June of the fifth year of Tang Yonghui.

The great water in Hengzhou, 5,300 families drowned.

It's night.

Wannian Palace.

In the inner sanctum.

Li Zhi held Li Hong sleeping in his arms in his arms, looked at the sheets in front of him, and ordered everything in an orderly manner:

"Send the Ministry of Works, set up a payment of silver, go to Hengzhou, and first find a place to live, repair the Qing'an (a simple temporary residence), and manage all related things to settle the victims."

"In addition, I will order the household department to immediately draw up a disaster relief form and submit it, I will take a look at it, and then send relevant officials to the disaster relief area."

"At the same time, I will spread the will again, this time the disaster is serious, not the people are suffering, and the officials who should suffer should also be comforted, and according to the size of their duties, past achievements, and fame among the people, they can be comforted again, so as to show mercy."

De'an, who personally took the pen and listened to the order, was stunned, but said:

"Lord, this great plague is like this, but the officials will be rewarded...... Isn't it ......"

"Of course, there must be a reward, if there is no grace in the front, how to punish the last?"

Sitting on one side with a big belly, Li Zhi, who was helping on the side, looked at Mei Niang, who was playing sparsely in various places, and said softly:

"Because grace and forgiveness are like this, once someone behaves disqualifiedly, there is no room for forgiveness."

After Mei Niang finished speaking, Li Zhi nodded lightly and said softly:

"This decree of mercy and forgiveness should be followed by a warning decree, which should make it clear that if an official secretly engages in private affairs, or will he take this opportunity to make a fortune......

No matter how high or small the position is, there is no forgiveness for all of them. Add another sentence......"

Li Zhi sat up straight, looked at De'an in front of him, and said softly:

"If there are people who practice personal interest in this disaster relief, from the fourth rank or below, the imperial history of the Qin Cha has already found out that the matter is an iron case, then you can cut it first and then play it, regardless of whether the official is high or low, and ignore whether there is grace or not. From the four products, both the four products, one should be reported to the Dali Temple for strict examination. Once verified, it should be reported to the three dukes, and the official registration will be confiscated, and the person who does the matter will be beheaded, and the descendants of the three generations of the three clans and four relatives will not be allowed to enter the official ranks.

The most important thing is ...... Exterminate the Nine Clans. ”

After Li Zhi said this, De'an was so shocked that he didn't dare to speak for a while, and then he said:

"But...... I can't punish the doctor......"

"Speaking of the court, this matter, no matter the three princes and nine secretaries, the first prince of the country, or even the princes and princesses, once there is a person who violates the precepts in this matter, there will be no forgiveness."

Li Zhi didn't look back and dropped this sentence, so he didn't say anything more, just buried his head and frowned and studied the recital table that would be presented in front of him.

Dean gasped lightly, looked at Mei Niang, his eyes seemed to be a little hesitant, but after seeing Mei Niang who did not raise his head, he shook his head lightly, closed his eyes, and then opened his eyes again, his eyes were resolute, and he saluted lightly:

"Obey."

Then he hurried out of the temple.

In the entire inner sanctum, only two husbands and wives were left reading candles.

After a while, Li Zhi suddenly asked:

"You don't want to persuade me?"

"The first emperor had a saying, which he often recited during his lifetime, and when Zhilang was the king of Jin, he explicitly hinted at Mei Niang and mentioned some Zhilang."

"What?"

"Jun, Zhouya; People, water too. Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize a boat. ”

Li Zhi smiled, nodded, joined in, reached out and gently shook Mei Niang's hand in the palm of his hand, his eyes were gentle:

"Being born an emperor is really not a happy thing, but with your ......"

His eyes drooped slightly, and he raised it again, looking at Mei Niang's eyes even brighter:

"Indeed, this suffering has become a joy."

Mei Niang pursed her lips and smiled, blooming like a flower under the lamp.

Ten days later.

Wannian Palace.

In the Great Treasure Hall.

Above the early dynasty.

Li Zhi, who was towering in the crown, lowered his eyes, looked at the Zhuyi officials who were kneeling on the ground in front of him, not daring to raise his head, but clearly revealing some fearless colors, and then quietly glanced at the list of ministers next to him, and a face that was already shining with some water on his forehead was originally an extraordinary, arrogant old minister, but slowly closed his eyelids, and after a while, his plump lips were like pearls before he spat out a word:

"This time the difficulty of Hengzhou is already the wrath of heaven, and I am terrified, and I beg day and night that if the sky is in trouble, it should be in my body......

There are also strict edicts, and the favor is lenient in the front, and the ministers are not allowed to accept the ...... privately on the basis of all kinds of reasons

However, although the order is strict and the grace of heaven is lenient, there are still unscrupulous people who make profits for their own interests, and even secretly sell high and buy low, so as to bring disaster to the people......

Now that the evidence is conclusive, I have nothing to do. Where is His Highness Jin Wuwei? ”

"In!"

Li Zhi looked at the man who was kneeling on the ground, but a cold sweat was already on his head, and said lightly:

"The king of Hengzhou Prefecture should take advantage of his position to seek his personal interests before the catastrophe, which can be described as adding fuel to the fire and an unforgivable sin. Ordered to seize his official status, confiscate his family property, and remove the grace of his three clans (the qualifications of Enyin), Wang Yingzhi beheaded him in court, and hung his head in front of Hengzhou City, with the anger of the people, to comfort the people! ”

A light and light sentence shocked the courtiers of the Manchu Dynasty to change color, and the Zhuyi official Wang Yingzhi was even more stunned in an instant-

Yes, he was warned not to do it, but he always thought it was ...... But he always thought ......

"Your Majesty...... Your Majesty......"

He began to panic, looked up, stretched out his hand forward in a begging gesture, walked a few steps on his knees, and stopped wailing:

"Your Majesty...... Your Majesty...... Please also read in the Emperor's ......"

"Your Majesty!"

A louder voice interrupted his words, Wang Ying was stunned at first, but immediately recognized the owner of this voice, his face showed a hint of joy, and he turned his head to look at the person who was out of the queue at the same time.

That's right, it was he who had nothing to do with it at all, but it was his last hopeful in-law Liu Zheng.

"What's the matter with Liu Qing?"

Li Zhi looked at him and asked lightly.

Liu Zheng didn't move his eyes, looked at Li Zhi firmly, and said lightly:

"Your Majesty, you are more gracious, you give blessings first, and more warnings later, but you still can't resist such villains. The minister is not talented, and he is ashamed to be under the same jade ladder as this person.

However, when it comes to the people involved in this matter, I should ask Your Majesty to think of the national system, and it is better to lower his rank first, and then deal with it. ”

When these words were spoken, all the clan courtiers should have been, and only the ministers led by the Long family were silent.

Also silent are those poor officials who have been watching from the sidelines and can't make a statement.

Li Zhi looked at Wang Yingzhi, who suddenly had a face as white as earth, but still sighed and accepted his fate after all, turned his head and looked at the eldest grandson Wuji, who was silent, like an old monk, and his lips that were about to open suddenly closed, and he said softly after a while:

What Liu Qing said is extremely true. However, this matter is very important, not to mention that this thief is so arrogant, if he is cut and punished again, it will be difficult to solve the hatred of all the good ministers and the people. Come on, obsessed! ”

"Yes!"

A mountain and sea of shouts came from the bottom of the stairs, shattering Wang Yingzhi's last calm, and also provoked a series of pleas from Liu Zheng.

But Li Zhi didn't respond, just got up lightly, looked at Liu Zheng who was still working hard, and said:

"Liu Qing, why do you plead so much for a sin?"

A word, like thunder, slashed straight into Liu Zheng's ears, making him sober up immediately.

For a long moment, he was silent and desperate, looking at the faces of Wang Yingzhi, who was also even more desperate, and the other members of the Wang clan who were also defeated. And after De'an announced the "retreat from the dynasty", after the Guanlong members who came out of the stream left, they were still sitting in place blankly, the faces of the clan officials of Taiyuan King and Hedong Liu......

Suddenly, he seemed to see a scene......

It was late last autumn when he stumbled upon the pomegranate flower in front of the bedroom door, and all that was left was a dead branch and leaf. The gray-blue sky is overwhelming.

Heavyly, he collapsed backwards, unable to get up again.

A moment later.

On the side of the Great Treasure Hall, outside the Shang Study, inside the Small Flower Hall.

The ministers of Guanlong, who had already changed some light clothes and were ready to have a routine discussion with Li Zhi, who was also easy to replace the court clothes, looked at the eldest grandson Wuji, who was sitting in the center and was silent, with solemn faces.

After a while, Pei Xingjian, who was also dressed in red clothes, stepped forward and asked softly:

"Lord Taiwei, this time the lord is in trouble, and it is clear that he wants to slap Lord Liu and the queen's mother in the face, are we ......?"

"Master Pei, if the Lord is in trouble, it's better not to say it."

The eldest grandson Wuji slowly opened his eyes, looked at Pei Xingjian calmly, and asked softly:

"Wang Yingyi's case, you have also carefully reviewed the files and evidence, can Dali Temple wronged him?"

Pei Xingjian hesitated, glanced at Tang Jian, who was slightly dissatisfied, and then laughed embarrassedly and said softly:

"This is a very important matter, Tang Gong is also very concerned about this case, and even temporarily transferred Na Di Renjie back to Beijing to quickly investigate this case, how can it be wrong?"

Tang Jian nodded, his eyes still slightly unhappy:

"Exactly. After all, Wang Yingzhi is in a high position, and he is Liu Zhongshu's close relative, and he is the queen's distant cousin, so the old man has no choice but to draw Huaiying back.

I knew that Master Pei cared so much about this case, but I really didn't need to call him back. ”

Pei Xingjian knew that what he did this time was really inappropriate - everything was just because he was selfish and befriended Liu Zheng, so he smiled awkwardly, and Tang Jian sneered, not daring to say more.

Fortunately, the eldest grandson Wuji made a round and said lightly:

"After all, you can't blame thrift. In the end, this case broke out at this time, which is really strange...... Now the situation in the back court, everyone can see it clearly, whether it is the queen or the concubine, it is clear that it is a situation that cannot be defeated by Wu Meiniang. If she did anything between the previous dynasties and pulled out Liu Zheng, the queen's biggest support, it would be a dump......

No matter how bad the queen is, she is also a queen in the end, and her easy abolition will inevitably shake the country's foundation. What's more, we can all see that once the queen falls, it will be difficult for Concubine Shu to ensure her own safety, and once the queen falls into the hands of the Wu family, it will be very difficult for me to be in the Tang Dynasty.

Therefore, we should try our best to save it. ”

Tang Jian is an old and spicy person, why don't you know these truths? It was difficult to make a move, but because he knew that Pei Xingjian was really a little selfish when he asked like this, he heard that the eldest grandson Wuji was doing this for Pei Xingjian, so it was naturally not easy to chase after him, so he also nodded heavily and said worriedly:

"yes...... In fact, today, no matter what Wang Yingzhi is, Lord Liu should not come out like this...... Now that he has come out of this, it depends on whether he can see through the fame of this. ”

The eldest grandson Wuji also nodded heavily, and said lightly:

"Indeed...... It's up to him to see through it......"

There was a trace of incomprehensible anxiety and helplessness in his eyes.

……

"See through? See through what? ”

At the same time, in the Wannian Palace, Mei Niang's dormitory.

Hearing Mei Niang's comments on today's affairs in the court, saying that everything depends on whether Liu Zheng has the ability to see through, Suqin, who was peeling peaches and Hong'er to eat, couldn't help blinking and asking.

Mei Niang smiled faintly, closed the scroll in her hand and said:

"Look at Jiro's plan this time."

"A plan to punish the heart?"

"That's right, it's a heart-wrenching plan."

Mei Niang smiled leisurely, took a cup of tea and took a sip before saying slowly:

"Now for the queen, the only person who can really rely on her in the Manchu Dynasty is her maternal uncle. But her mother-in-law and uncle are quite arrogant...... Or some characters who don't have much energy-

Just look at the previous time when he entered the palace, he had offended the palace concubines many times because of some trivial things, and he refused to admit it so much.

Such a character, coupled with his cautious nature and sensitive mind, inevitably made him suspicious.

This move to govern Lang is really a double win, one is to kill Wang Yingzhi to warn those who still have some thoughts in the secret, want to make a fortune on top of the Hengzhou disaster, thinking that they can get away with the crime safely, and the other is also to shock Liu Zheng.

After all, the marriage between Wang Yingzhi's daughter and Liu Zheng's son is a big weakness of him in this matter, and his temperament must not help but ask for a favor for his future in-laws. But once you intercede......

Najiro will definitely not agree. First, there are two wills of grace and police first, and the words of the Son of Heaven are extraordinary. What's more, the words of the Son of Heaven are really a promise, a promise to the people of the world. If you don't do it, you will be able to win the hearts of the people in the future.

In this way, Yu Zhilang has the best excuse to kill the wind of the Taiyuan Wang clan - a Zhuyi official committed the crime of corruption for some petty profits, and was even punished for offending the order of the Son of Heaven...... This is a big stain, and it can be said that the reputation of several generations has been ruined by such an incident. And in order to minimize this humiliation, Liu Zheng will inevitably come forward to ask Jiro to remove him from his post first, and then punish his crime...... Originally, this was a compromise.

It's just that between Jiro's promise and non-agreement, it has a twofold effect. ”

Suqin immediately understood:

"If you agree, it will be equivalent to showing that the lord still has some affection for Liu Zheng, and he still has some kindness to the Taiyuan Wang family, and the queen's status is worry-free for a while.

But if you don't agree, it will be equivalent to telling Liu Zheng clearly, don't say that he is Liu Zheng, it is the Taiyuan Wang family, and the status of this queen may not be able to ensure that this Wang Ying will be punished with dignity without losing his Wang family, right? ”

Mei Niang nodded and said with a smile:

"Then the next thing is Liu Zheng...... Su Qin, you think, since Liu Zheng is so suspicious and hesitant...... What will Jiro do if he rejects him this time? ”

Su Qin thought about it slightly, and immediately looked abrupt:

"He must try the Lord's mind, is it really not a little bit of face for him, or is it because Wang Yingzhi's matter really angered Long Yan, so he will make the Lord angry!"

"Yes, he'll try, and when he does...... That's when he threw himself into the net. ”

Mei Niang smiled lightly.

Su Qin looked at Mei Niang's smile like this, and suddenly asked without thinking:

"The wisdom of the Lord, unparalleled in the world, Liu Zheng's temperament, the decisions he will make, and the direction of the development of the situation, should have been understood a long time ago?"

After saying this, she immediately stuck out her tongue and covered her mouth.

Mei Niang looked at her, but smiled silently.