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

Chapter 20: Welcoming Liu Heng
Only half a month after Lu Zhi's death, the power of the Lu family quickly collapsed. Now the main figures of the Lu family such as Lu Chan, Lu Lu, Lu Tai, and Lu Tong have all been executed, and the world has been stabilized.

The decision-making power of the government was in the hands of Xu Zhen, the second-in-command. The Xu family controlled the central armies in the north and south. Prince of Zhao Liu Ruyi and most of the kings with the surname Liu were also closer to the Grand Tutor, so the right to choose the emperor was naturally his.

The Later Emperor Shaodi Liu Hong was established by Empress Lü. Now that the Lü family's power has been eliminated, the legitimate rights of this young emperor have naturally disappeared.

On the fourth day after the Lü clan was pacified, Xu Zhen deposed the young emperor Liu Hong on the grounds of moral misconduct. However, even though his ministers tried their best to dissuade him, he still did not kill Liu Ying's sons, but only demoted them to marquis.

After all, these people are no longer a concern, and Emperor Hui was a pretty good emperor, so it would be better to leave some incense for him.

The next step was to establish a new monarch. Four princes came into the sight of the ministers, namely, King of Qi Liu Xiang, King of Zhao Liu Ruyi, King of Huainan Liu Chang and King of Dai Liu Heng.

"In my humble opinion, the Grand Master, King Liu Xiang of Qi can be the new ruler."

Of course, there were some ministers who supported Liu Xiang, as he was aiming for the throne. One hundred thousand Qi troops were still lingering around Xingyang.

"reason."

The man clasped his fists and said, "King of Qi Liu Xiang is the eldest grandson of Emperor Gao. He has excellent character and has governed Qi in an orderly manner, which is enough to prove his ability. Most importantly, Qi has made the greatest contribution among all the vassal states. Therefore, I think Liu Xiang can be the new king."

Of course, everyone was unwilling to let the King of Qi become the emperor. This person had the support of the people of Qi behind him. If he came, what would they have to do? It would be better to choose someone with high moral character but little foundation.

"Grandmaster Ze thinks it is not possible."

The first person to stand up and resist was none other than Langya King Liu Ze.

"Reason." Xu Zhen still said the same thing.

"The uncle of King Qi Liu Xiang, Si Jun, is known for his cruelty and tyranny. If he is enthroned, he may become the next Lu family! Therefore, for the sake of stability in the world, Ze believes that King Qi cannot be emperor."

Xu Zhen nodded: "King Langya is right."

In fact, Xu Zhen already had a suitable candidate in mind. No one in the world was more suitable than him, and this person's virtue could have been foreseen long ago.

"I think Prince of Zhao Liu Ruyi can be qualified for the position of Grand Master." Someone recommended Liu Ruyi.

"Yes, the King of Zhao's mother was murdered by the Lu family, so he does not have any strong foreign relatives. Moreover, his personality is quite similar to that of Emperor Gaozu. I believe he will be able to take on the throne!"

Many ministers agreed that Liu Ruyi should be the emperor. The King of Zhao had no relatives by marriage. If he came to power, he could only use the meritorious officials in the court. In this way, his own power could be guaranteed!

Moreover, Liu Ruyi was the oldest surviving son of Emperor Gaozu! No matter how you look at it, he was the best candidate for the new emperor.

"The King of Zhao is too impulsive and is very different from Emperor Gao. He is also ambitious and too mean. If he were the emperor, it would not be a good thing for the world today. It's a pity. If he was born in a peaceful and prosperous era, he would be a wise ruler with outstanding achievements."

When Zhou Bo, Chen Ping and others expressed their agreement, Xu Zhen finally spoke up and immediately rejected the candidate who was considered the best candidate by all the ministers.

"Grandmaster, Liu Ruyi lost his mother when he was young, and was repeatedly bullied by the Lu family. It is natural for him to have a mean personality when he carries such a deep hatred. We can teach him to change."

Zhou Bo spoke up to defend Liu Ruyi, saying that the most suitable candidate was King Zhao!
Chen Ping, a shrewd man, said nothing and just looked at everyone quietly. He finally understood that Xu Zhen did not come here to negotiate with them!

"No, governing the world is not a joke. We must be extremely cautious." Xu Zhen continued to shake his head.

"But..." "Okay, what the Grand Tutor said makes sense." Chen Ping interrupted Zhou Bo with a smile.

"I am too superficial." Seeing that the other party disagreed, Zhou Bo had to give up.

Later, someone proposed Liu Chang, King of Huainan, but as expected, he was rejected by the ministers.

Liu Chang was raised by Empress Lu and might seek revenge in the future. Moreover, he has a violent personality. If he becomes emperor, there will never be peace in the world.

Liu Xiang, Liu Ruyi, and Liu Chang are all unsuitable, so there is only one candidate...

Everyone looked at Xu Zhen. It seemed that the Grand Master favored King Dai Liu Heng more! This person had a low-key personality and did not even participate in such a major event as killing the Lü clan. Why did the Grand Master admire King Dai so much?

Logically speaking, since Xu Zhen had rescued Liu Ruyi before, it would be reasonable for him to support Prince Zhao as emperor.

Chen Ping was the first to speak: "Everyone, I think that King Dai Liu Heng can inherit the throne."

Xu Zhen, who had remained calm until now, finally raised his head and said, "Marquis Qu Ni, if you have any reasons, please tell us."

"Prince Dai Liu Heng has a low-key and kind personality. Although he is weak, he has never been involved in corruption with the Lu family. Moreover, he has governed Dai in an orderly manner. His mother, Bo Ji, was of humble origins, and there was no one who held a high position in the court. Combined with the Prince of Dai's kind personality, he is the perfect fit."

Chen Ping's high EQ speech finally touched Xu Zhen's heart. No wonder this guy was able to serve four dynasties and then retire. There really was something behind it.

"What Prime Minister Chen said is very true. I think that among all the kings, only King Dai Liu Heng is qualified for the throne. What do you think?" Xu Zhen immediately voted in favor of Liu Heng.

If it was any other emperor, such as Emperor Jing, he might let Liu Ruyi try, after all, he was praised by Liu Bang himself, but this time it was Emperor Wen of Han! As the greatest emperor in history known as the teacher of all emperors, Xu Zhen did not think that anyone could do better than Liu Heng in the same situation.

Of course, some people opposed it later. After all, Liu Heng did not participate in the pacification of the Lü clan, and was still a nobody in normal times, and had accomplished nothing.

But unfortunately, opposition was of no use. Xu Zhen had a veto power, and all those who refused were suppressed. In addition, with the strong support of Chen Ping and Zhou Bo, the proposal to welcome King Dai Liu Heng as emperor was decided.

After discussing the new monarch, Xu Zhen immediately sent Liu Zhang to Xingyang to ask the princes to withdraw their troops.

"My fellow countrymen, the Lü clan in Chang'an has been wiped out in advance. Now the central military power has been seized by the Grand Tutor. The ministers have discussed that King Dai Liu Heng will succeed the throne. You can return home now."

When Liu Xiang heard about this, he felt disheartened and ordered his troops to return to the court: "Since this is the case, I will go back first."

Another great prince, Liu Ruyi, was a little bit unbelievable. The Grand Master didn't choose him? He didn't seem to have done anything wrong.

"They actually said that I was mean? That can be considered a reason! Forget it, if I can't be an emperor, being a king is not bad either..."

He is indeed Liu Bang's favorite prince. Their personalities are very similar. After Liu Ruyi confirmed it, he just felt it was a pity. He complained a few words and ordered him to leave.

As the armies of Qi and Zhao returned home, the other princes naturally had no reason to stay here.

Everything was settled, and there was only one last step left, sending envoys to Dai to welcome Liu Heng to the throne! A country cannot be without a king for a day.

(End of this chapter)