Emperor Sui Yang

The Daxing Hall is very warm because there are many heaters placed in the corners of the hall. The heaters have chimneys connected to the hollow walls. There are ventilation holes in the front and back of the walls to blow the smoke away.

After Yang Guang rummaged through the cases in front of him, he took out a memorial, and after reading it, he said:

"I heard that during the period when I was not in the capital, there was a Hebei scholar who scolded both of my sons?"

As soon as the emperor said this, all the ministers looked at each other subconsciously. Everyone knew that the decisive battle had begun.
Zhang Heng, the doctor of Yushitai, stood up and said:
"Reporting to Your Majesty, there is indeed such a person, who was born in Julu, Hebei, and his name is Wei Zheng. This person's father Wei Changxian was the county magistrate of Tunliu in the old Qi Dynasty, and his grandfather Wei Yan was the governor of Guangzhou in the old Wei Dynasty. He is a family of officials. He is a disciple of Wang Tong, a famous scholar in Hedong."

Yang Guang frowned and said, "Wang Tong? Is it Wang Long, the son of Wang Bogao?"

"It's this person," Zhang Heng said, "this person is currently preaching and teaching in the capital, and has 600 disciples. King Xingyang is also Wang Tong's disciple now."

Yang Guang snorted coldly: "What is this person like? Can he teach my grandson?"

Zhang Hengdao: "This man is very knowledgeable and enjoys a high reputation in Hedong. His disciples privately call him Wen Zhongzi. I also made a lot of effort to investigate. He is indeed a great talent."

Yang Guang suddenly sneered: "Wen Zhongzi? There is a line in the Book of Changes: Huang Shang Yuanji, Wen Zai Zhong Ye, meaning a gentleman Huang Zhong Tong Li, upright in the body, beauty in it, and smooth in the four branches, issued in career, beautiful What’s more, is he worthy of this title?”

Yu Wenshu directly stood up and said: "This man is only in his twenties, and he is so bold that he dares to call him 'Zi' in private. He is really a thief of Confucianism, and he cannot be the teacher of King Xingyang."

Zi is a respectful title for the founder of a certain school or someone with outstanding achievements in ancient China, and it can also be a respectful title for scholars with admirable knowledge and character.

Under normal circumstances, it must be approved by the emperor before it can be regarded as orthodox. However, Wang Tong's Wen Zhongzi was recognized in the later Tang Dynasty. Yang Guang did not recognize it, because Wang Tong is still young and has not yet reached the age of his old age. high.

Wang Tong was invited by Pei Ju, but Yu Wenshu didn't know, if he knew, he wouldn't stand up and criticize, because Pei Ju would end up protecting him.

Sure enough, Pei Ju laughed and said, "It's just a private honorific title for his disciples. Duke Xu doesn't need to make a fuss. It's Wei Zheng who scolded people, not Wang Tong."

Seeing Pei Ju's end, Yu Wenshu knew that this was the end of the matter, so stop arguing with Pei Ju, because Old Dog Pei's mouth can turn black into white.

Pei Ju raised his hand to Yang Guang and said:

"There is no learning before and after, and those who are masters are teachers. Wang Tong has only been in the capital for one year. Many of my Guanzhong disciples have worshiped under him. It can be seen that he is proficient in knowledge. I think that your majesty may be called to teach in the Imperial College."

Wang Tong's theory was aimed at the emperor, but right now the emperor of the Sui Dynasty doesn't need it, let alone the courtiers under the emperor, because in his academic views, there is also a prominent word "remonstration", which means that the emperor is wrong. The place, as a courtier, should be pointed out.

There is no such word in Yang Guang's dictionary.

Doesn't Pei Ju know that Yang Guang doesn't like this person?Why do you still recommend the other party to enter the Imperial Academy?

This trick is called advance as retreat.

He was worried that the emperor would punish Wang Tong because of the words Wen Zhongzi, so he directly gave the emperor a chance to refute Wang Tong. In this way, although Wang Tong had no chance to enter the Imperial College, he saved his life.

Sure enough, Yang Guang snorted coldly and said, "I'm afraid I'm not a person who seeks fame and reputation, how can I go to the Imperial College to mislead my sons, there is no need to mention this matter."

Yang Guang knew very well in his heart that he would not be able to use what Wang Tong did, nor would his own successors, but for the next generation, that might not be the case.

Regardless of any Confucianism, it was used by the emperor, but this use was time-consuming. Sometimes it was beneficial to use, and sometimes it was harmful.

This is why many emperors in history respected Confucianism for a while, Buddha for a while, and Taoism for a while, because it was determined by the current situation.

What is the dismissal of Confucianism, what is the old way of doing nothing to rule, and the life of Buddhism is hard, and the accumulation of merits is for the next life.

Wu Zetian revered Buddha, why?Because Confucianism does not recognize women as emperors, and Li Tang Taoism is the state religion, they do not support her, who else can she respect if she does not respect Buddha?
Wang Tong's appearance, even if it's over, Yang Guang didn't intend to kill someone, and Pei Ju stepped forward to protect him, so there's no need to hold on to him anymore.

So Yang Guangdao: "Bring that Hebei scholar who speaks wild words to the main hall. I want to see what kind of monster this person is, and what kind of rebellious barking person he is."

After a while, the Ministry of Criminal Justice has brought people up.

Wei Zheng was robbed once and survived. He lived in the prison of the Ministry of Punishment for so long, but he got fat instead. It can be seen that the food in the prison is good, or Wei Zheng wants to be a full ghost.

The chains locked on his body, my good fellow, those who didn’t know thought they were chained zombies. It was hard for him to cross the threshold of the hall under such a heavy load.

It is unclear whether Wei Zheng was a person who regarded death as home before, but he must be now, because he felt that he could not escape death.

Since they are all dead, what is there to be afraid of?It's not that I'm plotting treason, and I can't be punished by hanging. Insulting the emperor's relatives is at best hanged, and a whole body can be left.

After the kid came in, he knelt down towards Yang Guang and shouted:

"Sinners pay homage to His Majesty the Emperor."

Yang Guang found out the confession of Wei Zheng's interrogation by the Ministry of Criminal Justice from several cases, and then threw him down the hall, saying:

"In this confession, you insulted the king of Qi for nothing, and offended his dignity with inferiority. What is your intention?"

Wei Zheng said calmly: "The sage has a saying that the heaven and the earth are big, and the emperor's parents and teachers are respected. The king of Qi is not the emperor, nor is he the teacher of the grass people. How can he respect him? The grass people scold him on behalf of all the people. Zhong is my country and country in the Sui Dynasty, and I have no selfish intentions."

Yang Guang frowned suddenly, what a bitch, don't you even pay attention to my son?

He didn't need to speak any more. At this time, some people would stand up and refute Wei Zheng.

Niu Hong was the first to say: "The people's houses are divided into east and west, and the children in the family are also different. You are a commoner, how can you despise the king of Qi?"

"It's not what I despise," Wei Zheng said, "It's true that all the people scold it, if the people respect it, it's respect, and if the people despise it, it's baseness."

I'm your mother, how dare you call me cheap?Yang Hao was furious, but he was still trying to suppress his anger, where did he go?It's not his turn yet.

Yu Shiji said directly: "These rebellious and arrogant people despise the prince and bark at the court. Your Majesty please kill them immediately."

Gao Yan stood up and said, "Sooner or later, he will be killed, but before you kill him, you might as well listen to him explain why he insulted the two princes."

"Mr. Dugu is protecting someone?" Yu Shiji bravely said directly to the line: "How dare a commoner insult the prince? If you say that this person has no background, I don't believe it."

Gao Yan sneered and said, "What kind of background do you think can keep him? This old man doesn't have the ability."

"Yu Shilang always likes to say some ironic things in the court," Shangshu Zuocheng Yang Wensi said with a sneer:

"Just like the last time you slandered the princess, who was serving as the backstage for Yu Shilang back then, so that you dared to insult the princess with humiliation?"

Yu Shiji retorted: "Which ear of yours heard me slandering the princess? Your Majesty is here, so you can't confuse the saint and label me indiscriminately."

"Your own hat is crooked," Yang Xuangan sneered, "Do you need us to buckle it for you?"

"Okay." Yang Ming took the initiative to speak for the first time: "I also want to hear how people scold me."

As soon as he opened his mouth, Qin Wang's party naturally stopped talking, but Yu Wenshu couldn't do it, so he just said:
"This is the Daxing Palace. It is a place of uprightness and light. How can we allow some foul language to tarnish the court?"

Yang Ming retorted: "How can a few filthy words defile a place that is upright and bright? Just like the rumors and slanders about Xu Guogong outside, this king doesn't believe them at all, it's the same."

"Oh?" Pei Ju said, "What rumors are there outside?"

You don't make any noise, Yu Wenshu hurriedly said: "The one who cleans up cleans himself."

Even though Yang Yue was in Henan, he was not idle either. The capital had already begun to spread some unfavorable news about Yu Wenshu, such as enclosing people's land and his three good sons usually doing those useless things.

Pei Ju smiled and said nothing.

And the emperor's eyes are now looking at Wei Zheng. Obviously, Yang Guang also wants to listen to what the other party has to say, although the confession is already very detailed.

Su Wei said to Wei Zheng: "Your Majesty, you are magnanimous and benevolent. Although you are disrespectful and you cannot escape death, you still have one more chance to speak before execution."

Wei Zheng let out a long breath, looked up at Yang Hao, and said:
"I don't know if King Qi is here, is he sleeping well?"

Yang Hao's teeth are almost broken, how the hell do I know what you want to say?Don't you just want to say that so many people died in Hebei, there will be ghosts coming to me?keep me from sleeping?
Hmph, I slept very well.

Yang Hao chose not to answer.

They ignored him, Wei Zheng smiled, and looked at Yang Ming again:
"I heard that the king of Qin couldn't sleep peacefully at night when he heard about the events in Hebei, so he suffered from insomnia. It can be seen that although the king of Qin is suspected of being a bystander and slack, he still has a bit of conscience. Onyx, there are new graves for every household, women and children have no one to rely on, young children have no one to rely on, starving people are everywhere, and the sight of people dying has never happened in a hundred years. How can the King of Qin not feel ashamed?"

I'm sorry, it's not convenient for me to answer you, so Yang Ming remained silent.

Gao Yan frowned and said: "The affairs of Hebei are not in the hands of King Qin, and the affairs of the canal are not in the hands of King Qin. Everyone has their own things to do. King Qin was entrusted by His Majesty to sit in the capital. It is not easy to manage government affairs. Hebei The memorabilia came like snow, and the king of Qin felt he had no strength to see it, so he fell ill and couldn't sleep."

After all, Gao Yan looked at Yan Pi, who was covered in cold sweat, and said:

"As the Grand Supervisor of the Canal, Lord Yan cannot absolve himself of the responsibility for getting this far in Hebei."

Yan Pi trembled all over, shaking like chaff.