Nightwatcher

The civil servants immediately turned their heads and looked at Cao Guogong with scrutiny and hostility.

In this battle of "redressing the 380,000 wronged souls", the structure of the radical civil servants is complicated, some are for justice in their hearts, and some are for living up to the sages. Some people do it for fame and fortune, while others follow the trend.

The radical faction was headed by Wei Yuan and Wang Zhenwen.

The member structure of the opposition is also complicated. First of all, the royal family. There must be good people among them, but sometimes status determines the position.

Once Duke Huai is convicted, it will be an unimaginably huge blow to the reputation of the entire royal family. To describe it in the words of the market, I will not be able to hold my head up in the future.

Ordinary people still need face, let alone the royal family?

King Zhenbei can die, but he cannot be convicted.

The second is the Xungui Group. The Xungui is naturally close to the royal family. As long as you understand the nature of the title, you can understand that the Xungui and the royal family are in the same camp.

Two words summed it up: Nobility!

Civil officials are like leeks, they are changed wave after wave, and there is always a new force pouring into the court. In the good times, he is the only one in charge of the court, but in the downturn, the sons and daughters are no different from the common people.

Only hereditary nobles are born aristocrats, and they are in a different class from the common people. However, the hereditary power to extend to the heirs is bestowed by the royal family.

Therefore, even if there were people in Xungui who disagreed with Duke Huai and Emperor Yuan Jing, most of them would remain silent.

In the end, it was a group of civil officials who wanted to be in power, or those who were in a bad situation, secretly reached an exchange of benefits with Emperor Yuan Jing, spoke for him, and became his weapon.

The royal clan, honorable groups, and some civil officials formed the opposition.

At this time, Cao Guogong came out, representing the Xungui Group and their will.

"Your Majesty, over the years, the imperial court has experienced internal and external troubles, severe droughts in summer, floods in rainy seasons, people's livelihood is difficult, and taxes in various places are in arrears every year. Although His Majesty keeps reducing taxes and resting with the people, the people still complain."

Cao Guogong was heartbroken, and said in a deep voice: "During this period, if news of the massacre of the King of Zhenbei comes out again, how will the people of the world view the court? How will the gentry and subordinates view the court?

"Do you think that the imperial court is decayed, so you intensify the search for the people's fat and anointment, and become more unscrupulous?"

"Asshole!"

Emperor Yuan Jing was furious, pointed at Cao Guogong's nose and scolded: "Are you mocking me for being a stupid king? Are you mocking all the princes for being stupid?"

"I dare not!" Cao Guogong said loudly:

"But right now, what the princes are doing is not just such stupid things. They are clamoring to avenge the people and convict Duke Huai. Has anyone ever considered the overall situation? Has anyone considered the image of the court? Officer, don't you know that the face of the imperial court is the face of you and others?"

The two sang together and played a double reed.

The princes in the court began to whisper and whisper.

Zheng Buzheng's heart froze, startled and angry, he had to admit that Cao Guogong's words were not irrational, not only not, but very reasonable.

The face of the royal family is not enough to make the princes change their positions.

But what if it is the face of the court?

In the minds of the officials, the majesty of the court is above all else, because the majesty of the court is their majesty, and the two are one and inseparable.

Even Zheng Xinghuai himself couldn't help thinking just now, how the court should save face and the image in the hearts of the people.

Emperor Yuan Jing was heartbroken and sighed: "Yes, but Prince Huai is indeed wrong."

Cao Guogong said loudly: "Your Majesty, Duke Huai is dead!"

The discussion suddenly became louder, some were still discussing in a low voice, but some people started to argue fiercely.

The old eunuch held the whip, and just about to subconsciously beat the floor tiles, scolding the officials.

But after being cast a cold sideways glance by Emperor Yuan Jing, the old eunuch understood what the emperor meant, and immediately kept silent, allowing the debate to ferment and continue.

That's right, Duke Huai is dead, the greatest "honours" are gone, and there is no general who can ride on their heads. In this case, is it worth ruining the majesty of the court for a dead man?

Many civil servants had such thoughts in their minds.

Emperor Yuan Jing said angrily: "If you die, can you erase the matter?"

Cao Guogong bowed and said, "Yes!"

Wei Yuan squinted his eyes, his eyes as cold as a knife swept across Cao Guogong.

Wang Zhenwen took a deep breath and sneered silently.

The two seemed to know what Cao Guogong wanted to say next.

Emperor Yuan Jing asked in surprise, "Why did you say that?"

Cao Guogong was serious, with a serious face: "Have you forgotten, Your Majesty, who destroyed Chuzhou City? It was the barbarians. It was the barbarians who turned Chuzhou City into ruins.

"Can we look at this matter from another angle? The coalition forces of the demon and barbarian races captured the city, and King Zhenbei resisted desperately and defended the country for Dafeng. In the end, the city was destroyed and the people died, making a heroic sacrifice."

Speaking of this, Cao Guogong's voice suddenly became high-pitched: "However, King Zhenbei's sacrifice is valuable. He single-handedly fought against the leaders of the monster and barbarian clans, beheaded Ji Li Zhigu, and severely injured Zhujiu.

"Let the two strongmen in the north die and the other be injured. After this battle, the northern border will usher in peace for more than ten years, or even decades. King Zhenbei died well, and he is a hero of Dafeng."

When he said the last sentence, Cao Guogong was full of emotion, his blood was boiling, and his voice echoed in the hall.

Cao Guogong gave the princes two choices. One, stick to their own opinions and convict the fallen King Huai. But the face of the royal family was greatly damaged, and the people had a crisis of trust in the court.

Second, come up with a trick to change the day and change the matter to the fact that the two tribes of monsters and barbarians destroyed the city of Chuzhou, and the King of Zhenbei defended the city and died, a heroic sacrifice.

All the princes have to do is justify the name of a dead prince. This will not only save the court's face, but also go a step further and establish the prestige and strength of the court.

At this time, a miserable laugh sounded, resounding above the main hall.

Zheng Xinghuai looked around at the silent princes, and glanced at the faces of Emperor Yuan Jing and Cao Guogong. This scholar was both sad and angry.

"Your Majesty, Cao Guogong, have you forgotten that this official is not the only one who witnessed all this. There are also all the missionaries, 20,000 soldiers from Chuzhou, and thousands of people in the capital who know about this matter, as well as young students from the Imperial College. "Zheng Xinghuai sneered suddenly:

"Can you stop these long talkers?"

Emperor Yuan Jing looked down at him from a high position, with deep mockery in his eyes, and said lightly: "Retire from court, we will discuss it tomorrow!"

Huaiqing Mansion.

In the gazebo in the back garden, beside the stone table, Huai Qing was playing chess with Xu Qi'an.

"The day before yesterday, I heard that Lin'an went to ask her father about the truth, but she was blocked outside the imperial study room. She was stubborn and refused to leave. She was fined for two months. I thought she would go again, but the next day , the prince was assassinated."

Huaiqing's white and slender jade fingers twisted the white chess piece, chatting with a cold expression.

"The prince should not be dead." Xu Qi'an stared at the chessboard and asked casually without making a move for a long time.

"It's just a slight injury." Huaiqing said lightly.

The two played chess for a while, and she seemed to feel that playing chess with Xu Yinluo was really boring, so she found another topic: "Have you heard about the court affairs today?"

Xu Qi'an nodded with a gloomy face: "The princes are exhausted, but His Majesty has not benefited. It is estimated that it will be a long tug-of-war."

Huaiqing raised his elegant and refined face, staring at him with black eyes as bright as those of the Qingtan after autumn, he laughed at him and said, "You really are not suitable for court."

"?"

Did I say something wrong, you want to hit me like this? Xu Qi'an frowned.

"This chess game is also boring, I'm not interested anymore, why don't I review today's court affairs with you." Princess Huaiqing gently threw the chess piece into the bamboo strip chess box.

Xu Qi'an's spirit lifted.

"Today, the court was discussing how to deal with the Chuzhou case. The princes asked the father to be convicted of King Huai's crimes, demoted him to a commoner, and hung his head on the wall for three days. The father was in grief and lost control of his emotions. He raised a big case and denounced the officials. "

Huaiqing smiled: "It's a bitter trick, first of all, we shut the palace for a few days to avoid the sharp edge, and let the angry civil and military officials punch the cotton.

"After they calmed down and stabilized their emotions, they lost that irresistible vigor. When the court meeting started, there was another moment, which not only disintegrated the last remaining courage of the princes, but even turned against the guests, making the princes fearful and changed. prudence"

This is like a fight between two people. One of them suddenly becomes mad and hits himself on the head with a brick. The other person will be instinctively afraid and cautious, thinking that he is a lunatic. The routine is not very clever, but it works. Xu Qi'an had to admit that Emperor Yuan Jing had a few tricks.

"Then, Yao Lin from the Ministry of Rites jumped out to impeach Wang Shoufu. Wang Shoufu only had to beg for bones. This is the plan of killing two birds with one stone. First beat Wang Shoufu to the ground, and he will have one less enemy in this court meeting. And it can deter All officials, kill chickens to make an example to monkeys."

Huaiqing took a sip of tea and said lightly:

"Fortunately, Wei Gong took action in time, isn't it to rule Wang Shoufu? Then don't leave room for it. But this is contrary to the original intention of the father. He didn't really want to stop Wang Shoufu. This would make Wei Gong's family dominate. Heh, For Wei Gong, taking this opportunity to get rid of Wang Shoufu is also a wonderful thing."

Xu Qi'an swallowed, and unconsciously straightened his sitting posture.

"The strategy of killing chickens to scare monkeys failed, and my father immediately asked Yuan Xiong, the censor of Zuodu, to take action to show the face of the royal family. You must know that from ancient times to the present, the dignity of the royal family is second only to the dignity of the imperial court. It has a natural oppressive force on the princes. " Princess Huaiqing said in a deep voice.

As a courtier, he wholeheartedly wants to discredit the royal family, which will undoubtedly cause psychological pressure on the princes. Xu Qi'an nodded slowly.

The struggle between people is nothing more than armed struggle and psychological games.

Just like a word he often heard before crossing: pua

"This is to pave the way for the subsequent appearance of King Li. Yuan Xiong is not a member of the royal family after all, and the father is not suitable to be this scolder. The highly respected King Li is the best role. Although this trick was cracked by Duke Wei."

While clearing away the chess pieces, Huaiqing said, "But King Li's troubles are somewhat effective. And these are all paving the way for the subsequent appearance of Cao Guogong.

"Use the face of the court and the royal family to move it with emotion. Use the ending of killing the barbarians and monsters to make sense. Although Chuzhou City is gone, all of this was done by the monsters and barbarians.

"The people have long been accustomed to the brutality of the monsters and barbarians, and they can easily accept this ending. But the monsters and barbarians did not reap the benefits, because King Zhenbei killed the leader of the Qingyan tribe of the barbarians and severely injured the leader of the northern monsters. Nine.

"Let me ask, what will happen if the people hear the news and are willing to accept it?"

Xu Qi'an said in a low voice: "The destruction of Chuzhou City is not so unacceptable. Because all the crimes are attributed to the two clans of monsters and barbarians, and are attributed to the war.

"The king of Zhenbei has also changed from a murderer who slaughtered the city to a hero who guards the country for the great lord. Moreover, he also killed the third-rank strong man of the barbarian tribe, making a great contribution to the sky."

Princess Huaiqing nodded her head, her voice was clear and beautiful, but the topic she asked was particularly embarrassing: "If you were a prince, what choice would you make?"

Xu Qi'an didn't answer.

The king of Zhenbei is simply a dead man. If he is alive, the princes will definitely try their best to bring him down.

But he is dead now, what threat does a dead person pose? In this way, the core motivation of the princes is reduced by half.

If it is true, as Cao Guogong said, the truth of the Chuzhou massacre can be reversed, and this matter can be turned from a scandal into a victory worthy of praise.

So why not?

Huaiqing said: "Father's next method is to promise benefits. Benefits are eternal above the court. If Father wants to change the ending, in addition to the above strategies, he has to make enough concessions. Your lords You would think, if the scandal can really be turned into a good thing, and there are benefits to be gained, then will they persist like this?"

Xu Qi'an's face became more and more gloomy.

"And once most people change their minds, Duke Wei and Wang Shoufu will be the ones facing the overwhelming trend. But they can't close the palace gates, and they can't stop the surging trend." With Huaiqing's cold smile, With a bit of sarcasm.

For a moment Xu Qi'an couldn't tell whether she was mocking Emperor Yuan Jing, the princes, or Wei Yuan and Wang Shoufu.

Or both, or, she is also mocking herself.

"No, this matter is so big that it can't be solved by an announcement from the court. The rumors in the capital are in full swing. If you want to reverse the rumors, you must have enough reasons. He can block the mouths of the court officials, but he can't. Be the mouth of the world." Xu Qi'an shook his head.

"Father, he still has his back." Huai Qing sighed, "Although I don't know, I never underestimated him."

The two didn't speak any more, they were silent for a while, Huaiqing said in a low voice: "This matter has nothing to do with you, don't do anything stupid."

She doesn't think I can play any role in this matter, too, I am a small viscount, a small silver gong, and I can't even enter the Golden Palace, how can I fight against the king of a country?

I'm still very young in fighting, and Huaiqing also thinks I'm not good enough. Xu Qi'an grinned, showing an ugly smile.

However, I am the hero who killed Ji Li Zhigu.

Hit the more people's Yamen, Haoqi Building.

After lunch, Wei Yuan took a nap, and was woken up by the officials who came in.

"Wei Gong, Your Majesty sent someone to summon you into the palace." The officials bowed their heads.

Wei Yuan was silent for a few seconds, then said in a gentle voice, "Prepare the car."