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

Chapter 176 Extermination of the Clan
Nanyang issued an edict of self-reproach.

The court rejected it on the grounds of "lack of sincerity".

This is a matter of public opinion.

The distance between Chang'an and Nanyang is only eight hundred li. With the help of express post, it arrived in Wan the next evening. Moreover, contrary to regulations, it was delivered directly to His Majesty without going through the master and apprentice pair of Doctor Dong Zhongshu and Grand Master of Ceremonies Wuqiu Shouwang.

Since the Jiazi day of the first month of the third year of Emperor Xiaojing's reign (after Emperor Xiaojing died in Weiyang Palace), Liu Che issued countless edicts but never received any more.

Because there is no one or anything in the world more noble than him.

Even if there are urgent military or national affairs that need to be dealt with, they will be discussed and agreed upon by both the Prime Minister's Office and the Imperial Court before being submitted to the palace. He can adopt the ideas of the Prime Minister's Office and the Imperial Court, or he can make his own decision.

This is the majesty of the supreme ruler.

Unexpectedly, twenty years after his ascension to the throne, the court dispatched a special envoy, led by the Chancellor and Chief Secretary Wang Chao, to convey to him, the Emperor of the Han Dynasty, the decisions made in court by the emperor and his ministers.

The imperial edict from Nanyang was rejected.

When Dong Zhongshu, Prince Wuqiu Shou, and the officials accompanying the emperor on his southern tour heard the emperor's proclamation, they were all stunned.

I've never even heard of that!
The "Edict of Self-Reproach" is an edict issued by Chinese emperors when the country encounters natural disasters, political crises, or major mistakes. It is intended to express reverence for the will of Heaven and the people.

In most cases, the emperor publicly acknowledges his mistakes in governance, the misalignment of the ruler and his ministers, natural disasters, or the crisis of the regime, and assumes political responsibility in order to quell public discontent and stabilize the situation.

The earliest record can be traced back to the "Tang Gao" of Shang Tang and the "Qin Shi" of Qin Mu Gong, as recorded in the Book of Documents.

Of course, the first emperor to explicitly issue an "edict of self-reproach" was Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty.

In the first year of Emperor Xiaowen's reign, when faced with the debate over establishing a crown prince, he issued an edict stating, "Since I am not virtuous enough..." to indicate that his virtue was insufficient and that it was not appropriate to establish a crown prince early. In the winter of the same year, he issued another "edict of self-reproach" due to natural disasters.

In short, this edict, which states "If I am guilty, the guilt does not extend to the entire population," has never been challenged since its inception.

Under the Han Dynasty system, the prime minister had the power to reject improper imperial edicts. For example, when His Majesty first submitted a false "Nanyang Experience," it was rejected by the prime minister's office for being "falsified and untrue."

His Majesty tolerated the fact that he was in the wrong.

What should we say this time?
An edict of self-reproach is also an imperial edict, right?

Of course, the Prime Minister's office could not refute the Emperor's edict of self-reproach, so the Emperor devised a court debate to refute it, following the public opinion.

The dynasty disregarded the thoughts of His Majesty and the officials on the southern tour, and continued to recount the results of the public discussion.

All alchemists and practitioners of immortality shall be dismissed and expelled. The refining of elixirs and divine medicines within the territory of the Great Han shall be prohibited. Anyone who disobeys shall be punished!
During the southern tour, the construction of shrines and sacrifices on the mountain were forbidden. Any subject or citizen who violated this rule would be punished!
The size of the southern inspection team was reduced.

Except for a few officials, all other accompanying officials were to return to the capital within half a month. Those who failed to return to the capital without cause would be dismissed from their posts and never be employed again!
Some of the gatekeepers and all the bandits who had been recruited were recalled to the capital for training. Those who refused to go to Chang'an or deserted en route were considered treasonous and were punished!
The number of people on the southern tour is limited to no more than 500. If the number is exceeded by even one person, all those who accompanied the tour will be punished!
"This decree is issued by the Crown Prince of the Great Han Dynasty!"

After uttering several characters in succession, Wang Chao did not address Liu Che directly, but instead looked at the officials who were constantly arriving to accompany him on his southern tour, and coldly said, "Don't say you weren't warned!"

The midsummer night breeze was very cool, so cool that people shivered. The strictest decree from the Crown Prince was issued!

Blood trickled from the corner of Liu Che's mouth.

There was no thunderous roar, no hysteria, only the unrestrained burst of dragon might; at this moment, he was like a silent Tyrannosaurus Rex.

But this supreme imperial might seemed to vanish instantly when it reached the dynasty holding the Crown Prince's edict.

The dynasty remained expressionless. The imperial envoy was also a Han envoy. His Majesty would think carefully about the consequences of killing the envoy for defying the Crown Prince's edict.

"Your Majesty, please hand over the alchemist and the elixirs!"

As angels, the dynasty comes with a mission: to urge His Majesty to carry out matters of public discussion.

Dong Zhongshu's heart skipped a beat. Before it was a notification, now it was an order. The emperor was no longer bothering to cover it up.

"Your Majesty, grit your teeth and hold on!"

Dong Zhongshu's reminder caused Liu Che's imperial power to vanish completely; the dynasty was nothing more than a dog in front of the crown prince.

Even if you kill the prince's dog, it won't harm the prince in the slightest. He squeezed out a voice through his blood-stained teeth, "Give it to him!"

Chun Tuo took out the elixir box and handed it to Wang Chao. At the same time, dozens of alchemists who had accompanied him were also brought over.

After the dynasty examined the elixirs and verified the alchemists' identities, it poured the elixirs into the campfire and then ordered its strongmen to push all the alchemists out and execute them!
The piercing howl echoed through the heavens and earth, only to vanish in an instant.

The once-living sorcerer had been reduced to a bloody head. After verifying the details, Wang Chao couldn't help but laugh, "The immortal sorcerer is dead!"

In Chang'an, all the sorcerers claimed to be immortal.

However, not a single alchemist was lost.

Your Majesty, you have been deceived again!
Sensing that His Majesty's defenses had been breached and that he might act recklessly, Dong Zhongshu and Prince Wuqiu Shou stepped forward and supported Liu Che on either side, saying, "Your Majesty, please move aside."

The Han envoy is far too arrogant. If he stays any longer, His Majesty will be so angry that he will rebel.

His Majesty has returned to his tent.

Wang Chao bowed to see him off, his smile lingering on his face. The tent was lowered, and Wang Chao straightened up, precisely locating Wang Wenshu, the Commandant of Nanyang County, among the officials.

"Commander Wang."

Wang Chao's smile remained unchanged as he called out the name.

Not a stranger.

Previously, Chancellor Gongsun Hong and Zhang Tang, who was then Minister of Justice, were both teacher and friend. They had frequent interactions between the Chancellor's office and the Ministry of Justice. Gongsun Hong was the Chancellor's Chief Secretary, while Wang Wenshu was Zhang Tang's capable Minister of Justice. Although they did not have much contact, they were old acquaintances.

Wang Wenshu shuddered. The call of an old acquaintance was warm, but fear rose in his heart. He couldn't even take a step forward, let alone respond.

"Wang, Wang, Chief Secretary Wang."

"Don't be nervous, take a deep breath, dizziness is normal."

Wang Chao gestured to the guards to seize Wang Wenshu, saying, "The court will remember your merits, but it will not forget your mistakes either. The Crown Prince decrees that anyone with 'mountainous treachery' shall be executed!"

Over the course of several months, Wang Wenshu used various pretexts to capture virtually all the powerful and influential families in the prefecture.

Then Wang Wenshu interrogated them relentlessly, implicating more than a thousand families, including many innocent civilians.

After winning the first battle, Wang Wenshu ignored the court and wrote to the emperor, proposing a punishment plan for these people: the most serious offenders would have their entire families executed, the less serious offenders would be killed, and all their property would be confiscated, regardless of their status.

Thus began a large-scale massacre.

Tens of thousands of people from Nanyang County became victims of the sword, and "blood flowed for more than ten miles."

Corpses piled up like mountains, and blood flowed like rivers.

For those powerful landlords who ran rampant in the countryside, this was their own fault, but for the majority of innocent civilians who were implicated, it was a bloody injustice.

After this series of executions, Nanyang was indeed peaceful and quiet for a short time, with no thieves barking like dogs, but this was by no means what the imperial court wanted to see.

Furthermore, it would be incorrect to assume that Wang Wenshu was merely a cruel official who established his authority through killing, or a ruthless and incorruptible official who specifically targeted powerful landlords.

Wang Wenshu was also a corrupt official.

According to intelligence obtained from the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Court of Justice, Wang Wenshu was no different in essence from other corrupt officials, but his methods of corruption were indeed different.

Using cruelty to indulge in greed, and using cruelty to conceal greed—this was Wang Wenshu's true nature.

In Nanyang, one of the "Five Markets" of the Han Dynasty, tens of thousands of people were killed. Wang Wenshu did not dare to swallow all the confiscated property, but he dared to take a portion of it.

As for accepting bribes, the situation is much more complex.

Wang Wenshu held the power of life and death over the people of Nanyang County. He had a large amount of capital by exchanging power for money. In addition, his reputation for tyranny and cruelty gave him an advantage in this power-money transaction.

Some powerful landlords, though powerless, had plenty of money, and were willing to spend money to save their lives, even if it meant going bankrupt.

In order to escape trouble, they resorted to bribery, which is to be expected. Some innocent people were also forced to go bankrupt to bribe in order to avoid being implicated.

Wang Wenshu, who had been supported by the strongmen, seemed to have regained some strength. He looked at the dynasty and asked, "How will I die?"

"Five horses and quarters!"

Wang Chao made no attempt to hide his words, laughing, "Not only you, Commandant Wang, but your entire family and your wife's family will also be executed because of you."

In my great Han Dynasty and before, there was only the punishment of exterminating three generations of a family. For your sake, His Majesty has specially opened the door to the extermination of five generations!

"Accepting bribes from officials" and "being greedy for profit" are crimes punishable by the extermination of the entire clan under the laws of the Han Dynasty.

Wang Wenshu was "rich" because his wife's family, including his parents-in-law, profited immensely from his name, oppressing the villagers, bullying men and women. According to the law of the emperor, those who benefit from evil deeds shall die!

(End of this chapter)