Chapter 466 My sword is not at all disadvantageous!
Weiyang Palace.
Liu Bingyi filled his mother's porridge with porridge. He forced a smile, but the sadness in his eyes could not be hidden from Empress Dowager Lu. Empress Dowager Lu looked at her son who depended on her for life and asked directly: "Is the emperor worried about the matter of Yang Chang, the evil old dog?"
The words "evil old dog" by Empress Dowager Lu fully revealed her strong character. Yang Chang was her aunt in terms of seniority, but she did not take Yang Chang seriously at all.
Liu Bingyi said with some worry on his face: "My son said that those who commit crimes will not be forgiven easily, but it happened to be Princess Yangchang. Her status is really high. I just encountered such a difficult person during the investigation. What can I do?"
Lu Ying's eyes suddenly became sharp, and she said sternly: "Emperor!"
Since he ascended the throne, Liu Bingyi had not seen his mother like this for a long time. He straightened his back reflexively, bowed his head and said, "Mother!"
Empress Dowager Lu's voice was like a stone, hammering at Liu Bingyi's heart with every word, "Since ancient times, has there been any king who was perfect?
Are wise and enlightened rulers born to be wise and enlightened?
It’s just that at the most critical moment, he abandoned his hesitation and worries, insisted on his ideals and realized them. This is what a wise ruler does.
You want to recreate the reign of Emperor Xiaowen, you want to rebuild the military achievements of Emperor Xiaowu, but now a mere old dog, a mere pile of dry bones in a tomb, makes you afraid to move forward?
Moreover, this is such a huge opportunity, but you are not excited, but worried instead.
If it is always like this, you should just be content to be a mediocre king, like Emperor Xiaoding. "
Liu Bingyi's face turned red and white after being rudely criticized. Hearing about the great opportunity, he was confused and ashamed, and said, "Please teach me, mother."
Empress Dowager Lu pondered and said, "Yang Chang is just relying on her status and filial piety to make you consider your own reputation and prestige and be cautious. We will strike her from this aspect. Listen carefully."
…
June, the first year of Yuanfeng.
The emperor went to the Gaodi Temple to pray for blessings. The ministers were all very confused and didn't know what the emperor was going to do. After a month, the emperor reappeared and issued an edict.
“Tap, tap, tap!”
The sound of countless horse hooves broke the silence of Chang'an City which had lasted for a month.
Countless imperial censors in embroidered robes appeared before the people again, and everyone knew that something big was about to happen.
"The Imperial Censor of Embroidered Uniforms has gone to the manor of Princess Yangchang!"
Everyone was shocked.
Xiu Yi, who had been stopped by Princess Yangchang before, rushed into her manor with a lot of anger. Fan Li led the palace's Yulin Army and broke into the house directly, issuing the imperial edict with a gloomy face.
"Imperial Edict: Since ancient times, has anyone been able to maintain a long-lasting state by not paying attention to relatives?
Princess Yang Chang had a bad character, was extremely greedy, harmed the people, destabilized the country, and corrupted the state. She could be said to have committed all kinds of evil. Even the water from the rivers and lakes could not wash away any of her crimes.
Although she made such a big mistake, I still find it difficult to make a decision.
Protecting the country is filial piety, obeying elders is filial piety, my virtue and ability are not enough to make a choice between the two.
So I respectfully requested Emperor Gao to make the decision. The Emperor Gao responded to me that descendants who ruined the country should be expelled from the family tree, and those who safeguarded the country should be praised. The country is more important than the ancestral temple, and the ancestral temple is more important than the emperor.
I was so grief-stricken that I had to issue an order to deprive Princess Yang Chang of her title, remove her name from the family tree, take back the estates granted to her by successive emperors, liquidate the land of the people she had occupied, investigate the numerous crimes against her, and finally try her according to Han laws.
When punishment is due, then punishment shall be given; when exile is due, then exile shall be given; when death is due, then death shall be given; that is all.
I am filled with grief and hope that you will not violate the Han laws again. I only wish to share my wealth with you."
When the imperial edict was read, Princess Yangchang was completely shocked, and the others were shaking like sieves, unable to believe that the emperor was going to arrest someone.
Seeing that the Imperial Censor in Embroidered Clothes was coming to arrest someone, the old woman, who was dressed in silk and satin and had heavy makeup on her face but still couldn't hide her sharp and mean look, immediately waved her claws and screamed, "Let go!
What are you?
How dare you come and arrest me?
I am the emperor's great-aunt and the biological sister of Emperor Xiaowu. Even if the emperor stood in front of me, he would not dare to be so rude! "
Seeing that the old woman who had made him suffer was so talkative, Fan Li, the son of Marquis Wuyang, rushed forward and grabbed her, stuffed a piece of cloth into her mouth, pushed her to the ground, and shouted, "Tie her up and take her away!"
Princess Yangchang was still screaming there, but the Embroidered Uniform Censors were a group of fearless sons of ministers. The emperor took them into consideration out of filial piety, so they were not afraid. If they really clash, it is hard to say who has the stronger backing!
Fan Li looked at the magnificent residence of Princess Yangchang, sneered and said to the soldiers he brought with him: "Have you seen the residence? Confiscate it!"
The ferocious soldiers immediately rushed forward and all the women in the mansion were driven out to await their fate.
…
Princess Yangchang is a greedy and stupid person. Decades of reckless behavior have made her brainless. Even after being caught, she is still arrogant.
No matter what the officials who came to judge her said, she would just curse them. Even the most important officials could not torture her, let alone secretly instigate someone to force her to death. Even facing the crown prince was not so difficult.
The prince was just a small monster that gained experience, but this guy was a hedgehog with nowhere to bite.
What is even more terrifying is that countless royal nobles came to plead for mercy, and the officials in charge of the trial didn't know how many families had come to greet them.
Although most of them are gradually declining families, these royal aristocrats who have been entrenched for decades cannot be underestimated.
The most crucial thing is that the emperor remained silent and allowed these people to collude, which was considered by many to be private permission. This made Princess Yang Chang even more rampant, and even the emperor did not dare to kill her.
More and more noble families emerged, and the pressure on the trial officials became greater and greater, and finally the emperor appeared.
August.
An imperial edict was issued from the forbidden area, and a sword was taken out of the palace.
Embroidered Uniform Censor Fan Li reappears. It turns out to be a blessing in disguise. His protection of the emperor has made him one of the emperor's closest attendant censors.
Princess Yangchang was a little afraid of the only person who had beaten her, but thinking back on what had happened in the past few days, she became bolder again, "You wicked son of the Wuyang Marquis family, when I get out of here, I will let you know why the world has the surname Liu.
"A noble from the Yuan Dynasty? A hero who helped in the Jingnan Campaign?"
Oh."
Fan Li looked at a dead man and sneered at everyone in the four directions, saying, "Your Majesty has a message. All the ministers please withdraw first."
"what are you up to?"
Princess Yangchang screamed in fear, and Fan Li looked at her with disgust. After everyone left, he rebuked her, "Your Majesty's order: Princess Yangchang, you are such a wicked villain.
Emperor Xiaowu gave you 10,000 mu of land, and Emperor Xiaoding gave you 10,000 mu of land. The rest of the treasures and gold and silver are enough to fill the treasury. Among the entire royal family and aristocracy, even among the princes, there are not many who are as rich as you.
As a result, you are still not satisfied and even want to plunder the land of the common people.
Are you so happy to see people displaced and living in misery?
Can you sleep peacefully when you see the country in turmoil and the society instability?
How could a shameless person like you, without a country or a home, be born into my Liu family?
Do you think that because you have a very high status, I dare not kill you?
Do you think that I will compromise just because I am the younger sister of Emperor Xiaowu?
I am telling you now, I will definitely kill you, even if gods come, it will be useless!
I will also use your death to tell all the illegal dignitaries and powerful people in the world who are ready to make a move that this is the end of breaking the law!
A bug, how disgusting!"
After such a hearty scolding, Princess Yang Chang felt dizzy. She never expected this would be the outcome. Didn’t the emperor say a word?
Didn’t the emperor tacitly let her go?
Isn’t the emperor afraid of the gossip of people all over the world when he says this?
After Fan Li finished his oral instructions, he called everyone in. Seeing that Princess Yang Chang was in a state of trance and full of fear, they were all curious about what Fan Li had said.
"Imperial edict: The Emperor Gao told me that relatives who bring ruin to the country must be severely punished.
I wanted to forgive Princess Yangchang because she is my elder and very old, but she was unwilling to admit her mistake.
This is what worries me.
What kind of person knows his mistakes but refuses to correct them?
After much thought, I think Emperor Li is just such a person.
How far-sighted was Emperor Gaozu? If he released such a person, would the Han Dynasty collapse?
Will the people in Guanzhong rise up in rebellion because they have no land to farm?
It is precisely because I am worried about these things that I set up the Embroidered Uniform Censor.
I am unwilling to take risks, but I am also deeply afraid that inappropriate behavior will damage the grace of the holy dynasty that governs the world with filial piety, so I went to the ancestral temple to listen to the teachings of my ancestors. Now I have made up my mind that those who violate the law should be executed!
I do not want to stain my hands with the blood of my clan members, so I respectfully request that the Emperor bestow upon me the Scarlet Sky Sword, and respectfully request that the Emperor use his divine power to kill my clan members with this sword."
————
According to the "Book of Han", 37 royal nobles were implicated in the "Princess Yang Case", 11 of whom were sentenced to death, 26 were exiled, 136 officials and nobles at all levels, and 23,500 followers were all exiled. This was the first time since the establishment of the Han Dynasty that powerful people were punished on a large scale for annexation of land, proving that Emperor Xuan of Han put easing land conflicts at the top of his agenda. After serious investigations and punishments, land conflicts in Guanzhong were greatly alleviated, the phenomenon of refugees basically disappeared, and the prestige and strength of the central court were re-established.
At the same time, after several purges, the powerful nobles who rose up during the thirty years from Emperor Ding of Han to Emperor Li of Han were mostly cleared out of Guanzhong. With the assistance of the nobles in Guandong, Emperor Xuan of Han finally gained an extremely stable base, and the revival began from here. ——"The Rise and Fall of the Han Dynasty"
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
