Jiajing Chengming

Chapter 252: The Grand Tutor compromises, there are no treacherous ministers in a wise and benevolent dynasty!

"Is the Master's illness still not healed?"

Zhu Houcong asked this question after the new Prime Minister Fei Hong came to see him with Yang Tinghe's memorial.

Fei Hong replied directly and truthfully: "It is estimated that it will be difficult to recover until the debt owed by the Ministry of Revenue to Xingming Bank is completely repaid."

Zhu Houcong sneered.

He knew why Fei Hong was so confident and dared to speak out Yang Tinghe's true motives.

In response, Zhu Houcong simply said: "Don't think of your colleagues like this! I would rather believe that he is really sick, not pretending to be sick! So, when you draft the bill, ask me again. If he really hasn't recovered, I will allow him to return home to rest."

Fei Hong nodded in agreement, secretly thinking that Your Majesty was more broad-minded and worthy of being a sage and wise ruler.

After seeing the imperial edict, Yang Tinghe closed his eyes and sighed: "Now it seems that not only the emperor doesn't want me to return to the court, Fei Qianshan and others don't want me to go back either."

then.

Yang Tinghe submitted a petition asking for permission to return home.

The cabinet approved Zhu Houcong's request, gave him 1,000 silver dollars, and ordered him to return home by express.

Before Yang Tinghe left Beijing, Zhu Houcong approved his resignation and allowed him to meet him at Yuntai Gate.

When Yang Tinghe met Zhu Houcong again, he didn't know how to start the conversation.

Because he knew that the emperor in front of him should be completely disappointed in him and would no longer have the slightest respect for him. Now that he was still treating him with courtesy in public, it was just a show for the people of the world to see and to try his best to maintain the situation of harmony between the monarch and his subjects.

After all, he did choose to compromise at the critical moment and did not confront the emperor head-on, so the emperor was naturally willing to leave him a little dignity.

But Yang Tinghe himself knew clearly what kind of person he was in the eyes of the emperor.

Therefore, Yang Tinghe didn't know how to start talking at this time.

He wanted to educate Zhu Houcong with his status as the "national elder who makes decisions", but he no longer dared to use this identity, and he knew that this would make Zhu Houcong dislike him even more;
He wanted to advise Zhu Houcong as a "trusted minister", but he knew that he was not worthy of being the emperor's confidant. After all, the idea he had always adhered to was to sacrifice the emperor for the benefit of the people of the world.

This caused Yang Tinghe to freeze in front of Zhu Houcong when he saw him again.

Zhu Houcong had to speak first: "If you really have nothing to say, then just leave. I have nothing to say to you either!"

After hearing what Zhu Houcong said, Yang Tinghe trembled suddenly, then knelt down and said, "I am guilty!"

"What crime did the Master commit?"

Zhu Houcong asked.

Yang Tinghe said: "I am not sincere in serving my lord. I rely on my age and have repeatedly acted presumptuously!"

"It's good that you know you're guilty, but I and the people of the world are grateful that you upheld the order of succession set by Taizu when the previous emperor passed away, allowing the imperial line to be smoothly handed over, and preventing the world from falling into chaos because the previous emperor had no heir, so I will still forgive you!"

Zhu Houcong replied.

Yang Tinghe bowed his head to the ground and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your pardon!"

"No gift!"

"Go back home. You don't need to send congratulations during festivals and ceremonies. The post money is free. After all, it is the people's hard-earned money."

Zhu Houcong replied.

Yang Tinghe felt even more uncomfortable after hearing this, so he couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty! I have something to say, please grant me permission!"

"Just say what you want to say!"

Zhu Houcong said impatiently.

"Your Majesty is diligent in governing the country and loves the people like his own children. This is indeed a blessing for the country. However, I dare to ask Your Majesty to stay away from treacherous villains! If Your Majesty relies on them to jointly govern the country of your ancestors, it will not be conducive to winning the trust of the people, and will even make the world uneasy!"

Yang Tinghe then began to speak impassionedly.

Zhu Houcong walked up to Yang Tinghe and said, "Grandmaster, I have always wanted to ask you, do you want me to truly love the people like my own children and work hard to govern the country, or do you want me to pretend to love the people like my own children and work hard to govern the country?"

"I really hope Your Majesty is a ruler like Yao and Shun!"

Yang Tinghe replied without hesitation.

Zhu Houcong then asked: "Why do you claim to be ill when I am clearing the fields and pacifying the people? Why do you claim to be ill when I am borrowing money from the Ministry of Revenue for disaster relief and refuse to open up new sources of income?"

Yang Tinghe was silent.

Zhu Houcong returned to his seat and said, "I will answer for you. You are afraid of offending the powerful officials and gentry in the world, but you don't want to stop me from doing good things for the people! You want me to only wrong myself, so that the powerful officials and gentry and even the people can benefit."

"Is that right?"

"As the sage said, do not do to others what you do not want done to you."

"I would like to ask, if I ask you, Master Yang, to return home and distribute your own land to your tenants, refuse to pay tribute, and allow the Chengdu government to increase a large source of taxation and reduce the burden of taxation on the local people, would you be willing?"

"Also, if I ask you, Master Yang, to reduce the interest on your Baoguang Temple by half after you return home, and order your family to be frugal, and use the saved money and grain to recruit refugees from Chengdu to dig canals and clear silt, would you, Master Yang, agree?"

"As long as you, Master Yang, are willing, I will issue such an order!"

After Zhu Houcong said this, Yang Tinghe said: "Your Majesty, I am willing, but I cannot convince the elders in the clan!"

"Are there no old people in my palace?"

"You, Yang Tinghe, are the only ones who have an old man?"

Zhu Houcong looked at Yang Tinghe with a cold gaze.

Yang Tinghe was silent.

But after a while, Yang Tinghe still answered resolutely: "Your Majesty is the emperor, you don't need to be persuaded, just answer seriously!"

Zhu Houcong chuckled.

"Although you are not afraid that I will be killed because of the resentment in the harem, I am afraid!" "Yes, I am afraid of death."

"There's nothing wrong with admitting this!"

Zhu Houcong waved his hand and spoke frankly.

Yang Tinghe fell silent again.

Subsequently.

Yang Tinghe suddenly kowtowed and said in tears: "I deserve to die. I shouldn't have made Your Majesty say such words!"

"I chose to say it myself, you can't be blamed!"

Zhu Houcong replied.

Yang Tinghe said: "Your Majesty treats me with sincerity. I am ashamed to accept it, and I am not as upright as Your Majesty!"

"You should understand now why I want to use Zhang Fujing and even reinstate Wang Qiong now."

"There is no other reason."

"No matter what their personal morals are, at least they treat me as a human being, and really take me to heart! They don't just focus on the country and the people of the world, and they even put as much care into the country and the people as you do, and they are even more courageous than you! They are even more courageous than me! I have to admire them myself, and if I don't use them, I will feel sorry for the people of the world!"

Zhu Houcong said as he looked at Yang Tinghe: "On the contrary, you, Yang Tinghe and others, want me to be superior, but you don't really respect me as a king and father. Isn't this very contradictory? It is precisely because of this contradiction that you and your people who hold the same views always lose to Zhang Fujing and others! So, if you want me to stay away from them and not use them, I will never agree to you, because I am not that stupid!"

"His Majesty!"

"I know that you are wise and magnanimous, but I also know that you have a kind heart, so I dare to speak to you."

"Although we, the ministers and officials, are not worthy of your majesty's mercy, your majesty has always kept the people of the world in your heart."

"Therefore, I believe that as long as Your Majesty cannot obtain additional benefits from outside the four seas, you need to restrain yourself and return to propriety, and be frugal and love the people."

Yang Tinghe spoke frankly again at this time.

Zhu Houcong smiled faintly: "Then when you return to your hometown, you should set an example for me and discipline yourself for me to see! I want to see if the members of your Yang family will become more polite and kind because of this. I will send the Jinyiwei to keep an eye on them."

Yang Tinghe was shocked when he heard this.

Afterwards, Yang Tinghe kowtowed again in fear and said, "I am guilty! I should not ask Your Majesty to do something that I cannot do! I ask Your Majesty to take back what I just said, and I also take back what I just said!"

"Scared?"

Zhu Houcong asked about Yang Tinghe.

Yang Tinghe nodded.

Zhu Houcong said in a deep voice: "Then continue to act!"

Yang Tinghe understood what Zhu Houcong meant. It was simply for him to continue to declare to the outside world that the emperor was a sage and virtuous monarch and that the ministers he employed were not treacherous or villainous. And he, Yang Tinghe, was naturally not a treacherous or villainous minister either.

But Yang Tinghe really had no other way now to prevent Zhu Houcong from using Zhang Cong and Wang Qiong; he was also really afraid that Zhu Houcong would ask him, Yang Tinghe, to continue to be a true sage; so, he had to kowtow and agree.

then.

Yang Tinghe returned home in a depressed mood.

After he returned home, Mao Ji came to ask for a meeting with him.

Mao Ji resigned from Zhu Houcong before Yang Tinghe.

But he did not dare to persuade Zhu Houcong not to use Zhang Cong and Wang Qiong, because he knew that the current emperor was not easy to deal with. Only after he heard that Yang Tinghe had also resigned did he begin to hope that Yang Tinghe could persuade the emperor.

And now, Mao Ji came to see Yang Tinghe just to ask whether Yang Tinghe had persuaded Zhu Houcong.

"After the Grand Tutor met with His Majesty, has His Majesty decided to abandon Zhang Fujing, Wang Jinxi and others?"

Mao Ji asked directly after seeing Yang Tinghe.

Yang Tinghe heaved a long sigh and said, "Your Majesty is right. They are all pillars of the country. If a wise monarch uses them, it will be a wise policy. How can I say more?"

"What does Master mean by this?"

Mao Ji was a little confused.

Yang Tinghe said, "Isn't it clear enough? Your Majesty has convinced me! How could a wise and powerful lord employ treacherous people? The ones he employs must be loyal and virtuous ministers who serve the country and the people! There are no treacherous ministers!"

"But since we were forced to leave, doesn't that mean we are not loyal and virtuous subjects?"

Mao Ji asked.

Yang Tinghe said: "At least he is a mediocre minister! There are no parents who are not right in the world, and naturally there are no kings and fathers who are not right!"

Mao Ji was very disappointed after hearing this: "How could the Grand Master say such pedantic words?"

"These are the words of a saint, how can they be called pedantic?!"

Snapped!
Yang Tinghe suddenly asked Mao Ji in a harsh voice and slammed the table.

Mao Ji couldn't help but shudder, and said hurriedly: "Yes, that's what the saint said!"

Mao Ji could no longer argue, but he was still a little unconvinced in his heart, so he said: "But Master, if that's really the case, how can the gentry in the world rely on gentlemen like us to speak for them?"

"There is no way!"

"The emperor today wants you to speak the words of a sage and do the things of a sage. In this way, the people of the world can only do as Wang Yangming said, to unite knowledge and action, not to say one thing and mean another, to unite in the sage's principles, and to be consistent in practical actions. "

"As for the gentry of the world, if they want to be the leaders of the four classes of people, they must first respect the emperor and father as their master! Otherwise, they can only be regarded as traitors to the country!"

After Yang Tinghe said this, he patted Mao Ji on the shoulder and said, "Go back to your hometown, be an honest village elder, and don't think of yourself as a wise man! And don't say that there are treacherous ministers in the world. There are no treacherous ministers in the wise dynasty!"

(End of this chapter)