Chapter 463 Who is worthy of being the emperor?
The questions raised by the princes during the Jingnan Campaign seemed to still echo in the Changle Palace, but the faint smell of blood in the air proved that it was already a thing of the past.
The Jingnan Army took over the capital of the empire. A large number of nobles were driven out of their luxurious mansions and tried one by one. The main culprits were beheaded, and the accomplices were exiled. Those who had fiefdoms had their land and people reduced, those who had titles were stripped of their titles and imprisoned, and the princes and concubines were imprisoned. When everything was settled, they were demoted to commoners, and the close relatives of the emperor's wife were executed and exiled to far away places.
As for whether the new emperor could survive his ascension to the throne, that was not the business of the Jingnan princes. The Jingnan princes did not kill Liu Dan's sons because they were unwilling to let the political struggle break the bottom line and wanted to have a decent ending in the end. Forgiving the death penalty for most of the nobles was also to stop the war.
If you don't remove the roots of the grass, it will grow again when the spring breeze blows. This is not the mainstream of this era. Exile is enough.
After clearing out the dissidents, the princes sat together and said, "It's time to make a final judgment on our trip! Define Liu Dan's character, define us, and let the history books show what we will see. This is the moment."
The princes were awed when they heard this. They all held the same idea, but were somewhat hesitant.
"In the past, when the Zhou Dynasty was in power, there were King Kang and King Zhao who ruled the country. King Zhao's father was King Li. Even though King Zhao was a noble man, he did not hide his father's mistakes.
This is to warn successive Zhou emperors not to repeat the mistakes of King Li.
We obey the will of heaven, put down the tyrant's calamity, and let future emperors of the Han Dynasty understand what we are doing today."
This statement is very clear. Liu Dan had achievements in the first half of his life, but he was destined not to receive even a moderate posthumous title.
"If a monarch like him can be given a sympathetic posthumous title, we, the princes who assisted in the Jingnan Campaign, will become a joke."
"Knowing one's mistakes but not correcting them, not regretting one's past mistakes, it is appropriate to call them evil."
"Strip him of his title of Emperor of the Xia Dynasty, leaving him with only the title of Emperor of the Han Dynasty. He cannot enter the ancestral temple, nor can he use the emperor's mausoleum. He will be buried with his hair covering his face. This is the Emperor's announcement to the world."
Word by word, sentence by sentence, each of the princes spoke in a resounding and powerful voice, and in a casual manner, they determined Liu Dan's posthumous reputation, and no one raised any objections.
A dead person is not a big deal.
The most critical issue facing everyone now is who will be the emperor?
Liu Dan's sons were directly excluded and all were demoted to commoners, and not even one of them was given the title of marquis.
Moreover, he would be exiled to a faraway place, such as Lingnan, the Western Regions, or Liaodong. In short, he was not allowed to stay in the Central Plains, let alone succeed to the throne.
Their political identities were extremely unqualified, and if Liu Dan's son were allowed to ascend the throne, political retaliation would be almost inevitable.
Not every king is as magnanimous as King Zhao of Zhou. Moreover, King Zhao of Zhou regarded Duke Wen of Luo as his father and did not have a deep relationship with King Li of Zhou.
If Liu Dan's son is not trampled on the bottom, the princes who are in the Jingnan Campaign will not be able to sleep or eat in peace!
"The princes who joined us in the rebellion this time seem to be..."
The friendship between comrades is the deepest, someone said tentatively.
As soon as he said this, he was interrupted. "No, the emperor should be chosen from the lineage of Emperor Xiaowu. The princes who started the rebellion this time are a bit distant in blood relationship. If Emperor Xiaoding had no son, Emperor Li would have few descendants, and there is even a danger of destroying the country, so he cannot be the emperor."
The feudal system of the princes was theoretically more terrible than that of the marquises. They obtained their country entirely based on blood relationship and lost it. One could only remain prominent by making meritorious contributions, gaining the emperor's trust, or holding an official position such as Zongzheng.
However, in practice it is not that scary. After all, if an emperor cannot give birth to princes across the country, he still has many distant relatives of the royal family.
But in the selection of the emperor, the blood relationship is too distant, and this sentence is equivalent to a direct death sentence.
Moreover, among the princes who revolted, apart from Yuan Cong and other heroes, the new nobles of Xiaowu were the strongest, so it was absolutely impossible not to choose the Xiaowu branch.
"When Emperor Xiaoding passed away, he eventually chose to have his brother succeed him. Now that Emperor Li is dead, perhaps the brother can succeed him again?
Now, fifteen years have passed, and the princes of Emperor Xiaowu are all in their prime and can serve as rulers."
The younger brother succeeds the elder brother.
The princes fell silent at once. In the past, because of the saying that the country relies on the eldest prince, three princes directly lost their qualifications to succeed to the throne, but now they are back.
“Gentlemen, I don’t think this is appropriate.
The throne of the emperor is more important than Mount Tai. In the past, the country relied on its eldest ruler. Finally, the country was handed over to the hands of Emperor Li, which resulted in the dislocation of the people and the almost collapse of the country.
The world can no longer withstand any more turmoil, and the world can no longer bear another evil emperor.
We must be cautious!
We must carefully consider the character and personality of the king, love the people, listen to advice, value our wise ministers, and discard the treacherous and evil ones. "
Los looked at Lu Chan who was talking eloquently, and a smile appeared in his eyes.
He had communicated with Lu Chan many times, and Lu Chan was ready to return to Luhou State and pretend to be dead when the matter was over, and never exert his power in Chang'an again.
This time, Lu was too prominent, which was inconsistent with Lu's family motto, but the premise of pretending to be dead was to choose an emperor who would not settle accounts.
For Lu Chan, the best choice was his sister Lu Ying's son, Marquis of Laixi.
The child has been filial, humble, and polite since he was young, and he never complained about the people around him even when he was in the most difficult times.
"Does Lord Lu have a candidate?"
Lu Chan paused, looked around, and did not answer. Instead, he bowed and said, "My lords, the other day I had a sudden impulse and used a tortoise shell to divine. The hexagram showed that I would be sick and die miserably in the next twenty years. The only way to survive is to worship the Su Wang Shang Huang with a peaceful mind. When this matter is over, I will return to the marquisate, build a courtyard, and not care about worldly affairs."
When these words were spoken, the expressions of the princes varied. Some were horrified, some were confused, and some were thoughtful. They were all different, but everyone understood the meaning of Lu Chan's words.
Lü Chan seemed not to notice the expressions of the crowd, and continued, "The former Jiaodong Dao Wang was a man of good character, benevolent and kind, and should have been the best choice for a king, but unfortunately he died at the hands of Liu Dan and Sang Hongyang. Over the past decade or so, Liu Dan has been doing evil things, and the people miss him even more.
After King Dao of Jiaodong passed away, Liu Dan was still not satisfied. He first seized five counties, then abolished the country on the pretext of something else. The prince was demoted to a commoner and then imprisoned in Laixi. The princes and sons of nobles were actually left to wander the streets.
Even if he fell into the abyss, he remained diligent and studious, treated people politely, did not regard himself as a vulgar person, and did not pride himself on his royal blood.
well.
People all over the world sympathized with him and spoke up for him, so he was granted the title of Laixi and was promoted to a marquis.
Such a person is probably the best choice as a king."
Now all the princes have calmed down, knowing why Lu Chan said those words about retirement. Everyone knows that King Dao of Jiaodong is his brother-in-law!
He wanted to push his nephew to the throne, just like the first Marquis Lu did. The era when Empress Gao was regency was the most glorious time for the Lu family.
But after a little thought, the princes were unwilling to object. Since Lu Chan said that he wanted to worship Emperor Su Wang, he would definitely not lie.
Marquis Laixi succeeded to the throne, and one of the leaders of the Jingnan princes was his uncle.
Moreover, Marquis Laixi and Liu Dan still had a grudge. The more people thought about it, the more they felt it was appropriate. If they handed the throne to such an emperor, they could return to Guandong with peace of mind.
Then there is only one last question left, "What are the abilities of Marquis Laixi?"
"Lord Lu, the most important thing in the world is the emperor. If the emperor is incompetent, the world will decline. We have fought for thousands of miles to support the Han Dynasty and to ensure the long-term stability of the Han Dynasty.
The world is in chaos now. Only a wise ruler can govern the country. Can Marquis Laixi be responsible for this?"
This was a question that the princes of the Jingnan Campaign were very concerned about. They did not want to choose a puppet, but an emperor who could make the Han Dynasty great again.
Lu Chan was well prepared. He reached out and took out stacks of papers and handed them to the princes, who took them with some confusion.
Read it.
Everyone looked at each other, exchanging opinions with their eyes. Los clapped his hands and said with a smile: "I have found a king!"
I got a monarch.
"The country cannot be without a ruler for a day. We should immediately inform the people of Chang'an and Guanzhong, and then welcome the new emperor. We also ask Lord Lu to send an envoy to inform Lord Laixi that we are willing to serve him as our lord!
The best in the world! "
Lu Chan was excited and great things were accomplished.
Once his sister became the empress dowager, Lu could stay in Jimo with peace of mind. Even if he didn't speak, no one would ignore him. Most importantly, he could live in peace and keep a low profile.
The princes were equally excited. Once the new emperor was elected, the world seemed to become brighter. As long as we work together, we can quell the unrest in Guandong and revitalize the situation in Guanzhong.
The Han Dynasty's country will be as stable as a mountain, and the Han Dynasty's national power will surely prosper!
After a year of hard work, the clouds are finally clearing and light is about to appear.
The crowd rushed out, and Los walked slowly at the end, looking at the princes in front of him who were all laughing and smiling. He looked up at the sky, and he remembered that his ancestor Duke Xuan led the concubines to serve the king and finally moved the capital to Luoyang.
The princes who are now participating in the Jingnan Campaign don’t seem to have this awareness. They only want to revive the situation. Even Los didn’t expect this. What a group of loyal ministers!
New emperor, I hope you can treat them well. It’s time to repay your kindness for a hundred years!
————
Emperor Xiaoxuan was the grandson of Emperor Xiaowu and the prince of Jiaodong Dao.
In May of the 15th year of Yuanzheng, Emperor Li died, and the country was without a ruler. The people were in a state of panic. The princes said, "The country cannot be without a ruler. Emperor Li has caused chaos, and you are guilty and cannot be kings.
The Han Dynasty was virtuous and inherited Emperor Xiaowu, choosing wise descendants as successors.
Emperor Xiaowu's grandson Bingyi, at the age of twenty, studied "Mencius", "Respecting the King" and "Guan Zi". He was filial, kind and loving. He had the virtue of Emperor Wen and the appearance of Emperor Wu. He was able to serve his ancestors, prosper the country and establish a foundation for his descendants to last forever.
You should welcome it."
The princes agreed and invited Lü Houchan to Sunlishe, where he was washed and given imperial clothes.
The Chief of the Imperial Clan welcomed the emperor's grandson with the emperor's chariot, went to the Chief of the Imperial Clan's Mansion, entered the Changle Palace, and met the princes who had participated in the Jingnan Campaign.
The emperor's grandson sat facing south, and the princes who had participated in the Jingnan Campaign went to pay homage to him and presented him with the seal and ribbon.
He then ascended the throne, visited the Gao Temple, and then visited the Su Wang Mausoleum, and ascended the throne as the Son of Heaven.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
