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

Chapter 153 The Original Position
"Prime Minister, if all matters in officialdom were handled according to your suggestion and recorded in a document, wouldn't all the civil and military officials be in a state of fear, afraid to do anything, and unwilling to be officials?"

Zhang Tang's voice rang out in the main hall.

Without the ability to balance merits and demerits, the most panicked were the cruel officials.

The indefinite accountability system means that cases handled in the past could cost a cruel official his or her life at any time.

This is tantamount to tying the hands and feet of legal officials, which would greatly diminish the imperial system that the various schools of thought had tailored for him.

"Don't you want to be an official?"

Gongsun Hong couldn't help but laugh, and laughter also came from the throne. "In the decades of ups and downs in officialdom, I have seen all kinds of people, but I have never seen anyone who doesn't want to be an official."

"The Prime Minister has not seen Bu Shi, the herdsman from Henan?" Zhang Tang retorted truthfully.

In Henan County, there lived a herdsman named Bu Shi. The Bu family was wealthy, and Bu Shi was the eldest son of the eldest son. However, he left all the family's land, houses, and property to his younger brother who was about to come of age. He himself took more than a hundred sheep to graze in the mountains. After more than ten years, the flock of sheep had increased tenfold, while the Bu family had fallen into ruin under his brother's management. Bu Shi also used his earnings from herding sheep to help his brother and clansmen on many occasions.

After the failure of the Mayi plot, the Han-Xiongnu War officially broke out. Bu Shi repeatedly expressed his wish to the court, hoping to donate half of his family property to do his part for the border army.

Your Majesty has a history of exploiting your subjects, and there has been no shortage of resistance from them. But it is rare for someone like Bu Shi to make a donation voluntarily. So, an envoy was sent to ask Bu Shi if he had any requests or grievances to appeal. Bu Shi replied that he had none.

"Bu Shi's wish is for our Great Han Dynasty to destroy the Xiongnu as soon as possible. Those with strength should contribute their strength, and those with money should contribute their money. In the Prime Minister's mind, what kind of person is such a person?"

"A thief of virtue who harbors malicious intentions through actions that go against common sense," Gongsun Hong replied with a smile.

The empire has been dragged into a severe financial crisis by Your Majesty's wars, expansion, and famines. With no sudden increase in money and food supplies, the only ways the emperor and the common people can think of to get through the crisis are either to borrow money or to donate. No one will resort to robbery unless absolutely necessary.

Your Majesty's ability to produce items of the third rank of Platinum and the White Deer Coin indicates that you have already tried "borrowing" and "donating" money, hoping that someone will take the initiative to help the court in its time of need and share its worries, contributing money and grain to alleviate the empty treasury. These individuals include, but are not limited to, princes and nobles who are used to living in luxury, as well as wealthy merchants who have made a fortune in times of peace.

But these people tacitly chose to remain silent, while in this murky water, Bu Shi suddenly rose to the occasion.

Filial piety, maturity, humility, respect, frugality, and talent... Gongsun Hong saw the shadow of the thief of Confucian virtue in this person.

He was filial to his mother, served his uncle, united with his brothers, was adept at social interaction, befriended prominent figures, and always resolved everything with a smile.

Gongsun Hong was so certain because he had done the same thing back then; in other words, the Chancellor of the Han Dynasty saw a "kindred spirit."

Sages and virtuous men are selfless and put the public good before their own interests.

fake.

Zhang Tang was stunned for a moment, then barely understood the meaning of "the thief of virtue," and immediately said with dissatisfaction: "The Prime Minister cannot judge others by his own virtue. Such a person, if he says he doesn't want to be an official, then he really doesn't want to be an official."

"Why doesn't the Imperial Censor give it a try?"

"How to try?"

"I request Your Majesty to issue an edict appointing Bu Shi as Minister of Works in your place. What do you say?" Gongsun Hong said with his smile undiminished.

Although they were of the same kind, Bu Shi was more ambitious and patient than him. He looked down on ordinary official positions, but a high-ranking official position would surely be enough for him.

“This…” Zhang Tang hesitated.

Gongsun Hong offered a choice: "Does the Imperial Censor not trust the shepherd Bu Shi, or does he not believe that someone doesn't want to be an official?"

Zhang Tang was speechless.

"Your Excellency, in this world, the most virtuous and the most wicked are both extremely rare. The vast majority of people are caught in the middle, swaying with every breath."

Gongsun Hong turned to the side, speaking both to Zhang Tang and to the throne, “To govern a country, we must use the Legalist system. The better the Legalist system, the more it can win over the people who are wavering towards evil, until we reach ‘rule by man.’ But for those who ‘rule by man,’ there must always be a sword hanging over their heads, so that they will not dare to easily go towards evil.”

"The key to good governance lies in having the right people, not in having a large number of officials."

Throughout his eighty years of life, Gongsun Hong always believed in the power of goodness in the world, but he did not believe in the saying "human nature is inherently good."

Power, from the day it was born, has been the relentless and persistent pursuit of humankind.

The system for selecting officials should either not be changed at all, or it should be drastically changed.

If anyone feels that they are no longer fit to be an official after the reform, the Prime Minister's Office is happy to accept their resignation.

Even if this person is Zhang Tang, one of the Three Dukes and the Imperial Censor.

Zhang Tang was startled and bowed towards the throne. "Your Majesty, there are still shortcomings in what I have proposed. I request that the implementation be postponed for the time being, so that I may make up for them."

He could no longer defeat the aging and immortal prime minister, so he prepared to retire and reflect, gathering the wisdom of many before launching another attack.

Liu Ju was somewhat tense. With Gongsun Hong present, Zhang Tang couldn't stand up at all. He laughed and said, "Granted."

Zhang Tang practically escaped from the Xuan Shi Hall.

"It seems the debate in the Prime Minister's residence has been effective," Liu Ju said, looking at Gongsun Hong.

The old prime minister's previous words revealed many things: without a system, the empire will eventually be overrun by demons and monsters; without spirit, the empire will eventually become scorched earth of its system. Among the various systems of governance, loyalty to the emperor, loyalty to the country, diligence in administration, adherence to the law, pragmatism, and incorruptibility are paramount, yet the requirement for virtue and thought is not high, even though this is the most important aspect.

"Your Majesty, I have indeed gained some insights."

Gongsun Hong took out a bamboo slip from his sleeve and handed it to Jiang Bo, who then presented it to the emperor.

Liu Ju stared intently at it.

The Cry of the Prime Minister's Residence: Since King Ping moved the capital eastward, the once-powerful Western Zhou Dynasty lost its appeal to the feudal lords of the "world." This caused the ritual and music order that marked the hierarchical stratification of the Zhou Dynasty to disintegrate rapidly. However, a new type of court system sprouted and developed in this "collapse of ritual and music."

This is both a historical and temporal coincidence, and at the same time, it contains a historical and logical inevitability.

The collapse of the "royal domain-feudal system" led to the decline of the traditional patriarchal bloodline system of "kinship" and "respect".

This made the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods an era in which feudal lords had no unified rule and alliances lacked credibility.

In the face of competition, conflict, and power struggles, the various vassal states had to reconstruct a new, mutually beneficial, and balanced internal and external order in order to maintain their own interests, thus shaping a new relationship among the vassal states in the post-Western Zhou era.

When the external constraints imposed by the patriarchal bloodline hierarchy on the feudal lords, ministers, lords, and nobles disappeared, the power struggles within the various states, including the royal families, noble clans, high officials, and retainers, officially began. Powers were seized by both the powerful and the newly risen nobles, leading to a situation of usurpation and rule by powerful ministers. Examples such as the division of Jin into three states and the Tian family's usurpation of Qi serve as evidence.

Driven by greed and lust for power, power is constantly being replaced and transferred.

Learning from the historical lessons of powerful ministers ruling the country, and in order not to repeat the same mistakes, the powerful noble families who seized power developed a desire to curb the old nobles and feudal lords of their own country, and thus established a completely new court system and institutional model.

"The imperial court is the ultimate authority!"

Liu Ju suppressed his surging emotions and continued reading. From the pre-Qin period to the Qin and Han dynasties, it was divided into two stages. Through the historical process of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, a Warring States system different from that of the Western Zhou Dynasty was formed. That is, the system of separation of royal power and governance in the Western Zhou Dynasty was transformed into a monarchical centralized bureaucratic system in which royal power and governance were combined.

Shu Zhong believed that although the massive Qin Dynasty collapsed after only two generations, the historical lessons of its sudden rise and fall reconstructed the emerging "Han Dynasty system".

This system will have a lasting impact on the Han people, the entire Han Dynasty, and even the endless years of the long history of China.

At the end of the chapter, Gongsun Hong stated that the Han Dynasty needed a kind of virtue, but this virtue did not have to come from any of the Hundred Schools of Thought, because the virtue that the millions of common people could completely believe in did not need to be too profound.

A few words are enough to make the people understand what the monarch and the court are thinking.

To create an extremely concise "outline" for the future of the Han Dynasty.

And this "Tsunade" could only be the monarch of the Han Dynasty.

For a moment, Liu Ju even wondered if he was worthy of being called "Tsunade".

He couldn't help but chuckle. If he wasn't worthy, then no one in the world was, and his father was even less worthy.

"Old Prime Minister, do you know what you're doing?" Liu Ju stared intently at his ministers in the Qilin Pavilion.

If this policy is implemented, Liu Ju's reputation will reach an unprecedented level, with everyone in the world reciting his name. Just thinking about it makes one's heart tremble.

"Please, Your Majesty, settle the mind of my Great Han Dynasty." Gongsun Hong bowed again, demonstrating his clear-headedness through his actions.

The grand design of the Han Empire is about to be born today.

Liu Ju tried to calm his emotions, but he could not calm down for a long time. It concerned the direction of the empire's policies for hundreds or even thousands of years. Anyone would be restless in this situation. So, Liu Ju got off the throne and paced around the hall.

Gongsun Hong did not urge him. He transformed the opinions of countless retainers in the Prime Minister's mansion into a single strategy. He was almost exhausted. Once the matter was accomplished, his life would not have been in vain.

Sima Tan, the Grand Historian standing to the side of the hall, unconsciously held his breath, his hand holding the pen motionless, waiting for the imperial words to be spoken and passed down for thousands of years.

The Han system may have been the final system.

"I dare not forget the virtues of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong when I returned to Chang'an, and I dare not forget them now. I still wish to share the four words 'seek truth from facts' with all of you!"

Before the sacred words had even faded, Gongsun Hong's voice rang out in praise of the sage, "Your Majesty possesses great virtue!"

The elderly prime minister, who knew the past of China but not the future of the Han Dynasty, was willing to trust the wisdom of the young monarch without reservation.

The historian recorded it.

"The Prime Minister and I have reached a final agreement on the matter of governing the country: 'The people are the foundation.' The people live and I live; the people perish and I perish. This was the statement before, and I dare not change it now."

Gongsun Hong was moved.

With just this one sentence, he can be remembered for eternity. My lord, my lord, how can you treat your subject with such kindness?

Today, he finally understands the sentiments that the two great scholars, Yuan Gusheng and Feng Tang, had for Master Yi when they took the imperial examination together. At this moment, he also has the same sentiments.

The historical record falls once more.

“When wealth is concentrated, the people are scattered; when wealth is distributed, the people are gathered. Only by widely spreading virtue and making ample room for benevolence can we lay a foundation for future generations. Therefore, ‘wealth should be stored among the people.’”

(End of this chapter)