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

Chapter 101: Killing Confucian officials and appointing a new crown prince

Chen Xian nodded bitterly, his face full of sadness.

As Taizhong Daifu, he should have been an upright censor, but facing the powerful eunuch group, he had no choice but to make concessions.

This feeling is really depressing. After studying the books of sages for so many years, I finally became an official, but I am still bullied by eunuchs. It is simply unheard of!

Wang Si sighed and said, "Your Majesty has been deceived by the eunuchs. All we can do is to remind him as much as possible and protect ourselves at the same time."

Today, the Imperial Academy has begun to believe that the Han Dynasty is on the verge of collapse. You know, who was the last eunuch to have absolute power? Zhao Gao, the Minister of the Imperial Chariots of the Qin Dynasty!

After Ying Zheng's death, he tampered with the imperial edict and, together with Li Si, supported Hu Hai as emperor, which eventually led to the demise of the Qin Dynasty.

The situation today is exactly the same as it was before!

Chen Xian slammed the table, his face full of indignation: "No, we can't let the eunuchs monopolize power! I will impeach them and make His Majesty alert!"

In fact, Liu Shi’s idea was a bit too naive. He believed that since eunuchs had no family, they would not have the opportunity to form a party.

However, Shi Xian was an ambitious person. He first formed an inner party with eunuchs such as Lao Liang, and then colluded with Legalist relatives such as Shi Dan, as well as Confucian officials who took advantage of the situation such as Wulu Chongzong and Kuang Heng to form an outer party.

The alliance between internal and external forces has seized power in the government, and with the emperor's unconditional trust, it has now expanded greatly.

The eunuchs have a great disadvantage, that is, they are not good at governing the country. On the contrary, they only know how to make money! They are very fond of yellow and white things, and corruption and bribery are commonplace.

They kept these things secret from Liu Shi. Although it would not get out of control, it was inevitable that it would bring disaster to the country and the people. The current bureaucracy was extremely corrupt, and the eunuchs' nature of harming the country was obvious.

In fact, Liu Shi made a bad move. He could use eunuchs, but he could not let them collude with Confucian officials. All power came from the emperor.

Xu Ning, the only one who was not affected, gradually became alert, and after weighing the pros and cons, he decided to give him a warning.

Liu Shi turned a deaf ear to it. In his opinion, corruption and bribery were acceptable as long as Wang Si's abuse of power could be eradicated. No matter how severe the disaster, as long as the world still belonged to the Liu family and the imperial power was not lost, he would be worthy of his ancestors.

Now that Shi Xian was in power, the eunuchs' influence had overwhelmed that of the Confucian officials. They formed a clique to attack dissidents, stir up trouble, and dominate the court. No one dared to challenge them.

However, Shi Xian was a man who knew his limits. His series of actions were almost entirely directed at Confucian officials, and he maintained a friendly attitude towards the neutral faction headed by the general.

Even if some people openly oppose him, he will give them a break online because of his status as a general and just respond without suppressing them.

Therefore, they were not completely isolated in the court. At least Xu Ning, who held the military power, was watching. Without the external factor of violence, the Confucian officials would be even less able to defeat the eunuchs.

The Confucian Chief Censor had been dismissed for "discussing state affairs without authorization", which was enough to show the influence of the eunuchs. Wang Si also tried to rescue him.

But there was nothing he could do. His fate instead accelerated the downfall of his opponent. The great Legalist sage Dong Xian was supported by the emperor to become the new Chief Censor.

The Legalist forces once again took root in the central government, and the years of efforts of the Confucian officials were already shaky.

.........

The court meetings were held regularly every half month. A depressing atmosphere permeated the hall. The bitter and angry expressions of the Confucian officials formed a sharp contrast with the smug smiles of the eunuchs.

Weijun prefect Jing Fang and the imperial attendant Jia Juanzhi were kneeling on the ground in shackles, their faces full of despair and helplessness.

They jointly submitted a memorial to impeach Shi Xian for abusing his power, but Liu Shi did not believe it and summoned the eunuch to confront him.

The final result was predictable. Shi Xian escaped unscathed and bore a grudge against the four people who submitted the memorial. He then gathered evidence of their crimes and wanted to put them to death!

Jing Fang and Jia Juanzhi had the most and most obvious evidence of their crimes, so they were immediately dismissed from their official positions and thrown into prison. The reason why they were escorted to the court this time was also the result of Wang Si's operation.

In recent years, eunuchs have been unscrupulous and often killed Confucian officials on "false charges", which has caused panic among the people and no one dares to stand up and oppose it.

These Confucian officials are not as principled as those during the reigns of Emperor Wu and Emperor Xuan. Their death is not a big deal, what is important is that they were unjustly killed!

The common people don't understand so much. When a high-ranking official is brought down, they will only applaud and scold him for corruption and bribery, and use it as a topic of conversation after dinner.

As for the inside story, whether it is the truth or a frame-up, no one knows, or no one cares at all. So what if it is, so what if it isn’t? Will it delay the harvest of the fields and be exploited by the landlords?

Nowadays, the government is increasingly corrupt and the people are living in poverty. Several large-scale peasant uprisings have broken out, but they had little impact and were quickly suppressed by local authorities.

But this also announced the decline of the Han Dynasty. The prosperous times of Emperors Wen, Jing, Kang and Xuan were no longer there. Instead, they were replaced by land annexation and successive natural disasters.

"Jing Fang, Jia Juanzhi, you all should acknowledge your guilt."

Liu Shi said with a cold face that although his political ability was not very good, he had the acting skills that were standard for an emperor.

He felt happier than anyone else when the Confucian Party members suffered, but he had to show extreme anger on his face. Over the years, he has successfully managed to keep his emotions hidden.

"I am innocent!" they said in unison.

"Unjust? Everything requires evidence. You said you were wronged, but how do you explain what Shi Xian has in his hand?"

Liu Shi's face was dull and it was impossible to tell his emotions. His temperament became increasingly unfathomable. At least he looked like an emperor.

Although it is only strong on the outside but weak on the inside.

Wang Si bowed and stepped out: "Your Majesty, we should not just believe Shi Xian's words. We should send others to investigate. After all, the two sides have a feud, which is also known to the world. Please think twice."

"Your Majesty, please think again."

A large number of Confucian officials echoed in unison. These people were also very indignant and planned to muster up the courage to resist. Otherwise, if something happened to them in the future, who would be willing to stand up?
Maybe only Wang Si can do it.

Liu Shi was not angry, but had a playful smile on his face: "Then according to Prime Minister Wang, who should we find to conduct a thorough investigation?"

"Is Imperial Censor Dong Xian feasible?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Wang Si's face suddenly turned ugly. The emperor must have known how badly the Confucian Party had suppressed Dong Xian. He had to kill both of them!
He originally wanted to make some arrangements to take over the investigation power to his own people, but the reality was far from that simple.

Dong Xian was actually neither a member of the eunuch party nor a Confucian party, and he was not even a member of the legal party. He was a member of the neutral faction led by the general. He remained silent in nature, but he would not stop the fighting between eunuchs and Confucian officials.

If it is handed over to this person, his choice will be to do nothing, and Jing Fang and others will inevitably die.

In addition, Taizhong Doctor Zhang Meng and Chief Censor Chen Xian have also been investigated by the Censor and have now been impeached. I'm afraid they won't be safe for long. With Shi Xian's vengeful character, everyone will die!

"Why, you're not talking anymore? The governor of Wei County is a high-ranking official with a rank of 2,000 stones. It's appropriate to let Dong Xian take charge."

Liu Shi continued to press forward step by step. He just wanted to force Wang Si to make a decision in order to weaken the power of the Confucian Party. He didn't care whether Jing Fang and others were dead or alive.

After a long silence, Wang Sicai sighed and said, "Of course I agree with this, Your Majesty is wise."

He then nodded with satisfaction: "If there is nothing else, let's leave the court."

All the ministers took their leave, and Jing Fang and the other man were thrown back into prison to spend their last days there.

Liu Shi caught a cold and his health deteriorated. He had already begun arranging for the crown prince to handle state affairs, and he planned to slowly transfer power.

But recently this idea has become unsteady. He believes that Dingtao King Liu Kang is more wise, and although Crown Prince Liu Ao is proficient in law and classics, he is addicted to wine and sex and indulges in pleasure and will not achieve great things. Recently this idea has become stronger and stronger. He knows very well how much influence such a mediocre king has on the court, and it is very likely to cause the decline of the Han Dynasty's majesty and the loss of power.

After all, he himself is a living example.

Although he didn't want to admit it, the facts proved that Liu Xun's passing the throne to him was a mistake. Liu Shi really overestimated himself and he simply did not have the ability to preside over the government.

Before supporting Shi Xian, the Knife, he was helpless in the face of Prime Minister Wang Si, who held him tightly in his hands and lost power.

"General Xuan has come to see me. Um... oh, and Minister Shi Dan."

Liu Shi weighed the pros and cons and felt that the only person he could trust in the whole court was General Xu Ning. Xu Ning's previous loyalty to the Liu family was a big plus.

He also felt that the only official he could truly trust was Xu Ning. People like Shi Xian were at most just a knife that he would throw away after use. Apart from them, he could barely add Shi Dan, as he was a relative by marriage and relatively more trustworthy.

As for Wang Si, his loyalty was acceptable, but unfortunately he was too overbearing and wanted to replace the emperor to govern the country.

This is absolutely not allowed.

.........

The General's Mansion.

Xu Ning, who was already very old, was looking at something in his hand. Next to him was Dong Xian, who had just been promoted to the position of Imperial Censor.

Dong Xian stood aside obediently, looking extremely respectful.

Although the mainstream of the world today is Confucian officials and eunuchs, anyone with a discerning eye knows that whether it is Wang Si or Shi Xian, they only hold empty power that the emperor can take back at any time.

It can only be limited to political games.

But Xu Ning was different. He had been a general for more than 20 years, and his influence spread across the central and local governments. He just remained neutral and did not participate in any party.

After a long while, he put down what he was holding and took a deep breath: "Does this mean that there are serious doubts about Jing Fang's case?"

Dong Xian immediately said, "Yes, General. Whether these two people can live or not is actually up to me... no, it is up to you, the General."

"I have the final say?" Xu Ning laughed. "No, it's His Majesty who has the final say. I am just a subject and I have to act according to the will of the superior."

"So what you mean is to let them die?" Dong Xian spoke without any reservation. In fact, this was already known to everyone.

The charges Shi Xian provided were "groundless" in the first place, and it was completely clear that the emperor wanted to kill them.

"No, let them live. Shi Xian is too arrogant. He should be restrained. This time, just treat it as a warning."

Xu Ning was calm and not worried about whether the other party would retaliate.

Shi Xian was very smart and knew who in the court should not be offended, His Majesty and the general. Dong Xian was Xu Ning's man, so he would naturally figure it out.

dong dong dong.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Xu Ning raised his head and took a look.

"General, His Majesty has summoned you."

"Your Majesty? I understand. You can go down first."

Xu Ning looked out the window and thought for a while, then quickly guessed the reason. It was most likely the prince's problem, so it seemed he had to go.

He looked at Dong Xian and waved his hand: "You go back first, don't worry, Shi Xian doesn't dare to go against me."

"As ordered."

A quarter of an hour later, the general's carriage arrived at the Weiyang Palace, passed through heavy guards, and entered the main hall.

The attendant Shi Dan was standing next to the emperor, and it seemed that the two of them had been waiting for a long time.

Xu Ning suddenly felt a little embarrassed. After all, it was not appropriate for the emperor to wait for his subjects, but he still tried to remain calm.

Don't lose your momentum.

He bowed and said, "I am late, I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

Liu Shi raised his head, waved his hand, and said with a smile: "It's okay, I was in a hurry this time."

"Sit down quickly."

Xu Ning agreed: "Thank you, Your Majesty." Then he found a place to sit down.

"May I ask what important matter Your Majesty wants to discuss with us?" Stan asked curiously. Although he had some guesses, he couldn't be sure. There were many important events in the Han Dynasty at that time.

The Huns' reoccupation of the Western Regions shocked the entire Han Dynasty. It was only when Xu Ning took command of the expedition that the enemy was repelled.

Nowadays, the Han Dynasty is short of talented people, and the only one who can be a commander is Xu Ning. Apart from him, there are a few other members of the Xu family who can stand on their own, but they are still a little lacking in quality compared to them.

"I want to change the crown prince. What do you think?" Liu Shi said after pondering for a moment.

He really thought that the crown prince was not very good. Although he had good personal abilities, his indulgence in alcohol and sex was a fatal flaw. An emperor who did not take care of state affairs was not a good thing no matter how you looked at it.

Liu Shi has deeply realized the limitations of his talent. No matter how hard he tries, it doesn't work, so it is better to cut it off at the source!
But after all, there is no precedent for deposing a crown prince, and since the crown prince has done nothing wrong, he should succeed to the throne.

Therefore, the support of these two important ministers, especially Xu Ning, is needed at this time. As long as the general nods, he can immediately depose the prince without encountering any obstacles.

Although the eunuchs and Confucian officials supported the prince, the two forces were no longer a concern as one weakened the other.

Confucian officials were greatly suppressed, and Shi Xian simply became a vassal of the imperial power. The only one who had the ability to oppose it was Xu Ning!
The support of the Xu family is crucial; without their support, the throne would be unstable.

No emperor could bear not to use it, not even Emperor Xuan could do it.

Stan didn't rush to express his opinion, but looked at Xu Ning.

"This is your Majesty's family affair, and I should not interfere. However, in my humble opinion, the crown prince has done nothing wrong, and deposing him is illegal. This will also have a great impact on the succession to the throne in the future."

Xu Ning was against the deposed crown prince, not for any other reason, but simply because it was against etiquette. It would be the same for the Xu family no matter who was the emperor, and they didn't take sides anyway.
Liu Shi's eyes flashed with disappointment, but he quickly recovered: "Well, I will listen to the general's advice and not depose the prince."

"However, the prince is incompetent and will need the general to take good care of him."

"When I die, I will follow the example of Xu Zhen and Xu Gong. Shi Xian, I don't trust him."

(End of this chapter)