Chapter 464: The Emperor’s Heart is Unpredictable
The fifteenth year of Yuanzheng.
In May, a general amnesty was declared throughout the country. Those who had been convicted for their words, those who had been wrongly convicted, and those who had been severely punished for minor crimes were all released, and the whole country was delighted.
Imperial edict: All the princes who helped in the Jingnan Campaign were granted an additional fief of 500 households, and received countless gold, silver, and treasures. Their titles were also added with Jingnan to honor them.
In June, the ministers agreed on the reign title and designated the next year as the first year of Yuanfeng.
The princes who pacified the rebellion wrote to the emperor, saying, "The emperor has been executed, and we should follow the imperial decree and return to Guandong. The unrest in Guandong has not been quelled yet, and we should guard the country without delay. I respectfully inform Your Majesty."
The Empress Dowager and the Emperor issued an edict to retain him.
"Since ancient times, extraordinary times call for extraordinary rulers and extraordinary ministers. The world is out of order and the government is weakened. I need the assistance of all of you wise ministers. Why are you leaving me?
Is it because my moral character is too low to deserve the assistance of wise men?
Is it because I am too narrow-minded to accommodate all of you meritorious officials?
I also ask all my loyal ministers to give this some thought.
I am willing to give you the positions of Prime Minister, General, Imperial Censor, Nine Ministers and high-ranking officials of 2,000 stones to you, the heroes of the Jingnan Rebellion. I sincerely ask you to stay in Chang'an and assist me."
Liu Bingyi's words were so sincere that no matter the princes who had helped to pacify the rebellion or the officials and civilians, they all praised him, saying, "Your Majesty is benevolent and righteous, and is a blessing to the country."
Therefore, some of the princes who participated in the Jingnan Rebellion stayed behind, including the founding ministers, the marquises of the Liu clan, and the marquises and generals who prospered during the reign of Emperor Xiaowu.
These people will all become rich and prosperous, because the court is too clean after the political purge, with almost all the three dukes and nine ministers left, and countless positions have been vacated.
However, those who were truly the richest and most powerful wrote again to the emperor, asking to return to Kanto.
Especially Lu Chan, when he brought out the same arguments he had made to the other princes during the Jingnan Rebellion, the emperor had no reason to refuse, so Lu Chan became the first of the other princes to return to Guandong.
Before leaving, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor came to see him off. The Emperor said softly, "Uncle, when you return to Guandong, please write to Chang'an more often. Please take good care of the tree in your yard and let it grow strong. I care about it very much."
Lü Chan's pupils shrank when he heard this, and then he bowed deeply and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will take good care of you and send you letters to Chang'an every month, just like you have seen before."
Seeing this scene, several families who had been thinking about it before quickened their pace and prepared to return to Kanto to make a fortune in silence.
The nobles of Chang'an fell, and the princes of Guandong were well fed. This sentence is the best portrayal of today.
Luo Shi left Chang'an in silence and led the armies of the Western Regions and Hexi back. He took away almost all of Liu Dan's daughters and many concubines, and everyone pretended not to have seen them.
He is now the King of the Northwest.
He rode the best Dayuan steed, walked out of Longxi, entered Hexi, looked at the vast world in front of him, and then recalled what the emperor said, "Sir, the burden of the northwest is on you. You are a son of the Luo family, and you have been in battle for a long time. From the time of Emperor Xiaoding to now, you have guarded the Western Regions for ten years. I am very relieved.
When you return to the Western Regions this time, you must be careful of the whispers of some treacherous people, and do not let your enemies be happy or your loved ones be sad. This is all I can say."
His eyes involuntarily fell on a boy, and then on the girls and young women who had gradually recovered from their panic. Each of them was quite beautiful. They whispered softly, "What an extraordinary emperor. How would you treat these people?"
July.
The imperial edict stated: "Emperor Li treated the people cruelly, using harsh criminal laws and arresting and imprisoning people without much investigation. The laws of the Han Dynasty were like paper, without any authority. The laws of Emperor Li were abolished and the laws of Emperor Xiaowu were used instead.
I believe that the execution of laws should be strict. Are the results of torture and forced confessions genuine?
I don't think so.
Is it correct to implement the evidence when there are doubts?
I don't think so.
The court should handle cases fairly so that the people will obey. This is the truth I learned when I was wandering among the people.
As for the fact that there are some thieves who are able to escape justice by taking advantage of this, I don't think there is any need to worry too much. There are officials and civilians, there are knights and thieves. The county and state governments should relax the punishment for the people's revenge. Killing someone should be punished with life, and debts should be repaid. These are natural and right things. Why should we stop them?
Let the world know what I mean."
September.
The emperor issued five consecutive edicts, which almost completely erased all traces of Liu Dan's having been emperor. Those who were demoted were reinstated, those who were killed were given condolences to their relatives and friends, those who were wronged because of Liu Dan were all purged, and those who became prominent and wealthy because of Liu Dan were exiled.
The political purge of the princes in the Jingnan Campaign was too superficial, targeting only the most prominent marquises, kings, and the three dukes, nine ministers, and two thousand stone officials. Liu Bingyi's purge even touched the township level. There may have been some unjust, false, and wrong cases, but the effect was extremely significant.
An emperor who had just been on the throne for half a year gained prestige and power through this forced action of choosing sides. Countless officials and people benefited from his favor and became his staunch supporters.
November.
All the officials and ministers in Chang'an were executed, and the emperor announced to the world, ordering the princes to stabilize their own countries and comfort the people. He also issued an edict to Guandong, pardoning all the rebellious people except the most vicious and evil ones. The government did not have to keep statistics and everyone could return home. As a result, Guandong was gradually pacified.
Everything has been settled, and most of the people in the court are princes who participated in the Jingnan Rebellion. Their power is so great that they are almost more prosperous than those of the Yuancong heroes when the country was just founded.
December.
The imperial edict said: "Emperor Li is a tyrant, just like King Zhou. He has loyal ministers but does not know how to use them, so he is bewitched by flatterers. Isn't this because he only listens to one side and believes in one side?
Emperor Xiaowen and Emperor Xiaowu loved to recruit talented people, thus they were able to achieve great things. Emperor Xiaoding and Emperor Li did not do so, thus causing turmoil in the country.
I was born in Jiaodong, and have never seen the hardships of the Western Regions, the wind and frost of Bingzhou, or the difficulties of traveling in the south. I am the monarch of the world, but I do not know the difficulties of the world. This is not what a wise monarch should do.
I want to have capable ministers, but the world is vast. Compared with heaven and earth, I am just a drop in the ocean. It is so difficult to meet capable ministers.
Now I ask the marquises, kings, and governors of the four directions to select people of good moral character and outstanding talents from among your counties and countries. I am willing to treat them with respect and honor with gold and noble titles. "
A legitimate call for talent.
An imperial decree to distribute power in an open and fair manner.
This was the first time that the Empress Dowager looked at her son so seriously. Liu Bingyi sat quietly opposite Lu Ying. Lu Ying asked, "What the Emperor has done is well thought out. The talented people he recruited must be given status and placed in the same class as the heroes who helped him win the Jingnan Campaign."
Liu Bingyi looked at his mother and was silent for a moment before he spoke: "If there were no heroes who helped to save the country, how could you and your son have come this far?
If it weren't for the heroes who helped to quell the rebellion, the late king would probably never have been able to avenge himself in this lifetime.
I wanted to make them more prominent, so I gave them glory.
I want to continue their prosperity.
Is excessive favor a good thing, just like what Emperor Gao did?
Then you can't reward them too much, as that will make them arrogant; and you can't give them all the power, as that will make them overbearing.
I don't want them to change, and I don't want them to end up fighting each other. That would be too embarrassing, but this is what my son can do."
Empress Dowager Lü looked at Liu Bingyi deeply and said, "You are a smart and resourceful child, so I don't want to stop you from governing, but smart people usually ignore one thing, that is, the human heart.
I am from the Lu family. There are many wise and intelligent monarchs in history books, but not many holy and benevolent rulers who have made great achievements.
Remember, never let the people of the world think that you are a mean and ungrateful king, even if you can dominate the world.
If your ministers think that you are mean and ungrateful, then you will no longer have loyal ministers, but only those who are only interested in profit. If you are lucky, you may still find people who care about the country, but if you are unlucky, you will only have people who are submissive.
A mean and ungrateful emperor would destroy a century of cultivated kindness.
Emperor Li caused chaos and ruined the country, and the Han Dynasty was in danger of being overthrown.
Because of the century-long legacy of Emperors Wen and Wu, the princes rose up in rebellion, killed the tyrant, but did not cling to power and returned power to the Han Dynasty.
In the past, the concubines of the Zhou royal family assisted King Yi of Zhou and even asked him to move the capital to Luoyang.
The princes who participated in the Jingnan Campaign did not request to move the capital because they really wanted to restore the Han Dynasty.
This is a favor that is no less than that of welcoming you to the position!
If you are branded as mean and ungrateful, if you liquidate the princes who participated in the Jingnan Rebellion, if the passion of loyal ministers is cruelly extinguished, it will be clearly recorded in the annals of history.
There was once a group of people who saved the Han Dynasty, but then they lived a miserable old age.
When such a disaster happens again, there will be no one to save the Han Dynasty!
Do you understand? "
Liu Bingyi's ears were still echoing with his mother's words. It was still a little cold in Chang'an City in March, but the winter light was very warm. He looked at the towering Weiyang Palace and the entire imperial palace, then raised his hands in the warm sunlight. They were very slender and white, but very powerful.
The fifteenth year of Yuanzheng is about to pass, and the first year of Yuanfeng will come. This is my era!
————
After Emperor Xiaoxuan was enthroned, the ministers proposed: "A country cannot be without a king, and a king cannot be without a queen. Please select a virtuous and kind queen.
We have selected thirty-six ladies from Guanzhong and Guandong and presented them to Your Majesty.
If Your Majesty agrees, then it is fine. If Your Majesty does not agree, please issue an order to collect all the money from all corners of the world for Your Majesty’s benefit.”
The emperor said, "When I was young, I suffered misfortune and wandered in the world. I survived with an old sword. Now I hold Chixiao in my hand and still remember the old sword. Please find it. I will use the sword as a betrothal gift to welcome a virtuous queen."
All the officials knew what the emperor meant, and they all said, "The emperor asked for the sword of the humble time, which is not disappointing the old people. Not disappointing the old people is not disappointing the loyal and upright people. We are lucky."
The ministers then welcomed Empress Xu and presented her with the old sword. The emperor said, "I feel at ease knowing that the sword belongs to an old owner. This is all thanks to you all." - "Book of Han: Biographies of Foreign Relatives"
Promote the book and make a sacrifice.
The Immortal of Ten Thousand Beasts
Fairyland, the realm of all spirits.
Wanshou Island, the headquarters of Wanshou Sect.
In the northwest corner of the island, there is a towering peak with steep ridges. At the foot of the mountain stands a green stone tablet with three large characters "Lun Dao Feng" engraved on it.
On the top of the mountain is a bluestone square covering an area of 100,000 acres, with a circular stone platform of 100 meters in size in the center of the square.
Tens of thousands of young children, all under the age of ten, gathered in the square. They sat cross-legged on cushions with solemn expressions.
An old man in a green robe with a ruddy face stood on a round stone platform, his eyes passing over the children.
"You have just been tested for your spiritual roots and are the new disciples of the Ten Thousand Beast Sect. The first lesson I will teach you is the origin of the Ten Thousand Beast Sect. This matter starts with the founder of the sect, the Ten Thousand Beast Immortal Venerable. The founder of the sect was from the Qin State of the Donghua Cultivation Realm in the Ganyang Realm. He was just a casual cultivator at that time.
(End of this chapter)
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