Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 573 Yan Guang
Liu Bao's life at Wang Sheng's house was not easy.

The latter was the emperor's wet nurse, who enjoyed his utmost trust and favor, to the point that she shared in the emperor's power and influence.

Therefore, when facing the Crown Prince, Wang Sheng often referred to herself as an "elder" and asked Liu Bao to call her "grandmother".

Liu Bao, who was already old enough to understand, was unwilling to listen.

Wang Nan, Bing Ji, and others who had accompanied him to Wang Sheng's residence also angrily rebuked Wang Sheng in order to uphold the crown prince's dignity.
"There is a proper distinction between ruler and subject, and between superiors and inferiors, according to etiquette and law."

"Who are you to dare to claim to be the Crown Prince's 'grandmother'!"

Wang Sheng was furious and ordered his men to drag him away and beat him.

Liu Bao rushed out to defend them, trying to use his status as the crown prince to force Wang Sheng to back down.

However, Wang Sheng's daughter, Bo Rong, grabbed him and pinned him down.

The woman who, thanks to her mother, enjoyed the privileges of a princess and even had the honor of returning to Qinghe in the name of the emperor, using the imperial regalia, to pay homage to her biological father, Liu Qing, reprimanded six-year-old Liu Bao without hesitation:
"The emperor regards my mother as his own mother, and now she has been bestowed the title of 'Lord of the Wild King.' So what if you call her 'Grandmother'?"

"I can still tour the world as the emperor, so why are you still putting on airs like a crown prince!"

"Who knows, he might be crippled tomorrow!"

Since the Holy Mother of the Queen Mother frequently visited the palace and interacted with the Emperor, she naturally understood his thoughts.

Although the power struggle made them very incompatible with Empress Yan, who was also vying for power within her family, they were of one mind on the matter of deposing and installing the crown prince.

Wang relied on the emperor, trying to understand his wishes in order to enjoy wealth and status.

Empress Yan hoped that her child would become the next emperor.

If that doesn't work, we absolutely must not let Liu Bao take over!

Li's death,

She acted arrogantly, unlike Empress Dowager Dou, who silenced others and prevented people in the court and the public from mentioning Emperor He's birth mother.

But how could Empress Dowager Deng not tell Liu Bao about his birth mother?
Empress Yan was extremely nervous as a result, and her hatred for Liu Bao grew stronger day by day.

Therefore,
When Deng Sui, who had always suppressed her, passed away...
Empress Yan then instigated the emperor to move the crown prince out of the palace and to dismiss the people Deng Sui had left behind to take care of and protect Liu Bao.

……

"You...you can't do this to me!"

Liu Bao watched as the two men he regarded as family were pinned to the ground and beaten until they were covered in blood by Wang Sheng's servants. They cried out loudly before fainting.

Only then did Wang Sheng order the release of the people.

When this matter reached the ears of the court officials, some of them submitted memorials to the emperor expressing their dissatisfaction:
The crown prince is the foundation of the state.
As long as Liu Bao retains this identity, everyone must give him the corresponding respect.

How could you humiliate him like that?

The emperor's favoritism towards Wang Sheng, his wet nurse, was simply excessive!
They had already broken with convention by bestowing upon the wet nurse a noble title, allowing her to enjoy exceptional privileges.

They're still letting her mistreat the crown prince!

They simply couldn't imagine what this woman would do next!
Yang Zhen, who had only been recruited to the court for two years, spoke with righteous indignation, criticizing the emperor's performance during those two years after he came to power.

After reading his memorial, the emperor was furious and threatened to kill this old man who only knew how to cultivate his reputation and had no understanding of the principles of loyalty between ruler and subject.

Yang Zhen,

He was a great Confucian scholar of his time, and was known as the "Confucius of Guanzhong".

He is different from those scholars of today who seek fame and fortune before taking office and then reveal their true nature.

Unable to withstand the harassment from Grand Marshal Deng Zhi, he agreed to Deng's summons to the court. However, he did not become complacent because of his relationship with the Deng family, his maternal relatives, or seek personal gain for his family and descendants.
Yang Zhen constantly reminded his family members not to disregard the law and act recklessly just because they had become government officials.

He used the same words he had spoken to officials who had tried to bribe him to admonish his descendants:
"Nothing in the world is absolutely secret."

"Heaven knows it, the gods know it, the person giving the gift knows it, and the person receiving the gift also knows it."

"To preserve the family's reputation and to find peace after death, do not do anything that violates your conscience and morality!"

therefore,

He was deeply dissatisfied with the emperor, who was to set an example for all the people, for acting against his wishes.

He hoped to use his advice to correct the mistakes of those in power.

Just like Kong Guang of the Former Han Dynasty.

then,

Like Emperor Cheng of the Former Han Dynasty, the emperor rejected his advice.

But beyond Emperor Cheng's impatience, the emperor harbored another worry:
"This is a provocation from the Deng family!"

In the inner palace, he enjoyed the soft fragrance of Empress Yan's body while angrily speaking.

“These sons of the Deng family, relying on their connections with women, have occupied high positions in the court.”

"Now I want to promote my own clan and give its members preferential treatment, but I am humiliated like this!"

Yang Zhen,

It was only after Deng Zhi repeatedly urged him that he finally left Guanzhong and came to Luoyang to take up an official post.

Deng Zhi was the Empress's elder brother, the Grand Marshal of the Han Dynasty, and held a prominent position.

Among the many maternal relatives during the three hundred years of the Han Dynasty, the Deng family, who accepted Deng Sui's demands and restrained themselves from doing evil, were like a breath of fresh air.

But this did not prevent the emperor from hating the Deng family as much as he hated Deng Sui.

Although she wouldn't admit it, she knew in her heart what the emperor had done to her.

After Empress Dowager Deng passed away,

He couldn't wait to change the reign title, changing "Yuan Chu" to "Yan Guang".

Subsequently,

He then purged the palace servants and assistants that Empress Dowager Deng relied on, and rejected those officials who had been promoted and valued by her. Instead, he used his grandmother, Lady Song, his stepmother, Lady Geng, and the Empress's wife, Lady Yan, to fill these vacant official positions.

For a while,
It has a similar feel to Emperor Ai of the Former Han Dynasty, who heavily relied on the Fu, Ding, and Dong families.

However, in addition to grandmother, mother, and true love, there is also a wet nurse.

However, historians who had tasted and seen the food did not think so.

Emperor Ai's power slipped away.
The previous dynasty was controlled by Wang Mang, and the harem was controlled by the grandmother. All ideas and efforts were suppressed, and the dynasty deteriorated to such an extent.

The current emperor has inherited the prosperity since the founding of the Han Dynasty, and many of the accumulated problems have been suppressed by Empress Dowager Deng.

How come he's even worse than Emperor Ai?

So they adopted the view of their contemporaries and recorded it in the annals of history:
"The current favored relatives of the empress dowager are so great that their achievements are comparable to those of the Creator, a situation unparalleled since the reign of Emperor Yuan of Han."

after that,

The emperor then turned his anger on Liu Yi, who had been studying at the academy and continuing the ancestral rites of his brother Liu Sheng, demoting him to Marquis of Duxiang and sending him back to Hejian.

can only say,
Fortunately, Zhang Heng was an official in charge of skills and did not wield greater power; otherwise, he too would have been included in the emperor's list of those to be eliminated.

"Since Your Majesty is angry, why not just dismiss Yang Zhen?" Empress Yan said from the side.

The emperor was quite interested, but as soon as the news spread, many people spoke out in support of Yang Zhen.

This made the emperor realize that he could not treat his ministers as someone who could be summoned at will and dismissed at will, which made him even more unhappy.

For the Deng family, for Yang Zhen, the old scholar, and for Liu Bao, their only son at present,
The emperor was deeply disgusted by it.

"If we want to depose the crown prince, we need to eliminate the power of the Deng family first."

After the tenderness,

Hearing Empress Yan bring up her request again, the emperor responded while stroking her hair.

Empress Yan was somewhat displeased, "How much longer do I have to wait?"

"Your Majesty is clearly the Son of Heaven, so why can't you kill all the people you don't like?" Why keep them in the court and get in my way!
The emperor liked her naivety and straightforwardness, and without explaining much to Lady Yan, he simply smiled and embraced her.

Empress Yan was still not very happy.

The emperor soon stopped making noise and fell fast asleep beside her, which made Empress Yan even angrier.
What a useless husband!

Despite consuming the qi-tonifying tonics from the Sui Dynasty and the essence-nourishing medicines from the Liao Dynasty, she was still not satisfied!

Continue doing this

When will she be able to give birth and fulfill her wish?

How exactly did Li manage to conceive and give birth back then?
He glared at the oblivious emperor.
Empress Yan turned over and lay down with her back to him.

In the days that followed,
The emperor carried out his plan and began targeting the Deng family.

Wang Sheng and Yan Shi colluded with him, instructing several palace maids who had served Empress Dowager Deng to falsely accuse Deng Zhi:
"The Grand Marshal once discussed with Empress Dowager He Xi the matter of deposing you and replacing you with Liu Yi, the Marquis of Duxiang."

The emperor immediately sent someone with this "confession" to Deng Zhi's residence, demanding that he "apologize".

Faced with the false accusations before him, Deng Zhi embraced his wife, looked up to the sky, and wept, saying:
"If the emperor wants to criticize me like this, what can I say?"

"I'm afraid I won't be able to keep my life for much longer!"

"My dear sister, you are so strict with yourself and with us, so why are you so negligent in raising your successors?"

His wife replied, "It's human nature; what can we do about it?"

Deng Zhi then stopped weeping and complaining, and instead submitted a memorial resigning his official post, leaving Luoyang for his fiefdom.

Shortly after,
The local county magistrate, acting on orders from above, came to Deng Zhi's home and subjected him to humiliation.

Enraged, Deng Zhi beat the man, then summoned his wives, concubines, children, and grandchildren, saying:
“Even after returning to my fiefdom, I still can’t escape the oppression in the palace.”

"How can I possibly go on living!"

After saying that, he took out the poison from his pocket and drank it all in one gulp.

When the emperor heard about this, he assumed that Deng Zhi had "confessed his crimes and accepted punishment," and still ordered an investigation into the "treasonous" activities of Deng's descendants.

finally,
Deng Sui's brothers all committed suicide.
Many of the clan's members were exiled.

Both the living and the dead lamented the fate of this branch of the imperial family:
"The Wang family of the Former Han Dynasty was so arrogant and unrestrained, yet they were able to enjoy wealth and honor for three generations, which eventually led to Wang Mang usurping the throne."

"The Dou family of the Han dynasty is so similar to the Deng family, but the former also enjoyed a period of boundless wealth before its downfall."

"Mrs. Deng was self-disciplined, responsible, humble, and frugal, a rare virtuous woman among the imperial relatives, yet she ended up like this!"

This shows that

Fate really knows how to play jokes.

Even if those who do evil deeds are to be punished, they can enjoy themselves for many years before that and be admired by others.

Those who do good deeds not only fail to preserve the wealth and status they deserve, inherited from their ancestors, but also suffer a fate worse than that of the wicked.

"This is a sign that the Han Dynasty is doomed!"

"It's over, it's all over!"

In the underworld, the former emperors of the Han Dynasty wept bitterly, unwilling to face reality.

Everything was going very well before!

The restoration under Emperor Guangwu, the reign of Emperor Mingzhang, the prosperity of Emperor Yongyuan, and the "legacy of Yongyuan" under Emperor Deng Sui.
Everyone has done their best as rulers.

Why did the Han Dynasty fall into such a state in just a few years?
Liu Qing huddled in the corner, too afraid to speak.

He never thought of it.

How could his own brothers, who were so friendly and gentle, have fathered a man like Liu Hu?

"Could he be the reincarnation of Emperor Cheng?"

Emperor Zhang's eldest son, Liu Kang, suddenly had a bold idea.

“No, those who are reborn with sins will not be born into wealthy families,” Liu Zhao replied immediately.

Don't be fooled by those wealthy people who constantly complain about how tired or miserable they are.
Compared to most ordinary people, it is still much easier.

The reason why ordinary people rarely complain about hardship and toil is because they are busy making a living and have long been accustomed to ignoring it, not because they have never experienced hardship or toil.

More often than not, the judges of Fengdu would only send those burdened with guilt and memories to the animal realm. Once they had redeemed themselves, they would drink a bowl of water of oblivion and begin a clean new life.

How could the "meritorious deeds" of Emperor Cheng, who sowed the seeds of the destruction of the Former Han Dynasty, possibly be reborn in the imperial family?

"Alas, I hope Liu Bao will grow old enough to inherit the throne and eliminate the ills."

Emperor Guangwu, who had previously rejoiced at Deng Sui leading the Han Dynasty through the storms, now lamented the squandering of his descendants.

Destruction is always harder than construction.

They've been dead for so many years, how could they not understand this principle?
Ordinary people feel sad when faced with spendthrift descendants, let alone emperors.

"Liu Bao..."

Upon hearing her grandson's name, Deng Sui fell silent, revealing a sorrowful and longing expression.

Outside the tombs where the former emperors of the Han Dynasty gathered today.
Emperor Taizu of Han, Liu Bang, intentionally passed by.

He peered through the crack in the door and saw a group of men with their heads down, sighing and groaning. He then waved his sleeve and said:
“These guys don’t look like my descendants.”

The Han dynasty lasted for nearly a hundred years.

If we wait until Liu Hu dies and the country falls, then we've already made our money.

Wanting too much
He even became so sorrowful after death.

The former emperors of the Han Dynasty, who had experienced the pain of national subjugation, echoed this sentiment, feeling that their descendants buried in Luoyang were petty and unable to let go of their sorrows.

Until we passed by here again,

The First Emperor, who overheard several former Han emperors praising each other, chimed in:
"In that case, let the throne of the emperor be given to the Western Sea!"

"Don't you all care about these material possessions?"

The enemies of the Former Han Dynasty immediately broke down in their defenses and chased after the First Emperor, saying:
"The State of Song is not of the same bloodline as the Qin Dynasty, so why are you asking them for benefits?"

The First Emperor replied indifferently, "Although they are not of my family bloodline, they have inherited my family's legal lineage and continued the banner of the Black Bird."

"Moreover, the Western Sea surpasses the Central Plains, something that Ying Qin has long desired for a long time. Why shouldn't I speak up for it?"

When the Han emperors heard him say this, they continued to clamor.

Fortunately, Emperor Taizu of Han was truly magnanimous.

He pressed down on the person behind him, twisting their ears with each hand, and said:
"Alas, the Qin dynasty was driven out of the Central Plains by us."

"In matters like this, let's just let him have his way!"

So this time,

It was the First Emperor's turn to be red-hot.

With the resurgence of the debate between the Qin and Han dynasties in the underworld,
The envoy who came from the distant Song Kingdom in the Western Sea also followed Gan Ying into Luoyang.

He came to deliver a letter of state to the emperor of the Central Plains, conveying the joyous news of the "restoration of the Western Sea".

of course,

At the request of Emperor Zhao Yu
The envoys were also tasked with observing the customs and conditions of the Central Plains, assessing the current strength of the Han Dynasty, evaluating the differences between the two countries, and preparing for the future struggle for legitimacy.

At first, I thought it wouldn't work.

"But now that I've seen the people of Luoyang with my own eyes... the story of the Emperor of the Western Sea isn't impossible!"

After touring around Luoyang, the Song envoy murmured to himself.

(End of this chapter)