Chapter 147 Wei Zheng Exonerates the Masses
The sun is setting.
The Imperial Palace.
Many of the civil and military officials had already left, but Li Shimin was still dealing with matters.
Besides the follow-up matters of disaster relief, there were many other things in the Tang Dynasty that required his attention.
While reviewing memorials, suddenly...
Snap!
A bowl slammed onto the table, splashing a lot of juice that stuck to it.
Li Shimin was furious and about to explode when he looked up and saw Li Yuan's aged face.
"Father..."
Li Shimin quickly got up.
"Um."
Li Yuan nodded: "This is the sour plum drink that I had Qi Qi make. Please try it."
Li Shimin was surprised.
He never expected that Li Yuan would care about him.
A warm feeling involuntarily flashed through my heart.
"Thank you, Father Emperor."
Li Shimin took a small sip, then frowned.
Wasn't it supposed to be plum juice?
Why is it so salty?
However, this was the Emperor Emeritus's wish, and as long as it wasn't poison, Li Shimin couldn't refuse.
He swallowed it with a contorted expression, and even managed to offer a compliment at the end...
"Your Majesty, I have never tasted such delicious plum juice before. I am so sorry to have troubled you..."
Li Shimin put down the bowl and forced a smile.
"Is it good?"
Li Yuan said with a strange expression, "Even salted plum juice tastes good. Your taste is really strange."
Wu Qiqi pouted.
I wanted to show off my skills, but I accidentally made a mistake.
"..."
Li Shimin's eye twitched.
You knew it was salty, yet you still gave it to me to drink?
"Alright, I've just come to check on you. You should continue with state affairs."
Just as Li Yuan was about to leave, a scout rushed in...
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
Upon seeing Li Yuan, he again clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
"What is it?"
Li Shimin's expression was solemn.
So far, he hasn't heard a single piece of good news.
"Your Majesty, Fang Yi'ai has led the Imperial Academy's army to Hu County to find Wei Shuyu."
Li Shimin didn't pay any attention.
Let's go then.
They're all birds of a feather; it would be strange if they didn't go looking for Wei Shuyu one day.
"Let them be."
"But Your Majesty..."
The scout glanced at Li Yuan, looking as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
"Speak if you have something to say. I have a lot of things to deal with." Li Shimin said with slight dissatisfaction.
He understood the scout's look, but how could he dare to chase Li Yuan away?
What if Li Yuan's brain disease flares up again...?
"Your Majesty, Wei Shuyu has dispatched a large army from the Imperial Academy to buy grain on credit, using the Emperor Emeritus's IOU."
"What?"
Li Shimin was startled and stood up.
"You're talking nonsense!"
Li Yuan pointed at the scout and scolded him, "When did I ever write an IOU?"
Faced with the oppressive presence of the two emperors, the spies trembled with fear.
Despite her fear, she still managed to recount the events.
"A seal on a blank sheet of paper?"
Li Yuan was embarrassed.
He had completely forgotten about it.
"Father..."
Li Shimin revealed a resentful look.
You said you've delegated authority, so why are you still causing trouble?
"What are you looking at?"
Li Yuan's eyes widened, and he began to shift the blame: "I have nothing better to do, can't I just play around with stamping seals?"
"OK!"
For the sake of the sour plum drink, I'll just have to bear with it.
When he turned to look at the scouts, he wasn't so easy to talk to: "Then what are you standing there for? Why don't you hurry up and bring them back?"
The scout accepted the order and was about to leave when a voice stopped him.
"etc……"
Wei Zheng, who had been kneeling to handle the matter, stood up, his body swaying slightly.
Working under the scorching sun, coupled with prolonged kneeling, made him feel a little dizzy.
Despite his exhaustion, Wei Zheng bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that Shuyu's actions are not inappropriate."
"Xuan Cheng, do you know what you're saying?"
Li Shimin angrily rebuked, "The retired emperor owes money to the people. If this gets out, how will the imperial family maintain its dignity?"
"Moreover, that's a piece of white paper stamped with the Emperor's seal. If someone with ulterior motives were to use it to forge imperial edicts, the consequences would be unimaginable!"
Li Shimin's eyes were filled with rage.
"Your Majesty, please be patient and allow me to explain slowly..."
Wei Zheng bowed and said solemnly, "The Emperor Emeritus's seal may indeed have a negative impact, but what will happen to the people of Hu County if there is no food?"
"Is it really worth sacrificing some of the royal family's reputation for the lives of ordinary people?"
After he finished speaking, Li Shimin fell into deep thought.
While it is wrong to falsely convey imperial orders, it can save many people. Whether this deal is worthwhile depends entirely on what the person involved thinks.
"Royal dignity is not to be desecrated!"
Li Shimin maintained his original attitude.
This is the bottom line!
Falsely conveying imperial orders is absolutely unacceptable!
"Your Majesty, what if this decree was truly issued by the Emperor Emeritus himself?"
Wei Zheng, however, remained calm and explained unhurriedly, "When natural disaster struck, the national treasury was empty. The Emperor Emeritus, moved by the plight of the people, and to save the people of Hu County, disregarded his own dignity and signed an IOU for grain..."
"Isn't this also a beautiful story?"
Huh?
After Wei Zheng said that, it does seem to make some sense.
However, Li Shimin was unwilling to give up so easily, and just as he was about to say something, Li Yuan broke out first...
"Well said!"
Li Yuan stepped forward, head held high, exuding an air of authority, and roared, "This decree is mine!"
Li Shimin was utterly speechless.
Who just said it was nonsense? Who said it was just for fun?
Have you forgotten what you said so quickly?
Just then, Li Yuan suddenly turned his attention to him...
"Shimin!"
Li Yuan sternly rebuked, "Speaking of which, I must give you a good scolding..."
"If it weren't for your mismanagement, why would I need to write an IOU?"
"If you hadn't been unable to provide the grain, why would I be misunderstood?"
"You've been emperor for so many years, and you can't even handle such a small matter. I have to clean up your mess..."
Don't you feel ashamed?
Transparent!
Li Yuan immediately felt completely comfortable.
Luckily I delivered the plum juice myself, what a coincidence!
You can gain fame, criticize Li Shimin, and then Li Shimin will clean up your mess and pay you back. Where else can you find such a comfortable situation?
It seems we should send out more acts of kindness in the future.
Who knows what opportunity they'll seize this time?
"Father..."
After being scolded by Li Yuan, Li Shimin lost face.
"Are you still feeling wronged?"
Li Yuan glared and continued his tirade: "You're only being scolded by me alone. Do you know how many people will scold me after I wrote this IOU?"
"Even thousands of years from now, some future generations may still criticize me for being foolish!"
"But do I care?"
"As long as the people are safe and sound, what does it matter if I lose this bit of face?"
Li Shimin was stunned by the scolding.
Did you sign that IOU for the sake of ordinary people?
Your pure nonsense was just a bunch of rambling, but Wei Zheng just happened to cover it up.
"Your Majesty, this matter concerns the dignity of the royal family and must not be tolerated..."
Just then, Changsun Wuji suddenly spoke up: "Wei Shuyu's actions may have been well-intentioned, but Hu County is not far from Chang'an. Why didn't he report it beforehand?"
Faced with this problem, Wei Zheng was not worried at all.
He slowly and deliberately bowed to Li Shimin...
"Your Majesty, Shuyu is merely an imperial censor; Liang Jianfang is in charge of affairs in Hu County."
Holy crap.
You really know how to pass the buck smoothly.
Everyone rolled their eyes in unison...
"Wei Zheng, don't try to shift the blame."
Changsun Wuji questioned again: "The army sent to collect the grain debt was from the Imperial Academy. Apart from Wei Shuyu, who else could command them?"
"What Imperial Academy army? I've never heard of that."
Wei Zheng glanced at Changsun Wuji: "Who bestowed the title? Did you do it?"
Well……
Changsun Wuji was defeated and forced to retreat.
In the end, the Imperial College army was just a bunch of little kids.
If Liang Jianfang doesn't support them, what can they possibly accomplish?
"Your Majesty, it is a good thing that the children have a heart that speaks out for the people."
"The Emperor Emeritus endured humiliation to sign the IOU for the sake of the people, which was also a great act of righteousness."
"Liang Jianfang risked losing his official position to seek the well-being of the people, which is a great achievement!"
"Faced with disaster, everyone is united in their efforts; this is a sign that a prosperous era is about to begin..."
"Your Majesty, I humbly beg you to pardon these individuals!"
Wei Zheng bowed deeply and remained standing for a long time!
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