Chapter 365 Please depose the crown prince!
The Imperial City of the Han Dynasty, Changle Palace.
The sunlight sprinkled in front of the temple door, but there was not a bit of warmth. The dust particles were clearly visible in the light. The temple was silent and a heavy atmosphere enveloped everything. The ray of light was blown by the wind, and the temple door slowly closed with a creaking sound and disappeared completely.
In the silent hall, even a needle falling on the ground could be heard clearly, but there was not a single sound. Even breathing had to be restrained, not daring to make a loud sound.
Even if the owner of the palace is always kind!
There were only a few people lying in the hall, their faces covered with tears, clearly having just cried. These people were none other than the retainers of the former Crown Prince of Jiaodong. Their master had died at the hands of the Crown Prince, so naturally they had to go to the palace to file a complaint.
Liu Heng sat at the top with no expression on his face. If someone knew him well, they would know that he was extremely angry.
“Squeak.”
The palace door was pushed open, and the sunlight poured in again. Everyone turned their heads to look at the palace door, wanting to know who was so unlucky as to do such an unfortunate thing at this time.
Dong'e Hou!
Everyone in the hall suddenly felt relieved, and even the stagnant air seemed to start flowing again.
Luo Jing seemed not to feel the atmosphere. He walked straight towards Liu Heng, and then bowed and greeted him as usual. Liu Heng's expressionless face finally showed a little warmth.
After about dozens of breaths, Jia Yi also walked in from outside the hall. He was not as calm as Luo Jing. He lowered his head slightly and walked cautiously. Even though he deliberately followed Luo Jing in, Jia Yi did not want to invite unnecessary disaster at this time.
Although given his status, he did not take Crown Prince Liu Qi seriously in the past, and even used Liu Qi to improve his reputation, but that was under normal circumstances, not now!
"Bang!"
Liu Heng threw the cups on the table heavily, and a clear and loud shattering sound was heard immediately. Even several eunuchs were injured by the fragments, but no one dared to say a word. Only Liu Heng's roar that resounded throughout the hall was heard: "What a wicked creature! Actually killing the princes and sons of the princes in broad daylight, it's lawless!"
"Your Majesty, calm down!"
Luo Jing and Jia Yi had nothing to say about this matter. They could only say some nonsense and persuade Liu Heng to calm down. However, they were naturally extremely dissatisfied with Crown Prince Liu Qi in their hearts. This incident was really too bad.
The world today is completely different from before the Extension of Favor and the Splitting of Nations. Before that, there was a huge conflict between the royal family and the princes, and the two sides could even be considered enemies to some extent. If in that situation, if the crown prince killed the crown prince of a prince, the emperor would probably feel secretly happy and would most likely protect him.
However, after the Extension of Favor and the Division of the Kingdom, the main focus between the royal family and the princes was harmonious coexistence. The Extension of Favor and the Division of the Kingdom came with some political commitments, that is, at least wealth and glory had to be guaranteed. Liu Heng's great achievements over the years were inseparable from the cooperation of various kingdoms, and now they were all destroyed by Liu Qi's chessboard.
Liu Qi killed the crown prince of the King of Jiaodong and the son of the Duke of Qi in the street. This was simply outrageous. Since the founding of the Han Dynasty, there had never been such an outrageous and vicious incident.
Liu Heng calmed down a bit and said, "The envoys please go back first. I will definitely give an explanation to the King of Jiaodong and the Duke of Qi."
The few of them looked at each other for a few seconds, then slowly left the hall. The palace servants also left from both sides. Only Liu Heng and the other two were left in the hall. Liu Heng's body suddenly collapsed, and he said angrily: "What a wicked creature! I only thought he had a bad temper, but I never expected something like this to happen. Does he think his position as the crown prince is really as stable as Mount Tai?"
Luo Jing and Jia Yi did not say anything in response to this, but keeping silent is an attitude in itself, and normally it should be persuasion, but now silence means that they think the same way.
Liu Heng suddenly understood something and realized that the two important ministers in front of him were very dissatisfied with Crown Prince Qi.
When it comes to the stability of the crown prince's position, we have to talk about Emperor Xiaohui Liu Ying. The Lu family, the Luo family, and the group of founding heroes jointly supported him and made the founding emperor Liu Bang give up the idea of changing the crown prince and only think about saving Liu Ruyi's life.
That's what it means to have a position as stable as Mount Tai!
Where is Liu Qi?
Emperor Liu Heng didn't like him very much, and his mother's family and his wife's family were not strong enough to compete with the emperor.
His only advantage is that he is the eldest son. Generally speaking, the Luo family will still support the eldest son. After all, this is the most stable way to transfer power.
The problem is that Liu Qi has an average relationship with Luo Jing, the only son of the Luo family who currently exists in Chang'an, and he has also done something almost immoral.
This led to Luo Jing not supporting him, and the advantage of the eldest son was greatly weakened.
Liu Heng slowly frowned, and the idea of replacing the crown prince flashed through his mind again. He put away his anger and said thoughtfully: "Prime Minister, what consequences might the Crown Prince's actions bring? I want to hear your opinion."
He didn't ask Luo Jing because Liu Heng knew what Luo Jing was thinking. Jia Yi understood that his words might even determine whether Liu Qi would remain the crown prince.
Ordinary ministers probably wouldn't dare to get involved in these matters, but although Jia Yi was unwilling to get involved in the throne, he naturally had a sense of righteousness in his heart and always had the ideal of serving the country and the people.
In his opinion, Crown Prince Qi acted absurdly and had a tyrannical character. He killed the prince of a vassal state and the son of Duke Qi in the street. This showed he had completely disregarded the turmoil in the country and society. Now he is just a crown prince, but he acted so arrogantly and did such evil things. What would happen if he really became the emperor in the future?
Do we have to force the vassal kingdoms to rebel and start a spectacular civil war?
The world has finally prospered, is it going to fall into endless war again?
As a Confucian scholar who truly aspired to govern the country and bring peace to the world, Jia Yi was deeply moved and immediately bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, I have a few words to say. If I have overstepped my bounds, please forgive me."
Liu Heng said without changing his expression: "Prime Minister, please speak."
Jia Yi said in a clear voice: "Your Majesty, I once heard a story about a rabbit being killed by a hunter. The foxes who saw this scene felt sad. The other foxes asked, 'Why are you sad that the rabbit died?'
The fox said: "Because the hunter killed the rabbit today, he will kill us tomorrow, so I feel sad, not for the rabbit, but for us in the future. '"
Jia Yi said: "In the past, the King of Wu and the King of Huainan were plotting a rebellion, and the princes of the world were all ready to make a move. The Dukes and Marquises of Qi sharpened their weapons, fed their war horses, and recruited soldiers in their fiefdoms, so Qi was the most stable. This was their loyalty to the Han Dynasty.
If the loyal are allowed to become disloyal and the wicked are allowed to rise to power, can the Han Dynasty still prosper?
I don't think so. You govern the world with kindness. The princes and kingdoms that support the court prosper, while those that break the law lose their country. It has been like this since you took power, so the royal family members and descendants treat you respectfully.
The Prince of Qi and the Crown Prince of Jiaodong have come to Chang'an. Isn't this a sign of their trust in you and their loyalty to the court?
But he died unexpectedly.
King Su once said: "If the king treats his subjects as his own hands and feet, then the subjects will treat the king as their own heart and soul; if the king treats his subjects as dogs and horses, then the subjects will treat the king as their fellow countrymen; if the king treats his subjects as dirt, then the subjects will treat the king as their enemy."
If I cannot give an explanation to the King of Jiaodong and the Duke of Qi, it will not just be a matter for these two people. I am worried about the country of Han."
Jia Yi came from a family of Mencius, and he attached great importance to the relationship between the monarch and his subjects. He did not have the idea that the monarch was always right. At the same time, this was the mainstream of that era.
Everybody is reasonable!
If the emperor is really unreasonable and loses the support of the people, he may even lose his country.
“Ahem.”
Luo Jing suddenly coughed twice, and Jia Yi stopped talking. He knew that this was Luo Jing reminding him that he had said almost enough, and if he continued, he would have to directly propose to depose the crown prince.
This can be said, but not now, and not just by Jia Yi. Instead, he must first communicate with all officials and create public opinion.
Deposing the crown prince was not just a political event. If Liu Qi was deposed, he would definitely die, which was equivalent to letting Liu Heng kill his own son with his own hands.
Therefore, the most crucial thing is to see what the emperor thinks. If the emperor is unwilling to depose the crown prince, no matter how much you say, it will be in vain.
Luo Jing guessed that Liu Heng could make this decision. After all, from any perspective, it would do more harm than good for Liu Qi to continue to serve as the crown prince.
Although Jia Yi did not say it, Liu Heng knew that this was a request for him to depose the crown prince. He pondered and said, "Prime Minister, what you said is a proposal for the state. I will listen to your opinions carefully. You are the prime minister who reconciles yin and yang and leads all officials. Please collect the opinions of all officials for me. The country of the Han Dynasty rests on your shoulders."
After receiving the order, Jia Yi sat back in his original seat. He was not afraid, but excited. In fact, he still had a trump card that he had not used, which was that Crown Prince Qi had once expressed his dissatisfaction with Hou Jing of Dong'a after drinking.
However, Jia Yi was not a conspirator after all, so he was unwilling to go this step unless it was absolutely necessary. He was very clear that he was not Luo Jing, the Marquis of Dong'a, who was fully trusted by the emperor. The reason why he was now in the emperor's favor was, firstly, because he had worked hard and had a noble character over the years, and secondly, because he was recommended by King Luo Wen and named as the prime minister reserved for the emperor.
Once he used sinister means to alienate the royal family, in the emperor's mind, he would no longer be just a minister who could be close to him, and doing so would be a loss instead of gain.
But just because he didn't say it doesn't mean others won't say it. Liu Qi's plans for his career were not kept secret, and some people had been eyeing his position as crown prince for a long time. These things had been kept secret just to give Liu Qi a hard blow at the critical moment.
It's just that there has never been an opportunity. No one expected that Liu Qi would actually hand out the knife himself, which made many people overjoyed.
The city of Chang'an was in turmoil because of this incident, with countless undercurrents surging in it and then rushing towards the imperial city!
(End of this chapter)
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