Chapter 70 Chapter 70 Gu Jingshan
After Tianmu finished speaking, he paused subtly for a moment, giving everyone enough time to recover.
Are we really going to send these people to capture Chu Shan? Do they dare?
Emperor Hong'an calmly thought: Although he himself would not speak like this, the effect is outstanding, so it is not impossible to try it out.
Everyone's playing dumb, they're all old foxes, what kind of ghost story are they playing here?
Sure enough, Tianmu laughed too, in a tone that suggested he was enjoying the show.
These ministers certainly wouldn't dare to go.
After Emperor Jungjong incorporated Chushan's army, he dismantled and reorganized it, sending most of it to garrison in the west, leaving only a small portion for Chushan.
However, this doesn't mean Chu Shan is without capable men. As a competent general, although he might not be familiar with his soldiers at first, he would certainly have his own authority after years of training. Besides, Emperor Zhongzong didn't intend to sideline him; otherwise, what would be the point of having Chu Shan guard Jiaozhi?
As the old saying goes, the person trying to shift the blame onto you is the one who knows how innocent you are. Upon hearing this, the group immediately waved their hands frantically, as if afraid of being implicated.
Chu Shan twitched the corner of his mouth.
Does he look like some kind of pushover?
But then he thought again, Jiaozhi… he didn’t know where that was. It sounded like a very remote place, and a barbarian land in the south, perhaps it really was too easy to incite.
Without any connections, he's probably an easy target.
The situation has changed; it is no longer a dispute among pedantic scholars, but rather an intervention by aristocratic families.
They told King Jungjong that they were unworthy of the position and dared not neglect matters of state.
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone knew that something terrible was about to happen.
The emperor has been waiting for you to say that!
As expected, Emperor Zhongzong immediately turned hostile and rebuked him: "Since you are all incompetent, how dare you shamelessly remain in this position?"
Just then, the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Personnel reported to me that they were too busy to find anyone suitable. It seems you are all just sitting idly by. In that case, you may both go home.
As is well known, most of the time, the excuses given by officials to decline are actually a kind of conventional practice.
You push, I yield; you retreat, I invite. Even the ascension to the throne involved a dramatic scene of three refusals and three offers, showing that every official, both civil and military, is a potential Oscar-winning actor.
The courtiers fell into an eerie silence.
Why does this description of the sky make it sound like they're just putting on a show every day when they go to court?
Do they have them?!
No... I don't think so.
Three refusals and three offers—this is a standard scene!
Feeling indignant, he looked again at the people who appeared in the sky. Although he didn't recognize them, he remembered their names.
For example, a man in his fifties, now in his prime, was once considered a capable person with a bright future.
Take, for example, a middle-aged man in his thirties. He has not yet entered the court, nor has his true appearance been seen, yet it is known that he is from a noble family, hailed as the prodigy of his family, intelligent, cautious, and unparalleled in his prominence.
When they recalled Emperor Zhongzong's penchant for beheadings, they had a momentary illusion: His Majesty seems to have become much more lenient after several years on the throne.
To the uninformed would be utterly astonished. This was clearly an opportunistic attack, demoting a group of ministers to commoners, yet they could still utter a word of appeasement?
Are these people not quite right in the head?
Tianmu continued:
The ministers were naturally stunned. In their minds, the emperor should immediately say, "You have all done a very good job. I trust you all completely," and then they should reply tearfully, "Your Majesty, we dare not disappoint you..."
Although they won't tell you the second half, this is the normal procedure!
yes!
After being indiscriminately attacked by the sky, the civil officials, whose faces were not looking too good, calmed down a little.
On the contrary, ordinary people are not very interested in this.
"Instead of wasting time passing the buck, you might as well do more work."
"Hehe, even more pretentious than my son."
"This is no different from what we're doing, is it?"
But in reality, King Jungjong had no intention of letting them return to their homes. Wasn't the south in turmoil? I think that although you gentlemen aren't doing well as officials, perhaps a little experience in Vietnam would be a good opportunity for you to rise through the ranks?
Someone, bring the documents!
In front of them, King Jungjong had all the impeachment memorials read aloud. The charges were clear and there was no way to defend oneself.
Keep in mind that he spent at least a month fishing. Catching fish unnecessarily is one thing, but having the bait thrown in and a bunch of stupid fish coming along and handing him a pretext to exile him to Vietnam is quite another.
Upon hearing this, Fang Jingruo gave a disdainful snort.
These greedy scoundrels deserved to be punished like this long ago!
Obstructing the selection of an heir could be considered a matter of differing political views. But colluding with aristocratic families, instigating unrest among barbarians, and then shifting the blame to local military commanders—what about that? Can their actions be cloaked in some veneer of legitimacy?
That's ridiculous.
As a commoner, Fang Jingruo naturally harbored no goodwill towards the aristocratic families. Even if he wiped out all those restless aristocratic families, he would only applaud and cheer.
Thinking of this, he suddenly remembered that Tianmu only said that Zhongzong killed two major clans in Yongzhou, and it seemed that he did not cut off many heads later.
This shows that these historians were just spouting nonsense.
What tyrant? That's complete slander!
Although Emperor Zhongzong knew that Gu Jingshan was not clean, for the sake of family harmony, he did not pursue the matter further. He merely warned Gu Jingshan that if he continued to cause trouble, he could die. Then he transferred him away from his central post.
This was practically the only time in King Jungjong's political career that he loosened his grip; I would call it "a rare display of tenderness from King Jungjong," and it was also out of consideration for the Empress—I always said they were really together!!
Everyone: "..." That's enough, really enough.
If Gu Jingshan were to appear before them, he would surely be overwhelmed by envious glances.
However, what Emperor Zhongzong never expected was that after leaving the central government, Gu Jingshan would have more opportunities to come into contact with local dignitaries.
Cold sweat dripped down Gu Jingshan's forehead.
He was spared his life thanks to his daughter's influence, all because of a struggle between his two grandsons.
He suddenly thought about his first half of life. Wasn't it the same? He had been striving for power and influence, rising all the way to the rank of Vice Minister, but he still wanted more, whether it was money or power.
Gu Jingshan didn't think he was wrong. He only regretted misjudging people and making the wrong decision.
It seems unnecessary to go any further. The current emperor is not a fool. If the third prince were to ascend the throne in the future, he would certainly not give him that opportunity.
As for Zhou She, Gu Jingshan didn't think he would have any further connection with him.
By the end of the sixth year of the Jinghua era, Zhong Cong had been stationed in Ganzhou for nearly half a year. The market in Rongxi had been basically opened up, and the situation between the two sides was relatively stable.
Zhong Cong earned a large amount of silver from the trade between Ganzhou and Rongxi, and transported half of his wealth back to the capital before the end of the year.
Upon hearing the news, the entire court was rendered speechless.
Xiao Yichun frowned slightly.
Therefore, the princess's abilities are beyond question. But...
From the very beginning, what he cared about was not ability, but whether the princess, who was naturally vulnerable, could control so many ruthless ministers.
Especially after the chaos of war, all the veteran ministers had rendered meritorious service. The princess was young, making it even more difficult for her to control the ministers.
Meanwhile, Zhong Cong brought another piece of news. In Yongzhou, far away in the northern frontier, the Duan family was causing trouble. One of her deputies, Duan Youlin, took the initiative to apologize and sever ties with the family.
Gu Xunhui suddenly appeared before Gu Jingshan. She sat down gracefully and smiled elegantly: "Father, I suspect that the trouble caused by the Duan family is also related to you?"
Gu Jingshan ignored her.
Anyone with eyes could see that his daughter deliberately asked that question, and no one knew what she was thinking.
Duan Mingyuan was bewildered. How did I get dragged into this again?
A chorus of boos erupted from below, as the people angrily denounced, "These wealthy and powerful families are truly no good. What's the point of just taking their money? They should all be dragged out and beheaded!"
Duan Mingyuan's eldest son looked at the sky, then at his father, and saw only confusion and shock on his not-so-old face.
But both of them felt that this was something they were actually capable of doing.
That's the throne! Zhong Huang is their son-in-law. If Zhong Huang ascends the throne, wouldn't he leap to the top and become the emperor's father-in-law?
If it could really happen, it would actually be quite wonderful to think about. Unfortunately…
In March of the seventh year of Jinghua, Shao Junzheng, the garrison commander of Ningyuan Pass, discovered that his men were in contact with Gu Jinshan. This time, he caught them red-handed.
With nowhere to run, Gu Jingshan hurriedly headed north to beg the emperor for leniency, promising never to commit another crime. He also tried to win over the empress, but she ignored him completely.
Historical records state that the Empress and the Emperor became enemies because of the Gu Jingshan case. The two argued for a long time in the palace, and finally the Empress stormed out.
However, this view has been overturned, mainly because Emperor Zhongzong and the Empress were clearly putting on an act, although their purpose is unknown... The Empress may have been a little depressed, but it was far from the point of turning against each other. Until Gu Jingshan's death, she did not express any further opinions.
Gu Jingshan became a prime example without even realizing it. His main purpose was to show everyone: even the Emperor's father-in-law couldn't escape death; do you all think you've lived too long by following him?
Zhou Xuyan couldn't help but think of that classmate.
Gu Jingshan and he had known each other for many years and their relationship was relatively harmonious. Gu Jingshan was a smooth person and never offended others easily.
However, in any case, interfering in military affairs is clearly beyond the tolerance limit of any emperor.
What surprised him even more was why this guy thought he could interfere in the military.
This isn't an heir; he's an emperor who conquered the world single-handedly. If he were to ascend the throne himself, without changing his surname, it wouldn't be impossible for him to establish a new dynasty.
Why are you arguing with him? He has a knife and can kill people, do you? Do you really want to wipe out your entire family?
Zhou Xuyan looked at the emperor in the sky and saw him wearing a dragon robe, sitting on the throne. Although his expression was not entirely majestic, his eyes revealed a hint of indifference.
He almost didn't recognize his son for a moment, but then he remembered the day Zhou She left the capital, how he had matured almost overnight, and how his tone was no longer frivolous, which made him feel somewhat dazed.
Not long after the seventh year of the Jinghua era, the results of the latest round of palace examinations were released, and this was the best year for women to take the exams.
After the two female officials were appointed, the eyes of all the male officials in the court were practically green with envy. They originally thought that a few positions were just a show of magnanimity, and they could tolerate it.
Who would have thought that the men would be at a disadvantage this time?
When they went to find Xiao Yichun again, Xiao Yichun directly refused, saying: "Since you already acquiesced back then, what do you want to see me for today? If it's just for that little bit of power struggle, then you've come to the wrong person."
However, his attitude towards the Empress remained largely unchanged; in his view, the Empress was the source of unstable decision-making.
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