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

Chapter 139 Yuanshou Reform, Liu Xin Dies
Xu Hua seemed to be thinking about something. This was actually a superficial idea. His Majesty was indeed very opposed to the idea of ​​appointing a crown prince.

In fact, it was somewhat different from what Wang Mang imagined. Liu Xin was unwilling to appoint a crown prince not because he did not want to accept the fact that he was about to die young. On the contrary, he was very clear about it and had nothing to be attached to.

Knowing that he was destined to fail in creating a prosperous and rejuvenated Han Dynasty, he put all his energy into seizing power.

Paving the way for the next generation of monarchs! Liu Xin himself has taken a long detour. Although he has only been on the throne for a few years, he has indeed experienced a lot.

There is a large element of tone in it, because before that, Xu Bo, who controlled public opinion, government and local affairs, fully supported it, and the five marquises of the Wang family, including Wang Gen and Wang Shang, died early, so the centralization of power was achieved.

Any mistake will be unacceptable, otherwise the next generation may end up with a mess.

The central government was paralyzed, and local governments only followed orders but not announcements. This was the situation when Emperor Li Liu Ao had just stepped down. Because of the forced abdication, the entire grassroots level collapsed.

In the end, it was not until Liu Xin succeeded to the throne and delegated power to Liu's sons that the problem was barely solved by appointing provincial governors to resolve local issues.

In fact, the real reason why Liu Xin did not appoint a crown prince was that he wanted his son to be the emperor, and he wanted to try harder to see if he could give birth to a prince.

Although everyone has the surname Liu and has the same ancestor, there is still a difference in the degree of closeness between them.

My son is the real heir!

Xu Hua did not agree with this approach. Liu Xin had not given birth to a prince for many years. This matter concerned the foundation of the country, so he could not gamble! It had to be decided earlier so that the ministers would know who they were supporting.

It can only omit unnecessary internal friction.

What's more, even if the child is born, what will happen? The emperor and the ministers are suspicious. Isn't the Han Dynasty going to experience another catastrophe? Who was the last child emperor? The former and the latter emperors were too good. Lü Zhi ruled the country from behind the curtain and held the power.

The Liu family's kingdom was almost lost. If it hadn't been for the help of meritorious officials and princes, the Lu family would have had a chance to successfully usurp the throne.

Therefore, if the young emperor ascends to the throne, the empress dowager will definitely rule the country! However, this empress dowager is not Zhao Feiyan, the wife of the previous emperor, but the grand empress dowager Wang Zhengjun! She has an even greater advantage in terms of legality.

After Emperor Jing died of illness, the person in charge of the country was not Queen Dowager Wang, but Grand Empress Dowager Dou Yifang.

Isn't this still in line with Wang Mang's wishes? If the Wang family came back to power, it was very likely that they would be "recommended" as the Grand Marshal, and it would be a waste of effort.

The person in power simply changed from Wang Feng to Wang Mang.

"Alas...what can I do now that I know? Can I still kill him?"

Xu Hua said dejectedly that he had thought about sending assassins to get rid of him.

But this guy is no longer the same as before! If he died as a doctor of the Imperial College and the chief doctor nominated by the emperor, the impact would be immeasurable, and those radical Confucian scholars would not let it go.

Can Li Nianzhao swallow this?

Therefore, it was not possible to get rid of Wang Mang because the risks and impact were too great. Unlike the previous head of the Wang family, he was a rat crossing the street and everyone wanted to kill him, and his assassination of outsiders was applauded.

Who will redress the grievances of the treacherous minister?

"Father, I think we should pay close attention to him! If His Majesty really doesn't want to appoint a crown prince, we should make plans early! We should follow the example of our ancestor Xu Zhen and ask for an imperial edict before we die."

"The uncle who succeeded the throne would always raise troops to purge the emperor's side!"

Xu Yuan's attitude was very radical. In his opinion, if Wang Mang won the bet, he would have to take the initiative and lead his troops into the capital to kill him first. As for the subsequent impact, it could be resolved slowly.

The reputation that the Xu family had accumulated over hundreds of years could not disappear just because of killing Wang Mang.

"How can you be so reckless, kid? Today, we are the only ones here. If we were outside, you wouldn't be able to say such things."

Hearing these bold and "rebellious" words, Xu Hua frowned. It was not because he was pedantic and thought it was treasonous, but mainly because he felt that he, the eldest son, was too impulsive.

It’s not enough for you to be so arrogant just because you have a few soldiers? Why do you fake an imperial edict to mobilize troops to Beijing just when you have just arrived?

Tampering with the will and the local army entering the capital, either of these two points alone would lead to the destruction of the country! In many cases, reality and imagination are two different things. Once the situation is out of control, it will be too late to regret.

In later generations, Yuan Shao's original intention in summoning Dong Zhuo and Ding Yuan to Beijing was just to put pressure on Empress Dowager He, who protected the eunuchs, and force her to give in and agree to kill the eunuchs headed by Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong.

As a result, the situation was completely different from what was expected. First, General He Jin died tragically, and then the "loyal" Dong Zhuo also developed ambitions!

The Eastern Han Dynasty existed in name only from then on.

The local troops are also human beings. When they come to the prosperous Chang'an, it is inevitable that they will have inappropriate thoughts.

Maybe Xu Yuan just wanted his uncles' troops to enter Beijing, but this was the emperor's will! Why can't others do the same? Zhu Chun and Dong Chong also held military power.

Especially Dong Chong, who was very independent and controlled the Bingzhou Army, and his last name was Dong! What if something unexpected really happened?

There are too many uncontrollable factors. Xu Hua just needs to listen and cannot take the initiative to do something like breaking up.

"...I'm sorry for being so abrupt." Xu Yuan may have figured this out.

"It's okay. The suggestion makes sense. You are still inexperienced and not sophisticated enough. You should not panic at times like this. The Queen Mother represents the authority of the Liu family! As members of the imperial party, we cannot act rashly."

"Force is always the worst method. Think about the tyrannical Qin Shi Huangdi. They used the absolute force of Qin to control the world. What was the result?"

"Those who use force will eventually be bitten back by force."

Xu Hua taught earnestly that all young people would have such radical ideas. When they are in high positions with great power and powerful troops, it is impossible not to become arrogant, but they need to restrain themselves at this time.

"Yes, father. I have learned my lesson." Xu Yuan nodded, because he felt that it made sense. If Emperor Taizu of the Han Dynasty had not made three rules with the people of the world, but had followed the example of Ying Zheng and Xiang Yu, he would never have been able to stand out.

"Okay, don't think too much about it. Just do what you are supposed to do. First, govern a county well, then talk about the whole country."

"I will continue to write to Your Majesty to explain the stakes and quickly establish the crown prince. This is the only thing we can do now. Since Wang Mang has this plot, let's cut off the source of the trouble!"

Xu Hua waved his hand. The eldest son’s worries were justified, so he needed to change from being passive to being active!
If that guy wants his plan to succeed, the first thing is that the emperor cannot appoint an older prince as the crown prince, otherwise his plan will fail.

Now that the emperor has come of age and the Xu family is assisting in the administration, it will be difficult for the Empress Dowager to interfere. There is no hope for Wang Mang to return. Even if the new emperor becomes crazy and uses him again, it will be useless because at this time it is only to check and balance the court officials.

Back then, Liu Ao threw all the power to Wang Feng. Only with his absolute trust in him could he monopolize power and even usurp the imperial authority.

Therefore, there is no need to do anything else, just let Your Majesty quickly appoint a crown prince.

.........

In the third year of Yuanshou, Liu Xin initiated a reform and issued the famous land restriction order and maid restriction order, forcibly limiting the amount of land in the hands of local tyrants, attempting to use official power to prevent land annexation. After successfully taking power, the first step was to change the long-standing stubborn problems!
You know, even though Liu Xin has fought so many political battles, he is actually only 23 years old this year! He is not even thirty years old, and is at the age of full of vigor and vitality. How could he tolerate these local tyrants being so rampant?

Except for a few counties such as Nanyang and Qinghe, land annexation had reached an almost rampant level, mainly because the common people could not survive, the powerful concealed their population, and the imperial court could not collect taxes.

Nanyang Qinghe and part of Runan are the Xu family's territories, but the situation is much better.

The reason was that the Xu family gave everyone a way to make a living. The rent they collected was the lowest in the world. They also provided oxen and tools, and provided appropriate medical treatment when they were sick. As a result, many farmers with land took the initiative to become tenants and adopted a model of small profits but quick turnover. Although the profits were much lower than those of the big landlords who seized property by trickery, the volume was large.

The two Xus still monopolized the first and second positions of the wealthy families. They were extremely wealthy and were also very popular among the common people. It was a completely mutually beneficial relationship.

Of course, only Qinghe has achieved this goal. In Nanyang, only the core area is directly controlled by the Xu family. There are still other powerful forces in other places.

Therefore, in order to improve the increasingly tight finances and the increasing number of bandits, Liu Xin could only solve the problem fundamentally, that is, to curb land annexation!
However, when it comes to reform, the vested interests cannot remain indifferent. The powerful and meritorious forces in the court, led by the Ding and Fu families, continue to oppose it. After all, the land restriction order can also affect them.

This measure violates the interests of everyone! Even the Xu family, who have always supported the emperor, has become much more vocal, because they are also powerful landlords! How could restricting land have no impact?

Therefore, the stance is just not to oppose and to cooperate, but not to openly support.

The reform encountered great resistance
Later, Liu Xin may have given up and could not carry out the policy, so he lavishly rewarded his favorite minister Dong Xian, causing the land limit order and the maid limit order to become a dead letter. This was equivalent to compromising with the powerful people in the court.

It seems that it is really not easy to change the land issue, as senior officials in the court are almost all vested interests.

At the court meeting, Liu Xin summoned all the ministers to the Weiyang Palace, apparently there was something important to discuss.

Ding Ming has become the Grand Marshal and his position is as stable as Mount Tai. Xu Hua continues to serve as the Prime Minister. There is no change because he has reached the top of his career.

His position as prime minister was no less than that of the Grand Marshal, and he exercised absolute power over the government.

Before, Liu Xin also supported Ding Ming in fighting against Xu Hua. That’s right, the Ding family replaced the Wang family and fought against the Xu family.

However, Liu Xin soon discovered that Ding Ming was far less obedient than Xu Hua. He strongly opposed Dong Xian's appointment to the court and criticized him, and also clearly opposed the previous land restriction order.

So the attitude gradually became cold.

In the past two hundred years, the emperor's attitude towards Xu changed from trust to suspicion, but not long after that, he immediately fell in love with her and began to support her again. It has always been like this.

Maybe they will dislike it, but in the end they will always realize that the Xu family is much better than those good-for-nothings and useless people with countless ulterior motives.

Not only is loyalty guaranteed, but competence is generally strong, and there is always a production of talent.

"I want to reform the system. I intend to restore the system of three officials. What do you think? The current system is neither fish nor fowl and cannot function properly."

Liu Xin went straight to the point and expressed his thoughts. He found that Ding Ming was becoming more and more disobedient, so power had to be delegated.

The current system of the Han Dynasty is a bipolar system, with the prime minister in charge of government affairs and the grand marshal in charge of the military and assisting in government affairs. In fact, the grand marshal has more power.

Because he had a lot of influence in government affairs and could directly veto the prime minister's decisions, but in military affairs his authority was second only to the emperor.

The power is ridiculously great. If the prime minister was not Xu Hua, he would have been the only one in power long ago. The prime minister could not control the government and would often be restrained and vetoed.

The ministers looked at each other, and then said in unison: "We are willing to follow your Majesty's will."

The emperor still has the final say in the Han Dynasty. He couldn’t even stop something as big as the land restriction order, let alone changing the political system.

"I think that the Three Dukes system used in the pre-Qin period is not fundamentally problematic. It is just that there is a mistake in the division of labor, but this cannot negate its superiority."

As early as the second year of Jianping, Liu Xin adopted the two-government system, abolished the Grand Marshal, and shared power between the Prime Minister and the Grand Marshal.

"I have decided to change the prime minister to Situ, the imperial censor to Sikong, and the Sima to the new three dukes."

Liu Xin said calmly that the main thing was to restore the title of Grand Censor and change the title of Prime Minister to Situ, as he wanted to increase Xu Hua's power.

"What do you think, Situ Xu?"

"I have no objection. I also think that the three-minister system is more stable than the two-government system. It's just that the new Grand Marshal needs to be determined earlier."

"The three dukes are all very important and cannot be missing."

Xu Hua still supports me as always.

"Well... let's use Taifu Kong Guang as the Grand Marshal." Liu Xin continued to use this descendant of Confucius, and he also needed to win the support of Confucian scholars.

"Your Majesty, I have something else to say." Xu Hua did not go back.

"speak."

"Your Majesty, please appoint a crown prince as soon as possible to stabilize the country." He had submitted this matter to the emperor countless times, but to no avail.

"Let's talk about it later, don't be anxious." Liu Xin still declined and interrupted Xu Hua who was about to continue to dissuade him.

"I heard that Wang Mang has become the new chief doctor of the Imperial College. You don't have to urge me to re-employ him."

Over the years, the ministers have asked the emperor more than once to replace Ding Ming with Wang Mang. The new Grand Marshal is totally incompetent and can only do a mediocre job, far from being amazing.

Liu Xin was forced to the point of threatening to abdicate to General Wei Dong Xian.

This time, since Wang Mang became the chief doctor, there was no need for him to continue writing letters.

Next, he planned to continue to rectify the administration of officials and weaken the powerful. He would first replace Ding Ming with Dong Xian, who was more obedient. At present, there were few people who could be used, and he still could not let go of the Xu family.

Alas... It's so sad that we can't even find a useful talent in this huge world.

After the court meeting, Xu Huacheng, who had been promoted from prime minister to grand minister, returned to Jinghou Mansion in a carriage. His Majesty had been dragging his feet on appointing a crown prince, which made him feel helpless.

He always had a bad feeling.

In August of the third year of Yuanshou, this vision became a reality.

Liu Xin died suddenly of a serious illness while sleeping in Changle Palace. He was found dead by palace maids the next day. He was 23 years old.

(End of this chapter)