Chapter 376 Awakening
Su Daru is dead.
Died in Mingjingsi.
The Mingjing Division issued a notice that the great Confucian scholar Su Meng had colluded with the forces of the Wei State, inciting the students of the academy and some court officials to create a mutiny with the intention of subverting Daxia.
Fortunately, their conspiracy was discovered by the Mingjing Division. After his conspiracy was exposed, Su Meng became furious and injured Li Xuanjing, the Minister of Dali Temple. He escaped from the Mingjing Division's prison and later committed suicide under the siege of many powerful men from the Mingjing Division.
When the people learned the news, they were all angry.
Is there any traitorous scholar in the world?
Even if Your Majesty commits treason, Su Daru will not commit treason!
Do they really think everyone is a fool?
The crown prince is the future of a country. He just asked Your Majesty to appoint a crown prince. What crime has he committed?
After Su Daru's death, the teachers and students of the academy who protested in front of the palace gate were leaderless and were easily dispersed by the imperial guards.
Afterwards, His Majesty issued an imperial decree, stating that on the grounds that the students of the academy had been deceived, their crimes would not be pursued this time. Although the censors who participated in the protest were not thrown into jail, they were collectively dismissed from their posts and would never be employed again.
After Su Daru's death, there was no more voice from inside or outside the government.
They even dared to kill Su Daru, let alone others?
After this incident, countless common people and court officials no longer had any hope in Li Xuanjing, the Minister of the Dali Temple.
From the beginning to the end, he was the treacherous minister who murdered loyal officials.
The ruler is incompetent and the ministers are treacherous. The fall of Daxia is not far away...
A hall in the imperial palace.
Emperor Xia looked at a figure kneeling in front of the table and said in a deep voice, "Write, the great scholar Su Meng died of collusion with the enemy and treason and suicide!"
The old man with white hair and beard stood up straight, looked directly at Emperor Xia, and said in a deep voice: "The historian wrote the truth. The great scholars Su and Meng advised the emperor to establish a crown prince, but died due to a frame-up. Your Majesty, can you change the history books and the memory of the people of the world?"
Emperor Xia said sternly: "I told you to write this!"
The old man simply dropped his pen and said, "If your majesty wants to write, you can write it yourself."
Emperor Xia said in a grim tone: "Aren't you afraid that I will kill you?"
The old man closed his eyes and said, "If the king wants his subject to die, the subject will die."
Emperor Xia waved his sleeves, and the old man was swept out of the hall. The next moment, a gloomy voice came from inside the hall: "Get out, submit your resignation letter yourself. If you don't write it, there are plenty of people who will!"
The old man got up from the ground, brushed the dust off his clothes, sighed deeply, and walked out of the palace without looking back.
Not long after, a figure walked into the hall at a leisurely pace.
Emperor Xia turned his back to him and asked, "How is your injury?"
The figure coughed and said, "No problem."
Emperor Xia turned around, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "I want you to bear the infamy for me again."
Li Xuanjing said calmly: "It is my duty to share your worries."
Emperor Xia said, "I didn't expect that Su Meng would actually attack you. Fortunately, you have the medical skills to protect you. If you need any, you can take the precious medicinal materials from the inner storehouse at will."
Li Xuanjing clasped his fists slightly and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Emperor Xia looked outside the palace, with a somewhat regretful tone, and said: "Su Meng is dead, what a pity. I am also doing this for the foundation of Great Xia. Why are they forcing me..."
Li Xuanjing looked calm and said, "It's not a pity for him to die. No matter who it is, they can't ruin the plan."
Emperor Xia walked out of the palace with his hands behind his back, looked in the direction of the ancestral temple, narrowed his eyes slightly, and whispered: "My ancestors, I hope you don't blame me. I will do for you what you can't do... On this continent, there is only one Da Xia, and there can only be one Da Xia!"
…
Su Mansion.
Su Daru's body was placed in the mourning hall.
Before the protest, Su Daru prepared a coffin for himself and set up a mourning hall in the Su Mansion.
He seemed to have anticipated his own end long ago and was prepared for death.
The inside and outside of the mourning hall were filled with court officials and gentlemen from the academy.
The streets outside the Su Mansion were also filled with people seeing them off.
The left and right prime ministers stood on both sides of the coffin. The left prime minister had a wooden expression and empty eyes.
He couldn't persuade Su Daru.
I couldn't persuade Li Xuanjing either.
As the prime minister of the current dynasty, he had never felt so powerless.
The right prime minister looked at the body of Su Daru in the coffin, and his eyes suddenly moved slightly.
Su Daru's attempt to persuade the emperor failed. He was filled with grief and anger and chose to die to show his integrity. He hit his head against a pillar and died. However, a faint smile could be seen at the corner of his mouth.
The smile was so faint that it would be impossible to detect it if one did not stare at him.
A deep sense of doubt emerged in the right prime minister's heart.
What is he laughing at?
…
Chang'an Street.
Countless people had sad expressions on their faces.
Today is a sad day for all the people of Chang'an, and even for the people of Daxia.
Throughout history, no great scholar has ever been framed and murdered.
Your Majesty and the Mingjing Division have set an extremely bad precedent.
A commoner passed by the gate of Li's mansion and saw that there was no one guarding outside the gate. Thinking of the death of Su Daru, he became furious and was about to spit a mouthful of thick phlegm there, but then he remembered something and swallowed it back.
Lord Li Nuo gave up his good position as the Prince of Zhao, abandoned his position second only to the emperor and above all others, and resolutely returned to Daxia, where he did many good things for the people.
The poor people living near the capital can now afford food and medical treatment, and even have enough money to buy two taels of meat every month. They are no longer afraid of being bullied by powerful people. This is all due to the efforts of Lord Li.
His child was born only a few months ago, but he did not stay at home with his wife and children, nor did he enjoy himself in Chang'an. Instead, he left Chang'an as an imperial censor, inspected the local areas, killed corrupt officials, and redressed grievances for the people, regardless of his own safety...
Swallowing this mouthful of spit is to give face to Lord Xiao Li.
On this day, the people of Chang'an were in a very conflicted mood.
On the one hand, the Dali Temple Minister assisted the emperor in his cruelty and unjustly killed the great scholar, which was simply outrageous to both humans and gods.
On the other hand, Lord Li sacrificed his own family for the sake of the public. News about his inspections of local areas spread to Chang'an one by one. When people heard that corrupt officials had been dealt with and the evil forces that oppressed the people had been eradicated, they all applauded.
This made the people of Chang'an unsure of how to view the Li family.
A county in Ningzhou.
Li Nuo had no idea what was happening in Chang'an. He was in the county government office of a certain county in Ningzhou, with a stack of silver bills and several boxes of gold and silver in front of him.
The county magistrate, county assistant and county lieutenant stood opposite him and spoke with smiles on their faces.
"Master Li, this is a gift to you."
"If it's not enough, I will raise more..."
"Please, Lord Li, please spare us..."
"Don't worry, sir. No one else will know about this!"
"Give us a chance, give us a chance, Lord Li. This is also our first time being greedy!"
"I promise that I will be a good official in the future!"
…
When the inspecting censor Li Nuo arrived in Chen County, the three chief officials of Chen County knew that they could not escape this disaster. Wherever Li Nuo passed through, there were mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
For the officials he dealt with, suspending them from office was considered a blessing, demoting them was celebrated with a grand banquet, and dismissing them was a relief. However, many officials did not even have the chance to be dismissed and were beheaded under the imperial sword.
Li Nuo looked at the gold and silver on the table and couldn't help but sigh: "Your family is quite wealthy... However, if I arrest you, I will get more than just this silver. Won't all your money be mine?"
The three of them were shocked when they heard this. Does Lord Li have such a big appetite?
Li Nuo did not dwell on this matter and asked, "Are you sure you will be a good official in the future?"
Upon hearing this, the three of them nodded immediately.
"I promise!"
"If you tell a lie, God will strike you with lightning!"
"Please give us a chance, Lord Li!"
Li Nuo looked at the fortune teller beside him and asked, "Senior, is what they said true?"
Dongfang Xuan glanced at the three of them calmly, pointed his finger at them and said, "These two will continue to be corrupt and abuse the law and harm the people in the future. The one on the left can still be saved..."
After a while, Li Nuo walked out of the yamen.
These three officials all had problems with corruption. The county magistrate embezzled a huge amount of money. According to current laws, he will be stripped of his official position and sentenced to five years in prison. The county magistrate's crime was lighter and he only needed to pay a huge fine after being dismissed to avoid jail time.
As for the county lieutenant of Chen County, considering that the amount of his corruption was small and he was truly remorseful, he was retained in his post temporarily. Now that the county magistrate and the county magistrate had been arrested, the county government also needed someone to take charge.
He initially asked this oriental senior to go with him just to protect his own safety.
Later, Li Nuo gradually realized that he could play other roles.
For example, just by counting on his fingers, he could tell who was sincere and who was fake in the promises made by these three people.
Along the way, Li Nuo's imperial sword killed many people who deserved to be killed, but not all officials deserved to be killed. Some officials were just corrupt or had some minor problems with their personal style. As long as they were given a chance, they would still be able to serve the people well in the future.
If they were all treated with the most stringent laws, the local area would become even more chaotic, and the court would not be able to fill so many vacancies in a short period of time.
Li Nuo also tried to use his ability as a calligrapher to turn some people over to the right path.
However, the calligrapher had no influence on these court officials at all. It was not the calligrapher's problem, but Li Nuo's own cultivation was not enough.
The uneducated gentry and wealthy businessmen, or the constables and yamen runners, were all within the influence of the calligrapher, but this did not include the official officials of the court.
Even calligraphers are not good enough, let alone strategists.
Li Nuo also wanted to improve his calligraphy level, but calligraphy was different from martial arts. Even if he used his abilities every day, his cultivation would not improve at all. Calligraphers could only rely on their works to practice.
When the Li family's bookstores are opened all over the continent, perhaps that will be the time when calligraphers' skills will experience a rapid increase.
These days, the power of Legalism and Confucianism has increased rapidly, and his lifespan has increased tremendously. With every day that passes, his lifespan increases by at least one year. The longer he lives, the longer he lives. This makes him eager to join the Yin-Yang School.
Only the Yin-Yang Master who has reached the sixth level can transfer his lifespan to others.
He has enough time. If he can cultivate to the sixth level of Yin-Yang School, he won't have to exchange 10,000 days of life every time.
Dongfang Xuan looked at Li Nuo with a dazed look in his eyes.
Li Nuo noticed his gaze and asked, "Senior?"
Dongfang Xuan came back to his senses, looked away, and said, "You want to learn Yin-Yang magic?"
Li Nuo nodded.
Dongfang Xuan said: "The Yin-Yang Art is inherited by the family. I couldn't teach you originally, but as long as you promise that if I am gone in the future, you can help me take care of Qing'er, then it's okay to teach you..."
Li Nuo promised: "Don't worry, senior. As long as I am here, I can protect Sister Qing'er..."
…
Three days later, Li Nuo left Chen County.
Chen County was just a small county. Even though he traveled with the Confucian spirit, it still took him three full days to barely visit all the villages in Chen County.
If it weren't for the special ability of the Code, if it weren't for the Yin-Yang Master of the Sixth Realm by his side, saving him the time of investigating and trying the case, he wouldn't have been able to leave Chen County in thirty days, let alone three months.
There are more than a thousand counties like this in Daxia.
If I really want to visit them one by one, I'm afraid even ten years won't be enough.
During these ten years, wherever he went, new corrupt officials would appear, and the people would continue to be oppressed in new ways.
The road is long and arduous, and we can only keep searching.
Because there were still things to discuss, Li Nuo was not in a hurry to leave.
Each school of thought has achieved the utmost in its own area of expertise, but some of their shortcomings are also very obvious.
At the fourth level of Confucianism, one can harness the cloud of righteousness and travel a thousand miles a day without any problem.
At the sixth level of Yin-Yang School, one can only walk on two feet.
The two were walking on the official road. Li Nuo was listening carefully to Dongfang Xuan teaching the Yin-Yang art. Although he had read many books on the art, reading could not compare to the face-to-face teaching from a Yin-Yang master of the sixth realm.
The Yin-Yang School's practice is not slow compared to that of other schools.
Dongfang Qing is young, but she is about to enter the fourth realm.
But the Yin-Yang School also has obvious shortcomings. Even if they have cultivated to the sixth level, their lifespan is only comparable to that of ordinary people, and may not even be as long-lived as ordinary people.
They have been trying to figure out the secrets of heaven all their lives; this is the price they pay for it.
Senior Dongfang is sixty-nine years old this year, which sounds very old, but compared with the sixth-level warriors who are often over a hundred years old, he is not even a grandson.
Li Nuo doesn't care much about this. To him, life span is just a number that can be increased or decreased.
Dongfang Xuan put his hands behind his back and said slowly: "Let me first tell you about the situation of Yin Yang School. Yin Yang School is the oldest among all the schools of thought. Thousands of years ago, there were ancient people observing the stars and fortune-telling..."
"The Yin-Yang family is based on family inheritance. All Yin-Yang families have double surnames, such as Dongfang, Nangong, Ximen, Beiming, Gongsun..."
"Every Yin-Yang family was once glorious, but most of them have fallen into decline. You have learned the Yin-Yang technique of the Dongfang family. Even if you are from my Dongfang lineage, you must be extra careful when you meet someone from the Ximen family in the future..."
…
Chang'an.
The death of Su Daru did not cause any big stir.
After his death, the censors who participated in the protest were dismissed, and students from major academies were warned that if anyone dared to incite public opinion and make irresponsible remarks about His Majesty again, they would be disqualified from taking the imperial examinations.
For a moment, all the major academies fell completely silent.
People study hard for more than ten or twenty years, spending countless time, energy, and money, just for the imperial examination.
Now is the best year for the imperial examination. Who would be willing to ruin so many years of hard work because of a few words?
On the first day of Su Daru's death, people were still discussing it in private.
The day after Su Daru's death, people talked less about it.
On the fifth day after Su Daru's death, most people in Chang'an had forgotten about the incident and everything in Chang'an returned to normal.
The people don’t really care whether His Majesty abdicates or not.
As long as their lives get better day by day, they don't care who is the emperor.
Besides, in the land of Chang'an, His Majesty's strength is infinitely close to the seventh level. If he is unwilling to abdicate, who can force him?
Secretariat.
Several officials from the Secretariat looked at a government office with its door closed and sighed in their hearts.
The funeral of Su Daru was organized by the Left Prime Minister.
He has never come to the yamen since Su Daru's death.
Su Daru was a close friend of the Left Prime Minister. Back then, the Left and Right Prime Ministers and Su Daru were known as the Three Heroes of Daxia. Decades later, the three lived up to expectations and became great scholars. No one expected that Su Daru would end up like this.
After Su Daru died, His Majesty expelled the historian and appointed his trusted eunuch as the new historian.
Although Su Daru died for his country, he was labeled a traitor in history books.
Zuo Xiang's best friend was framed and killed, and the one who murdered him was his once most proud disciple.
This is a major blow to anyone.
The Secretariat.
The right prime minister sat in the yamen, and the memorials on the table in front of him had not been touched the whole morning.
His expression was calm, and his eyes only moved after a long time.
He had been thinking about it all morning.
He had been thinking all the time in the past few days.
They originally thought that as long as they eliminated the aristocratic families, everything they desired would come true.
But now, he has a different view.
He stood up slowly, and the last trace of confusion in his eyes was finally replaced by clarity.
It is far from enough to simply eliminate the aristocratic families.
There shouldn't be an emperor in this world...!
[ps: In the new year, I wish you all happiness, peace and joy! ]
(End of this chapter)
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