Chapter 488 Lu Ying's Last Words
In the eighth year of Yuanfeng, the emperor issued an edict to completely put an end to the rebellion of King Wu Liu Bi. He stopped arresting accomplices on a large scale, stopped accepting reports, and prohibited county officials from handling related matters privately.
The sword hanging over the heads of countless people finally disappeared. The terrifying political atmosphere would destroy the vitality of the entire society. With the end of the incident, the suppressed merchants became active again.
Countless powerful people were investigated, countless high-ranking nobles were purged, and the entire society was filled with a large amount of floating, ownerless wealth.
A large number of official positions that were once hard to obtain suddenly became vacant. Those businesses that were wealthy and even close to monopolizing were suddenly torn apart. The upper class of the dynasty suddenly opened up countless positions to the middle and lower classes.
What a vibrant scene this is!
The east wind blew across Chang'an, and the biting cold made the people of Chang'an wrap themselves tightly in thick clothes. The uninterrupted wind blew away all the blood. There were always new nobles ascending to Changle, and the old nobles would soon be forgotten.
It seems like not long ago that there was a great purge last year, but many people have gradually forgotten it.
Imperial Observatory.
This is the department responsible for monitoring the movement of the sun, moon and stars. The updating and adjustment of the calendar are also carried out here. It is an extremely noble position.
Who in the world is best at astronomy and calendar?
Luo family!
Who is the master of the four seasons from?
Luo family!
Luo's son naturally took the position of director of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory, in charge of the four seasons, astronomy and geography of the Han Dynasty.
This made the Imperial Observatory increasingly prominent.
After all, the last time Luo Zi held such a hereditary official position was as the Grand Master of the Zhou Dynasty!
Luo Qing sat quietly in the hall, reading a book in his hands. The Imperial Observatory did not have many affairs to deal with, and even fewer that required him to handle.
The pretty maid walked to Luo Qing as lightly as a butterfly, lifted her skirt and sat down, first pouring a cup of tea for Luo Qing and then adding a bowl for herself.
She is Luo Qing's cousin within the five generations of mourning, so naturally she is different from the master and servant in other noble families. She is just a younger sister who takes care of her brother.
She said softly, "Sir, there is news from the palace that the Queen Mother fell into a coma while visiting the garden, and her condition seems to be very serious."
Luo Qing paused after hearing this, turned around and looked at his sister, and said softly: "Thirteenth sister, this is not a joke."
Thirteenth sister said solemnly: "Brother, just now all the doctors from the Imperial Medical Bureau went to the palace. This is definitely not an ordinary illness. Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is old, so this may not be a good situation."
Empress Dowager Lü Ying was a remarkable woman, widely praised by both the court and the public. Some even praised her as "second only to Empress Gao, the second most famous woman in the Han Dynasty."
There is no need to say much about the achievements of Empress Gao and Lu Zhi's regency. In the Han Dynasty, there is no higher praise for a woman than Empress Gao.
Luo Qing was more aware of the role played by Lu Ying in the Jingnan Campaign, and the shadow of the empress dowager could be seen in all of Liu Xun's decisions. She played an irreplaceable role in maintaining the relationship between the Lu and Luo families and the royal family.
…
There was a gloomy atmosphere in the Weiyang Palace. The Empress Dowager, one of the supreme rulers of the Han Empire, was seriously ill.
Even though he was kneeling beside the sickbed, Liu Xun still couldn't believe it. His mother was in such good health...
"How could that be?"
Liu Xun held his mother's hand tightly and couldn't help murmuring, "How could it be?"
Lu Ying had been strong all his life, and he remained the same even at this moment. He said in a sick voice, "Emperor, don't act like a child. You are the king of all the people in the world, and you must always be strong. I have something to say to you, and it will be too late if I don't say it now."
Liu Xun wiped his eyes and said with tears in his eyes: "Mother, please tell me."
There were countless words in Lu Ying's mind. She had too many things to confess. Finally, she looked at Empress Xu Pingjun and said, "Emperor, the Empress has given birth to a son. This is not enough. You need at least one more. Remember, you need at least one more!"
Liu Xun and Xu Pingjun were stunned when they heard this. Why did the topic suddenly turn to having children?
Lu Ying sighed and said, "Emperor, don't you understand this?
To evaluate an emperor, we should not only look at his personal ability while in office, but also whether he can arrange his successor.
Among the previous emperors of our Han Dynasty, Emperor Xiaohui can be regarded as...
But Emperor Xiaohui was able to make King Luowen the regent and pass the throne to Emperor Xiaowen. Who in the world would not admire him?
The ability of Emperor Xiaowu can be said to be unprecedented in history, but first there was Emperor Xiaoding, then there was Emperor Li, and then there was the chaos caused by Liu Bi, so his reputation was tarnished after his death by these unworthy descendants.
You will definitely establish a queen, so having only one prince is not safe enough, what if he is not a good person?"
Liu Xun's face changed. He thought carefully and realized that even if the prince was unworthy, he would force him to the throne. He immediately understood what his mother was worried about.
Liu Xun nodded, and Lu Ying began to really explain the aftermath, "Emperor, I have been teaching you some things since you were a child.
It will still be the same when you become emperor.
Now that I am dying, I want to say something to you, but I can't find the first words.
After much thought, let’s talk about the problems of the Lu and Luo families.
The Lu family is your in-laws, but I have never asked you to use them.
Your uncle has been staying in Jimo, and I hope you can continue to do this to repay your uncle's contribution."
Liu Xun nodded in understanding, and Lu Ying pondered: "Luo's...
In fact, I have never known how to persuade you. Emperor Gao was heroic throughout his life, Emperor Xiaohui was self-aware, Emperor Xiaowen was humble, and Emperor Xiaowu was confident.
Only you have talent, but it is too much coincidence. In fact, you don’t have to worry about much. You are the most powerful person in the world.
Feelings can be deceiving, but the powerful officials in the world are not. They will flock to you, and this is your power.
Over the years, you have gradually found a way to get along with the Luo family. I don't want to waste any more words on this.
The world is gradually recovering, but one thing I've always been worried about is the impact of the Jingnan Campaign!"
The Jingnan Campaign.
Liu Xun felt a slight chill on his back. This event affected the entire Han Dynasty and almost reshaped the Han Dynasty.
Because of the Jingnan Campaign, countless people died and countless others were exiled.
Lü Ying saw Liu Xun's fear and frowned slightly, saying, "After the Jingnan Campaign ended, you used your wealth to gain the power of the Jingnan heroes, and you also vigorously raised the status of your clan members and relatives by marriage as a balance.
But none of that matters. What matters is that there are too many political purges.”
Liu Xun said with some heaviness: "Mother, those political purges must be done, otherwise the Han Dynasty and my son's throne will become more unstable."
This is what is called congenital deficiency!
Some things that obviously have no benefits have to be done, and some problems that should be solved as soon as possible have to be ignored. This is the inherent deficiency of the dynasty or the emperor.
Lu Ying said weakly: "Of course I understand, so I never stopped you. I just want to tell you the consequences. Since you ascended the throne, there have been five large-scale political purges, three of which only involved Guanzhong, and two involved the whole world.
These five cleanses upset the balance.
Because the talents among the clan members, relatives by marriage, and marquises are limited, while the number of scholars in the world is infinite, you have wiped out the political power of the past. If you want to fill these vacancies, you can only use scholars of Confucian classics.
These Confucian scholars are much more terrifying than the royal relatives, princes and nobles."
"horrible?"
Liu Xun was somewhat puzzled and asked, "Mother, some of those Confucian scholars were from small landowner families, some were from powerful families in counties, and only a small number were from noble families. What's so scary about that?
When the heroes of the Jingnan Rebellion held the power of the entire Han Dynasty, I never heard you say the word "terrible".
Lu Ying sighed and said, "What's so scary about the heroes who helped to win the Jingnan Rebellion?
Not to mention the fact that they are all loyal ministers, even if there are ambitious people among them, I am not afraid at all, because all the actions of the heroes of the Jingnan Campaign are predictable, and they are all political rules passed down from the time of Empress Gao and King Luo Wen.
Even though they are holding sharp weapons, their minds are under my control. What is there to be afraid of?
But the behavior of scholars of classics is unpredictable. You may think they are docile sheep, but you don’t know where their sharp teeth are hidden.
Just like when the military heroes first appeared, they were just some lowest-ranking officers. Who could have known that this group of people would eventually trample on the thousand-year-old nobles?
When various countries rebelled against Qin, the world thought that the Xiang family of the Ji clan would take over the world. However, in the end, it was Emperor Gao, a great man born in a commoner family, who ascended the throne.
Since Emperor Xiaowen appointed Jia Yi, how long has the prime minister of the Han Dynasty been controlled by Confucian scholars? "
Liu Xun calculated briefly and said in surprise, "Only one of them is a marquis for military merit, and the rest are all marquises for their positions as prime ministers."
Lu Ying said calmly, "Not only will the position of prime minister belong to them now, but everything in the Han Dynasty will be handed over to these scholars of classics. You have no other choice, because apart from these people, you have no one else to use, unless you activate the princes of Guandong and return to the time when the Han Dynasty was just established."
Liu Xun was silent. The mother and son were silent. The hall was quiet.
————
The political purge by Emperor Xuan of Han, Liu Xun, destroyed the main political forces in the hundred years since the founding of the Han Dynasty. In order to get the Han Dynasty back on track, he chose the group of Confucian scholars to fill the vacancies of officials.
He expanded the scale of the Imperial Academy. Historical records record that "the Imperial Academy had tens of thousands of houses, all of which were luxurious." It reached its peak in the 20th year of Yuanfeng, when there were nearly 10,000 students in the Imperial Academy. He also allowed private individuals to open academies, called academies, to distinguish them from the Imperial Academy and the Luo's Academy.
After the end of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the tradition of teaching among the people was interrupted. Now it is popular again. The number of disciples gathered under the tutelage of famous scholars even exceeds 10,000. Historical records record that "he had 10,000 people with him, and when he passed through counties and prefectures, the county soldiers looked on at him."
Quantitative change leads to qualitative change. The huge number of scholars quickly overwhelmed the past political system, and the era of Confucian classics arrived irreversibly. ——"The Rise and Fall of the Han Dynasty"
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