Chapter 111 Solution
At 2:15 pm, Lord Xu, who was resting at home, received a hasty message from his housekeeper, saying that someone from the Yan Mansion had delivered a holiday gift and he had to check it personally. The person's attitude was so anxious and impatient that he couldn't be stopped.
Recently, the two cabinet ministers have worked together to sweep away their political enemies and be themselves again; the relationship between them has eased somewhat, and they even exchange gifts during the New Year holidays. But no matter how much gifts you give, there is no reason why you have to meet the host. Lord Xu was slightly stunned, and just told the butler to bring in the gift list first. But as soon as this sentence was uttered, there was a commotion outside and the servants exclaimed. Then the study door was suddenly pushed open and Young Lord Yan strode in!
It's so rude to barge into the study without saying hello! Lord Xu's face turned pale with rage, and he was about to stand up and yell, but he heard a rustling sound behind the young Lord, and an old man in a cloak limped out. It was his old enemy whom he had known for decades.
Lord Xu's expression changed slightly, and then he raised his hand and waved, asking all the noisy and panicked servants behind the door to retreat. When the study gradually became quiet, he stared for a long time, and finally spoke slowly:
"I wonder what I can do for you, my dear friend?"
Lord Yan did not answer, but just handed over a piece of white paper. Lord Xu took it and read it carefully from the beginning. Just a few clicks had infinite effects, and within a moment, Lord Xu's hands, arms, and even eyes began to tremble violently, as if he couldn't believe what he saw. But the words written in black and white could not be denied. He read them up and down several times, and finally could only shake his head and sigh sadly:
"After all, I have taken this step!"
Elder Yan was supported by his son and sat down. He gasped in pain and spoke after a while:
"People with the surname Mu are like this. It's not surprising. But now that it has come to this, we have to think of a way."
Lord Xu said: "What can we do? It's just like 'When the wind blows down the phoenix tree, there will always be people who will criticize it'..."
"You don't have to pretend in front of me." Yan Ge Lao interrupted him directly: "I know you can endure it. The best thing you can do in your life is the turtle method - I have been on the beach for three and a half years, and today the waves hit me and I turned over! You endured it when Xia Yan was the prime minister, and you endured it when I was the prime minister. As long as you put endurance first, no one can do anything to you. But can you endure what happened this time? Xu Shaohu, you still need to clear your mind!"
These few words were so impolite to the extreme that Lord Xu was choked to the point that his eyes almost rolled back and he was unable to speak. But Lord Yan ignored it and continued speaking:
"I know what you mean: 'This is Mu's fault, what does it have to do with me?' Indeed, according to the usual court rules, the people killed by Mu Qi cannot be counted on you and me; but is it time to follow the rules now? Among the people he killed this time, there are many scholars! Using military law to kill scholars, this rule has long been broken!"
There are also unspoken rules in the court. According to the usual practice, when the Prince of Duke Mu went crazy and killed people, the other important ministers would not be punished; but this time, it was military law that was applied and a massacre began. No matter whether they were noble or humble, they were all beheaded. The corpses were scattered all over the ground and the blood was gushing. The bloody atmosphere was so strong that it seemed to seep out from the lines of the memorial. This level of killing directly broke through all bottom lines for hundreds of years.
Since Emperor Renzong, the civil officials and senior ministers suffered great pain and had a tacit understanding with each other. They were extremely restrained in political purges, as they did not want to repeat the bloody events since Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong, and they were particularly lenient to those with official positions. Now, with more than 400 heads lost, this rule has been broken!
Since Emperor Xiaozong, the country has promoted culture and suppressed military power, promoted civil officials and disparaged military generals, and there has been no mention of war for decades. Now the prince is acting at his own convenience in accordance with military law, mobilizing the army to kill scholars and juren, and even forcing to death a third-class juren who had lived in seclusion for decades to take care of his mother. This rule has been broken!
In just a few days, with the arrival of more than 400 people, the consensus that the court had painstakingly formed over more than a hundred years was swiftly shattered and swept away. This most fundamental and important political rule has been trampled upon. Why do you still expect others to settle accounts honestly and abide by the rule of "not taking out anger on others"?
Was it your cabinet that agreed to mobilize Qi Yuanjing's troops to the south? The so-called imperial decree to act in a convenient way was issued through your hands, right? The official document regarding the murder of Prince Mu was issued in the name of the cabinet, right? In this case, no one among the important cabinet officials will be able to escape responsibility!
In the face of such a huge relationship, what's the point of Xu pretending to be a coward? No matter how hard and thick your turtle shell is, how many rounds of biting can it withstand?
Xu Shaohu understood what this meant, so he could only remain silent. Yan Donglou, who was serving beside him, was quick-witted. Hearing his father's stern words, he couldn't help but interrupt:
"In fact, this has nothing to do with us. It really wasn't the cabinet that ordered the killing! I think everyone in the court can understand this."
"So what if they understand?" Elder Yan turned around suddenly and said sternly, "Why, do you still want to explain it to them slowly? Do you think you have the time now?"
The officialdom is in turmoil and people's hearts are unpredictable. It is essentially a dark forest where mutual trust is completely impossible to achieve, and it is barely maintained by relying on the nuclear deterrence of power. And now, the Prince of Duke Mu has blatantly torn up all the rules and started to act big, which is tantamount to dropping a powerful nuclear bomb directly on the entire power system. In this case, will the affected organizations remain calm and think carefully, waiting for Lord Yan and Lord Xu to slowly prove their innocence? The power struggle is fierce, and once people realize that someone has broken the rules, a fierce counterattack will immediately break out!
Mutual destruction and mutual binding is the greatest secret of the deterrence system; if it can be delayed, prevaricated or even explained, then this dark forest would be too affectionate. Yan Fenyi has been on the battlefield for a long time, so of course he would not have such delusion.
It's really funny to say, characters like Lord Yan and Lord Xu, who are more cunning than monkeys, were very slippery and good at dancing with their sleeves in the past. Whenever their subordinates caused a little trouble, they would cut responsibilities and pass the buck faster than anyone else; but when the prince really poked the sky with a stick, they had no choice but to bite the bullet and stick together, even if they were cursing and swearing in their hearts, they dared not take a single step back - because this pot was too big, so big that no one could get rid of it, and so big that if they were careless, they would be smashed to pieces immediately!
Damn it, I was dragged into this mess by that old man!
So that's the beauty of dialectics. When you make a small mess, everyone will blame you and suppress you, but if you make a mess that is too big, too severe, and too difficult to clean up, then everyone in the world will be busy cleaning up your mess and will have no time to punish the culprit.
However, as a victim of dialectic, Yan Fenyi must not feel good. But this was not the time to haggle over trivial matters. He remained silent for a moment, then looked back at his old rival:
"It's come to this point. There's no point in making excuses."
"Master Yan is right." Xu Shaohu sat still, but sighed softly: "But now, even if you and I are sincere, I'm afraid it won't be of much use. The rules of the court are not something you and I can challenge together..."
The two cabinet ministers joined forces to fight, and the Qingliu Yan party and Wu Yue were in the same boat, but they were unable to "compete"? These words may sound horrifying, but every word Lord Xu uttered was sincere and there was absolutely no exaggeration. That’s right, the two ministers are indeed high-ranking officials who can call the wind and rain and are second only to the emperor and above millions of people. But if we get to the bottom of it, where does their authority come from?
Students, old officials, relatives, teachers, friends, and a family background of successful scholars, how could these two little scholars climb to the top of the empire step by step? Wasn't it because of the rules that have been subtly instilled in the officialdom for hundreds of years? Power cannot resist its source. How can powerful officials shaped by the rules break the rules?
To put it bluntly, if the news of the crown prince killing people really leaks out, there will be a big riot in the Dark Forest, and all forces will use their big moves against each other. It will be more than just one Shandong noble family that will attack the cabinet - without rules, politics will become a chicken-eating competition. The so-called court is a big stage, and you can come if you have a dream; since the rules and regulations have been swept away, why should everyone give face to the old cabinet? As the leader of the civil servants, you destroyed the tacit understanding that was achieved with hundreds of years of hard work. You are truly ungrateful to your ancestors and commit a grave crime. Even if I cannot kill you today, old Deng, thousands of civil servants will grit their teeth and suck blood, and there will always be a day when they will be able to kill you with one blow and send you to the eighteenth level of hell.
What civil servants need most is rules. If they lose the rules, they lose everything. No matter how powerful and influential they are on a daily basis, once the rules and regulations of the court are shaken, the important officials will instinctively feel weak and fearful. If it were according to usual practice, the two ministers should have worked together, organized their troops, and fought to the death with the thieves who dared to break the rules, without showing any mercy. But the current situation...
The powerful officials shaped by the rules can only survive by breaking the rules. This is probably the most absurd and terrifying thing in the world.
As a political bigwig, Lord Yan certainly understood what he meant. Listening to it again now is just confusing. He said indifferently:
"No need to talk nonsense. What should we do now?"
Lord Xu pondered for a moment and sighed deeply.
"In fact, the Prime Minister should understand... According to the previous rules, whether it is the prince of Mu Guogong or us, we are all guilty of treason, which is unforgivable; we will definitely be condemned by thousands of people and die without illness. If you want to defy fate, unless - unless you change a set of rules."
Perhaps he was forced into a corner by the situation, and a man like Xu Shaohu, who was calm and patient, actually uttered such outrageous words. Yan Donglou was dumbfounded, and the corner of Yan Ge Lao's eye twitched, and finally he slowly spit out the number:
"…Please continue."
"Then forgive me for being a little long-winded." Lord Xu said, "In fact, long before I entered the officialdom, I had doubts in my heart: the so-called civil control of the military, not to kill scholars and officials without authorization, and other rules and regulations are just unwritten rules that are subtly passed down in the circle of civil officials; in fact, they are not recognized by any emperor, and even greatly violate the ancestral teachings of Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong. How can such unwritten rules be strictly enforced and never violated for more than a hundred years? Are the emperors of all generations really willing to accept this restriction?"
He paused for a moment, and finally sighed:
"It was not until I entered the officialdom that I understood the details. The emperor certainly did not want to be constrained, but the facts were so, and they had no choice. In legal terms, the emperor holds the sword and the seal, and is the most powerful and arbitrary force in the world; but in reality, the power of one person is limited, and the emperors cannot take charge of the affairs themselves, so they have to delegate authority to others; and among these 'others', only civil servants are the most reliable, safest, and most convenient force. The more authority is delegated to civil servants, the greater the compromise that the imperial power has to make, but the level of governance of the supreme rulers is really..."
Perhaps out of respect for the elder, Lord Xu swallowed the last words. But the implication is obvious: power comes from facts rather than status; prestige comes from responsibility rather than bloodline. In the system designed by Emperor Gaozu, the imperial power was all-encompassing and had expanded to an incredible level; but in actual operation, no one was able to operate such a huge and terrifying power monster. As the saying goes, one can conquer the world on horseback but cannot rule it on horseback. Even in order to maintain the normal operation of the state machinery, later emperors had to recruit a large number of scholars into the court, share authority little by little, and make concessions and compromises step by step. This gradual compromise will eventually even extend to the military power that is crucial to the throne.
——That’s right. In theory, the emperor controls all the troops in the world. No one dares to disobey the imperial edict, and there is absolutely no room for objection from the officials. However, nominal control does not mean actual operation. You can mobilize the troops to do whatever you want, but who will guarantee the logistics of the troops? Who is responsible for the promotion of officers in the army? Who draws up the plans for the war? Who divides the spoils? Who will heal the wounds of defeat?
Logistics and equipment, training and preparation for war; each one is highly professional knowledge on the battlefield, and each one is not an experience that can be easily mastered by an emperor who has lived in isolation in the deep palace for a long time. If he couldn't control it himself, he could only entrust it to others. As a result, over time, the wars became more and more intense, and the mobilization and use of the army were gradually interfered with by others, and the emperor could no longer make the decision alone.
Therefore, there are the so-called rules of "laying down military power and cultivating culture" and "nurturing scholars for two hundred years". Ordinary people looking in from the outside always think that civil servants are vain and impetuous, and have cheated their way to their current positions with their mouths. But only when you are in the game can you understand that every bit of it is hard-earned, and that it was only through repeated struggles between predecessors of all generations and the emperors, eunuchs, nobles and military generals that this little bit of tacit understanding was barely exchanged, and there is no room for compromise. It is precisely because of this that Lord Yan and Lord Xu are now suspected of violating the tacit understanding, which may incur public outrage and lead to an unpredictable outcome.
——You eat the food of your predecessors and smash their pots; do you two old guys have the qualifications to talk about gentlemen and villains? !
Unfortunately, now this pot has to be smashed. Elder Xu could only shake his head:
"…The founding emperor is brave and powerful, and the successor emperor maintains the status quo; the longer the line of succession is passed down, the more such unwritten rules there will be, and the more unbreakable they will be, even the emperor cannot violate them. This is the truth in every dynasty. But there are counterexamples in the world."
Elder Yan frowned: "Who are you talking about?"
"Emperor Shizong of Han." Elder Xu said simply, "Emperor Xiaowu."
As the throne was passed down for a long time, the emperor's authority gradually declined along with his ability, and he had to work closely with the bureaucracy and obey the tacit understanding of the bureaucracy. But there are always exceptions in the world - facts have proved that if a monster with extremely high level, strong ability and vigorous energy suddenly emerged among the emperor's descendants, if this monster was familiar with politics and military affairs, familiar with knowledge and information originally monopolized by the bureaucracy, and by the way, he could also have two SSR brothers-in-law; then he could still break the rules and be himself, do whatever he wants without restraint, and tear up all the so-called "unwritten rules".
The unspoken rules are a last resort when compromising with bureaucrats, but when an emperor is powerful enough to ignore the bureaucrats and Confucian scholars, all the tacit understandings are nothing - the imperial power is absolutely invincible in theory; and if someone can use this power perfectly, then he is also invincible!
Of course, it takes great talent to run the imperial power smoothly. Even as powerful as Emperor Shizong Xiaowu was, he had to send his beloved brother-in-law to spin the Huns back and forth like a top several times before he was able to achieve such a supreme and influential position. The emperor has strong soldiers and horses, and he will have prestige if he can win battles, and with prestige he can firmly control the army. Once the army is under his control, he can indeed ignore the bureaucratic system - what's the big deal about killing four or five hundred scholars by military law? Emperor Wu killed the prime minister and the nine ministers as easily as killing chickens. Would anyone dare to show his teeth to him?
To put it bluntly, if the current emperor had the authority of Emperor Wu, and the imperial envoys he sent killed hundreds or thousands of people to pass the time after being assassinated, the people below would not even dare to fart and would only shout that it was a good killing. What does “not allowed to kill scholars and officials without authorization” mean? We in Da'an have never had this shitty rule since Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong!
Therefore, all the doubts can actually be condensed into one sentence: Does the current emperor have the same authority as Emperor Shangwu?
Yan Ge Lao took a deep breath, and his expression finally changed. He spoke in a low voice, almost exasperated:
“You’re crazy!”
"Why is the Prime Minister so harsh in his refusal?"
"If I don't refuse, will I go crazy with you?" Yan Ge Lao said sternly: "When was the Western Han Dynasty? When is it now? Do you have Wei and Huo?"
Emperor Wu had to rely on Wei Huo to accumulate military merits in exchange for prestige. What are you relying on to accumulate military merits now? Are there any hereditary officers in the Beijing camp who have become so crazy as to eat up the empty salaries?
Compared with this group of pigs, the scholars and officials are considered to be of high moral character and integrity!
"Please be patient, Lord." Lord Xu said, "Half a year ago, my thoughts would be similar to those of the Prime Minister, and I would never take this risk. But in the past six months, I have had nothing to do, so I often went to the outskirts of Beijing to relax and have watched the drills of the 'musketeers' that Your Majesty has newly formed many times."
Although he said he had "free time and nothing to do", in fact it was because Xu Shaohu lost his power after Master Feixuan became seriously ill, and could only entertain himself with mountains and rivers. He was much more relaxed than the busy Lord Yan; but it was precisely in this leisurely state that Lord Xu could clearly perceive certain signs that were ignored by the Prime Minister.
Elder Yan hesitated for a moment:
"So what did you think of the drill?"
"Firearms and rockets are truly the most powerful weapons in the world, and their sharpness is unstoppable." Lord Xu said simply, "To be honest, it was because of watching the drill that I made up my mind to cooperate with you and turn against the big families in the south who are colluding with the Japanese."
Elder Yan was stunned, as if he couldn't believe it:
"Even so, there are no good soldiers nowadays..."
"There is no need for 'good soldiers'." Xu Shaohu interrupted him: "The advantage of firearms can no longer be compensated by human power. Shangyu has proved this."
At this point, Xu Shaohu sighed: "... In fact, the elder should also understand. As the saying goes, 'anything can fly in the wind'. To accomplish great things, the most important thing may not be manpower..."
The words were vague, but Lord Yan understood them as soon as he heard them. Xu Shaohu quoted a famous saying from the Book of Heaven, which goes, "Even a pig can fly when the wind is blowing." The current Lord Feixuan, Wanshou Emperor, is certainly not even one percent as good as Emperor Wu of Han, but that doesn't matter. As long as the mighty east wind of the firearms revolution is strong and powerful enough, it will be enough to blow Wanshou Emperor, a fat pig who is lazy and does not do his job and pulls more than he eats, into the sky. As the saying goes, if a fat pig rides on the wind one day, it can stand shoulder to shoulder with the great roc.
However, the key to all the things lies in one question:
——Are firearms really that powerful?
“…You are also gambling.”
Xu Shaohu asked back: "What else can we do if we don't gamble?"
Lord Yan was speechless: Yes, what else can we do if we don’t gamble? After the Prince of Duke Mu exposed the truth, they had nowhere to escape. They could neither advance nor retreat. They were despised by all the officials and were heading for a dead end. The only solution now is probably to hope that firearms are incredibly powerful and sharp, and can carry the lying Feixuan Zhenjun all the way to an unimaginable level - as long as the imperial power is strong, the bureaucratic rules are no longer rules; the so-called resurrection of Emperor Gaozu and the reincarnation of Emperor Taizong, everyone is still trembling with fear, so how can they care about the negligence of the elder?
"There is no other way now, we can only put our hope on firearms." Xu Shaohu sighed, "We should follow the path of our ancestors, that is, to use firearms as Wei and Huo, and Japan as the Xiongnu - we must act quickly against Japan, and we must be steady, accurate, and ruthless, and win a victory that is no small or big! Japan will shock the whole world, and all officials will bow their heads and obey. Dealing with a mere Shandong clan is just a matter of giving them a good name!"
Since the political rules of peacetime cannot accommodate them, they will change their tactics; once the national war begins, there will be bloodshed, and what are a mere four or five hundred people? I don't think enough have been killed!
Internal conflicts should be resolved externally, Lao Deng!
Of course, Lord Yan understood what he meant. He hesitated for a moment and replied:
"But this is tantamount to creating another Emperor Wu of Han. Your Majesty..."
Having said this, he couldn't help but pause for a moment, and looked at Lord Xu with a bitter smile, both of them looking quite strange. Obviously, no one knows the present emperor better than the two ministers - Master Feixuan, who appears to be practicing profound cultivation but is actually full of desires, and his desire for achievements and fame lingers in his mind all the time. What's more, given the palace's positive attitude towards the war against Japan over the past few days, it doesn't require any tricks to push this matter forward.
However, if this matter can really be implemented, then things will be quite delicate. The present emperor is a descendant of a branch of the family who has inherited the throne. After thousands of generations, his temple name will most likely be "Shizong". The two Emperors, one before and one after, both used foreign military forces, were obsessed with esoteric cultivation, and were powerful and able to enforce their commands. With such rhyming repetitions everywhere, who can still distinguish between the Zhu family and the Liu family?
Oh, that's not right. Emperor Wu of Han started to suffer from hysteria and neurosis after he turned sixty. He distanced himself from the Crown Prince and got close to villains. Our Master Fei Xuan has been acting crazy since he was thirty-five, and the two dragons have been unable to see each other. What does this mean? This means that our Master has avoided thirty years of detours; the Zhu family wins!
Sejong who rose to prominence was also called Sejong; two thousand years in the east, two thousand years in the west, don’t look down on the old and the poor!
·
Of course, Lord Yan and Lord Xu knew very well that even if everything went smoothly, replicating Emperor Wu’s path would still involve considerable risks; if not handled properly, it would backfire on them, with unpredictable consequences.
When the imperial power becomes strong, it can certainly suppress the current omissions, but excessive power is both a weapon and a killer move, and is often difficult to control. When Emperor Wu went crazy in his last years, didn’t he cause chaos and unrest across the country? Considering the current emperor's meanness, indifference and viciousness, I'm afraid the tricks he can come up with will be even more severe. In fact, if you think about it carefully, it can’t help but make people shudder.
But fortunately, Master Feixuan has a huge advantage - he has taken too many pills, is too old, and the head wound has made matters worse. It is estimated that he will not be a demon for many more years. As long as God opens his eyes and allows this Emperor Shizong to die at the right time, the world can still have a smooth transition and wait for Elder Yan and Elder Xu to retire and return home to spend their old age in peace.
...May God bless you!
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