Joy of Life: I am a Han Dynasty succubus, and I rebel from the beginning

When Liu Heng was eight years old, Empress Sang Wen summoned the sons of ministers of the same age to the palace to serve as companions to her studies.

In the same year, the cabinet, the military council, and Queen Sang Wen jointly submitted a memorial to the Emperor Gao, requesting that Liu Heng be made the crown prince.

Emperor Gao’s reply was very simple, just one word, “yes”, which silenced those who had ulterior motives.

The issue of the crown prince was settled, and Liu Heng's greatest threat, Liu Ying, was already in his fiefdom in Qi.

The political affairs in the court were stable, and most of the ministers who followed Emperor Gao to conquer the world were capable people who were willing to do practical work.

The Han Dynasty entered a period of rapid development. The capital's 30,000 imperial guards, 30,000 garrison divisions, 20,000 city defense troops, and city defense troops were equipped with new muskets.

Everything seems to be thriving.

In particular, Crown Prince Liu Heng showed signs of being a wise ruler at a young age. He understood the sufferings of the people and was praised by court ministers. His playmates of the same age respected him even more.

In just ten years, Liu Heng accumulated his own political power.

Eighteen-year-old Liu Heng was full of energy and vigor. He worked in the fields with several old farmers and talked about their living conditions.

Zhang Liang's son Zhang Buyi, with a hurried look on his face, brought several attendants to Liu Heng and whispered.

"Your Highness, something big has happened. The Queen has summoned you to the palace immediately. It is said that the Emperor Gao has returned."

Liu Heng's expression changed slightly. His father returned to Kyoto? This was a strange thing.

Over the years, the only information that allowed court officials to learn of Emperor Gao's whereabouts was when troops from various counties and prefectures were mobilized to punish corrupt officials.

Only these people can roughly guess where Emperor Gao is.

In Changle Palace, Liu Hong looked much more mature and took a sip of tea.

The palace maids around lowered their heads, and it was obvious that the atmosphere was a bit solemn.

Sang Wenxiu frowned.

"You've handed over the throne to Liu Heng so early? Your Majesty, you must know that only you can suppress those arrogant and powerful generals."

Liu Hong didn't seem to care at all.

"This is a test for him. If he can't handle the relationship between the older generation and the younger generation, how can he handle the relationship between the king and the people of the world?"

"Besides, I'm not dead yet! If Liu Heng can't handle these things, then let Liu Chan handle it. If Liu Chan can't handle it, then let Liu Jian handle it."

"If my sons can't do it, then I'll leave it to my grandchildren."

Sang Wen fell silent, which was unusual.

Emperor Gaozu has always had this attitude in his life and work: those who are capable will be given the job.

A capable person will definitely find a place to display his talents. As for whether he can stay in this position for a long time, it depends on his character.

"Can you postpone it for a few more years?"

Sang Wen looked pleadingly.

Liu Hong just shook his head, and his expression remained unchanged when he heard the heartbeat outside the door.

"I know what you are thinking, but do you think you can really protect Liu Ying for the rest of his life?"

"When Liu Ying was no longer able to take charge of Qi, you should have known that he would be useless except for being a puppet of the northern aristocratic families."

Liu Heng stopped outside the door, and his confidants had already dispersed.

Liu Hong was the first emperor in history to unify the country, the first emperor born into a commoner family, and the most powerful grandmaster in the world.

When he gave up his power and traveled alone among the people to investigate illegal activities.

All the defects of Emperor Gao disappeared, and he was only constantly beautified and miraculous.

Simply put, it is the cult of personality, the political correctness allowed in the Han Dynasty.

But only these princes understood how strict Liu Hong was with them.

Liu Hong didn't care whether his son would threaten his position. He only cared whether the next emperor could govern the world well.

If not, you will be a prince all your life.

Liu Heng took a deep breath and pushed open the door, blocking Sang Wen's thoughts as he was about to speak.

"Father, you're back." Liu Hong nodded slightly and looked at Liu Heng's somewhat thin figure. A rare hint of tenderness appeared in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared.

"Tomorrow there will be a grand court meeting. You will succeed the throne of the Han Dynasty emperor. What is your opinion?"

Liu Heng knelt on the ground, his voice sonorous and powerful.

"As ordered!"

Liu Hong waved his hand, indicating that Liu Heng could leave.

Sitting next to Sang Wen and holding Sang Wen's hand, the once delicate fingers were now covered with calluses.

"Sang Wen, it's time to let go. We are human after all. If we protect our offspring too well, we will harm them instead."

Sang Wen sighed and leaned his head on Liu Hong's shoulder.

The ten years of peace in the court was broken, and Emperor Gao handed the throne to Crown Prince Liu Heng.

It was also announced that the era of joint rule by the empress, the cabinet, and the military conference had passed, and from then on, Emperor Liu Heng would hold all power.

The court was in an uproar, and the ministers were horrified. At the same time, they looked at Liu Heng, who was sitting on the throne, with suspicion.

The crown prince is not the same as the emperor. If the crown prince accomplishes one or two things, he can be considered wise.

And an emperor must accomplish many great things before he can be called a wise ruler.

Liu Heng's expression did not change because of the suspicion of the court officials, and his voice was loud and loud.

"I am still young, and I still need the help of the elders. Cabinet affairs and the military council will remain the same as usual."

After hearing these words, the ministers felt much more at ease. It was a good thing that the emperor had self-knowledge.

As long as there is no interference, the Han Dynasty will continue to prosper for at least another hundred years.

Liu Heng's next sentence made the cabinet ministers and generals feel as uncomfortable as if they had eaten a fly.

"I listen to both sides and I will be enlightened, but I will be blinded if I only believe in one side. The Emperor Gao is like a god, and I am afraid that I can't reach even one tenth of him even if I work day and night."

"But as the saying goes, those who are righteous will have many supporters, while those who are unrighteous will have few. I am determined to establish the system of recommendation and selection on the basis of the imperial examination system."

"The Han Dynasty has been established for more than ten years. Can the imperial examination bring talented people from all over the world into the court? I'm afraid not. Talented people are not given important positions. This is probably not what a prosperous era should be like."

"I sincerely implore talented people from all prefectures and counties in the world to come to Kyoto. I am willing to give them high positions and generous salaries, and I am willing to share wealth and honor with you."

"If the journey is long, you can also go to the fiefdoms of the nobles with military merits and ride in the post carriage. The royal family is willing to bear all your expenses."

Hong Zhu quickly distributed Liu Heng's emotional edict to all the ministers.

When the court meeting was over, the ministers left the hall with different expressions.

Zhang Liang lay on the chair, his fingers gently stroking the imperial edict.

What can I say about His Majesty! There is nothing wrong with his every move.

While slowly cultivating loyal forces to himself, he also deeply understood the dissatisfaction of the people of the world with the military nobles' control of political power. At the same time, he shared part of the power of the recommendation system to dispel the concerns of the military nobles.

It can be said that he has some of the skills of Emperor Gaozu.

"Although the emperor was my student, when he was eight years old, I basically couldn't guess what he was thinking."

Zhang Liang sighed softly and felt that he was getting old.

Although Liu Heng said that the handling of government affairs would remain as it was for the time being, he continued to observe and learn.

But everyone knows that the era when the Queen, the Cabinet, and the Military Council jointly ruled is over.

When Zhang Buyi saw the imperial edict, he was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling.

He had not been good at rhetoric since childhood, and was really not good at the imperial examinations. If he relied on Zhang Liang's protection, he would probably only get a sinecure.

Liu Heng's system of recommendation not only prevented the military aristocrats from disrupting the imperial examination system, but also opened the door for these second-generation military aristocrats.

When Zhang Liang saw the look on his eldest son Zhang Buzhi's face, he knew that the emperor's decree was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

They were military nobles with great power, occupying official positions in the court and also owning fiefdoms.

But in front of the emperor who is supported by the people, he still has to temporarily avoid the edge. (End of this chapter)