Meishan Su family, Su Yun is the most virtuous

Chapter 356 Unreasonable!
After Wen Yanbo left the Chongzheng Hall, he went straight to the Imperial College.

Lu Gongzhu also acted extremely quickly. He immediately summoned Fan Chunren, Lu Dafang and other prime ministers to meet with Empress Dowager Gao. The order to abolish the Su Society and ban the Meilin Academy was quickly issued, and the imperial guards took action.

But the ministers still had to face a problem, which was how to deal with Su Yun, the leader of the Su Society.

To deal with a deputy privy councilor and a Hanlin scholar was no small matter. Even if all the prime ministers and the Empress Dowager Gao were present, one had to be extremely cautious.

"Please discuss this matter. The Su Society has been banned. How should we deal with Su Yun, the leader?"

Empress Dowager Gao said as she looked at the ministers in the hall through the pearl curtain.

Everyone had different expressions.

Fan Chunren stood up and said, "I think that we can just disband the Suxue Society, and let the Imperial College take over the Meilin Academy. As for any punishment, forget it. I know a thing or two about the Suxue Society. Although the students of the Suxue Society have overstepped the boundaries, it is still a patriotic act.

Regarding the discussion on the Yinguan system and the practice of clarifying the land ownership, in fact, all the officials from the Ren Temple to the Shen Temple had tried to restrict it, but they were unsuccessful.

There is also a discussion about the people being more important than the emperor, which is Mencius' theory. When Emperor Shenzong was in power, he personally carried Mencius into the Confucian Temple to enjoy incense and worship, which was already a recognition of this theory, so there was nothing taboo about it.

The reason why the court wants to disband the Su Society is that such a group may cause various disturbances in the future and be suspected of forming a party, so it is better to disband it. There is no need to punish or implicate others. "

As soon as Fan Chunren finished speaking, Lu Dafang said: "The Su Society stole the land register at night and made irresponsible discussions on land distribution. This is a crime that undermines the foundation of the country!

If we let them off so easily, it will certainly encourage their arrogance, and I am afraid that it will cause endless harm in the future.

Moreover, I suspect that this is not just the passion of patriotic students, but the New Party may be behind this! "

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was shocked, especially Empress Dowager Gao, whose expression changed when she heard these words.

These people had been suppressed too much by the New Party before, and they turned pale every time they talked about the New Party, especially Empress Dowager Gao, who was extremely afraid of Cai Que.

During the Chegaiting case, they even went so far as to strip Cai Que of his power step by step, demoting him again and again, wishing to put him to death.

In fact, it is because they are afraid of the New Party's comeback.

Empress Dowager Gao's voice suddenly became cold and she asked, "Does Mr. Lu have any evidence?"

Lu Dafang laughed and said, "Stealing land registers at night and making irresponsible arguments about equal distribution of land, don't the Queen Mother and the officials feel familiar with these reckless behaviors?

The New Party had the same style back then, haha, nothing to fear from natural disasters, nothing to follow from ancestors, nothing to worry about from people's words! "

When these words were spoken, even the ministers changed color.

Fan Chunren's face changed and he said, "Minister Lu, these accusations are extremely serious. If there is no evidence, it is not appropriate to speak nonsense!"

Lu Dafang shook his head and said, "This is not true."

Fan Chunren said angrily: "How can the three words 'no need to be mentioned' convince the world?"

Lü Dafang ignored Fan Chunren and said to Empress Dowager Gao, "Your Majesty, the Su Society has formed a clique to meddle in government affairs, spread rumors to confuse the people, and shake the foundation of the country. They must be severely punished to stop it!
I believe that Su Yun should be executed, the six disciples of Su's school should be stripped of their honors, and the rest of the students who participated in the Su Society should be prohibited from taking the imperial examinations again.

In addition, Su Shi and Su Zhe were not good at educating their nephew, so they should also be punished, perhaps by being exiled to a place to reflect on their actions;
Zhang Dun is Su Yun's father-in-law and the leader of the New Party. He might be the one who initiated the Su Society behind the scenes. This traitor should be banished to Lingnan!"

When these words were spoken, even Empress Dowager Gao was dumbfounded.

Everyone knows that Lu Dafang's attitude has always been to balance the struggle between the new and old parties and promote "ruling by inaction", but his current attitude is even more radical than Wen Yanbo's. What happened?
Lu Gongzhu suddenly remembered that Wen Yanbo said that Cheng Yi once went to Wen Yanbo's house in the rain. If that was the case, and since Cheng Yi was able to go to Wen Yanbo's house, would he have also gone to Lu Dafang's house?

Among the four brothers of Lu Dafang, except Lu Dafang himself, the other three brothers were all disciples of Cheng Yi.

The hatred between Su School and Cheng School is well known to everyone. Since the rise of Su School, Cheng School has suffered repeated blows. Now, Cheng School has declined!

Lu Gongzhu suddenly realized something: "There may be a dispute over the orthodoxy behind this. Cheng Yi is still a veteran after all!"

"…Mr. Lu! Mr. Lu!"

"Ah? I'm here." Lu Gongzhu came back to his senses and quickly bowed to Queen Dowager Gao.

Queen Mother Lu looked at Lu Gongzhu with some dissatisfaction. It was too much for the prime minister to be distracted while discussing such an important matter.

Empress Dowager Gao suppressed her dissatisfaction and said, "Prince Lu, what do you think about this matter?"

Lu Gongzhu suddenly felt that Fan Chunren and Lu Dafang's eyes were all on him, and he suddenly felt quite pressured.

Lu Gongzhu's brain worked quickly, weighing the pros and cons. After just a moment, he said, "I think what Minister Fan said makes sense, and what Minister Lu said also makes sense..."

As soon as these words came out, all the eyes on him became dissatisfied. However, Lu Gongzhu said calmly: "... However, the way Minister Fan dealt with it was too light, while Minister Lu dealt with it too heavily.

In my opinion, the Su Society is already suspected of forming a faction and its behavior is extremely inappropriate, so it is reasonable to ban the Su Society and the Su Society must be disbanded!
The Meilin Academy is a place for teaching and educating people. It is related to the Su Society, but it can be reformed by letting the Imperial College take over.

As for the punishment of people, I think it should not be too severe. Our dynasty has always valued scholars, and there is no reason to kill scholars or block their channels of speech.

Therefore, I believe that the six Su disciples only need to be exiled to local areas to reflect for a few years. They are still young and will have to serve the court in the future.

And those people in the Su Society are just young scholars. If their official career paths are banned, I'm afraid the incident of Zhang Yuan of Western Xia will be repeated.

As for the punishment of the great scholar Su and Su Sheren, it is unnecessary. What does it have to do with them what happens to the Su Academy? "

When Lu Gongzhu said this, Fan Chunren thought it was acceptable, but Lu Dafang raised his eyebrows and said, "Prime Minister Lu, the punishment is so light, how can it shock the world?"

Lu Gongzhu felt somewhat disgusted with Lu Dafang, the minister who had the same surname as him but was not from the same clan, and was unwilling to help him get into trouble.

Haha, you, Lu Dafang, want to stand up for Cheng Yi, but how can I, Lu Gongzhu, take the lead?

However, Lu Gongzhu knew in his heart that Lu Dafang might not only stand up for Cheng Yi, but more importantly, the Su Xuehui's proposition had angered the Lu family, a prominent family.

Checking the land and prohibiting corrupt officials, both of these are the Achilles' heel of the great families.

After hearing what Lu Dafang said, Lu Gongzhu shook his head and said, "To frighten people all over the world from doing academic research and restrict academic freedom?
Aren’t there other academic schools like societies and academies?
Now that the imperial court has banned the Su Society, other academic groups may feel that "they might be the next one". Haha, will there still be an academic atmosphere in our Song Dynasty in the future?
Is there anyone who dares to give me advice?
If this continues for a long time, the channels for speech will be blocked, and the foundation of our Song Dynasty will truly collapse!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Lu Dafang's face suddenly became very ugly.

Although Lu Gongzhu did not directly say that his suggestion was inappropriate, what is the difference between saying so and criticizing him?
Fan Chunren seemed calm and composed at this moment.

Haha, there have been some rumors recently that Minister Lu is eyeing the position of Prime Minister. Now it seems that Minister Lu also knows about this rumor, right?
At this time, Empress Dowager Gao said, "Prince Lu, you didn't mention how to deal with Su Yun just now."

Lu Gongzhu's expression suddenly became solemn. In fact, when it comes down to it, everything else is secondary. The most important thing is Su Yun.

Lu Gongzhu took a deep breath and said slowly: "Queen Dowager, as the Deputy Privy Councilor and Imperial Academy Scholar, Su Yun should have set an example. He cannot escape the blame for what happened to the Su Society.

However, considering that he had made many contributions in the court over the years, and that although the actions of the Su Society were inappropriate, its original intention was to seek changes for the country.

I think that Su Yun should be suspended from his post first, and asked to reflect on his own negligence in the matter of the Su Society. "

Lu Dafang immediately stepped forward and loudly retorted: "Prime Minister Lu, how can such a punishment demonstrate the strictness of the court's laws!

As the leader, it is impossible for Su Yun not to know about the theft of land registers and the discussion of equal distribution of land. Suspension from work is too light a punishment!"

Lü Gongzhu looked at Lü Dafang calmly and said, "Minister Lü, we need to weigh the pros and cons.

If Su Yun is dealt with too harshly, it would not only discourage the loyalty of scholars, but also might cause greater turmoil in the court.

The situation inside and outside the court is now complicated, with Western Xia eyeing it covetously. Although there are struggles between the new and old parties in the country, a balance needs to be maintained.

Moreover, Su Yun is not a rootless tree in the court. If he is dealt with excessively, it may cause new party disputes. "

Fan Chunren also nodded slightly and supported, "Prime Minister Lu is right. Su Yun's talent is obvious to everyone in the court. If he can calm down and reflect on his mistakes, he may be able to be used by the court in the future."

Empress Dowager Gao listened quietly to the arguments of the crowd behind the pearl curtain, weighing the pros and cons in her mind.

She knew very well that if the matter was not handled properly, it would cause an uproar in the court.

After a moment of silence, she slowly said, "What Mr. Lu said makes sense.

Regarding Su Yun’s matter, I will do as you say for now.

But they must sign a document guaranteeing that they will not make such mistakes again in the future."

Lu Gongzhu hurriedly bowed and said, "The Queen Mother is wise. This will not only give Su Yun a chance to reform, but also prevent the court from falling into greater disputes."

Seeing that Empress Dowager Gao had made the decision, Lu Dafang was extremely dissatisfied, but he could only retreat helplessly, with a very bad face: "Such a punishment, how can it serve as a warning to future generations!"

At this time, an eunuch hurried into the palace, knelt down and said, "Empress Dowager, Master Wen Yanbo has returned from the Imperial College and is waiting outside the palace."

Empress Dowager Gao quickly told Dou Nian'an beside her, "My dear companion, help Duke Wen Lu into the palace."

(End of this chapter)