Fu Bi watched Zhang Fei cooperate with Wang Anshi and smiled without saying anything.
In fact, he had already seen this point a long time ago. Opposing Wang Anshi and opposing the law of the system are essentially contradictory.
As the saying goes, do not do to others what you do not want others to do to you.
In fact, he also wants to use this point to persuade everyone to support the rule of law.
Unfortunately, the other party did not give him this opportunity, and Zhang Fei's final cooperation with Wang Anshi refers to this point.
If you oppose both the law of the rule of law and the new policies at the same time, the meaning is very clear: you cannot compete with me for profit, but at the same time you cannot prevent me from competing with the people for profit.
If this topic is brought up, it will of course be very embarrassing and meaningless.
Therefore, they certainly did not dare to raise any more questions. At least, this topic should not be discussed in public.
Zhang Fei knew clearly that there was nothing more to say, so he chose to resign.
He went straight to the emperor and the empress dowager, bowed and said, "I am sorry that my absurd remarks have made the empress dowager and the emperor laugh at me."
...
...
"How dare you! How dare you!"
Empress Dowager Cao smiled amiably and asked curiously, "I never thought that at your age you could explain the principles of this family, this country and the world. I am really curious. Who taught you all this?"
She was also fascinated by what she had just heard, and she also understood why some people believed that the law of the legal system belonged to the founding of a new school of thought.
"Well...."
Zhang Fei seemed a little hesitant.
Empress Dowager Cao asked, "Can't I tell you?"
"Madam, this is the situation."
Zhao Xu immediately informed Queen Mother Cao that Zhang Fei was forced to attend class and was opposed by students.
Empress Dowager Cao was not willing to believe it. Even if it was the case, the two were not related. She said, "If I force you to be the prime minister, you will become Xiao He or Fang Xuanling."
Zhang Fei hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, your words are too kind. The reason why I understand all this is because it is about the law, which is what I am good at."
Queen Mother Cao said to herself: "There are countless people who are good at law, but in my opinion, few of them can explain it thoroughly."
Zhao Xu quickly said, "Yes! Just tell me how you came up with these ideas?"
The ministers around him also looked at Zhang Fei curiously.
How did you come up with this? This...! Zhang Fei couldn't help but look embarrassed. He couldn't just say that his university teacher taught him this.
Jiang Zhiqi suddenly said, "There must be an expert behind the scenes directing us."
When he said this, Zhang Fei suddenly had an idea and nodded with a smile: "Imperial Censor Jiang is right. There is indeed someone behind the scenes who is giving advice."
Empress Dowager Cao asked, "I don't know who this expert is, but is he your father-in-law, Chief Inspector Xu?"
Xu Zun was immediately startled and said, "Don't let me be a shield, kid. I can't help you with this!"
He himself doesn't quite understand it.
"no."
Zhang Fei shook his head, "Actually...it was Confucius and Mencius."
Queen Mother Cao was slightly surprised. "Confucius and Mencius?"
"Exactly."
Zhang Fei said: "It can also be said that it is the teachings of Confucius and Mencius and Confucian virtues. Many of my theories are based on these teachings of Confucius and Mencius and Confucian virtues."
Empress Dowager Cao asked hurriedly, "What do you mean?"
Zhang Fei asked, "Does the Queen Mother know the story of Emperor Taizong of Tang and Wei Zheng?"
Queen Mother Cao nodded, "Of course I know that."
Zhang Fei said: "At the beginning, Wei Zheng pulled the sleeve of Emperor Taizong of Tang and spit all over his face. In terms of etiquette, this is definitely a crime of disrespect. But in the end, Emperor Taizong of Tang did not kill Wei Zheng. Instead, it became a good story."
Empress Dowager Cao asked, "What does this have to do with your theory?"
Zhang Fei said: "Because from the perspective of virtue being the main and punishment being the auxiliary, there is a contradiction here. Wei Zheng must have been sentenced to death for what he did, but Emperor Taizong's tolerance made a criminal incident become a good story.
This makes people very confused. If we want to continue this good story, it means that we are also continuing this criminal behavior, which is definitely inappropriate, but if we say we are against this, it doesn’t seem right either.”
Queen Mother Cao nodded and asked again: "Then what should we do?"
Zhang Fei smiled awkwardly and said, "If we follow the principle of virtue and the support of law, we can continue this good story. First of all, under the principle of virtue and the support of law, Wei Zheng's behavior must be convicted, because he seriously harmed the interests of the monarch. However, when sentencing, we must take Confucian morality into consideration. Wei Zheng served the monarch and the country, not his own selfish interests. Based on this, Wei Zheng can be found not guilty.
In this way, first of all, it can establish the majesty of heaven, and violating the majesty of heaven is a crime, which is indefensible. But at the same time, it can prevent ministers from being afraid to speak out out of fear of the majesty of heaven, and prevent the monarch from accidentally killing loyal officials because of a momentary anger, and then regret it.
If Emperor Taizong of Tang had killed Wei Zheng, it would not only be a loss for Emperor Taizong, but also a loss for the entire country. In Confucianism, the marriage stories that have been passed down all emphasize that husband and wife should respect each other like guests.
Queen Mother Cao was still in deep thought, while many ministers around her kept nodding their heads.
Well said!
In fact, in the past, when the emperor wanted to kill ministers, they also advised him in this way, but the enemy often refuted it with etiquette.
Anyone who offends the Emperor must be killed!
Every country has its own laws and every family has its own rules.
For Confucianism itself, it is also a very contradictory thing.
On the one hand, ministers were encouraged to give their opinions, but on the other hand, etiquette and ethics were strict.
But etiquette is also law, which is very troublesome.
Now that Zhang Fei explained it this way, they couldn't help but brighten their eyes. If etiquette and law are separated, one is guilty and the other is acquitted, this is easy to explain.
But Queen Mother Cao did not express her opinion immediately.
Zhang Fei immediately said: "In my opinion, although our dynasty's laws do not stipulate this, the emperor has set a good example."
At this point, he sighed deeply: "It is us officials who are really disappointing."
The ministers who had just been nodding suddenly looked at Zhang Fei.
What do you mean, kid?
What do you mean by "our subjects"? You are just a ninth-rank official, almost like a clerk. Don't mix with us.
Zhao Xu was slightly startled, and quickly stopped Zhang Fei with his eyes, "Don't flatter me anymore. If you don't do it well, it will become a joke. These ministers have very poisonous tongues."
Empress Dowager Cao was naturally very happy to hear someone praising her grandson, and asked, "What are you talking about?"
Zhang Fei said: "Speaking of the new policy, first of all, Wang Xueshi's ideas do not violate ethics and morality, nor do they violate the law. Of course, Sima Xueshi's point of view is not wrong.
But none of them could prove that they were the truth, so as an official, he could only choose one of the two. In this court, civil and military officials, each minister had his own ideas, so the official had to make a decision and choose one.
However, the government did not adopt Wang Xue Shi's suggestion and kill Sima Xue Shi, or abandon him, but entrusted him with important tasks, because Sima Xue Shi proposed this idea for the sake of the country and the monarch, and he did nothing wrong.
But some ministers thought that if the emperor didn't listen to them, they would stop doing their job, they would become lazy, they would argue with the emperor every day, and even worse, they would directly obstruct the emperor's work.
Let’s talk about Wei Zheng and Emperor Taizong of Tang again. In fact, many of Wei Zheng’s policy suggestions were not adopted by Emperor Taizong of Tang. However, Wei Zheng still devoted himself to the Tang Dynasty until his death.”
Zhao Xu's eyes turned red when he heard this.
A confidant!
This must be a confidant!
You really understand my suffering.
Queen Mother Cao also nodded and smiled, "Well said! This is how the relationship between the ruler and his subjects should be!"
An old man immediately stood up and asked: "Can you guarantee that the new policy will succeed?"
You are speaking for Wang Anshi!
"I can't."
Zhang Fei shook his head: "Then can the old gentleman prove that Sima Xueshi's suggestion will definitely succeed?"
The old man hesitated for a moment, stroked his beard and said, "I don't support Sima Junshi's theory either."
Zhang Fei smiled slightly and said, "This old gentleman's remarks are actually the most terrifying."
The old man frowned and asked, "Why?"
Zhang Fei said: "Because this is the words of a child fighting. A truly capable minister should come up with a more perfect plan. If you can't come up with one, and always tell the emperor that you will fail if you don't listen to me, this kind of talk is actually meaningless and will have a very bad effect.
Because this will inevitably lead to the government doing it to the end at all costs, even if they realize that there may be mistakes, they will not turn back, because you have said so much, but is it really that serious?"
Empress Dowager Cao nodded repeatedly after hearing this. "That makes sense, that makes sense!"
Not only Wang Anshi, but also Fu Bi, Sima Guang and others fell into deep thought.
So what?
Zhao Xu was moved, and every word his confidant said was as sweet as honey. He didn't just stare at Zhang Fei infatuatedly.
The old man's face turned blue and white, and he could not say a word.
He really couldn't come up with a perfect solution.
Zhang Fei continued, "Take the example of a father and son. If the father wants to rebel or steal, this is obviously wrong, and as a son you must do your best to stop him. Not stopping him is unfilial.
But my father was only choosing between farming and business, and he finally chose business, thinking that business could make more money. You can object, but if your father makes the final decision and you still object every day and cause trouble, then your purpose is not for the family, but to prove that you are right and your father is wrong. It is purely impulsive and may end up hurting both sides. This person is not a saint, and everyone can make mistakes. It is common to make mistakes in decisions. "
Wen Yanbo said: "That being said, the decision of this country concerns the lives of all people in the world. A mistake may lead to the destruction of the country and the family!"
"Duke Wen is right."
Zhang Fei smiled and nodded, saying: "Governing a country is not gambling, it is not a choice between big and small. This is about the law of the rule of law. The concept of the law of the rule of law is not to limit the power of the emperor and ministers, but to ensure that the emperor's decision-making mistakes will not lead to the destruction of the country and the family.
Because the idea of the rule of law is to protect, to protect the monarch, to protect the country, and to protect the people. When these three are protected, then at least the country will not perish because of a policy mistake. But if it succeeds, the country will take off. "
Queen Mother Cao nodded slightly and thought to herself, this is a good idea.
She was a little panicked because Zhao Xu was going to make trouble, as her husband's Qingli Reform had also made a mess.
Wen Yanbo continued to ask: "What if national decision-making meets the law of the legal system?"
Zhang Fei pointed to the wooden board in front of him. "As I mentioned before, the husband is the backbone of the wife. Overflow is inevitable, but the main virtue and the auxiliary punishment will not intervene. The main virtue and the auxiliary law can push the overflow back to maintain balance, but they will not build a wall to completely stop the overflow. This goes against the convention."
Fu Bi nodded with a smile.
He appreciated this explanation very much.
Queen Mother Cao laughed and said, "It seems that you are not lying. I still have to force you to tell the truth!"
"ah?"
Zhang Fei was stunned at first, then he quickly said, "Please forgive me, Queen Mother."
"You said it very well. My trip was not in vain. I have done nothing wrong." Empress Dowager Cao nodded with a smile and suddenly said to Zhao Xu, "Your Majesty, I am a little tired."
Zhao Xu was slightly startled, and said, "Grandson will send the madam back to rest."
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