Chapter 171 It is difficult to distinguish between loyalty and treachery, good and evil. Never judge a person by his appearance.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, Your Highness the Prince of Jin, and Hanlin Academy Scholar Song Chengzhi request to see the two of you."

Just as Zhu Gang was about to go to the morning court, Li Heng, the prince's eunuch at the door, hurried into the imperial study and bowed to Zhu Gang and Zhu Biao.

The title of Song Lian was Bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, which ranked him as a fifth-rank official in the imperial court.

The official position is not high, but the reputation is the greatest.

After all, they are the Four Masters of Eastern Zhejiang.

In response, Zhu Gang and Zhu Biao looked at each other first, and then Zhu Biao said thoughtfully: "Please invite Song Chengzhi to the imperial study."

"Let's suspend the court session today and return at noon."

Zhu Gang also looked at Li Heng and gave instructions softly.

"What does Master Song want to do?"

"Do you want to avoid the morning court, or do you want to plead for Liu Bowen in private?"

After Li Heng bowed and left the imperial study, Zhu Biao immediately looked at Zhu Gang and said.

"If you can be right, why come to the imperial study at this time?"

"I guess he wants to ask for mercy for the Liu family. After all, if you go to Lingnan, there will be no chance of turning things around in your lifetime."

"And the old man's intention is to give the Liu family a job so that they can make a living."

"But the hidden meaning is also telling me that as long as the old man doesn't starve to death, he will be worthy of Liu Bowen's contribution."

"But what the Liu family has done is intolerable to the country, so they must be severely punished. For the rest of their lives, they will never be allowed to serve as officials again, and they will also be subject to strict local jurisdiction."

Zhu Gang simply shook his head.

Song Lian also took into account his friendship with Liu Bowen, so he did not expect this matter to be involved in the court.

Instead, he wanted to ask for favor in private, hoping that he would be given a break for the sake of Song Lian and Liu Bowen's hard work and great contributions.

Thus letting the Liu family go and giving them a chance to survive.

After all, the eldest son Liu Lian had already been executed, so why should we kill all the Liu family members?

Moreover, for the royal family and the Ming Dynasty, this was just a political competition and had not yet escalated into a life-and-death struggle.

Furthermore, the struggle among the ministers will never stop. Whether you kill one or a hundred, the court is still the court, and the ministers are still the ministers.

There will always be someone to fill the gap.

No matter whether they are corrupt officials, honest officials, cruel officials or wicked officials, they will all flock to them and try their best to climb up.

This is the rule of iron and blood, and also the law of the jungle where the fittest survive.

The imperial court is also a jungle.

No one can avoid it.

"This old minister greets His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin. May Your Highness live a thousand years."

As he spoke, Song Lian also stepped into the imperial study, looked at Zhu Gang and Zhu Biao, and bowed.

"Sir, you don't have to be so polite."

Zhu Biao hurried forward, but held Song Lian and then smiled softly.

"You are my brother's teacher, and naturally my elder. You don't have to be like this."

Zhu Gang waved his hand gently, but also stood up slightly to show respect.

After all, Song Lian was a great scholar. Even if he was pedantic and stubborn, he never violated the rules of etiquette, so we should give him some face.

"Sir, what brings you here today?"

After everyone was seated, Zhu Biao looked at Song Lian and asked softly.

"Your Highness, I may have overstepped my authority today. If I am guilty, I will bear the full responsibility."

A hint of hesitation flashed across Song Lian's eyes, and then he looked at Zhu Biao and bowed.

"If you didn't enter the Fengtian Palace, but were in the Imperial Study, it would be excusable. I wouldn't blame you."

"But if you are here for Liu Bowen's matter, I have no say."

"Because this matter was decided by your majesty, and it was executed by the King of Jin."

"So no matter if you are a child or a subject, I, the Crown Prince, cannot interfere."

Facing Song Lian's words, Zhu Biao spoke without even thinking.

Moreover, as expected of a crown prince, his words were absolutely well-spoken. Not only did he give his teacher enough face, he also completely distanced himself from the matter.

That is to say, although the relationship between teachers and students is a teacher-student relationship, when it comes to the interests of the country, Zhu Biao can only stand by and watch without helping either side.

Therefore, Song Lian's coming here today was completely useless. It would be better for him to go back and preserve the last bit of dignity.

"Your Highness, Liu Bowen is already dead, why bother to humiliate him?"

"Moreover, after nearly twenty years of relationship between the emperor and his subjects, I cannot believe that Liu Bowen would choose to deceive Your Majesty."

Song Lian sighed softly and bowed again.

"There are very few people in this world who are smarter than Liu Bowen."

"And they are all in the court. Moreover, when the case of the death of the young Ming King was reopened, most of the officials involved were from Jiangsu and Zhejiang."

"It is worth mentioning that each of these officials once served as an official in Baoyuan."

"Then Liu Bowen, the Chief Censor, was also a former official of the Yuan Dynasty. Tell me that he has no knowledge of the matter."

"Or maybe Liu Bowen couldn't guess it. Do you think he is trustworthy?"

"Liu Bowen, who is extremely smart, can't even see the slightest clue. I'm afraid no one will believe me if I tell them about it, right?"

Zhu Gang raised his eyes and looked at Song Jiandao.

"Your Highness, Liu Bowen has never mentioned this to me, but from what I know about him, he would never do this."

"He has always been a clean official, so I would rather believe that Liu Bowen knows nothing than to believe that Liu Bowen would deceive His Majesty."

Song Lian immediately shook his head.

There was a hint of determination in his tone. Song Lian had never doubted Liu Bowen's character.

Even if the truth is revealed, Song Lian will deliberately ignore it. After all, they are friends for many years and have passed away, so he must keep his innocence.

Otherwise, this one stain alone would be enough to cause Liu Bowen to be cursed by future generations, which was something Song Lian could not accept.

"A smart person can be confused for a while. Liu Bowen is not a god. He can't make all the plans, nor does he have a brilliant plan."

After a pause, Song Lian spoke again.

I still hope to overturn Liu Bowen's verdict.

"You are willing to believe in his character. You think he would not do such a thing. You think he would not deceive His Majesty?"

"Why do you always think so?"

"Is it me who has no eyes? Or is it Your Majesty who has no eyes?"

"Can you wash away Liu Bowen's sins with just a few words?" "Does the law of this world have to be determined by these three words?"

"Does this world's rules have to give way just because a person shows integrity?"

"You are also an old official, don't you understand this?"

Hearing this, Zhu Gang's eyes flashed with coldness, and he asked several questions in succession.

Liu Bowen certainly demonstrated integrity and honesty, but this was only his way of being an official towards the people.

To put it nicely, it means setting an example and speaking for the people of the world.

To put it bluntly, with thousands of years of history, who doesn’t want to be recorded in history and have their name recorded forever?

But does this have anything to do with his political goals?

Politics at the upper level is always a brutal struggle, with rivers of blood flowing at any time.

No matter whether he is a corrupt official or an honest official, in the political struggle, if he loses, he loses, and if he dies, he is dead.

Therefore, for his own sake, or for the sake of eastern Zhejiang, Liu Bowen would not speak even if he did not participate.

Because he is the character of the literati in eastern Zhejiang. Once he makes a shocking explosion, the reputation of the scholars in eastern Zhejiang will be ruined.

Then Liu Bowen is the sinner of eastern Zhejiang, so he can't.

This has nothing to do with Liu Bowen's character, but is related to the current situation and is also an aspect of court politics.

What prevails is merely what is needed.

As I said, judge by deeds rather than heart, and no one is perfect by heart. This is Liu Bowen's achievement, and history will neither erase it nor smear it.

But merits are merits, and faults are faults, how can they be confused?
And the legal principles of this world cannot be judged based solely on one's own likes and dislikes. Is he a good person or a bad person?
After all, some people appear fierce on the outside but are kind at heart, so can you say that he is a vicious and evil person and then wantonly fabricate and smear him?
But don't forget that everything he did was good and he had no regrets.

So, can such a kind person be wiped out without going through legal procedures, just by relying on a so-called "I think"?

There are also some people who have a gentle smile and behave like gentlemen, but what they do are extremely evil and intolerable to heaven. Then can you say that he is a good person and praise him profusely?
So never judge a person by his appearance. After all, it is difficult to distinguish between loyalty and treachery, good and evil. This has been a lesson learned since ancient times.

Everything must still be based on the law, because only in this way can we determine good and evil, punish the guilty and release the innocent.

This is the best explanation to the people of the world.

"Master Song, don't think about it anymore. Even if you argue with your own ideas, you can't escape the fact."

"That means being honest and incorruptible, and having a clean record. I will never deceive your majesty."

"He can only prove that he is an upright official. He is honest and incorruptible enough for the people of the world."

"But he also wanted to find a way to preserve himself, so from Liu Bowen's perspective, he was also doing himself justice. After all, if a man does not work for himself, he will be punished by heaven and earth."

"Besides, he is the young King Ming, so it is normal for him to lie."

"But have you ever thought that if they dare to kill even the young Ming King, who will be responsible for your Majesty's safety if they develop a rebellious heart?"

"Do you have anything else to tell me?"

"Won't?"

"Then why don't you go down to the underworld and ask Wang Mang? He was also an upright gentleman before he usurped the Han Dynasty and established himself as the emperor."

Seeing that Song Lian did not speak, Zhu Gang slowly stood up and spoke in a soft voice.

As soon as these words were spoken, Song Lian's face turned three shades paler. He opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.

Because that's what it is.

Liu Bowen never had any conflicts between serving himself and serving the people, between the way of being an official and the way of self-protection.

There are many such ministers throughout history, but what kind of emperor was Zhu Yuanzhang?
How could an emperor who climbed up from the bottom allow this?
The Little Ming King was an emperor after all, but for their own interests, they still killed him without hesitation and shirked all responsibility.

If they really took power in the Ming Dynasty, it would probably no longer be the Ming Dynasty, right?
After all, if they dared to kill the young Ming King, they would dare to kill the next emperor.

As long as their interests are touched, all the relationships between ruler and subject, loyalty to the ruler and patriotism can be abandoned.

"Sir, I will assume that you have not been here today. Let's just leave it at that. Don't mention it again."

"Besides, you are already old, so don't worry about state affairs anymore. Go home and enjoy your retirement."

"I will report to His Majesty that you have made great contributions to the country and will be provided with a life of luxury and wealth."

"But I am not very happy about what happened today, so from today onwards, no one in the Song family will be allowed to take the imperial examinations or serve as an official in the court for five generations, as a punishment."

"As for the five generations to come, the Song family is no longer allowed to enter the capital, and cannot participate in government affairs. If you feel that this is inappropriate, you can go to His Majesty."

"But as for His Royal Highness, I hope you can understand and not put His Royal Highness in a dilemma. His Royal Highness has already done his utmost for you."

Zhu Gang said softly again.

After saying that, Zhu Gang left the imperial study, leaving Song Lian standing there in a daze, and Zhu Biao with a complicated look in his eyes.

"Sir, this is the best possible outcome."

"You shouldn't have spoken today. After all, as a son, you only need to be filial to your parents and abide by the laws of the country."

"But as a subject, the first thing you have to do is to be loyal to the emperor and love your country."

"Moreover, Liu Bowen's sons have signed confessions. Not only Liu Bowen's eldest son, but also Liu Bowen's second son, their confessions are almost identical."

"So this is the final fact, but Your Majesty still gave Liu Bowen grace."

Zhu Biao slowly stood up, looked at Song Lian, performed a disciple's salute, and walked out of the imperial study.

It's not that Zhu Biao was unkind, but this mouth must never be opened. If they are not severely punished, they will not have awe of the imperial power.

Because even though the Little Ming King was a puppet and never had real power, he did raise an army to rebel against the Yuan Dynasty. For this reason alone, the Little Ming King and his father made contributions to the Central Plains.

Therefore, even if he wanted to die, he had to get Zhu Yuanzhang's consent, otherwise it would be like killing the emperor privately, which would make Zhu Yuanzhang appear unkind and unjust.

"Brother Bowen, I have tried my best."

Song Lian, who was in the imperial study, sighed again and said, "Perhaps, you are really wrong."

In fact, Song Lian did not come here today just for Liu Bowen, but for eastern Zhejiang.

Because Jiangnan has been destroyed, if eastern Zhejiang is destroyed as well, then the reputation of the literary world in Jiangsu and Zhejiang will be completely ruined.

After all, the officials involved in this case were too numerous and too serious. Even Liu Bowen, who was known as the number one scholar in eastern Zhejiang, was deeply involved.

From then on, it would be extremely difficult for students from Jiangsu and Zhejiang to enter the court.

So Song Lian came, and he did not go to ask Zhu Yuanzhang for help, but instead came directly to the Crown Prince Zhu Biao.

Because the relationship between teachers and students is hard to erase, there will always be some room for improvement.

In addition, the prince is kind-hearted, so perhaps there is still hope.

However, Song Lian ignored Jin Wang Zhu Gang, a man of great eloquence and sophism.

The words were extremely sharp, and every sentence was full of sharpness, making it impossible to refute.

But Song Lian never thought that even Li Shanchang and Xu Da would not show mercy to such a crime.

After all, even if others didn't know, Zhu Gang knew that if there was no reform and if there was no containment, the civil service group would become stronger and stronger until the day when they were truly free from the constraints of imperial power.

(End of this chapter)