Zhao Huan composed himself and said in a deep voice, "You keep talking about giving merchants freedom and the court delegating power to the people. Tell me, what has the court done to hinder the development of private merchants?"
Zhao Chen was speechless for a moment.
What did the imperial court do to restrict the freedom of private merchants?
In fact, since the Jingkang Incident, the imperial court has not only not restricted the freedom of merchants, but has also continuously supported and encouraged commerce.
"I spared no effort in mobilizing the entire nation to build railways and connect the southeast and northwest, linking Tokyo to Youdu in the north and Chang'an to Gaochang in the west, all so that the commerce of the Great Song Dynasty could flourish!"
"Human desires are endless. Today they want money, tomorrow they want more money, and the day after tomorrow they want power and all the money in the pockets of everyone in the world. You should know the price of grain in Youzhou, right?"
Perhaps he was tired; Zhao Huan's face was pale, and he closed his eyes, still feeling a trace of resentment in his heart.
After all, Zhao Chen was his son in name only, and one of his relatives who came into this world.
But in truth, he felt even more guilty.
Because there are some things that must be done.
The laws of history are inescapable and cannot be bypassed.
For example, against the backdrop of technological innovation, the massive resources driven by policy have propelled rapid social development, giving rise to new forces in the private sector. These new forces are growing increasingly powerful, inevitably leading to a confrontation with the central government.
This cannot be changed by human will; it is an objective law of society.
However, there are ways to bring this war forward.
In a sense, Zhao Chen was a victim of his time.
However, Zhao Huan's original intention was not to make him the sacrifice; Zhao Huan initially wanted Li Chongguang to be the sacrifice.
Li Chongguang commands 100,000 Iron Forest Army soldiers. He is impatient and arrogant, and has a fatal weakness.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Chen was dragged into the mess so quickly.
Her feelings toward Zhao Chen were complex. On one hand, he was not her biological son, which created a sense of distance between them. On the other hand, she treated him as her own son, since he was flesh and blood of this body.
Zhao Chen was stunned for a long time before saying, "Your Majesty, I am willing to die to atone for my sins to the people of the world."
At that moment, Zhao Huan suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart.
Faced with the torrent of history and the prevailing trend, the will of an individual is so fragile.
When he first transmigrated, his goal was to become an emperor who could do whatever he wanted.
But after so many years, he realized that at most he wouldn't have to get scolded by his boss anymore, but as the highest leader of the empire, he endured things that were a hundred times more painful than those of a lowly employee.
"Get out of here, I'm tired."
Zhao Huan lay on the dragon bed, his face showing signs of exhaustion.
To achieve certain major goals, some things and some people must be sacrificed in exchange for a brighter future.
Hearing that the emperor was ill, an unprecedented sense of unease permeated the entire court.
Has the Liao King's Rebellion ended?
not yet.
The Liao King's Rebellion highlighted the drawbacks of the fifteen-year reform.
What are the drawbacks?
Over the past fifteen years, the imperial court has supported commerce with unprecedented measures and boldness.
Transportation hubs have undergone tremendous changes, and people's perceptions have also changed dramatically.
The Song Dynasty saw the rise of numerous wealthy individuals. Whether it was the enormous wealth released by the new policies issued by the imperial court or the unprecedented opportunities brought about by external expansion, many merchants with fortunes comparable to those of a nation rose to prominence on this land.
They lay in wait in the unprecedentedly prosperous cities of the Song Dynasty, secretly trading money with officials who held power.
Whether it was the Quanzhou case a few years ago or the Liaowang Rebellion this time, they were essentially the result of the collusion between merchants and officials.
The ever-expanding power and unprecedented wealth are influencing people's ideologies.
The immense temptation entangled countless officials and merchants throughout the court, leaving their mark on the Liao King's rebellion to varying degrees.
Take Zhou Chao, the Minister of the Three Departments and a key minister in the central government, for example. He openly stated that there were traitors in the court and that the King of Liao was upholding the foundation of the country and had made great contributions to the nation.
Such remarks were quite intimidating when Zhao Huan was not around, since he had a large number of supporters.
But now the emperor has returned, and the Prince of Liao has been labeled a rebel.
His opponents seized upon this statement as a weakness.
These days, the memorials impeaching the Zhou Dynasty are more ferocious than a July downpour.
The Censorate somehow discovered that the transport commissioners from Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, and Jingdong all secretly provided grain and supplies to the Prince of Liao.
Suddenly, a turbulent storm brewed in the imperial court.
The powerful and wealthy merchants in the capital who had dealings with Prime Minister Zhou all avoided him for a time.
It wasn't over yet. Liu Yanzong continued to submit memorials impeaching key officials from the three ministries, including the Vice Minister of Revenue and the Director of Revenue.
The government and the public were thrown into turmoil.
The original plan to investigate Yu Yunwen was postponed.
After reading all of Liu Yanzong's memorials, Zhao Huan came to a conclusion: Liu Yanzong, this political opportunist, wanted to place his own people in the court.
From the moment he recommended Zhao Gou to the throne and removed Yu Yunwen from power, it was clear that he was taking advantage of the turbulent times.
However, Zhao Huan does not intend to take action against him for the time being.
A few days later, Zhao Huan handed over the Zhao Chen case to the Censorate, the Ministry of Justice, and the Court of Judicial Review for a joint trial.
This showed the ministers the emperor's attitude. Logically speaking, since the Prince of Liao was the emperor's own son, it would be better for the Imperial City Guard to conduct a secret investigation, after all, it would be more respectable for the imperial family.
But the emperor deliberately chose to hold a public trial, clearly intending to announce this to the world.
A month later, the results of the public trial of the Prince of Liao were announced.
Soon, the emperor's decree came out: he was granted the right to commit suicide by hanging, and the Liao prince was demoted to a commoner.
This case has only just begun.
Next, Zhou Chao, the Commissioner of the Three Departments, was placed under investigation.
Three days later, he was found guilty and hanged himself.
The crimes committed by the Zhou Dynasty included colluding with the King of Liao and embezzling the railway department's pay.
As a result, Yu Yunwen's case was forced to be resubmitted for review.
This was a situation that Liu Yanzong had not anticipated, and it was clearly the emperor's intention behind the scenes.
In a sense, the Zhou Dynasty posed no threat to Liu Yanzong and Zhao Gou; the real greatest threat was Yu Yunwen.
Recently, while collecting evidence of crimes committed by Zhou Chao's cronies, the Inspectorate has also begun secretly gathering dirt on Yu Yunwen.
They attempted to drive Yu Yunwen out of the capital completely during this political upheaval.
But Liu Yanzong was soon shocked to discover that He Ye of the Censorate had begun to impeach him, the Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate.
He was impeached on the grounds of framing loyal officials and abusing his power.
Liu Yanzong then realized that the situation in the Song Dynasty court was still firmly in the hands of the emperor.
The so-called checks and balances are truly interconnected.
Liu Yanzong had no choice but to withdraw all investigations into Yu Yunwen in order to ensure his own safety.
Sure enough, the people from the Censorate quickly quieted down.
Overall, the sheer number of officials involved in this case has shaken the government and the public.
From the transport commissioners of major southeastern regions to the canal transport authorities, the railway commissioners, and even some prefects in the central plains, everyone was involved.
Some people are beginning to worry that this will create a power vacuum and cause unprecedented damage to the administrative system.
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