hou are the same?"

Li Gan nodded lightly, and then the other ministers said: "Every word Zuo Pingzhang said about things is reasonable. The affairs between our court and Rakshasa cannot be compared with Tan Yuan's humiliation. The students in Guozijian do not understand practical matters and only talk rhetorically; The scholars in the south of the Yangtze River also don’t know what happened in the northern border, let alone the details. Although they have a heart for boxing, they still talk about Qin Hui and Shouting. "

"This is why Mencius said: Those who practice without paying attention, practice without noticing, and live by it all their lives without knowing the way are the same!"

"Since it is popular among people, the Master said: It is inspired by poetry, established in etiquette, and achieved in music. If the people can do it, let them follow it; if it is not possible, let them know it."

Since they don't know, they should be educated and let them know.

There are seven or eight interpretations of this short sentence "The people can follow it, but they cannot know it". Now I changed the way I broke up the sentences, and everything immediately made sense: Those people who formed a group obviously didn’t understand anything. If they don't understand, then they should be made to understand.

Li Gan was just an emperor. He had no control over how Shilin would sentence or understand.

Since someone has said this, it means that someone will tell the scholars about this matter. This is the correct understanding.

As for whether it can be done... Of course it can be done. If it can't be done, it will remind the emperor that you have violated the contract.

Zuo Pingzhangshi is obviously conveying the emperor's bottom line, and it is obvious that the bottom line is not that simple.

Sure enough, Zuo Pingzhang said: "As for the dignity of the Celestial Empire, in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, even if there was an emperor, where was the dignity? In today's world of great contention, if we want to be dignified, we must have the martial virtues of the Han and Tang Dynasties to be dignified."

"Today, England, Guyana, and Liberian countries have an annual income of 20 million silver; France has an annual income of 15 million, half of our dynasty. These are all Western powers. They can sail thousands of miles to the South China Sea. Can our dynasty have ships to the West?"

"Many missionaries have evil intentions and do not tell the truth. They may be rewarded or preach, but they use the name of "tribute". People do not notice it and are complacent. Isn't this deceiving themselves?"

"Some say that the king does not rule the barbarians; some say that the fiefdoms of foreign countries are isolated from each other... These are all words that cover their ears and steal the bell. The ancients knew it two thousand years ago, but people today do not notice it. Isn't it ridiculous?"

"If you really have ambitions, you should follow the ambitions of the countries in the past and unify the four seas and settle the civil Only if we can follow the rules can we be the real Celestial Empire. Otherwise, what is the difference between us and the Japanese who call themselves a small tribute? Xu Guangqi of the previous dynasty said: "We must communicate with China and the West to seek excellence. If we cannot communicate, how can we surpass others?"

"We should send envoys, emulate Zhang Bowang's trip to the Western Regions and Ban Dingyuan's communication with Daqin, and then we can be the style of the Han Dynasty; we should emulate Su Dingfang's peace in the Western Regions and his capital in Qiuci, and emulate Liu Rengui's suppression of the Japanese at Baijiangkou for 800 years, so that they dare not covet the nine provinces, and then we can be the hero of the Tang Dynasty."

"Acting like a woman, saying that the king does not rule the barbarians, these are all the weakness and feelings of the Song Dynasty. But they put the weakness of the Song Dynasty as the attitude of the Celestial Empire, which is really laughable."

"Some people in the wild say that we must break a little Cheng Zhu before we can get a little Confucius and Mencius. I think that we must break a little Celestial Empire before we can get close to the Han and Tang Dynasties."

If you say this on a normal day, especially the sentence "We must break a little Celestial Empire before we can get close to the Han and Tang Dynasties", I'm afraid you will be sprayed to death immediately.

All parties will certainly quote classics and denounce this statement.

Although the official ideology of Dashun is nominally about "breaking Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism", in fact, how can it be so easy to break it after hundreds of years of infiltration? Even though it is criticized on the surface, it is actually deeply rooted in people's hearts. When criticizing, it is still criticized within the original framework, thinking that it is criticizing the bones, but in fact it is only criticizing the skin.

Wang Yangming said: It is easy to defeat the thief in the mountains, but it is difficult to defeat the thief in the heart. This is roughly the meaning.

However, today's court meeting is not a debate, but a bargaining.

Just like buying vegetables in the vegetable market, this is not the time to comment on whether cabbage is closer to radish or radish is closer to mustard.

Instead, the emperor makes a price and the civil officials bargain. If both can accept it, then one hand pays the money and the other hand delivers the goods.

Zuo Pingzhangshi is helping the emperor to make a price. The few sentences he said are nonsense. Everyone can understand. In fact, there is only one sentence that is really useful.

Sending envoys, emulating Zhang Bowang's trip to the Western Regions and Ban Dingyuan's contact with Daqin, is the style of the Han Dynasty; emulating Gao Xianzhi's settlement of the Western Regions, and emulating Liu Rengui's suppression of the Japanese at Baijiangkou for eight hundred years, so that they dare not covet the Nine Provinces, is the hero of the Tang Dynasty.

In short, the emperor's price is very clear.

First, the Rakshasa delegation came to take over the throne to discuss the northern border policy, which cannot be touched.

Secondly, the resident envoys, sent to Rakshasa, opened their eyes to see the world. Cannot be touched.

Su Dingfang's Anxi Protectorate settled Qiuci, and Liu Rengui's Battle of Baijiangkou, these are talking about two things.

The Western Regions must be pacified, this is not negotiable.

As for the Korean issue, we must take advantage of the civil strife in Korea to intensify control and infiltration.

There are four things in total.

The emperor is telling his ministers that these four things are not negotiable.

If you accept it, then don't oppose it in the court. The public opinion of the literati should not point fingers at the mulberry tree and use the past to satirize the present.

If you don't accept it, wouldn't you like to use the past to satirize the present? Okay, satirize the Song and Liao dynasties, how boring is that? Petty. You should use the old Emperor Wu of Han. It has been many years since anyone used the "Order to Move Maoling" to satirize. This madman Liu Yu had this in his memorial. I will let you satirize as much as you want this time.