Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 544 The Roman Catholic Church
When the Great Teacher arrived in Rome

The residents here cheered for him countless times.

Augustus also came to his palace to personally greet him, and then took his hand and they entered the palace together.

The two elderly men sat down facing each other.

Augustus did not wear his crown, and the Great Teacher simply held the nine-section staff bestowed by God casually in his bosom.

As the delicious food and wine were served one after another

The servants, following the monarch's instructions, all withdrew.
Augustus spoke in the silent court:
“Sage who walks the world, I would like to ask you some questions.”

"Please say."

So Augustus stroked his beard, dismissing the jumbled thoughts in his mind, and then said:
“I have heard that there was a benevolent sage in the Chinese lands who proposed the idea of ​​‘respecting ghosts and spirits but keeping them at a distance.’ Why is that?”

"Because God doesn't care."

Augustus's eyebrows twitched. "Does the Supreme God not care about people? Does he not care about people's sacrifices and worship of Him?"

This is inconsistent with the scriptures of the sect he is familiar with.

Even Jupiter, or the previous version of Zeus,
Myths and legends often feature stories of people being punished and driven to worship and fawn over others.

This is the noble reason for the priests.

This is also why temples were able to accumulate wealth.

but,

Augustus recalled the many Taoist scriptures that the envoys had collected from the Central Plains, the Xinxia, ​​and the Western Qin, and felt somewhat relieved.

The most esoteric of the New Xia scriptures tend to persuade people to do good and understand nature, rather than to intimidate people into believing that they are guilty if they do not donate or follow the teachings.

in this way,

It really is true that "God doesn't care".

Looking at it this way,
The wisdom of the ancient sages who could utter the phrase "respect ghosts and gods, but keep them at a distance" truly transcends worldly concerns.

At least up to now,
Rome has never produced such a person before.

Oh.
Neighboring Greece did have a group of people who didn't believe in God, but unfortunately they were drugged to death.

The Great Teacher laughed too, "Why would gods covet what mortals possess?"

"Heaven and earth both belong to Him."

"And all people in the world are dependent on heaven and earth."

"What people can obtain is already the property of the gods, so why should people offer sacrifices to them?"

Augustus listened and then fell silent.

After a while,

He then slowly spoke, asking the Great Teacher, "God doesn't care about many things, but He must have a greater fondness for the laws and morals of the Central Kingdom, right?"

The Great Teacher did not deny it, but simply nodded calmly.

Augustus's gaze then swept over the other man's slightly curly hair and beard.

"Rome and the Central Kingdom are too far apart, and the Chinese also have the sayings of 'adapting to local conditions' and 'oranges grown south of the Huai River,' so it is impossible for me to completely emulate the Chinese and promote their laws and culture."

He will not betray his own civilization.

Even if a god did appear before him.

"The Roman conquests will not cease because of God."

If we follow the logic of many religious sects outside the region,

Even with divine intervention, for a monarch to still dare to speak so defiantly, the other party must deeply repent.

But God and His preachers never concern themselves with these things.

“God doesn’t care!”

The Great Teacher repeated himself, then asked Augustus, "Is it time to eat?"

Augustus stared at him quietly for a while, then slowly nodded.

So Yacob used his old, battle-worn teeth from the jungles of the West to launch an attack on the Roman-style naan bread.

He successfully won over the latter and then enjoyed sipping the fine wine.

Augustus waited until he finished eating and drinking before speaking, "If I were to attack Jade Wall City, and also the land of your homeland, would God and you be angry about it?"

The great teacher finally stopped the banquet.

He remained silent at first, then shook his head and said, "If you have the ability to bring peace to those war-torn places."

"Neither God nor I care."

"Can I take this as God's promise to Rome?"

Yego laughed. “Great nations either rely on force or on reproduction and cultivation to build up their land. I’ve never heard of relying on divine favor.”

"If you take those places, I only hope that many years later, when others take them back and repay Rome, you will not be angry about it."

Augustus shook his head and said, "I only do what I can do, and I will not worry about my successor if he is incompetent."

At last,
He stood up, took off his purple robe, and covered the elderly, frail Great Teacher with it, who could not withstand the Mediterranean winter winds.

"So--"

"Render unto God the things that are God's, and unto Rome the things that are Rome's!"

"I hope you can bring about some profound changes for me and for this country!"

The Great Teacher stroked the silk robe and simply replied, "As you said, I only do what I can do."

What happens to those who come after me is none of my business.

He's almost eighty years old.

Even if he becomes a celebrity in Rome, how many years can he stay there?

God doesn't care about so much.
He wouldn't care about that much.

……

"But I care!"

"Why should I have to raise him?"

In the imperial harem of Luoyang,

Dou said to her mother, who was returning to the palace.

She wiped away non-existent tears, her heart filled with grievance. "I used every means to make Liu Zhao my child, and then helped him obtain the position of crown prince..."

"Why is it that in the end, Liu Qing still wants to stay by my side?"

at the moment,

It was the seventh year of Jianchu.
Three years have passed since Empress Dou had an heir.

In these three years,
Having come to terms with the current situation, Dou no longer sought to have offspring with her own bloodline.

Princess Biyang went a step further, persuading her daughter to remove unnecessary people from the palace so that no one would dare to mention Liu Zhao's biological mother in front of him.

in this way,

This child, who had no blood relation to the Dou family, was able to wholeheartedly consider the Dou family as his own relatives after growing up, and bestow endless glory upon them.

Empress Dou heeded her mother's advice and launched a major overhaul of the inner palace, preventing Prince Liu Zhao, who was just beginning his education, from learning the truth from others.

He only knows,

She was born in the Empress's palace and is the Empress's child.

For some reason, his "mother" wasn't very close to him.

This made Liu Zhao feel inexplicably wronged. When he saw his elder brother Liu Qing being held in his mother Song Guiren's arms, he would often feel a bit of bewildered envy.

Fortunately, he was three years old and could read.

The mother clearly took this matter very seriously.

Liu Zhaotian naively believed that as long as he studied well, he would win his mother's favor.

unfortunately,

Faced with a child who showed early intellectual talent, Dou did not give him the hugs and praise he craved. Instead, she took the opportunity to find the emperor and whispered in his ear about "deposing and establishing the crown prince".

Having slept with the emperor for several years, Lady Dou had figured out the monarch's bottom line—

Obviously,
He was a wise and virtuous ruler.

After relaxing the restrictions imposed on his ministers by the late emperor, he further facilitated the discussion at the White Tiger Hall by appointing him as the greatest Confucian scholar in the land, thus giving his ministers a more lenient red line.

He not only continued the rule of his father and grandfather but also elevated the nation's strength to a new level. However, he could not be called a saint.

In contrast to Emperor Guangwu's tender affection for the many women in his harem, Emperor Ming was clear and impartial in rewarding and punishing his concubines.
The current emperor prefers to act as he pleases when dealing with the women in his harem.

After all, the concubines in the harem were essentially appendages of imperial power, belonging to the emperor.

Apart from those born into noble families or favored concubines,
Other women, even those who had borne him children, were not able to receive the emperor's favor.

Just like Consort Liang, who died of grief after losing her child.

The prince is very important.
But the prince's birth mother is not important.

A woman who can raise children has a harem full of them!

Emperors who valued offspring were also very concerned about the question of "who could inherit the throne".

This is the greatest effort the emperor expended in the harem.

Liu Zhao was only three years old and had only recently begun his education, yet he could already recite several lines of classic texts and understand their profound meaning.

Isn't this a testament to exceptional talent?
What right does the crown prince, who is five years old but whose wisdom is not as good as his younger brother, have to occupy the noble throne?

Therefore, Dou's advice to the emperor to depose and establish the crown prince was not for her own selfish desires, but for the sake of the Han Dynasty!
Emperor Guangwu was willing to abandon his maternal grandfather for the sake of Emperor Ming, a potential wise ruler. Now that the emperor is abandoning Liu Qing, what doubt is there?

The emperor was swayed by her words. He thought of the story of Emperor Guangwu and recalled that his appointment of Liu Qing as emperor was essentially to appease the Empress Dowager and ensure that she would have no regrets before she died.

Now that the Empress Dowager has passed away

Liu Qing has not only failed to gain wisdom, but also shows signs of physical weakness and illness. How can he possibly shoulder the responsibility of being the crown prince?
then,

The emperor deposed Liu Qing and installed Liu Zhao in his place.

The Han dynasty has lasted for three generations, and less than sixty years since its restoration, it has already experienced two changes of succession.

Some of the courtiers discussed it privately, feeling it was not a good omen.

Before Emperor Guangwu deposed and installed Emperor Ming, he had been building momentum for many years, so much so that the court and the public had anticipated it and were not too shocked when the time came.

When Emperor Jing deposed and installed the new emperor, Crown Prince Liu Rong was nearly twenty years old and had not yet shown his talent. He was also implicated by his mother, Consort Li, and was thus replaced by the young and intelligent seven-year-old Liu Che.

But what about the deposition and enthronement of the current emperor?
The former crown prince, Liu Qing, was only five years old.
The new crown prince, Liu Zhao, was only three years old.
If we're talking about talent and intelligence, how much can these two children, who have only just begun to learn to read, actually demonstrate?
And before that,
Not a word was leaked.

The sudden occurrence of such a major event truly astonished and terrified the ministers.

The two former emperors of the Han dynasty who were used as examples in the underworld also clasped their hands and complained, feeling that Liu Da's actions were unethical.

What surprised them even more was that

After deposing Liu Qing, Liu Da tacitly approved Empress Dou's revenge, which led to the persecution and death of Liu Qing's birth mother, Consort Song.

Even the most gossipy fool couldn't understand why Lady Dou harbored such equal hatred for the other women in Liu Da's harem, as if they were eating, drinking, and breathing, and launched inexplicable attacks against them.

Afterwards,

Just when the dead thought the work in the Han Dynasty's harem was finished and there was nothing new to do,

Emperor Liu Da declared that this was not enough!

When five-year-old Liu Qing cried and choked up in front of him, but was too sensible to mention his mother, Liu Da suddenly felt a little bit of fatherly love.

then,

He then had Dou raise Liu Qing and demanded that she treat her two children equally.

Dou was speechless.

Although her power as Empress was virtually unlimited within the harem,
The palace maid who could be arranged to poison Consort Song was also a close confidant of the emperor.

There's no way he didn't know about this.

Why send Liu Qing to my side?

"That man is useless!"

Dou once again voiced what was on her mind.

Princess Biyang said, "I'm afraid the emperor is somewhat dissatisfied with you."

Dou nodded and said, "That's my guess too."

"However, the emperor doesn't care about the other concubines. As long as I raise the two boys well, he won't say anything."

As for the slight dissatisfaction with the Dou family's arrogance?

Dou only needs to be tender towards him for a while and shed a few tears.

The emperor falls for this!
“But I heard that Liu Zhao’s maternal clan is celebrating at home because he has become the crown prince, which makes me very unhappy!” Dou Shi said to her mother again.

In her opinion,

Liu Zhao's ability to become the crown prince was entirely due to his own efforts.

Why should the Liang family bask in her glory?
Moreover, the official statement
Consort Liang died of postpartum illness, and the prince was taken away and raised because of the Empress's kindness.

People in the palace were grateful for the Empress's kindness and felt sorry for the young prince, so they didn't mention his birth at all.

Now that people are well cared for, their social status has also risen.

How could the Liang family be so ignorant, daring to claim credit for Heaven's work?
Did they intend to reveal their bloodline to the prince once he was old enough to understand, and then reap the benefits of victory for nothing?
"I know!"

Mother and daughter are of one heart.

Princess Biyang could see through Dou's thoughts at a glance.

She immediately said, "You can't do anything in the palace right now, so leave the Liang family's affairs to me."

Put this sentence down.
Princess Biyang then got up and left, turning her attention to the Liang family.

quickly,

The Liang father and son were exiled to Jiaozhi (Vietnam) because of a mysterious letter accusing them of treason.
Princess Wuyin, who married into the Liang family and raised Consort Liang, was also imprisoned by order of the emperor.

So far,

Both within and outside the court, the Dou family's ownership of Crown Prince Liu Zhao was finally acknowledged.

No one will say anything to drive a wedge between mother and child anymore.

The deposed crown prince Liu Qing, whose ownership was also taken away by the Dou family, was even more taciturn. When he opened his mouth to speak, he would either cough a few times with a sickly tone, or his face would turn red and he would stammer, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time.

As a result, Dou did not guard against him and even had the growing Liu Qing take care of Liu Zhao.

After all, raising a child is a lot of suffering.

Although Empress Dou could simply instruct palace servants to do many things, she still found it troublesome.

Humph,
He wasn't her son.
She won't raise one!

……

"I think that after Empress Dou comes down, she can get along well with those women surnamed Zhao."

"Which one is surnamed Zhao?"

Emperor Taizu of Han chuckled as he stole a bite from God who was having a feast in the countryside.

His gaze wandered, finally settling on the First Emperor beside him, only to be glared back at by the latter.

He Bo chuckled along, until the First Emperor was laughing so hard he looked like he was about to puff out his pants, then he replied seriously:
"Of course, it's the sisters Zhao Feiyan and Zhao Hede!"

"what are you thinking!"

The Zhao sisters were certainly guilty.
But in the end,

The wickedness of women in the imperial harem is often due to the indulgence of lustful monarchs.

Consort Li, whom Emperor Jing of Han favored, was also pretty but brainless. Why didn't she do anything funny?
Among the young and beautiful concubines favored by Emperor Wu of Han in his later years, some of them wanted to cause trouble, but the emperor usually suppressed any potential trouble as soon as it started.

therefore,

The underworld punished Emperor Cheng more for abusing his power.

This guy is still locked up and hasn't come out yet.

After enduring a long period of imprisonment, the Zhao sisters were able to peek out from the underworld, waiting in line for reincarnation.

During the waiting period,

Of course,
They started playing with Kurihime, who was their senior.

If Lady Dou had died young,
It really is possible to meet the Zhao sisters in the underworld.

"The Dou family is still smarter than the Zhao sisters."

Therefore, she was able to gain the favor of Liu Da, who was much more astute than Emperor Cheng.

"Now we only hope that she can die before Liu Da, so that the disaster of the Wang family in the Former Han Dynasty will not be repeated."

King Wen of Xia, who had been brought here by God to drink with the emperor, ignored the subtle exchange between Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Taizu of Han, and calmly picked up his wine cup, taking one sip after another.

(End of this chapter)