Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 168 Who was castrated more?

After the emperor's question came out, some people could no longer bear it and hurried out.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me! My son is a wicked man who made irresponsible comments on state affairs. I have failed to educate him properly, and I will definitely discipline him strictly..."

"Is there anything that cannot be discussed in the government?" Zhu Changluo said, "Every government decree involves countless people. I have always allowed people to discuss it. Today, aren't you going to discuss it in court and express your opinions?"

He pointed at the people in front of him and said, "But you all know that what I hate most is to bring up people because of things. Instead of discussing the matter, you only talk about private matters and character! Wang Heng won the first prize in the past, and the examiners re-examined him, and his talent was obvious to all! In this imperial examination, after twelve years of studying, who in the court and the public does not know about his answers? I personally appointed you as an editor of the Hanlin Academy and a member of the Imperial Study in the Zanhuaguan. You are an official appointed by the court, and you humiliate him as a slave. What is your intention? Are you mocking me for treating the civil and military officials of the country as slaves?"

Since Wang Heng has been appointed to the Hanlin Academy, he can now naturally participate in court meetings.

He stood far back, after all, his official rank was only seventh.

But the emperor's voice reached here, and Wang Heng stood there with his fists clenched tightly.

The emperor made a big deal out of it, and six of the fathers of the scholars involved in the incident knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly.

But those who were caught did talk too much.

"How dare you say that the Qianqing Palace is close to the harem?" Zhu Changluo was naturally furious. "Is this how you study? Are there any students here?"

Wang Zhizhen nodded naturally.

Zhu Changluo then looked at Kong Shangxian again and said, "Duke Yansheng is now living in the Confucius Temple. Is this how the Imperial College next door is taught by the sages?"

Kong Shangxian was shot again and came out of class to plead guilty.

Seeing that the emperor had arrested these people and was trying to implicate the matter in the moral character of the gentry throughout the world, Shen Yikuan and Shen Shixing also stood up and asked the emperor to calm down.

In any case, it is no wonder that the emperor was furious when someone dared to spread such a completely groundless rumor just because the three halls and three gates had not yet been built and the emperor had to hold office in the Qianqing Palace.

So Zhu Changluo could not calm down.

There are countless people who have spread obscene rumors about the harem throughout every dynasty.

It would be fine if it was secretly written down or not caught at the time.

Now that he's been caught on the spot, how can he escape?

There are two categories here. One category simply ridicules the term "vertical slaves", and the other category explains in depth why one should become a castrated slave.

Zhu Changluo was not at all ambiguous. The former category had their titles stripped directly, and the students of the Imperial Academy were sent back to their hometowns directly.

The latter category is even more cruel: Do you like to tease eunuchs? Come and become a eunuch.

This was a clear case of the mouth causing trouble. Shen Shixing could not help but kneel down and plead, "Your Majesty, these few people are young and ignorant, and they are rebellious. Why should Your Majesty bother with them? If this matter gets out, I'm afraid the young scholars will be enraged..."

"What is the public so angry about?" Zhu Changluo looked at them coldly. "The right and wrong of this matter are clear. Are you saying that young scholars can't tell right from wrong? If young scholars all over the world can't even tell right from wrong, then isn't there a big problem with Ming culture and education?"

Shen Shixing was suddenly choked. What he feared came true.

The root cause of this matter is that the successful people in the Ming Dynasty's cultural and educational system are unwilling to give up their vested interests, and the court is therefore full of concerns.

All these discussions, on the surface, are about expressing opinions on the matter, but in essence they are about discussing the heart and selfish desires.

All crows are black, and this is a reality that everyone needs to face. But if we start from moral character, no one can say that this is right.

"Since the founding of the country, the graces bestowed on officials and gentry have become more and more generous, right?" The emperor stood up from the throne. "Why did the emperor bestow so many special favors? To encourage scholars all over the world to study hard, to follow the example of the ancient sages, to cultivate themselves and their families, and to assist the emperor in governing the country and bringing peace to the world! To encourage you to gossip and be vulgar and dirty like this?"

The emperor personally mentioned the preferential treatment for officials and gentry, and the nature of the policy was increasingly moving towards the new policy.

But he was still talking about these "unlucky guys".

"Slave, slave, slave!" Zhu Changluo was really angry now, kicking a man who was about to be eunuch, "You have all achieved fame, but how many of you know what a slave is? You have never experienced the suffering of others, yet you still speak nonsense!"

The emperor's "atrocities" have shocked all the ministers. Does he really not care about the reactions from the court and the public after his actions today?
Could it be that he felt more confident after going to the Beijing Camp yesterday?

Zhu Changluo walked up to the officials who had knelt down because of the sudden appearance of the unfilial son and asked: "How do you teach your son by example when he is like this?"

Two of them had sons who were about to be eunuchs, and one had only this one son.

But everyone has resentment in their hearts.

The one who was about to be without his descendants was suddenly struck with such a blow, and he was extremely angry. He gritted his teeth and said, "I was negligent in disciplining myself. But why did Your Majesty punish me so severely and not give me a chance to correct my mistakes?"

"You said I punished too harshly?"

"Young boys gathered together to discuss, and after being eager to win, they spoke rudely and insulted the imperial family. Of course, this is all thanks to Your Majesty's great grace. Although I am ashamed, I only have one son, and I hope Your Majesty will control me! I am willing to die for this crime!"

He also did not mention the possibility of becoming a eunuch, but this was also a complete step forward.

A catastrophe suddenly struck, his bloodline would be cut off, and it would be an extremely humiliating way of life, so he had no choice but to make this choice.

If I don't do this, will I still be a human being in the future? "Your Majesty, think twice!"

"Your Majesty!" Wang Xijue also stood up. "I have heard these discussions before. I was able to ignore the ignorant child's barking. I know that Your Majesty is protecting your child. However, what virtue and ability do my father and I have to add the world's criticism to your king and father? I beg Your Majesty to forgive me."

After his father expressed his stance, Wang Heng also came out to express his request for favor.

If the emperor were to castrate someone else's only son or let someone else die in his place, it would give him a reputation of being a violent person.

Zhu Changluo stood in front of the Qianqing Gate and saw all the civil officials kneeling down.

What surprised him was that Xunwu did not kneel down and beg for mercy.

He looked at Wang Zhizhen, then at Xu Wenbi, and wondered who gave the others a secret hint.

The distinction was clear for a moment.

The civil officials kneeling on the ground naturally noticed this abnormality, and many of them felt a sinking feeling in their hearts.

Could it be that the biggest concern was previously hidden on the local guards and caused by separatist forces?

If the military officials are clear that the emperor will only make the gentry bleed this time, and they can stand firmly on the emperor's side, then the demands for sufficient salaries and food from the local garrisons will be unreliable, and the separatist regimes in some places will be even more unreliable - unless the interests between the gentry and the generals in some places have been too closely tied together and some places have been instigated.

The previous title conferring a great title did have some effect after all.

But did the elimination of the abuses in the Beijing camp and the clean-up of the occupation of the service make the officials dissatisfied? Or was it that the suppression of the officials for so long in the past made them want to change the situation?

Zhu Changluo turned around and looked at the civil officials with his back to the meritorious officials.

"After listening to your discussion for so long, I think it is these young people who have pointed out the key points. It is indeed a wise idea."

Zhu Changluo said something that surprised them, but the meaning he conveyed made more people feel depressed.

As he walked towards the throne, Zhu Changluo said, "It's nothing more than the grievances of the gentry and the local guards. What are they grudgeing about? Isn't it just selfishness? Tycoon Xiao lifted the fig leaf a little in Jiangnan, and it's rotten and unbearable, just like the dirty words coming out of their mouths!"

"Selfishness is at work, so even if you know it's wrong, you should still cover it up and pretend nothing happened? It's obvious that only a few people are guilty and should be punished, but you still want me to think twice because of the criticism from the world?"

Zhu Changluo sat on his throne: "I am the ruler of the world, do I have to pretend to be indifferent to this stench? You might as well persuade me to retreat to the deep palace and enjoy myself! In the face of major issues, you are still like this. The saints, the masters, the sages, and the wise ministers since the founding of the country are above you. Don't you feel ashamed to kneel down and plead for this matter?"

Shen Shixing wanted to struggle a little more: "Your Majesty, how can a young boy like me who is ignorant and unlearned be able to make decisions on right and wrong? Benevolence and forgiveness are the kingly way, and fear and anxiety cannot bring peace to the world."

"Right and wrong are clear enough, that is, the right and wrong are major and minor, the right and wrong are extreme. Where is the word loyalty? Where is the word courtesy?" Zhu Changluo looked coldly at the people with different expressions, staring at the court official who was getting more and more angry, "You know the right and wrong, but you still want to threaten to die in your place. Where is the word loyalty? Where is the word courtesy in your heart?"

"If Your Majesty refuses to show mercy, I will be without any descendants and will only die!"

"Well said!" Zhu Changluo cheered loudly, "This is what it means to be selfish when facing right and wrong! Why do the government and the public have to ridicule Wang Ge Lao for no reason? Besides disagreeing with his political views, he insulted me in every way and had no moral integrity, even to the point of insulting me! Now that you can't reflect on your own sins, you blame me for being merciless and punishing you too harshly! You threatened to die because you were going to have no descendants, and all the ministers asked for it, and the gentry of the world supported you; ordinary people don't have fame to protect themselves, and don't have so many fellow disciples to help, so you deserve to be treated like grass?"

"The eunuchs in the palace have plundered, but have the civil and military officials outside the palace plundered? Over the years, who has plundered more, and who is inferior in virtue? The ancient sages taught that the eunuchs can only read and write, while the officials have to pass several examinations to enter the office, and the gentry are all the leaders of local knowledge. In terms of the inheritance of the ancient sages and moral integrity, who has been castrated more?"

The emperor's words became more and more outrageous, and the one who felt most terrified was Kong Shangxian.

The Jiangnan incident happened first, and now among the civil officials, there are countless people who are speechless for a moment.

However, the emperor's accusation that officials and gentry were more spiritually castrated in inheriting the teachings of the sages does have a more general factual basis.

No one would have expected that the ridicule of a eunuch would be elevated from the physical level to the spiritual and moral level by the emperor. What's more, the virtues of the eunuchs among this period of eunuchs were previously praised.

After hearing what the emperor said today, Tian Yi couldn't help but feel excited and straightened his chest.

"Is there not a single civil official who is willing to stand up now and think about the teachings of the sages, how to be sincere and upright, study things to acquire knowledge, cultivate oneself and manage one's family, and how to assist me in governing the country and bringing peace to the world? Is it wrong to establish a mind for heaven and earth, a destiny for the people, inherit the lost knowledge of the sages, and bring peace to the world for all eternity? Will the history books of the future praise you for kneeling down and being concerned about the country and the people, and for your request being fair and just? In the light of the sun, can you stand up?"

The voice echoed in front of the Qianqing Gate, and Tian Le couldn't help but burst into tears.

The road ahead is long and the world is full of enemies.

It has always been like this, but it is indeed wrong.

This is indeed a matter of right and wrong and of righteousness.

"Your Majesty, this is true. I know I was wrong!"

This time, he stood up clearly before the dispute was about to unfold.

Kong Shangxian also stood up in fear, followed by Shen Yiquan and Shen Shixing with mixed feelings...

Being a human being is all about socializing. In the end, the ones who stood up were Wang Xijue and Wang Heng, who had to make it clear that they were not the ones who wanted to take advantage of the situation.

The one who insisted on taking advantage of the situation and showing his intention to help the New Party was the emperor, and the only one kneeling on the ground was the guy who wanted to cut off his lineage.

"I have said before that I can tolerate selfishness, but I cannot tolerate those who cannot distinguish right from wrong, or those who go against my will." Zhu Changluo was extremely determined. "Since having children is more important to you than anything else, then you should resign and return home to live and multiply in peace."

(End of this chapter)