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At the court meeting the day before, under the advice of dozens of ministers including Ma Weizhong and Shen Qingyang, Qin Mu made an ambiguous statement and announced the adjournment of the court. This certainly did not satisfy the censors.
As the saying goes, the tree wants to be still but the wind does not stop. From the next day on, memorials of advice piled up on Qin Mu's desk like snowflakes.
Those who submitted memorials to offer advice included not only the censors, but also traditional literati like Yang Tinglin who were deeply influenced by Confucianism.
Qin Mu simply asked Han Zanzhou to find a big basket, and asked a few literate eunuchs to pick out all the memorials of advice and throw them into the basket.
Unexpectedly, this action angered one person. After experiencing the destruction of her country and the loss of her family, Liu Rushi, who had become much gentler and more reserved, risked her life to kneel in front of the imperial desk and said with a determined look: "Since I entered the palace, I have always served by the emperor's side. I have seen that the King of Qin is a man of great talent and strategy, diligent in his work and loves his people, and works hard to govern the country. He is truly a sage king through the ages, and is therefore loved by the people and the people of the world. But what the King of Qin did today is like the actions of a tyrant..."
"How dare you!" Qin Mu shouted coldly, frightening Han Zanzhou and several young eunuchs so much that their legs went weak and they all knelt down.
Liu Rushi shed two tears, but continued with a calm face: "I am as lowly as a blade of grass. It is not my turn to comment on the state's major affairs. However, I really don't want the country to lose a wise ruler. Today I am willing to exchange my humble life for the King of Qin's warning.
A sage once said: If the monarch treats his subjects as his own hands and feet, then the subjects will treat the monarch as their own heart and soul; if the monarch treats his subjects as dogs and horses, then the subjects will treat the monarch as their fellow countrymen; if the monarch treats his subjects as dirt, then the subjects will treat the monarch as their enemy.
Advice is followed and words are listened to, and the people are blessed; if they leave for a reason, the ruler sends people to lead them out of the border, and in advance of where they are going; if they do not return for three years, then their land is collected. This is called the three kinds of courtesy. If this is done, then they will be obeyed.
Now the ministers have submitted a memorial to correct the king's mistakes. Even if the king of Qin thinks that the ministers are wrong, but he treats the ministers' memorials like this. Isn't it treating the ministers like dirt? King of Qin, if you treat your ministers like dirt, then your ministers will definitely treat you like an enemy! "
Qin Mu looked at the basket of memorials, then at Liu Rushi who was waiting to be killed, and said coldly: "Considering that this is your first offense, I will spare your life today. Just do your duty. If you do it again, you will be beaten to death!"
"The maid..."
“Back off!”
Normally, even Yang Zhi did not dare to interfere in government affairs. Qin Mu did not expect that Liu Rushi, a maid, would dare to risk her life to make suggestions.
Although he dismissed Liu Rushi, he still asked Han Zanzhou to sort out the memorial again later.
It is true that you can disagree with the opinions of ministers, but you must give them basic respect.
Putting aside the relationship between the monarch and his subjects, even when they are just ordinary friends, they should uphold this bottom line.
Qin Mu was actually very clear that not all the ministers who submitted the list had selfish motives. They just adhered to the ethics and morals that had been generally recognized by the people for thousands of years.
***
Of course, there are also those who want to take advantage of this wave of opposition to pursue personal gain.
In the Hexian Building next to the Imperial College, Huang Mengliang and Qian Chen, who were beaten black and blue by Xu Yongshun, ignored Li Qingshang's warning and insisted on staying in Jinling to continue to promote their "insights".
Now they have become ideal fighters who stick to their beliefs and never bow to evil forces, models of integrity, and are highly sought after by scholars. How could they be willing to leave Jinling when they are at the peak of their careers
The Hexian Tower was full of scholars, more than half of whom were students of the Imperial Academy.
Huang Mengliang did not try to hide the bruises on his face. He waved his sleeves and spoke passionately: "Everyone, the King of Qin was originally a wise ruler. But now he wants to ban women from foot binding, recruit women to be doctors, and run a girls' school. He also ordered the beauties in the palace to show their faces in public, which is a violation of the moral principles. Why is that
There is no other reason. This is because there are treacherous ministers in the court. They have deceived the emperor, blinded his ears, and done perverse things to destroy the Qin Dynasty! As the saying goes, the rise and fall of the country is the responsibility of every man. We have read the books of sages, how can we turn a blind eye to this and allow treacherous people to ruin the country? "
As soon as Huang Mengliang finished speaking, there was a sudden commotion upstairs. Some people were angry, some were curious, some were making a fuss, and everyone was talking in a chaotic manner.
"Yes, yes, the King of Qin was originally a wise ruler, but now he has acted out of character. I'm afraid he has been bewitched by treacherous officials."
"That must be it."
"My dear friends, I am a little confused. Who is this treacherous minister?"
"Who is it?" Qian Chen pushed his chair aside, stood up and said condescendingly, "Do I need to tell you who this treacherous minister is? Among all the ministers in the court, how many can make the King of Qin listen to them? How many can influence the King of Qin's thoughts? And how many can cover the sky with one hand and deceive the emperor?"
Qian Chen asked three questions in a row, his voice was like thunder, shaking the whole building. Even a fool would know who the target was.
"Everyone, as the saying goes, a king dies for his country, and a countryman dies for his king. For the Qin Dynasty to drive out the Tartars, restore China, and for the long-term stability of the Qin Dynasty, how can we sit idly by and watch treacherous officials disrupt the country and endanger the Qin Dynasty."
"Yes, we must stand up."
"Punish the treacherous minister and make sure he has nowhere to hide."
"Let's all go and beat the drums together to give advice to the King of Qin!"
"That's right, let's go together."
For a moment, a group of angry young people in the building were indignant and noisy, and each of them took the rise and fall of the country as their own responsibility.
Seeing that the situation was getting more and more serious, Huang Zhenlin, who was sitting quietly in the corner, could no longer sit still. Although he held a high position as a doctor in the Ministry of Works, he was only in his twenties and dressed in Confucian clothes, no different from an ordinary scholar.
He stood up and said, "Everyone, please listen to me. As far as I know, the King of Qin wants to run a girls' school mainly to teach women some skills, not what you think. Don't gather together to knock on the palace gate based on some rumors..."
Before Huang Zhenlin finished speaking, someone immediately refuted: "Then recruiting women as military doctors, what do you mean, are they also female workers?"
"What's wrong with recruiting women as military doctors?" Huang Zhenlin said loudly: "In ancient times, Hua Mulan joined the army in place of her father, and now there is the Loyal Marquis fighting on the battlefield. I remember that Emperor Yizong of the Ming Dynasty wrote a poem in his own handwriting and gave it to the Loyal Marquis: I cut the Shu brocade battle robe myself, and I asked for the long tassel on the peach blossom horse. There are so many extraordinary men in the world, who are willing to travel thousands of miles on the battlefield? In addition, Princess Pingyang in the early Tang Dynasty also led the women's army to fight on the battlefield, defeated the famous general Qu Tutong repeatedly, and established a large foundation in Guanzhong..."
When Huang Zhenlin said this, someone suddenly jumped out and pointed at him and said, "I know who he is. He is the Fujian boy who used astrology to deceive the King of Qin and became a doctor in the Ministry of Works."
"Yes, yes, it's him. He used some crooked means to cheat his way into the position. He is not a good guy either."
"That's right. He made a paradox in public. I think he must have been involved in bewitching the King of Qin."
Huang Zhenlin was a sixth-rank doctor after all, but a group of angry young people in the building surrounded him and pushed and shoved him, and some even attacked him secretly.
Huang Zhenlin shouted, but his voice was drowned out by a sea of accusations.
The name "Fujian boy" first appeared in the Northern Song Dynasty, when a large number of officials from Fujian, such as Cai Que, Zhang Dun, and Cai Jing, dominated the government. Most of these Fujian officials supported reform and were at odds with conservatives such as Su Dongpo, so Su Dongpo and others privately called them "Fujian boys".
Su Dongpo was a celebrity and his words were so influential that hundreds of years later, Huang Zhenlin also enjoyed this slightly derogatory title.
Amid the uproar, Huang Zhenlin's hair was messed up and he was punched several times on the back. He was young, but he held a high position, and in everyone's opinion, he did not get this high position through legitimate means. Many people were jealous and dissatisfied, so many people took advantage of the chaos to do something unfavorable, since the law would not hold everyone responsible.
Huang Zhenlin became angry after being punched several times.
He is not a weak scholar who is powerless. He used to practice martial arts with the old Taoist master of Xuanwu Temple in Xiantai Mountain for many years.
So this guy seemed to be stumbling, as if he was pushed and couldn't stand steadily. He moved his hands and feet continuously, and greeted the angry young people who were gathered around him without leaving a trace.
"Ouch," "Ouch!" There were continuous cries of pain, but they were drowned out by the wave of condemnation.
Huang Zhenlin stopped while he was ahead. After all, he was an official appointed by the imperial court. If the news of the fight spread, it would damage his reputation. After making enough money, he immediately pretended to be in a mess and fled from the crowd, disappearing at the entrance of the corridor.
The group of angry young people then realized that there were a total of ** people lying on the ground, holding their stomachs and tossing around in pain. This was too much. The already emotional group of people became even more angry, and some even shouted the slogan "Eliminate traitors for the country";
A student from the Imperial College ran back and brought back the sage's tablet, and at the same time attracted more people to knock on the gate and write a letter.
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.(To be continued..)
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