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

Chapter 49: Respecting Confucianism and Legalism, and Suppressing the Philosophers (Seeking Follow-up Reading)
With Xu Gong's mediation, Zhou Yafu was finally released from prison. This time he was really panicked and afraid that he would die. It seems that he should be cautious in the future before he has enough power.

Liu Che trotted over and grabbed his hand: "I'm sorry for making General Zhou suffer."

Zhou Yafu was flattered and said, "I dare not. Besides, I have been demoted to a general now. I am absolutely unworthy of the title of Grand Commandant."

Liu Che said sincerely: "The Grand Commandant will always be the Grand Commandant. Don't worry, this day will come sooner or later."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Zhou Yafu was very happy. It seemed that he did not suffer any loss this time. Although he was sent to prison, at least he gained the trust of His Majesty. Although the Empress Dowager was powerful, she would die sooner or later. Then the Emperor would take charge of the government and he would be valued.

"You must thank His Majesty very much. His Majesty stood alone in the heavy rain all night to protect you, and only then did he persuade the Empress Dowager."

Xu Gong walked over and pushed the favor over without hesitation.

"This..." Liu Che was a little surprised, but he quickly understood.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yafu immediately knelt down and said, "Thank you very much, Your Majesty, for your kindness. I am willing to repay you with my life in this lifetime!"

"Please get up quickly..." Liu Che quickly helped him up.

In fact, Xu Gong helped Zhou Yafu this time, so that the emperor would trust him more.

In addition to the official positions of General Zhenbei and Prefect of Shangdang, Liu Che also gave him fake authority, which allowed him to execute first and report later when encountering things. He was directly responsible for the military affairs of the frontier counties and had great authority in foreign affairs.

In fact, Zhou Yafu was very satisfied. Although it seemed that he was demoted, his power actually increased. Although the position of Taiwei had not yet been reduced to the level of an honorary position, he did not have much real power and could not directly control the central army. He only had the right to make suggestions on state affairs and military affairs.

Becoming the General Zhenbei this time means he has direct control over the border troops, and he can also gain military merit abroad and make up for his own shortcomings. He has a promising future.

Outside the city of Chang'an, Liu Che watched Zhou Yafu leave. It was unknown how long it would take for him to return to Beijing. At least Empress Dowager Dou would not easily transfer him back to the central government.

Taiyuan rose slowly, and the emperor's carriage was moving in the palace with flying dragons and phoenixes. At this time, the imperial palace of the Han Dynasty was already very luxurious, and the horses were all good horses from the Western Regions. There was no trace of the dilapidated state of the past during the time of Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Hui.

Queen Mother Wang Zhi and Liu Che sat together in the carriage, and the surrounding court band played solemn hymns.

When Wang Zhi thought of what happened yesterday, she looked at Liu Che with a worried look on her face: "Your Majesty's last action was too unwise. It is extremely unfilial to treat your grandmother like this. This crime is very serious."

"Next time, don't act on your own. Leave the affairs of the court to Prime Minister Xu. There are many things that outsiders can say, but descendants cannot."

"Your Majesty is a rare sage king. You have plenty of time to build your career. Why rush?"

Liu Che, who had been nurtured in filial piety since childhood, felt guilty and nodded, saying, "Your son will remember that I was too impatient that time. General Zhou has made great contributions to our Han Dynasty. As a monarch, I must speak up!"

Wang Zhi was helpless. This was the character of the child. So she said, "Your Majesty, what you have done is indeed the image of a ruler, but you must also examine the time and measure."

"Yes, I understand."

Inside the palace, all the ministers had been waiting for a long time. When they saw Her Majesty the Queen Mother coming, they all stood up and saluted.

In the Han Dynasty, the status of the literati was very high, and they could even sit down to discuss matters. Kneeling and bowing were only done on special occasions, which was very different from the Ming and Qing dynasties. "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you, and to the Queen Mother." Xu Gong was the first to pay his respects.

"Excuse me."

Liu Che glanced at his teacher, then sat back on the throne, while Queen Mother Wang Zhi ruled the country from behind the curtain.

Although the Han Dynasty had a queen dowager, in reality all power was in the hands of the Grand Empress Dowager Dou Yifang. All military and national affairs had to be consulted with her, which was also the biggest obstacle to the new policy.

Xu Gong became more and more satisfied as he looked at Liu Che, who was looking so heroic on the dragon throne. This emperor would surely lead the Han Dynasty to prosperity. Now the country was strong in both military and military power, and it was a good time to make achievements. This kind of monarch was very suitable for a prosperous era.

"Your Majesty, I have something to report." Xu Gong stepped out.

Liu Che nodded and said with a smile: "Please speak, teacher."

"Your Majesty, I want to report on the new policy. Nowadays, because the court does not supervise the local areas, land transactions are prevalent. The Huang-Lao school's advocacy of non-intervention is no longer suitable for the national conditions of the Han Dynasty."

"We urgently need a new policy to change the situation where land is concentrated and people are gradually running out of land to farm."

Before Liu Che and Wang Zhi could say anything, Xu Chang, the right prime minister who was promoted by Empress Dowager Dou, said, "Prime Minister Xu, the Huang-Lao policy has been the national policy since Emperor Gaodi established it until now. How can we change it so rashly?"

"What's more, the reason why Han can be so powerful is because of the rule of inaction. Doesn't this mean that this method is necessary?"

After the end of Emperor Jing's reign, the weight of the prime minister gradually changed, with the left surpassing the right.

After Dou Ying was dismissed, the position of Right Prime Minister was held by Xu Chang for many years. As a vassal of Empress Dowager Dou, he had great respect for the Huang-Lao school of thought. With the support of others, he was naturally fearless.

Xu Gong calmly replied: "Qin relied on law to become a hegemon, but also relied on law to perish. A single doctrine cannot guarantee that it will always be suitable. Emperor Gao and Emperor Wen used this policy because the country was weak, the court was difficult to change, and the land was surplus, so they let the people cultivate themselves."

"Today, the country has completed its cultivation and has millions of registered households. Land is beginning to become scarce. In addition, the local land transactions are prevalent. We can no longer let this go, otherwise we will only follow in the footsteps of the tyrannical Qin Dynasty!"

After saying this, Xu Gong took out the new policy strategy that he, his clansmen, and ministers had studied: "I think all schools of thought have their merits, and the best way is to discard the dross and retain the essence. However, we are also limited by the reality of talent, resources, and other issues. I intend to settle for the next best thing!"

"Respect Confucianism and Legalism, suppress other schools of thought, use Legalism as a benchmark to strengthen the country externally, and use Confucianism as a seal to promote virtuous governance internally. Only by combining these two schools of thought can our Han Dynasty prosper!"

Liu Che, sitting on the dragon throne, was very interested, because he originally preferred the Confucian idea of ​​respecting the emperor and suppressing the ministers. However, due to Xu Gong's teaching and persistence, he changed his mind and began to think about whether the two or more families could be combined.

The problem with Legalism is that it overemphasized the power of the monarch and the weakness of the people, and controlled them by weakening and coercing them. This can certainly strengthen the country, but it is based on fear. How can such a regime last long? Confucianism is too focused on moral governance, so the so-called morality will evolve into a series of rules and regulations, which will restrict the thoughts and behaviors of people all over the world.

These shortcomings are all major drawbacks, so Xu Gong, Xu Zhou, Xu Ye and others planned to use law to govern the outside and Confucianism to govern the inside. In this way, they could avoid the shortcomings of the two schools and combine them perfectly to achieve the needs of prospering the country.

However, the current resistance to the new policy is the ministers who advocate Huang-Lao, because this fundamentally shakes their interests. Coupled with the existence of Empress Dowager Dou, this will be difficult to achieve in a short period of time.

(End of this chapter)