Chapter 354 Must Face
"I understand. If Your Majesty has no other instructions, I will take my leave." Han Zhang bowed.
"Go!" Zhao Xing nodded slightly.
Han Zhang seemed to be hesitant to speak, and in the end he said nothing, bowed and walked out.
The results of the palace examination had not yet come out, but the emperor was about to arrive in Bianliang.
Zhao Xing personally led all the officials out of the city for ten miles to welcome him. The imperial guards who were seeing the retired emperor off stopped far away, and the retired emperor's carriage moved forward.
"Your son respectfully welcomes your father!"
"Your subjects respectfully welcome the Emperor!"
Zhao Xing led all the officials to come forward and pay their respects.
The Emperor stepped out of the carriage with the help of Empress Dowager Cao and raised his hand, saying, "Stand up!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" all the officials shouted in unison.
"The emperor has just ascended the throne, and it is all thanks to the assistance of you ministers that the government is in harmony. I will hold a banquet in the palace tonight to entertain you ministers." The emperor said with a smile.
"Your Majesty, you are too polite. This is our duty as a minister." All the officials said in unison.
"Fuer, come in the car and talk to me." The emperor looked at Zhao Xing and said.
"Yes!"
Zhao Xing boarded the carriage along with his father, the emperor, and his mother, the empress.
The emperor's dragon chariot was very large, like a mobile palace.
Zhao Xing also had a chariot like this, but he never used it after he ascended the throne.
"Father has been in Luoyang for a few months, and he looks much better." Zhao Xing said with a smile.
"Haha, I feel free to be free from worries. After I abdicate, there is nothing to worry about." The emperor said with a smile.
"Your Majesty goes out for a walk every day in Luoyang, and his eating, drinking and resting are all regular. Unlike before, you were busy all day long and often didn't get enough rest." Queen Mother Cao said with a smile.
"Mother looks much better now. She looks like she is ten years younger." Zhao Xing said with a smile.
"Haha." Empress Dowager Cao laughed and said, "Your Majesty, look, Fu'er is still as sweet as before now that he is an official."
"Haha." The emperor laughed loudly, asked Zhao Xing to sit down, and said, "You did a good job in providing disaster relief in Jiangzhou, but executing the officials was a bit too rash."
"Please give me your instructions, Father." Zhao Xing bowed.
"Those people can be killed, but there is no need to execute them. After all, they are officials, and they should be given some dignity. You rewarded their families to court officials, which is a bad move." said the emperor.
Although he was in Luoyang, he knew all the big and small things happening in the court.
When the retired emperor first learned that Zhao Xing had executed several officials, he was actually very opposed to it.
However, because of the distance, by the time he learned the news, Zhao Xing had already issued the order.
Even if the emperor disagreed, he could not stop Zhao Xing at that time.
Firstly, this would affect Zhao Xing's dignity. Secondly, he had already abdicated. If he forcibly intervened in government affairs, a situation of two emperors ruling the country would emerge.
This will only create resentment between the father and son.
Later, the retired emperor's mentality changed a little, and he felt that executing a few officials was not a big deal.
However, he still strongly disagreed with Zhao Xing's order to execute the officials in public and to give the officials' families to court officials.
"What your father taught me is true. I have reflected on these things afterwards and they were indeed a bit extreme," said Zhao Xing.
He didn't say this to appease his father. He really felt that his previous actions were inappropriate.
He did not think there was anything wrong with executing Zhao Xing in public, but it was a bit inappropriate to reward the family members of the criminal officials to the court officials. He did so at the time, on the one hand because he was angry, and on the other hand he was learning from Zhu.
Zhu Yuanzhang forbade officials from entering brothels. If officials wanted to drink wine, they could only go to the Jiaofangsi.
The official prostitutes of the Jiaofangsi were all family members of officials who had been convicted of crimes.
Doing so will also allow those officials to see the fate of the families of criminals and deter them.
However, there was no such rule in the Song Dynasty. Although the Jiaofangsi had the right to manage brothels in the world, the Jiaofangsi itself was a brothel exclusively owned by the government.
Simply put, among the officials’ wives who were sent to the Jiaofangsi, the older ones were all slaves, while the young and beautiful ones were specially trained for the emperor’s enjoyment.
Whether the emperor enjoyed it or not is one thing, but the Jiaofangsi itself was not an official brothel.
Zhao Xing was not interested in those women. He gave them as rewards to those officials, also learning from Zhu Yuanzhang to intimidate those officials.
But Zhao Xing ignored the fact that his current situation was different from that of Zhu Yuanzhang.
Moreover, Zhu Yuanzhang was the founding emperor and had the confidence to suppress everything.
However, Zhao Xing's actions did not have much deterrent effect.
The purpose of deterrence is to prevent people from being corrupt, or to encourage officials who have already been corrupt but have not been discovered to stop in time.
However, those people to whom Zhao Xing rewarded their officials and their wives were all people who had problems themselves.
This has no deterrent effect at all, but instead seems to be telling them that one day their families will be like those officials' families.
It will only make them more determined to oppose some of Zhao Xing's policies.
Boiling a frog in warm water means slowly heating up cold water. As the temperature increases, the frog gradually adapts.
But what Zhao Xing had done before was to boil the water first and then put the frog in.
Now, the frog will definitely try every means to escape.
Zhao Xing realized that he had made a somewhat stupid decision in anger, but there was nothing he could do.
You can't take back the official's family members who were given as rewards, right?
The emperor looked at Zhao Xing's expression carefully and saw that he was sincere and not perfunctory. He was relieved and said, "It's enough for you to recognize your mistakes. It's impossible for people not to make mistakes in their lives. Making mistakes is not terrible. What's terrible is that you are clearly wrong but dare not face up to your mistakes."
"Your son will always remember your father's teachings!" Zhao Xing said respectfully.
The Emperor nodded slightly and asked, "What are you going to do about Zhu Shiquan? Your mother has been getting a little anxious lately. I'm afraid she will talk to you about this tomorrow."
"I don't know what to do at this moment. Father, can you teach me?" Zhao Xing said with a wry smile.
There is sufficient evidence to prove what Zhu Shiquan did. Based on the existing evidence, he will not be able to escape the death penalty.
Zhao Xing had no feelings for him, and he had also warned him before, so he had done his best.
Given Zhao Xing's personality, he would have wanted to order his execution directly.
Who made him cause so much trouble?
Even if he finds a way to save him this time, after this incident, the next time Zhao Xing deals with corrupt officials, he will be lacking in confidence and will be restrained.
"Since you use law as the essay question for the imperial examination, you must want to clarify the canonical punishment. And to achieve this, you cannot avoid the relatives by marriage and the royal family. You must face them. How to do it depends on you. I can't teach you." The retired emperor shook his head.
Zhao Xing was silent for a long time after hearing this, and then said, "I understand!"
"Well, father and son haven't seen each other for such a long time, can't we talk about something else when we meet? Why do we have to talk about these?"
Empress Dowager Cao saw that the atmosphere was a bit heavy and said, "Fuer, I will talk to your mother on your behalf!"
"No need, mother." Zhao Xing shook his head and said, "Father is right. This is what I must face!"
(End of this chapter)