sbdcsierra Chapter 348: For several years, the ruler and his subjects... have gone in opposite directions!
Chapter 348: For several years, the ruler and his subjects... have gone in opposite directions!
Yes, it is rebellion!
Even the aristocratic families in the Central Plains kept writing letters to the capital, urging Song Pu to reach a reconciliation with Emperor Xia as soon as possible. After all, aristocratic officials were constantly being imprisoned or killed, and the aristocratic families were ready to compromise.
Song Pu has now realized that this is another incident similar to the land encroachment case.
The same conspiracy, the same silence... the same goal of asking the aristocratic families to compromise.
However, this time he didn't know what Emperor Xia's purpose was!
The reason why aristocratic families are called aristocratic families is because they know how to judge the situation. That is why they can be passed down for hundreds or even thousands of years, which is longer than the lifespan of an imperial dynasty. They can even last for several dynasties and generations without collapsing. This is because they know how to judge the situation!
Now that Emperor Xia has fully demonstrated his strength, they are not prepared at all. They are even busy preparing for the New Year. Now that the knife is hanging over their necks, they will lose their heads if they make any move.
The aristocratic families were afraid, and they also knew that Emperor Xia only wanted to further weaken the aristocratic families rather than destroy them. After all, if the aristocratic families were destroyed, half of the vast Xia would be left without anyone to govern.
However, they were not sure how long Emperor Xia would continue killing, so they wanted Song Pu to find out as soon as possible!
Song Pu looked at the pile of urgent letters and felt helpless!
"Never mind! Let's take it one step at a time!"
He knew that the moment he admitted defeat, the game was over.
Although Emperor Xia would not destroy the aristocratic families, his tenure as prime minister had come to an end. If it were other matters, Emperor Xia would not do anything to him, but since it involved court taxes, this had touched Emperor Xia's bottom line.
It’s all because the aristocratic families are too greedy.
Although Song Pu was a member of a noble family, he loved power more than money. As prime minister, his family property was enough for his family to live a wealthy life, so he did not have much desire for money.
The document with the empty seal was also invented by the aristocratic families... as a means of making money.
He only found out about it after the empty seal document was officially implemented, but it was too late by then. Although he was not greedy for money, someone from the Song family was involved.
Therefore, although he opposed this matter at first, he had to be forced into it in the end. This is also the reason why the Ministry of Revenue has always been controlled by the aristocratic families.
As early as more than a year ago, when Wei Zhen took office as the Minister of Revenue, Song Pu intended to let the aristocratic families stop, but at that time the whole country was implementing the empty seal policy, so there was no way to end it in a short time. They were even afraid that if they changed the system at this time, it would alert the enemy and arouse suspicion among the ministers in the court.
I originally wanted to solve this problem in a more gentle way. After all, officials from the third prince's line were also involved, so I thought there would be no need to use overly radical means.
But unexpectedly, it broke out in the end!
Gu Jingzhi... This man seemed to be born to be the nemesis of the aristocratic family. A land infringement case took away their land and property, and now no one knows what price they will have to pay for the empty seal case.
Song Pu left the prime minister's residence somewhat dejectedly and gave a brief instruction to the coachman.
"Enter the palace!"
……
When the news of Song Pu's request for an audience reached Emperor Xia's ears, he paused, then smiled, drew a circle on the memorial, and said in a gentle voice, "Let him in!"
As he spoke, he took out a new memorial and began to review it.
Soon, Song Pu was brought before the emperor. Seeing Emperor Xia sitting on the dragon throne reviewing memorials, he bowed respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, I, Song Pu, pay my respects to you!"
"Well! I haven't seen you for some time!"
Emperor Xia didn't even raise his head, but replied to Song Pu while writing.
Song Pu immediately shouted, "I have failed Your Majesty's grace. Your Majesty, considering my past achievements, has not punished me severely. I am deeply distressed and have been reflecting on my mistakes in the palace these days. I am ashamed to face Your Majesty's holy face!"
"Ah!"
Emperor Xia chuckled softly. He put down his pen, put away the memorial, and looked at Song Pu. He asked, "Then why are you here today, Mr. Song?"
"Your Majesty, I come to apologize!"
Song Pu lowered his head, his tone sincere, but Emperor Xia just smiled without comment.
"Be flat!"
Emperor Xia's voice was calm and steady, and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry.
Song Pu immediately raised his head and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Emperor Xia stared at Song Pu for a long time, then asked, "Mr. Song, how many years have you been prime minister?"
"Your Majesty, ten years and three"
"Well! Thirteen years!"
Emperor Xia said calmly, "The Great Xia nation has only been established for twenty-three years, yet Song Qing has been prime minister for thirteen years!"
When Song Pu heard this, he pretended to be terrified and asked, "Your Majesty, do you despise me for my age?"
He knew that Emperor Xia had some grievances against him, and they were not minor, especially after the empty seal case. His grievances were huge, otherwise he would not have ordered him to reflect on his mistakes in the palace.
Emperor Xia evaded his question, instead saying, "Since the founding of Great Xia, we have had two prime ministers. After Cheng Qing, there was Song Qing. I remember when we first started the rebellion, you were just a small clerk, working beside Cheng Qing to handle official documents!"
"Back then... you were full of vigor and ambition, and I was young too, charging into battle without a single blow... Now, we, the ruler and the subject, are both old, and Cheng Qing has abandoned me..."
Emperor Xia seemed to be reminiscing, but also seemed to have other intentions. Song Pu's face was filled with shame: "It is the honor of my life to serve Your Majesty! Your Majesty is a sage king appointed by Heaven, blessed by Heaven, and a king of eternal life. I did not have such a blessing. Now I am old and confused, and I feel ashamed of Your Majesty!"
"I feel guilty..."
Emperor Xia smiled and looked at Song Pu with a cold gaze: "Do you really think so?"
"Your Majesty, the incident of the empty seal is indeed my fault. I feel guilty..."
"You've definitely failed in your duty!"
Emperor Xia said calmly, "Back then, your son-in-law disregarded the law and seized the people's fertile farmland, which led to this case of land invasion. I never expected that only a few years after the founding of the Great Xia State, such land annexation would occur. In such a newly born country, people would actually starve to death!"
Emperor Xia's tone was initially calm, but later on, he slammed the table and said, "It was just like that back then. You stood before me and promised me what you promised me. Do you still remember?"
"tax……"
"That is the main source of financial revenue for the imperial court. It concerns the survival of the people of the world and the peace and tranquility of our Great Xia border!"
"Since I founded this country, I have worked day and night, fearing that after overthrowing the corrupt previous dynasty, the world would also become corrupt under my hands!"
"But I have worked so hard for you, my subjects, and yet you dare to take my hand in collecting taxes. How can I not be angry?"
"You are more than ashamed of me. You are ashamed of the world, ashamed of the people, and ashamed of the position you sit in..."
Emperor Xia pointed at Song Pu angrily and shouted, "I entrusted the position of Prime Minister to you, and yet such a situation has occurred in your hands? How can I appease my wrath if I don't kill those corrupt officials?"
"Your Majesty, I am guilty!"
Song Pu lowered his head and let Emperor Xia scold him without saying a word in defense.
After a while, Emperor Xia seemed tired of scolding. He sat down calmly and picked up a cup of tea. "Tell me! What else do you want to say today?"