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

Chapter 108 Homosexuality
Under the secret edict.

Bian Tong, the Minister of Justice, approached Zhang Tang, the Grand Censor.

The Wei family, being the maternal relatives of the emperor, had far-reaching influence. Bian Tong was originally the chief clerk of the prime minister's office, not a cruel official. He understood politics but not cruel officials, and even less so the politics of cruel officials.

In other words, he doesn't know what to do or when to stop; his ability to understand the mind of the ruler is not yet fully developed.

Zhang Tang was also hesitant.

The reason why the maternal relatives of the Han dynasty were able to stand alongside meritorious officials and members of the imperial clan in the political structure of the court was largely due to the lingering matrilineal traditions of the time.

The Han Dynasty placed great importance on maternal and marital rights, a legacy of the Spring and Autumn Period. One example worth considering is that Liu Ao, the mother of Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, was said to have encountered a dragon while resting in the wild. The dragon and the human had a wild union and she became pregnant. Liu Taigong, who was looking for his wife at the time, witnessed this scene.

The saying goes, "An extraordinary son is bound to have extraordinary births." Emperor Gaozu established the Han Dynasty and ascended the throne, so later generations would certainly want to deify him.

However, from a human perspective, this also suggests that Emperor Gaozu's father, Liu Taigong, was an "observer" of his pregnancy.

Leaving aside the issue of human relations, the ancestral pantheon of the Liu imperial family was established from the founding of the Han Dynasty.

The two systems of "gods and men" and "women and men" coexist.

Their lineage aligns with the ancient "fatherless ancestral mother" system, highlighting the importance of the mother's role far beyond what later generations imagined.

This is what is meant by "same production".

Today, "siblings" mainly refers to siblings born of the same mother, to distinguish them from children born of the same father but different mothers.

Those who share the same mother are considered relatives!
This is also the real reason why the Grand Historian Sima Tan divided Emperor Jing's thirteen sons, excluding Liu Che, into "five clans" according to their different birth mothers. Sons followed their mother's clan, not their father's clan, which was an old custom of the Han Dynasty.

The mother's role was so important that the maternal uncle gained great authority and power in the family relationship. In Han society, the maternal uncle was generally regarded as a father and the nephew was called a son.

To put it simply, the father may not be the real father, but the mother is definitely the mother.

Although the Gongyang School of Confucianism changed customs and traditions after it became a prominent school of thought, the Han Dynasty still retains the matrilineal traditions of the pre-Qin period, and the Liu imperial family was also deeply influenced by the prevailing social atmosphere of that era.

Zhang Tang originally intended to apply the same lenient law to the Wei family relatives below Wei Ao, based on the same laws for those born of the same mother and father, and the same severe law for those born of different fathers but with the same mother.

But it feels wrong.

Wei Ao had seven children: her eldest daughter Wei Junru, her second daughter Wei Shao'er, her third daughter Wei Zifu, and her eldest son Wei Changjun. These were born to Wei Taigong, making them direct relatives of the ruler.

The second son, Wei Qing, the third son, Wei Bu, and the fourth son, Wei Guang, were born to Wei Ao and Zheng Ji, a minor official from Pingyang. They used the surname Wei without permission, so their bloodline was somewhat mixed.

According to local customs, Wei Junru, Wei Shao'er, Wei Changjun and their descendants should be punished leniently, while Wei Qing, Wei Bu, Wei Guang and their sons should be punished severely.

However, most of the disasters caused by the Wei family's maternal relatives were related to Wei Junru, Wei Shao'er, and Wei Changjun, while Wei Qing, Wei Bu, Wei Guang, and their sons were mostly guilty of minor crimes or even innocent.

The humble childhood they experienced prevented Wei Qing, Wei Bu, and Wei Guang from becoming arrogant and domineering even when they were relatives of the emperor. While they were grateful to Heaven, they were not only cautious and timid in their behavior, but also thoughtful and deliberate about whether it was permissible and appropriate.

However, Wei Junru, Wei Shao'er, and Wei Changjun, having grown up in the Marquis's mansion, were accustomed to the ways of fame and fortune, and learned to flatter the powerful and fawn upon the weak. After Empress Wei entered the inner palace and they rose to prominence, they became arrogant and domineering, showing no respect for the laws of the Han Dynasty. What's the point of thinking things through, what's permissible, what's right and wrong? That's something to do before becoming imperial relatives. Now that they are imperial relatives, if they still act cautiously, then what's the point of being imperial relatives?

Zhang Tang was also impressed by the Wei family's status as maternal relatives. The cleaner their bloodline, the less capable they were; but the more mixed their bloodlines, the more capable they became, like the great general Wei Qing.

Moreover, Huo Qubing, the then-powerful General Wei and Marquis of Champion, was the son of Wei Shao'er. Wei Shao'er was a maid in the household of the Marquis of Pingyang. She had an affair with the official Huo Zhongru and gave birth to Huo Qubing. Later, she married Chen Zhang, the great-grandson of Chen Ping, the Marquis of Quni in the early Han Dynasty, who was also the Grand Master of Ceremonies.

In the fifth year of Yuanshuo, after Wei Qing was appointed Grand General, Chen Zhang, as a member of the maternal relatives group, was appointed by His Majesty as the Grand Chamberlain, with a salary of two thousand shi, in charge of the family affairs of Empress Wei and the Emperor.

During Empress Wei's previous regency, Chen Zhang was not as active as Gongsun He and his son Gongsun Jingsheng, but he was involved in urging her to ascend the throne. In addition, the children born to Wei Shao'er and Chen Zhang did not do any human affairs.

As Zhang Tang sorted out the relationships among the Wei family's maternal relatives, he felt like his head was about to burn. He had never been this troubled even when handling the two major witchcraft cases.

Zhang Tang rubbed his temples and, risking utter disrespect, couldn't help but complain, "Like father, like son!"

“Sikong, it’s not just crooked.” Bian Tong took out the latest information obtained by the Court of Judicial Review and sighed.

Wei Changjun's eldest son may have had an affair with Princess Yangshi.

Upon seeing this news, Zhang Tang felt his blood run cold. Princess Yangshi was born to His Majesty and a concubine. After giving birth to Princess Yangshi, the concubine died of postpartum hemorrhage, and Empress Wei raised her.

Although they are not related by blood, Wei Changjun's eldest son and Princess Yangshi are cousins!
Besides, the eldest grandson of the Wei family has already married and had children!
"What a disaster! If the Emperor finds out..."

Zhang Tang held back his unfinished words, and his eyes met Bian Tong's, everything unspoken.

One of the most important reasons why the Emperor suddenly seized Chang'an was that His Majesty devised a plan to marry Princess Zhuyi to Marquis Guanjun, a marriage between a close relative and a violation of human ethics.

Now, the eldest grandson of the Wei family has been having an affair with Princess Yangshi. If the Emperor finds out, the heavens will surely be thrown into chaos.

"Is it true?" Zhang Tang asked repeatedly to confirm.

This could kill people, even many people. If it turns out to be fake, they will both be executed.

"Mostly correct."

Bian Tong nodded and said, "There have been rumors in the palace for some time, but His Majesty, Empress Wei, and the Emperor are unaware of them. However, not long ago, the Court of Justice caught a notorious thief. The stolen goods were royal pillows. After deduction, the Court of Justice determined that the inconspicuous residence was the side residence of the eldest grandson of the Wei family. The thief stole the brocade from the bedroom and was caught while trying to sell it. After verification with the Imperial Household Department, it was confirmed that it was Princess Yangshi's pillow."

Pillows are considered items for women's private quarters, yet they appeared in a man's bedroom in his private quarters. No matter how close cousins ​​are, they shouldn't give each other pillows. This is simply inexplicable.

Looking at the pile of evidence against the Wei family, Zhang Tang knew that the royal family's reputation had been completely ruined. Before the whole world knew, he decided to "make way."

"The subordinate is here."

"We'll talk about it after the conviction; let's arrest them first."

Zhang Tang pointed at the name of the eldest grandson of the Wei family, Princess Yangshi, and said, "Don't wait until you get caught in bed!"

(End of this chapter)