Chapter 293 Don’t do things that are not united, don’t say things that are not united
Weiyang Palace.
"Xiao He's granddaughter?"
Luo Xin originally thought that he should not choose Marquis Ying and Marquis Liu, but when he entered the palace, he suddenly realized that these two men were very old.
It is estimated that Xiao He will not survive this winter, and Zhang Liang will only be alive in one or two years. As long as Lu Zhi dies after these two people, the so-called Yinghou Mansion and Liuhou Mansion will never be able to succeed.
Lu Zhi looked at Luo Xin in confusion. The first requirement for choosing a queen is that she cannot be too powerful. Marquis Ling is the Marquis of Wanhu Che. If he becomes the father-in-law of the emperor, his influence will be too great.
Luo Xin chuckled and said, "The second and third generations of the Xiao family are useless. Once Xiao He dies, the only influence left in the Marquis of Ling's Mansion will be from his friends and relatives, while his own strength will plummet. This completely meets the standard conditions."
Lu Zhi suddenly realized, "The same is true for Liuhou Mansion, right?"
Luo Xin nodded, "But the Liuhou Mansion is not as close as the Yinghou Mansion. Xiao He is definitely going to die soon. I am not sure about Zhang Liang, but it will only be one or two years. He came from the time of the First Emperor and is very old."
Lu Zhi looked at the other two families again. Both were upper-middle class marquises. They were the kind of families that did not have strong individual abilities but had intricate networks of relationships and were able to leverage power. Their main goal was to unite the meritorious officials around the emperor while preventing them from forming a second center. It could be said that they had put a lot of effort into this.
Lu Zhi was very supportive of these families. She began to recall the women of the families who had been summoned to the palace. Then she gradually set her sights on the Liuhou Mansion and said softly, "Liuhou has a legitimate granddaughter, whose maiden name is Yan. She is 28 years old and has a gentle temperament. I like her very much. She can be a good match for the emperor."
Zhang Yan?
Luo Xin didn't expect that Zhang Liang had a granddaughter with the same name as his niece. Since she was recognized by Lü Zhi, she must be quite outstanding. So he pondered and said, "How does she look? If the queen is too ordinary, she will not be able to dominate the world."
Lü Zhi smiled and said, "He is quite similar to Liu Hou, and can be said to be a man of great talent and beauty."
Luo Xin immediately said, "Then let's choose Zhang Yan. She has a sister who is not a concubine. They will be married into the palace as concubines. Giving birth to a prince is the most important thing now."
Lu Zhi and Luo Xin were very quick. That evening an imperial decree was issued from the Weiyang Palace. When it reached Liu Hou's residence, there was an immediate burst of jubilation. The noise was so loud that even the nobles next door knew about it.
Soon the news that the daughter of the Marquis of Liu was chosen as the queen spread throughout Chang'an City. The group of meritorious officials were delighted. The royal family still trusted them, which was more important than anything else.
Many people misunderstand the power of the royal family, or overestimate the power of the nobility, thinking that the nobility look down on the royal family and are unwilling to marry into it.
But in fact, even in the era of aristocratic families, these nobles still treated people differently based on their status, and naturally looked down on ordinary princes.
However, in an era when royal power was not lost to others, the positions of Empress and Crown Princess were enough to make those aristocratic families who boasted of their noble bloodlines scramble for them.
The aristocratic families simply have a deep foundation, numerous property connections, and can produce a steady stream of talented people.
But if one is really targeted by the royal family and does not obtain a high-ranking official position for decades or even a hundred years, one will still become a impoverished person.
This was even more true of the founding heroes of the Han Dynasty. Each of them had only been in office for a dozen years or so and had no background at all. On the surface, they had tens of thousands of subjects under their fiefdoms, but in reality, they could not even muster a private army of a thousand soldiers.
He has not yet transformed from a simple military aristocrat into an old-fashioned aristocrat with a large collection of books at home and a stable base.
For them, the trust of the royal family is so important that it can even determine the rise and fall of a family.
Zhang Liang was somewhat delighted, but more melancholy. He was considered an outlier among the meritorious officials because he was the only true aristocrat whose family had served as prime ministers of Han for five generations.
Now that the family is about to have a queen, the family's prestige will naturally be far greater than before. This is enough to comfort the ancestors.
But how could such a wise man as him not be aware of the dangers hidden in the splendor?
Even if Bang Zhou's foreign relative had the support of his motherland, many foreign relatives could not have a good end. The Liuhou Mansion is so prominent now, who knows when it will collapse.
Only a steady flow of water can last long, but a violent flow of water cannot last forever.
It's a pity that many people can't see this. Zhang Liang murmured softly: "The Queen Mother and the Marquis of Dong'e actually chose Zhang. It seems that I have to get older and completely withdraw from all worldly affairs. I will concentrate on worshiping the Su King at home and seeking the way to immortality."
…
In the Weiyang Palace, Lü Zhi invited almost all the dukes and their families in the entire Chang'an city, regardless of whether they held office or not. This was a banquet for the founding heroes, and there was no high-ranking official who would later hold important positions.
Zhang Liang accepted the congratulations of the crowd with a somewhat haggard look. The family members who had always been on good terms with him surrounded him and kept talking. The matter had just been settled and there was already such a powerful momentum, which showed the power of the royal family.
Luo Xin walked in from outside the palace. Everyone was surprised to see that he did not appear with the Queen Mother, but they still gathered around him. Zhang Liang came over to thank him and said, "Prime Minister, my daughter was able to marry into the royal family and obtain such an honorable position, all thanks to your support and good words. Liang really has no way to repay you."
Luo Xin waved his hand and said, "Marquis Liu, you are too kind. Your daughter has caught the Queen Mother's eye, and it has nothing to do with Xin. You should go and thank the Queen Mother for her grace.
Your family is honored because of the Queen Mother. You should support her and serve the country with all your heart."
“Ding ding ding!”
As the clear and melodious bell rang, Lu Zhi came out with today's protagonists Liu Ying and Zhang Yan. Liu Ying was very satisfied with Zhang Yan, both in appearance and personality.
All the ministers were seated. As the prime minister, Luo Xin naturally sat at the head. He cupped his hands and said to Lü Zhi, "Your Majesty, the Regent Queen Mother, I wish you a long life and good health."
"Greetings to the Regent Queen Mother. May you live a long and healthy life."
Luo Xin bowed first, followed by the three dukes and nine ministers, and then all the ministers.
Lü Zhi looked at the crowd that was like a tide, bowed slightly and said, "I wish you all good health!"
All the ministers bowed to Liu Ying again. Only then did the sounds of stringed instruments gradually rise, and the banquet really began.
Lü Zhi raised the wine cup high, and the sound of stringed instruments instantly became low. All the officials were quietly waiting for Lü Zhi to speak, and she said loudly: "Today's banquet, as you all know, is because the emperor and the daughter of Liuhou Mansion have decided to marry.
Everyone here is a hero who has fought through fire and water.
It takes five fingers to form a fist, and people gather together to form a crowd. Is there anyone in this world who can accomplish anything alone?
That must be impossible!
Even though it was destiny that Emperor Taizu Gao led an army to rebel against Qin, without the help of his meritorious officials, could he have become the supreme ruler of the world in just a few years?
That must be impossible.
It is precisely because of this that Emperor Gao has always treated all of you meritorious officials well, rewarding you with generous fiefs, granting you high titles and official positions. How many such benevolent monarchs have you seen over thousands of years?
Emperor Taizu Gao died, leaving behind the emperor to rule the Han Dynasty. The officials received grace from the emperor, so shouldn’t they repay the emperor?
I think this is what people should do!"
Most people agreed with this statement. Liu Bang was really generous in treating them. He granted each of them thousands of households. They became increasingly wealthy over the years and became one of the most powerful people in the world.
Xiao He dragged his extremely old body and bowed down in tears, saying: "Empress Dowager, the King Su once said that the highest evaluation of a loyal minister is to devote oneself to the cause until death.
I have followed the Emperor Gao from Pei County and started my rebellion. Now that I am old, I am willing to shed my last drop of blood and sweat for the Han Dynasty and be loyal to Your Majesty."
Lü Zhi was moved by what she heard and said, "Of course I know about the loyalty of Marquis Ling. You are an old man from Pei County. I was able to survive in the village thanks to your care. You have worked diligently for more than a decade. The Emperor Gao knows this, and so do I.
If all the meritorious officials in the palace were like you, would the Han Dynasty still be unstable? Would the emperor's throne still be shaken?"
Everyone in the hall bowed down immediately. Most of the people present were military commanders. They knelt on one knee and said loudly, "Your Majesty, your Majesty, your loyalty to the Han Dynasty is evident to all. I even dare to swear to the most noble King Su."
As soon as this ruthless man said this, everyone around him wanted to stay away from him and swore to the great King Su, "Does King Su want to pay attention to you? Don't let the thunder strike and implicate us."
However, there is no doubt that these people are loyal to the Han Dynasty. Seeing this, Lü Zhi said: "Your loyalty has been tested in war. Don't you think I don't believe it?
It’s just that some things happened a few days ago that made me really angry and confused.
The system of recommendation was the key channel for the Han Dynasty to recruit talents from the people. Emperor Gao and I gave this power to the ministers because we trusted the meritorious officials.
What's the result?
Gentlemen, think about this carefully. You are all marquises of the imperial court, not marquises of the princes. If talented people cannot enter the imperial court, they will enter the various kingdoms. Will that be a good thing for you?
The heroes and the emperor are one. If we don't unite, can the emperor's position be secure?
The emperor's position is unstable, is there anyone who can protect your title of marquis?
I know that some of you have complaints about the court, but if we allow these complaints to spread and reach the vassal kingdoms, what will they think?
"When one prospers, all prosper; when one suffers, all suffer. That's it."
Lu Zhi's words hit the nail on the head for almost everyone. They were so reasonable. They were all royalists, and they all contributed to the throne of Crown Prince Liu Ying.
Rather than undermining the emperor and seizing his power in the court, it is better to sharpen the knife and attack the princes.
Although those people were all from the Liu family, I was not familiar with them.
The heroes quickly reached a consensus!
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
