dognovel Chapter 1233 I told you to be more alert, and you ended up making a fool of yourself!
Chapter 1233 I told you to be more alert, and you ended up making a fool of yourself!
Vice Minister Chen still lost face.
In fact, none of the officials in the entire court could maintain their composure under the threat of the Embroidered Uniform Guard's sword.
Yang Shaofeng glanced sideways at the slumped Minister Chen on the ground and sneered, "You've already chickened out? Why don't you recover a bit? I much preferred to see your arrogant and unruly demeanor just now!"
Murder and kill!
Li Shanchang squinted and glanced at Yang Shaofeng discreetly.
I made the right choice to lose my hair.
It was right of me to settle all the family businesses early on.
Otherwise, who knows when that crazy Yang will set his sights on me?
Just as Li Shanchang was secretly rejoicing, Vice Minister Chen looked up at Yang Shaofeng and said, "Are you, Yang the Madman, trying to use these things to force me to admit that moving the capital was the right thing to do?"
Before Yang Shaofeng could speak, Vice Minister Chen sneered and said, "I have failed to properly discipline my family and I admit to all the things I have done. I will accept whatever punishment you may give me."
"However, I would never agree to move the capital to Beiping."
"It has nothing to do with any interests, but rather that Beiping is indefensible. Once the barbarian cavalry crosses the Great Wall, they can advance unimpeded, and the court will have to focus most of its energy on defending against them."
"His Highness just said that those who love war will forget it, and those who forget war will be in danger."
"If we move the capital to Beiping, from another perspective, wouldn't that also be a case of forgetting war being dangerous, and being fond of war being..."
In the end, Minister Chen still didn't dare to utter the words "inevitable destruction."
Yang Shaofeng was almost amused by Minister Chen's words.
The most impressive skill of these officials in the Ming Dynasty was to distort the truth and lie through their teeth. If he, Minister Chen, were truly loyal to the Ming Dynasty, would he allow his family members to impersonate Japanese pirates and plunder along the coast?
From the first year of the Hongwu reign to the fifth year, the Ming Dynasty made great efforts to eliminate the Japanese pirates, but they could not be completely eradicated. When the entire Japanese kingdom raised its surrender flag, these coastal pirates suddenly disappeared.
If Minister Chen were truly loyal to the Ming Dynasty, would he maintain close ties with the Chen family, who were descendants of the Pu clan who had changed their surname?
To put it bluntly, even if Minister Chen was genuinely concerned about the safety of the new capital after the relocation, Yang Shaofeng didn't trust him.
The story of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" is not just applicable to folklore.
When an official in the imperial court does too many disgraceful things that are inconsistent with his public image and is discovered, his public image will be ruined, and others will no longer believe him.
Similarly, neither Heizhi Tangyuan nor Li Shanchang would believe what Minister Chen said anymore.
As for the subtle and euphemistic writing style that those officials and gentry were good at...
This tactic might work once or twice, but if used too often, it will eventually be exposed.
For example, Emperor Xiaozong of Ming, Zhu Youcheng, was praised by civil officials as a restorer of the dynasty.
What did he do?
When you try to list the measures that prove his wisdom, sagacity, and benevolence, you'll be surprised to find that what officials truly praise about Zhu Youcheng is actually the "redemption silver" that this fool came up with a hundred or two centuries earlier than Qian Long—officials could actually use silver to redeem themselves for their crimes!
Good heavens! An official embezzled a huge amount of silver, and when his misdeeds were exposed, he used some of it to buy peace. The emperor got the silver, the official landed safely, and could find another opportunity to embezzle in the future. Wouldn't officials love an emperor like that?
He must be lauded as a wise and benevolent ruler!
Another example is Wang Yangming, who was hailed as a sage of his time by the literati of the Ming Dynasty.
What did Wang Yangming do?
To be granted a countship based on martial prowess?
Coincidentally, there were two other ruthless individuals in the Ming Dynasty who were granted the title of Earl for their martial arts skills. These two individuals also happened to be surnamed Wang; one was named Wang Ji, and the other was named Wang Yue.
These two were not well-known, but Wang Yangming became famous. Why?
Because the philosophy of mind emphasizes the mind.
Take, for example, this Vice Minister Chen right in front of us.
What exactly did Vice Minister Chen do?
A search of his file by the Ministry of Personnel reveals nothing about what he has accomplished over the years. Even in the capital's evaluation, this Vice Minister Chen's assessment is merely "average," neither good nor bad.
This guy, who always strives for moderation and allows his family to impersonate Japanese pirates to plunder coastal people, is supposed to be someone who dares to stand up to Yang Shaofeng, known as "the devil's nightmare," in the court for the sake of the safety of the new capital?
Li Shanchang quietly shook his head, sighed softly, stroked his beard, and said, "Why bother? When will this official position end? How much money do I have to rake in to be satisfied?"
The black sesame dumpling looked at Minister Chen again and asked, "Is that all?"
Minister Chen stared blankly at the black sesame dumpling, who shook his head listlessly and said, "What did I tell you? I told you to be more spirited and not embarrass yourself, but you've made a fool of yourself!"
After reprimanding Minister Chen, Heizhi Tangyuan turned to Xia Yu and ordered, "Take this idiot away and lock him in the imperial prison for a thorough interrogation."
After Minister Chen was dragged out, Black Sesame Dumpling glanced at the officials present one last time and said in a deep voice, "I still maintain that the capital should be moved to Beiping. Who agrees? Who disagrees?"
As the words "Black Sesame Dumplings" faded, the entire Fengtian Hall fell silent once again.
The nobles of Huaixi who directly expressed their opinions, like Li Shanchang, were alright. The key was those officials who wanted to oppose them. Just think of Minister Chen, who was dragged out like a dead dog by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and look at Yang Shaofeng's sleeve. Who would dare to bet that Yang Shaofeng had any dirt on them?
Although Yang the Madman claimed that he had long planned to deal with Minister Chen, he was deliberately trying to make a fool of him today, meaning that he had already obtained dirt on Minister Chen.
But what if?
What if Yang the Madman has dirt on himself?
What if Yang the Madman targets the first person to speak out?
No official would dare gamble with the safety of their entire family, or even their nine generations of relatives.
Seeing that none of the officials were speaking, Black Sesame Dumpling chuckled and pointed to the location of Beiping Prefecture on the Kunyu Map, saying, "Since no one objects, let's discuss the matter of moving the capital now."
"If the capital is to be moved to Beiping without causing hardship to the people and wasting resources, then it must be based on the Yuan Dynasty's capital, Dadu."
"Demolish what needs to be demolished, repair what needs to be repaired, and build what needs to be built."
"After the capital is moved, Beiping will become the center of the entire Ming Dynasty. The resources of Liaodong, the resources of the entire north, the resources of Mobei and Qin-Jin will be the source of the new capital's strength."
"As for Nanjing..."
Heizhi Tangyuan grunted and then turned his gaze to Li Shanchang, asking, "What are your thoughts, Prime Minister Li?"