Chapter 359 Report
"If I suspected Lord Li, why would I need someone to investigate?"
As Zhao Jiu instinctively choked up, not only Li Gang fell silent, but also several other close ministers fell silent... It was nothing else, it was just a matter of time.
Not to mention the two parties involved and many close officials who had personally experienced that period, even the old Dangxiang man Ren Baozhong knew that when Emperor Zhao had just ascended the throne, Li Gang was the court's reliance and the national banner. If they wanted to fight against the Jin, unite the people and re-establish a court, only this Prime Minister Li could do it.
At that time, Li Xianggong looked at Zhao Guanjia, who could only sit in silence under the Buddha statue.
So, later on, this official tied Han Shizhong with a belt on the Huai River, bought Zhang Jun for half a duck, and killed Liu Guangshi by the way. He controlled the troops for a while, and used fishing tactics to create the illusion of resisting the advance of the Jin army. He was considered to have grasped some power... But he cheated immediately after the war, leaving Li Xianggong in Yangzhou, and took advantage of the situation to turn to Nanyang... Although this move was said to be necessary to resist the Jin army, it was not too obvious that he intended to use it to get rid of Li Xianggong's control and personally seize the initiative in the court.
However, even so, Li Xianggong still had to be changed to Li Gongxiang, and the Queen Mother, Consort Xian, and the heir to the throne had to be handed over to the other party as a tacit agreement. Then, the power of the southeastern government had to be entrusted to him in order to stabilize the situation.
This situation continued until the victory of Yanling, when Emperor Zhao recovered the old capital, gained the recognition of Zong Zezong's governor and the political and military heritage of the Dongjing Governor's Office, and acquired unprecedented political prestige. This completely changed the host and guest and reversed the situation between the monarch and his subjects.
In fact, in the eyes of some political animals, the military rebellion in the southeast and the matter of the royal heir may not be a bad thing. Otherwise, according to the personalities of this monarch and his minister, they might cause some traditional feudal political drama.
By then, it won't be beautiful.
As time goes by, at the present time, Li Gang's wings have been completely cut off both inside and outside, and even his own brother does not want to do any intermediary work for his elder brother. However, Emperor Zhao enjoys power and wealth behind Yaoshan. Of course, Li Gang, an old minister who is out of place and an old powerful minister, seems even more out of place.
In this situation, according to everyone's understanding and tacit political rules, anyone could come and talk about old things, no matter if it was the child abuse, the military turmoil in the southeast and the issue of the royal heir, or the previous resistance to the court's major policies. As long as Emperor Zhao wanted, he could end Li Boxi's political life in a dignified manner - the so-called promotion to the Mingdao Palace and settlement in Nanjing would be the solution.
After experiencing so much, Li Gang obviously thought the same.
However, these people had misjudged. The time traveler Zhao Jiu had his own special views on Li Gang. Even what he said just now was just a retort made when they met, and he just found a way to choke back.
In fact, if there is one person in this world who knows that Li Gang will never be treated in the same way by Emperor Zhao, that person is definitely Zhao Jiu himself.
"I crossed the river and went to Taiping Prefecture first. First, I haven't seen Lord Li for many years. I miss him so much... I should come and see him..." Zhao Jiu thought for a while and finally chose to be honest. "Second, I want to use Lord Li's place to avoid the limelight and figure out the situation in the south before I can act..."
"What will the government do? And to whom?" Li Gang remained silent, but his guard remained unchanged. "Forgive me for speaking frankly, but since Lu Yihao introduced the Yuechun Coin and the Jingzhi Coin, the people of Jiangnan have been exhausted..."
"Who do you mean by 'people'?" Zhao Jiufu finally suppressed his emotions, but he was still a little angry. "Is it the poor people who farm and weave with their own hands, or the wealthy merchants and landlords who easily throw away thousands of strings of cash? Or is it the temples and monasteries that can collect 700 to 800 dan of rent every year?"
Li Gang was silent for a moment again, and then he asked stubbornly: "Why do you think I am speaking to those people? When and where have I ever spoken to these people?"
This time it was Zhao Jiu's turn to get stuck.
The king and his minister, one was twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, young and vigorous, with authority at the top of his lungs; the other was about fifty years old, knowing that he was weak but still showing no sign of losing his momentum. As a result, they fell into a long period of silent staring at each other on the bank of the Yangtze River, north of Dangtu City, the capital of Taiping Prefecture, and south of Caishiji.
The close ministers and officials of Taiping Prefecture who were accompanying him all buried their heads in the deepest place.
There is no need to say much about the emperor's authority, and no one dared to provoke someone like Li Gang who had been a prime minister before the emperor's clear signal... The atmosphere gradually became awkward and solemn.
After a long pause, Emperor Zhao actually chose to give in. He sighed slightly, spoke more slowly, and then faced each other seriously on the south bank of the Yangtze River: "Mr. Li, I came south to do something, not to fight with you. Even if you have grievances, you should behave like a minister and let me enter the city first."
Li Gang probably felt a little depressed, so he bowed and made way, then shook his head and said, "I am a government official guarding the land, how can I stop the emperor from entering the state capital?"
Zhao Jiu was increasingly speechless, so he immediately got on his horse, holding the account book with his hands behind his back, and rode into the city.
After entering the city, the emperor and his ministers had another quarrel. Naturally, there was no harmonious atmosphere like that in Yangzhou. Both sides were perfunctory for a moment and then immediately dispersed. Li Gang returned to his own home, and because Emperor Zhao came in a hurry, he could only stay in the provincial government temporarily.
The king and his ministers met again, but had nothing to say to each other. Recalling the day of their separation on the Huai River, the two compared themselves to Zhaolie and Wu Hou, which was simply incomprehensible.
"I've heard that Lord Li has a straightforward temper, but I didn't expect him to be so aggressive? How can the emperor tolerate this?"
Since Emperor Zhao was under the jurisdiction of the prefecture, it was still early, so he naturally had to go and read those investigation reports. It was fine for others, but several close ministers who had crossed the river in advance and written investigation reports could not leave. They could only stay in the side courtyard of the prefecture, chatting with each other, waiting to be summoned for questioning... The one who spoke at this time was the new secretary, Zong Ying, who was accompanying the emperor for the first time.
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