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

Chapter 175 Usurper
Only when the monarch bears no responsibility can the ministers be held accountable.

this sentence.

This is a portrayal of the rulers and ministers throughout history.

It was also the golden rule for the emperor and his ministers.

How could the emperor be wrong?
It was all due to the ministers' selfish desires that they disrupted the court and committed heinous crimes.

In Dong Zhongshu's theory of the relationship between Heaven and Man, he suggested that the Han Dynasty establish a system in which "in the event of natural disasters or anomalies, the three highest officials should be dismissed."

In fact, it is obvious at a glance that this so-called edict of self-reproach from Nanyang was written by Dong Zhongshu.

People are easily deceived by others, and they are also easily deceived by themselves. Your Majesty and Dong Zhongshu are ready examples.

Even Dong Zhongshu himself might not have believed in the concept of Heaven and Man, but the more he talked about it, the more he was influenced. In addition, Dong Zhongshu's own doctrine of social order, such as "If the ruler commands the subject to die, and the subject does not die, it is disloyal; if the father commands the son to die, and the son does not die, it is unfilial," made it easy for him to be deceived by himself.

The emperor possesses the power to make his words law; with a single thought, his ministers die; with a single word, the crown prince perishes.

Even if they know it's impossible, when writing a letter of self-reproach, they will unconsciously shift the blame onto the Crown Prince, the Prime Minister, the Censor-in-Chief, and the Crown Prince's faction.

When Liu Che, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, saw this, he might have felt that something was amiss, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it, because he never believed that he had made any mistakes during his twenty years of rule.

All the faults were caused by the Crown Prince's filial impiety and the disloyalty of his faction, including this edict of self-reproach, all of which were forced upon him by his rebellious son and usurper.

Sitting on the throne, Liu Ju quietly observed the "battle" in the hall. The ideas of his father and Dong Zhongshu, if they were in later generations, would have countless followers.

But this was the Han Dynasty.

It is the Han Dynasty, which has only been established for eighty years.

The power of the Prime Minister's Office and the Imperial Archives has been weakened and restricted, but they are still far from becoming vassals of the emperor and imperial power.

At least, Gongsun Hong and Zhang Tang, even in dire straits, had a chance to speak.

In politics, if an official makes a mistake, the emperor will always be implicated, but if the emperor's reputation is damaged, all the officials in the court will suffer.

In short, officials are capable of bringing down the emperor.

If the emperor, who holds absolute power, were sitting in the Xuan Shi Hall at this moment, even if Zhang Tang were willing to risk his life, it would be difficult to make the emperor get too deeply involved by taking sides.

However, in the present Han Dynasty, he, as the crown prince, has the final say.

Without bias, Zhang Tang, who only pursued an infinitely vast political sky, was invincible to some extent. No matter who stood up, they would become the "target" for Zhang Tang to boast of his own integrity and self-discipline, and the evidence to prove that His Majesty was the source of the cruel official politics!

Huang Chen, Marquis of Gaoling, Zhao Zhou, barged in on his own.

Not only will he fail to save his father, but he will also bring ruin upon himself and his family.

Who betrayed their conscience?

The answer speaks for itself.

"Minister of Justice".

"Your subject is here." Bian Tong stepped forward and bowed.

"Imperial Censor-in-Chief".

"Your subject is here." Li Wen stepped forward and bowed.

"Commander of the Capital Region"

Liu Juwang was appointed to a position in the central court. This position was "in charge of patrolling and inspecting the laborers" and "commissioning laborers to perform humiliating tasks in the country." He was tasked with "commissioning laborers to manage ditches and canals," which meant "commissioning laborers to perform humiliating tasks." His subordinate officials included officials such as Attendants and Assistants. He also led a team of 1,200 laborers from the central capital. The Sili Xiaowei (Commander of the Capital Region) got its name from this. He was a supervisory official and a secret supervisory official in the capital and the surrounding area.

The rank of "two thousand shi" (二千石) was not among the ranks of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, but it had extensive responsibilities and immense power.

"Your subject is here." Zhang Gan stepped forward and bowed. "The three of you will conduct a joint trial of Zhang Tang in the court, and investigate whether there are any treacherous individuals in his household."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Bian Tong, Li Wen, and Zhang Gan accepted the order in unison.

at this point.

Many court officials saw through Zhang Tang's "selflessness and fearlessness," and the Marquis of Gaoling was probably in trouble.

Zhao Zhou stood there, somewhat at a loss. In this world, are there really officials who are not greedy, do not take advantage of others, and do not bend the law?

Let’s see who will win.

Zhang Tang, Zhao Zhou, and others returned to their respective ranks, while the officials, marquises, and members of the imperial family from both the central and foreign dynasties remained silent.

Your Majesty is the source of the cruel official politics, and it has been basically implemented.

Even if His Majesty's edict from Nanyang was not "completely insincere," it was "not profound enough in its understanding."

Prime Minister Gongsun Hong slowly rose from the embroidered stool, immediately attracting the attention of all the court officials, and said, "Your Majesty."

"The old prime minister?"

"Since Your Majesty is determined to abolish this wasteful practice, then I request that Your Majesty dismiss and disband the alchemists who practice the art of immortality, so that the production of elixirs and divine medicines may be eradicated from our Great Han Dynasty."

During the southern tour, His Majesty was forbidden from climbing mountains to build shrines and offer sacrifices, for the spirits of the ancestors reside in the heart and in virtue, not in empty actions.

Instead of going to great lengths to climb the mountain, build shrines, and worship heaven and earth, it would be better to widely distribute aid to the people.

At the same time, His Majesty's southern tour entourage was reduced.

Except for necessary accompanying officials, all other officials must return to the capital within half a month. Those who fail to return to the capital without a valid reason will be dismissed from their posts on the spot.

Recall some of the guards and all the "bandit troops" recruited by His Majesty, and train them rigorously to reduce their "banditry" so that they will not harm the people of our great Han Dynasty in the future.

According to reports from the counties and prefectures along the southern tour route, the imperial procession has spent hundreds of millions of coins over the past few months, an enormous expense. Your Majesty's wealth is the people's wealth, and Your Majesty's expenses are the people's expenses. Now that Your Majesty is no longer indulging in extravagance, the procession should be reduced to five hundred people.

Gongsun Hong finished speaking in one breath, his breathing becoming heavy, and beads of sweat seeping from his forehead, revealing the old man's exhaustion.

However, this old man seemed to have a rope around the necks of all those powerful figures, inspiring extreme fear.

It is common knowledge that His Majesty is extravagant and desires extravagant, and pursues immortality. He has spent countless sums of money on alchemy and seeking divine medicine.

The old prime minister actually wants to cut off His Majesty's chance of immortality?
The purpose of His Majesty's southern tour was to climb mountains, build shrines, and offer sacrifices. He intended to demonstrate his sincerity in reforming himself to the gods and the people. If this were prohibited, what would be the point of His Majesty's southern tour?
Furthermore, reducing the number of officials and guards accompanying the southern tour and limiting the size of the entourage is something no human could have come up with.

Without the accompanying officials who comforted and encouraged him, His Majesty's grand dreams of civil administration and military prowess would have long been shattered. Without the protection of his guards, His Majesty might have fallen into the hands of bandits as soon as he arrived in Nanyang County and mingled with them.

How should we configure a team of 500 people?

With a hundred officials, a hundred servants, a hundred concubines, and two hundred guards, His Majesty probably won't even be able to leave Nanyang County before being robbed by bandits.

Usurper?

That's what you call a usurper!
Isn't it supposed to be a show of sincerity to abolish extravagance? I think Your Majesty's southern tour was quite extravagant. A few thousand people spent 20% of the empire's annual tax revenue in just six months. Although the money didn't come from the court, extravagance is still extravagance. Cut it! It must be cut!
Gongsun Hong didn't mention His Majesty's sincerity in admitting his guilt, but his repeated petitions precisely targeted the areas where His Majesty's sincerity was lacking.

How can a person be so treacherous and cunning?

Liu Ju nodded and looked at the officials of both dynasties, asking, "What do you all think?"

"I second the proposal!"

A roar of cheers erupted.

Everyone has come to realize one reality: in this hall, the princelings are the majority!
(End of this chapter)