Why did the emperor rebel?

Chapter 744

In the Flower Hall of the Chen Mansion, with Chen Xun's suggestion, Du Ning finally calmed down a lot, but after thinking for a while, he was still a little worried and asked.

"Teacher, even though that is the case, Wang Jiugao, after all, is the chief assistant of the cabinet. Even if it is the emperor's temptation for him to be in charge of the Imperial Academy this time, in the end, he has benefited from taking this job."

"At that time, even if the Son of Heaven is dissatisfied, I'm afraid he won't do anything to him for no reason, right?"

After all, Du Ning still misses the Hanlin Academy.

Of course he knew that Wang Ao would be a hot potato if he took over this errand, but although the potato was hot, it could fill his stomach.

After all, it was Jiang Yuan who came forward in this matter, even if it was Wang Ao's mastermind behind the scenes, in his capacity, he might not be able to do anything to him.

Du Ning has been in the court for so long, and he still has a certain grasp of the emperor's character. He is a broad-minded old man, and he only cares about his talents and virtues, not his personal likes and dislikes.

Therefore, even if the Son of Heaven is offended this time, as long as the teacher is unknown, Du Ning believes that the Son of Heaven will not do anything to Wang Ao, at most he will lose some impression points.

From this point of view, Du Ning felt that Wang Ao might not be clear about the intention of the emperor's move, and this choice might not be a decision he made after weighing the two.

Seeing that his disciple was still so attached to the Imperial Academy, Chen Xun couldn't help being a little disappointed, but he concealed it very well, sighed softly, and said.

"Zong Mi, do you know where the old man went when he came back so late today?"

Du Ning blinked, not understanding why the topic suddenly came up here, but he shook his head obediently.

So, Chen Xun glanced at him meaningfully, and spoke softly.

"The old man first went to Xiao's mansion to visit Xiao Ying, and then went to Chen Zongxian's mansion."

Du Ning was taken aback for a moment, and then a trace of shame appeared on his face.

He somewhat understood what the teacher meant.

Sure enough, seeing him like this, Chen Xun's face gradually darkened, but his tone remained the same.

"Zong Mi, do you know what is the most correct thing you did today in court?"

Looking at the teacher's face, Du Ning went through the whole morning process again in his mind, hesitated for a moment, and then answered cautiously.

"It is... before the news of Xueshi Xiao's vein cutting came, the students resisted all opinions and insisted on investigating this matter?"

This is not difficult to guess, because Chen Xun did not give him any hints during the entire early court. Only when he was in an unfavorable situation, he did not hesitate to move out of the North and South List case, and insisted on investigating clearly. At that time, I saw the teacher's satisfied look.

So naturally, now that the teacher asks the question, it will not be for other reasons.

Seeing that his disciple was not hopeless, Chen Xun's face turned a little warmer, and he said.

"Yes, exactly!"

As he spoke, Chen Xun's expression became serious, and he continued.

"Zong Mi, everyone has the desire to be an official, but if you want to achieve the position of Qiqing, you can't just have the desire to be an official."

"It took the old man 20 years to understand this point. I tell you now that I don't want you to take these detours again."

"Especially...under the current rule of His Majesty, this is especially important!"

At this point, even in Chen Xun's capacity, his wording became more cautious. After all, this was talking about the emperor in private.

However, after all, Du Ning is his most valued disciple, and he is also the person of the current Qingliu lineage, who is most likely to enter the threshold of Qiqing after him.

Therefore, there are some things that have to be said. Originally, Jiang Yuan did the same, but now, it is obvious that Jiang Yuan has no chance to hear these words.

"Nowadays, most people in the court think that the Son of Heaven is cunning, scheming, and good at taking advantage of the situation, but in fact, Zong Mi, the Son of Heaven is actually the most virtuous person!"

Du Ning was stunned for a moment, a little confused.

This can't be blamed on Du Siqing. Since the emperor ascended the throne, the image of the emperor in the court sounds like a sage, but it doesn't sound like Chen Xun said. Governance strategy.

From the initial command of the battle of Wala, to the return of the Supreme Emperor, to the current government affairs such as military settlements, if you take a closer look, you will find that in every major policy of the court, whether it is supporters or opponents, the emperor can play a role. Play different roles to achieve your desired goals.

Such a monarch is wise and wise, and in the eyes of all the people in the world, he is indeed a kind and wise emperor, but as a subject, it is not easy to serve such an emperor.

In addition, the emperor has another point, which is quite criticized by the court, that is, he is not perfect on the issue of Nangong.

It is true that the Son of Heaven has been very thoughtful in dealing with the Supreme Emperor's etiquette, treatment, and even in all aspects, where the common people can see it.

However, in some places that will not be known to all people, such as "small mistakes" in some ceremonies, such as the faint hostility between Qianqing Palace and Nangong Palace, it can't be concealed from beginning to end, or The emperor has no intention of covering up these "sections" that will not affect the awe of the authority of the Tian family by all the people in the world.

From this point of view, the court ministers have steelyards in their hearts. It is true to say that the emperor takes the overall situation into consideration and puts the country's society as the most important thing in everything. I'm afraid it will be a little question mark.

Chen Xun obviously saw Du Ning's thoughts, so he further explained.

"Zong Mi, don't be fooled by all kinds of rumors in the court. Many things have to be judged with your heart. Think about it carefully. Among the many things that happened in the past, which one of those people who were dealt with was not evil-minded and limited by Power schemes, people who do and plan things out of self-interest, and have no benefit to the court?"

"On the contrary, those above the imperial court who can keep their hearts straight and take care of the overall situation, even if they have a different position from the emperor, and even repeatedly offend, has your majesty ever dealt with cruelty?"

Du Ning calmed down, carefully thought about what happened over the past year, and found that he really couldn't find any reason to refute the teacher's words.

During the more than a year since the emperor ascended the throne, many major events have occurred, such as exile, beheading, and dismissal of many people. However, these punishments vary from mild to severe.

Those with severe punishments, such as Luo Tong, who resold armaments, instigated Kouque, Wang Ji, held back, threatened the bandits with self-respect, and Zhang Fu, who sold out the border defenses to ambush Xining... These people have no good end!

When the emperor treated these people, he was ruthless. No matter whether they were civil servants, generals, noble families, or military titles, no matter how powerful the government was or how many people interceded, he would not be accommodating at all.

However, for example, Xue Xuan insisted on bringing back the Supreme Emperor, and even did not hesitate to admit his crimes, and the emperor just let him return to his hometown, and Peng Shi, Shang Lu and others impeached Jingcha in the court, clearly blocking it. The emperor governed, and the emperor only reprimanded and left Beijing, and did not do anything too heavy.

If it is just to see if you are on the same side as the emperor, or if what you do is in line with the emperor's wishes, then obviously these people's fate will not be like this.

Looking at Du Ning's thoughtful expression, Chen Xun knew that he had already figured it out, so he continued.

"Zong Mi, you have enough talent, ability, and network resources to get to where you are today. However, if you want to cross this last step, you still need to be able to understand the true truth of this court."

"To put it bluntly, although we Qiqing are not Zaifu, we should have the heart of a Zaifu. At this point, the overall situation of the court must be the most important thing. Of course, we must fight for the gains and losses of a city, a place, a thing, and a thing. But if you still only put this in your eyes, you will be inferior, and it is unworthy of Shide."

"If you can take it but don't take it, if you need to give it up, you can let it go. This is the real way of governing. Only by doing this can you truly step into the ranks of Qiqing, do you understand?"

In fact, if Yu Shiyue were here, he would be able to react immediately. What Chen Xun said at this moment was exactly the same as what Yu Qian said.

The so-called upright body, upright words, doing right things, walking the right way!
If the heart is straight, the emperor will be tolerant and tolerant regardless of the position. If the intention is selfish, even if there are all kinds of means, it will not escape the palm of the emperor.

However, this truth is still somewhat vague to Du Ning's ears, at most he can only understand...

"What does the teacher mean, let the students do the current thing well, do what they should do well, don't overly pursue the advancement of the official career, refrain from haste and use patience, put the court as the most important thing in everything, and then wait for the opportunity?"

That's true, but...

Chen Xun sighed. After hearing these words, he knew that his disciple still didn't understand the true meaning of what he said.

So, there are some things that cannot be taught, but fortunately, Du Ning is still young, and it will not be too late to gradually understand.

With this in mind, Chen Xun nodded lightly, stopped saying these words that sounded a little vague, but turned back to specific matters, and said.

"The post of the Hanlin Academy, the old man still said that there is no need to fight, but you have to fight. Since Wang Jiugao has accepted this job, then he has to deal with the consequences."

"Although the emperor gave him this errand, the imperial examination is not over yet. Whether this hot potato will be swallowed by him to fill his stomach or scald his mouth is still unknown."

"And the key to this matter lies in..."

Du Ning finally cleared his mind, squinted his eyes, and said.

"Scholar Xiao!"

It should be said that Chen Xun's suggestion is still useful.

After suppressing his impetuous mood, Du Ning calmed down and immediately focused on the important point.

"Teacher, what exactly was written in Xueshi Xiao's autobiographical letter?"

Today in the hall, Shu Liang directly submitted the suicide letter left by Xiao Yi to the emperor's desk, so until now, even the Dali Temple and the Metropolitan Procuratorate, who are in charge of the investigation, are not clear about what was written in the suicide letter. What.

Although the content of this suicide note may not be used as ironclad evidence, it is definitely a good breakthrough.

After all, until now, only Xiao Yi and Jiang Yuan, who really participated in the palace examination, know the inside story behind the palace examination best.

And if it is said that Xiao Yi cut his pulse this time, not because he was showing off, but because he really couldn't bear the humiliation and wanted to die, then his suicide note must have revealed something.

Of course, maybe considering his own name behind him, what is written in it may not be all the truth, nor may it be objective and fair. However, for Du Ning, who has been adjudicating cases all the year round, what he fears most is not clues that are difficult to distinguish between true and false, but that there are no clues at all. .

As long as Xiao Yi is willing to reveal the inside story, even if it is a lie, it must be mixed with the truth. If you catch a thread, you will have a chance to restore the whole thing.

But now, when the emperor has not published the content of the autobiographical letter, the only person who knows what is written in it is Xiao Yi himself.

Moreover, since the autobiographical letter had already been handed over to the emperor's desk, once Xiao Yi did not tell the truth, then Du Ning would immediately know the truth as long as he recounted his words as they were.

Therefore, after thinking about this, Du Ning immediately stood up in awe and looked at his teacher expectantly.

However, this time, Chen Xun shook his head lightly and said.

"Xiao Yi hasn't woken up yet. After discovering that Xiao Yi had cut his veins, the Xiao family immediately invited the best doctor in the city. The bandage was timely and the diagnosis was accurate. After the palace doctor went, there was no other better way. It’s just borrowing His Majesty’s will to use more expensive medicinal materials.”

"However, the good news is that Xiao Ying's life should be saved. If there are no accidents, he will be able to wake up within three to five days."

Hearing this, Du Ning couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, but he quickly adjusted and said.

"Mr. Lao ran over, and the students felt very ashamed. Please rest assured, the teacher. After returning today, the students will pay close attention to the movements of the Xiao residence. When Bachelor Xiao wakes up and the situation is stable, the students will immediately go to him to ask about the matter. go through."

Chen Xun nodded. He still feels relieved about Du Ning. Although he is a student from Qingliu, he has special talent in the field of criminal names, otherwise he would not be able to sit firmly in the position of Minister of Dali Temple. steady.

However, his eyes flickered for a moment, Chen Xun looked at Du Ning, but continued to speak.

"Well, after this incident, Xiao Ying's mentality must have changed. When you ask, pay attention to your tone and attitude. It should not be difficult to find out the information you want."

"However, the old man's trip this time is not without gain."

There was a flash of inspiration in Du Ning's eyes, remembering the conversation between the two just now, he couldn't help asking.

"The teacher said, over there at the East Factory..."

Chen Xun nodded lightly and said.

"Although Xiao Yi didn't wake up, the old man took the opportunity of visiting and chatted with the old man of Xiao's family. According to him, when Xiao Yi had an accident, they didn't think about going to Dongchang, and they didn't even care about it. For the suicide letter, I hurried to find the doctor."

"I don't know if it's a coincidence, but at that time, the doctor who usually treats Xiao's family was called to Shu Gonggong's mansion, saying that he wanted to diagnose dizziness."

"That's why the Xiao family chased after him. As a result, Eunuch Shu did let him go, but he himself followed, and then Eunuch Shu hurriedly brought his suicide letter to the palace to report."

Du Ning frowned, just listening, this is indeed too coincidental, but, just like this, it seems that it can't explain anything.

Obviously, Chen Xun also saw his thoughts, so he snorted softly and reminded.

"Zong Mi, it's not up to you to control how Dongchang does things, and you don't want to get involved. You know that this matter is related to Dongchang. Maybe you can use it in front of Xiao Yi, but don't provoke Shu Liang. This person , don't mess with it!"

It was the first time for Du Ning to see such a solemn instruction from the teacher. After a moment of hesitation, he still nodded and said.

"Yes……"

(End of this chapter)