Chapter 600 0595 [Show Your Claws]

Zhu Guoxiang said that he didn't care about this matter, which was of course an angry statement.

Do you really think Dean Zhu is a vegetarian?

On the third day after being rejected by the cabinet and the Sixth Section, Zhu Guoxiang began to summon ministers one by one.

The first person summoned was Zhang Gen.

Zhu Guoxiang got straight to the point and asked: "Does the Prime Minister believe in the theory of good luck? Answer truthfully."

Zhang Gen said: "I don't believe it."

"Why deny it?" Zhu Guoxiang asked again.

Zhang Gen said: "I have to believe it."

"Why?" Zhu Guoxiang asked.

Zhang Gen said: "It is necessary to have this thing when it comes to the authority of the dynasty and the emperor."

Zhu Guoxiang asked: "Is it okay if I don't?"

Zhang Gen replied: "It's better to have it."

"I understand," Zhu Guoxiang asked again, "Does the Prime Minister believe in the theory of telepathy between heaven and man?"

Zhang Gen did not respond directly, but used Song Huizong as an example: "The faint king Zhao Ji can sense the influence of heaven and man year after year."

Zhu Guoxiang asked: "Last year there was a flood in the Yangtze River, so we can blame it on Zhao Ji. If there is another flood in the future, how can we explain it to the people? Is it my fault or the ministers' fault?"

Zhang Gen said: "The yin energy is too strong."

"Too much Yin energy?" Zhu Guoxiang didn't understand.

Zhang Gen explained: "All things in the world are born from the two qi of yin and yang. If yin and yang are out of balance, there will be disasters. When governing, we should achieve neutrality, harmonize yin and yang, and the world will be stable."

This statement is a new invention of the Song Dynasty and a brand new version of the induction between heaven and man.

If there were any disasters in the Han and Tang dynasties, they must have been caused by the misconduct of the politicians.

Any disasters in the Song Dynasty can be explained as imbalance of yin and yang. The emperor was definitely right, it was probably a villain. Because there are too many villains, yin energy accumulates, resulting in yin and yang imbalance.

Expelling the villains in the court will weaken the yin energy, harmonize yin and yang, and the country will be stable.

As for who is the villain, it depends on the specific situation.

After sending Zhang Gen away, Zhu Guoxiang summoned other cabinet ministers. They all said the same thing, but they did not dare to be as straightforward as Zhang Gen.

These guys don't believe it, but they want everyone in the world to believe it. This is actually a way of ruling.

Li Bangyan seems special.

Facing Zhu Guoxiang's inquiry, Li Bangyan said: "I am too stupid to speculate on this matter. But I heard that when the Holy Emperor comes to court, his fortune will naturally decline. Your Majesty is a man of merit, whether you believe it or not. A man of good fortune."

Zhu Guoxiang asked: "What will happen if I don't determine the fate of this dynasty?"

Li Bangyan said: "Determined or not, one's destiny depends on one's own destiny. The emperor can decide whether one's destiny is good or not, so he can be undecided. I will act in accordance with the emperor's orders. The cabinet rejected it, but I did not participate."

This guy is a slippery man. He directly stated that he was willing to obey, but he also emphasized that Ming Dynasty must have good fortune and blessings.

After listening to the cabinet's opinions, Zhu Guoxiang was too lazy to summon them one by one, and directly called Xiao Chu, Huang Shang and Huan Guo.

Huang Shang, who had been compiling the Taoist canon for ten years, was actually very excited: "The river produces pictures and Luo produces books. This is such a weird and heretical theory! The five elements of virtue are even more nonsense. When the Holy Emperor governs the country, he must abide by the scriptures and uphold justice. This cannot be believed. Those false words.”

Zhu Guoxiang smiled: "Why is Aiqing so opposed?"

Huang Shang stood up in excitement and said: "In the early years of the old Song Dynasty, which learned man did not object to this? I studied "Yi", and the achievements of Song Yi's theory were to deny the prophecies of Han Yi! Even Zhao Ji, the ignorant king, was like that Indulging in auspiciousness, the eclipses of the sun and moon are excluded from the perception of heaven and man!"

From the founding of the Northern Song Dynasty to the ascension of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, the theory of telepathy between heaven and man was constantly disintegrated.

On the one hand, it strips away the influence of disasters, and on the other hand, it introduces yin and yang to supplement it.

The "New Book of Tang" compiled in the mid-Northern Song Dynasty directly reflects this.

This book breaks the millennium tradition since the "Book of Han", which only records disasters and does not record the events in response to disasters. The general meaning is that you just need to be in awe of unknown phenomena and don't make any random connections with reality.

Reform is coming.

Solar eclipses, lunar eclipses, earthquakes, and comets appeared frequently, and the conservatives used these to attack the reformers.

Of course Wang Anshi wanted to fight back, and the most drastic method was to exclude "Spring and Autumn" from the imperial examination, just because "Spring and Autumn" recorded many strange reactions.

During this period, Tianren felt suppressed by the government.

The conservatives gained the upper hand, and although they were pushed back, the overall trend was towards rationality.

Until Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty ascended the throne and engaged in auspicious events, the feeling of heaven and man came back, even the upright ministers were subtly influenced, and the overall social atmosphere became strange.

However, even Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty issued an edict to exclude solar and lunar eclipses from the perception of heaven and man, thinking that it was because the ancients did not understand astronomy and were making blind connections.

Why did Song Huizong do this?

Because this guy knows astronomy. He knows the causes of solar and lunar eclipses, the phenomenon of five latitudes retreating, and even has a preliminary understanding of orbital differences.

This is an advancement in astronomy!

Zhu Guoxiang looked at Xiao Chu and Huan Guo: "What do you think of the Five Elements of Destiny?"

Xiao Chu said: "It's nonsense."

Huan Guodao: "Maybe something happened."

Both of them were students of Cheng Yi and both studied the Spring and Autumn Annals in depth, but their views were completely different.

Xiao Chu emphasized the classics but passed them lightly, ignoring the details and pointing directly to the righteousness of the Spring and Autumn Period.

However, Huan Guo belongs to the Gongyang School, and the most important thing is the Gongyang Chuan. He especially believes in natural induction.

Zhu Guoxiang asked Huan Guo: "Mr. Hu, do you think heaven and humans can really sense things?"

Hu Anguo said: "Here, the heaven refers specifically to the principle of heaven. To be precise, it should be called the induction of reason and man. The disasters sent by heaven are the warnings of the principle of heaven to the world. As long as the rulers and ministers of the world implement virtuous policies, put the people first, be vigilant against the debate between Chinese and barbarians, and promote the righteousness of the Spring and Autumn Period, the disasters will no longer occur or will become less."

"I understand." Zhu Guoxiang nodded.

After the three left, Zhu Guoxiang took up his pen to write the imperial edict.

He promoted Huang Shang and Xiao Chu to be cabinet ministers on the grounds of high moral prestige, extraordinary talent and outstanding ability.

This is the power of the emperor!

There are two ways to promote prime ministers. One is that the emperor promotes them personally, and the other is that the cabinet officials discuss and recommend them, and then the emperor nods to confirm.

Under normal circumstances, if the imperial edict involves military and national affairs, it will be effective only if it is turned into a real edict (it can also be turned over like Song Huizong).

Zhu Ming's arrangement is that the Tongzhengyuan is responsible for internal control, and the cabinet is responsible for external control.

The two imperial edicts were sent to the Tongzhengyuan, and Liang Yi immediately wrote an edict, and the six departments had no right to refute the matter.

The two edicts for appointing new cabinet ministers were quickly sent to the cabinet.

Zhang Gen read them in silence, because this was not a discussion with them, but a direct announcement of the results to them.

The internal edicts were special edicts issued by the emperor himself, including the canonization of the queen and the prince, the promotion of the prime minister and the minister, or the announcement of the people of the world.

The right to draft the internal edicts had been handed over to the Tongzhengyuan, and the cabinet had no right to ask.

"The emperor is angry." Zhai Ruwen said after reading the edict.

Li Bangyan said unhappily: "I told you not to refute the emperor's edict. If the new dynasty's virtue is not established, then don't establish it. Why make the monarch and his ministers uncomfortable?"

Since entering the cabinet as prime minister, Zhong Shidao seemed to have changed into a different person. He followed the virtues of civil officials everywhere. He said: "Establishing the virtue of the new dynasty is a big deal. Even if you don't believe in the connection between heaven and man, you should follow it as a ritual. Why does the emperor have to go his own way?"

At this moment, a secretary came in: "Your Majesty has another edict."

Zhang Gen took it in his hand and smiled bitterly: "The emperor said that from now on, the cabinet ministers will set the number of positions. One prime minister, one deputy prime minister, and five assistant prime ministers. The cabinet needs seven prime ministers to vote to refute the edict, and at least four votes are required to refute it."

Zhai Ruwen snatched the edict and sighed after reading it: "The emperor is not angry, but has already been angry."

Zhang Gen sat down dejectedly: "Who will draft the edict?"

"Let me do it." Zhai Ruwen said.

This kind of edict can be issued by the cabinet or the Tongzhengyuan.

Zhu Guoxiang deliberately sent the imperial edict to the cabinet, asking the cabinet ministers to write their own edicts.

They can also refuse and let the emperor take the Tongzhengyuan route.

But that approach is equivalent to not giving the emperor face, and it has no effect on the result.

Zhai Ruwen quickly drafted the edict and handed it to the Zhizhifang for verification, and then it was made into a real edict. He was a little amused and sighed, "You were not in the capital at that time, but I knew it. Zhao Ji sent people to recruit the current emperor, but because the eunuch spoke rudely, the current emperor tied up the eunuch who delivered the edict and brought him to the capital."

"Is there such a thing?" Zhong Shidao said in surprise.

Zhai Ruwen said: "Not only did they tie up the eunuch, but they also returned all the extorted property to the officials along the way. Including the attendants who went out of the capital to convey the imperial edict, and the officials along the way, all helped the emperor to impeach the eunuch!"

Li Bangyan said: "I have heard about this."

The other cabinet ministers looked at each other. They really didn't know about this. It seems that the emperor was not easy to talk to.

As for Huang Shang and Xiao Chu, they soon received the appointment edict.

Huang Shang was so happy that he almost went crazy. He was a real top scholar. He was thrown by Song Huizong to sort out Taoist scriptures and compile Taoist canons, and was asked by Zhu Ming to do astronomy. He thought his life was over, but he was inexplicably appointed to the cabinet as prime minister.

"The emperor is wise!" Huang Shang sighed again and again.

Xiao Chu received the edict, but smiled and asked the newly hired servant to ask the tailor to make a new robe.

The next day, the two officially went to work in the cabinet.

Zhang Gen led the crowd to express their welcome, and they exchanged pleasantries.

Soon, Zhu Guoxiang sent the imperial edict, which announced that the Ming Dynasty would not establish virtue.

Zhang Gen still expressed his opposition: "Vote."

Votes against: Zhang Gen, Zhai Ruwen, Zhong Shidao.

Votes in favor: Li Bangyan, Xiao Chu, Huang Shang, Liu Yu.

The imperial edict could not be rejected!

The cabinet had to draft a proposal, and the imperial edict was made by the Imperial Edict Office, and sent to the Ministry of Rites through the Ministry of Rites for execution.

Wang Qi, the chief official of the Ministry of Rites, was stubborn. He thought that this edict was not in accordance with the rules, and he rejected the cabinet's edict.

That afternoon, the chief official of the Ministry of Rites was replaced, and the stubborn Wang Qi was thrown to work in the Inspectorate...

At the Ministry of Rites, Meng Zhao acted according to the edict.

Many ministers also submitted memorials to persuade and remonstrate, but Zhu Guoxiang kept them all and pretended that he saw nothing.

When Meng Zhao went home and told this story, his wife Yu Shan smiled and said, "These ministers and officials have never seen the emperor in Daming Village. What he said is true, who dares to object?"

Meng Zhao couldn't help laughing and said, "Even if a tiger has put away its claws, it is still a tiger. This time, it only showed its claws, and it scared those people."