Chapter 253 The Second Round of Turbulence in the Qingli New Deal

On October 14, the first year of Qingli, during the wave of opposition to the New Deal in Manchuria, a major case suddenly broke out without warning.

When Zheng Jian, the censor Zhongcheng, was inspecting the Kaifeng Mansion, someone reported to him Feng Shiyuan, an official in the Kaifeng Mansion, saying that although he was only a minor official, he had many connections and had many prohibited items.

After learning about this, Zheng Jian captured Feng Shiyuan. After interrogation, he discovered that this man had extremely wide connections, and his connections could reach to the sky.

Not only did he do a lot of dirty work for Cheng Lin, the former Third Secretary of the Ministry of Finance and now the Minister of Finance, but he was also involved with Lu Gongchuo and Lu Gongbi, the sons of Lu Yijian, Sheng Shenfu, the son of Sheng Du, and Zhang Yuxi, the son-in-law.

In addition to asking Feng Shiyuan to help collect prohibited items, these people also had some who wanted to make progress, so they approached Feng Shiyuan, and Feng Shiyuan then approached Lu Gongchuo to help smoothen relationships and open up connections.

Historical records record that "Gong Chuo was a man of intelligence and talent. When his father was in power, he was often involved in interfering with requests. Those who liked his reputation and were eager to advance would flock to him. He never leaked anything except paying homage to him in exchange for favors. At that time, people compared him to Dou Shen."

Who is Dou Shen?

During the events of the Tang Dynasty, many of them discussed the promotion, demotion, and dismissal of officials. They often leaked information to others and took the opportunity to accept bribes. When the incident happened, they were dismissed from office and exiled to Lingnan.

It can be seen from this that Lu Gongchuo is not Dou Shen, he is simply a small pavilion elder in the Ming Dynasty.

Is Zheng Jian still good after finding out about this case?

Immediately they rushed to the Lu Mansion and arrested Lu Yijian's eldest son Lu Gongchuo, second son Lu Gongbi, Sheng Du's son Sheng Shenfu, and son-in-law Zhang Yuxi.

Although Lu Yijian and Sheng Du were not directly implicated, more than ten people including Cheng Lin, the Minister of Finance, and Li Zhang, the direct bachelor of Longtuge, were implicated.

Since these people held public positions, the Yushitai only had the power to censor and not arrest them, so they needed to petition the Constitutional Yuan.

However, Lu Yijian and Sheng Du were both acquaintances of the Constitutional Yuan, so Zheng Jian crossed the Constitutional Yuan that day and reported to the emperor, requesting the dismissal of Lu Yijian, Sheng Du, Cheng Lin, Li Zhang and many other senior officials involved in the case.

Now it's a big deal.

On the afternoon of the 14th, Lu Yijian and Sheng Du received the news, and they almost didn't rush over at that time.

Outside the meeting room of the Constitutional Yuan, Zhao Zhen came in a hurry.

At this time, Lu Yijian and Fan Zhongyan were arguing in the conference room. Wang Zeng, Yan Shu and others beside them were silent.

"The emperor is guilty of the same crime as the common people. If your son breaks the law, he should be punished. Why should you bend the law for personal gain? I tell you, don't even think about it."

Fan Zhongyan slapped the table and shouted: "The New Deal is to reform the administration of officials. Look at how great the results have been in the past few months and how much the government's efficiency has improved. Because of your son, you have to let the New Deal be ruined?"

Lu Yijian's face stiffened and he defended: "I'm not doing it for my nephew, but you can see for yourself how loud the opposition is from the government and the public. I'm afraid it won't be long before criticisms are everywhere. I think we should take it slow and take it one step at a time. Isn’t this what it should be?”

"What should it be? Should the New Deal be stopped? The court is looking at so many corrupt officials but not arresting them. It's looking at so many lazy and lazy officials who do nothing every day and only take their salaries and do no work. They continue to live in a stalemate."

Fan Zhongyan said with a livid face: "If this is the case, if the officials in the world see that the imperial court regards the law as nothing, then who will dare to do things, and who will still do things? Anyway, it is better to muddle along every day than to be carefree, even corrupt, and continue to cause harm to the place. Don't you think I forgot, the Song Dynasty will be destroyed in a few decades!”

Lu Yijian said dissatisfied: "Don't use this as an excuse. I'm not blocking the New Deal. I'm just telling you not to do things too badly and not to go too fast. As the saying goes, there is no desire for haste, and there is no small gain. The desire for haste leads to nothing. If you don't reach it, you will fail to achieve big things if you see small gains. You should slow down and negotiate again."

"Slow down and discuss again?"

Fan Zhongyan sneered and said: "Now is the time when foreign troubles have been eliminated and domestic troubles are stable. Do you tell me that I should slow down? Wait for the Liao Kingdom and Xixia to attack? By then there will still be internal and external troubles. What will change?"

"But now there are so many officials involved. There are tens of thousands of officials and hundreds of thousands of staff in the world. Do you want to abolish them all?"

Lu Yijian asked back.

Sheng Du helped: "Yes, the number of officials arrested last month alone reached more than 4,000. This is just Bianliang, Jingji Road, Jingdong East Road, Jingdong West Road, Jingxi South Road, Jingxi North Road, On Huainan East Road, Huainan West Road and other roads adjacent to Bianliang, tens of thousands of officials were dismissed and punished, and the Constitutional Yuan was almost filled with petitions."

"Ah."

Fan Zhongyan sneered and said: "You are just talking so much for your own selfish interests. If your son and son-in-law are implicated, you can't hold back anymore. Hanlong is right, you are a group of selfish conservative interest groups!"

Hearing these words, Lu Yijian almost became red and warm, because Zhao Jun had already determined their gender, and the reputation of this conservative interest group was really not good.

But now he really has no choice.

Poor parents in the world, what his son committed was corruption and perverting the law, helping others to get into the officialdom through the back door. Although the most respected Mr. Lu was not involved, the eldest son and the second son would be imprisoned or even exiled.

Now Lu Yijian had to make a choice in this matter even if he knew that opposition might have serious consequences, such as making Zhao Zhen and Zhao Jun unhappy.

Otherwise, what should my son do?

So he could only grit his teeth and said: "Yes, you can say that about me, but don't you look at what's going on outside? There are opposition voices in the civil and military forces in the court. Am I the only one who is wrong? I Isn’t it okay if I just ask you to stop for a moment and discuss it later?”

As he spoke, Lu Yijian looked at Wang Zeng and said, "Wang Xiaoxian, do you think that this examination method can continue to be implemented when the opposition is so loud? Aren't you afraid that all the officials in the world will be arrested?"

"I"

Wang Zeng was stunned for a moment and didn't know how to answer.

Fan Zhongyan looked at Wang Zeng and said: "My lord, don't waver, you must stick to your heart!"

As he spoke, he said to Lu Yijian: "It doesn't matter if all the officials in the world are caught. As long as they are corrupt officials, they should be punished. This is the law of the country!"

"If the world is in turmoil, should we abide by the laws of the country?"

Lu Yijian retorted.

Seeing the quarrel between the two, Wang Zeng smiled bitterly.

His son was not implicated. The problem was that many of his disciples and former officials suffered.

Although he has already spread the news, he wants his disciples to do their duty and not to be as lazy and lazy as before.

But they did a good job and their efficiency improved, but they couldn't stand some officials who did evil things.

In addition, after the implementation of the new law, those officials who were not corrupt officials were also very tired. They felt that the new law was just a torment and opposed it one after another. This made Wang Zeng start to have a dilemma.

And it's not just him.

Except for Fan Zhongyan, who withstood the pressure and insisted on meeting anyone who came to see him, the other prime ministers in the Constitutional Yuan were affected to varying degrees.

Lu Yijian and Sheng Du didn't say much, but their sons were arrested.

Song Shou and Jia Changchao will definitely support Lu Yijian, and Zhang Shixun will definitely speak for his old friend.

Yan Shu, Jiang Tang, Li Di, and Cai Qi also had disciples and former officials involved.

The only difference was that Jiang Tang was fairly fair and did not accept the pleas of his disciples and former officials and remained neutral.

Li Di looked at Zhao Jun's face and realized that he would not speak out until Zhao Jun came back.

Yan Shu couldn't speak up on this matter, so he could only support Lu Yijian in his heart, but he didn't dare to express his position openly.

Cai Qi was waiting for Wang Zeng's intention.

For a time, Lu Yijian, Sheng Du, Jia Changchao, Song Shou, Zhang Shixun and others in the Political Academy put pressure on Fan Zhongyan.

Wang Zeng was in a dilemma.

Although the others did not speak, they did not speak up for Fan Zhongyan.

It seems that Fan Zhongyan is alone and unable to support himself.

In fact, people can objectively comment before their own interests are harmed. They all expressed the benefits of the examination law to the country and supported the continued implementation of the New Deal.

But once the entrance examination harms their interests, even if they know they shouldn't object, they can only bite the bullet and speak out against it.

It's like if someone asked you if you would donate 10 million, you would think that since you don't have 10 million, it doesn't matter if you donate, so you decisively answer yes.

But if you are asked whether you will donate a cow if you have one, you should consider how to refuse donation, because you really have a cow.

Everyone knows that donating money is a good thing, but cutting yourself will hurt after all.

"what happened?"

Zhao Zhen stood at the door and listened for a moment. Seeing them arguing, he walked in with a frown.

He actually didn't want to come in, and it was actually quite difficult for him.

The palms and backs of the hands are all flesh.

But it was not an option to keep arguing like this, so Zhao Zhen had no choice but to bite the bullet and go in.

Seeing Zhao Zhen come in, everyone finally ended their quarrel. They all bowed to Zhao Zhen and said, "I've seen the official!"

"alright."

Zhao Zhen walked to the main seat in the conference room, where Zhao Jun usually sat.

After he sat down, he originally wanted to say a few words to Lu Yi Jian Shengdu in a harsh tone, but he couldn't bear it and had to say: "Sit down first."

"Thank you, Guanjia!"

Everyone was sitting in rows. Lu Yijian and Sheng Du looked sad, as if they had aged ten years, which was extremely unbearable to look at.

Zhao Zhen couldn't bear to say harsh words, so he had to say: "Lv Xu Gong, Sheng Gong, you are confused."

"minister"

Lu Yijian was stunned, and then his face became even sadder.

This means that Zhao Zhen may be on Fan Zhongyan's side, and his hope of rescuing his two sons is even slimmer.

Sheng Du burst into tears and couldn't help but said: "In the official family, I only have one son."

"Forehead"

Zhao Zhen suddenly didn't know what to say.

He is too soft-hearted.

Lu Yijian was his most trusted minister, acting like a teacher. When he was young, Lu Yijian fought against Liu E for him, protected him all the way, and had a deep relationship with him.

Although Sheng Du didn't have that deep relationship with him, Zhao Zhen really couldn't bear to see such an old man in his sixties crying.

So Zhao Zhen looked at Fan Zhongyan and said hesitantly: "Gong Xiwen, how about this, if we give a light sentence to Lu Gongchuo, Lu Gongbi, Sheng Shenfu, and Zhang Yuxi, they will not be guilty, but they will only be demoted?"

Fan Zhongyan frowned and said: "Officials should think clearly. Lu Gongchuo committed the crime of selling his official position. He blatantly used the name of Prime Minister Lu to take bribes and help people get promoted. If such a serious crime cannot be convicted, then the majesty and dignity of the court will be lost." Where is the law?"

"this"

Zhao Zhen felt like he had a terrible headache and was really in trouble.

Fan Zhongyan continued: "For officials, the purpose of the New Deal is not to eliminate officials, but to allow officials to do their jobs. Officials all over the world are so incompetent that they can't even do their jobs well. They even take bribes and bend the law, which is harmful to the people. , this is destroying the foundation of the Song Dynasty. If it goes on for a long time, Jingkang will be ashamed."

When talking about the Jingkang Shame, Zhao Zhen did not feel alert or worried about the future, but was more hesitant. At the beginning, he still had a sense of crisis, but as the Song Dynasty defeated the Western Xia and the Liao Kingdom, this sense of crisis was actually slowly decreasing.

After all, crisis awareness only exists when there is a crisis, but now the crisis has been resolved, and the Jingkang Shame is too far away, which naturally makes him feel more secure.

So Zhao Zhen looked at Lv Yijian and Sheng Du, who were looking forward to it and crying like rain, and could only bite the bullet and say to Fan Zhongyan: "It's not that serious, the new policy will continue to be implemented, and the laws of the court are still there, but can you give Lv Gongchuo and others a break?"

"Today, they give their children a break because of the powerful, and tomorrow there will be powerful people who want to give them a break. If this happens every day, the court's legal system will be relaxed every day, and it won't be long before the officials of the world will return to their old ways."

Fan Zhongyan persuaded bitterly: "Your Majesty, this mouth must not be opened."

"I"

Zhao Zhen looked at Lv Yijian, with a difficult expression on his face.

Lü Yijian said immediately: "I think we should vote. Those who support the abolition of the new policy, please raise your hands."

Instantly, Shengdu, Jia Changchao, Song Shou, Zhang Shixun and others raised their hands.

Wang Zeng hesitated for a moment, and then raised his hand, and then Cai Qi and Yan Shu slowly raised their hands.

In this way, except for Zhao Jun, eight people in the entire Political System Council, including Lü Yijian, Wang Zeng, Shengdu, Jia Changchao, Song Shou, Zhang Shixun, Cai Qi and Yan Shu, agreed.

The remaining Fan Zhongyan, Li Di and Jiang Tang did not raise their hands.

In fact, Li Di also wanted to raise his hand. After he came to power, many students and old officials came to cling to him, and this time he also suffered. However, he judged the situation and knew that the decision-making power was in the hands of Zhao Jun, so he resolutely planned to wait for Zhao Jun's opinion.

As for Fan Zhongyan, he was definitely opposed, and Jiang Tang was fair and did not want to get involved in this matter. In the end, two-thirds of the twelve people in the Political System Council demanded the abolition of the new policy.

Seeing this, Fan Zhongyan was furious and said, "Your Majesty, please wait for Han Long to come back before making a decision!"

Lü Yijian knew that things would be difficult if Zhao Jun came back, so he immediately said, "Your Majesty, you must not offend the public, nor go too far. There are so many officials in the world. Once you blame everyone, the country will inevitably be in turmoil."

"Don't talk about this matter."

Fan Zhongyan retorted, "Under the Ming Dynasty's performance evaluation system, three or four out of ten incompetent officials were dismissed in ten years, and hundreds of thousands of officials were laid off. The politics was clear for a while. Is my Song Dynasty worse than the Ming Dynasty?"

"I"

Zhao Zhen regretted stepping into the meeting room of the Political System Institute. In the end, he could only say helplessly, "Let's put this matter aside first and make a decision at the court tomorrow."

This is to try to smooth things over first.

If he supports Fan Zhongyan, the pitiful appearance of Lu Yijian and Sheng Du, plus the fact that the opposition voices in the court are so loud, and two-thirds of the Political System Institute also recommends abolition, will make him very embarrassed.

But if he supports Lü Yijian, Zhao Zhen doesn't dare to imagine what kind of beating he will receive when Zhao Jun comes back. He is afraid that he will be hit by two punches.

So Zhao Zhen dares not support the abolition, nor does he dare to support the continuation of the new policy. He can only drag it out.

Pretend to be dead first.

Everything will wait for the situation to develop later.