There was no morning court session today, so the ministers were all sound asleep at home.
However, only Xu Churen was awakened.
Xu Churen, who hadn't slept well for a month because of the land price issue, finally had a good night's sleep tonight, but after listening to Tang Rui's story, he felt terrible again.
"Get the car ready!"
"Master, you haven't had a good night's sleep in a month. Please sleep a little longer."
Xu Churen's wife said with concern.
Xu Churen was already in his seventies, but he had never heard a word. The pressure on his shoulders was greater than that on anyone except the emperor.
The burden of the Song Dynasty's economy and people's livelihood rested on his shoulders; his dedication and hard work can only be described as painstaking.
He would get up before dawn every day, drink a cup of strong tea, tidy his clothes, and then read Confucius's arguments over the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
It can be said that people like Xu Churen were typical scholar-officials in ancient China.
Cultivate oneself, regulate one's family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world.
This isn't just talk; it's something that's been put into practice in our daily actions.
In fact, even in later generations of China, which was greatly impacted by Europe, the traditional concept of "cultivating oneself, regulating one's family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world" was still upheld in terms of governance.
The Chinese believe that relying solely on the constraints of the political system is insufficient, as every political system has its drawbacks, and those in power should also cultivate their minds and rectify their conduct.
Xu Churen relieved the pressure in his heart, sat in the carriage, and calmed himself down.
When he arrived at the emperor's study, he saw Tang Ke waiting respectfully outside.
Although Tang Ke appeared calm and collected, his forehead was covered in a fine layer of sweat despite the cold weather.
The two nodded to each other, and Xu Churen stood next to Tang Ke, waiting obediently.
At this moment, Liu Yanzong and Zhang Shuye also arrived.
Also present were Yao Xiping, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and Zhang Shaoze, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice.
Shao Chengzhang emerged from the emperor's study, bowed to the assembled ministers, and said, "My lords, His Majesty requests your presence."
The ministers bowed and then entered the emperor's study.
The emperor was drinking tea to sober up. The candlelight in the room cast a shadow on his angular face, making him look even more ruthless.
"Your Majesty, we pay our respects."
Zhao Huan asked, "Prime Minister Tang, have you seen the person?"
Tang Ke's heart skipped a beat, and he said, "Your Majesty, the person is recuperating in the mansion."
"Where is Zhou Zhengyan of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry?"
Shao Chengzhang said from the side, "Your Majesty, Master Zhou is not at home. I have already sent people to look for him."
Not at home?
Zhao Huan put down his teacup, then suddenly picked up a memorial from the table and threw it at Tang Ke.
The emperor raised his eyebrows and roared, "Tang Ke, how did you manage the Ministry of Commerce and Resources for me?!"
Tang Ke immediately knelt on the ground, burying his head in his hands: "Your Majesty, please calm your anger, I deserve to die!"
"I believe you deserve to die!"
Xu Churen quickly stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. I believe that now is not the time to pursue responsibility. We should deal with this matter as soon as possible to prevent the situation from escalating."
The emperor, his face grim, asked, "What suggestions do you all have?"
How could Liu Yanzong let go of such a good opportunity to reorganize the government affairs hall?
He said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the Ministry of Commerce should be thoroughly investigated immediately. Anyone found to be colluding with the merchants should be dismissed from office and have their property confiscated, or be executed immediately!"
Xu Churen hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, you must not. The affairs of the various crafts are flourishing now. If the Ministry of Commerce is shaken, it will cause great chaos."
Liu Yanzong retorted, "Does Minister Xu mean that those who collude with the merchants and harm the people will not be prosecuted?"
"Of course not! Every drop of blood must be paid for! Punishing corruption is urgent, but the affairs of the trade cannot be neglected!"
"How can punishing corrupt officials ruin all the work of craftsmen? It's clearly because some people have a guilty conscience!"
Liu Yanzong practically pointed his finger at Xu Churen and berated him, saying that it was all because he, as the prime minister, had ordered his subordinates to do it.
He was a bigwig in the Inspectorate, which was under the jurisdiction of the judiciary. His job wasn't to calculate people's income or tax revenue.
His mission was to kill all the officials the emperor considered corrupt.
Therefore, Liu Yanzong didn't care how many officials he killed or what impact it had on the rapidly developing construction projects; he only knew that the emperor hated corrupt officials intensely.
By catering to the emperor's preferences, even if the goal isn't achieved, things won't go too badly.
Upon hearing this, Xu Churen naturally wished he could strangle Liu Yanzong on the spot, but he remained calm and composed.
"Liu Yusi has slandered me without any evidence. What are his intentions? Is he trying to sow discord between the emperor and his ministers? This is a crime that will bring disaster to the country and its people!"
To kill someone, you must first destroy their spirit. Xu Churen was not someone to be trifled with; with just one sentence, he effectively shut Liu Yanzong down.
Zhao Huan grew impatient and said, "Alright, let's get back to business. I don't have time to listen to your pointless arguments! How do we resolve the issue of the laborers being mistreated?"
Xu Churen continued, “Your Majesty, this matter should be handled in three steps. First, immediately dispatch people to thoroughly investigate the current situation of all merchant guilds in the capital region. Anyone found mistreating laborers should be dealt with according to the severity of the offense, ranging from disqualification to execution! Second, the Ministry of Commerce should immediately scrutinize recruitment documents and raise the recruitment threshold. The Commerce and Resources Bureau should conduct a thorough investigation of every recruited merchant guild, verifying their qualifications from multiple perspectives. Third, immediately find alternative merchant guilds to replace them if necessary.”
Zhao Huan nodded in agreement.
Liu Yanzong said, "Your Majesty, I believe that every month, officials from the Imperial City Guard or the Censorate should conduct random inspections of the construction work in various places to supervise the work! If any work is found to be substandard, the local officials in charge of commerce and resources should be held accountable and punished!"
Xu Churen immediately objected, saying, "Your Majesty, this is not advisable. The people in various places are a mixed bag. If we blame the officials of the Commerce and Finance Department for every problem, it will cause them to be overly strict in their work, thus greatly slowing down the progress!"
Even someone as strict with himself as Xu Churen will make obvious compromises when it comes to his own interests.
The progress of the construction was related to the amount of tasks completed by the Council of State Affairs, which was the emperor's assessment of the Council of State Affairs.
However, officials, especially local officials, must take precautions against minor oversights and strictly investigate and punish all omissions.
Xu Churen knew he should strictly demand things of his subordinates, but for the sake of his goals, he instinctively chose to turn a blind eye. He even subconsciously began to believe that this was the way of being an official.
Liu Yanzong said in a very sarcastic tone: "No wonder, no wonder there have been soaring land prices and the mistreatment of laborers by merchants. It turns out that it was all because of Minister Xu's indulgence!"
That's a really hurtful thing to say.
Seeing that the elderly and frail Xu Churen was about to get angry after being rebuked by Liu Yanzong, Zhao Huan still sat at his desk with an air of watching a good show.
"Liu Yusi! You're spouting nonsense! Stop trying to cause me trouble with these matters all day long. Is a prosperous and strong nation, with everything in need of rebuilding, more important, or your own selfish desires? As a court official, instead of sharing His Majesty's burdens, you spend your days spreading rumors and sowing discord between the emperor and his ministers. What are your true intentions?"
Tang Ke also spoke up at the opportune moment: "Your Majesty, Imperial Censor Liu's body is in the Song Dynasty but his heart is with the Jin Dynasty. He deserves to be punished!"
Liu Yanzong relied on his judicial system being independent of the Council of State Affairs and the emperor's backing, so he always stood tall and often confronted the prime minister.
However, he also had a fatal weakness: he was a surrendered official.
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