I am Emperor Shizu of Song

Chapter 78 Fang La's uprising was the last straw that broke Zhu Zhen's back

"Your Majesty! A large number of Imperial College scholars are knocking on the door outside Xuande Gate to express their opinions! They criticize the court for blocking the channels of speech, punishing people for speaking out, and promoting treacherous officials..."

One day in early August, for Zhao Ji, it was just another ordinary day to accompany his concubines to the garden.

His favorite concubine, Concubine Liu, was peeling grapes for him with her own hands, carefully removing the grape seeds before putting them into his mouth.

Of course, there were also government affairs in the court that needed to be handled by the emperor, so Liang Shicheng accompanied the emperor and took advantage of the emperor's good mood to make some government statements that would make the emperor happy.

Unexpectedly, at this critical moment, a disturbance arose. Liang Shicheng's adopted son, Vice Prime Minister Wang Fu, unexpectedly rushed in in a panic and directly dropped a bombshell on the emperor.

Liang Shicheng couldn't help but twitch his eyebrows. He wanted to teach this ignorant godson a lesson, but he immediately held himself back.

The matter Wang Fu reported was indeed too big and too sudden to conceal or delay. Liang Shicheng also quickly realized that there was a reason why Wang Fu was unwilling to take responsibility and delay the matter:
After Cai Jing became prime minister again, he had conflicts with Wang Fu again, and the two of them fought fiercely for power.

Although Wang Fu was also able to profit from the flower and stone levies from various places, what he got was only a small amount of leftovers. In comparison, Cai Jing took the biggest share, and Zhu Jie and his father Zhu Chong were able to enter the court as officials because of Cai Jing's connections.

Many years ago, when Cai Jing was exiled to Qiantang, he wanted to build a temple. Zhu Zhen's father Zhu Chong paid for it out of his own pocket and helped Cai Jing get the job done, which earned Cai Jing's appreciation.

In other words, Zhu Jie and his sons rose to prominence by working as Cai Jing's personal contractors. Because of his performance as a contractor for Cai Jing, Cai Jing recommended him to the imperial court, where he became the emperor's contractor, procuring and dispatching construction materials for various large-scale projects.

This time, Zhao Zicheng wrote a letter to the emperor, and Cai Jing's faction had concealed the matter for more than half a month. Now that things have been messed up and are getting bigger and bigger, there is no reason for Wang Fu to help Cai Jing's faction conceal it anymore.

Liang Shicheng was also a smart man. After he figured this out, he was too lazy to get involved anymore and just closed his eyes and said nothing.

Zhao Ji, who was eating grapes, was shocked by the bombshell news suddenly dropped by Wang Fu and was stunned for a long time.

There is no doubt that Zhao Ji really knew nothing. He had never even seen the fiercely worded petition written by his distant nephew.

"What exactly is going on? How could it happen so suddenly? If there is something wrong with the students, shouldn't they just report it through the relevant officials? How do the officials in the court do things?" Zhao Ji was quite angry. He didn't even know who was involved in this matter.

Wang Fu patiently described the cause and effect in the most concise and clear language.

"So... it was Zhao Zicheng, the magistrate of Gusu, who publicly offered the method of cement, requesting the court to use it to replace the strange stones, build the Genyue rockery, and stop the flower and stone tax? But it was rejected by the Liuzhong? How could such a small matter cause hundreds of Tai students to knock on the palace gate?" Zhao Ji couldn't help but feel a little angry. He couldn't understand.

"Your Majesty! The key is that Zhu Jie is in Jiangnan, attempting to retaliate against Zhao Zicheng. He's already arrested. I heard the public in Suzhou is furious and outraged. Rumors are swirling throughout Bianjing that Zhu Jie is manipulating the Jiangnan region, deceiving his superiors and subordinates, disregarding official authority, and undermining the emperor's virtuous policies..."

In addition, today there is a special report from Suzhou Tongpan Wei Xian, which is a 'thrown box before the emperor'. It describes the incident in detail and records the local customs of Suzhou. Wei Xian also said that if Zhu Jie is allowed to continue to act recklessly, Jiangnan will be in turmoil..."

Zhao Ji listened for a long time, his head buzzing, and finally he roughly understood the situation.

But he was still a little puzzled as to why so many students would speak out for Zhao Zicheng, so he threw this question to Wang Fu.

Wang Fu did not dare to make a conclusion, so he just speculated based on common sense and told the emperor: Jiangnan has been a place of flourishing literature since ancient times, with many scholars and wealthy gentry, so it can afford to support a large number of students to stay in Bianliang for years to study.

Nearly half of the students in the Imperial College now come from Jiangnan, and the Flower and Stone Tax mainly plunders the financial resources of Jiangnan. Therefore, if someone is convicted for speaking out for justice and requesting the abolition of the Flower and Stone Tax, he will gain the support of almost all the scholars in Jiangnan in a very short time.

Besides the scholars from Jiangnan, those from Lianghuai were also affected by the Flower and Stone Gang, so many of them also joined in the knocking on the palace gates. Students from other regions either believed that right and wrong were supposed to be this way, or simply wanted to join in the fun. Wang Fu couldn't fathom their motives.

Zhao Ji's mind buzzed for a long time before he finally sorted out the whole situation. Then his face turned ashen, and he still refused to give in.

"Zhu Zhen, this fellow, acts so recklessly! Zhao Zicheng is still a member of the royal family of the Song Dynasty. The Zhao family impeached him, and he arrested him just like that? Is there any justice in the world?"

At this moment, history was slightly distorted by the butterfly effect. In the original time and space, it should have been Wei Xian himself who submitted the petition. Wei Xian was also suppressed by Zhu Jie, but he was after all a Tongpan (Tongpan) and the intensity of the suppression was not that severe. At the same time, even if Wei Xian was suppressed, Zhao Ji would not have had any sympathy for him.

But Zhao Zicheng's surname was Zhao after all, and Zhao Ji was a little angry that Zhu Jie, a person with an outsider surname, had bullied the Zhao family. Moreover, he had met Zhao Zicheng before and had a good impression of his distant nephew.

In fact, Zhao Zicheng's casual chat with Zhao Ji in Fanlou last summer was not known to outsiders, not even to Zhu Jie, and not even to Liang Shicheng.

If Zhu Jie had known that Zhao Zi claimed that "Jian was in the emperor's heart," he would not have dared to make such a big fuss and directly arrest people on the false charge of "great disrespect." However, although Zhao Ji was angry, he was still very rational. In his view, Zhu Jie's presumptuousness was one thing, and Zhao Zi's request to stop the flower and stone gang was another.

Zhu Jie had personal problems, and he can be held personally accountable, but this shouldn't lead to the liquidation of the Fengtian Bureau, or even the Flower and Stone Gang.

The Hua Shi Gang was a tool used by Zhao Ji for his personal enjoyment and money-making, and it was very useful. How could the tool itself be destroyed just because a servant failed to carry it out properly?

Zhao Ji pondered over it again and again, and believing that he had clearly distinguished between public and private grudges, he ordered: "Send someone to verify whether Zhu Jie is really so reckless! If it is true, consider letting him continue to be in charge of the palaces and temples, and select someone else to be in charge of the Yingfeng Bureau! Zhu Jie is Zhu Jie, and the Hua Shi Gang is the Hua Shi Gang. They cannot be confused.

If the students are still causing trouble, explain to them as soon as possible that Zhu Jie has committed illegal acts and the court will deal with them. If they still refuse to disperse, let the Imperial College handle the matter strictly and impartially!

"Yes, Your Majesty!" After receiving the order, Wang Fu immediately took his leave and went to take care of it.

Liang Shicheng, standing by, had a solemn expression. After watching Wang Fu leave, he cautiously prepared the emperor: "Your Majesty...this matter has become a big deal. I'm afraid that handling it this way won't completely dispel the accumulated resentment among the people."

Zhao Ji's mouth twitched, and he stubbornly waved his hand, "It's not that I'm reluctant to give up those small contributions from the people, but if a few hundred students make a fuss about this kind of thing, the court will back down. How will the country raise taxes and grain in the future? Will anyone who thinks the tax burden is too heavy come and make a fuss? This bad example must not be set!"

"Those students who took the lead must be divided and severely punished, and those who led the charge must be singled out for punishment! Even if the deed is finally accomplished, those who led the charge will not have a good ending!"

Zhao Ji thought very clearly that he didn't care about those broken trees and stones.

He wanted the people of the world to serve him wholeheartedly, regardless of their own safety and hardships. This kind of service must be unconditional.

Whoever dares to challenge this reverse scale will have to pay the price. The absolute majesty of the emperor cannot be questioned.

He couldn't change his mind for the time being, and others were helpless, and Liang Shicheng didn't dare to persuade him anymore.

Wang Fu had handled the matter according to his wishes and announced on the same day that the court would thoroughly investigate the matter and the emperor was already aware of the situation.

"Students, please do not allow yourself to be instigated or exploited! His Majesty is aware of this matter and has instructed the Secretariat to deal with it swiftly! Return to the Imperial Academy and focus on your studies. These are not your concerns!"

Wang Fu's people repeatedly carried out the work of division and guidance outside Xuande Gate. Some officials in charge even hinted that "the previous things were caused by Prime Minister Cai and his party, and now Prime Minister Wang will definitely give everyone justice."

Until this time, Wang Fu had not given up his personal grudge and internal strife with Cai Jing. He took the opportunity to smuggle private goods to Cai Jing's people and gain political reputation for himself.

Such statements are often more misleading than direct, insincere announcements. After hearing them, some students became skeptical. The rest of the students also softened their requests slightly, waiting for the results.

After all, the court said it would deal with it, so it should be dealt with. It is not possible to do nothing but watch outside the Xuande Gate for twelve hours every day.

This delay lasted for almost ten days or half a month.

Unfortunately, it seemed that God was not going to let Zhao Ji get away with it.

Just half a month later, on the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15, another shocking event occurred in the Jiangnan region, which finally shattered Zhao Ji's strategy of compromise and deception.

The incident happened on August 15th, but because it first broke out in the mountainous area of ​​Muzhou in western Zhejiang, local information was relatively blocked.

It was not until three or four days after the incident that the news reached the neighboring provincial capitals in the plains areas, such as Huzhou, Changzhou, and Zhenjiang.

Afterwards, it was delivered to Tokyo Bianliang at an express speed of more than a thousand miles in three days.

The news arrived in Tokyo on August 21st.

"Muzhou bandits are gathering to rebel! Their leader, Fang La, calls himself the Holy Lord and, under the banner of 'Kill Zhu Jie for the people of Jiangnan,' he has captured Muzhou!"

"Fang La declared that the emperor is incompetent and corrupt, appointing corrupt officials. He will never depose Zhu Jie and abolish the Flower and Stone Gang. The people of Jiangnan should not be deceived by the emperor's delaying tactics! Only by rebelling against this bastard emperor can Zhu Jie be killed!"

(End of this chapter)