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Chapter Seventy
The civil servants were full of grief and indignation, and regardless of the differences between the emperor and his ministers, they asked face to face: "Why did your Majesty entrap the ministers and others!"
Xiao Yuansi asked back: "Why did you entrap refugees?"
"Where did the refugees come from!" the Minister of Rites retorted, stretching his neck.
Xiao Yuansi glanced at him lazily.
In this raid against them, he was one of the few who suffered the most losses, so he was the leading force in the fight against Wen Youting.
The servant of the Ministry of Rites yelled at Xiao Yuansi before he realized that he was rude. After all, the person sitting on it was the emperor, their immediate emperor, and the etiquette was there. He should never be disrespectful to the emperor, even if deep down in their hearts, thisThe Son of Heaven does not have much deterrent power.
"Your Majesty forgive me."
The minister of the Ministry of Rites slowed down his tone, and said earnestly and sadly: "The minister's mother passed out because of the shock of last night. The minister just heard about the refugees and was worried about the people's livelihood, so he lost his sense of proportion. I hope your majesty will understand the difficulties of the minister."
He lowered his head and lowered his head slightly as a remedy. He hadn't heard the voice of the superior Xiao Yuansi for a long time, and suddenly felt a little uneasy.
Why doesn't His Majesty say something to comfort us?
The steps are all in front of you, no matter how stupid your majesty is, you will know how to get down. Could it be of any benefit to your majesty if you really tear your face apart?
In his heart, he silently urged His Majesty to speak quickly.
It's a pity that Xiao Yuansi didn't move for a long time.
He couldn't figure out what Xiao Yuansi was thinking at all.
Compared with Xiao Yuansi getting angry and fooling around, this calm and expressionless appearance scares them even more.
After pondering for a while, the Minister of Rites had another plan, and said: "Your Majesty must have heard some rumors that the people in the capital live and work in peace and contentment under the protection of His Majesty's Tianwei, and even the poorest families have surplus food, and they don't have to worry about food and drink.What about homeless refugees?"
Xiao Yuansi seemed to be smiling, but also seemed to be mocking something, and asked: "There is no capital city, what about other places?"
"Of course not." The Minister of Rites said without hesitation. He raised his chest slightly and raised his head. When he spoke, his movements and tone were full of determination.
This is their pride.
How could there be refugees in the capital?
Absolutely not!
Under their wise governance, the country is running smoothly and thriving, and the common people praise them all, and are grateful for having so many good officials who care about the common people.
The emergence of refugees means that their strategy of governing the country has gone wrong. The abilities and talents they are proud of can no longer reassure the people and the emperor.
Let’s just ask, living in someone else’s house and getting used to sleeping on high-end soft beds, enjoying the meticulous flattery and vanity, the heart is so overwhelmed, who wants to go back to sleep on the cold cardboard?!
Unless sick!
For example, these civil servants have never straightened their backs so straight in front of the emperor.
The courtesy of the monarch and ministers, the ministers should not look directly at the holy face, but they stared at Xiao Yuansi upright, engraved the four characters "loyalty and loyalty" in their burning eyes, and there was grief and indignation in their bloodshot pupils.Burn Xiao Yuansi out of his body.
Xiao Yuansi understood their feelings, literati's self-esteem has always been stronger than their lives, they can tolerate scolding, but they can't accept being denied, or being denied by his idiot emperor.
What they want to say but dare not say is——I have managed this country on your behalf for more than 20 years!How dare you question me?!What position do you have to say that I am not?!
You gave Wen Youting the right to make her ransack our house unscrupulously, we endured it; you promoted a female officer without saying hello and disturbed the court, we endured it; you pretended to be sick and lazy to go to court and sneaked out of the palace, we endured it...…now you say we concealed the disaster and left the victims alone?
It's nonsense!Skate the jokes of the world!
Anyone can accuse us of dereliction of duty, but you, Xiao Yuansi, can't!Your throne is given by us!You do not deserve!
This kind of behavior is no longer a slap in the face of an official, but a tear of the face of three generations of their family in front of everyone!
What a shame!!!
Xiao Yuansi expected that they would not admit it, and all of them blushed with anger, and stared at him as if they were going to eat him.
He shook his head, somewhat disappointed.
"You don't believe what I say?"
"It's not that I don't believe it, but something that doesn't exist, how can I let the minister believe it?!"
"Okay, remember what you said."
Xiao Yuansi passed them and looked at Wen Youting who stood silently behind them for a long time.
"General Wen, take them for a walk in person."
"yes."
————
The civil servants made such a fuss, so that Xiao Yuansi could steal half a day's leisure. It happened that the sun was warm outside, and he got a headache when he saw the memorials piled up on the desk that were half the height of a person, so why not go to the gazebo in the imperial garden to play with the grasshoppers.
To be honest, after staying in this ghostly place with no electricity, no internet and no games for a long time, he can play well just playing with a bug.
Nothing more than idle.
He doesn't like to play with bugs trained by palace people. They are too docile, and they won't run away even if a stick is put in front of them. It's boring.
If you want to play, just catch it from the weeds. It is lively, vigilant, wild and hard-working. Even if it is imprisoned, it will use the loudest sound it can make to intimidate you, even if it falls on human ears.Rina is just a slightly louder insect chirp.
If you poke it with a stick, instead of running away, it will raise its worm foot to fight back, peeling off a layer of skin on the stick with a few swipes.
Often at this time, Xiao Yuansi would rarely show a real smile.
This is the way to play with bugs, wrestling with each other, it is interesting to have back and forth.
He was playing vigorously, and felt someone approaching hurriedly from behind. Hearing the sound of footsteps, he knew that it was Xiaoliuzi who had returned.
Xiao Yuansi teased the Grasshopper who was still stubbornly resisting and refusing to compromise, and asked with a bright smile, without turning his head, "How?"
"The adults are back, and now they have taken off their official uniforms and hats, and are kneeling in front of the hall..."
Little Six remained silent as he spoke, and took a peek at Xiao Yuansi's back, trying to figure out his emotions.
"do what?"
"I am pleading guilty."
Xiao Yuansi suddenly exerted force in his hand, and the wooden stick overturned the grasshopper. It turned its belly up and kicked its legs desperately to turn over. Xiao Yuansi smiled lightly, and the wooden stick only lightly pressed the corner of its wing, making it unable to get out of the predicament.
If you want to stand up, you need to bear the pain of broken wings.
The more the grasshopper struggled, the more painful it was at the joint between the body and the wings, and even a small opening was torn out by it, and green liquid flowed out.
It should be aware of the pain, and gradually stopped flopping around. Two black eyeballs the size of salt grains looked at Xiao Yuansi, and tears seemed to glisten.
"Apologize for the thorn."
Xiao Yuansi sighed meaningfully, and before his eyes appeared the appearance of the group of civil servants in plain clothes, their backs were dripping with blood from the thorns, their faces were pale, but they did not frown.Loyal ministers burn their hearts."
He let go of the grasshopper's wings, but the grasshopper didn't run away immediately, and stayed where he was, and he fiddled with it a few more times, but he still didn't move.
It seems to be a compromise and give up struggling.
It's boring now, thought could at least survive today.
"That's all."
Xiao Yuansi threw the wooden stick casually, turned around and asked Little Six: "How much have you kneeled?"
Little Six said: "They are all kneeling."
"All?"
"Do you want to go and see, Your Majesty?"
Xiao Liuzi was stared at indifferently by Xiao Yuansi's indifferent eyes, and he didn't dare to ask directly, as if he stepped on a brazier under his feet, and the fiery red charcoal scalded his feet.
He wanted to secretly distance himself from Xiao Yuansi, but he heard Xiao Yuansi ask: "What do you think of their move?"
He doubted His Majesty's intention of asking this question, but he didn't have time to think about it. He stood firm and said: "Of course the adults should correct their mistakes and punish themselves for the sake of the people, so as to take this as a warning and continue to serve the people..."
"puff."
Little Six stopped abruptly, staring at Xiao Yuansi who was holding back his belly and bowed his head in bewilderment.
"His Majesty?"
What are you laughing at?!
But he didn't dare to say more, let alone ask more, silently waiting for His Majesty's next instruction.
Xiao Yuansi's eyes dimmed slightly, and the smile didn't reach his eyes.
"They are all kneeling in the hall, who will solve the difficulties of the victims?"
Little Six suddenly raised his heart, and understood why His Majesty smiled ironically, and then thought that he had said good things for the adults.
Your Majesty's anger will not be condemned to himself.
Little Six hurriedly knelt down to admit his mistake.
"The slave is so stupid that he didn't think of this level. Please punish him, Your Majesty."
"Don't kneel and kneel at every turn, making it look like I'm bullying you."
Xiao Yuansi waved his robe, signaling him to get up.
What annoys him the most is that others use the self-deprecating way of kneeling to win his sympathy and forgiveness.
I made a mistake and didn't want to use actual actions to make up for the victim, but I had to use a pair of knees to cover all the losses of the victim. There was no actual cost to kneeling, but it was just a touch of the knees to the ground, which instantly turned the perpetrator into a moral position.On the commanding heights, the victimizer can take up a moral weapon to coerce the poor victim.
How ridiculous!
Xiao Yuansi walked out of the gazebo step by step, and said in a deep voice: "They are not punishing themselves for being ashamed of the people, they are clearly afraid that I will anger their sons!"
"Don't think that I don't know. The officials who were sent to Quzhou to control the water were secretly stuffed with their own sons! They tricked the refugees out of their hometowns, forced the refugees to fend for themselves, and lied about their achievements to put money on their faces.Good job bastard!"
"They don't close the house tightly and clean up the door, but they have the face to sell miserably in front of me?!"
Xiao Yuansi was obviously angry, the birds that were leisurely cleaning their feathers on the branches were frightened by him, chirping in panic.
As Xiao Yuansi approached, a strong coercion hit, and the little six son's knees softened, and he had the urge to kneel down again, so he insisted on standing up with his trembling legs.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty calm down, what if the adults have difficulties or have something to hide?"
Xiao Yuansi scoffed, and the little six could hear his disdain.
"If you really want to talk about suffering, don't those refugees who were forced to be displaced and almost died tragically suffer?"
"Isn't it difficult for those laborers who are squeezed by their employers to deduct their wages? Isn't it difficult for the common people who are engaged in low-level jobs to make ends meet? Those who have worked so hard to grow food for a year are finally taken away by the tyrants.Aren't the peasants who left suffering?"
"Obviously they did something wrong, what face do those officials have to say that they have difficulties?! Dare to feel that they are the most wronged in the world, and the grievances of ordinary people are just moaning without illness!"
The reprimand like a thunderstorm was finished, even though the thunder was gone, the lingering prestige was still in the ears of the palace people, and the quietness in the imperial garden was a little strange.
Xiao Liuzi buried his head deeply in shame, a blush from his neck reached his ears and climbed up his cheeks.
"What Your Majesty said is that the servants are short-sighted, so they can't think of this... Dare, dare to ask Your Majesty how to deal with adults?"
"Since they like to kneel, let them kneel, no one is allowed to pass!"
Xiao Yuansi seemed to be extremely angry, pacing back and forth.
After walking around for a while, he stopped and told Little Six: "Go and get a pen and paper. I want to draw up an order to send all the officials involved in the flood in Quzhou overseas!"
"overseas!!"
The little six sons were completely conscientious, and after hesitation, he still reminded: "Your Majesty, overseas is dangerous, and those sons of aristocratic families may have their lives... If they don't come back, I'm afraid the adults will not let it go."
The implication is that he is afraid of riots by the officials in the capital. After all, His Majesty only summoned the daughter of the aristocratic family into the palace as a female official, and then threw the son of the aristocratic family overseas to suffer the punishment.
Xiao Yuansi will be determined now, no matter how little Liuzi persuades him, it will be of no avail.
On the way to the Hall of Supreme Harmony with the imperial decree.
Xiao Liuzi recalled Xiao Yuansi's words and expressions, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that something was wrong.
Having been by Xiao Yuansi's side for so long, he knew that His Majesty was definitely not a fool who did not know how to do things, but why did he do this when he knew it would anger all the ministers?
Little Liuzi was thinking while walking, and suddenly stopped, and the little eunuch who was following behind him didn't stop the car, and hit him head-on.
"Ouch!"
The little eunuch covered his blushing forehead, and looked at the motionless little Liuzi suspiciously.
"Eunuch? What's wrong with you?"
Little Six turned around, with a strange expression on his face, and asked: "Which one of you told His Majesty that there is a son of a family among the water control officials?"
The little eunuchs looked at each other and shook their heads: "No."
This kind of black box operation is something they can know, even Xiao Liuzi only learned about it today.
However, His Majesty did not show any abnormality when he came back from the palace, and he never asked about the flood in Quzhou. How did His Majesty know the secret?
Little Six opened the imperial decree, read it again carefully, suddenly he understood something, felt a sudden shock, closed the imperial decree tremblingly and put it away.
The little eunuch felt that Little Six was afraid of something, so he asked curiously.
Little Six immediately rolled his eyes and lowered his voice to warn: "Don't ask if you shouldn't ask, remember that His Majesty is our only master, Your Majesty is not stupid, don't keep turning your elbows out, nothing will happen if anything happens."Blame me for not reminding you!"
As soon as the little eunuch heard it, he knew that he was benefiting from the officials privately, and that the matter of helping them inquire about His Majesty's news had been exposed, so he admitted his mistake in a panic: "Yes, father-in-law, we dare not do it again."
The little eunuch is still too young, he doesn't know that the people in the palace are the same before and after, and they still have a different look in their hearts.
Sighing, Little Six continued on his way.
The imperial decree in his hand was like a hot potato for a while, and like a heavy stone for a while, Xiao Liuzi knew very well in his heart that the person who really made him feel the pressure and danger was the person who wrote the imperial decree.
Your Majesty, what kind of emperor is he?
Say that he has nothing to do all day and does not ask about the government, but he is very clear about the situation in the court, and he can always solve the small calculations of the civil servants in a clever way.come out.
Will the emperor who really seeks pleasure know this?I'm afraid that kind of people don't even understand what a flood is, and the most important thing for them is to hug a beautiful woman to watch a theater and eat wine.
The reason why his face changed drastically and even turned pale was because of the content of the imperial decree——
Not only did the names of the princes of the aristocratic families be clearly written on the board, but every single word was correct, and military officers who had conflicts with them were assigned to accompany them, eliminating the possibility of civet cats being replaced by princes.
It also specifies which islands to be distributed overseas, and some place names are even unheard of!
Could His Majesty really be an ignorant bastard?
Little Six looked up at the sky. He used to think that the sky in the palace was square, luxurious but narrow, like an exquisite cage, and there lived a beautiful and docile canary, but after serving this bird for a long time, he realized thatIt turned out to be an eagle with a bird's fur.
In some unknown late nights, he would hold an oil lamp, stare at the country map on the whole wall, touch every city, and the enthusiasm in his eyes would burst out, and he would slowly tighten his hands,He held mountains, rivers and cities tightly in his hands, his fingertips were embedded in his flesh, and blood fell to the ground and burned. At this moment, he no longer concealed his ambition.
And the longer the eagle lies dormant, the more painful it is to peck.
Outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
The scorching sun was scorching, the wounds on the backs of the civil servants no longer felt pain, their lips were chapped and white, and hallucinations appeared indistinctly in front of their eyes, until Little Six appeared with the imperial decree in their hands, their eyes lit up again.
They knelt here to put down their figure and dignity and admit their mistakes. In fact, they were asking for a chance for the bastards to reform themselves, and use their old faces to replace their sons from the execution ground.
Kneeling for nearly ten hours, from last night to now, no water has entered, at least their son, heir, and darling are finally saved!
Little Liuzi was uncomfortable being stared at by hundreds of burning and eager eyes, but he still had to bite the bullet and announce the decree.
Before reading the above words, Little Six paused and looked at them sympathetically.
"My lords, please accept the order..."