dognovel Chapter 124 Power dazzles the eye, jealousy corrupts the heart
Chapter 124 Power dazzles the eye, jealousy corrupts the heart
The name Yang Shaofeng was not unfamiliar to Li Shanchang, Hu Weiyong, and others; in fact, it was so familiar that they were practically tired of hearing it.
Of course, like Wu Zude, the prefect of Yanzhou, and Wang Guangyang, the councilor of the Shandong Provincial Secretariat, Li Shanchang, Hu Weiyong, and other bigwigs in the court did not have a good impression of Yang Shaofeng either.
Reckless and impulsive, prone to causing trouble, and unable to unite with colleagues.
Anyone would have a headache if they had a subordinate like that.
The key is that you can't afford to mess with him—this bastard surnamed Yang is not greedy for money, women, or fame. Even if he is greedy for food, it's only because he's raising chickens. In the six months he's been an official, he hasn't eaten a single meal at a commoner's house, nor has he taken a single penny from the commoners. You just can't find anything about him that you can attack!
As for things like privately dividing up land, setting up breeding farms and livestock ranches... well, the same things would be capital offenses for officials in Jiangnan, but for Magistrate Yang, they're nothing at all.
After all, that bastard still has a secret identity, and before that special aura wears off, anyone who wants to mess with him has to think twice about whether their head is tough enough.
Not to mention, there were also rumors circulating in the palace that Empress Ma intended to marry Jin'er and Yu'er off to this bastard surnamed Yang.
This news made Li Shanchang, Hu Weiyong, and other bigwigs so angry they wanted to cry!
Damn it, many officials in the court knew that Jin'er and Yu'er were the most favored maids in front of Empress Ma, but only the old brothers from Huaixi knew that although Jin'er and Yu'er were maids, their status in Empress Ma's heart was almost the same as that of her own daughters, and in the heart of Zhu Biao, the executive vice emperor of the Ming Dynasty, they were almost the same as his own sisters.
To put it simply, the old brothers from Huaixi have a consensus: if a family's son can marry Jin'er or Yu'er, at least their family's wealth and prosperity will last for three generations.
Now look what's happened! That bastard surnamed Yang might just take both of them as his wives!
They were filled with rage; Li Shanchang, Hu Weiyong, and other bigwigs were absolutely furious.
However, no matter how much bigwigs like Li Shanchang and Hu Weiyong disliked Yang Shaofeng, they had to admit that this lowly seventh-rank official who appeared out of nowhere was truly capable and was by no means an ordinary person.
In particular, the commotion that Magistrate Yang caused in Ningyang County seemed audacious and absurd at first glance, but upon closer inspection, they were all good things that benefited the country and the people. Almost every single one of them struck a chord with Emperor Zhu Chongba.
For example, in this memorial he submitted, he requested the abolition of the Hu customs.
The real bigwigs in the court all knew that Emperor Zhu Chongba had long wanted to abolish the Hu customs.
However, due to various concerns, the high-ranking officials in the court had not submitted any memorials, so Emperor Zhu Chongba could only postpone it for the time being.
At the very least, the matter of abolishing the Hu customs will not be brought up again until the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun are completely pacified.
Now that someone surnamed Yang is acting as a pawn, do you think Emperor Zhu can still tolerate it?
Just as Li Shanchang, Hu Weiyong, and other bigwigs were secretly complaining, Emperor Zhu Chongba waved the memorial in his hand and said, "Everyone, what do you all think of this memorial requesting the abolition of the Hu customs?"
Li Shanchang subtly pursed his lips, stroked his beard, and said, “Your Excellency, this barbarian custom must be abolished—today, Chen Er from Yanzhou Prefecture wants to marry his sister-in-law; who knows if another Chen San from elsewhere will want to take his father’s concubine? Such immoral acts must be strictly prohibited.”
Emperor Zhu Chongba nodded slightly, then turned his gaze to Hu Weiyong, Liu Bowen, and Yang Xian.
Yang Xian cupped his hands and said, “Your Majesty, I believe that the Hu customs should be abolished. However, the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun have not yet been recovered. If they are abolished now, it may cause unrest among the people and gentry in Yan and Yun, which would slow down the army’s recovery of Yan and Yun, which would be undesirable.”
Emperor Zhu Chongba's smile remained unchanged. After saying "Oh," he asked, "Then, according to Minister Yang, we should postpone the abolition of the Hu customs?"
Yang Xian cupped his hands and replied, "Yes. I believe we should postpone it until the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun are fully recovered before abolishing the Hu customs."
After a slight pause, Yang Xian added, "Even if we were to abolish them now, we should only abolish the Hu customs that violate human ethics, such as levirate marriage. If we were to abolish things like the Hu surname now, it would really risk provoking a rebellion among the Hu people who have already submitted."
Li Shanchang glanced at Yang Xian discreetly before continuing to feign ignorance with his eyes slightly narrowed.
Yang Xian is finished.
No matter how much he appears to be wholeheartedly for the sake of the nation, or how loyal he seems to be to the country, it cannot change the fact that he is opposing for the sake of opposing.
At least in the eyes of Emperor Zhu Chongba, Yang Xian was opposing for the sake of opposing. He was not only opposing the county magistrate Yang's proposal to "completely abolish the customs of the barbarians," but also opposing Emperor Zhu himself.
As for whether Yang Xian was opposing for the sake of opposition or for the sake of the stability of the dynasty, does it still matter?
Li Shanchang couldn't help but sigh inwardly, lamenting both Yang Xian's lack of pragmatism and the allure of power and the turmoil of jealousy.
As the saying goes, those involved are often confused, while bystanders see things clearly. Perhaps Yang Xian has not yet realized his own changes, but in Li Shanchang's view, the reason why Yang Xian has become like this is not only closely related to the dismissal of his brother Yang Xisheng, but also closely related to that county magistrate surnamed Yang.
Hey.
Yang Xian was jealous of the county magistrate surnamed Yang.
Funny, isn't it?
How could a high-ranking official like the Vice Chancellor of the Imperial Secretariat be jealous of a mere seventh-rank county magistrate? Who would believe that?
Reality is absurd; Yang Xian, who served as the Vice Minister of the Secretariat, was indeed jealous of a seventh-rank county magistrate.
However, Yang Xian should never have put his jealousy above national affairs, and he should never have opposed the proposal to "completely abolish the Hu customs" because of his jealousy.
Just as Li Shanchang was secretly feeling sorry for Yang Xian, Emperor Zhu Chongba was also secretly lamenting his loss.
However, Emperor Zhu Chongba did not show any abnormality on his face. Instead, he smiled and said, "Minister Yang's words can be considered wise and insightful advice for governing the country."
After a slight pause, Emperor Zhu Chongba looked at Li Shanchang and the others and asked, "Why don't we follow Minister Yang's suggestion and postpone the proposal to abolish all Hu customs? Let's first abolish Hu customs that are contrary to human ethics, such as levirate marriage, and put the rest aside for now?"
Li Shanchang felt sorry for Yang Xian's talent, but he also wished for Yang Xian to suffer misfortune. Therefore, he simply cupped his hands and replied, "Your subject seconds the motion."
Hu Weiyong immediately echoed the suggestion, but Liu Bowen simply cupped his hands and said, “Your Majesty, I believe we should follow Magistrate Yang’s suggestion and abolish all Hu customs. As the saying goes, ‘One should strike while the iron is hot, but the second will be weaker and the third will be exhausted.’ Now that the Hu Yuan’s power is waning, it is the time when they are exhausted and we are strong. We should strike while the iron is hot and abolish all Hu customs.”
After a slight pause, Liu Bowen added, "Magistrate Yang's actions are often unexpected, but in retrospect, they are all beneficial to the country. Since Magistrate Yang chose to petition for the abolition of Hu customs when Prime Minister Xu and Grand Councilor Chang were about to besiege Dadu, he must have had a profound reason. How can we set it aside just because the surrendered Hu people are at risk of rebellion?"
Emperor Zhu Chongba glanced at Liu Bowen unexpectedly, and Li Shanchang also glanced at Liu Bowen.
Liu Bowen almost pointed his finger at Yang Xian and called him an idiot: "Are you, Yang Xian, as shrewd as Magistrate Yang? Can you understand his various actions? Since Magistrate Yang is demanding the abolition of barbarian customs at this critical juncture, he might have some special reason. If something goes wrong because of your opposition, Yang Xian, can you, an idiot, take responsibility?"
This old fox actually wants to protect Yang Xian now?
Emperor Zhu Chongba chuckled and said, "What Minister Yang said makes sense, and what Master Bowen said also makes sense. This really puts us in a difficult position."
Li Shanchang glanced at Emperor Zhu discreetly, then stroked his beard and said, "Your Majesty, this old minister has an idea, but I don't know if I should say it?"
Zhu Chongba smiled and replied, "Brother Shanchang, please speak freely. We are not in the imperial court now, so there is no question of whether it is appropriate to speak or not."
Li Shanchang smiled and said, “Sir, as Brother Bowen just said, Magistrate Yang of Ningyang acts like a wild horse, and although he does many things for the country and the people, he is sometimes difficult for ordinary people to understand.”
Liu Bowen glanced at Li Shanchang and thought to himself that it was that old man Li Shanchang who categorized Yang Xian as a mediocre talent with just one sentence.
Li Shanchang was completely unaware that Liu Bowen was criticizing him in his heart. He just smiled and said, "For example, this time, the matter of abolishing the Hu customs is not without reason. However, what Magistrate Yang reported is not wrong either."
"I believe it would be better to separate Ningyang County from Yanzhou Prefecture and place it under the direct jurisdiction of the Central Secretariat or the Crown Prince's Palace. All matters could then be decided by Magistrate Yang. If it is good, it can be extended from Ningyang County to the whole of Shandong and even the whole of the Ming Dynasty. If it is bad, Magistrate Yang can be ordered to correct it. The impact will be limited to Ningyang."
As soon as Li Shanchang finished speaking, Liu Bowen and Hu Weiyong immediately bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, I second that proposal."
Yang Xian was dissatisfied, but dared not continue to resist. Helpless, he could only bow to Emperor Zhu and say, "Your subject seconds the motion."
Emperor Zhu Chongba pondered for a moment, then suddenly laughed and said, "We just said that Yang Xian's words were wise and insightful, but now it seems that Brother Shanchang is indeed more experienced."
"Well, let's do it this way then. Later, your Secretariat will come up with a plan to separate Ningyang County. As for that Yang the Madman... Magistrate Yang can go ahead and do whatever he wants. We, the emperor and his ministers, will keep an eye on him from the capital."
"If he manages to come up with something good, we'll just take it; if he comes up with something bad, we can correct him in time."
"Let's handle the abolition of Hu customs in the same way this time. In Ningyang County, we will follow his request and abolish all Hu customs. In other places, we will temporarily follow Yang Xian's advice and abolish Hu customs that violate human ethics, such as levirate marriage."