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

Chapter 177 Dragon's Fury

The sounds of the Han envoy wreaking havoc outside the tent continued to drift over.

The repeated pronouncements of "The Crown Prince's Decree of the Great Han Dynasty" weighed heavily on everyone, making it difficult for them to lift their heads or breathe.

This includes Emperor Liu Che of the Han Dynasty.

Go against Tiangang!

It's so frustrating... I feel like my chest is about to explode, but I can't even utter a dirty word. The Emperor's mother is Empress Wei, who ruled the Han Dynasty.

Liu Che drew his Emperor's Sword, wanting countless times to rush out and kill the imperial envoy Wang Chao, but he restrained himself time and time again.

Dong Zhongshu and Wuqiu Shouwang kept a close eye on His Majesty's unusual movements and frequently offered words of reassurance.

Your Majesty is enraged!

Unlike the previous "minor punishments as a warning," seeing that His Majesty "repeatedly failed to correct his ways," the Crown Prince, now the strictest, sternly imposed a severe punishment.

"Meditation!"

"Stay at home!"

Elixirs of immortality are strictly prohibited.

Reduce the number of officers and soldiers, and imprison the dragon in Nanyang.

Even if His Majesty abandons all officials and attendants and retains only 500 elite troops, in this hot land of Guandong, His Majesty cannot even leave Nanyang, let alone inspect the counties of Nanjun, Jiangxia, and Lujiang back to Chang'an.

Nanyang County has become a "land where dragons are imprisoned".

According to the original plan, His Majesty would personally hunt a dragon while floating on the Xunyang River. This was both an auspicious omen and a metaphor for the eventual defeat of the Crown Prince. Now, finding a dragon in the shallow waters of Nanyang is probably not easy, nor is it advisable.

Nanyang Prefecture is the place where Emperor Gao transformed from a dragon into a dragon and entered the pass. Any miraculous events are attributed to Emperor Gao's divine intervention. It is hard to say that the dragon was not transformed from Emperor Gao. Your Majesty's act of hunting it is too "filial".

Nanyang is mountainous, and some of the auspicious creatures found there, such as tigers, leopards, bears, and locust maggots, can still be produced, but the effects are rather mediocre.

Auspicious omens on earth, such as Changxiang, Buting, Qimu, Qundi, Tianzhai, and Buzhou, are easily exposed.

The auspicious road is impassable, sacrificial rites are forbidden, and the Nanyang prefecture and county are trapped, confined to their own territory—that's how it is.

A silent sigh, yet deafeningly loud.

Liu Che looked at Dong Zhongshu and Wuqiu Shouwang, feeling resentful of their incompetence.

What do you mean by "the number one person below sages and saints"?
Despite his numerous schemes, he found himself in a precarious situation, his predicament worsening day by day.

Dong Zhongshu lowered his head and remained silent, secretly blaming His Majesty for appointing the Confucian traitor Gongsun Hong as prime minister.

Without a second thought, Dong Zhongshu knew that this Dragon-Trapping Technique came from Gongsun Hong. They were from the same school. He couldn't break Gongsun Hong's moves, but Gongsun Hong could break his moves. In terms of conventional methods, he was completely overwhelmed by Gongsun Hong.

Although Dong Zhongshu was reluctant to admit it, in terms of political wisdom and political skills, he was far inferior to the prime minister of the Han Dynasty who had come from the reign of Emperor Xiaowen.

Dong Zhongshu had always been a person who was good at "self-reflection," emphasizing "reflecting on oneself and not blaming others." However, driven by human nature, he also attributed the successive blows to others.

If His Majesty had not twice selected Gongsun Hong to serve in the court in the first year of the Jianyuan era and the fifth year of the Yuanguang era, and had not given Gongsun Hong the possibility of becoming prime minister and being ennobled, things would never have been so difficult. Dong Zhongshu knew the magic of "fortune," and knew that His Majesty appointed Gongsun Hong as prime minister of the Three Dukes and bestowed upon him the title of marquis in order to break the monopoly of the founding meritorious officials on the position of duke and grandee, and to pave a path for people to advance their careers.

During His Majesty's reign, he has also weakened the power of the prime minister, striving to make the prime minister's power an appendage of the emperor and imperial power, and the prime minister a clay or wooden sculpture.

Unfortunately, the power of the prime minister is deeply entrenched, a flaw that has existed since the founding of the Han Dynasty and cannot be changed overnight. Before His Majesty could finish his work, the new emperor had already risen to power.

Of course, Dong Zhongshu also knew that all of this stemmed from His Majesty's comment that the emperor was "not like his father"!

Before this evaluation, the ruler tended to favor Confucianism, whether it was the Gongyang School or the Guliang School, they all belonged to Confucianism. "It's better for the meat to rot in the pot" than "the cooked duck to fly away".

Because of his evaluation, His Majesty lost his imperial power. He is the first person in history to do so. In later generations, it is unlikely that any emperor would dare to evaluate the crown prince in this way.

The thoughts and grievances of the ruler and his ministers were almost always on the surface.

Wuqiu Shouwang glanced at Dong Zhongshu, then looked at Liu Che, and sighed, "Your Majesty, let's do as the 'Taijia story' suggests."

Stop messing around.

It's like a "double knot"—the more you struggle with it, the tighter it gets; it's better to just stay put.

It is said that the emperor banished His Majesty, but it was Yi Yin who banished Tai Jia. Yi Yin banished Tai Jia, acted as regent, and then welcomed Tai Jia back to the capital and entrusted him with the administration of the state.

Yi Yin was the right prime minister of Shang Tang. He was a pillar of the Shang Dynasty from the time of Shang Tang to the time of Tai Jia. Tai Jia was the grandson of Shang Tang. Shang Tang's eldest son, Tai Ding, died young, before Shang Tang. Therefore, after Shang Tang died, the throne was passed down from brother to brother. Tai Ding's younger brothers, Wai Bing and Zhong Ren, succeeded him as Shang kings, but died soon after. Tai Jia then became king.

However, during the reign of Taijia, he neglected virtuous governance, was tyrannical and cruel, and undermined the legal system of Shang Tang.

Yi Yin repeatedly tried to persuade Tai Jia to no avail. So, Yi Yin took a decisive measure: he built a palace in Tong, the site of Shang Tang's tomb, which was called Tong Palace.

He sent Taijia to Tong Palace to reflect on his actions. Tong Palace was located in the tomb of Shang Tang, and the atmosphere was solemn and dignified. Except for the tomb keeper, ordinary people were not allowed to enter.

In such an environment, Tai Jia had nothing to do except recite the teaching materials Yi Yin wrote for him, such as "Yi Xun", "Si Ming", and "Mu Hou".

Among them, "Yi Xun" is Yi Yin's admonition to him, "Si Ming" teaches him how to govern, and "Mu Hou" is the Shang Dynasty's legal system established by Tang.

Under hardship, Taijia finally realized the root of his mistakes and the reason for his exile, and awakened from his delusion.

While studying, he also cleaned the tomb. Over time, he gradually became a different person: cautious in his actions, humble in his speech, calm in his thoughts, and tireless in his work.

During his period of seclusion and reflection, Yi Yin took over the administration for him, managing countless affairs of state while constantly inquiring about his situation and visiting him at Tong Palace whenever he had a spare moment.

After three years, Taijia had repented and reformed himself.

Seeing that he had achieved his goal of exiling Tai Jia, Yi Yin personally went to Tong Palace to welcome him back, restored Tai Jia to the throne, and retired to the position of minister.

When Tai Jia ascended the throne for the second time, he diligently practiced virtuous governance, set an example by his own conduct, and the feudal lords submitted to him, bringing peace and tranquility to the people.

Now that things have come to this, even Wuqiu Shouwang has to admit that although both are exiles, His Majesty's treatment is far better than that of Taijia.

At least the Emperor did not build a palace at Emperor Gao's Changling Mausoleum, so that His Majesty would face the tombs of Emperor Gao and Empress Lü every day, repenting and reading at the same time. Whether it was leaving the Ganquan Palace or touring the south, His Majesty hunted, drank heavily, played around, pursued women, and criticized the court's affairs... Where was there any sign of repentance and reform?
Since he could not defeat the emperor and was imprisoned in Nanyang County, he might as well reduce his desires, study hard by day and work hard by night, follow the path of Taijia, and hope that the emperor would welcome him back to court in a few years.

Liu Che slammed his fist on the table and rose to his feet, his imperial might surging forth. "If you want to live a life of simplicity and few desires, reciting books and studying literature, you might as well let me die!"

(End of this chapter)