If other local officials, like those in Ningxia, levy taxes on fifty mu as if it were a hundred mu, it would be equivalent to doubling the tax.
The people would definitely rise up in rebellion.
To stabilize the situation, the prudent approach would be to first abruptly halt all of Liu Jin's new policies.
Only by combining strength and gentleness can one achieve lasting success.
When the imperial edict was issued, cavalry troops were already patrolling the streets and intersections of the capital to maintain order.
The government troops, carrying yellow edicts and black chains, went out to arrest people.
Officials working in government offices throughout the capital were all terrified.
From government offices to the streets and alleys of ordinary people, the discussions and clamor were rampant.
Lu Xingjian promoted Zhang Yong's younger brother, Zhang Rong, to the position of Assistant Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, in charge of the Embroidered Uniform Guard seal and supervising the officers and soldiers.
That day, Liu Jin was imprisoned in the imperial prison.
The civil and military officials panicked.
Even now, the Emperor has no intention of killing Liu Jin and his family.
This is not a typical case of covering up or condoning.
After leaving the Fengtian Hall, the officials began to discuss the matter enthusiastically in groups of three or five.
"Emperor Xianzong abolished the Western Depot under pressure from his ministers, but then forced the Grand Secretary to resign, purged several officials, and soon reinstated the Western Depot!"
"We must learn from this lesson and prevent Liu Jin from making a comeback!"
"Only by inflicting pain on the Emperor will he issue an edict to execute Liu Jin. All of you officials, you must work hard!"
The results of last night's search of Liu Jin's private residences inside and outside the city have also come out.
The gold and silver amounted to millions of taels, and other treasures were countless. There was also a counterfeit jade seal, five hundred ivory tablets, as well as knives, armor, bows, and crossbows.
It should be noted that the ivory token was a form of identification for entering and exiting the imperial palace, used by civil and military officials and officers of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Official titles were engraved on ivory plaques. The titles of dukes, marquises, and earls were engraved with the character "merit"; imperial sons-in-law and military commanders were engraved with the character "kinship"; civil officials were engraved with the character "literature"; military officials were engraved with the character "military"; officials of the Imperial Music Bureau were engraved with the character "music"; and those who entered the inner palace were engraved with the character "palace
Palace guards recognized the badges, not the people; those without badges were not allowed to enter or leave, and anyone who lent their badge to another person was punished according to the law.
The five hundred ivory tablets and the corresponding knives, armor, bows, and crossbows corroborate Liu Jin's rebellious intentions.
When the evidence was presented to the emperor, Lu Xingjian was furious: "Liu Jin is indeed planning a rebellion!"
Actually, it's already the other way around.
Xie Ne, a supervising secretary of the Six Ministries, and He Tai, an imperial censor of the Thirteen Circuits, submitted a memorial listing nineteen charges against Liu Jin.
Even during the general amnesty in the spring, Liu Jin forged an imperial edict, still sending soldiers and confiscating rice in various places, abusing his power and defying the imperial decree.
It also includes the crime of being called "the emperor on the spot".
Other charges include forming cliques for personal gain, accepting bribes, persecuting nobles, and reforming the imperial examination system.
Lu Xingjian broke out in a sweat when he saw these charges.
He was the one who spearheaded the reform of the imperial examination system.
He also strongly supported Han Fu's efforts to collect overdue taxes in Huguang. As a result, Han Fu was falsely accused of bribing Liu Jin with more than 100,000 taels of silver.
Lu Xingjian was extremely frustrated.
The money actually went into his pocket.
Are the civil officials trying to direct their criticism at the emperor?!
However, wouldn't it be tempting to dwell on these matters at this time? It would be necessary to soften one's stance and ease the tension in the court.
Lu Xingjian ordered the Ministry of Justice and the Embroidered Uniform Guard to arrest Liu Jin in front of the Meridian Gate, where he was interrogated by several officials.
Furthermore, it was ordered that those governors and military officers who had been dismissed should await replacements.
The system of examining officials in the capital, allocating quotas for the provincial examinations, and resuming the examinations with separate papers from the north and south for the metropolitan examinations was restored.
The counties of Yuyao, Wan'an, and Nancheng, which had been ordered by Liu Jin not to select officials from the capital, still selected such officials.
Those Hanlin officials transferred to other posts, please state your names.
All imperial edicts and decrees for civil and military officials shall be exempted from being revoked, and those already revoked shall be returned.
Those who are punished with fines and forced to pay for the rotten grain will be dismissed from their posts and stripped of their property. However, if they are not rebels, their fields and houses will be returned to them.
Han Fu was dismissed from his post and reduced to commoner status. The judicial authorities reported the facts to the courts.
Outside the Meridian Gate, when Liu Jin was being tried, he still stood tall and exuded an imposing aura.
Liu Jing, the Minister of Justice, was intimidated by Liu Jin's imposing presence and could not utter a word.
The officials and ministers standing nearby also retreated slightly.
Nobody wants to be the one to stick their neck out.
Everyone knows these things; many of them were done on the emperor's orders.
Pointing at Liu Jin and rebuking and convicting him is tantamount to insulting the emperor.
They dared not openly offend the Emperor, lest their names be recorded and they suffer the consequences.
Upon seeing this, Liu Jin sneered and boasted arrogantly, "All the officials in the court are from my school, who dares to question me?!"
Who doesn't have something on their head that he can't hold?
It seemed that the public trial of Liu Jin was about to turn into a huge joke.
The Imperial Son-in-Law, Cai Zhen, stepped forward: "I am a member of the imperial family and have never left your tutelage. You may question me!"
He had suffered at the hands of the emperor and empress.
Knowing that the emperor and empress were cunning and manipulative, the fact that they had everyone interrogate Liu Jin meant they intended to punish him.
"Guards, slap him!"
Liu Jin was beaten until his mouth was full of blood and he lost two teeth.
Cai Zhen sternly questioned, "All the officials and ministers are employed by the court; why would they need to leave your office?"
"Why did you hide your armor?!"
Liu Jin laughed heartily: "Naturally, it's to protect the Emperor."
Cai Zhen questioned, "Why did you hide the armor in your private residence when you were protecting the Emperor?"
Liu Jin was speechless.
Grand Secretary Li Dongqian wiped the sweat from his forehead.
If it weren't for Cai Zhen being there today, this interrogation wouldn't be able to continue.
At the same time, Lu Xingjian ordered that Zhang Cai, Minister of Personnel, Yang Yu, Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and Shi Wenyi, Commander of the Garrison Command, be sent to the Censorate prison.
Liu Ji, the Minister of Revenue, and Chen Zhen, the Vice Minister of War, were also dismissed from their posts because they were from the same hometown as Liu Jin.
Knowing that he could not escape his fate, Cao Yuan voluntarily resigned from his official post and returned to civilian life.
Lu Xingjian was busy with these matters when a palace servant rushed in to report: "Her Majesty the Empress has fainted!"
Lu Xingjian froze, looking at the palace servant in disbelief. "What did you say?"
"Your Majesty the Empress has suddenly fainted!"
Lu Xingjian threw down the memorial in his hand and immediately went to Kunning Palace.
The unease in my heart grew stronger and stronger.
He knew that bastard Liu Jin must have a backup plan, but he never expected him to target Wanwan.
Su Wanwan had woken up, her body limp and her face pale.
Lu Xingjian held her, his voice trembling slightly, "How are you?"
Su Wanwan pushed him, her strength carrying a hint of reproach, "It's nothing, he probably just caught a cold."
Perhaps due to excessive stress lately, no matter how late he came home at night, he would pester her for quite a while.
Lu Xingjian breathed a slight sigh of relief, hoping it was just a cold.
I reached out and touched her forehead; her temperature was normal, and she didn't have a fever.
He looked at the person in his arms: "What did you eat today?"
Perhaps it's due to an unhealthy diet.
Food that is edible has been tested for poison by someone, so there shouldn't be any problem.
"Let's wait for the imperial physician to come and take a look," Su Wanwan said weakly.
When the imperial physician arrived, Lu Xingjian was still holding Su Wanwan.
Su Wanwan felt a little embarrassed and tried to break free from his embrace.
Lu Xingjian knew she was shy, so he let her be and waited for her to sit down before putting a cushion behind her.
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