Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

In his words, Lu Shengnan not only added the accusations of forming cliques for personal gain and eliminating dissidents to Gong Dingzi's case,

He also advised Emperor Jingsheng to think twice before acting, citing ancestral rules and the fact that Jiangnan was a vital source of wealth for the Han Dynasty.

Emperor Jingsheng, enraged by these words, laughed coldly and said:

"Hahaha... You dare to talk about a peaceful world!"

"The national treasury is empty, and the people bear the burden of taxes alone. The imperial court couldn't even afford to fight the war in the northwest and provide disaster relief recently."

"He also demands that I tighten my belt and cut expenses within the palace to fund the military!"

"But the gentry, they own most of the land, they don't do any corvée work, and they don't pay a single penny of tax."

"Not only did they enrich themselves at the expense of the public, but they also engaged in many acts of concealment and tax evasion, leaving the country weak and the people poor."

"Shouldn't such precedents and ancestral rules be changed?"

Lu Shengnan cupped his hands without hesitation and said:

"It should not be changed! Only the most intelligent and the most foolish are unchangeable; this is the word of a sage."

Only the most intelligent and the most foolish cannot be changed, a saying from the Analects of Confucius, Yang Huo chapter.

The literal meaning is that only the superior wise and the inferior foolish have traits that are difficult to change from the outside world.

Here, "superior wisdom" refers to people who are born with the ability to distinguish right from wrong and who are proactive in doing good, while "inferior foolishness" refers to people who are trapped in their studies but do not learn, who give up on themselves, and who refuse to do good.

Lu Shengnan's words naturally implied that the gentry class was inherently superior to ordinary people and should not have to work or pay taxes; the gentry should be wealthy while the common people should be poor.

While this statement may be harsh, it is not without its objective reality.

Xu Zhuo's expression relaxed, and he was secretly delighted, relieved that the emperor was willing to debate with them.

They were not afraid of debate, since the right to interpret both the words of sages and ancestral regulations was in the hands of the civil officials.

As long as Emperor Jingsheng doesn't resort to violence, they can find countless examples from various angles and from books, including the words of sages, to prove that the new policies are harmful.

Emperor Jingsheng's face was grim. His gaze swept over the group, and he coldly shouted:

"Then who says the people are of utmost importance?"

"Having merely skimmed through a few of Zhu Xi's maxims and copied a few lofty lectures, you dare to presume to speak of the words of a sage and criticize the new policies? This is utterly absurd!"

"When Gong Dingzi went to Jiangnan to implement the new policies, you formed a faction to overthrow him. When Tian Wenjing and Li Wei submitted memorials to the emperor, saying a few fair words in support of the new policies, you even impeached them!"

"And to spout such hypocritical talk about the rise of petty people and the decline of virtuous people is utterly shameless and a disgrace to civilized society."

"I tell you, as long as I am the Emperor of the Han Dynasty, I will absolutely not tolerate the reckless and disruptive remarks of you scholars who only know how to speak falsehoods and empty words, who do nothing of substance and disregard the overall situation!"

Emperor Jingsheng's voice was cold as he stood up and shouted:

"Get back to where you were right now! And take all those who were trying to force me to abdicate outside the Meridian Gate with you."

"The new policies are national policies already agreed upon by the court and will never be changed! Gong Dingzi is a cabinet minister and will certainly not be dismissed."

"If you dare to form cliques and cause trouble again, don't blame me for being impolite!"

Emperor Jingsheng was too lazy to waste any more words with the group. Once the matter was investigated, the imperial prison would naturally reserve places for them.

Xu Zhuo crawled forward a few steps on his knees, and in his panic, blurted out:

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! The new policies are harming the interests of the gentry and scholars throughout the land."

"By doing this, you are making enemies of all scholars in the world. Aren't you afraid of leaving a bad name for future generations?"

"Your Majesty, please rescind your decree and give an answer to all the scholars in the land!"

This can be considered a blatant challenge to imperial authority and a threat to the emperor!

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jingsheng trembled with rage, staring intently at Xu Zhuo, and said coldly:

"What did you say? Say it again!"

Xu Zhuo lowered his head, stiffened his neck, and said again:

"Your Majesty's new policies are tantamount to making enemies of scholars throughout the land. Aren't you afraid of leaving a bad name for yourself for generations to come?"

Lu Shengnan and Xie Jishi followed suit:

"Your Majesty, please reconsider!"

Emperor Jingsheng walked step by step from his desk into the hall, stood before Xu Zhuo and the others, looked down at them kneeling on the ground with a gaze as sharp as a knife, and said coldly:

"It seems that even if I don't want to be an enemy of scholars, or leave behind a bad name for posterity, it's impossible for me!"

Emperor Jingsheng's face was solemn, and his cold voice echoed in the hall, like a winter wind blowing through the hearts of Xu Zhuo and the others.

Just as the situation became tense, a report came from outside:

"Your Majesty! The Duke of Jing and several Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet are requesting an audience!"

"Summon him!" Upon hearing Jia Jing's name, Emperor Jingsheng's expression relaxed, and he felt more confident. He solemnly issued the summons.

After a while

Jia Jing, Chen Tingjing, Zhang Tingyu, Li Guangdi, Fang Congzhe, and Xiong Cili walked in quickly.

Jia Jing, dressed in a python robe and with a sword at his waist, led the way, followed by several cabinet ministers, who bowed to Emperor Jingsheng and said:

"Your Majesty, we, your humble servants, pay our respects!"

Emperor Jingsheng said expressionlessly:

"Rise! You should all know what happened today! The ministers forced me to have an audience, demanding that I cancel the new policies and dismiss Minister Gong."

"These scoundrels even say that my new policies are an act of enmity against all scholars, leaving me with a legacy of infamy for all time. What do you say to that?"

As Emperor Jingsheng spoke, he observed the expressions of Jia Jing and the other cabinet ministers.

"Your Majesty is a restorer of the dynasty, and the new policies are beneficial to the country and its people. If anyone dares to force the emperor to abdicate or threaten His Majesty, I will be the first to object!"

Jia Jing's expression turned serious, and he was the first to speak out loudly.

Today, he had just returned to his residence from Liangxiang Camp. He first heard about the incident of Baoyu smashing the jade in the West Mansion, and then he was summoned by Emperor Jingsheng and learned that the officials were forcing him to abdicate, and the new policies were facing new setbacks.

His original intention was not to confront the civil officials too early, since he was already collecting evidence of Shenjing Wuxun's crimes.

According to his self-planned schedule, he intended to first purge Wu Xun, consolidate military power, and reorganize military affairs.

For now, the civil officials only need to keep making arrangements, and once the military affairs are in order, they can simply use a large army to crush the enemy.

But plans can't keep up with changes. Unexpectedly, these civil officials were so bold as to plot against the imperial envoy in Jiangnan and resist the new policies.

They actually dare to cause such a huge incident as forcing the emperor to abdicate; they're simply courting death!

However, since they wanted to cause trouble, Jia Jing was naturally not afraid to clash with them.

With his current strength, it's no exaggeration to say that he could easily sweep across the world!

His choice not to involve civil officials was not out of fear of them, but rather a matter of restraint and patience.

On the one hand, there was concern that using too much force at once would cause hardship for the common people. On the other hand, the main consideration was also Emperor Jingsheng's feelings.

However... now that we are going to confront the civil officials and gentry, the rectification of the military forces must be accelerated and cannot be delayed for too long!

Of course, if this incident can be used to severely punish the civil officials, it will be a good thing for them to focus more on military reorganization later!

As soon as Jia Jing finished speaking, Zhang Tingyu and the others chimed in:

"Your Majesty, we are late in serving you. We beg Your Majesty to punish us!"