Chapter 17 The Seventeenth Chapter of Tang Emperor's Anger

After the manslaughter of Zhang Yungu, Li Shimin was depressed for several days.He blamed himself deeply, thinking that the manslaughter incident was entirely caused by himself.That day Wei Zheng asked, who on earth heard about this?Li Shimin was silent and didn't say the names of Quan Wanji and Li Renfa.He thought it was their duty to report to the emperor the mistakes of all the officials as censors in a timely manner. As for the mistaken killing of Zhang Yungu, the fault was not with the person who reported the news, but with the emperor himself. From the bottom of his heart, Li Shimin still appreciates Quan Wanji and Li Renfa.The two tried their best to observe the movements of the officials at all times, and reported their words and deeds to Li Shimin in time, so that he could detect the movements of the officials in time, which was undoubtedly their own sensitive eyes and ears.

Quan Wanji became more and more courageous, and even ignored a group of ministers.Even before the Zhang Yungu incident, the two had accused Fang Xuanling and Wang Gui of going to the Shushu, saying that they were in charge of the internal and external official examinations, and they made rash comments based on their likes and dislikes during the examination of hundreds of officials, which made the examination very unfair. This put Li Shimin in a difficult situation. Fang Xuanling and Wang Gui are his trusted ministers. They have always been cautious and loyal. Logically, such a thing should not have happened. Unreasonable words.Li Shimin wanted to call Fang Xuanling and Wang Gui to blame him, but he was afraid that it would be inappropriate, so he sent someone to call Wei Zheng for questioning.

Knowing the ins and outs of the incident, Wei Zheng immediately said: "Xuanling and Wang Gui are both old ministers of the imperial court. They are known for their loyalty and integrity, and are trusted by His Majesty. They test all the officials. The total number of Beijing officials and foreign officials is more than a thousand. It is normal if one or two people's exams do not match the facts." "According to Wei Qing's intention, there is no need for me to question them?" "Yes. I think that Xuanling and Wang Gui are not private. If it is true, it is inconvenient for His Majesty to speak out against the court, but you can euphemistically tell him to refute it; if the words of the person who is admonishing are false, you must know that 'doubts don't The phrase "employing people without doubt" will hurt Xuanling and Wang Gui's minds, and it is even more unbeautiful. Your Majesty, I am not saying this because I favor them, but from the larger point of view of the matter."

"Well, if that's the case, I won't ask any more questions. Wei Qing, I always thought that you would express your feelings directly and without any scruples, but judging from this matter, you are not going to the end." Wei Zheng didn't answer Li Shimin's words directly, but instead asked: "The person I want to present to His Majesty must be Quan Wanji, right?" Li Shimin nodded. Wei Zheng went on to say: "Your Majesty, every time I give advice, I always focus on the big picture of the incident, and don't stick to the details. This is the difference between my minister and Quan Wanji. Forgive me for speaking bluntly, Quan Wanji's words are sometimes exaggerated. Please hear it. Think twice when playing."

"Quan Wanji has kept his job in recent years, always observing the mistakes of the officials, and the number of memorials he wrote ranks first among the officials. Wei Qing, don't be jealous because he stole your limelight?" Wei Zheng cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty's words are serious. I am famous for admonishing and admonishing. The original intention is to open up the atmosphere of admonishing and arguing among the officials. As for someone who is more capable than the minister, they will serve the country as well. I can only be happy when I see it. How can I be jealous Thoughts. Although Quan Wanji and Li Renfa are diligent, there are two differences from the ministers and others, and the ministers are really worried."

"What's different?" "The first point is that their scheming has gone wrong. They mainly picket the mistakes of the officials, but forget the purpose of 'learn from past mistakes to avoid future ones, cure diseases and save the patient', and blindly investigate the mistakes of the officials without asking the causes. In this way, they Relying on His Majesty's prestige and treating all officials as worthless will inevitably cause all officials to be trembling, fearful and uneasy, making them fearful, doing things only for safety, and not daring to make mistakes. Your Majesty, who is not wrong? People who don't do things There is never anything wrong, and those who do things must make mistakes, and the more things they do, the more mistakes they will make. Could it be that they want to make all the officials into non-doers? So, who will handle the world's major affairs and common affairs for His Majesty? From this point of view, Quan Wanji and the others, with a humble mentality, only look for mistakes and don't think about the truth, so they have lost the reason to be ministers."

Li Shimin smiled and said: "You are right, but someone has to investigate the mistakes of the officials. As for how to deal with it, it is up to me to decide. There is no need to say more about this point. You can go on to the second point." "Secondly, the purpose of Quan Wanji and Li Renfa's doing this is to claim credit for His Majesty and to advance in office. This example proves that when Xuanling and Wang Gui were examiners, they were taking the same exam as the imperial censors. Since you think it’s wrong, why didn’t you raise it to Xuanling in class? Instead, you didn’t say it face to face, and asked His Majesty for credit with a form after returning. From this point, it can be seen that their intentions are not right, please Your Majesty be aware.”

Li Shimin remained silent for a while, feeling that the hearts of these two people were indeed a little dark, but after all, they were his eyes and ears, and he still couldn't turn the corner. Seeing that Li Shimin didn't take it seriously, Wei Zheng didn't want to say any more, so he bowed and retreated. After Wei Zheng left, Li Shimin carefully read what he said just now. After killing Zhang Yungu by mistake this time, he was greatly shocked, and he had some doubts about Quan Wanji and Li Renfa in his heart. It was also a coincidence that Fang Xuanling somehow aroused the anger of Quan Wanji and Li Renfa. The two first collected some of Fang Xuanling's small faults and made them into one piece. The main meaning is that people's thinking is limited, and one person cannot take charge of several positions. This is used to explain that Fang Xuanling is in an important position and cannot be qualified for it, which implies that Fang Xuanling should be replaced.

After reading their memorial, Li Shimin didn't speak for a long time, and then asked Wei Zheng and Ma Zhou to be called. After the two entered the hall to salute, Li Shimin ordered Quan and Li to show them the memorial.Wei Zheng and Ma Zhou bowed their heads to read the memorial carefully, and Li Shimin walked towards the window, and saw that the light of autumn was golden yellow, covering the outside of the hall with a layer.This year, due to the good weather and the people's careful care, the golden autumn season has achieved great ripeness again.Memorials from various places show that they collected the rent and taxes on time, and the grain in the warehouse was piled up like a mountain.The price of grain on the market dropped accordingly, and each bucket of grain was only worth ten cents, which was the lowest price in the past twenty years.

According to the practice of previous years, if there is such a good harvest, Li Shimin would have already summoned his ministers to hold a banquet in the Furong Garden to appreciate the chrysanthemums.However, because of the mistaken killing of Zhang Yungu, he has been unable to arouse his interest. Li Shimin turned around and walked back, walked in front of the two of them, saw that they were still concentrating on reading, and said impatiently: "You all have the ability to see and see, and it's just such a trivial thing, so it's worth your seriousness? " Wei Zheng raised his head and said, "Quan and Li don't know why they care so much about Xuanling. Judging from his situation, they must bring Xuanling down! Your Majesty, the reason why I read it carefully is to see why they have such an attitude." So kind and hardworking.”

Li Shimin looked at Ma Zhou and said, "Ma Zhou, you and them are both censors, if this matter is up to you, how should you deal with it?" Ma Zhou bowed and said: "Your Majesty, I have heard that since ancient times, the emperor's desire to bring about peace in the world must rely on the strength of his ministers. The house servants have been following your majesty for a long time, ranging from the military strategy to the small pavilion. Quan and Li tended to choose small details of the room servants, and they seemed to be overgeneralizing, and as a servant of the censor, I would definitely not start from here." Wei Zheng thought for a while and said, "Your Majesty, last time Quan Wanji heard that Xuanling and the examiner Wang Gui had a quarrel, I thought about it later, and felt that what they did was actually taking advantage of His Majesty's opportunity to open up their mouths, trying to fish in troubled waters in order to frame them. The purpose of a good person. It is not to remonstrate, but to slander!" Li Shimin asked: "Slander? Wei Qing, how do you distinguish between remonstrance and slander? At the beginning of Zhenguan, I gave Sun Fu Jialan Mausoleum Princess Garden to open the way. After that, with you as the leader, the group The courtiers have gradually developed an atmosphere of contention and direct admonition, and Quan Wanji and Li Renfa's sparse speeches seem to be admonishing and arguing." "Your Majesty, the so-called remonstrance refers to selfless and fierce words to speak about the political system and the monarch's mistakes. Its main purpose is to focus on state affairs and not to destroy a person based on personal feelings. Like ministers in the past, most of the remonstrance refers to your majesty's mistakes. The minister is not doing this simply to find fault with His Majesty. You must know that the monarchy is one, and Your Majesty is connected with the country. If your Majesty hears advice and cultivates himself, it is a blessing in the world. Based on the slander and slander, Xu Tu expanded to achieve his ulterior purpose." "According to what Wei Qing said, Quan Wanji and Li Renfa are slanderous?" "That's right. Ignorant people are prone to slander, confuse the monarch and ministers, which is of no benefit to the country. Your Majesty's appointment of ministers like Xuan Ling is not because of their great achievements in the past, but actually because of their virtues and talents. Wan Ji and the others will achieve the effect of separating the relationship between the ruler and his subjects, which is the act of a villain. If the ruler and his subjects fight against each other, if the monarch is furious, the subjects will definitely suffer. If things go on like this, the subjects will be afraid of their hands and feet, which is not the blessing of your majesty. .” "In this case, you have already said it last time, and I haven't forgotten it yet." "Your Majesty, during the tyranny of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, villains such as Yu Shiji used flattery to flatter the emperor, but they were arrogant and self-respecting to the subordinates and damaged the government. In our dynasty, the emperor promoted Qingming politics, and some villains changed For example, villains like Quan Wanji, Li Renfa, etc., do not understand the general situation, and regard criticism as straight, and slander as loyalty. Your Majesty was deceived by them, thinking that he was loyal and upright, so as to warn the officials. Quan Wanji and others rely on Enyi In doing so, His Majesty is intimidating a treacherous official at the expense of himself, and Zhang Yungu's wrongful killing is the best example of this." Wei Zheng's words , Li Shimin's face turned blue and white, making him emotionally unstable. Ma Zhou observed Li Shimin's expression and knew that he couldn't bear Wei Zheng's sharp words, so he changed the subject and said, "Your Majesty, Quan Wanji's arrangement of eyes and ears in various government offices is indeed done according to the order. Is it?" Li Shimin didn't know why, so he asked in confusion, "Inserting eyes and ears? What does this mean?" Ma Zhou sighed, and said: "Sure enough, they acted without authorization! Minister Mu Huang'en entered Yushitai, and that day Quan Wanji and Li Renfa found the minister, saying that the emperor had a decree to set up eyes and ears in various government offices. In order to observe the movements of the officials nearby. The minister was new here and did not know why, so he did not reply. Seeing that the minister did not cooperate, Quan Wanji sneered at that time: "You have bathed in the emperor's grace, and you have been promoted from a commoner to an official. Now you have the emperor's will, but you What's the reason for not obeying the order?" The minister replied: "The emperor's will must be obeyed. However, when I first came to Yushitai, I must first familiarize myself with the affairs of the platform. After staying for a while, I will definitely go out with you for investigation." Seeing that the minister was determined, they left angrily." "What happened next?" "Later, these two people were very busy, looking for candidates in various yamen, and then secretly informed the emperor's decree, persuading him to pay attention to the movement of the chief official in the yamen, and then urgently passed it on to them. Zhang Yungu was imprisoned that day and drank alcohol. It was reported in time by their eyeliner at Dali Temple." When Li Shimin heard this, he was furious, slapped the case with his palm, and cursed: "Reverse, rebellious, these two people pretended to be my decree, and they are looking for death!" He shouted at an eunuch: "Go, tell Dai Zhou Come and see me quickly!" Wei Zheng frowned when he heard this, and sighed: "Quan Wanji and the others have put the emperor in an unjust position by doing this. If outsiders hear about this, they will definitely say that the emperor is their envoy." Li Shimin was furious, turned around in the hall, and shouted: "These two thieves really deserve to die! I have said many times that monarchs and ministers are like fish in water. They have planted eyes and ears in various government offices. The officials must think that I let them do this." , In this way, the officials will think that what I said is all lies, thinking that I do not believe them in my bones, so I have taken this precautionary measure. Hmph, I will behead the heads of the two thieves to clear my wrong. " Wei Zheng cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty has said many times before that Cao Mengde is a man of deceit and despises him deeply. Your Majesty wants to spread great faith in the world and not use deceitful ways to serve as imperial servants. Quan Wanji and Li Renfa don't understand Your Majesty's heart and are delusional. Winning the trust of the emperor with some despicable deeds will not last long, and will eventually be exposed. If His Majesty decides to deal with them, the officials will definitely applaud and applaud, which is not a bad thing." Li Shimin stopped walking and said: "Wei Qing, it seems that people's desires are actually hard to suppress. The water is clear and turbid because of its source. Quan Wanji regards criticism as straight and slander as loyalty. Alas, I tried my best to rectify myself with Ming Jun, and I boasted that I did a good job, but I am still a blind man who does not know the whole picture. These two people have been doing this for a long time, and the ministers must suffer greatly, right?" Ma Zhou replied: "Your minister has visited various yamen for many times, and when they saw the people from Yushitai, they were as silent as a cicada." Wei Zheng said: "When they saw the people from Yushitai, their fear was only superficial. They secretly gritted their teeth and hated him to the bone." "In this way, the officials hate and fear Quan Wanji and the others, and they must have resentment towards me." Wei Zheng replied: "Your Majesty's words are very true. After hearing this, I remonstrated with Your Majesty directly. However, His Majesty didn't listen to it. Quan Wanji and the others couldn't help being even more proud." Li Shimin said leisurely: "Wei Qing, I know I was wrong. I think that since I came to the throne, all the measures I have taken have achieved results. In the past few years, the weather has been smooth and the crops have been plentiful. I won the East Turks a while ago. I can't help feeling proud. He neglected to restrain his desires." When Ma Zhou heard Li Shimin mention the East Turks, he hurriedly interjected: "By the way, Quan Wanji mentioned to his ministers that day that the East Turks were broken, and the emperor granted hundreds of Turks official positions in Beijing. Conspiracy, I also want to plant eyes and ears among the Turks." "Damn it!" Li Shimin made another note, his face turned ashen, "I regard Huayi as one family, and Quan Wanji's nonsense will definitely chill the hearts of these Turkic people. Isn't it that I will put all my hard work in vain? Yet?" Li Shimin murmured again: "Duke Xiao, as the censor and governor Yushitai, didn't he discover Quan Wanji's bad deeds? Didn't he just ignore them?" Ma Zhou argued, "Duke Xiao is busy with political affairs. He didn't pay much attention to the details of Yushitai. He said many times in the yamen that the emperor had blamed Fang and Du Pushe for being caught in the heap of affairs, because we subordinates were allowed to perform our own duties, and there was no need to do everything. report." Li Shimin scolded: "I did blame Xuanling and Ruhui at the beginning, but I didn't tell them to let them go. It is the duty of the chief officer to manage the affairs of this yamen well. Xiao Gong said that, it is too extreme." At this time, Dai Zhou came into the hall.After the gift was finished, Li Shimin ordered: "Dai Qing, send someone to escort Quan Wanji and Li Renfa into Dali Temple." "Your Majesty, what crime did these two people commit?" Dai Zhou raised his head and asked. Li Shimin threw the report to Dai Zhou, and said: "These two people slandered and slandered us in order to separate the relationship between our monarch and ministers. Hundreds of officials, this is the second crime; they regard criticism as straightness, slander as loyalty, and vainly try to win favor with this, this is the third crime." Dai Zhou also heard about the bad deeds of these two people before, but he didn't dare to do it because he couldn't distinguish the difference between remonstrance and slander. Now the emperor issued an order to arrest these two people. People acting recklessly and provoking the wrath of the courtiers are the scourge of the court, and the emperor's actions are sure to please people's hearts. Your Majesty, it's just that there is no such statement in the law, how to convict him?" Li Shimin said decisively: "Be strict and serious! The fact that they falsely spread the decree and planted eyes and ears is the worst thing, and the poison spreads, which is too hurtful. This alone is a death penalty." Wei Zheng remonstrated, "When your Majesty is furious, you must be jealous of evil. According to my opinion, the crimes of these two people will be determined by Dali Temple according to the law, and then announced to the world so that everyone can know about it." Li Shimin agreed with Wei Zheng's opinion and asked Dai Zhou to handle it quickly. After Dai Zhou left, Li Shimin sighed and said: "Since I came to the throne, I have sought a harmonious relationship between the monarch and his ministers. If Wei Qing and you have competed and complained, it is a manifestation of harmony. I am very relieved. Unexpectedly, it became unpredictable, and I was almost caught by these two. It is a big event for people to ruin. You must know that good ministers are more important than kings. In the past, Liu Chan, the empress of Shu, was weak. Because of his good minister Zhuge Liang, he maintained the three kingdoms. If I listened to Quan Wanji's words, I would send Xuanling and others If someone is replaced, future generations will definitely say that I am not even as good as the Queen of Shu." Wei Zheng cupped his hands and said, "After all, the emperor has seen through the treacherous intentions of the two thieves, which is the blessing of the Tang Dynasty. In Yichen's opinion, if they take Xuanling under, it will be a small matter after all. If the net of ears and eyes they arranged becomes a climate, then it will be a great blessing." A great disaster." Li Shimin nodded and said: "Yes, if it becomes a climate, it will definitely lead to a situation where the monarchs and ministers are guessing and everyone is in danger. At that time, you will definitely be submissive and dare not speak. Ma Zhou, as the imperial censor, you will monitor the affairs of the hundred people from now on. Officials, you must use the right way, and don't use crooked ways to damage my reputation." Ma Zhou bowed and said, "I would like to obey the imperial decree." "Wei Qing, you want to draw up an imperial edict, which states: from now on, those who criticize others for small evils but lose their integrity should be punished with the crime of slander." Wei Zheng bowed and agreed. Li Shimin also warned: "This imperial edict should explain the difference between remonstrance and slander. I have been instructing people to remonstrate since the beginning of Zhenguan, and it has become a common practice in the past few years. If some people are afraid of slander and dare not speak up, it is not my intention. There is a saying called overcorrection, and we must not make the same mistake.” Wei Zhengdun first said: "Your Majesty said this, and I am deeply impressed. In the past, Duke Huan of Qi asked Guan Zhong, "I want to make the wine rot in the jue, and the meat in the zu, so that I can be harmless?" Guan Zhong said: "This is extremely wrong. Those who are good, however, are harmless to tyrants.' Duke Huan said, 'How can you harm tyrants?' Guan Zhong said: 'If you don't know people, you will harm tyrants; Tyrants; trusting and making small people ginseng, harming bullies.'” Li Shimin smiled slightly and said: "Sometimes Wei Qing's words are rash, and sometimes they are gentle now. Well, yes, if a ruler cannot know people, if he knows people but can't accept them, if he knows them but can't trust them, if he trusts them, he can make the younger ones trust him." Ginseng is indeed a muddle-headed monarch. Ma Zhou, I will pull you out of the bushes of the common people. It can be said that I know you and let you go. If you can’t do the following two sentences, you are not perfect. From now on, I will try my best to keep my eyes open and discern The difference between a loyal minister and a traitor, let you loyal ministers rest assured: I am not a moody person, and I will not wrong a loyal minister out of thin air." Wei Zheng cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, I have said before that I will follow Your Majesty in this life, and I would like to be a good minister, not a loyal one." Li Shimin suddenly realized, and said repeatedly: "Yes, yes, you follow me, you can't be loyal ministers, I hope you are all good ministers. Ma Zhou, seeing your confused look, I am afraid you don't understand the reason? Wei Qing, you will understand the reason Say it again, and let me review it again." Wei Zheng turned his head and told the deeds of Bigan and others. Ma Zhou immediately understood Wei Zheng's painstaking efforts, and cupped his hands and said: "I understand. From now on, I will be a good minister and a loyal minister. As a minister, I must put the country first, You don’t have to think about personal things so much.” "Haha, Wei Qing, it seems that Ma Zhou's realm is higher than yours. However, I know you want to use this metaphor to warn, so I don't blame you." Wei Zheng understood that Li Shimin was joking, so he turned to Ma Zhou and said, "Hmph, I never thought there would be a foolish and loyal person in the court. Ma Zhou, if you want to be a loyal minister, it's up to you, but I won't accompany you." All three of them smiled at each other. In the evening, Xiao Yu heard that Dali Temple had sent Quan Wanji and Li Renfa to prison, but she didn't understand why.He went to Dai Zhou for questioning, and Dai Zhou said that he followed the order.Xiao Yu turned around and left, rushing into the palace to beg to see Li Shimin. Li Shimin was summoning Fang Xuanling, Changsun Wuji, Wang Gui, and Wen Yanbo to speak at this time. After Xiao Yu entered the hall to salute Li Shimin, he asked bluntly: "Your Majesty, Quan Wanji and Li Renfa have always been loyal to their affairs. For His Majesty's appreciation, why throw them into prison for no apparent reason?" Fang Xuanling replied: "I think Mr. Xiao didn't know that these two people spread their eyes and ears in various government offices behind your back, criticizing the evil of slander..." Xiao Yu interrupted Fang Xuanling's words unceremoniously, and said: "What is the bad side of slander? They just discovered some shortcomings of you and Wang Gui, Fang Fushe, didn't you and Wang Gui do these things? ? Although you have made great contributions to the court, you can’t cover everything up. Do you think Quan Wanji and Li Renfa are fabricating facts out of thin air in an attempt to frame you?” Fang Xuanling and Wang Gui suddenly became speechless. Wen Yanbo persuaded: "Duke Xiao, you can't blindly get angry. Quan and Li acted despicably with the appearance of admonishing, and the emperor has already seen through their conspiracy. Think about it, they set up their eyes and ears to scout around. Officials' privacy, if this wind blows, it will definitely form a situation where the monarch and his ministers guess each other, and the ministers are afraid, which violates the emperor's call to create a clean and bright politics, and the original intention of the monarch and his ministers as fish and water." Xiao Yu couldn't listen to Wen Yanbo's persuasion, and said loudly: "That's right, in order to practice Qingming politics, all the words and deeds of the ministers must be placed on the table, there is no need to hide and hide. Quan Wanji and the others are following the emperor's will. "Wen Zhongshu, if you say that, do you have something in their hands?" Wen Yanbo lost his temper immediately, and said with tongue-tied words: "I... I... What excuse do I have? Xiao Gong's words like this are unreasonable!" Xiao Yu's words made the ministers in front of him speechless.When Li Shimin dismissed him last time, Li Shimin had earnestly warned him to be tolerant of other people's words and not to be stubborn.After his reinstatement this time, he was able to restrain some behaviors at the beginning, but his character is natural, relying on others' persuasion and self-control will not have much effect, after all, his nature will be fully revealed after a long time.Recently, when Fang Xuanling, Wen Yanbo and other important officials came before him, there would often be disputes.In this way, Xiao Yu gradually regained his previous fierce demeanor. Xiao Yu turned to Li Shimin and said: "Your Majesty has always been admonishing people, so putting Quan Wanji and Li Renfa in prison will definitely block the way of speech, and the disaster will be serious. I think they should be released from prison immediately, saying that they are innocent. Only by recovering some of the impact.” Seeing Xiao Yu scolding several ministers face to face, like scolding a child, Li Shimin gradually became angry, and he asked: "Mr. Xiao, you are a veteran minister in the court. Let me ask you, have you always been correct in handling government affairs these years?" "The veteran dare not speak too much, there must be mistakes. It's just that the Supreme Emperor and His Majesty cared about the veteran's face and forgave the old minister's mistakes." "That's right, if I seize these shortcomings of yours, ignore the rest, and beat you to the end with a stick, how would you feel?" "The old minister dare not complain." "Yes, if this is the case, you must have no complaints in your mouth. But, are you so calm in your heart? I don't think so! I said these words just to explain a truth, that is, if all the officials are loyal and dedicated, there will inevitably be mistakes. I don't think so. If they are generalized and punished at will, as long as they can realize their shortcomings and make up their minds to change them in the future, they will be good officials and I will still reuse them." "I understand." Li Shimin's voice suddenly became sharper, and he said loudly: "The two thieves Quan Wanji and Li Renfa didn't understand my intentions. The bigger it is. Xiao Gong, their actions are fundamentally different from the admonitions of Wei Zheng and other officials. In short, Wei Zheng and others remonstrate with fierce words, but their hearts are bright, while Quan Wanji and others seem to be admonishing, but their hearts are dark. Really villain. "Also, Quan Wanji falsely preached the imperial decree and planted eyes and ears in various government offices. They did this firstly to claim credit for me, and secondly to seize the handle of the officials. If things go on like this, they will definitely stir up trouble in the court. The smoky atmosphere made all the officials feel in danger. Xiao Gong, don’t you see their great harm now? The reason why I mistakenly killed Zhang Yungu was due to these two thieves.” Li Shimin's stern words made Xiao Yu lower his head, not daring to answer. Li Shimin stood up, took a few steps in the hall, turned around and said: "I gave you the title of Doctor Yushi to let you take care of the affairs of Yushitai. From this point of view, you have let yourself go all these years and let Quan Wan Ji and Li Renfa acted recklessly and almost caused a catastrophe. Duke Xiao, this is your responsibility." Xiao Yu was dissatisfied and murmured: "It's his duty to serve the censor and supervise the officials. If you sit in the yamen every day, what can you see?" This sentence aroused Li Shimin's anger even more, he wanted to yell loudly as soon as he opened his mouth, and thought that Xiao Yu is an old minister after all, if he loses face in public, he will not be beautiful after all, so he said slowly: "Xiao Gong, from today onwards , you don’t need to worry about the affairs of Yushitai. You go back to the mansion today and think about these things quietly in your house. Ten days later, if you can figure it out, you can still go to the political affairs hall to discuss the matter; if you can’t figure it out, you can come to me Then debate. Many things may not be clear at the time, but after a while, you may be able to see the truth." Li Shimin's words are very clear, that is, Xiao Ju's position as doctor of imperial history was dismissed on the spot, and he was asked to go home and think about his mistakes.Seeing Xiao Yu froze there for a while, Li Shimin didn't wait for his answer, called someone over and said: "Send Xiao Gong back to the house immediately." After Xiao Yu left, Li Shimin said: "It seems that there are indeed differences in people's abilities. People like Xiao Gong are not suitable for dealing with specific affairs. I thought that Xiao Gong's character is upright and jealous, so I let him be the governor of Yushitai. This incident happened. Son, I still don’t know.” Fang Xuanling asked: "Your Majesty, Xiao Gong has resigned, who will be in charge of Yushitai from now on?" "Ma Zhou. I have said before that we should select talents without sticking to one pattern. This time, we will start with Ma Zhou. Don't talk about seniority, give him a world of experience, and try his skills. Xuanling, let the officials The Ministry temporarily registers Ma Zhou as the head of the Yushitai." Wang Gui remonstrated: "Ma Zhou was originally a commoner, and he bathed in the emperor's grace and skyrocketed. Will it cause people's criticism?" "I'm the only one who can judge whether Ma Zhou can do it or not. After three months, everyone will come back to comment." The ministers bowed and retreated. Li Shimin called his eldest grandson Wuji and said, "Mr. Xiao has a strong character. He would rather bend than bend. He is old and hot. After what happened today, he must feel wronged. You go to his mansion tomorrow and speak for me. , let him think about it, and don't think about it." Changsun Wuji said: "It's okay, Xiao Gong is a sensible person after all, he has impulsive discussions today, after tomorrow, he will naturally calm down." "However, he is a veteran minister after all. After these two dismissals, he will definitely lose his face. Tell him, after ten days, invite him to the political affairs hall to discuss matters, and you don't need to ask me to debate again." "What if he insists on debating?" "That's up to him." Ten days later, Xiao Yu went straight to the Political Affairs Hall to discuss matters.After thinking about it, he felt that Li Shimin had always respected him and still allowed him to participate in government affairs, so he didn't have the temper to argue with Li Shimin. Dai Zhou accepted Li Shimin's will of "lenient law and cautious punishment", interrogated the criminals one by one, and properly resolved the case.By the end of the year, there were only twenty-nine people sentenced to death across the country. When the news came out, some people in the DPRK were in an uproar.They think that with such a leniency, some unscrupulous people will get a rare lesson, and will become more arrogant, and then the legal system will be neglected.These people knew that Dai Zhou had accepted Li Shimin's will, so they didn't dare to raise it on the spot in the court, but they felt unwilling.After the day was over, they called Dai Zhou in front of Suzaku's gate and questioned him about his crimes.Among them, Su Shichang, the Shaoqing of Honglu Temple, ranked first. Su Shichang was originally one of the eighteen scholars of the Qin Palace. After Li Shimin ascended the throne, he was asked to deal with the Eastern Turks together with Tang Jian and Wen Yanbo according to his eloquence.Su Shichang is good at diplomatic rhetoric, and he is very courageous, so it is indeed his strength to let him go to Fanguo as an envoy.In the early years of Zhenguan, the Eastern Turkic state was powerful. When Su Shi grew up in the Turkic Yazhang, he did not show weakness at all. He often dared to argue with Jieli.As a result, Xie Li had no choice but to bribe him with money and jewels, but Su Shizhang refused on the spot.Back in Chang'an, Li Shimin heard the news and praised: "Su Qing is like Tang Ju in ancient times. It is really rare to be able to live up to the mission under the circumstances of the disparity in the national situation." At this moment, Su Shichang threw his words at Dai Zhou like a knife and an arrow. "Dai Zhou, you stop. The old man asks you, there are so many people who commit serious crimes in the world, why do you make them big and small? Throughout the ages, the old man has heard of selling prisons, but there is no such thing as you The sale is so clean, and so bold." According to the official status, Su Shichang is still under Dai Zhou, but he has a good relationship with Li Yuan, and he is bold and unrestrained. He is not afraid of anyone, and he can say what he sees. point.He can directly call any minister in the court by his name without any scruples. Dai Zhou's face was very calm, without any look of irritation, and he said quietly: "Whether I sell the prison or not, Su Gong, you don't care, I don't admit it and you don't believe it. What should I do? It's best to let the doctor advise Please refer to me, and ask Yushitai to send someone to Dali Temple to check it out. If it is finally found that I have sold the prison, I am willing to lock myself up and go to prison by myself." Su Shichang widened his eyes, and said loudly: "Okay, I didn't expect that Dali Qing, who I am facing, is a scoundrel. You are a dead pig who is not afraid of boiling water, and you clearly think that we can't cure you. Well, we are a bunch of fools. But what about the current emperor? Can you escape his sharp eyes?" Su Shichang was speaking here, and it was difficult for those who agreed with him to break in, so they had to follow Su Shichang's words and say in unison: "Yes, yes. " Su Shichang said angrily again: "Hmph, is it fair and honest for you to sell the prison? You must have done these things in a very secret way, and let people from Yushitai come to check. They have neither physical evidence nor human evidence. Are you confident that you want to embarrass them in public?" This sentence made Dai Zhou dumbfounded, he smiled bitterly and said: "Gong Su, you are the one who asked Yushitai to check, and now you are the one who refuses to check me. Tell me, what method did you use to check me? You insisted that I sold the prison, but you need some evidence for everything." "Hmph, if there is evidence, can you still be allowed to come to the court with a big swagger? Dai Zhou, in fact, it is a small matter for you to sell the prison, and there is something even more intolerable." Su Shichang kept confirming the fact that Dai Zhou sold the prison. Zhou Zhou knew what he said, so he didn't bother to argue with him, so he just said lightly: "Su Gong, you must know that framing is also a crime." Su Shichang didn't hear this sentence clearly, and he still said impassionedly: "You make big things small, small things small, and if things go on like this, the despicable people in the country will definitely not fear the laws of the country when they see this situation, which will lead to more and more criminals and weaken the government. Dai Zhou, don't you see the consequences?" The people around followed suit and said in unison: "Yes, yes, what should we do if this situation happens?" Dai Zhou said calmly: "Dali Temple is only a part of deciding cases. There are the emperor and the Ministry of Punishment, and there are prefectural and county government offices. Every decision is not made by Dali Temple arbitrarily." Su Shichang said: "That's right, that's the reason. However, Dali Temple is responsible for specifically hearing the cases reported by the prefecture and county, and then reporting the results to the Ministry of Criminal Justice. The trial process is very important to the case. Dai Zhou, you think the old man is a fool. Don't you understand that there is something tricky in it?" Dai Zhou's expression was still calm, he raised his voice a bit, and said loudly: "Everyone, I'm just trying to make excuses here, but you still don't believe me, what should I do? I suggest you ask Yushitai to inspect Dali Temple, or use other methods Visit the evidence of selling prisons in Dali Temple. I will put down a word here today. If you find out that I Dai Zhou received gold and silver from criminals, needless to say, I will take the initiative to plead guilty to the emperor. If it is my subordinate Taking bribes, in addition to being punished for the crime, I, Dai Zhou, are also guilty of the crime." Another person in the crowd yelled: "You still repeat the same old tune." Dai Zhou ignored him, and said to himself: "As for your concerns, it is reasonable to say that the adoption of the principle of leniency will lead to the relaxation of the court and chaos. The spirit of the legal system mainly has two meanings: one , so that people in the world know what is law-abiding and what is breaking the law, and then follow the rules and order; the two, to make people in the world fear, like various criminal laws, its function is not to punish the offender himself, but the greater The function is to warn the people of the world. From this point of view, our Dali Temple is not only a yamen for judging cases. It also played a role in enlightenment, and its merits are great." Su Shichang yelled: "It is not the fundamental duty of Dali Temple to educate the world. You are rambling on and on, just trying to cover up your evil deeds of indulging criminals!" Dai Zhou was not angry, and said patiently: "Mr. Su, I respect your straightforwardness and sincerity, but you are a bit too stubborn in this matter. Thinking of the Qin Dynasty's harsh laws and punishments, Chen Sheng and others blocked the way due to heavy rain. Failure to arrive at the border guard position on time, and beheaded according to the law, finally aroused them to rise up. Do you think that the source of crime can be stopped with strict laws and punishments? No. On the contrary, there are good and evil in human nature. Restraining good and evil is the fundamental point. The emperor's decree for us to be lenient in law and punishment is to let people feel good and get to the bottom of it." Without waiting for Su Shichang's answer, Dai Zhou cupped his hands and said, "Su Gong, I have a business to do, so I won't accompany you. I have explained the general principles of it today. As for whether you agree or not, you can seek proof from many sources. If you want to find me guilty, That's up to you." After speaking, he pushed away the onlookers and strode out of the Suzaku Gate. Dai Zhou's words aroused even greater anger from this group of people. They were so impassioned that they agreed to jointly sign up for the Shu and must join Dai Zhou.Among them, Su Shichang is naturally the leader. 李世民一开始看到这道上疏，并不在意，觉得这是苏世长他们小题大做，就将之放在一边。两日后，他又想起这个题目，觉得其中大有深意，不能置之不理，遂在朝堂上叫苏世长，问道：“苏卿，朕看了你们的联名上疏，你们欲追究戴卿吗？” 苏世长躬身答道：“不错，臣等以为大理寺放纵人犯，一来有卖狱之嫌，二来实乃祸害国家之举。那日臣等当面质问戴胄，他抬出陛下的牌子，还将臣等教训一番。” 李世民笑道：“你们以国事为重，敢于直抒胸臆，率情而作，朕很欣赏。自贞观初年开始，朕导人谏诤，终于形成今日广开言路之局面，朕心甚慰。苏卿，朕希望你保持如此精神，见到不合理的事情，可以直接说出来。” 苏世长答道：“请陛下放心，臣这等脾气，至死难改，只要不招烦就好。” 李世民点点头，将戴胄唤了出来，说道：“戴卿，苏卿他们参你，非是对你个人有意见，实因他们不忘国之大体，你明白此节吗？” “臣明白。”戴胄躬身答道。 “知道就好。苏卿，戴卿在这件事儿上没有做错，他确实秉承了朕的旨意。现在使用的还是《武德律》，其中条目不免苛刻，朕嘱玄龄、无忌他们要以'宽法慎刑'的原则成就新律。现在新律未成，戴卿的所作所为与《武德律》相较，肯定要宽宏许多，这怪不了大理寺。” 苏世长道：“既然是陛下的意思，臣等无话可说。” “你们无话可说，朕今日却有话可说。你们所争执的看似一件小事，其实其中蕴藏有很深的意思。大家回忆一下，贞观初年我们曾定下'抚民以静，唯重教化'之国策，这些年我们做得怎样？魏卿，你是当初的首倡者，可由你来回答。” 魏征出班道：“陛下当时定下'抚民以静'之国策，并辅以已故杜仆射所提四条措施：曰去奢省费，曰轻徭薄赋，曰选用廉吏，曰使民衣食有余。该国策即是以农为本，兴农为要。经历了这数年时间，已经收到很好的成效，这是大家有目共睹的。至于'唯重教化'，陛下接受秦朝及前隋使用苛政严律之教训，不以霸道治人，而教化施于民心，使民风淳朴、政治清明，像以'宽法慎刑'来处置犯人，即是施以教化的一条途径。不过，教化的过程非一朝一夕之功，短时间内是看不出端倪的，这是一个长期的过程。陛下，臣这样说，不知对不对？” “很好。”李世民眼中含有笑意，欣慰地说，“魏卿向来以挑剔闻名，朕的这项国策施行至今，得到魏卿的肯定，其实不易。不错，戴卿秉承'宽法慎刑'的旨意，的确是教化于民的一条措施。苏卿，这件事儿今后不用再提，戴卿做得不错。” 李世民的话语不多，然一锤定音，苏世长不敢再多说，只好躬身退回班中。 李世民环视群臣，一字一顿说道：“本来苏卿所奏是一件小事，然朕细细想来，觉得其中大有深意。'唯重教化'是一个缓慢的过程，需要我们君臣以及百姓共同努力，方能见到成效。朕初登太子之位，即罢傅奕灭佛之奏。按说傅奕灭佛之初衷并不为错，当时天下人丁不旺，亟须兴旺农事，将僧尼放归本土务农，对农事定有小补，这是不言而喻的。然果真这样做了，其实是得小利而失大节。儒、佛、道之经义，深入人们心中日久，若简单禁止，必生祸乱。朕这些日子大致想了想这些经义的要理所在，愈觉其经义博大精深。像儒家尊崇一套完整的伦理道德，道家追求一种'清净无为'之境界，释家弘扬与人为善之思想，这些经义皆是施以教化之有力手段。朕即位以来，对这些经义不加抑止，让其散入人心即可，盖为此也。朕施政以来，算是明白了一个道理，即靠朕一人之力难以成事，是众卿倾力辅佐，上下同心，方有了今日的局面。国家若仅以严刑苛法来规范百姓，即是让百姓被动地接受国法，不是让他们从心底里领会，难免挂一漏万。我们施以教化，就是要用来解决这个难题儿。” 李世民的这番长篇宏论，内容尽管驳杂，但其主旨还是明确的，即是想借用儒、道、佛之经义，来潜移默化教化大众，使人们从被动达到自觉的境界。群臣中绝大部分人能听明白，少部分人并不明白，在那里迷迷茫茫，愕然而听。 萧瑀此时已结束居家思过的日子，开始正常上下朝，他出班奏道：“陛下弘扬佛法，实为天下僧尼之福。” 李世民微微一笑道：“朕弘扬佛法，确实如此，然朕刚才说过，像儒、道二家，也不可偏废。萧公，你为佛家之俗家领袖人物，向僧尼传达朕之旨意时，不可断章取义。” "I understand." 李世民又转向群臣道：“朕崇尚儒、佛、道之经义，非是朕一意孤行，因为这些经义历经多年实践，其对治理国家有补益所致。至于一些妖人胡撰经义，乃至迷惑民众想达到其不可告人之目的，那是严加禁止的。戴卿，今后遇到这等人物，你不可手软。” 苏世长领人围攻戴胄之事，经过李世民这番在朝堂上排解，使众人明白了奉行“宽法慎刑”的真正含义。此后，再也无人对大理寺的作为说三道四。 到了这年秋末，各州按例判断入案，将决死刑者报往大理寺复验。往年，这些待决人犯须由狱卒押解，将他们送往大理寺交割。今年，各州不约而同不再派狱卒押解，而是给付犯人路费，让他们独自上路到京城中集合。 十天之内，这些人犯陆续到了京中，然后入大理寺验明正身。戴胄、孙伏伽拿着各州经驿传而来的人犯名单，逐个对照，二十七名人犯，果然丝毫不差。 孙伏伽大为感动，叹道：“作为死囚犯，明知入京领死，依旧按时来到，无一逃亡，此例自古至今，从未有之啊。” 戴胄点头道：“不错，这些死囚犯按时入京，非是畏惧法律，其实是皇上多年教化的结果啊。伏伽，我们要把这件事儿立刻奏闻皇上。” 李世民得知这二十七名死囚犯无人押解，路上无一逃亡，按时入京，心中欢喜，在殿内绕室踱步，既而唤人去传房玄龄、长孙无忌、温彦博、魏征、王珪、萧瑀、陈叔达、戴胄入宫。 众人到来后，李世民开口道：“朕刚才读了大理寺的上疏，其中说各州报来的二十七名死囚犯无人押解，自行来京，无一逃亡。朕心内喜欢，想将这二十七名人犯尽数赦免其罪。你们以为如何？” 群臣相对而视，觉得此举匪夷所思。 戴胄赞成赦免，奏道：“臣以为此举可行。教化与法律相较，教化为本，法律为末，教化深入人心，人们不妄生恶心，遂致恶行绝迹，这才是我们盼望的结果。” 魏征奏道：“赦免罪人为陛下之特权，可以偶尔为之，以达到教化的目的。教化固然重要，但不能包医百病。法律不可荒弛，毕竟，人之犯罪永远不会绝迹。” 李世民见其他人没有说话，遂断然道：“此事就这样定下了。戴卿，你可组织这二十七名人犯手执朕之赦罪旨意，让他们逐州巡行，晓谕大众。” 因为有了这道赦免诏令，是岁，全国无一人断死。 到了这年底，苏世长和戴胄先后身亡。 苏世长被授为巴州刺史，他将家小留在京城，只身去巴州赴任。这位老先生入了巴州，见这里山水秀美，不愿骑马，就觅了一小舟溯水而行。行至半途，忽然一阵狂风袭来，将小舟掀翻，苏世长不会水，竟然溺水身亡。一位聪明有趣的人物就此撒手西归，可见天有不测风云，人不能知道自己死于何处。消息传入京城，君臣为之皆悲。 戴胄身亡却与杜如晦有些相似。戴胄家贫，多年来身体受亏不少。还在李渊为皇帝之时，他理政不知疲倦，往往通宵达旦。到了李世民即位，他深感遇到旷世明君，署理公事更是勤勉。这样日积一日，身体状况每况愈下，日食渐少，夜不能寐，身子一日弱过一日。到了这年冬天，一日偶受风寒，即咳嗽不已，浑身疼痛，渐渐全身发热。身体这样虚弱，他依旧不上心，仍然强撑着身子到衙中理事。这天晚上他很晚才回宅中，说了一声不想吃饭，就自顾自躺在榻上睡了过去。第二日一早，家人见他沉睡不醒就去叫他，触手处觉得他身体冰凉，原来其夜间不知何时已死。霎时，其宅中哀声大作。 是日朝会上，李世民见班中未见戴胄的身影，问值日侍中戴胄是否告假了？值日侍中回答并未告假。李世民心中还疑惑道，戴胄素来恪守制度，他今日不告假又不上朝定是有非常事。果然，朝散之后，戴胄的死讯就传入宫中。 李世民闻讯，先是愣怔了半天，继而无言流泪，好半天方才哽咽道：“戴卿的身子固然弱，然其身亡何其速也，竟然没有一点先兆。” 待房玄龄将戴胄的死因详细奏闻给李世民之后，李世民更是流泪不已，痛心说道：“戴胄于我无骨肉之亲，但他忠直厉行，情深体国，犹胜至亲。如晦逝去不远，戴胄今又离去，玄龄，看来他们都是累死的。唉，臣子如此，我不能体贴关心，是朕之罪啊。” 李世民给予了戴胄极大的哀荣。他决定废朝三日，赠戴胄为尚书右仆射，追封为道国公，谥曰忠，另让虞世南为其撰写碑文，其出殡之日，他要亲自入其宅主祭。 三日后，李世民来到戴胄的宅中，以前他仅知道戴胄家贫，曾赏给他十万钱以补家用，今日入其宅中，见其宅中狭小，连一个致祭的地方都没有，环视宅中，没有一件像样的家具，方才知道什么叫一贫如洗。 李世民眼中又涌出泪花，对房玄龄道：“玄龄，你说，这像是朝中三品大员的家吗？” 房玄龄道：“戴胄生前家庭负担颇重，又爱周济穷人，他那点儿官俸，仅够勉强度日。” “朕曾赏他不少钱，让他改善家居，这些钱又到了何处？” “臣听说这些钱又都助了别人，戴胄一钱未留。” 说到这里，李世民流下泪来，停了一会儿，道：“戴胄作为一个三品大员，清贫如此，以致积劳成疾，不能好好调养竟然逝去，此是朕之失。朕任用你们，一来想让你们为朝廷出力，以造福天下；二来是想让你们逐步富裕，并荫及子孙后辈，不是让你们做苦行僧。嗯，今后戴胄这样的例子再也不许有了。马周。” "The minister is here." “御史台监察百官，今后须加上这样的内容，即是要了解百官的疾苦，并及时奏闻于朕。朕这样说，不是惺惺作态，实乃发乎真情。群臣为朕尽心尽力，既而积劳成疾，相继撒手西归，而朕不能体恤，若传于后世，朕就成了刻薄之君。马周，你要切记此点。” "The minister obeys the order." 李世民环视群臣，重重说道：“朕危难之时，须卿等共患难；朕享乐之时，也须卿等同欢乐。君臣一体，同舟共济，就是这话。” 李世民在戴胄灵前发表此番感言，让群臣心里很感激。 之后，李世民眼泪纵横，亲自扶灵，带领群臣哀哀切切将戴胄之灵送出了坊间。是时，戴胄的清名早已传遍了京城，许多人一大早就自发地来为戴胄送行。李世民泪眼模糊中，看见沿街两旁立满了人，心中暗暗想，清官还是最得人心的。 长安百姓见当今皇帝亲自扶灵，心中更是激动。许多人当时只是无声痛哭，忽然，几名老者尖声哭了起来，很快感染了身旁之人，就听沿途街道上皆是哭声一片。 李世民行至半途被群臣劝了回去，回宫的路上他忽然想到，眼前情景不又是一种教化的途径吗？