Chapter 226: The Water Demon Appears, the Yellow River Bursts its Dam
Chapter 226: The Water Demon Appears, the Yellow River Bursts its Dam
"Your Majesty, in terms of ability, among all the civil and military officials in the court, only one person can support the current reform of the court."
"Oh, you shouldn't say it's you, Xu Gongming, right?"
"Your Majesty is holy."
"Pfft." Chen Zhong couldn't help but laugh beside him.
He is just serving as a supporting actor.
By the way, serve as an atmosphere group.
This also helped Xu Qing relieve stress invisibly.
"Chen Zhong, what are you laughing at?"
Chen Zhong quickly replied, "Your Majesty, I just farted and couldn't hold it in. Please punish me, Your Majesty."
The eunuchs of the Dayu Dynasty, if they held high positions, would be factory officials or internal officials, so they could call themselves "ministers" in front of the emperor. If they were small eunuchs like Zhang Kun, they would call themselves "small ones" or "villains", and they were no different from ordinary people.
The old emperor said, "Oh," I see. You mean Xu Qing was farting just now."
Chen Zhong: "Your Majesty is wise."
The old emperor looked at Xu Qing again and asked, "Xu Qing, what do you think?"
Xu Qing: "Your Majesty, I am not exaggerating. If it is for the purpose of reform, there is really no one in the court who is more suitable to take charge of the overall situation than me. Moreover, there is no rank requirement for the cabinet scholars, so why can't I be the chief minister?"
Xu Qing was telling the truth. The cabinet did not have any requirements for the rank of its ministers.
The old emperor smiled and said, "Don't make yourself sound so great. Can you think that the reform is not enough without you?"
"I dare not say no, but I am definitely the best at it, and everyone can see it."
The old emperor: "Oh, so if I think you are not the best one, then I am blind?"
Xu Qing: "This..."
"Why, Xu Gongming, do you still have something you dare not say?"
"I can only say, it's hard to say..."
The old emperor laughed angrily, "Do you want to try the imperial caning today?"
Xu Qing: "If your majesty wants to ask me, I can only answer truthfully and dare not deceive you."
The old emperor waved his hand and said, "You want to be the Prime Minister. Even if I agree, the civil and military officials in the court will not agree. Say something useful."
Xu Qing said honestly: "Then it can only be Elder Liang."
"Do you think Lord Liang has the ability to handle the major reforms?"
"No, it's mainly because Lord Liang listens to me."
The old emperor's face darkened, but he was not angry. This kid deserved a beating, but his reasoning was correct. Reform would help improve the country's strength, and improving the country's strength would help him practice the Hun Tian Bao Jian. After his cultivation level improved, his life span would also be extended...
If Xu Qing recommended Liang Ge Lao in a roundabout way, the old emperor would be unhappy. But now that Xu Qing told the truth, the old emperor actually accepted it.
Moreover, Liang Ge Lao's appointment as the Prime Minister would help to divide Xu Qing's authority in the Nanzhili Party. At present, Wang Gong, who was born in Nanzhili, did not get along with Xu Qing. In this way, there was no need to worry about Xu Qing doing too much at such a young age.
From the perspective of the cabinet sequence, there will be no procedural problems for Lord Liang to take over as Prime Minister.
After being persuaded by Xu Qing, the old emperor nodded slowly: "What you said does make sense. How about this, you draft an edict for me to let the Prime Minister seize the love."
Even though it was inevitable that the Prime Minister would be in mourning, the Emperor still had to issue an edict to revoke his permission for the sake of his reputation, otherwise it would appear too harsh.
Xu Qing didn't waste any words and got down to work.
Soon, a decree of seizure of love was released. The whole text started with the words loyalty and filial piety, saying that loyalty comes before filial piety. It would be beneficial for the country if the Prime Minister stayed in the court, and it was also the old man's long-cherished wish...
It is simply the opposite of a petition.
As soon as this decree was written, Chen Zhong saw it and felt that the Prime Minister should stay.
The article even pointed out sarcastically that if the Prime Minister went back to mourn his father, he would be neglecting the greater good of the world for his own petty personal concerns, and would be no different from a corrupt scholar in the secular world.
Not a real man!
Chen Zhong secretly complained in his heart, this is too dedicated.
The old emperor was very satisfied after reading it. Although depriving the emperor of his love was a way of showing sympathy to his subjects, it was a bit harsh for the emperor to ask his subjects not to go back to observe mourning.
Xu Qing's article fully reflects that the old emperor has a broad vision in mind, which allows him to rise from a moral low point to a moral high ground.
This is what comfort is.
"Many of my ministers have harmed the country, but only you, Xu Qing, understand my heart." After reading this edict, the old emperor felt that he was the wisest monarch in three generations.
"Chen Zhong, after you use the seal, take it to the cabinet."
"According to the order."
"The millet is scattered, the millet seedlings are scattered. They walk slowly, and their hearts are swaying. Those who know me say that I am worried; those who don't know me ask what I want. Oh, the vast sky, who is this person..."
Following the old emperor's exit poem, Xu Qing left Xiyuan.
The old emperor is trying to act like a saintly ruler!
Xu Qing left while complaining.
Soon, the emperor issued an edict to take away the love of the prime minister.
Moreover, news spread quickly in the inner court, and many court officials and nobles knew that the author of this great article was Xu Qing.
...
...
"You are worthy of being the great scholar of our time!" Huo Jing, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Inspectorate, made the imperial edict clear to all the upright officials.
He had to admit that Xu Qing's writing ability was definitely the best in the world. Huo Jing was very excited.
This time it’s a big job!
The clear streams are also full of fighting spirit.
The stronger the enemy, the more powerful they appear.
The more the enemy supports them, the more they will oppose!
The Prime Minister, don’t even think about snatching my love away!
How to refute Xu Qing's passionate article is the most important task of the Inspectorate at present, and everything else has to take a back seat.
And defeating the contemporary Emperor Wenzong, what a great honor it is.
It is almost comparable to a warrior directly defeating Xiong Chan now, even if it is a group fight.
It can be said that every censor in their forties or fifties was filled with excitement, as if they had returned to their youth.
...
...
A famous place of entertainment in the capital.
Lord Liang was carefully inspecting the work inside. After a busy period, he finally waited for Xu Qing and immediately dismissed his attendants.
"Your Majesty and I have decided that this time the position of Prime Minister must go to you, Lord Prime Minister." Xu Qing said shamelessly.
Elder Liang pretended not to hear what was said before. He was filled with excitement and raised his glass: "Gongming, I won't say anything else. I'll drink it."
After getting the coveted position of Prime Minister, Lord Liang was filled with lofty ambitions.
He also speaks and acts in a gangster-like manner.
He decided to start exercising from today, and if anyone went against him in the cabinet next time, he would just knock him off with a bench...
Of course, this is just a fantasy...
We are all pillars of the country. There is no need to get too angry. Let's discuss it if there is anything.
After toasting Mr. Xu.
Xu Qing asked: "After becoming the Prime Minister, how do you plan to continue to implement the reform?"
Liang Ge Lao originally had a lot of ideas in his mind. After seeing Xu Qing's deep gaze, he suddenly realized, "I will do whatever Gong Ming says."
Xu Qing patted Lao Liang on the shoulder. The old man was still reliable.
He took out a ten-thousand-word letter.
"This is called the Five-Year Plan, and it is the outline of the reform plan for the next five years. After you carefully study it, you will submit it to Your Majesty. It will surely allow you to rest assured as the Prime Minister."
"Five years? Zhang Tai'a went back to mourn for only twenty-seven months..." Elder Liang was a little worried.
Xu Qing resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
As the saying goes, when people leave, the tea gets cold. You, Lao Liang, are not a human being. The tea is cold before you even leave.
"After the mourning period is over, Grandpa Tai may not come back. Even if he does, this plan will not change." Xu Qing comforted Lord Liang.
Liang Ge Lao immediately took the ten thousand word letter, which concerned his future. He read it through first, and the more he read, the more he enjoyed it.
The five-year plan proposed in this ten-thousand-word letter captures the essence of this.
And he guaranteed that His Majesty would accept this ten-thousand-word letter.
Because if the ten thousand words are followed, the subsequent policies will have a clear outline. It is not clear how much actual effect it will have, but at least it ensures that the superiors have the psychological power to control the affairs.
In addition, the old emperor could check the progress of the reform at any time without having to look for details himself in the memorials.
However, Lord Liang is an old bureaucrat. If he really carries out this policy, it won’t be long before the people below him will just try to fool around.
But on the surface, there will definitely be great results in the reform.
For him, that was enough.
If a mess is left behind, that will be the next prime minister's responsibility.
Moreover, with this ten thousand word letter, Lord Liang can fully enjoy the benefits of the reform without worrying about his reputation after his death.
Xu Qing also knew that it would be difficult for someone like Liang Ge Lao to implement reforms as firmly as the Prime Minister and to fully exert his execution ability.
Fortunately, this old man is obedient.
If this ten thousand word letter had been given to the Prime Minister, the effect would definitely have been much better. Unfortunately, it was fate and time that had changed.
Xu Qing gave it to Lord Liang with the mentality of making good use of waste.
If there are jujubes but there are no jujubes, it will take two shots.
In addition, with the plan, he could follow it to reduce Liang Ge Lao's resistance. After all, no matter how powerful he was, it would be too unreasonable to control a prime minister as a puppet.
Now that everything has a plan as an excuse, this kind of mentality no longer exists.
...
...
Although the candidate for the new prime minister has been decided, the main drama in the capital now is still Xu Liushou's debate with the scholars!
A group of imperial censors opened fire and bombarded Xu Qing with the decree that he had drafted on behalf of the emperor to seize the emperor's love.
Xu Liushou was not tolerant either. He directly wrote a memorial to ridicule the group of upright people.
It can be said that this was the greatest cultural event of his lifetime.
Therefore, many memorials submitted during this debate have been passed down to later generations and have become precious cultural relics.
Later historians even believed that Xu Liushou had corrupted the public opinion of an era. In response, Xu Liushou clearly pointed out in his personal notes that the atmosphere of the Dayu Dynasty was bad from the beginning.
"Husband, are you still writing memorials today?"
"I won't write anymore. It's boring to fight with a bunch of miscellaneous soldiers." Xu Qing put down his pen and sighed.
If you engage in verbal battles with noobs for too long, you will be dragged down to their level and then defeated by their rich experience.
Of course, the more important reason was that the memorials from his father-in-law and Master Wu arrived, and they pointed at Xu Qing's nose and scolded him.
One is my father-in-law and the other is my mentor.
Xu Qing expressed his respect and submitted a memorial, admitting that they were right.
As a result, the fruits of victory in defeating Xu Liushou were directly stolen by Lord Feng and Lord Wu.
Cheating!
Many censors in the Inspectorate almost vomited blood.
After fighting for many days, they were on the verge of victory, but the fruits of their labor were stolen.
Moreover, in theory, Lord Feng and Lord Wu both come from clean backgrounds, so it is not easy to criticize them.
Once the memorials from Feng and Wu arrived, it was the final word.
Soon, the Prime Minister submitted his final memorial requesting to retire and observe mourning, and the emperor agreed.
The big drama finally came to an end.
During this process, the Prime Minister also arranged the next tasks and then completed his last shift.
...
...
Today is the Prime Minister’s last night on duty in the cabinet.
He was full of emotions.
At the same time, Xu Qing's Weiyang Sword began to vibrate.
Xu Qing was a little confused.
It was not until that night that the Prime Minister urgently summoned him to the inner court to attend a court meeting, and he learned what major event had occurred.
"The Yellow River burst its banks again?"
The last time the Yellow River burst its dikes, it caused many refugees in Zhongzhou and sparked a civil uprising in Dongshan Province. Afterwards, the imperial court naturally sent people to control the flood.
While participating in the court discussion, Xu Qing listened to the reasons for the Yellow River bursting its dikes.
It turned out to be the result of improper sacrifice to the gods.
Since ancient times, the main object of worship for the Yellow River has been "He Bo", followed by some natural gods of mountains and rivers.
There were two main people responsible for managing the Yellow River. One was Zhu Ling, the Minister of Works, and the other was Liu Quan, who was the Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief and served as the Governor-General of the River.
Because floods in the Yellow River often shake the country.
Therefore, the two officials were not in the capital all year round, but were responsible for flood control.
Water control has also been a major event in every dynasty.
This matter cannot be done by one person alone.
Because in ancient times, Dayu changed dynasties by controlling floods.
Therefore, the two ministers are needed to check and balance each other to prevent the formation of a rebellious force.
It was also very interesting to see these two ministers go to the local area to control the water.
It's not about building river embankments, but about worshiping gods.
Zhu Ling believed that sacrifices should be made to the River God, while Liu Quan believed that sacrifices should be made to the gods of mountains, rivers and nature. The two sides could not reach an agreement, and in the end, each offered sacrifices to his own.
As a result, the Yellow River still broke its banks.
Therefore, both sides accused each other of worshipping the wrong god, which made the other god angry and caused the Yellow River to burst its banks again.
When Xu Qing heard this, he initially thought they were two psychopaths.
But after listening to the court discussion, I found that it was not really the case.
Building dams can indeed control floods, but the Yellow River bursting its dams is definitely caused by divine or demonic factors.
In the Yellow River, an extremely terrifying ancient water demon is suppressed.
Often the occurrence of floods is related to water demons impacting the seal of Emperor Yu inside.
They offered sacrifices to the gods in an attempt to let the gods, who were worshipped by countless people on both sides of the Yellow River, exert their power to suppress the water monster.
Of course, the Yellow River itself also needs to be managed.
It just requires equal emphasis on both sides.
But the money spent on building river embankments is far more than that spent on offering sacrifices to the gods.
The imperial court could not come up with much money for flood control at the moment, so it took a chance and tacitly agreed to offer sacrifices to the gods.
"Right now we need a capable minister to be in charge of flood control, and we also need a person with great ability to strengthen the seal of the water demon." The Prime Minister set the tone directly.
He finished.
The entire inner court's eyes were all turned towards Xu Qing.
Xu Qing: “…”
This was the first time he experienced what it meant to be the popular choice.
Moreover, Xu Qing thought of something in his heart. Could the unusual movement of the Weiyang Sword be related to the water demon?
Because Zhuge once used the Weiyang Sword to suppress the water demon in the Yangtze River.
The water demon in the Yellow River is known as the leader of all water demons in the world. It is rumored that the water demons in the Yangtze River are also the demons of the Yellow River that have transformed into monsters...
Regardless of whether it is related or not, Xu Qing is willing to do water control.
Although water control is a difficult task, it is also a good thing!
He took the responsibility without hesitation, "Xu is willing to go."
(End of this chapter)