The emperor was furious, and his ministers shuddered. Wu Ge muttered to himself: Cai You, you're courting death. You've flattered the emperor but you've hit the nail on the head. You thought you were being kind and loyal to the emperor, but you didn't realize you've offended the imperial power. Who gave you the courage? Are you crazy?
Zhao Huan also understood that he had suffered a loss in silence. He could not touch Cai You in this matter. His argument was well-founded and beheading him would only make the world dissatisfied.
Cai You was also a strange person. He even broke up with his father in order to fight for power. After Cai Jing was chopped off, Cai You was said to have held a banquet at home to celebrate.
That's not all. Cai You was also the first person to jump out and expose Cai Zi's crimes. Originally, Cai Zi was innocent, and Zhao Huan didn't want to touch him. But when Cai You exposed all the evil deeds he and Cai Jing had done, Zhao Huan had no choice but to sentence Cai Zi to death, and also praised Cai You a few words.
Zhao Huan had not intended to punish Cai You because he had not posed a threat to him yet, but now he had no choice but to deal with him.
Frankly speaking, nine out of ten officials in the imperial court were incompetent. He couldn't just arrest and execute them all at once; that would destabilize the regime and discontent the people. If the conflict between the ruler and his subjects became too acute, he might even lose his throne.
Zhao Huan originally wanted to kill these six thieves to stabilize the imperial court, but he must not strike too many people. At this moment, as long as you don't stand out, Zhao Huan wants to tolerate you for the time being.
But some officials just happened to run into the gun barrel. Cai You was one, Qian Tong was another.
Let’s start with these two. Zhao Huan decided.
Authority must be exercised when authority is warranted, and grace must be shown when grace is due. The balance of grace and authority is the way of an emperor.
"Wu Ge, let Zhan Yunpeng take up a position with you first and serve as your deputy. I will give him the title of Imperial Sword Guard when the time is right."
"I obey the decree!"
At this time, Cao Dongsheng came with Wang Zongchu, the deputy commander of the palace.
"I, General Wang Zongchu, kowtow to the Emperor. Long live the Emperor!"
"Wang Zongchu, you are the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Palace Guard. I ordered you to investigate Cai You's case. How are you doing?"
Wang Zongchu was efficient and concise, and spoke few words, which gave people a sense of aloofness and aloofness.
Wang Zongchu lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, Cai You has always been at odds with Cai Jing. Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, he has been living in seclusion. At most, he has neglected his duties, but he doesn't seem to have committed any major crimes. Except..."
"Except what?" Zhao Huan asked.
Wang Zongchu lowered his head even more: "Besides Cai You's previous expedition against Liao with Tong Guan, and the miscalculated campaign at Yanshan, which brought disaster to the imperial family and society, there's also the slander of the retired emperor, who whitewashed the prosperous times and, within the palace, advocated for his extravagance..."
Wang Zongchu didn't dare to say anything more. Zhao Huan understood that Cai You had failed in his campaign against Liao during the reign of Emperor Huizong, along with Tong Guan. He had also slandered Emperor Zhao Ji, who had become extravagant and licentious. However, out of consideration for Emperor Huizong's reputation, he didn't dare to say anything more.
Zhao Huan pondered for a moment. "Cai You's misguided command during the Liao campaign resulted in countless Song soldiers being buried in a foreign land, bringing disaster to our nation. He wasted the lives of the Song people while touting his achievements as unprecedented. He is just as guilty as Tong Guan. As for his advocacy of extravagance in the palace, I won't bother to mention it. The Liao campaign alone is enough to cost him his life."
Wang Zongchu bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise!"
Zhao Huan said in a loud voice: "Wang Zongchu, the deputy commander of the palace!"
"I will be here."
"I order you to immediately dismiss Cai You from his post and investigate him, strip him of his positions as Privy Councilor and Grand Protector. Imprison him in the Heavenly Prison. Wait for your punishment." Zhao Huan actually spoke the last sentence in a Peking Opera accent. It would have been more appropriate if he had added "Wow!"
"I will obey your order."
In the Privy Council, Cai You was bragging to his colleagues, and the subordinate officials were flattering him.
"Lord Cai is amazing! He actually dared to reject the emperor's imperial edict. Amazing!"
Cai You looked like a carbon copy of Cai Jing. Right now, he was righteously boasting, "Alas, I was only concerned for the Emperor. This Imperial Guard is the Emperor's closest attendant, and he carries a sword. He speaks rudely, his origins are unknown, and he can't even reveal his birthplace or address. Your Majesty is so lenient and lets it slide. We, as subjects, shouldn't take it that way. Even if I've offended the Emperor, I still have to keep a close eye on him. This is our duty as subjects."
The flattery immediately started to fill the air.
"Privy Councilor Cai is a modern-day Wei Zheng. I admire him deeply."
"I imagine the Emperor might be unhappy for a while, but upon closer inspection, he'll understand Lord Cai's dedication and dedication."
"Yes, yes. The Song Dynasty has a good official like Lord Cai. It is a blessing for the country and the people."
"Yes, I heard that a few days ago, Mr. Cai took the initiative to expose Cai Jing's crimes and was even praised by the emperor."
"Oh, Lord Cai is truly selfless and would sacrifice his own family for the greater good."
Cai You was even more proud. He stroked his beard and said complacently: "I only know how to be loyal to Your Majesty and the Song Dynasty. No matter whether he is a close relative or a friend, as long as he offends the Song Dynasty..."
"The imperial edict has arrived!" A loud shout from outside the door interrupted Cai You's bragging.
Everyone immediately knelt down to receive the order, and at this time the officials below began to whisper again.
"Congratulations, Envoy Cai. I'm afraid the Emperor has issued another decree of praise."
"Lord Cai is brave enough to offer his advice. His Majesty will surely be pleased."
At this time, the eunuch came in to announce the imperial edict. He opened the imperial edict and looked at it for a moment, puzzled. Then he began to read: "By the will of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Privy Councilor Cai You is a cunning man. In the fourth year of Xuanhe, he and Tong Guan conquered Liao. Military discipline was lax and he was greedy for glory. He made mistakes in command. He also retreated in the face of danger, causing countless Song soldiers to be buried in regret. Tong Guan and Cai You are endangering our country. Their crimes are unforgivable. I order you to strip him of all his official positions and arrest him immediately! Come, arrest him!"
It turns out that the phrase "By the Will of Heaven and the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor Decrees" was not coined until the early Ming Dynasty. Zhao Huan had no idea, so he had the Secretariat draft the edict and copied it exactly. The eunuch who read it was puzzled, but since the edict was written that way, he had no choice but to read it out.
Cai You, on the other hand, was in a completely different mood. He had originally been overjoyed, thinking that the Emperor would issue an edict praising him for his loyalty to the Emperor and his service to the country. A private edict from the Emperor to confer a title on an Imperial Guard was not legally legitimate, as the saying goes, "If it is not issued from the Fengge Luantai, it cannot be called an imperial edict."
Cai You was so bold because there was a precedent. During the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song, Prime Minister Du Yan refused to release any "handwritten edicts" issued privately by the emperor. "When there were more than ten of them, he would seal them and return them in person." The emperor had no choice but to praise him for "helping me a lot."
Cai You tried to imitate him, but his flattery backfired. He was even more shocked the more he listened. By the end, he was completely paralyzed, like Cai Jing in the court, a puddle of mud. It seems that the father and son not only look alike, but even the way they collapsed on the ground is the same.
The ministers of the Privy Council were even more panicked. The emperor was making an example of someone and wondered who would dare to reject the emperor's edict in the future.
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