Establishing a thousand-year family from the nobles of the Western Han Dynasty

Chapter 100: Eunuchs’ Monopoly of Power, the Decline of the Confucian Party

Zheng Peng did do some things that were against the rules, but Xiao Wangzhi still used him, which was not a big deal after all.

There's still time to sever the relationship later.

But the problem was that Xiao Wangzhi was imprisoned on the charge of "forming a clique", which became particularly important as it could provide an excuse for the emperor.

Wang Si had nothing to say about this. He didn't expect Xu Ning to take direct action.

He has ways to suppress other people, even people like Shi Gao or Xu Bo, but this is the de facto leader of the dynasty, Xu Ning!
Wang Si's actual power is actually not as great as that of the Grand Marshal and General, but his prestige is stronger. Unless Xu Ning personally takes action against him, almost no one can be his opponent.

Liu Shi took Zheng Peng's confession from the eunuch, took a look at it, and couldn't help but give Xu Ning a thumbs up in his heart. He is worthy of being a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty! At this time, his position is very important.

In the future, you must warn the prince that no one should touch Xu. My father regretted it back then.

They were much more loyal than imagined, and were truly gentlemen who "made friends but did not form factions". They remained neutral among the various parties in the court, but were staunch royalists and never made mistakes when faced with major issues.

This time was the same. The emperor was isolated, and he took sides without hesitation and confronted the Confucian Party leader Wang Si.

You know, if you’re not careful you’ll be dragged into party disputes and won’t be able to stay out of it anymore.

Liu Shi was deeply moved, and his fear of Wang Si reached its peak. It was too terrible that he could actually unite the court officials to isolate the emperor.

And most importantly, he had no one available, and no minister except Xu was willing to step forward.

Even the remnants of the Legalists did not dare to do so. They had been suppressed so badly by the emperor that they only dared to make some small moves and were as obedient as chickens in front of Wang Si.

It seems that supporting eunuchs to fight against Confucian officials is imminent.

"Former General Wang Zhi has been my teacher for many years. He has always been diligent and honest in his work. As the saying goes, no one is perfect. Although Wang Zhi has committed a crime, I still intend to pardon him."

Liu Shi was not in a hurry to turn against him. Now was not the time to kill Xiao Wangzhi. If he did so now, he would have to bear the blame.

I have to find another opportunity later.

Wang Si's expression changed subtly when he heard this, and he could only say in a deep voice: "This old minister thanks Your Majesty on behalf of Wang Zhi!"

As a veteran in officialdom, he knew very well what His Majesty was planning. It seemed that Xiao Wangzhi was really doomed to die. Now the authority of the Liu family had not declined, and the emperor still had absolute power.

It would be easy for him to kill anyone he wanted, the only problem was his reputation, but it wouldn't be difficult to find a knife to do it for him.

"But the death penalty can be avoided, but the living crime cannot be escaped." Liu Shi added: "Reclaim Xiao Wangzhi's former general seal and ribbon. Zhou Kan, Liu Gengsheng and others are equally unforgivable. They should be stripped of their official positions and become citizens of the capital."

"Zheng Peng has made a great contribution in reporting the crime. His previous crimes will be forgiven and he will be promoted to Huangmen Lang."

Wang Si immediately bowed to express his gratitude, and the other members of the Confucian Party also chose to accept the offer.

After all, even the prime minister has compromised, and it is not wise to go against the general. It is better to admit defeat as soon as possible and not bring disaster upon yourself.

Although the Confucian officials are powerful, they are actually just fat and bloated. Although they have a lot of say in the central government of the capital, they lack one crucial thing, that is, military power!

In the Han Dynasty, the only powerful official was the general with the title of Grand Sima. The rest, even the prime minister, were far inferior to him. Without soldiers under their command, they were just lambs to be slaughtered!

If the emperor did not care about the consequences, he could kill all the Confucian officials, but the cost would be too high and it might lead to some chain reactions.

This was the reason why Liu Xun gave Xu Ning the position of general. After being weakened across the board, the Xu family had lost the soil for becoming a powerful official, unless they deliberately moved closer to Confucianism and Legalism.

Wang Si is powerful, but he has no soldiers and can only manage internal affairs. As long as enough reasons are found, he can be eliminated directly without any trouble.

Because they don't even have the qualifications to resist and can only be slaughtered.

Xiao Wangzhi was released, but he lost the last military power in the hands of the Confucian Party and was only left with the power of assisting in the administration.

Although Wang Si felt it was a pity, he had no choice but to accept it, because the emperor's actions were reasonable and legal, but too inconsiderate.

In the following months, Liu Shi gradually restored his favor towards him, granted him a large amount of power to assist in the administration, and granted him the title of Guannei Hou. His son was also promoted to General of the Imperial Guards, a rank second only to the general!

To the outside world, the emperor has restored trust, but Wang Si doesn't think so. It's just the calm before the storm.

Because although Liu Shi was more honored and favored and was also granted a title, the seal of the former general was still not returned to him, which means that Xiao Wangzhi, the former general, had no military power.

Even if Your Majesty does not intend to kill all of them, what value does a general who has no military power but only political power have to the Confucian Party?

They have long been not lacking such things, but real hard power! This is the fundamental reason why Wang Si attaches so much importance to Xiao Wangzhi. The post of former general is a bridge for Confucian officials to contact military power.

But now the bridge has collapsed and cannot be repaired.

In the seventh year of Yuanyou, Shi Xian falsely conveyed the imperial edict and, with Xu Ning's green light, successfully mobilized the chariots and cavalry of the Jinwu Guards and surrounded the former general's mansion.

And spread rumors that the emperor intended to sentence him to death.

Feeling disheartened, Xiao Wangzhi thought he could not escape, so he drank poison and committed suicide. When Shi Xian entered his mansion, he only found his corpse.

For a time, the court and the country were in an uproar. Liu Shi made prior preparations and put all the blame on the eunuchs who falsely conveyed the imperial edict.

Shi Xian was also sensible and insisted on everything. Someone must be held responsible for Xiao Wangzhi's death.

Your Majesty is not qualified, the General is not qualified either, and the Minister of the Central Secretariat Hong Gong, as my old superior, is not suitable either, so I have to come myself.

Liu Shi appeared to be extremely grief-stricken, scolding Shi Xian and others, losing his appetite, and ordering Xiao Wangzhi's eldest son to inherit the title of Marquis of Guannei. He put in a lot of effort on the surface and cried bitterly at Xiao Wangzhi's funeral.

The ministers were also deeply touched and could not find any fault with it.

Shi Xian was relieved of his post as Minister of State and sent back home.

On the surface, he was punished, but in fact, he was favored by Liu Shi. What happened was just a matter of a word from the emperor. As time went on, no one cared about how Xiao Wangzhi died.

It won't be long before Shi Xian is reinstated and he has gained the emperor's trust. Now he is even more favored than Sheng Honggong.

It can be said that Liu Shi had already intended to support this person to become a powerful official to fight against the Confucian officials.

Facts have proved that Shi Xian is a smart man, and this is what he deserves. This time he also took the opportunity to please General Xu Ning, and the last obstacle disappeared.

I'm afraid it won't be long before the Han Dynasty's political situation will experience a major earthquake, with eunuchs jumping onto the stage and playing an extremely important role.

.........

In the same year that Xiao Wangzhi committed suicide, the eunuch Zhongshu Ling Hong Gong died of illness. Pushe Lao Liang temporarily took over the Zhongshu affairs, but he was not officially appointed. It was obvious that the emperor had a better candidate in mind.

In the eighth year of Yuanyou, Shi Xian was recalled to the palace and reinstated as the Minister of the Secretariat, but under the emperor's authorization, he secretly took over the affairs of the Secretariat. Liu Shi's health was getting worse and worse. He often failed to attend a complete court meeting and was bedridden for a long time, unable to handle state affairs.

He then temporarily handed over the power to govern the country to Wang Si, Xu Bo, Xu Ning and others, and let them exercise the power.

But in fact, he began to secretly support the eunuchs' power and handed over all the power of the former central government to Shi Xian, causing the other side's power to expand rapidly.

In just one year, he completely controlled the power of the Secretariat and became the de facto person in charge of the inner court.

In the same year, Shi Xian was promoted to the eunuch Zhongshu Ling, who was fully responsible for central affairs and was delegated various government affairs.

Wang Si's power was gradually divided. He was very indignant and joined forces with other ministers in the court to collectively impeach Shi Xian and accuse the eunuchs of monopolizing power.

Liu Shi turned a deaf ear to it and agreed verbally, but in fact he continued to delegate power to Shi Xian. Any imperial edict had to go through his hands before being handed over to the prime minister for execution.

Xu Ning and Xu Bo also started directly. This was exactly what they wanted. They wanted to let the eunuchs and Confucian officials compete with each other. So they gave up the internal political power in their hands and secretly cooperated with the eunuchs in the Secretariat.

As a result, Shi Xian had great power in the court and the country, and held extremely terrifying authority. The emperor trusted him almost unconditionally, and all the impeachments of court ministers were suppressed by him.

Liu Shi dragged his seriously ill body to start the court meeting.

Although he was frail and sickly, he did not avoid attending court. It was just that he attended less frequently. He could not give up military and national affairs easily.

"Your Majesty, I impeach the Minister of the Central Secretariat Shi Xian. This man, as a eunuch, stole a high position, formed a clique for personal gain, and wantonly bullied court officials. Many virtuous people were unjustly killed by them!"

"This is undoubtedly a fatal blow to our great man!"

Chen Lie, the Minister of Agriculture, made the impeachment. He was a core figure of the Confucian Party and naturally hated Shi Xian for targeting Confucian officials everywhere.

Moreover, this guy is not a good person either. He is a disaster for the country and the people. Both Liu Shi and Xu Ning have no choice. If they have any other way, they will not support a group of eunuchs who only know how to make money.

Liu Shi was used to this, so he nodded and said, "Do you have any evidence? Defamation is also against the law."

Chen Lie said, "Your Majesty, it is known to everyone that Shi Xian is causing chaos in the country! There is evidence everywhere! There are witnesses everywhere! You can go and check it out yourself."

"If Shi Xian is not removed, the world will not be at peace!"

All the ministers agreed, but quite a few remained silent. Zhou Kan, Liu Gengsheng and others had already been framed to death by Shi Xian.

This eunuch is not easy to deal with. He is ruthless and vindictive. If you can't get rid of him, he will take revenge on you.

"Shi Xian, are they telling the truth? I have high hopes for you, and I hope you won't let me down."

Hearing this, Shi Xian's eyes turned, and he understood what the other party meant. He said, "Your Majesty, this is of course a fabrication. I don't bother to reply, but I do have another piece of evidence."

"Oh?"

Liu Shi raised his eyebrows. Did you have evidence of Chen Lie's crime? That would be interesting. Killing Zhou Kan and Liu Gengsheng, who had lost their power, would be far less effective than killing one of the nine ministers of the dynasty.

If this really works, eunuchs will truly have the power to compete with Confucian officials.

"Your Majesty, please look at this. This is the record of Chen's younger brother accepting bribes. In addition, there is also evidence of his eldest son, uncle, and nephew colluding to embezzle the treasury."

Shi Xian was worthy of being a highly valued eunuch with superb professional skills.

Chen Lie is a clean person, but that doesn't mean the people around him are also clean. Who in the world doesn't love money and power? Being helpless is just talking nonsense. This group of clean people say they have no desires, but in fact, what they value is reputation!
The great farmer below felt a jolt in his heart. He had indeed noticed something strange about his family recently. He hadn't paid much attention to it before, but now...

Wait, was it possible that Shi Xian also released this evidence on purpose?

What a cunning fellow...

Those ministers who had remained silent began to feel fortunate.

I can't remember who did not impeach those eunuchs, but I know clearly who did.

"Haha... OK, OK, this is a Confucian student? Your Wang Si's disciple?"

Liu Shi's expression became more and more ugly. He didn't know whether he was acting or expressing his true feelings. He didn't understand Shi Xian's methods.

Wang Si looked at Chen Lie who was stunned, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I think this evidence is false. Shi Zhongshu did not mention it earlier or later, but had to bring it out now."

"Isn't this deliberate?"

This time no one dared to agree.

Cracks began to appear in the iron-clad Confucian Party. They were afraid and unable to form a united force. No one knew if they would be the next!
Liu Shi did not give him the slightest bit of face. He threw the bamboo slips to the ground with a "pa" sound and angrily said, "The evidence is irrefutable. Seeing is believing. Wang Si, are you still protecting your students?"

"But you are so shameless. Don't you want to be the prime minister?"

Wang Si lowered his head, not knowing what he was thinking. He sighed and said, "I love my disciple so much that I was a little careless. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

It has been thoroughly proven that Chen Lie's relatives accepted bribes, and they are bound to be implicated. If more people are implicated, it may not be impossible for them to be sentenced to death.

Wang Si thought that he had done his best as a teacher and could only blame himself for not taking good care of his family, allowing the other party to take advantage of him.

Liu Shi was secretly pleased to see him being humiliated, but his face remained angry: "Chen Lie's subordinates accepted bribes and embezzled gold and silver from the treasury. They will be dismissed from their posts and demoted to commoners. Those involved will be beheaded on a certain day."

"Please take this as a warning."

No one among the ministers dared to object and they all said yes.

People are like this: they are particularly united when facing interests, but once they encounter setbacks, they will retreat and go their separate ways. No one wants to be the next one.

Nothing will ever go wrong if you don't get involved.

Liu Shi later used these methods to gradually disintegrate the power of the Confucian Party, and Shi Xian played a particularly important role in this process.

Soon after that, the eunuchs found other charges against Chen Lie and he was sentenced to death. This greatly shocked the court officials and the situation of eunuchs' monopoly of power was completely established.

No one dared to resist anymore. With the help of eunuchs and the support of Xu, Liu Shi gradually concentrated power in his own hands.

"Teacher, you knew that Chen Nongling could not be saved at that time, but why did you take the risk?"

Taizhong Doctor Chen Xian was quite curious. It was clearly a dead end, and the teacher must have known about it.

Wang Si's face was slightly vicissitudes: "Once the eunuch impeached me, I backed down. Who would dare to follow me in the future? This is an attitude."

(End of this chapter)