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

Chapter 97 Emperor Xuan Dies

"Confucian scholars, legalists, relatives of the emperor, eunuchs... it's getting more and more difficult. Is this what our ancestors meant by going from prosperity to decline?"

“But this is a man-made disaster…”

Xu Ning reviewed the current situation and hidden dangers, and fell into deep emotion. In fact, this kind of predicament could be avoided in the future.

The main reason why he did not make Liu Shi the crown prince was that he had room for manipulation, which he deduced based on the crown prince's character.

With his personality, it is impossible for him to choose neutrality between the Confucian and Legalist parties. Instead, he will help Confucian officials suppress Legalists. This will lead to an imbalance of power in the court, and that group of Confucian scholars will become more powerful and begin to threaten the imperial power.

It is not impossible for the Legalists to do so, but they cannot do so when there are multiple forces restraining them.

But the prince will break this subtlety. When the Confucian officials become powerful, he will definitely become alert again.

Liu Shi is indeed a weak character, but he is not a fool or a virgin. After realizing the risk of being sidelined, he will definitely try his best to make up for it. The flirting between the in-laws and the Confucian scholars will definitely be useless. The Xu family is weak and if they were at their peak, they would not be enough to fight together. But now the situation is special.

The only people who can be used as political allies of the Xu family are the eunuchs. No one else can be trusted. Given Liu Shi's character, he will definitely not use the Legalists again. Eunuchs are the only choice.

"Haha... How ironic! My Xu family has been a noble family for generations, but now we have fallen to the point of teaming up with eunuchs. There is no one left to use."

Xu Ning felt a little sad. It was not that he looked down on eunuchs, but this group of people were really too shameless and did not match his status.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter what your background is as long as you can get the job done."

Eunuchs' participation in politics was just an idea. Xu Ning never imagined that eunuchs would become public enemies and notorious. He thought that at most they would be a new party that was looked down upon.

As time went on, the reputation of eunuchs became lower and lower, and everyone wanted to kill them, which led to Xu having to stand on the opposite side for the sake of her own influence.

Of course, this will happen many years later and Xu Ning will not be able to see it.

.........

With the renewed support of the early emperor of the Xu family, their power began to grow stronger, and they once again became the top power in the Han Dynasty, second only to the French Party in the court.

Since the death of Huo Guang, the Huo family has begun to decline slowly and has become out of the limelight. Only Grand Marshal Huo Xian is left to support the family, but he no longer has much say in the government.

Xu Bo was promoted to the position of left prime minister and was appointed prime minister again, and the Xu family in Henan also began to regain its strength.

In fact, the Xu family still has its influence. As long as he has the emperor's support, it will be easy to become prime minister, because he has almost no political enemies in the court. It would be a natural thing for no one to oppose it.

The decline of the Xu family before was mainly due to Liu Xun's cheating. He directly kicked out the candidates. What's the use of your high prestige? This is the power of the real emperor.

Such a big family was liquidated, but no one dared to resist. It can only be said that in that era, the imperial power of the Liu family was too strong.

Several generations including Emperor Gao, Emperor Wen, Emperor Jing, Emperor Wu, and Emperor Kang (Liu Ju) have brought prestige to its peak, making it sacred and inviolable.

Recently, Liu Xun's health has deteriorated sharply. He is now bedridden and unable to handle government affairs. He therefore handed over full power to the crown prince and ordered him to govern the country.

With the assistance of countless capable ministers, he was able to gain initial control of the overall situation. Liu Xun praised him for this, gave him a lot of wealth, and appointed Xu Ning as the Prince's Grand Tutor. His requirements for this heir were quite low.

Just don't let the Han Dynasty be destroyed in your hands, maintaining the status quo is the best outcome.

But unfortunately it is a bit difficult. After the crown prince became regent, he stopped pretending completely and suppressed legal officials and supported Confucian officials. Of course, his methods were much gentler than his father's, who would kill them at will. At most, he would resign and be sent back to his fiefdom.

Once Confucianism gained power, Wang Si, the Imperial Academy Master, was appointed prime minister and began to preside over government affairs. Confucian scholars also held an overwhelming majority among the Nine Ministers.

He hasn't even ascended the throne yet, and all we can say is that the prince is really fed up with the Legalists.

Although Liu Xun lived in the deep palace for a long time, he still had a deep understanding of the situation in the world. He did not object to Wang Si's appointment as prime minister. He thought that this man was not bad. He was a relative of the emperor and had good abilities.

When there is no other choice, it can be used barely.

Well... Liu Xun finally realized it after many years. He found that the Xu family was really useful. Not only were they extremely capable, they were also very loyal and independent of all political parties. They were really capable of getting things done.

This is indeed the wisdom of our ancestors. No wonder so many emperors treated Xu as their own son. When you are about to die, undercurrents surge in the court, and everyone looks like a traitor.

The only person who could be entrusted with the important task was Xu. Liu Xun had an inexplicable sense of security. Perhaps this was the filter given by Xu Zhen, Xu Gong and others.

It's exactly the same as Zhou Gong! If Emperor Wu didn't have Xu Gong, the world would have been in chaos. If Emperor Xiaowen didn't have Xu Zhao, he wouldn't have been able to stop the rebels at all, and the throne of the Han Dynasty would have changed hands long ago. If Emperor Gao didn't have Xu Zhen, unifying the world would never have been so smooth!

Therefore, Xu Bo was appointed as prime minister to contain the power of the foreign relatives led by the Wang family. The effect was very good. As long as the fundamental interests were not affected, the Confucian officials would give him some face.

The prince also had a good impression of Xu. After all, with Xu Zhen and Xu Gong, she would naturally be appreciated.

On this day, Liu Xun was terminally ill and realized that he did not have much time left, so he summoned the prince into the palace.

Xu Ning won another great victory on the frontier, and the Huns completely surrendered. He then led his troops back to the court. In fact, this was the emperor's response to the power change after his death.

After this suppression, the emperor undoubtedly trusted Xu more, and his position became more stable in the future.

Liu Xun looked at his son weakly, a trace of sadness flashed through his heart, and he said: "My son, you will soon be on your own. I will die one day, just like your mother."

“Perhaps death is also a kind of relief.”

Liu Shi held back tears and leaned over to his father's window: "Father, may you live for ten thousand years! You will never die. The Han Dynasty cannot live without you, and neither can your son!"

He meant what he said. The Han Dynasty really could not do without Liu Xun. It was only when he began to serve as regent that he realized how hard the emperor's life was.

If he continues like this, there's no way he'll survive long, so Liu Shi even thought about becoming a hands-off boss, but the idea isn't strong yet.

Well...if he waits for too long, he will probably get bored.

Liu Xun sighed softly: "I have always known that you do not have the ability and qualifications to become the emperor. From the perspective of my Han Dynasty, you should not be made the crown prince anyway."

"But, after all, you are the Queen's biological son! I cannot bear to depose you, not to mention that you have done nothing wrong. Deposing you is not justified, so the world can only be handed over to you. Remember, do not act rashly or be indecisive!"

"The emperor should be absolutely fair and not biased towards any party. You are not doing a good job in this regard."

Crown Prince Liu Shi nodded heavily and said yes.

But it’s hard to say whether they really listened or not. Everyone understands the general principles, but actually taking action is another matter.

His ideas cannot be changed in a short time, and his closeness to Confucianism will not change, because what he is close to is not the group of Confucian scholars, but the ideas and concepts of Confucianism.

Confucian officials may be rectified in the future, but Confucianism will definitely be emphasized. The Legalists will suffer a lot and can only beg the next monarch to be close to the Legalist ideas.

Otherwise, it will just disappear gradually in the long river of history. Liu Xun smiled bitterly. He didn't know how much his son had heard, but he still silently held up the jade seal that symbolized the supreme power in the world.

The noble Heshi Bi reveals a faint halo, and the eight large characters "Received the Mandate from Heaven, Live Long and Prosper" engraved by Li Si in the past shine brightly, as if they were poison, making people unrecognizable and obsessed.

This is power!
Liu Shi took the jade seal with a trembling body. His excitement overcame his depression for a moment. No man could refuse these eight words!
It's not that the imperial seal itself has anything special, but it symbolizes the imperial power! Who doesn't yearn for the supreme power in the world?

Liu Xun stared at the strange expressions of the parent and child, and a hint of satisfaction flashed across his face. This was exactly the effect he wanted.

How could an emperor not have ambitions? If he had no reaction to the imperial seal, then he would be completely hopeless.

A monarch who is not interested in power is truly the greatest sorrow of a country.

This is in line with the saying: "The one who disrupted the Han Dynasty was the prince!"

He put the imperial seal back into the wooden box and handed it to the prince solemnly.

"Do your best, kid. Being an emperor is not as wonderful as you think."

Liu Xun watched him take the imperial seal, slowly closed his eyes, and lay down.

Emperor Xuan of Han officially passed away!

The will he left behind was also promulgated.

Xu Ning, Xu Bo, Huo Xian and Wang Si were appointed ministers in charge of the imperial court.

Xu Bo's second son was granted marriage and became the consort of the Han emperor, which further strengthened the relationship between the two. Xu Ning was promoted to general and Sima, and once again took the highest position in the Han dynasty.

This is the first and only general in the Han Dynasty who is not a relative of the emperor. There may not be another one in the future because strictly speaking, this is the result of Liu Xun's guilt. He wanted to make up to the Xu family a little, otherwise he would not be able to face his ancestors in the underworld.

It would be fine if they killed the donkey after it was done with its work, but in the end they had to revive it and let it continue to pull the millstone! Why? Because the other donkeys couldn’t pull it.

It's already a bit shameless.

Liu Shi ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor. He issued a general amnesty and after burying his father, he discussed the posthumous title with his ministers and finally decided on Emperor Xiaoxuan, with the temple name Zhongzong! This is the key point. Everyone in the world recognized his achievements.

Before this, there were only three people in the Han Dynasty who had temple names, namely, Emperor Taizu Gaohuang Liu Bang, Emperor Taizong Wenhuang Liu Heng, and Emperor Shizong Wuhuang Liu Che. They are of great value and represent the peak of the Han Dynasty. Even Emperor Kang did not get a temple name.

Now we have to add another one, Emperor Zhongzong Xuan Liu Xun! He created a truly peak prosperous era, completely conquered the Western Regions, and subdued the Huns.

This is something that even Liu Che could not do in the past.

Liu Shi sat at the top somewhat awkwardly. Anyone who first ascended the throne would be flattered.

But the prince was still the prince after all, and he quickly adapted. Looking at the ministers bowing and paying homage below, a look of joy flashed across his face. Power is very wonderful.

"No need to be so polite, everyone. I... I have just ascended the throne and I still need your help."

Liu Shi tried his best to remain calm, but his panic was still visible to the naked eye. He was far inferior to Emperor Kang and Emperor Xuan of the past. It seemed that the streak of seven generations of wise rulers was coming to an abrupt end.

"Sharing the worries for Your Majesty is also our duty as subjects." Wang Si first expressed his loyalty. Although he was in power, he was not yet a match for Xu.

After Xu Ning was appointed general, the power balance in the court returned to that of the Kang Emperor period. Unless several major forces joined forces, no one would be a match.

"Well... Prime Minister Wang has been serving the country and the people, which makes me very happy." Liu Shi nodded. He has always had a good impression of Confucian officials.

It was he who supported Wang Si.

Xu Ning, who had just been promoted to general, stepped out without hesitation: "I have a request for your majesty."

Liu Shi was curious and said, "Grand Marshal, please speak."

"Your Majesty, please calm down the second Confucian-Legalist dispute!"

Xu Ning exposed the Confucians' attempt to take advantage of the opportunity to defeat the Legalists. If they were allowed to succeed, the situation they had imagined would probably result.

Confucian officials and relatives of the emperor took advantage of the situation to rise to power, and he fell to the point of joining forces with the eunuchs!

Wang Si's face turned dark, but he quickly recovered. He didn't expect Xu Ning to not give him any face at all. He was indeed a staunch supporter of the royal party.

Don't you want to gain some benefits?

Of course Xu Ning thought so. He had always known that only by protecting the Liu family could they have wealth and glory. And this time it was the case. In less than ten years, he became the general.

As a meritorious official, there is no one before him and there will be no one after him!
Even if Liu Xun let them down, they cannot turn against him. This is a matter of stance. The imperial power and the interests of the Xu family do not conflict and can even be protected!
"Prince Wang, do you have any idea about this?" A gleam of light flashed in Liu Shi's eyes. This is a good opportunity!
Wang Si had no choice but to say, "Your Majesty, this is after all an internal matter of the Imperial Academy, just a trivial detail. Why should we alarm the court?"

Xu Ning glanced at him and said, "No, no, the last time the Confucianists and Legalists clashed, only the Imperial College was involved? How many people died in that incident?"

"This kind of unprovoked disaster should be avoided as much as possible, otherwise, who knows how many talents will be buried."

Liu Shi smiled faintly and said, "I know how to handle this matter. The general does not need to worry about it, and the same goes for the prime minister."

His thoughts became very active. His father gained unparalleled prestige by relying on the debate between Confucianism and Legalism. So why couldn't he give it a try?

If he succeeds, he will be able to truly control the government. Since his father is not optimistic about his future, he should fight for it even more!

This is obviously a good opportunity!
Xu Ning helplessly looked at the emperor in front of him, whose emotions were clearly visible, and in his heart he really wanted to scold him for overestimating his own abilities.

What kind of person was the late emperor? What level are you at? Why don't you take a piss and look at yourself?

Even someone of Liu Xun's level almost got into trouble. If His Majesty goes up and is not pure, will he ruin the good situation?

With the help of himself and Xu Bo, it would have been easy to control the political situation in the court, but he had to do all these fancy things and gave up the safe thing to take risks.

I can only say that this guy is really not suitable to be an emperor, and he doesn't understand how to weigh the pros and cons.

Xu Ning did not speak. He knew that he could not change His Majesty's mind. It would be useless to speak out. Instead, it would actually harm the Confucian forces.

It seems that I can only wait until later to find a solution.

Xu Ning knew very well what Liu Shi was planning. He simply wanted to take this opportunity to support his own people and suppress those he considered to be dissidents.

But little did they know that the situation was different! The current political situation was completely different from that of the previous emperor.

(End of this chapter)