In the Tang Dynasty's Zhenguan era, outside the Daming Palace.
“To neglect state affairs due to personal interests, and then employ treacherous ministers, leading the nation to ruin—such rulers can only be called tyrants!”
Wei Zheng snorted coldly and said emphatically.
Li Shimin nodded in agreement.
Indeed, it’s not a problem for a monarch to have a few hobbies; Emperor Huizong enjoyed calligraphy and painting, and he himself loved fine horses!
For this, he even carved the Six Steeds of Zhao Ling in his mausoleum, known as “Qian Mao Luo,” “Shi Fa Chi,” “Bai Ti Wu,” “Te Le Biao,” “Qing Chui,” and “Sa Lu Zi”!
But that didn’t mean he neglected his governance!
Since Li Shimin ascended the throne, he has been diligent, open to advice, and endured Wei Zheng’s counsel, which has led to the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty today.
In contrast, the actions of Song Huizong are truly embarrassing!
Even someone who plays football can become the Grand Minister, one of the Three Dukes—how can such a great Song not perish?!
“You are right, my minister; future rulers should prioritize state affairs.”
Fortunately, the current Crown Prince Li Chengqian has pleased Li Shimin; he has achieved remarkable results during his regencies and has not become a plaything like Huizong!
……
In the Song Dynasty's Kaiping era, outside the Chui Gong Hall.
“Hmph! Unfilial sons! Is this how you treat my great Song?!”
Unlike the emperors of other realms, Zhao Kuangyin was furious beyond measure at this moment!
He even wished he could fly in front of Zhao Ji and slap this tyrant to death!
“Six traitors? Art? Good, good, good, so this is how my great Song perishes…”
Zhao Kuangyin squinted, exuding a murderous aura, startling the officials present.
“Second brother, although Huizong is not a wise ruler, our great Song has not perished; there is still the Southern Song to follow…”
Zhao Guangyi spoke up to comfort him.
“Third brother, do you think I don’t know? But compared to the Northern Song, the Southern Song is a tremendous disgrace!”
“Those referred to as Southern have always been the southern regimes that split off from the central authority; do you want to see our great Song end up like the Southern Dynasties of old?”
Zhao Kuangyin was filled with despair, recalling Huizong's actions and the later divisions of the Song, his heart burned with endless anger!
“This…”
Zhao Guangyi was left speechless; indeed, which emperor would want their dynasty to be a regime with only half the territory?
Moreover, the current great Song has not even recovered the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun; compared to previous dynasties, it can no longer be considered a complete unified nation, let alone the lost Southern Song in the Huai River basin?
For a moment, all the officials present fell silent, their faces grim.
With such a monarch in the great Song, how could it not perish…
……
In the Song Dynasty's Xuanhe era, at the Genyue Palace Garden.
“Clang!”
As soon as Zhao Ji saw the golden list was finalized, he hurriedly stood up, his face turning pale, and his breathing quickened!
“A tyrant… I am actually a tyrant…”
The wine cup fell to the ground with a crisp sound, and everyone present dared not speak!
“Impossible! This golden list is talking nonsense, spreading falsehoods!”
Among the crowd, Cai Jing was the first to stand up, pointing at the golden list in the air, filled with righteous indignation.
There was no way around it; the golden list not only insulted Zhao Ji but also condemned their group of “Six Traitors”!
At the same time, Tong Guan, Yang Jian, Gao Qiu, Zhu Yan, and Wang Fu all stood up excitedly, no longer drinking or admiring the scenery, all glaring at the golden list and cursing!
“Rebellious words! This golden list is spreading falsehoods!”
“Exactly! Our great Song's national strength is on the rise; where does this talk of national ruin come from?”
“What about the grand construction projects? Our great Song is prosperous, and the treasury is full; what's wrong with spending a bit more to renovate the Ming Tang Palace Garden?!”
“If this can be considered a crime, then all the officials in the court might as well do nothing!”
Everyone chimed in, and after venting their anger, they suddenly realized that His Majesty had yet to speak!
Then they all turned to look at Zhao Ji!
Not noticing was one thing, but upon looking, they were shocked; Zhao Ji had his eyes tightly shut, his face filled with rage!
Cai Jing and the others exchanged glances and quickly determined their talking points.
“Your Majesty, it doesn’t matter if this golden list insults us ministers, but it dares to slander Your Majesty; there must be someone spreading falsehoods!”
“Yes, Your Majesty, you must not believe what this golden list says!”
Everyone was afraid; if His Majesty really got angry and executed them, the “traitors,” wouldn’t they be doomed?
So they had to persuade His Majesty vigorously, not to believe the words on the golden list!
As expected, after they finished speaking, Zhao Ji finally reacted, looking as if he had aged ten years, waving his hand with a somewhat dejected expression:
“What you say makes sense; it must be that the golden list made a mistake…”
Upon hearing this, everyone was overjoyed; their lives were saved!
“Your Majesty is wise!”
Zhao Ji waved his hand for everyone to take their seats, but at this moment, his mood had already sunk to rock bottom!
Is what the golden list said really just falsehoods? Probably not; who among those present didn’t know that apart from immortals, who else could create such a golden list and broadcast it across the realm?
Since it was said by the heavenly Dao immortal, how could it possibly be a lie?
Zhao Ji said this because if he dealt with the “Six Traitors,” it would indirectly acknowledge the truth of the golden list and indicate to the world that he indeed was a tyrant!
And this eternal infamy, Zhao Ji did not want to bear, so he could only wave his hand for everyone to take their seats, pretending nothing had happened…
Meanwhile, among the common people of the great Song, emotions ran high; the citizens knelt in the streets, looking up at the sky, shouting loudly:
“Heaven has opened its eyes, heaven has opened its eyes!”
“Wuwuwu! Heaven has finally scolded those treacherous ministers; they deserve to die!”
“Exactly, now that heaven has made it public, how can the old emperor remain indifferent?!”
“We must execute the treacherous ministers to repay the world!”
“Not necessarily; didn’t the golden list say? Our emperor is also a tyrant!”
“If he is a tyrant, how could he possibly execute the treacherous ministers…”
……
In the Ming Dynasty's Hongwu era, outside the Feng Tian Hall.
“Biao’er, did you see? The harm of tyrants and treacherous ministers is immense!”
Zhu Yuanzhang squinted his eyes and said coldly:
“That’s why we are decisively investigating the cases of Hu Weiyong and the empty seal, to let these treacherous ministers know that attempting to deceive the sovereign is simply seeking death!”
Zhu Biao nodded, “What Father says is true, but in my opinion, the reason for the emergence of the Six Traitors is due to Huizong's own incompetence and foolishness, which gave them the opportunity to flatter and present gifts.”
“If the monarch is wise, these treacherous ministers naturally cannot get close.”
Listening to Zhu Biao’s words, Zhu Yuanzhang was first taken aback, then overjoyed; he patted Zhu Biao’s shoulder and laughed heartily:
“Biao’er is right; treacherous ministers are not to be feared, but tyrants are!”
After saying this, Zhu Yuanzhang’s fierce gaze turned to the crowd below!
These were the feudal lords who had just been summoned to observe the list and had not yet left the capital!
“Did you hear that? Once you go to your fiefs, you must treat the common people well; you cannot act like Huizong, otherwise, even if we are in Yingtian, we can still deal with you!”
The feudal lords nodded in fear, unable to stop themselves from agreeing, “We will remember, Your Majesty!”
……
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