Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 429: The King and His Ministers Run to Both Sides

Ma Zhou calmly closed his eyes, waiting for the verdict of fate.

Oh, I really have no time to wait...

Wait, not guilty?!

Ma Zhou was stunned and couldn't help but open his tightly closed eyes.

What came into view were faces that were equally surprised.

All the officials in Huazhou had the same expression:

Confused, surprised, and unbelievable.

Everyone looked at each other, suspecting that they had heard it wrong.

But he didn't dare to ask a question.

They can only stare at each other.

On the high platform, Li Ming looked down at his confused subordinates, becoming even more furious, and announced somewhat irritably:
"What are you guys still standing there for? Didn't you hear what I said?
"You are all innocent and do not need to be held responsible for the river bursting its banks and changing its course!

"Get back to work now!"

Li Ming had a sour face on the stage and was scolding with spit flying everywhere.

In the audience, everyone pricked up their ears, listening extremely carefully, smiling foolishly, looking as if they were basking in the spring breeze.

Everyone had originally made up their mind to die, but suddenly there was a way to survive. Their minds were still in a daze and they couldn't come to their senses for a while.

The ups and downs of life are so exciting.

They did not fully understand your Majesty's words for a while.

They just felt that His Majesty was worthy of being the Son of Heaven, and his holy words were so refreshing that even his insults were so nice to hear!
After being in a daze for a long while, their slow brains slowly reacted and they repeatedly confirmed that they had not heard wrongly.

It is absolutely true, Your Majesty has indeed pardoned us!

I can continue to live!

Everyone felt like they were reborn. They were so excited that they almost cried for joy and couldn't help but shout "Long live the emperor".

But looking at His Majesty's ugly face, the little bit of rationality they had left stopped them and they suppressed their impulse.

Don't waste your life, which you have finally saved...

And among a group of local officials who have no future and no determination.

Their foreman, the governor of Huazhou, Zhang, was at least a man who had seen the world and had a certain degree of sophistication.

While being excited, I also did not forget to say thank you to the sun of Ming Dynasty:
"I am a guilty subject. Thank you, Your Majesty, for not killing me!"

Although he tried to calm himself, his voice was still trembling.

Li Ming was so angry at this bunch of useless people that he laughed and couldn't help but chirp:
"Poke your mother! She's still showing her 'grace of not killing me'!

"Didn't you hear me clearly? I want you to be reinstated! Keep working for me!"

what? !

Not only will he not be beheaded or serve a prison sentence, but he can even be reinstated? !

After all the trouble we've caused, we don't even have to pay any price?!
This time, the officials were no longer overjoyed at having escaped death.

Rather, it is the anxiety that one's virtue is not worthy of the position.

The levee collapsed because of us, and the river was changed its course in our jurisdiction.

The people of the world have suffered a devastating disaster due to our negligence.

But we were able to escape unscathed without suffering any punishment.

This this……

The gentlemen who had been worried about their lives just now now felt guilty for escaping a disaster.

Human nature is so complex.

Governor Zhang, who was standing at the front, couldn't help but look back at Ma Zhou.

After surviving the disaster, there was a hint of blame in his eyes——

You, Minister Ma, have scared me to death! You have said so many things and sentenced me to death with such certainty that I cannot sleep at night.

As a result, you see, His Majesty is so magnanimous that he let us off the hook!

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty…”

Ma Zhou seemed to be completely oblivious to the reproachful looks of his colleagues. He kept looking up at Emperor Li Ming on the podium, calling out softly in a voice that only he could hear.

Hiss, huh——

He took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind, and suddenly he leaned forward, fell to his knees at Li Ming's feet, and shouted:

"Your Majesty, please think twice!"

A group of officials looked at him sideways, not knowing what he was trying to do.

Governor Zhang's heart sank suddenly, and he had a vague sense of foreboding.

"This idiot, could it be..."

He wanted to stop it, but it was too late.

Li Ming looked down at the middle-aged man crawling on the ground. His tense expression gradually softened and a malicious smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Oh? What about me doesn't suit your taste?
"Don't you think I shouldn't forgive you?"

"Yes!" Ma Zhou nodded without hesitation.

Now everyone present was furious.

What what what? Minister Ma is crazy?!

Your Majesty, please forgive us. Why are you still singing the opposite tune? !

The Huazhou officials have no grudges against you. If you are determined to die, just find a quiet place to hang yourself. Don't drag everyone else into this!

"Your Majesty! Please do not be deceived by delirium and nonsense!"

Governor Zhang was quick-witted and slid down to his knees at Li Ming's feet, his tone both anxious and earnest.

"Ma Tai has worked so hard and suffered from delirium. He just needs to go back to sleep and he will be fine.

"Your Majesty, please don't listen to his nonsense!"

Li Ming glanced at the gentlemen who were eager to survive, and turned to Ma Zhou with a smile.

"Minister of Works, your colleagues say you are crazy, and I think you are crazy too. What do you think?"

"Whether I am crazy or not is not the point for now, but Your Majesty is indeed crazy." Ma Zhou said in a loud voice.

The whole place fell into silence.

Describing the magnanimous yet somewhat bad-tempered emperor as a madman, everyone was sure that Minister Ma was probably really crazy.

Governor Zhang regretted deeply, hating himself for not finding an opportunity to kick the madman off the riverbank, which resulted in this incident.

Li Ming's expression remained unchanged. He was not annoyed at all because of being blamed. He looked at Ma Zhou with amusement and said:

"Why do you say that, my dear? Don't say anything, let me guess -

"If the river's diversion is regarded as a natural disaster, the people will understand it as 'the emperor has no moral integrity and is punished by heaven', so we must find someone to take the blame and turn it into a man-made disaster.

"That's what you wanted to say, right?"

You can hear the needle drop.

Everyone gasped.

“Indeed… that’s the case.”

Ma Zhou hesitated and was completely stunned.

It turns out that Your Majesty knows everything!
But why...

"As Your Majesty said, on one side of the scale are a few bureaucrats. On the other side is the Mandate of Heaven of the Ming Dynasty.

“It’s clear at a glance what’s more important.”

Ma Zhou sorted out his thoughts for a while and said in an orderly manner:

“But Your Majesty chose the Huazhou bureaucracy, which was as light as a feather, and gave up the destiny, which was as heavy as the Taihang Mountains.

"If this is not madness, then what is madness?" This statement was well-reasoned and made the officials, who were as insignificant as feathers, nod in their hearts.

But they did not dare to speak out in support of Ma Zhou.

What's the difference between this and putting your head under the guillotine?
Everyone cherishes his own life. How many people can have the integrity of Ma Zhou and be willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good?
Therefore, they can only remain silent and wait for fate to decide their fate.

As the person who decides their fate, Li Ming also paused slightly.

The bad mood just now disappeared, and he looked down at Ma Zhou's big head with admiration.

After a while, he asked back in a gentle tone:

"My dear Ma, you always talk about destiny, but what is destiny?"

Ma Zhou was stunned.

The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. He kept saying "Heaven's will, Heaven's will" all day long, but he had never really thought about what this basic concept was. He answered hesitantly:
"There is a connection between heaven and man. Heaven will feel what the people do..."

"Destiny is the human heart!" Li Ming interrupted.

“If people’s hearts are not there, even if the weather is good and the crops are abundant, there will still be wars everywhere, and it will still be ‘the blue sky is dead and the yellow sky should be established’.

"But as long as people's hearts are still there, no matter whether it rains or strikes from the sky, we will still fight back!

"'Leave it to fate' does not belong to working people!"

Ma Zhou and others are out of touch with reality. They talk metaphysically about the will of heaven and the will of the people.

Little do people know that ordinary people also have eyes to see and brains to think.

Who is good and who is bad, and whose responsibility is it, the people have their own scale in their hearts.
If the ruling class does not do its job, even if the old sow in the village has a difficult birth, it will be considered "a punishment from heaven and a loss of destiny."

The theory of destiny is just an excuse for the people to rebel, not the reason. Don't put the cart before the horse.

"You have performed your duties conscientiously and served me with sincerity. How could I treat you unfairly? How could I bear to use you as scapegoats?

"Ma Zhou, in your heart, am I such a monarch who shirks my responsibilities?"

Li Ming pretended to be angry, but he was still very relieved in his heart.

Although Comrade Ma Zhou was a little idealistic, his heart was commendable. For the sake of the emperor's face, he dared to take the blame at the cost of his own life.

The same goes for those in Huazhou officialdom.

Although they are not as resolute as Ma Zhou, they were able to successfully withstand the test of "two ghosts knocking on the door" by Lai Junchen and Di Renjie, and they definitely passed the test of official discipline.

As for ability, there is no need to mention it. Being able to accept disciplinary review at night and continue to direct the emergency repair of the new dam during the day shows that his work efficiency and psychological quality are already very strong.

The existence of such grassroots officials shows that the Ming Dynasty is still thriving.

"If a minister does not betray his lord, how can his lord betray his minister?
"You all have to remember this for me——

"To serve under me, just do your job with peace of mind, and don't worry about those dirty, mean, and unnecessary things.

"It is not your responsibility, and I will not let you bear even a single cent of it!"

Li Ming said word by word.

There was already a lot of crying below.

It has always been the subordinates who take the blame for their superiors, but now the situation has turned against them, making the emperor take the blame for these petty officials.

And it was such a huge pot that almost destroyed the country.

How could they not be filled with gratitude and cry their hearts out!
"Crying, crying also counts as time!"

Seeing this bunch of crying, useless and cowardly officials, Li Ming wanted to get angry but couldn't, so he laughed and scolded helplessly:

"How much more time do you plan to waste? Get back to work!"

"Yes!" The officials almost cried with joy.

Work!

I never thought that this word could make them so happy today.

But after their excitement, they began to feel uneasy.

I am afraid that I will not do a good job and let down the trust of Your Majesty and the people.

"You're right to be afraid. Just work like a slave for me with gratitude~"

Li Ming looked at the officials who were celebrating, then turned his gaze back to Ma Zhou who was in a daze, and said:

"What I just said was incomplete. It's not that there will be no punishment for you and the governor of Huazhou."

Governor Zhang was worried again, but Ma Zhou was calm.

Yes, with such a heavy responsibility, as the chief officer you have to bear the punishment.

Ma Zhou himself would not feel at ease if he did not suffer any consequences.

“As the top organizers on the scene, you two did not strictly review the identities of the civilians, which led to serious consequences.

"Ma Zhou will be fined one year's salary and demoted to a lower grade. Zhang Qian will be fined half a year's salary and demoted to a lower grade by half."

Li Ming issued "severe" punishment measures.

Governor Zhang was stunned.

What kind of "punishment" is this?
The Yellow River changed its course, which was a disaster of enormous magnitude. He felt that even if his entire clan was not happy, they would at least be confused, right?
Why just a fine?

This isn't much more serious than being punished by drinking three cups of wine, right?

Ma Zhou was more cautious than Zhang Qian.

He heard the key points in the punishment issued by His Majesty——

“Not strictly reviewing the civilians… leading to serious consequences?
"Your Majesty, what do you mean by this?!"

After going through so much, Ma Zhou finally got it... Li Ming nodded appreciatively:
“It’s just what you guessed.

"Although the responsibility for this dam collapse is not yours, it is certainly not mine, and certainly not God's.

"This is a complete man-made disaster and a complete conspiracy!"

Having said that, Li Ming's face fell again, his eyes flashed with anger, and his expression was unprecedentedly stern.

"What? Someone did this on purpose?!"

Ma Zhou was so shocked that he couldn't help but exclaim.

When he realized that he had misbehaved in front of the palace and forced himself to calm down.

Only then did he realize that he had clenched his fists too tightly, leaving eight deep marks on his palms.

The reactions of other officials present were roughly the same as Ma Zhou's.

Silence, astonishment, anger, all with the same thought in mind -

"The bad guys sneaked into the civilian workers' team and deliberately destroyed the levee in Huazhou?!"

Ma Zhou guessed, his voice trembling with indignation.

Li Ming's face darkened. He nodded slowly and firmly, and said only one word briefly:

"Yes."

There was an uproar.

Everyone was beyond angry.

The dangerous flood, the wailing victims, half of China in ruins, and countless sleepless nights...

All of this actually stems from the malice of a small group of people!
Beast, beast!

Ma Zhou's expression was distorted with anger and his whole body was shaking.

After a long while, he finally managed to calm down a little and asked intermittently:
"Your Majesty, may I ask who these people who have lost all conscience are?"

Is he an old man from the previous dynasty?
Are they the remnants of the aristocratic family?

Or was he the local tyrant in Huazhou who was dissatisfied with the equal-field system?

No matter who the other party was, Ma Zhou made a promise to his teacher Confucius.

He must hammer the other person into the base of the dam with his own hands!
Li Ming seemed to have remembered the most vicious and disgusting thing in the world. His face became more and more stinky, and finally he uttered a few words in a somewhat irritable manner:
"How could one be so stupid and evil as to be so evil?

"Who else could it be except the Japanese?"

(End of this chapter)