The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 288 Faction
April 1732, 4, Chang'an, Changxing Pavilion.

As the imperial cabinet prime minister's office, Changxing Pavilion is more like an oriental garden with an elegant environment than a majestic government agency.

Changxing Pavilion is built next to Changxing Lake. It has deep winding paths, ponds, woods, pavilions, pavilions, carved railings and painted buildings, whitewashed walls and black tiles, which are full of the unique charm of the traditional Chinese "Jiangnan Water Town".

It is here that the Prime Minister and several cabinet ministers manage the huge empire. They handle tens of thousands of imperial government affairs every day, decide the lives and well-being of tens of millions of people in the empire, and manage billions of colonies. The life, death and destiny of the people in the territory affect the policy trends of countless countries and regions.

On this day, in the afternoon, more than ten important imperial ministers gathered in the small conference room located on the right side of the Prime Minister's office, and a small-scale political discussion was being held.

After Qiu Biaochen, the president of the Imperial Supervisory Council, read through the "Chronicles of Chang'an", he silently passed it to Xue Yongdong, the Minister of Civil Affairs on his right, and then turned to look at the Prime Minister sitting at the top. Han Qingshan.

Han Qingshan's face was expressionless, his head resting on the soft chair, his eyes roaming around the imperial ministers present. After his eyes met the ministers on the hill, he nodded indiscernibly, and then continued to look at the others.

"Ahem... Mr. Ge, what's your Majesty's reaction?" Minister of Science, Education and Culture Song Sixing coughed lightly and asked.

"Your Majesty? Oh..., Your Majesty doesn't seem to have any reaction." Han Qingshan shook his head and said.

"Your Majesty, there was no reaction?" Song Sixing was startled when he heard this.

The Yingzhou corruption den case was originally judged by the Dali Temple in Daxing, but it was thought that the dust had settled, so I learned about this case. Who knew that a few days ago, "Chang'an Chronicle" suddenly published detailed information about the case, including the officials involved, the amount of money involved, the entire investigation process of the case, and finally the slightly...perfunctory verdict, which immediately detonated affected domestic public opinion.

Subsequently, major newspapers and periodicals reprinted the "Chang'an Chronicle" report one after another, and invited many scholars and experts to comment and discuss the case. So far, the whole case has become a hot topic in the city, and no one knows about it. Even the common people are drinking wine and cursing the corruption of officials and the corruption of the judiciary.

You see, the Yingzhou corruption case involved more than 40 officials and the amount amounted to more than 200,000 yuan. In the end, only six people were found guilty, and the others did not need to bear any criminal responsibility. So, after several years of dormancy, will these people be transferred to other places, continue to be officials, and continue to be corrupt?
Is this Dali Temple obviously violating the law?

There is also the Supervisory Yuan, which is responsible for supervising and correcting officials. Is it so indifferent to the fact that offending officials go unpunished?

The princes in the court just watched helplessly as the imperial administration was so corrupted?

Is His Majesty the Emperor willing to allow the empire's foundation to be slowly corroded by such corruption, thereby endangering the royal rule?
For a time, the entire public opinion suddenly boiled. Various critical remarks were directed at the domestic officialdom, lashing out at the corruption of officials and the inaction of Dali Temple. Some even pointed the finger at the cabinet, believing that the corruption in Yingzhou had a deeper background. The deep protection of "big officials in the DPRK" and the existence of a shameful chain of benefit transmission.

Under this situation, it is absolutely impossible to say that His Majesty the Emperor has no knowledge.

But who knows, Prime Minister Han Qingshan said that His Majesty had no reaction to this.

Your Majesty's behavior is a bit abnormal!

When young people encounter social injustice, shouldn't they be filled with indignation, get angry and then leave the field directly to express their feelings?
"We don't care how His Majesty will react." Han Qingshan said slowly, "At present, we need to calm down this noisy public opinion as soon as possible and restore the image of the cabinet government. Therefore, you are invited to come. Let’s discuss it and come up with a practical charter.”

"Mr. Pavilion, the public opinion is fierce this time, and our Ministry of Civil Affairs has an unshirkable responsibility." But he neglected his duty and failed to intercept the news report on the Yingzhou corruption case in time, which resulted in the current situation. "

"Now that the matter is over, let's not dwell on the issue of responsibilities." Han Qingshan waved his hand and said, "It's not too late to make amends. Let's talk about how our cabinet will respond next."

"Mr. Ge, I think that starting from tomorrow, we will strictly check the printed content of all domestic newspapers and periodicals, and any report that mentions the Yingzhou corruption case will be prohibited from being published. After the first ten days and a half, the public opinion will gradually become stronger. Decay until it disappears."

"Forcibly suppressing public opinion may violate imperial laws." Zeng Shixue, deputy prime minister and minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, frowned. "Since the time of Taizu, our country of Qi has advocated freedom of speech among the people. As long as it does not incite rebellion or slander the royal family and the Everyone in the cabinet and government can speak freely. What Xue Shangshu said may be criticized and arouse greater public opinion. "

"Mr. Zeng Ge, this is also an expedient measure!" Xue Yongdong said helplessly: "We can't let the entire public opinion spread and spread uncontrollably?"

"Even if it's a temporary solution, I think it's very inappropriate."

"Does Mr. Zeng Ge have a proper solution?" Xue Yongdong sighed.

"Let's discuss the matter and solve it wherever the problem arises." Zeng Shixue said, glancing at the Minister of Dali Temple and the Director of the Supervisory Yuan who were sitting opposite him from the corner of his eye, and said pointedly: "This public opinion is Caused by the Yingzhou corruption case, we will re-examine this case. Whether there is a problem in the investigation process, a deviation in the judicial trial, or whether there is a real violation of the law for personal gain, we will thoroughly investigate it. , and give the people a clear fact and truth.”

"I'm afraid it's inappropriate to review the Yingzhou corruption case." Zhuo Weidong, the minister of Dali Temple, was very unhappy when he heard this. "How can we overturn a case that has already been decided? If so, there is no trace of law. The solemnity and prestige of the law?”

"If the law were strict, how could there be such turbulent public opinion?"

"What Mr. Zeng Ge said is to accuse our Dali Temple of perverting the law and seeking selfish interests?"

"It would be best if there is no violation of the law and favoritism, but it may be mixed with some favoritism."

"Mr. Zeng Ge..." Zhuo Weidong suddenly became angry, and his face darkened, "I, Dali Temple, are entrusted by Your Majesty to administer the justice of the empire's laws and correct the behavior of officials of all people in the world. I am worthy of heaven and earth, let alone We have lived up to His Majesty's high expectations and worked diligently without slacking off. Why, now, the words of Mr. Zeng Ge have tainted our Dali Temple as a place of favoritism and perversion of the law, a place where human relations are based! In this case, everyone at Dali Temple is willing to work together! Please resign to clear up this unjust injustice!" "As the minister of Dali Temple, who is responsible for the trial and imprisonment of the empire, how can I say such irresponsible remarks?" Zeng Shixue said unceremoniously: "If you want to, Please resign, only you can do it. This corruption trial still needs to be sorted out by Dali Temple, so we can’t just give up all the blame!”

"In that case, it would be embarrassing for me to sit here again!" Zhuo Weidong suddenly stood up, flicked his sleeves, and left the conference room.

"Grand Lieutenant, please don't let your anger slip." Luo Zhizhong, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Civil Affairs, stood up in a hurry and stopped Zhuo Weidong, "Mr. Zeng Ge was born in the army. He has an upright temper and straightforward temper. His words are unavoidable. I'm so impulsive, please don't be angry...Come here, sit here, and consult with your Majesty for the sake of the cabinet. Only by calming down this matter as soon as possible can the government's prestige and reputation be restored."

"Shixue, let's just discuss the matter and don't involve others." Han Qingshan sighed slightly and said softly to Zeng Shixue: "This matter is not only related to Dali Temple, but also to the cabinet. It is closely related to each other."

Alas, it’s not easy to be the Prime Minister!

Two years ago, Emperor Taiping passed away and the young Emperor Yonglong succeeded to the throne. However, as an "auxiliary minister", he was "simply promoted" by Emperor Taiping to the position of prime minister, escorting the new emperor and helping him gradually get to know and take charge. Such a huge empire.

Although he was highly qualified, was a classmate of Emperor Taiping's university, and had always been valued by Emperor Taiping, he had never been in the cabinet before to become prime minister, and his prestige was not great, so that he was never able to fully control the ministers in the cabinet, and he was not very good in government affairs. Despite all the quarrels, this "caretaker cabinet" can barely maintain itself.

In addition, the emperor was still young and had not been in power for a long time. He also had little prestige and was unable to "convince the public." This caused speculation among cabinet ministers and ministers, and there were many people vying for power.

In fact, from the perspective of the king, whether it is cabinet ministers, businessmen from aristocratic families, officials and nobles, they are all trying to seize and expand their own rights, and there are even interest groups who want to maintain long-lasting relationships through mutual collusion. And the most direct way to control the existing rights, whether it is to gain benefits by violating the law, or to inherit a century-old family, is to try to limit the "restraints" above the head and untie the shackles on the body.

In the past, there was the inheritance tax collection that was forcibly promoted when the prince was in charge of the country, and now there is a rigorous investigation into the Yingzhou corruption case. These are all radical reactions that the imperial power has to make in order to maintain its own authority, and it is also a struggle between the monarch's power and the power of the prime minister. specific performance.

To be honest, although the imperial power of Qi State is prominent, it is already greatly restricted and restricted compared to the pre-Ming Dynasty.

As far as the cabinet is concerned, it enjoys great autonomy in issuing decrees or making administrative decisions, and the emperor cannot interfere arbitrarily. Even if he objects to a certain government affairs, he can only "reject and return" and ask the cabinet to Make a new decision.

In addition, according to the traditional system that has been used in China for thousands of years, Qi State implements the principle of "all state-owned enterprises depend on group discussion", that is, for matters related to the important interests of the empire, a joint military and political meeting must be held. As the emperor and the emperor, Without any preconceptions, the important ministers from both the military and political parties will discuss the matter together, and finally form a consensus result approved by all or the majority, and then the emperor will make the final decision.

In addition, the empire also has the Great Charter promulgated by Emperor Taizu, many written laws and regulations formulated and introduced by the empire over the years, and thousands of years of traditional Chinese etiquette (i.e., customary law), all of which can be used to regulate political affairs and maintain the According to the foundation of the country, all wise monarchs must abide by the rules. Don't use joy, anger, love, hate, or personal emotions to destroy the law.

Even if there are special circumstances, they must first be sanctioned by law, and then use the emperor's power of pardon or privileges to remedy the situation.

Although Qi State has not formed a political creed of respecting heaven and ancestors, under the influence of traditional ethics, its own ancestors are still somewhat intimidating. Once the ministers brought Taizu and Taizong to teach the emperor, they could make suggestions, speak eloquently, and teach in a proper manner.

Whether it is respecting ancestors or adhering to filial piety, the emperor's actions are more or less bound by his ancestors, and he cannot easily violate the constitution established by his ancestors.

After all, for thousands of years, only one Wang Anshi dared to say the arrogant statement that "changes in nature are not enough to fear, ancestors are not enough to follow the law, and human words are not enough to show mercy."

As for the Qi State, since Emperor Taizu, the successive emperors have been more rule-abiding and reasonable, and they have respected their ancestors and followed the law. They can be regarded as a model of the dynasty where the monarch and his ministers are in harmony and respect each other. They have basically maintained the long-term stability of the empire's political situation.

However, with the rapid development of Qi's industry and commerce, domestic politics gradually became divided, and gradually formed the liberals guided by free trade theory and free competition (i.e., social Darwinism, with survival of the fittest as the guiding principle), and the traditional Traditional conservatives led by people-oriented thinking and imperialism.

Under the country's free trade policy, the former continues to expand its territory, actively seize overseas colonial territories, and expand the commodity sales market. As a result, its economic strength is growing day by day, requiring unrestricted opening up of the country's political economy and other fields, reducing government intervention, and allowing All economic entities develop freely.

The latter emphasizes that the government needs to control the most resources, believes in the authority of the government, requires a certain degree of protection for vulnerable groups such as small and medium-sized capital and the civilian class, prohibits business groups and economic forces from invading the political power, and prevents "barbaric forces" from influencing national policies. intervention.

From this point of view, the existence of extremely powerful imperial power is definitely the biggest threat to the so-called liberals, a deep shadow hanging over their heads, and the biggest obstacle to their development and growth.

In recent years, there has been constant criticism and criticism of the royal trading company and the large-scale monopoly industrial and trade enterprises controlled by the imperial government in public opinion. It is believed that the royal family and the government's actions are nothing more than competing for profits with the people, grabbing the world's wealth, and then blocking it. It affects people's livelihood and economy, and hinders the healthy development of industry and commerce.

Fortunately, the royal family and the cabinet government are still very clear-headed, and they fully understand that the so-called "people" who strive for profit are not the people of the middle and lower classes, and the "wealth" in the world is not the wealth of the small people.

If the royal family and the government withdraw from those leading industries or highly profitable industries, would ordinary people have the ability and qualifications to compete with them?
During the reigns of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong, the imperial power was strong, and the industrial and commercial classes that were beginning to rise did not dare to compete with them. Now that Emperor Yonglong is younger, these newly rising class forces cannot help but have some suspicions.

At this time, one can either take advantage of the opportunity to gain momentum, or one can restrain the imperial power.

The verdict of the Yingzhou corruption case was perhaps a test to see how the young emperor would respond.

"Hey, do you think that the young emperor can be easily flirted with?" Han Qingshan looked at the quarreling ministers present and sighed slightly in his heart, "I'm afraid, everyone underestimated the emperor from Taiyi Palace. Young Emperor."

(End of this chapter)