Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 463 Jingning Jianshi
"Why……"

Why are you doing these things?

When Kong Guang, the noble young man who had been ostracized from Chang'an, met his old friends again...
He discovered that the other party was engaged in some very shady sex trade.

Kong Guang was very saddened by this, so he asked He Bo, who was dressed in a dusty and travel-worn manner, for advice.

Having just dug a fresh grave, He Bo, still covered in dust, shook himself off, wiped his hands and face clean with a wet wipe, and then, with his eyes lowered, replied lightly to Kong Guang, who looked heartbroken:
"It's just because of the pressures of life."

"Someone like you, who has come from a distinguished family in Chang'an, how could you possibly know the miserable plight of the common people?"

Kong Guang still looked sad and stepped forward to take He Bo's hand.

"go!"

"I'll take you to the local magistrate and have him clear your name!"

But He Bo turned away from him and retreated behind Zhou Jian, who was also covered in dust.

Kong Guang followed after him reluctantly.
Then, together with He Bo, they performed a long-lost "Qin King Circling the Pillar" acrobatic move around Zhou Jian.

"wait wait wait!"

"How is this going?"

Zhou Jian was initially taken aback by the strange conversation between the two and observed them in silence for a while. Finally, he couldn't help but interrupt their chase.

Kong Guang stamped his foot and said, "You have desecrated a corpse, and the local magistrate intends to issue an arrest warrant for you!"

"If I hadn't arrived at the right time and seen the notice that hadn't been sent out yet, and hadn't dissuaded the magistrate, I'm afraid I wouldn't be the only one chasing after you right now!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jian hurriedly replied:
“I am looking for people who have been sentenced to death and have no children or relatives.”

“I held funerals for them, and they were willing to donate their bodies to do some research... This was consensual, so how can it be considered a sin!”

Kong Guang said to him:
"What you have done, though not explicitly prohibited by law, is certainly against propriety!"

"People cannot tolerate such a thing, let alone the head of a county."

The Chinese peoples have always valued this aspect.

Moreover, Confucianism is increasingly being elevated to a divine status these days.
If there is something good on the top, it will be great on the bottom.

What did the emperor like?
Those below will simply double down on the task to curry favor with those in power.

Therefore,
Even if there is no explicit law stipulating this matter,

This did not prevent the magistrate from being furious and wanting to punish He Bo and Zhou Jian, these two "traitors".

"Then why did you stop the magistrate from issuing the proclamation?"

He Bo poked his head out from behind Zhou Jian and said to Kong Guang.

Kong Guang was taken aback upon hearing this, and then, as if he had just thought of something, his expression suddenly became dejected, and he no longer had the imposing manner he had when he chased after people to question them.

"Yes."

"If I have selfish desires that I find hard to tolerate, how much more so would others?"

He lowered his head, no longer displaying the arrogant and noble demeanor he had when he first appeared.

Seeing him like this, Zhou Jian wanted to comfort him, but He Bo tugged at his sleeve, preventing him from speaking.

He Bo stepped forward and beckoned to Kong Guang:
"It's a rare encounter, why don't you come and sit at our house!"

Kong Guang responded with an "Oh," and then followed the two to a secluded courtyard.

The yard wasn't big, and things were arranged in a rather messy way.
In the corner, there were several thin wooden coffins stacked together, as well as many bamboo strips and unfinished bamboo woven products.

What's even more terrifying is that
When Kong Guang entered the dark and cold room, a pale, bluish-white human body appeared directly in front of him.

The pampered Marquis of Baocheng was terrified at the sight of this scene. His legs went weak and he almost fell to the ground, landing on his backside.

Fortunately, He Bo pulled him out in time, and Zhou Jian also stepped forward, pulled over a white cloth, and covered the body caretaker who had not done any good deeds in his life, but was able to accumulate some merit by selling himself after death and even enjoy the personal service of ghosts and gods.

"...Let's talk outside!"

It's so nice outside!

With bright sunshine and a gentle breeze, it's the perfect backdrop for old friends to reunite and share their heartfelt feelings!
Kong Guang leaned half his body on He Bo's arm, half his body gripping the door, his feet seemingly rooted to the spot, refusing to step over the threshold.

He Bo respected his opinion and even thoughtfully pointed to the coffin in the corner, saying:
"Let's sit down and talk, otherwise standing will be tiring!"

"...No need."

Kong Guang straightened his back with difficulty, putting on a brave front, "I'm in good health!"

then,

The two stood in the center of the courtyard, holding the hot water that Zhou Jian had offered them, and began to talk.

"You've been exiled again?"

"This time I ran much farther than before!"

Even after drinking the hot water, He Bo still couldn't utter any warm words; every time he opened his mouth, he hurt Kong Guang's feelings again.

He nodded silently, opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end it only turned into a sigh.

right now,

It was already late spring of the first year of the Jingning era.

The emperor's health deteriorated, and he often looked sickly.

In such a situation,

This naturally made the emperor's already weak character even more easily swayed, and he listened to too much nonsense.

of course,

The emperor refused to listen to Kong Guang's advice.

Because the emperor believed that he had inherited the prosperous legacy of his predecessor.
During his reign, he did not make mistakes such as indulging in wine and women or neglecting state affairs.

Even promoting the wisdom of the ancients to the world, letting the brilliance of "benevolence and righteousness" spread across the land... will only make the country better.

The Xiongnu people prostrated themselves before him.
Foreign envoys prostrated themselves at his feet.
People from all over the world sang his praises.

How can this prove that the country is declining under his leadership?

The emperor rationally believed that Kong Guang was being too picky.

But in my heart,
As the eldest son who was deeply loved by his parents, the emperor

My ambition since childhood has been to inherit the achievements of my ancestors and carry them forward.

such,

Only then can he be a good child and not disappoint his parents.

Kong Guang's repeated arrogant remarks suggest that his father lacked foresight and that he was a bad son.
This is damaging royal family bonds!

Therefore,
Kong Guang began his life of ups and downs—

The emperor admired his studious and innocent nature, and also valued his identity as a descendant of Confucius, so he often promoted and took care of him.

But the emperor really didn't like what Kong Guang said.

Thus, a soft-hearted and indecisive emperor might, in a fit of anger, announce the dismissal of his official post and banish him from Chang'an, only to reinstate him once his anger subsided.

Do this three times.

Kong Guang traveled further and further on his journey as a "traveling giant," eventually leaving the embrace of the Yellow River to come south and receive the nourishment of the river water, where he met He Bo, who had already made a name for himself by digging up graves.

"I still don't understand why you would do such a thing..."

After standing in the courtyard for a while and calming down, Kong Guang shook his head to shake off his worries about himself and only cared about his friend's situation.

He Bo shrugged indifferently and said, "How can one discern the depths of a person's inner workings from their appearance alone?"

"If you want to cure diseases and save lives, but you don't even know what a 'person' looks like, how can you treat them?"

"Furthermore—"

He Bo glanced at Kong Guang, who, even on the road to exile, received a warm welcome from the local magistrate and whose face showed no signs of external oppression other than worry, and said to him in a drawn-out voice:
“The powerful and wealthy sucked the blood and flesh of the living clean, and then demanded that they kowtow and worship them. They liked to whip them from time to time, and scolded the common people with a harsher attitude than they would scold livestock.”

“I and this kid next to me trade money with criminals sentenced to death, exchanging their burial and offerings in exchange for their sacrifice.”

"After examining and touching it, we would piece it back together so that it could be buried in its entirety. We would never subject it to further humiliation and oppression just because we had already paid for it and the other party was powerless to resist."

"Compared to this, we are far better off than the powerful!"

"Is such that!"

Zhou Jian nodded in agreement, adding, "When we have free time, we also go out to provide free medical consultations for people in the surrounding area!"

The knowledge learned
It always requires application to be consolidated and extended.

Moreover, many years ago,

He Bo has a habit of providing free medical care to people.

So after getting to know Zhou Jian,
While digging up graves and exhuming corpses with him, He Bo used the skills he had learned from the former to help the hunters and tenant farmers who had unfortunately suffered external injuries.

The local people praised them for this.

It's just a pity,

People at the bottom and those at the top rarely share the same perceptions.

The dogmatic magistrate paid no heed to the common people who had benefited from his favors; he was only concerned with upholding the dignity of etiquette and law.

As for whether ordinary people will lose limbs or even their lives as a result?

What does that have to do with him?

The common people were merely crippled or killed.

If news spreads that there are outrageous and desecrating people running rampant in the areas under one's jurisdiction, it will affect one's career!
Kong Guang was no longer the innocent young man he once was, and naturally he could make these connections. He simply sighed again, frowned, and shook his head.

Seeing him like this, He Bo couldn't help but say, "If you met my two friends looking like this, you'd definitely have a lot to talk about!"

Qu Yuan was also an exiled frog who was turned into a travel frog.

Kong Guang, however, was traveling from north to south.

Qu Yuan was often released from the south to the north by King Huai of Chu.

As for Ximen Bao?
He Bo clearly remembered how that old man had sighed and lamented over how Wei Wuhou was not like his father, Wenhou, when he was alive!

"is it?"

"Could you introduce me to someone?"

When Kong Guang heard He Bo say this, he naturally asked him about it.

"No."

He Bo sighed, "They are no longer alive."

He pointed to the man lying inside and said, "He's even more rotten than the other guy!"

A century has passed,

I bet even the bones are gone!
Kong Guang then felt regretful.

He had just been thinking that if they were both in the same boat, he could confide in the other person and seek some relief.

But why not confide in He Bo?
Kong Guang recalled how he had repeatedly tried to recommend him for a government post, only to be refused each time, and knew in his heart that the other man's ambitions lay elsewhere.

in this way,

There's no need to disturb the carefree person who's "dragging his tail in the mud" with the turmoil of the court.

Let's just enjoy our own lives and pursue our own goals!
I only hope that many years later,
Both sides said goodbye, and their expectations were fulfilled.

The Han Dynasty may have had even more beautiful times than the radiant sunshine we see today.

Kong Guang watched as the reminiscing ended,

He Bo and Zhou Jian, who were squatting in the corner, silently thought to themselves that they would use the bamboo strips to make a living by burning the bodies of the deceased as payment for their indenture.

……

And when his brief encounter with He Bo ended,

The emperor, whose personality was soft and whose decisions were often unpredictable, once again issued an edict to reinstate Kong Guang.

This time,
He did not act as before.

After a brief period of affection and appreciation, he once again belittled Kong Guang because he disliked Kong Guang's "outspokenness".

because,

The emperor's body finally gave out.

He lay on his bed, his body, though in the prime of his life, already emaciated and pale from the torment of illness.

"Is this God's will?"

When the emperor occasionally regained consciousness from his illness, he couldn't help but let his thoughts wander.

Most of the emperors of the Han Dynasty died around the age of fifty.

His father was like that.
He wants to do the same.

"I'll need your continued support and guidance from now on."

Turning his head, the emperor spoke to Wang Zhengjun, who was standing beside him with tears in her eyes.

Their children,
That crown prince of the Han Dynasty, the new emperor who is about to ascend the throne,

They are somewhat weak-willed and lack strong willpower. They are easily attracted to attractive or fun things and then become so engrossed in them that they find it difficult to extricate themselves.

The emperor therefore harbored some dissatisfaction with him.

However, he placed great importance on etiquette and law.

The primogeniture system was a long-standing tradition of the Han Dynasty.

He was unwilling to break such a precedent.

Therefore,
The emperor could only hope that the crown prince, who was not yet twenty, would become more stable and wise after ascending the throne.

If that doesn't work, then the Empress should be entrusted with assisting in governing the country and correcting his mistakes.

Upon hearing his words, Wang Zhengjun knew in her heart that the emperor was on his deathbed, so she nodded in agreement with tears in her eyes.

"I have no special talents, but for the sake of the Han Dynasty and for future generations, I am willing to give everything!"

The emperor smiled with relief, glanced reluctantly at the exquisite carvings in the palace, and then passed away.

After deliberation, the court officials bestowed upon him the posthumous title "Yuan".
The one who practices righteousness and pleases the people is called Yuan.

The principle of practicing virtue is called the origin.

The ability to reason and debate is called the origin.
The benevolent, sage, and enlightened are called Yuan.

all in all,
This posthumous title is enough to show that the emperor was a kind, studious, and benevolent monarch during his lifetime.

The ministers did not believe that the emperor had made any mistakes in his governance.
I feel even more strongly that under his rule,

The Northern Xiongnu, who fled to the Western Regions, were all beheaded by the Han imperial army that conquered them.
The Southern Xiongnu, who were under the Han Dynasty's control, were even more terrified and expressed their loyalty to the Han Dynasty.

Under the vigorous efforts of the local powerful families, the local people reclaimed more and more land...

How can this not be called "benevolent, wise, and enlightened"?

In some people's minds,

The recently departed Emperor Yuan was probably even greater and more worthy of respect than Emperor Xuan!
"But what kind of situation will the new ruler create?"

"Can he inherit the stability and prosperity of his father and grandfather, and keep the world on the right track?"

Kong Guang followed the assembled officials,

Looking up at the new emperor at the coronation ceremony, his slightly weathered face revealed a worry that was easily noticeable.

His colleagues around him therefore turned slightly to the side, creating some distance between them.

After all, at such a grand and important ceremony,

Everyone was shouting "Long live!"

But you're giving me that look.
What is it implying?
This muddle-headed Marquis of Baocheng was nothing like his father, who was sensible and never showed his emotions.

No wonder he was surrounded and courted by people back then.

Now, however, he is being secretly ostracized by others!
Fortunately,

The emperor, high above all, did not notice this side.
He was only dressed in heavy and magnificent imperial robes, and with some excitement, he opened his mouth and announced his first reign title—

“Jianshi”.

We just need to wait for winter to pass and spring to arrive.

The calendar of the world will be updated and iterated, becoming the first year of Jian Shi.

But the seasons that are visible are always changing.

Will the spring of the Han Dynasty truly arrive on time at the beginning of the new year?

Kong Guang could not have predicted it.

The envoys from the states of Qin, Sui, Qi, and Wu, who happened to be in the Central Plains and gathered together, could not have predicted this.

Their only regret was that the grand "Discourse on the Dao" that the late emperor had planned to hold among the various states of Xia was forced to be postponed due to the late emperor's death.

Emperor Yuan revered Confucianism and ritual during his lifetime, and often engaged in debates with his ministers and students.

In a debate,

Emperor Yuan suddenly realized that besides the Han Dynasty, there were other countries in the world, such as Qin and Xia, which were based outside the borders.

He worried that those branches, growing far from the main trunk and surrounded by barbarians, might grow crookedly and forget the teachings of the sages in such an environment.

then,

Emperor Yuan sent envoys to these countries to invite their great Confucian scholars to Chang'an for a grand discussion among the Chinese people.

Just as he used Confucianism and his status as the emperor to unify the thoughts of the court and the people,

Go and help the various Chinese peoples achieve ideological unity.

unfortunately,

He left too quickly.

They did not persevere until today, when messengers have gathered.

Fortunately,

The new emperor had not forgotten this matter.

He issued an imperial decree ordering the selection of a new auspicious day to hold the debate competition at the Imperial Academy.

This will be the first achievement of the new emperor after ascending the throne.

This is a major piece of evidence proving that the new emperor "carried on the past and opened up the future".

"Moreover, having done such a good deed, even if I make a mistake in the future, I can use this as an excuse!"

The new emperor, embracing his beautiful concubine in the palace, thought to himself, "This is what I am thinking."

(End of this chapter)