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

Chapter 140 Punishing the Sinners
The moon rises over the eastern mountains, over the fields of Nanyang.

The southern tour group, numbering in the thousands, cooked their meals in earthen pots.

In a short while, the green wild vegetable pancakes and the golden rice and vegetable soup were placed on the wooden table.

Doctor Dong Zhongshu was giving a concluding speech on the "Hong Fan" chapter of the Book of Documents to Emperor Liu Che of the Han Dynasty.

In conclusion, the "Hong Fan" chapter is a model for all ages.

Dong Zhongshu spoke eloquently, saying, "The Five Elements, Five Affairs, Eight Policies, Five Disciplines, Three Virtues, Six Blessings, and Six Extremes are the constant principles governing the operation of heaven and earth and all things, the general outline for governing the country and managing the people, and the standard for making friends and being a person."

The rule of the three dynasties was so effective that the rulers could do as they pleased, all thanks to the power of Jizi's "Hong Fan" (Great Plan).

Since the Spring and Autumn Period, the way of the benevolent has declined, while the way of the hegemon has risen. This is why the world has lost its peace and tranquility and is in dire straits.

"Alas, my Han Dynasty, originally a minor official in the Qin court, since Emperor Gaozu vigorously promoted benevolent rule and expanded the empire, the morals of the world have declined, the virtues of the people have been lost, the benevolent way has been extinguished, the power of the nation has waned, the war between Han and Xiongnu has been incessant, the Yue tribes in the south have repeatedly rebelled, the common people live in fear, the court and the people are discontented, and the nation is on the verge of collapse. This is truly heartbreaking!"

Towards the end, his white hair trembled, and he choked up, unable to speak.

Who turned the empire into this mess?
Who made it impossible for upright and incorruptible officials to serve the country?

What will the future of the Han Dynasty look like?
What will the Han Dynasty look like in the annals of later generations?
Liu Che's face was frosty.

If it weren't for the Crown Prince's coercion, how could he have ended up in this state, eating only flatbread and vegetable soup, like a villager?

Wuqiu Shouwang, the Grand Master of Ceremonies and Attendant-in-Ordinary, was reading aloud beside Liu Che and Dong Zhongshu. He could tell that the two were thinking differently.

The "Hong Fan" chapter of the Book of Documents is a collection of the principles of governance that Ji Zi of the Shang Dynasty explained to the Shang king. It is a classic of the Yin-Yang theory of the way of the king, which emphasizes learning from the ancients, respecting Heaven, and criticizing human actions.

The doctrine of the kingly way is unparalleled.

Putting everything else aside, his main idea is that political situations can influence celestial phenomena, and divination can resolve doubts.

The teacher's "interaction between heaven and man" comes from this.

Since Your Majesty entered Nanyang Commandery, you have gradually become aware of the mistakes in your governance. Sending teachers to lecture along the way is either to find a new way to govern the country, or to find a reason to shirk responsibility.

Therefore, from the very beginning, Dong Zhongshu, who was lecturing as a minister, secretly promoted Confucianism to the emperor. The emperor, who was listening to his lectures, looked for people and things other than his own mistakes in governance, which led to the devastation of the Han Dynasty.

The result was that morals declined.

A king is not a king, a minister is not a minister, a father is not a father, and a son is not a son.

It has nothing to do with who is in power; it's that people's hearts have changed. The fact that the crown prince seized power from the emperor and his father is proof of that.

King Wuqiu Shou remained silent.

After his emotions subsided, Liu Che had a great appetite, eating and drinking with gusto and loud noises.

He was not so easily defeated. Even if his rebellious son cut off his supplies and forced him to eat flatbread and vegetable soup, he would still return to Chang'an and take power.

The hardships we face are nothing more than a few trials and tribulations.

"one more bowl!"

A royal decree was issued.

Wuqiu Shouwang turned around and served the soup.

Liu Che looked at Dong Zhongshu and asked, "Has Nanyang Commandery recovered to its former glory?"

The inspection tour had a "mission".

One must explore and learn wherever one goes, and truthfully write down one's experiences and insights to the court.

Liu Che originally thought that wherever he went, the people would welcome him with food and drink, and that this experience would be a song of praise for his twenty years of rule.

Unexpectedly, once he left Guanzhong, he became one with bandits and common people.

Natural disasters and man-made calamities, along with countless refugees, were even more unacceptable to him. If he were to write down his thoughts directly, it would be no different from issuing a self-criticism edict.

Therefore, after dealing with the bandits Mei Mian and Bai Zheng in Nanyang, he issued a strict order to Wang Wenshu, the Commandant of Nanyang Prefecture, to quickly resolve the banditry, clean up the local customs, and restore the "true folk sentiment" of "no one picking up lost items on the road".

The southern inspection team could only stay in Nanyang County.

"The results are already visible."

Dong Zhongshu said solemnly, "With the help of General Mei Mian and General Bai Zheng, Wang Wenshu is like a tiger with wings. He has frequently cracked down on bandits in Nanyang County. At the same time, Wang Wenshu has also found countless people in the county who collude with bandits, thus eliminating the bandits' means of survival. Now, bandits in the mountains and forests of Nanyang County have almost disappeared, and the scene of not picking up lost items on the road is gradually emerging."

Wuqiu Shouwang, who was serving the soup, trembled and almost tipped the earthenware bowl into the soup pot.

Was the teacher's answer correct?
Correct!
But that's not entirely true.

Wang Wenshu, Mei Mian, and Bai Zheng joined forces and indeed dealt a heavy blow to the bandits in Nanyang, but they also dealt a heavy blow to the people of Nanyang.

In order to maintain order in Nanyang, Wang Wenshu carefully selected many brave, capable, and fearless individuals from the prefecture to serve as prefectural officials and his henchmen, in order to supervise and apprehend "thieves" within the prefecture.

These people had all committed serious crimes in the past, but they had not been exposed and were still at large. Wang Wenshu used this as an important means of controlling them. If they were successful in arresting the "thieves" and pleased Wang Wenshu, he would not punish them no matter how serious their previous crimes were.

However, if the authorities fail to effectively apprehend the "thieves," or even intentionally evade or protect them, then not only will they be executed, but their entire clan will also be exterminated.

As a result, these people did everything in their power, and Wang Wenshu didn't care whether they indiscriminately killed innocent people.

Using these harsh methods, Wang Wenshu arrested local tyrants and swindlers, implicating over a thousand families. Those with minor offenses were executed, while those with serious offenses were exterminated, and all their property was confiscated.

The combined scourge of officials and bandits forced the people of Nanyang to stay home unless absolutely necessary, and they would never step outside the city gates without a companion. This near-scorched-earth policy left the bandits of Nanyang with no one to rob and no money or food to steal, so they all fled to other places.

When the "thieves" from the surrounding areas of Yu and Chu heard about it, they naturally wouldn't come to Nanyang.

To some extent, Nanyang County achieved a state where "no one picks up lost items on the road," but this was not what a well-governed state should look like.

When there are nine truths and one falsehood, it is the most difficult to distinguish. Perhaps this is precisely the charm of language.

Most importantly, His Majesty doesn't seem to have any intention of distinguishing between the real and the fake.

"Very good."

Liu Che affirmed this, accepted the soup, and said while eating, "Dong Zhongshu."

"The minister is here."

"You will write the local petition first, and then I will copy it and submit it to the court. Once the court gives us feedback, we will leave Nanyang County and continue our southern tour."

"promise."

"Have all the regional lords arrived in Chang'an?" Liu Che asked.

First, he ordered the troops of the vassal kingdoms to fight in the southern Yue, and then summoned the vassal kings to the capital, giving him no chance to contact them or raise troops to Chang'an. The Prime Minister Gongsun Hong's political skills made even the emperor wary of him.

Sometimes, he wondered if this was a power play by that rebellious son under the guise of Gongsun Hong, but he thought it was impossible. Such a well-connected scheme was not something a child could pull off.

Being intelligent is normal, but being almost supernaturally intelligent is not.

"Your Majesty, judging by the dates, it's about time. Before the Shangsi Festival, most of the princes should be able to arrive in Chang'an, the capital," Dong Zhongshu replied.

"Then send all the secrets of the feudal lords to my rebellious son."

Liu Che chewed on a green vegetable pancake and sneered, "The Emperor of the Great Han has always treated people with benevolence and forgiveness. Let the world see whether the so-called 'model of a sage ruler' slaughtered his own clan and relatives for the sake of the suffering of the people, or ignored the suffering of the people for the sake of his own clan and relatives."

feudal lords.

They were always the group of people the Han emperor was most wary of.

Their actions were filthy and despicable; even if you don't know everything, you can at least know seven or eight tenths of it.

Why not stop it?
For the throne.

If the vassal kings did not act recklessly and lawlessly in their fiefdoms, but instead were all virtuous and courteous to scholars, then it would be the emperor in Chang'an who would feel uneasy.

With so much land and wealth, instead of indulging in debauchery, you're thinking of befriending your subjects and winning over the people. Who would believe you're not planning a rebellion?
Therefore, Liu Che forced his half-brother, Liu De, the Prince of Hejian, to commit suicide.

Liu De was the second son of Emperor Xiaojing. Like the deposed crown prince Liu Rong, the Prince of Linjiang, he was born to the divine physician Consort Li.

If the eldest son is chosen, after Liu Rong is deposed, it would be his turn to become the crown prince. Emperor Xiaojing's reign was also turbulent. In other words, there was a possibility that a prince would have ascended the throne.

After establishing his kingdom, Liu De recruited Confucian scholars from various sources and specially built the Rihua Palace, which had more than twenty guest rooms to house scholars and facilitate debate. The number of books in his kingdom was almost comparable to that of the Han Dynasty court.

He once established the positions of "Doctor of Mao's Poetry" and "Doctor of Zuo's Spring and Autumn Annals," with Mao Chang, Guan Gong, and others lecturing on pre-Qin classics.

All the heroes and scholars in the land were devoted to the King of Hejian.

In the fifth year of the Yuanguang era, Liu De went to Chang'an to pay homage to the emperor and presented him with elegant music. During the visit, Liu Che spoke to him earnestly, saying, "Tang of Shang and King Wen of Zhou both had only a hundred li of territory at the beginning, but they eventually became kings and sages. Do you also have this ambition?"

It sounds like they are praising the talent and virtue of the King of Hejian, but both Tang of Shang and King Wen of Zhou were new kings who overthrew the emperors of their time. If they had such ambitions, whose life did they want to take?
So, after hearing this, Liu De returned to China and soon died from excessive drinking and pleasure.

The princes' evil deeds stemmed from three factors: their inherent nature, the indulgence of the Han emperor, and their own self-awareness.

Only by damaging one's own reputation and virtue can one put the emperor at ease.

By taking advantage of the crimes committed by the kings, the emperor could reduce the number of kingdoms and counties at any time, or even directly withdraw the kingdoms to the Han dynasty, thus consolidating power.

If the emperor wished, he could also demonstrate the benevolence and kindness of the imperial family by pardoning the feudal lords, thereby slightly losing the hearts of the royal people and greatly enhancing his holy reputation.

However, such things cannot be done frequently, as they would damage the royal family's reputation, and excessive losses could even shake the very foundations of the empire.

Liu Che (Emperor Wu of Han) wouldn't have dared to do this before.

Now I dare.

If all the crimes of the feudal lords were exposed to the world, and the people were in uproar, how would the rebellious son deal with it?

If he kills all the kings, he will be all alone, without a shred of mercy or kinship. If he doesn't kill the kings, he will lose the hearts of the people.

In Chang'an and at Ganquan Palace, it was always the rebellious son who made him make choices; finally, the rebellious son was able to make a choice.

Liu Che felt extremely comfortable, inside and out; he seemed to be back to normal.

"I'll do it now."

"slow."

Liu Che stopped Dong Zhongshu, "Didn't Jiang Qi come from Zhao recently? He has evidence and witnesses. Spread the word and send him to Guanzhong. Don't give the Crown Prince a chance to conceal the crimes of the princes."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

(End of this chapter)