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

Chapter 182 Demon
In the late summer, it is the busiest time of year for farmers.

Farmers inside and outside Hangu Pass had to harvest barley and wheat while planting millet, beans, and buckwheat. In their spare time, they would plant sunflowers in their vegetable gardens.

At this time, people, land, and livestock were all busy, and the vast Han fields were bustling with activity.

However, compared to previous years, what is more worrying is that the Xiongnu Chanyu Yizhixie led his army to launch a surprise attack on the Dai region of the Han Dynasty. The farmers did not understand the importance of the Dai region, but when they saw the worried faces of the disciples of the Hundred Schools of Thought who were instructing them on how to harvest and cultivate the land, coupled with some bad rumors, such as "If the Dai region survives, the Han Dynasty survives; if the Dai region is lost, the Han Dynasty will perish," the farmers were even more terrified.

They couldn't understand why the imperial court, having just won victories in the southern Yue and southwestern Yi regions, was about to perish so soon.

The stalemate and war between the Han and the Xiongnu lasted for nearly a century. The changes over the past decade or so have made the young people of the Han Dynasty have no fear of the Xiongnu, but this is not enough to change the fear of the middle-aged and elderly people of the Han Dynasty towards the Xiongnu.

Upon hearing of the Xiongnu invasion, young men flocked to the county and state offices to volunteer for the war against the Xiongnu in the north. The emperor approved of this, registered their names, and temporarily withheld any mobilization.

The middle-aged and elderly, instigated by those with ulterior motives, engaged in hoarding grain and salt. The imperial court issued a clear decree, and the governments of various prefectures, counties, and vassal states offered advice and guidance. Of course, the panic among the people could not be stopped by local officials with their words and actions.

Guoye has entered the fray.

The state grain, represented by the Ren family, and the state salt, represented by the Dongguo family, sold grain, salt, and other goods at regular prices. No matter how much the people wanted to buy, the court would sell them as much as they wanted.

Grain storage, if done properly, will not cause problems in the short term; at most, it will taste a bit off if stored for too long.

Salt, on the other hand, has no storage time; even if it gets damp, you can simply dry it again.

Human beings have a very strong ability to survive and adapt. Most necessities can be preserved for a long time. Therefore, when the ruler clearly directs the industries of all countries, there is demand in the market and all industries can supply it.

The five markets of the Han Dynasty operated day and night without rest, and prices for all businesses remained stable, which greatly alleviated the panic among the people.

In times of national crisis and public panic, there is never a shortage of people who try to profit from the national crisis.

In particular, in Zhao territory, in Handan, one of the five major cities in the north, some powerful families and wealthy merchants who thought they knew the future of the Han Dynasty were devouring the goods in the market.

The extent of the disturbance even alarmed the Prime Minister's office. In response, the old Prime Minister Gongsun Hong immediately ordered dozens of state-owned enterprises to increase the supply of goods to the North Market, and at the same time, dump all the previously hoarded or difficult-to-sell goods into the North Market.

Of the nine regions under the Han dynasty, Zhao was the most prosperous. An opportunity to sweep away the wealth of the powerful and wealthy merchants in Zhao was a once-in-a-century, no, several-hundred-years opportunity.

The imperial court wants to assess the strength of the Zhao region.

A secret edict was issued to the Imperial Library.

The embroidered-robed officials immediately headed to the Zhao region. Centered on the Zhao state, the troops of Wei, Guangping, and Julu prefectures were secretly taken over and sent to this ancient market known as the "City of Freedom."

Both overt and covert currents are surging.

Emperor Liu Che of the Han Dynasty, who was in Nanyang County, only spent two days indulging in simple pleasures, reading and farming, before learning of the "changes in the Dai region." He then threw his books of sages and classics into the fire, burning them to ashes.

He wrote four memorials a day to the court, presenting a document stating that he was "ending his southern tour and embarking on a northern expedition." In these memorials, he vehemently criticized the Crown Prince for fighting on multiple fronts, which left the Han Dynasty's homeland defenses vulnerable to a surprise attack by the Xiongnu. He warned that the ancestral state was on the verge of collapse and placed all the blame for the impending loss of the Dai region on the Crown Prince.

Furthermore, a list of numerous "criminals" was compiled, with the primary crime being Crown Prince Liu Ju, the secondary crime being Chancellor Gongsun Hong, the third crime being General Wei Qing, and the fourth crime being Imperial Censor Zhang Tang... All the princes, dukes, ministers, and generals were included.

The Weiyang Palace and the Prime Minister's Office simply rejected His Majesty's memorial to end the southern tour, and did not take any further action in the face of criticism.

The weak response from the emperor and the prime minister, one young and one old, sparked a frenzy in the court and among the people. Many officials, marquises, members of the imperial family, and princes residing in the Chang'an royal residence publicly denounced the crown prince and his faction.

The suppressed Confucian scholars infiltrated the movement, running around and advocating for the cause, waving flags and shouting slogans, trying to crush the Crown Prince and his faction into dust.

Chancellor Gongsun Hong was condemned by Confucian scholars as a sinner for all time. Lü Bushu, a Confucian scholar and a favorite disciple of Dong Zhongshu, denounced Gongsun Hong in front of the Xuanwu Gate and the Chancellor's residence as "disloyal, unkind, unrighteous, shameless, and unworthy of being a son," listing ten major crimes committed by Gongsun Hong.

First, seeing that the ruler is not virtuous, yet failing to offer any advice or remonstrance.

Second, because his only son was a threat to his life, he ruthlessly killed him.

Third, he used deception to advance his career and then stole the positions of the three highest officials.

Fourth, those who are jealous of the virtuous and capable will use others to kill them.

……

Pile pile pieces.

Gongsun Hong seems to be the greatest sinner of all time.

Neither Weiyang Palace nor the Prime Minister's residence made a move, letting Lü Bushu rant from day to night before leisurely leaving.

The repeated weakness of the emperor, the prime minister, the censor-in-chief, and others caused those who sensed the wind direction to waver with the wind.

Just as after the night in Chang'an, when the Crown Prince entered Weiyang Palace, they did not stop him but instead strongly urged him to ascend the throne. Now, some high-ranking officials, nobles, marquises, and members of the imperial clan, led by the cruel official Zuo Fengyi Yizong, have submitted a memorial requesting Your Majesty to return to court, return power to the former emperor, rectify the court, and set the record straight.

The reason is simple: compared to His Majesty, who is stained with the blood of the imperial family, the sovereign who wants to abandon the Han dynasty is obviously more sinful.

Throughout Chang'an, shouts and cries for "His Majesty to return to court" and "The Emperor to relinquish power" resounded constantly.

The Weiyang Palace and the Prime Minister's residence remained inactive, and the "weakness of the young lord" finally stirred up the most terrifying part of people's hearts.

Yi Zong used Zuo Fengyi's troops, disguised himself, and entered Chang'an City.

Zuo Fengyi was the capital region of Chang'an. Together with Jingzhao Yin and You Fufeng, it was known as the Three Auxiliary Regions, also called the "Three Qin," and was considered the "elbow and armpit" of Chang'an.

It is the last barrier of Chang'an City. If anything changes, it will be a serious threat. Now that the Northern and Southern armies are not here, the city is vulnerable. If anything changes, Chang'an will be in immediate danger.

In order to ensure the smooth entry of his troops into the city, Yi Zong contacted the Li family of Longxi and Li Ju, a general of the Southern Army. Li Ju would lead his troops into the city, and once inside, the troops would obey Li Ju's command to "eliminate the false dragon and welcome the true dragon."

Li Ju drank strong tea all night, carefully recalling the changes in the power of the Li family of Longxi in the army after the Crown Prince took power, and made up his mind at dawn.

They mobilized the last elite troops and confidants of the Li family in Longxi, and together with Zuo Fengyi's troops, a total of 3,000 men entered Chang'an City under the pretense of troop rotation and change of guard, heading towards Weiyang Palace with murderous intent.

The upheaval in Chang'an was repeated.

……

Weiyang Palace, Xuanshi Hall.

The officials of the Qilin Pavilion gathered in Chang'an.

When news of victory from the west and north reached the palace one after another, everyone knew that the farce was over!

(End of this chapter)