For both Liu Heng and the entire court, the fifth year of the Fengyuan era was a very memorable year.
In that year, the rebellion in Yingchuan and Hongnong, which had started due to the land survey and lasted for nearly ten years, was completely quelled.
During the reign of Emperor Jianwu, in order to limit the power of local powerful clans, clarify the number of lands they had annexed and the number of people they had enslaved, and facilitate the collection of taxes and corvée labor by the state, an order was issued to measure the land area of all prefectures and counties in the country.
This move harmed the interests of local powerful clans, who were armed and known as "chief sergeants of major clans." They concealed a large amount of land and a large number of people dependent on them, and were the main force opposing the investigation.
Local officials feared them, and some were greedy for bribes, so they colluded with each other and allowed landlords to make false reports. As for the peasants, not only were fields measured, but houses and villages were also measured as fields to inflate the numbers, which caused great suffering to the vast number of peasants.
Furthermore, due to unpredictable weather and natural disasters, many people in various places could not support themselves by farming, so they sold their children or fled with their entire families, becoming a large number of refugees.
When local officials carried out the land survey edict, they were often unfair, favoring the powerful and oppressing the weak. They completely lost sight of the original purpose of the land survey, thus sowing the seeds of years of chaos in these areas.
Of the various rebellions, those in Yingchuan and Hongnong were the most powerful. Even powerful local clans, in order to preserve their strength, allied with those in these two regions, forming an even more powerful force.
After the powerful clans of Yingchuan and Hongnong established their own territories, they recruited and conscripted some displaced people as private soldiers, becoming even more dominant in their respective areas. The imperial court's repeated attempts to suppress them were futile. Coupled with a tight national treasury and insufficient military strength, it was impossible to completely eliminate these people for many years.
In order to address the long-standing problems of national weakness, Emperor Jianwu adopted Lin Yucheng's suggestion in the 40th year of his reign and implemented the Fangtian Equal Taxation Law. Furthermore, after Liu Heng ascended the throne, he consolidated and strengthened this important reform.
After nearly seven years of implementation, this law proved highly effective. Over the years, the people's hearts were at peace, and the country's strength steadily increased. Finally, Liu Heng resolved to completely eradicate the local powerful clans that were causing trouble.
Regarding the various factions in Yingchuan and Hongnong, Liu Heng adopted a policy of combining suppression and division, stipulating that if the rebels "expose each other, and five people jointly kill one person, their crime will be pardoned."
Local officials who lingered, evaded responsibility, or deliberately let others go were pardoned to motivate them to quell the rebellion. However, once a powerful military leader was captured, he was severely punished according to the law.
These measures were very effective. In the fifth year of the Fengyuan era, the Dutian Rebellion was completely ended, and the Yingchuan and Hongnong regions were pacified.
Subsequently, Liu Heng further rectified officialdom, increasing the scrutiny of local officials. A large number of officials in other prefectures and counties who had falsified land surveys were exposed, and Liu Heng severely punished them.
After rectifying the local officialdom, Liu Heng turned his attention to the officials in the capital who were incompetent and idle. These people were mostly from noble families and families of high status. They obtained their official positions by relying on their fathers' influence, but they did not have much talent. Not only were they useless at critical moments, but they also often caused trouble and harmed the local area.
In response to these officials, Liu Heng established a strict performance evaluation process. Those who failed to meet the standards were all removed and replaced, and the channel of hereditary appointment by sons of powerful families was abolished. Furthermore, to fill the positions of these dismissed officials, Liu Heng changed the autumn imperial examination from once every three years to once a year.
Clearly, his policy was met with fierce resistance from nobles and aristocratic families. The officials who were dismissed were all their sons and nephews, which severely weakened their ties of inheritance.
The lack of successors is the Achilles' heel of every powerful family. Despite Liu Heng's tough political style, they still tried to resist and constantly argued with him in court.
Even Liu Yan's father-in-law, Zhang Chong, a Grand Secretary of the Wenhua Hall, was one of the main voices of opposition.
Zhang Chong was also a descendant of the prestigious Zhang family. Among the officials who were dismissed for failing the official conduct assessment was his son.
Originally, Liu Yan did not intend to get involved in this dispute, but due to his Yue family's connections, he received the favor of many aristocratic families who wanted him to stand on their side and plead with Liu Heng on their behalf.
Liu Yan had always had a good reputation and was known for his tactful dealings, always striving to avoid offending either side. Now, when it came time to choose a side, he hesitated for a long time.
In order to gain the support of the powerful families, Liu Yan chose to take a risk and publicly pleaded with Liu Heng in court, asking his father to rescind the decree canceling the hereditary privileges.
Liu Yan's choice also filled Liu Heng with immense disappointment. The rise of powerful clans inevitably destabilized imperial power. The privileged access to high-ranking positions granted to sons of these clans suppressed other truly talented scholars, reducing their opportunities for advancement. In the long run, this was detrimental to national development and political stability.
Liu Yan selectively ignored these problems, focusing only on gaining the support of powerful families and strengthening his own side.
The problem of official corruption had always been a major concern for Liu Heng, and he had paid close attention to it even when he was still the Prince of Huaiyang. He could not allow the things he had planned for many years to be halted because of the resistance from these conservative forces, and he continued to implement them strictly no matter how great the resistance was.
Liu Yan, who pleaded for leniency in court, was also severely reprimanded by Liu Heng.
Liu Heng persisted in his opinion, which led several of the most vehemently opposed officials, including Grand Secretary Li Xilai, to kneel facing south in the imperial study and threaten to resign.
However, Liu Heng granted them all without hesitation and quickly promoted several of his own people to the positions. Lin Yucheng was also promoted to the cabinet and became the youngest cabinet minister since the founding of the Great Qin Dynasty.
Because Liu Heng's methods were forceful and straightforward, those who threatened to resign were all dumbfounded, losing both their positions and their reputations. Consequently, the others also assessed the situation and backed down, and the initial wave of opposition in the court temporarily subsided.
Lin Yucheng's rapid rise in rank over the years, coupled with his deep trust and reliance on Liu Heng, has attracted envy and resentment from many. Rumors that he entered the cabinet through the influence of the imperial concubine quickly spread among the people.
There's even a popular saying among the common people: "The Lin family has a beautiful daughter, bringing glory to the family," which alludes to the favor of the imperial concubine and Lin Yucheng's entry into the cabinet.
To demonstrate his appreciation for talent and to solidify the newly established system for the appointment and promotion of officials, Liu Heng specially hosted a banquet at Taiqing Pond after the autumn imperial examinations. This banquet, known as the "Top Scholar Banquet," was held to entertain the top two scholars (Zhuangyuan, Tanhua, and Bangyan) of the examinations, as well as the successful candidates and other graduates.
The "Top Scholar Banquet" at Taiqing Pool was attended by numerous officials, members of the imperial family, and the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and the Third Prince.
The guests were drinking merrily, especially the top scholar of this year, who was also a young talent and was in high spirits, attracting much attention.
Halfway through the drinking session, Liu Heng, taking care of Mengmeng who was participating in such an occasion for the first time, asked her to come over and pour him more wine.
Seeing how much care Liu Heng was giving Mengmeng, Liu Kang smiled at Liu Yan and said, "My third brother is exceptionally intelligent at such a young age. I heard that even the Grand Tutor in the Imperial Study praised him highly. I never expected that my second brother would be outshone."
Because Liu Yan had recently been reprimanded by Liu Heng for publicly pleading for the aristocratic families, Liu Kang was in a very good mood. He had always regarded Liu Yan as a thorn in his side, and there was also the old grudge of being tricked by Liu Yan when an official in the Eastern Palace committed a crime. Liu Kang was happy to humiliate Liu Yan whenever he had the chance.
Liu Yan's expression darkened. Although he was also unhappy about the Third Prince being favored, he had never lost a verbal battle.
"Yes, I've been outdone. As the older brother, I have to make way for my younger brother."
Hearing the veiled meaning in Liu Yan's words, which seemed to contain veiled criticism, Liu Kang almost crushed the wine glass in his hand.
The two were subtly exchanging barbs, neither willing to give an inch, completely forgetting about the Third Prince. Subconsciously, neither of them paid him much attention; after all, the Third Prince was more than ten years younger than them.
Liu Heng, holding his wine cup, stood up and glanced at the lively banquet. Those present were all high-ranking officials and future talents of the nation. The country was beautiful, and under his rule, the nation's strength continued to grow. Talented people were making the best use of their abilities. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a surge of pride in his heart.
The water lilies in Taiqing Pond are in full bloom, resting gracefully and peacefully on the water's surface, their yellow and pink hues shimmering with delicate beauty.
Liu Heng drank another cup of wine, while Mengmeng, standing beside him, held the wine pot and smiled.
“I know what Father is thinking right now.”
As Liu Heng raised his wine cup, looking at Lin Yuqiao's sly and lively smile, he couldn't help but think of her.
That person always said that Mengmeng looked exactly like him, but he could also see her shadow in Mengmeng.
With great interest, Liu Heng lowered his head, took the seal from his waist, and waved it at him.
"Oh? You know what I'm thinking? Tell me, and if you get it right, this impression will be yours."
The actions of the father and son drew the attention of everyone present. When Liu Heng removed the private seal, many people's gazes suddenly deepened.
Despite being surrounded by so many people, Mengmeng was not intimidated and smiled as she looked at Taiqing Pond in front of her.
"Father is thinking that there are already new lotus seeds in the Jade Pool."
This answer completely surprised Liu Heng. He was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.
I never imagined that Mengmeng, a five-year-old child, could actually grasp its deeper meaning. "New lotus seeds have sprouted in the green pond; new officials replace the old in the court." This not only relates to the lotus pond in front of us but also carries a profound implication.
Who taught you that?
"Grand Tutor Guo".
Guo Taifu was Guo Hong, Lin Yucheng's mentor and a great Confucian scholar. After Mengmeng entered the Imperial Study, Liu Heng specially summoned him to the palace to teach Mengmeng.
"Guo Hong deserves a reward!"
After praising his master, Liu Heng handed the seal to Mengmeng. Watching him carefully put the seal into his pocket, he gently patted Mengmeng's head.
Those listening to Liu Heng and Mengmeng's words each had their own interpretations. Lin Yucheng, sitting near Liu Heng, had witnessed the entire scene and was also surprised by Mengmeng's precocious intelligence.
Lin Yucheng downed the pine-flavored wine in one gulp and sighed inwardly, "The Third Prince is a promising young man."
As the banquet was about to end, Mengmeng took the wine jug and poured Lin Yucheng a glass of wine.
"Uncle, please."
Although she doesn't have much contact with Lin Yucheng, Mengmeng feels a natural affinity for him because of her relationship with Lin Yuqiao.
"Thank you, Third Prince."
Lin Yucheng found his nephew's clear voice incredibly soothing. He took the full glass of wine with both hands and drank it all in one gulp.
Mengmeng's eyes are round and cute, just like Lin Yuqiao's when she was a child.
As Lin Yucheng looked at Mengmeng, he unconsciously recalled a chubby-cheeked, round-bodied little girl from the depths of his memory. She was also precocious, standing in the snow in a red dress, like a snow jujube.
She would reach out to him from afar so he could hug her, and she would say in his ear with pride and certainty, "My brother is the best, no one can compare to him."
Back then, he was a repressed teenager, powerless and struggling to move forward. Although her words were just childish and innocent, her unwavering trust and certainty once gave him the confidence to traverse the darkest night.
His younger sister had grown up and become the mother of two princes; she was no longer the child he could hold in his arms and protect.
Blinking hard to wipe away the slight moisture from the corners of his eyes, Lin Yucheng gently took Mengmeng's hand and said softly, "Grand Tutor Guo should be a good teacher. I hope that the Third Prince will study diligently under Grand Tutor Guo in the future."
Mengmeng nodded obediently, indicating that she had remembered.
He had heard his mother mention it before; Grand Tutor Guo was also his uncle's mentor. Back when his uncle was still in the Chenliang Marquis's mansion, he was in a difficult situation, but he still worked hard and carved out his own path, paying a heavy price to achieve his current status.
Heaven rewards diligence; those who strive for success will never fare too badly.
My circumstances are much better than my uncle's back then, and I shouldn't be inferior to others of my time.
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