A son who doesn't resemble his father? Love you, old man, see you at Xuanwu Gate!

Chapter 107 Golden Blade
Wei Qing left Weiyang Palace in disappointment.

As Liu Ju watched the figure gradually disappear, he seemed to be asking himself, or perhaps the heavens, "How can there be such a thing as unchanging wealth and honor in this world?"

The reason why the Wei family was able to achieve such a prominent position was that the emperor's promotion accounted for 30%, while the efforts and talents of Wei and Huo accounted for 70%.

In the Han Dynasty, the emperor and his maternal relatives, and the emperor and his maternal uncle, were actually closer relatives than members of the same clan. The maternal relatives came from humble backgrounds, had no ancestral blessings, and had shallow foundations. Their only source of power was the emperor, so they became the forces that the emperor trusted most and could control most easily.

However, the maternal relatives who were easily controlled by the emperor repeatedly became another major scourge of the Han Dynasty. The Lü clan, the wife's family of Emperor Gaozu, the Bo clan, the Dou clan, the maternal family of Emperor Wen, the Wang clan, the wife's family of Emperor Jing... The reason for this is that water flows downhill, while people's hearts are always yearning for more.

The Wei clan was no exception.

Apart from Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, who were able to control themselves, many other members of the Wei clan, such as Wei Junru, Wei Shao'er, Wei Bu, and Wei Guang, took advantage of their status as relatives of the Wei clan to commit crimes and evil deeds.

The deaths of Gongsun He and Gongsun Jingsheng clearly caused panic among the Wei clan's relatives. These people dared not approach Huo Qubing, who was known for his fiery temper, so they all went to Wei Qing, trying to find out Liu Ju's true thoughts about the Wei clan through him.

Wei Qing was probably aware that the Imperial Archives and the Court of Justice were secretly investigating the Wei clan, and he guessed that it was Liu Ju's order. Wei Qing was in a very conflicted state.

Just like how Empress Wei Zifu treated Gongsun He and his son Gongsun Jingsheng, even though she belatedly realized she had been deceived, she still wanted to save their lives out of consideration for their kinship.

Wei Qing knew more or less about the dirty deeds of the Wei family's maternal relatives, but those people were either his brothers, sisters, nephews, or cousins. How could he bear to do anything to them?
Liu Ju recalled the extensive investigation into the Wei clan presented by Imperial Censor Zhang Tang and Minister of Justice Bian Tong, which revealed that, apart from infants, almost no one was innocent.

Was Wei Qing asking this question in an attempt to find a way out for his wicked relatives?

Some people live so that others can live better, while others live because they don't want others to live!

Faced with his uncle's plea, Liu Ju had never hesitated so much.

"Your Majesty, it's time to rest," the old eunuch Jiang Bo reminded him.

Yin and Yang are reversed; the ruler is still young and cannot afford to lack sleep.

"Jiang Bo".

"The servant is here."

When did you enter the palace?

“Your Majesty, I entered the palace in the second year of the reign of Emperor Xiaowen. I served both Emperor Xiaowen and Emperor Xiaojing. When Princess Yangxin married into the Pingyang Marquis’s family, I was ordered to serve the princess. In the second year of the reign of Emperor Jianyuan, I returned to the palace with the Empress. After Your Majesty was born, I never left your side,” Jiang Bo recalled.

This experience as a eunuch was quite legendary. He witnessed the prosperous reigns of Emperor Xiaowen and Emperor Xiaojing, as well as the turmoil of the Rebellion of the Seven States. He followed a princess out of the palace and into a marquis's mansion, and then followed a woman back to the palace. Ironically, that woman was the Empress of the Han Dynasty, and her son was the Crown Prince of the Han Dynasty, the undisputed future emperor of the empire.

It's all about timing, luck, and fate; that's all there is to it.

"Forty years?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, it was the 29th day of the 9th month of the 39th year."

"You remember it so clearly?"

Liu Ju slowly turned his head, looked at Jiang Bo who was standing with his head bowed, and smiled, "Do you want to leave the palace?"

Jiang Bo knelt on the ground, trembling with fear, and said, "This servant has misspoke. Please, Your Majesty, be wise. This servant has no intention of leaving the palace." Entering the palace is easy, but leaving is difficult, especially for eunuchs who have served nobles and know too many secrets. They are either killed or die of old age in the inner palace.

When people reminisce about the past, they may blurt out certain things under the influence of emotions. Jiang Bo's precise entry into the palace, down to the year, month, and day, is so detailed that it would take countless hours of careful planning to arrive at such a precise time.

Liu Ju bent down to help him up, shook his head and said, "There's nothing wrong with wanting to leave the palace. Sometimes I don't want to stay in Weiyang Palace either. Jiang Bo, why did you enter the palace in the first place?"

"Your Majesty, we cannot survive."

Jiang Bo, her body weak and still shaken, replied, “I was originally from Liaodong Commandery. Before the second year of Emperor Xiaowen’s reign, the Xiongnu raided our borders year after year, killing and plundering many of our people. Yunzhong Commandery and Liaodong Commandery suffered the most. My parents were also killed by the Xiongnu. If Emperor Xiaowen had not been worried about the Xiongnu’s continued invasion and had not sent an envoy to deliver a letter to the Xiongnu, and if the Xiongnu Chanyu had not sent a representative to our dynasty to express his gratitude, our dynasty and the Xiongnu would have restored our peace relationship and stopped the war in time. I would not have survived.”

Thinking of his parents' deaths, Jiang Bo's emotions clearly fluctuated. "Emperor Xiaowen was a benevolent emperor. He bestowed favors upon Yunzhong County and Liaodong County, and even allowed children like me who could not survive to be castrated and enter the palace. That is how I was able to enter the palace."

The second year of the reign of Emperor Xiaowen.

Liu Ju suddenly remembered the major events of the Han Dynasty that year: the restoration of the Han-Xiongnu peace treaty, the dismissal of Zhang Cang as prime minister, and the ennoblement of Zhou Yafu.

Wait, Zhang Cang.

This is a legendary figure who lived to be over 100 years old by consuming human milk.

The early days of the Han Dynasty were filled with all sorts of chaotic stories. Liu Ju was speechless and helpless, so he asked, "Jiang Bo, tell me, are there more natural disasters or man-made calamities in the world?"

"This slave doesn't know."

"I forgive you for your crime, but please speak freely."

"...In my humble opinion, it was mostly man-made disaster." Jiang Bo recalled the rather sloppy defenses of Liaodong Prefecture back then. If everyone had done their duty, the Xiongnu disaster would not have been so great, his parents might not have died, and he might not have entered the palace.

Natural disasters are rare, but man-made disasters are frequent. Greed, laziness, anger... human nature influences people's actions and can sometimes lead to unpredictable calamities.

However, those who can cause great trouble often have powerful backgrounds, which even the emperor has to be wary of. In that year, the governors of Yunzhong and Liaodong were both descendants of founding marquises, and they did not receive serious punishment after the incident.

Liu Ju sensed the intense resentment in Jiang Bo's voice and could somewhat reconstruct the past events. He sighed deeply, "Jiang Bo, whenever you wish to leave the palace, I will grant your request."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Jiang Bo's reply was filled with excitement, yet also seemed to convey a sense of relief.

Liu Ju did not go to sleep. He returned to his desk. The entire Han Dynasty was in his hands. Although it was unlikely that his father would be able to turn the tide, he had to consider whether this was his only chance in his life to eliminate the corrupt relatives of the emperor. The imperial relatives had made great contributions to the Han Dynasty's past hegemonic status, but he needed to lay the foundation for the new glory himself.

"Jiang Bo".

"The servant is here."

"Issue an edict to the Imperial Archives and the Court of Justice to conduct secret interrogations of those members of the Wei clan who are suspected of violating the laws of the Han Dynasty, and to detain, exile, or kill them depending on the severity of their crimes!"

Let us drink from the golden cup together, for the blades of the sword will not spare us.

(End of this chapter)