Chapter 340 Seizing Power
"I have just taken charge of the great government, holding the yin and yang in my hands, ruling the world, and the nobility, fortune, misfortune, life and death of millions of people are all in my hands, and the responsibility is heavy.
The late emperor and King Luo Wen handed the empire over to me, so I am always trembling with fear and treading on thin ice, lest I fail to live up to the trust of the late emperor and King Luo Wen and damage their legacy.
I think to myself that since ancient times, I have never heard of a country that could prosper without valuing talented people.
The world is now on the rise, and it is time for the ruler and his subjects to serve with one heart. Hundreds and thousands of years from now, I will be remembered in history as a holy king, so will the names of you gentlemen remain unknown?"
Liu Heng looked at everyone with shining eyes and directly stated his ultimate goal. This was what Luo Xin had always taught him, and he also put forward all the conditions that needed to be achieved to become the Holy King.
Everyone present was shocked by Liu Heng's words. How many kings had ever existed in the land of China since ancient times?
But how many of them can be called Holy Kings?
They are nothing more than Yao, Shun, Yu and Tang.
However, these holy kings almost only live in the legends passed down by word of mouth, and even the authenticity of many of their deeds is unknown. The holy king with real and clear deeds, who is closest to the present day, is King Su.
Even King Wu, who killed King Zhou, does not count. Although he obtained the Mandate of Heaven, he collapsed soon after unifying the country.
Now Liu Heng says that he wants to be the Holy King, which means he wants to be the number one person under three generations!
"I will obey your majesty's order!"
…
After these Che marquises returned to Chang'an, they were quiet for less than three days before they were overwhelmed by the influx of officials. The gifts brought by the people who came to visit could not even be placed in the marquis' mansion, and had to be piled up on the street.
Compared with the Luo family, these people may be upstarts, but for the powerful people who have just risen in recent years, the founding heroes are already old-established aristocrats that many people can only dream of.
These people have worked in Chang'an and even Guanzhong for so many years. Once they return to Chang'an, countless relationships and interests will be reconnected with them as the core.
There is no need to spend time, energy and considerable cost to strengthen the basic base like those upstarts that lack foundation.
In the imperial palace, there were many bamboo sticks on the table in front of Liu Heng. There was a name written on each of them. Looking closely, there were the names of all the ministers and dukes in the hall.
Every time Liu Heng raised a bamboo stick, he would fall into deep thought, as if he was recalling something.
He fixed his eyes on the bamboo sticks with the name of Che Hou written on them, and then looked outside the hall. He happened to see Luo Jing walking in, so he smiled and asked, "Ah Jing, how is it?"
It turned out that Liu Heng asked Luo Jing to go and see how magnificent the Chehou family was.
Luo Jing directly told what he saw, "Your Majesty, half of the court officials in Chang'an City have moved into the mansions of the Marquis of Che. The silence of the past few years has not made these families lonely. As long as you release the restrictions on them, they will immediately recover and become giants."
After hearing Luo Jing's words, Liu Heng pondered for a moment, then threw the bamboo stick with the words on it in his hand into a piece of cloth. The sound of the bamboo sticks colliding was quite crisp.
From the exposed corner, one could vaguely see the words "Marquis of Wuyang", "Marquis of Jiang", etc., and the word "Guardian" was embroidered on the corner of the cloth.
This noisy feast lasted for several days, and this group of founding nobles deliberately used it to announce to the whole world that they were back.
Liu Heng also sent envoys to offer rewards, fully demonstrating the friendship and deep affection between the monarch and his subjects.
When everything was over, Liu Heng quickly appointed these marquises, and basically they all returned to the army.
Such a large-scale personnel adjustment naturally attracted the attention of the court and the public, and many people were wondering what the emperor wanted to do.
…
In Changle Palace.
Liu Heng looked at the copper coin in his hand over and over again. He didn't know how long he had been looking at it. He raised his head and said to Jia Yi and Luo Jing: "Mr. Jia, I remember that I wrote a letter a long time ago saying that the court should take back the coin-minting power that was delegated to the people?"
Upon hearing this, Jia Yi said solemnly, "That's right, Your Majesty. The right to mint coins is related to the lifeblood of the court. When King Luo Wen was in power, I wrote a letter to him, but later King Luo Wen explained to me why he couldn't take it back for the time being, so I didn't write another letter."
Luo Jing said: "Your Majesty, my father once said that the right to mint coins must eventually be taken back by the court, and the central court will mint and issue them uniformly. Do you want to start now?
I think it may not be that easy.
After all, coin minting is so profitable. As long as it is a business that can make money, there will always be people who take risks.
Even if it is officially banned, those lawless tyrants will definitely mint it in private, and even the princes will do so. "
Liu Heng sneered when he heard this and said, "Then I want to see whether their necks are hard or my sword is sharper.
What I am really worried about is whether this move will be suspected of competing with the people for profit, and whether it will make the people of the world suffer more."
Luo Jing smiled and said, “Your Majesty, you are really worrying too much.
Although it is not pleasant to say this, the power struggle at this level has never had much to do with the common people. Are there any ordinary people in this world who can benefit from minting coins?
The ones who can benefit are all the powerful and wealthy princes, the richest people in the entire Han Dynasty. There is only so much money in the world, and if these people take it all, the common people will get nothing.
The people do not benefit from the court's policies, but are always harmed.
I remember what my fifth uncle, Marquis Shouguang, once said to Empress Gao, that the survival of the Han Dynasty depends on the children of good families.
If the Han Dynasty was a person, the children of good families would be its food and water.
Is there anyone in this world who can survive without food or water?
Of course not.
If we allow the powerful to become stronger, ordinary people will not be able to survive.
If these people cannot survive, the current Han Dynasty will collapse. It will either perish directly like the Qin Dynasty, or it will have to completely rely on local tyrants to implement its rule.
The people who can pay taxes to the court are indispensable, while princes and powerful people are replaceable.
The Han Dynasty lacks everything except candidates who can become princes and powerful people."
Although Luo Jing was not good at these things, he had a family background in learning and was very good at talking. Liu Heng and Jia Yi both nodded in agreement with his theory.
Liu Heng's eyes were filled with murderous intent, and he said in a cold voice: "Ah Jing, it seems that I was right to call back the Marquises first. If I want to take back the coinage rights, I have to kill a group of people. Why can't I kill all these powerful people?"
Jia Yi and Luo Jing laughed when they heard this. Wanting to kill all the powerful people was just a joke.
Liu Heng himself knew that this was too far-fetched, so he closed his eyes slightly and then opened them again and asked, "Jia Qing, A Jing, at the court meeting tomorrow, find a minister to bring up this matter."
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
Luo Jing actually thought that he could issue an edict directly. This kind of testing method usually represents a kind of negotiation and reflects a kind of uncertainty.
The issue of taking back the right to mint coins is not negotiable. This is the power of the central court, and the local governments should hand over this power directly.
Anyone who dares to question it should be regarded as a traitor and suppressed without hesitation.
It is hard to say which of these two methods is better. Luo Jing is not like Liu Heng, who has countless twists and turns in his mind.
When Liu Heng thinks about something, he has to go through so many twists and turns in his heart and mind before he can say it out loud. He is truly born to be an emperor.
Luo Jing and Jia Yi walked out of the palace together. Luo Jing asked, "Does Jia Qing have any suitable candidates? If not, I can recommend a few to you. Although my father and uncles have passed away or left Chang'an, they still have many relatives and friends in Chang'an, especially my third uncle, who has many connections."
Even without taking into account the bonus of Luo's status, just Luo Yi's own relationships, he is one of the founding nobles with the widest circle of friends. Basically, there is no founding noble he doesn't know.
If Luo Yi had not sent his son back to Zhaocheng, his son would have become the leader among the second generation of founding nobles. This is the power and status of the Yinghou Mansion.
Jia Yi smiled and said, "Thank you, sir. That's not necessary. I have been taken care of by Shouguang Hou over the years. I have some reputation in Chang'an City. I can still find a suitable minister.
In the past, King Luo Wen and Marquis Shou Guang recommended Yi. Yi cannot be relied upon for everything, otherwise I would really let your father down."
Hearing Jia Yi addressing him as Young Master, Luo Jing narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Mr. Jia, you are now an important official of the state. You can address me as Shizhong, or you can address me as Dong'e."
Jia Yi himself entered the political arena through the Luo family, and was reused and even trusted by the emperor because of his relationship with the Luo family. He had a strong Luo family label.
Calling Luo Jing "Young Master" now would further solidify his identity as a disciple of the Luo family. However, Jia Yi was now an important official close to the emperor, which was not a good thing. In the Luo family's view, it was enough for Jia Yi to be loyal to the emperor, and as long as he was slightly biased towards the Luo family at critical moments, it would not be a waste of the Luo family's recommendation.
Upon hearing this, Jia Yi naturally understood what Luo Jing meant, and immediately nodded to show that he understood.
As the palace gates slowly closed, the sun slowly set.
The sun rises as usual.
(End of this chapter)
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