"Your Majesty, do you see this? This is all the people's heartfelt wish for you; they have all come here so eagerly!"
Hai Rui spoke with a smile on his face.
In everyone's mind, these are all things that Liu Fu deserves. After all, his achievements have brought great benefits to these common people, so these are things that he should receive and enjoy.
However, Liu Fu accepted the people's wishes, but he believed that they shouldn't have done it this way, from the perspective of the imperial court.
Despite being moved, Liu Fu did not lose his rationality; instead, he uncharacteristically erupted in anger at this moment.
"Who is in charge of guarding this place? Summon the official in charge to me!"
Everyone sensed something was wrong. Xun Yu and the others saw that Liu Fu's expression was very serious and immediately guessed what he was thinking.
Before long, the commander in charge of the defense of the capital region knelt before Liu Fu.
"Greetings, Your Majesty. May I ask what important matter Your Majesty has summoned me for?"
Commander Fang had just arrived and was unaware of Liu Fu's expression and behavior, so he didn't understand anything. Like everyone else, he was still immersed in the joy of Liu Fu's wedding.
Liu Fu, however, was furious and said:
"Let me ask you, this place was specially prepared by the Emperor for my wedding banquet. All the supplies should have been provided by the royal palace in Liaodong. Why did it become the common people who had to pay and contribute their own money and labor?"
Sensing that Liu Fu's tone was off, Commander Fang glanced up at Zhuge Liang and Xun Yu beside him and immediately saw the serious and solemn expressions on their faces. He knew that things had gone wrong!
Even if things go wrong, Commander Fang has no choice but to answer anyway, as he has no other options.
"Your Majesty, this matter should have been handled by the palace, but so many people were pleading that I softened and let them all in. However, as soon as they came in, they started helping to set up the venue. At first, the palace staff were in charge and they were assisting, but soon their enthusiasm overflowed, and they began to set up the venue in a grand manner. Later, they did everything themselves, and even if I wanted to stop them, it was too late."
Liu Fu gave a cold laugh.
"So you're the one who let them in, right?"
Commander Fang wanted to continue arguing, but as a military man, he believed in taking responsibility for his actions. With that in mind, he simply agreed.
“This matter was indeed due to my negligence. If Your Majesty wishes to punish me, it is entirely my fault.”
Liu Fu did not deny the goodwill behind Commander Fang's actions, but the matter before him was not only about goodwill, but also involved a disregard for the laws of the court.
"Commander Fang, I thank you for your kindness. Of course, I know that you let these people in because you have a compassionate heart and couldn't resist their pleas. However, as a general of the court, and in charge of the defense of the entire capital region, you, as the Grand Commander, should not have acted in this way. Do you know your crime?"
Commander Fang knew perfectly well that there was an old saying: "A kind heart cannot command an army."
This was originally a matter for the imperial court, and it was indeed due to my lax supervision that these people got in and things spiraled out of control. Although it was the people's good intentions and my own compassion, in the end it was my dereliction of duty.
Indeed, he had disregarded the laws of the court. If Liu Fu really wanted to punish Commander Fang, he would naturally submit in his heart, but he still felt somewhat aggrieved.
At this moment, the upright Hai Rui, without waiting for Liu Fu to continue speaking, stepped forward and directly impeached him.
"Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present now, please grant me your permission!"
Before Liu Fu could even reply, Hai Rui stepped forward, pointed at Liu Fu's nose, and began to berate him.
"You foolish king, you may have achieved great things in other areas and be loved by the people, but you have made a mistake in this matter!"
"The imperial court cannot be without laws, but it absolutely cannot be without compassion. Laws and principles cannot be abolished, but human feelings cannot be eliminated either. Compassion should also exist within the framework of laws and principles. Otherwise, if everything is just rigidly defined rules and regulations, how can the country be governed?"
Good heavens, Hai Rui really doesn't treat himself like an outsider. When Liu Fu is doing well, he praises Liu Fu, but when he's doing poorly, he directly berates him. He starts by launching a barrage of personal attacks right from the start.
This scene made Zhuge Liang and Xun Yu break out in a cold sweat.
They certainly knew that Liu Fu was not a mindless, incompetent ruler who would kill indiscriminately.
That's impossible, but if Hai Rui does this and so contradicts Liu Fu, who knows what the consequences will be if he angers Liu Fu?
After all, Liu Fu is young and impetuous. Even back then, Emperor Taizong of Tang and Wei Zheng were a perfect match. Emperor Taizong was often scolded by Wei Zheng, and he would be furious when he returned home. Sometimes, he would even lose his temper and order Wei Zheng to be beheaded. It would take Empress Zhangsun to persuade him to calm down.
Emperor Taizong of Tang was able to humbly accept advice, but he was also often angered by Wei Zheng. So who knows if Liu Fu might act impulsively now and punish Hai Rui?
At that very moment, the crowd that had been gathered there, which had been bustling with activity, suddenly came together.
These people, somehow knowing about this, all gathered around. The news spread like wildfire, and gradually several thousand people swarmed in front of Liu Fu. Judging from the scene, there were probably four or five thousand people or even more.
That wasn't even the fastest. Some people who had been hiding elsewhere to set up the venue, as well as the people who were performing on the stage, all rushed over. On the other side, some of the soldiers under Commander Fang also arrived. In total, there were six or seven thousand people, all of whom knelt down in front of Liu Fu to plead for Commander Fang.
“Your Majesty, this is not Commander Fang’s fault. Back then, there were at least five or six times as many people kneeling before Commander Fang, begging him to make way. They were all sincerely celebrating your wedding. This has nothing to do with Commander Fang; it is not his fault!”
One person spoke up to plead for leniency, and immediately more people joined in. Some people ran back to inform their families, and the matter quickly escalated until a large crowd emerged from the east of the city to plead for Commander Fang.
Liu Fu was stunned. Had he stirred up a hornet's nest?
He never expected that his action would attract so many people to spread the word and come to protect Commander Fang.
"So this is what public opinion is all about! Public opinion is paramount!"
Liu Fu still doesn't think he was wrong. If the law can be influenced by human feelings, then the law is no longer pure. It is not upright and honest. Once the vague element of human feelings is added to the law, the outline of the law will be blurred. How can the country be governed by law in the future?
If that were the case, wouldn't it create some gray or even black areas? Wouldn't it lead to more wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice right under our noses? That would be unfair and unjust.
Liu Fu was now filled with questions.
Of course, in the eyes of Zhuge Liang and Xun Yu, Liu Fu was not wrong either.
In fact, when Zhuge Liang was still the Chancellor of Shu Han, his thoughts were the same as Liu Fu's: the law was above all else, and human sentiment could not be compromised in front of Zhuge Liang.
But Zhuge Liang has now changed his mind.
After his rebirth, he no longer believed that law and reason were above all else.
“Your Majesty, you are not wrong, but the people and Commander Fang are not wrong either!” Zhuge Liang said at this moment.
Now it was Liu Fu's turn to be puzzled: who was really in the wrong?
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