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

Chapter 105 Shi Xian is executed, Xu Ning dies

This memorial was the last straw that broke the camel's back. Under normal circumstances, Shi Xianhou, Yuan Wulu Chongzong and others would at most lose their power. Without sufficient evidence to convict them, they could not be put to death.

Kuang Heng and others happened to have evidence from the Imperial Censor Xu Ming, which was a godsend! It was enough to convict the eunuchs.

"Your Majesty, I, Kuang Heng, 'Chen Nian', have reported Shi Xian, the Grand Coachman of Changxin Palace, by my real name. This man has formed a clique for personal gain, has been corrupt, and has framed ministers. His crimes are too numerous to list. Even God cannot forgive him!"

The two men knelt on the ground and looked at Liu Ao, who was sitting at the top with a dignified face, intending to use this court meeting to directly liquidate the eunuchs' power!

We must not let these damn guys recover. If His Majesty is deceived by them, then everything will be over!
This group of eunuchs has been wreaking havoc on the empire for more than twenty years, causing refugees to be everywhere in the Han Dynasty, the treasury to be empty, and the local governments to be unable to even provide food for disaster relief, and land annexation to intensify.

Countless small-scale peasant uprisings have occurred one after another, and the signs of the country's demise are obvious.

Chen Nian unilaterally believed that the fundamental reason for this situation was the corruption of the eunuchs, which caused the Han Dynasty to fall into chaos. As long as he could purge the emperor's side, order in the world could be restored. He was confident that he could govern the country well.

Although the current situation is no longer something that can be changed by a single person, the Han Dynasty is rotten to the core. In essence, it is the decline of central authority that can no longer suppress land annexation by local tyrants.

If the people have land, food and enough to eat, they will naturally not rebel, and the state treasury will be full, so foreign wars and disaster relief will not be a problem.

In other words, the chronic problem is the weakening of the central authority. The emperor cannot suppress the court officials by himself, so he can only support other forces. It is certain that chaos will be caused. Not everyone has the skills of Emperor Xuan.

Xu Ning has always seen it very clearly, but there is nothing he can do. To solve the problem, two conditions must be met: a sufficient number of capable officials and a king with strong political means and personal abilities, and they must appear for at least two consecutive generations.

Only in this way can the Han Dynasty be revived! Otherwise, it will always be a makeshift measure.

"Well...Hou Yuan, do you have anything else to say?"

Liu Ao looked at the evidence in his hand, showing no emotion on his face. He just questioned Hou Yuan, the current representative of the eunuchs, in a low voice.

Shi Xian had been moved to Changxin Palace, where he lived with Queen Mother Wang Zhengjun and did not even have the right to attend court.

"Your Majesty, this is blatant slander! I will never admit it."

What could Hou Yuan do? If he admitted it, he would die. If he was found out, he would still die. So he might as well take a chance. Maybe the emperor would change his mind.

He was very clear about the current predicament, which was actually caused by Liu Ao. If Liu Ao was willing to make concessions, then everything would be fine.

Feng Yewang, who was of a tough character, rushed out and shouted, "Hou Yuan, the evidence is solid, what else do you have to say? The result is in front of you, but you still want to quibble! Do you have to wait until the moment when your family property is found out before you admit the crime of "corruption"? "

All the ministers echoed in unison, condemning the power of the eunuch group, and the various ministers who depended on them were repeatedly whipped.

Liu Ao certainly couldn't let Shi Xian and Hou Yuan go, so he said in a deep voice: "What they said is right. There is solid evidence that Shi Xian, the Grand Coachman in Changxin Palace, was corrupt, and most of the eunuchs were also involved."

"Father admired you very much back then, but you can't take advantage of your favor to become arrogant and use this as an excuse to bend the law for personal gain. That's not appropriate, is it?"

Hou Yuan looked ashen, not knowing how to answer. In fact, whatever he said was wrong. The emperor wanted him dead, and no one could do anything about it.

This is the fundamental difference between a great eunuch and a powerful official.

The eunuchs' power came from the emperor and could be taken back at any time. For example, Shi Xian, who had controlled the government for many years, could do it without any effort.

But it is different for powerful ministers. They have military power in their hands, and the source of their power is essentially their own prestige, not entirely from their positions. For example, Xu Zhen, Xu Gong and Huo Guang in the past are typical powerful ministers.

Even emperors as wise and capable as Emperor Wen, Emperor Wu and Emperor Xuan had to show some courtesy to these people and did not dare to disobey them directly.

Seeing that he had no answer, Liu Ao smiled with satisfaction and said, "Draft an imperial decree. All of Shi Xian's followers, including Zhongshu Pushe Lao Liang and Shaofu Chen Shun, will be dismissed from their posts. Shi Xian and Hou Yuan, the main plotters, will be sent back to their hometowns. No mistakes can be made."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Lu Chong Zong collapsed and sat down. He knew that everything was over. If there was a possibility of making a comeback before, now there was no way.

Moreover, on the surface they were sent back to their hometowns, but it was hard to say what would happen then. After all, they had already lost their power and had countless enemies in the palace. Who could guarantee what they would encounter along the way?

This imperial edict also completely destroyed the power of the eunuchs. Most of the officials who had previously flattered Shi Xian were dismissed one after another, which had a huge impact.

After receiving the imperial edict to send Shi Xian back to his hometown, he did not say much, but only left behind the desperate words "My life is over, and my name is also over."

After that, he started to return home with his friends. As expected, he died of depression due to loss of appetite. No one knows the exact cause of his death.

Shi Xian was still a relatively lucky one. Hou Yuan, Wu Lu Chongzong and others were miserable. They were imprisoned for corruption and forming a clique, and were beheaded soon after.

This time, all the eunuchs were cleared out and the court underwent a major reshuffle.

The new force that replaced them is the eunuchs! Confucian officials are no longer a concern, but have joined various foreign relatives, still influencing the Han Dynasty in other ways.

Legalists from the Legalist Party also became active again in the court, mainly supporting Prime Minister Wang Zhang, who came from the court and had a strong appeal among the Legalists.

In addition, Xu Jia, Feng Yewang and others were also the targets of the Legalists' bets. They were smarter this time and knew that eggs should not be put in one basket, so they picked a lot.

After all, the Confucian officials were very single-minded, and the only one they valued was the Grand Marshal and General of the Cavalry Wang Feng! He was the most powerful relative of the emperor, the elder brother of Queen Mother Wang Zhengjun.

He is a very popular candidate because he has already reserved the position of the next general, and it is almost certain that he will hold great power in the government.

But whether he can have the influence that Xu Ning has today remains to be seen.

The Xu family still maintained a neutral position. Xu Ning was seriously ill and worked in the mansion all year round. He closed his door to visitors and rarely went to court.

All of this proved that her health was getting worse and worse. Because of this, undercurrents were surging in the court and it was very uneasy.

Wang Feng is a very ambitious person. The reason why he has always been so well-behaved is because he has been suppressed by Xu Ning. He has no choice but to restrain himself. Once the general dies, no one will be able to stop him.

It will inevitably set off a new round of large-scale party struggles for power and become a new and more difficult Shi Xian!
On this day, Xu Ning called his two most talented juniors, Xu Bo and Xu Ming, to his general's mansion.

He always felt that his energy was about to run out, so if he wanted to explain a few more things, Xu had to tread very carefully, otherwise she might very well follow in the footsteps of Emperor Xuan.

Rise and fall is almost an iron law of the world. With the death of Xu Ning, the family lacks such a senior figure to protect them. How similar is this to the death of Xu Nan, Xu Ye and others in the past? In order to avoid such a tragedy, we must be absolutely cautious.

"Meet father's "uncle."

The two men bowed respectfully. Xu Ning was already over sixty years old, and their conditions were not optimistic either. They were already in their thirties, and it was unknown when they would die.

Of course, there is no need to worry about this. Members of the Xu family are naturally long-lived. Except for Xu Ru, who died of depression, no one has died young.

Xu Ning opened his eyes and waved at them: "Come here, both of you."

The two of them walked up to him obediently, their faces full of worry. The general's concern for his family was obvious to everyone!
Without his intimidation of the court officials, the Xu family would not be able to maintain its transcendent status! They would only be brought down by others.

At a time like this, who knows how many people are waiting to watch the fun.

"If I die, how will you protect the Xu family? I want to hear it."

Xu Ning said calmly that he was going to correct it this time!
"Bo plans to keep a low profile for something big."

Xu Bo expressed his thoughts without hesitation, saying that he could give up the position of prime minister in the future as it was too conspicuous and would not be very effective.

Finally, one has to settle for the second best and become a Nine Ministers. This way, one can be neither too high nor too low, neither to the point of arousing suspicion and fear, nor to the point of being completely powerless to fight back. In a word, it means shrinking the family's power.

Their status as direct descendants of the Imperial Academy makes them inherently invincible. This is the benefit of reputation, which can save their lives at critical moments.

"No, Ming believes that retreating will only make us more passive. Only by gaining enough power can we scare them! Only in this way can our Xu family be safe."

Xu Ming gave an exactly opposite idea. He felt that it was too frustrating to retreat from everything. If he really encountered a problem, he would not be able to fight back!

Who dared to challenge my uncle Xu Ning during his heyday in the Spring and Autumn Period? Wang Si and Shi Xian in those days, and Wang Feng and Wang Zhang now, who was not respectful? They were afraid of offending me.

Therefore, he believes that only by gaining enough power can he achieve peace, and this risk is worth taking!
"No, remember what our ancestors said? Let everything take its course and stay neutral at all times!"

Xu Bo strongly disagreed. He felt that this would kill the entire family. During the reign of Emperor Xuan, it was because he was too flamboyant, which led to his achievements surpassing his master and he was suppressed by Emperor Xuan.

Emperor Xuan was a sensible person and would definitely not kill everyone, but it is hard to say about the current emperor. He got rid of the powerful minister Shi Xian as soon as he came to power, and his intention to support his own people is very obvious.

No one knows what this kind of person will do, and there is nothing we can do if he has murderous intentions.

"Neutralism. Not fighting for anything is also courting destruction! Now there is no choice. We can only take risks. After we get enough bargaining chips, His Majesty will not touch us!"

Xu Ming disagrees. He has a rather radical personality. He is nothing like his father Xu Ning, but is very similar to his grandfather Xu Nan in personality. He is also closer to the Legalist forces.

This idea is actually correct. Facts have proved that after the Wang family seizes power, they will gradually become bigger, and Liu Ao has no ability to clean up the mess. In the later period, the Wang family will even seize the throne from the Liu family!

It can be seen.

But the risk of doing so is too great, and it is very likely that nothing will be accomplished. What if this group of people cannot defeat Wang Feng? That guy is not a pushover either.

Grand Marshal Wang Piaoqi has already marginalized the foreign relative Xu Jia to the extreme. If it weren't for Xu Ning's pressure, I'm afraid Xu's foreign relative would have retired from the court and returned to his hometown to retire long ago.

Xu Jia was a relative of Emperor Xuan back then, a veteran of three dynasties, with great status and power.

But Wang Feng treated him like a monkey!

"What you said makes sense, but when it comes to the lives of thousands of family members, I think Bo'er's idea is the safest. We don't have the chance to make mistakes, understand?"

Xu Ning thought for a moment and said in a deep voice that he had always been in favor of a neutral policy rather than personally fighting for power. If he had really done so, the status quo might have been untenable.

Emperor Yuan was much more capable than Liu Ao. He knew that powerful ministers should not be allowed to appear, so he used the absolutely trustworthy eunuchs!
"But father..." Xu Ming was very unconvinced. He believed that he was right and this was the true destination of the Xu family, rather than continuing to remain neutral!
"Okay, just listen to me. You will understand sooner or later."

Xu Ning's tone was meaningful. He had long seen through the character of this Majesty, a man who was worried that he could not trust his ministers, but could trust his relatives by marriage.

This candidate is even worse than a eunuch. Once power is given, it is difficult to take it back.

"This... yes, father." Xu Ming still believed that he was right, but he did not disobey, but obeyed his father.

This will also lead to the two Xus becoming alienated once again, as the ideological dispute is always the most difficult and serious one.

Xu Ning gave them some more instructions on details before releasing them, telling them to reduce their exposure to public.

Our family is different from others. No matter who wins, Wang Feng, Wang Zhang, or even Feng Yewang, we will not kill them all. The Xu family has too good a reputation. Once they are eliminated, it will cause a chain reaction.

After all, they are relatives of the Holy Master, so it is normal for them to have some privileges.

In the sixth year of Jiayuan, Xu Ning was seriously ill, and the whole world was concerned. General Wang Si even went to visit him in person and put on a show.

In his heart, he was hoping that Xu Ning would vacate his position as soon as possible so that he could make a further step forward and truly get rid of the huge mountain above his head. Only in this way could he accomplish great things.

When Liu Ao learned about it, he acted decisively and came to visit in person. This was the minister appointed by the late emperor to be entrusted with the care of the young emperor, so he had to be taken seriously.

Xu Ning was of course very touched, but he was disgusted in his heart, because this emperor was just a figurehead, without any ability to govern the country, and the country was becoming more and more chaotic.

The plan of using relatives to rule relatives by marriage also failed miserably. From Xu Jia's defeat, we can see that they are no match for Wang Feng at all, and they will just be sending themselves to die in the future.

But he had no other choice. When he was about to die, what else could he do? He could only watch from below.

After becoming seriously ill, it becomes difficult to control the overall situation.

In the spring of the seventh year of Jiayuan, General Xu Ning died of illness at home.

(End of this chapter)