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

Chapter 92: Confucianism prevails, the emperor abides by the law

The emperor passed away and the whole country was in grief.

Liu Che had been on the throne for decades, making him the longest-lived emperor in the history of the Han Dynasty. His contributions were undoubtedly enormous.

After many wars in the south and the north, the Han Dynasty's national strength reached its peak. Hundreds of thousands of cavalry were deployed on the border, making the Huns dare not even go south to graze their horses.

Nanyue was crushed by the troops led by Xu Nan, with bright red flags flying. The majesty of the Han Dynasty was everywhere. It was hard to say about the people's livelihood and economy, but in terms of military, it was definitely the best in the Han Dynasty.

Liu Ju was also a wise ruler. He was taught by Xu Zhou, Wei Qing and others since childhood. He was decisive in killing but also kind and merciful, and not bloodthirsty. This was undoubtedly the most suitable for the Han Dynasty, which had exhausted its treasury.

Liu Che's body was buried in the mausoleum with the attendance of hundreds of officials. He was posthumously named Emperor Xiaowu, temple name Gaozong, and the crown prince ascended the throne in front of his coffin. The reign title was Jingxin, which meant to improve the people's livelihood.

In the hall, Liu Ju, who had just ascended the throne, was in great grief, but the country had just experienced a transfer of power and the court was not yet stable.

In fact, what Liu Che was most worried about was not the power of his external relatives, but the chaos in the court. Even he himself was extremely troubled by these ministers, let alone Liu Ju who had just succeeded to the throne.

Therefore, he did not appoint a right prime minister, but instead distributed the palace military power to Xu Ye. His foundation in the army was relatively weak, and he could be better recovered while being a knife.

He can be called a gold medal tool man.

"Your Majesty, I have this memorial."

A white-haired minister stepped out.

Liu Ju took a look and knew that something tricky was coming. He became alert and said, "Go ahead."

"Your Majesty, when the previous emperor was alive, he complained more than once about the Confucian scholars' disruption of the law, but he was old and powerless. I think that now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, this problem should be eradicated."

That’s right, Confucianism is naturally more powerful than Legalism in brainwashing. After all, the Han Dynasty ruled the world with loyalty and filial piety, and these two things are naturally contrary to law.

Even though Legalism has been integrated, it is still far inferior to Confucianism in terms of dissemination. Today, "morality" among the people has seriously affected the implementation of the law.

For example, if a man kills the person who insulted his mother out of anger, according to the law, the murderer shall be put to death, and one life shall be paid with another.

But the local people had a different opinion. They admired the man's bravery and filial piety very much and often helped him hide, making it impossible for the government to catch him.

Even if their hiding place is found, they will still be protected by local powerful people and Confucian scholars, which makes it difficult to implement the law.

If the Han Dynasty ruled the world with Confucianism, this would be nothing. On the contrary, it proves the success of the court in enforcing laws.

But the problem is that the Han Dynasty adopted the principle of external law and internal Confucianism, which seriously affected the effectiveness of the law.

Although the crime was excusable, the law is the law. It can be lenient in minor cases, but this is murder! Anyone who kills will be put to death, this is an iron law that has not changed in all dynasties.

The legalists could not tolerate this situation either. The Confucian Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues were naturally easy to be respected by the superiors, that is, the monarch and his father. They were too passive.

Before long, law will become obsolete among the masses.

Therefore, this situation cannot be allowed to happen, it must be resolved! It just so happens that the new emperor needs to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys, so it is quite appropriate to bring it up.

"Your Majesty, please make a decision!"

"Your Majesty, please make the decision..."

The ministers who came from the Legalist school all stepped out and began to cheer.

Liu Ju half-closed his eyes, seeming to be thinking about something.

After a moment, he glanced at the eunuch next to him, and the eunuch understood and struck the gong heavily a few times.
After the loud noise, the entire hall fell silent.

Liu Qi said: "You all have a point. Our Han dynasty governs the country by law and cultivates character by Confucianism. This is indeed not in line with the national policy set by my father."

"As the emperor of the Han Dynasty, I cannot sit idly by."

Obviously, he wanted to be in charge. In fact, Liu Ju was closer to the Legalists. This was influenced by Xu Zhou, who believed that there could be no order without rules.

The morality advocated by Confucianism is for people to abide by voluntarily, but there are always some people who disobey discipline, so laws came into being. He believes that there should be both admonitions and consequences.

The combination of the two is the way to govern the country.

At this time, the Confucian Party could no longer sit still.

"Your Majesty, I think there is nothing wrong with this. The people are not resisting the law. On the contrary, they respect the law and justice! Are you going to ignore the bullying of other people's parents?"

“It’s not written in the law, but it doesn’t mean it’s not important.”

One of the law officers was quite radical. He took off his official hat, knelt on the ground, looked up at Liu Che, and shouted: "Your Majesty, the Confucians disrupt the law with their writings, and the knights violate the law with their force. Both should be eradicated!"

"If the people act according to their nature, where is the dignity of the court? Where is the law? Over time, the country will no longer be a country!"

"The tyranny of Qin was banned by laws, causing the people to live in misery. The people were all afraid of the harshness of Qin laws. The seven dynasties of the country perished because of this. What does this prove? A single doctrine cannot govern a country!"

"Then I would like to ask, if a country is burdened by virtue, what will be the consequences? The Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues proposed by Dong Zhongshu are indeed ingenious, but even the best things can go astray!"

"I think that excessive pursuit of virtue and neglect of public law is decadent and degenerate. The monarch is the leader of the ministers, the father is the leader of the sons, and the wife is the leader of the husband. I agree that it is natural to obey the monarch, obey parents, and obey the husband's family."

"But I don't agree! Blind obedience is wrong and superficial! Over time, who will correct the monarch, correct the parents, and correct the husband under absolute obedience? People are not saints!"

"As a subject, I shouldn't say such treasonous words, but I still have to say it! Kings and fathers can make mistakes, and they must obey the law! In the past, the Holy Master (Xu Gong) once said: If a prince breaks the law, he will be punished just like a commoner. Today, I will go a step further and say that if the emperor breaks the law, he will be punished just like a commoner!"

"If the superiors set an example, the people will follow suit, and the whole world will be loyal to them."

He kowtowed heavily and said: "I beg Your Majesty to suppress Confucianism and govern the country strictly according to the principles of external law and internal Confucianism to save the world!"

"I second the proposal."

"I second the proposal"

"I second the motion..."

All members of the French Party knelt down, and even Zhang Tang, who had not expressed his opinion, was conquered by these words and joined the army of "seconding the motion".

If the emperor breaks the law, he will be punished the same as the common people, and all the princes and people must abide by the law. Isn't this the common pursuit of all students of the Legalists?
Even the Confucian scholars, their traditional enemies, have stopped expressing their opinions, which is tantamount to their agreement. They also yearn to realize this ideal society.

However, there is one difference. The Legalists hope that the monarch will take the lead in abiding by the law, while the Confucians desire a "sage" monarch with impeccable morals.

Everyone agrees on this point, but the Legalists are obviously more daring to say it out loud.

If His Majesty agrees, it means that a sage monarch can also appear! This undoubtedly makes the Confucian scholars excited.

The fundamental purpose of the party struggle between the two sides is actually to make the Han Dynasty better, which is a struggle of ideas.

(End of this chapter)