vrcanaries Chapter 111 The Tongwen Guan Prison
Chapter 111 The Tongwen Guan Prison
This is the first time people from all dynasties have ever seen someone so protective of their father. Even they themselves would not usually retaliate against someone who speaks ill of their father like this!
But exiling so many people, and most of them being thrown into the malaria-ridden Lingnan region, isn't that going too far?
Even ordinary people know that one powerful entity is not a good thing, so why can't this emperor understand this?
On the other hand, Emperor Shenzong of Song had a much more complicated feeling. Although these civil officials immediately began to suppress the New Party after his death, now that he heard that they all met with bad ends, he felt that it was not really that bad.
Oh, Xu'er was just trying to vent my anger...
Thinking of this, Emperor Shenzong sighed again, wishing he could tell Xu'er not to do this.
Just then, an idea suddenly flashed through Emperor Shenzong's mind. The palace servants around him saw their emperor suddenly burst into laughter, then casually swipe a few times on the small screen, and then on the other end of the screen appeared Emperor Zhezong, who looked to be around twenty years old.
Emperor Shenzong had expected to be happy, even excited, upon seeing the child, but in the end, his feelings turned to pity for the child.
On the other side of the screen, Emperor Zhezong dared not blink, fearing that in the blink of an eye his revered father would leave him again. He had many things he wanted to say, but he was afraid that his father had come to question him because of the Yuanyou ministers.
The two looked at each other in silence, their hearts filled with a thousand words, yet only tears streamed down their faces.
.......
Lin Ke was unaware that the father and son had made a video call. Not many people use this feature, not mainly because it's useless, but because nobody can only make a phone call once a year, right? Do you think this is some kind of love triangle?!
Lin Ke thought for a moment, then put the matter out of her mind and continued her story.
"I originally thought that the other two of the three leaders of the New Party, apart from Zeng Bu, had become extremely corrupt, but I never expected that Emperor Zhezong was the one who hated Yuanyou Minister the most."
"Under the manipulation of these three men, the situation in the court has spiraled out of control, but it is one thing for the court officials to realize this, and another to decide whether to stand up."
"However, Zeng Bu, one of the three leaders, stepped forward to advise Zhang Dun and Cai Bian when he realized the situation was getting out of control. He said, 'Cai was indeed persecuted by the old party and went to Lingnan. Now the new party is purging the old party. Why are our families being affected? What if the situation reverses again? What will happen to our families then?'"
"That makes a lot of sense, but he certainly doesn't know that in the future, neither the New Party nor the Old Party will remain in the court, and Zhang Dun and Cai Bian are currently in a state of self-satisfaction, completely unaware that what Zeng Bu said will happen."
Seeing that he could not persuade the two men, Zeng Bu turned to Emperor Zhezong and said to him: "Your Majesty has already said that you would pardon the ministers of the Yuanyou era, and now that you have purged a group of them, shouldn't you stop while you're ahead?"
"In fact, if the emperor hadn't wanted to punish those civil officials, Zhang Dun and Cai Bian wouldn't have been able to deal with so many people. As the saying goes, what the superiors do, the inferiors follow. Ultimately, the direction of the atmosphere rests with the emperor."
Judy, the General Who Conquers the North: I guess they all think that with the emperor around, it's not the turn of those old officials!
Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty: ......
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: She probably never imagined that she would die so young!
A scion of a prominent family in the Ming Dynasty: With these two teammates and leaders, Zeng Bu must be having a tough time!
........
"Therefore, every move the emperor makes can easily change the situation. Sitting in this position, it is impossible for him to indulge his own desires. His greatest responsibility is to consider the whole world."
"But to be honest, no one can be a saint without making mistakes, so there can be no perfect emperor. Even those emperors who are considered the greatest emperors of all time have made mistakes."
First Emperor/Liu Zhuzhu of the Han Dynasty/Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: I feel inexplicably guilty!?
"On another note, after failing to persuade Emperor Zhezong, Zeng Bu muttered under his breath: 'So many people have been punished, yet Wen Yanbo hasn't been held accountable. Let's not concern ourselves with whether this guy did it on purpose or not.'"
"In summary, this veteran minister has served five emperors, from Emperor Zhenzong to Emperor Zhezong, and is now over ninety years old. He is a highly respected senior figure."
"So when Emperor Zhezong heard this name, his attitude softened somewhat, but he still demoted Wen Yanbo from Grand Tutor to Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince. However, he realized he had gone too far, and when Han Wei's disciples later petitioned for leniency, he no longer punished Han Wei and allowed him to retire home."
"However, not long after, both of these veteran ministers passed away one after the other."
A scion of a prominent family in the Ming Dynasty: It's a pity that this old minister had to pull such a stunt even in his old age!
Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor: Over ninety years old, he lived so long! I'm envious!
Big Fat Prince Liu Zhuzhu: Envy +1
Judy, the Great General Who Conquers the North: Boss, if you lose some weight, you'll live longer, at least longer than your ten months!
........
"However, as the leaders of the old party gradually disappeared, the infighting in the court could not be stopped and would even lead to more serious consequences."
"The story begins after Minister Yuan You expelled the New Party and gradually seized power. As mentioned before, they had eliminated all members of the New Party and suppressed them without reservation, seemingly certain that the New Party had no chance of rising again. However, they did not expect that new internal strife would begin within their own ranks."
"At that time, Liu Zhi was the most active. After inheriting Sima Guang's power, he set his sights on Wen Yanbo. The reason was simple: Wen Yanbo was senior to Liu Zhi, which made Liu Zhi, who was already a cunning old man, resentful."
Liu Zhi: Why? Why am I below that old man?!
Wen Yanbo: ...........
"Liu Zhi not only fired cannons at Wen Yanbo, but also targeted his son Wen Jifu. The key is that you always leave no room for maneuver when you persecute people. Wen Jifu is from a prominent family, and you impeached him so much that he can't return to the capital to serve as an official. Tell me, wouldn't you be angry?"
"So later, Wen Jifu wrote a letter directly to Xing Shu, angrily cursing Liu Zhi. However, whether he came from a civil official family or not, his cursing was always baffling: 'Sima Zhao's intentions are obvious to everyone; he even used powdered kun to attack him...'"
Cao Cao: Why don't you elaborate?!
"As for Sima Zhao, he was a bad person. This is probably the metaphor used to describe Liu Zhi. However, this is written in too much literary style, like a code."
"There are many interpretations of this passage, but no matter what, this letter ultimately points to Empress Dowager Gao, who caused the 'Poetry Suspension Case' back then. Emperor Zhezong was furious upon hearing this and immediately ordered a thorough investigation, which is the Tongwenguan Prison recorded in history."
A member of a prominent family in the Ming Dynasty: Sigh, it's started again. No surprise, it's another factional struggle!
An official from the Tang Dynasty: This case sounds quite serious!
Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty: ...........