Standing in front of Guo Peng, Xu Jing's face was haggard, his eye sockets were deep, and he looked weak and ready to faint at any time.

It seems that the pressure of the emperor and the pressure of social opinion have had a greater impact on him than Guo Peng imagined.

"Your Majesty, old minister...... Ten more days, ten more days, and it will be done......"

I have no confidence to speak, and my voice is a little hoarse.

It looked like if he was left to work for ten more days, and he would be buried in a coffin.

Guo Peng shook his head and sighed.

"Xu Qing, do you know how many ministers I have here to impeach you these days? Do you know how many people want to kill you? ”

"I don't know, but the old minister can probably guess ......"

Xu Jing's face was full of bitterness.

"Hehehe, it's good to guess, to be honest, I didn't expect that this wave of thorough investigation would make them completely tear their faces with you and break with you completely, I thought they could be a little more sensible, don't make things so ugly, but who would have thought that they wouldn't even give you the last bit of face."

Guo Peng's expression of regret seemed to be complaining about Xu Jing: "Xu Qing, they really don't leave you any face, and they want you to die." ”

Xu Jing himself seemed to be very insightful and said with a wry smile: "Your Majesty said that it was a joke, the last bit of face of the old minister was in the post of the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, the filial piety of the past years, and Cui Yan was pulled into the water, and the old minister has already become the target of public criticism." ”

"No, you are not the target of the public, you are the target of the public in my place."

Guo Peng shook his head and stared at Xu Jing: "Where do they want your life?" Xiang Zhuang danced the sword, meaning Pei Gong, where do they want you to die? They clearly wanted me dead. ”

Xu Jing looked at Guo Peng, as if he had seen through everything.

After a while, he lowered his head again.

"Your Majesty, listen to the advice of the old minister, check the lift, don't move! This move is against the people of the world, today's bustling Luoyang, tomorrow, it will be the bustling of the world, Your Majesty, let's stop here, let the old minister die instead of Your Majesty, and the world will be stable. ”

When he said this, Xu Jing's face was full of sadness, and then, there was a trace of relief.

It seems that he really intends to die for Guo Peng.

"Really? People of the world? A few hundred thousand scholars can represent 60 million people in the world? Can you still represent hundreds of thousands of Wei troops in my hands? ”

Guo Peng smiled: "Xu Qing, what you can understand, others can also understand, they all know, I am also Xiang Zhuang sword dance, intended for Pei Gong, the current situation is similar to when Emperor Guangwu wanted to spend the field."

I, like Emperor Guangwu, are moving their lives, it's strange if they don't shout, but Xu Qing, have you noticed that the current situation seems to be different from when Emperor Guangwu wanted to spend his time? ”

Xu Jing raised his head suspiciously.

"What does Your Majesty mean?"

"Back then, Emperor Guangwu wanted to spend the field, but those heroes and strongmen were about to rebel one by one, and Emperor Guangwu first sent troops to suppress it, but it was suppressed here, and it was also up, and it was suppressed there, and this side rose again, and the pressure could not be completed, and the army seemed to be unable to work."

Guo Peng said with a smile: "Emperor Guangwu has seen through it and has to compromise, but do you think today, does anyone dare to openly rebel?" ”

Xu Jing tasted the meaning of Guo Peng's words, and indeed felt that this time was different from the past.

In the past, there were waves of rebellion one after another in the locality, and everyone rebelled with real knives and guns, shaking Liu Xiu's country and forcing Liu Xiu to compromise.

Today, although the voices of these people are loud, they can only shout and scold, and for the time being, no one has really used practical actions to oppose Guo Peng's policy and force Guo Peng to compromise.

Having said that, Guo Peng's force is too strong, will he really compromise?

Xu Jing felt incredible, but he was soon shocked.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, no! In any case, Your Majesty can't use troops to suppress them! Once Luoyang bleeds, the whole world will bleed! What will happen after that, old minister...... I can't predict it! ”

Xu Jing quickly knelt on the ground.

He thought that Guo Peng had decided to send troops to slaughter the scholars, bureaucrats, and students who were making trouble, and kill them until they were terrified, and no one would dare to continue to disobey his will.

This is indeed a once-and-done method, dispatch the Luoyang Black Armor Forbidden Army, bloodbath the official office, Taixue, so naturally, this policy will be passed smoothly, and no one will dare to resist again.

But......

Qin Shi Huang didn't do it so thoroughly back then, and if Guo Peng did it, future generations would definitely call him the first tyrant in history.

There is no guarantee that even what will happen behind him.

So many people were killed...... Someone must have rebelled in despair, right?

Then the emperor and the scholars broke completely, there were no scholars to help the emperor govern the country, people's minds changed, everyone was in danger, and the situation in the Wei Empire would definitely be ......

Xu Jing didn't dare to think about it anymore.

"Xu Qing, what are you thinking?"

Guo Peng laughed for a while: "I will do this kind of thing unless I have to?" It's impossible, kill them all, who will help me govern the country? I was angry, but it didn't get to that point. ”

Xu Jing was relieved when he heard Guo Peng say this.

"Your Majesty......"

"I mean, dogs that bite don't bark, they bark so cheerfully, it means they don't dare to bite, this is a group of people who are very, they are more afraid of me than you are to use troops, because whether to use troops or not, it is all in my thoughts."

Guo Peng sighed: "Things have developed to this point, they don't dare to grin at me directly, so they grin at you, thinking that by killing you, they will force me to give up the thorough investigation of those filial piety pasts."

For the sake of this fig leaf, they can give up a lot of things, including you, they can give up, but Xu Qing, I can't bear you, without you, I can't find such a good helper who can help me manage the Ministry of Rites, you can't die. ”

Guo Peng expressed his attitude to keep Xu Jing, which made Xu Jing very happy.

But Xu Jing was also very puzzled, not knowing how Guo Peng would keep him.

"Your Majesty, there is a bustle outside, all shouting that they want to depose the old minister, they want to kill the old minister, even if Your Majesty gives in, at the very least, they must remove the old minister from his position, the old minister...... I'm afraid I can't help His Majesty take charge of the Ministry of Rites, and the old minister is incompetent. ”

Xu Jing kowtowed.

Guo Peng stepped forward and helped Xu Jing up.

"I am the only one who can remove you from your official position, I will not let go, I will not agree, no one can remove you, of course they can't."

Guo Peng stretched out his hand and patted Xu Jing's shoulder: "But the matter has come to this, Xu Qing, if you want to swim against the current, not only save your life, but also keep your position, then you need to do what ordinary people can't do, and endure what ordinary people can't bear, do you understand?" ”

Xu Jing suddenly had a little bad premonition.

"Your Majesty means ......"

"Didn't I say that? Strive against the stream. ”

Guo Peng grinned: "They want you to retreat and make big concessions, then you have to go the other way and break with them completely, you have to go further, not only to investigate, but also to make a move against the inspection, abolish the inspection, and establish a new move." ”

“……”

Xu Jing stood on the spot, his mouth slightly open, and he looked at Guo Peng in disbelief.

"Xu Qing, don't be surprised, in this case, no matter how you back down, as long as you back down, you won't be able to live, they will definitely chase you hard, once you back down and leak a little cowardice, they will know that you are a bully.

Therefore, your only chance to survive is to fight them-for-tat to the end, knock them down, and step on their corpses to go up, so that you can live, live better, and continue to hold the position of the secretary of the Ministry of Rites. ”

Guo Peng's face was full of temptation: "Even go one step further and walk to the pinnacle of life." ”