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

Chapter 190 Removal of Feudal Domains
Remove the crown and strip the king's robes.

Having lost their luster, Liu Pengzu, Liu Duan, Liu Ji, and Liu Shun were no different from commoners.

The same is true.

"Issue the edict."

"Good intention."

As Jiang Bo approached the imperial steps, the feudal lords, ministers, marquises, and members of the royal family from both the central and foreign dynasties bowed slightly, for the four kings had reached their end.

"Zhao King Liu Pengzu is cunning, treacherous, and sycophantic. He has framed state officials, repeatedly violated court taboos, and yet shows no remorse. He is loyal to unfounded rumors and has colluded with the Xiongnu, nearly endangering the Han dynasty. His crimes are unforgivable. Therefore, he is stripped of his title as a prince, removed from the imperial genealogy, and given a three-foot-long white silk ribbon to commit suicide!"

He was stripped of his royal title, removed from his clan, and ordered to commit suicide.

The princes and nobles were shocked.

Since the founding of the Han Dynasty, there had never been such a severe punishment for the Liu family princes.

The previous comparable figure was Liu Chang, the Prince of Huainan, who was arrogant and domineering during the reign of Emperor Xiaowen. He colluded with the leaders of the Xiongnu and Minyue to plot a rebellion, but the plot was exposed and he was arrested.

The court officials proposed that he be sentenced to death, but Emperor Xiaowen pardoned him, stripped him of his title of king, and exiled him to Yandao Qiongyou in Shu Commandery. On the way, Liu Chang starved himself to death.

However, Emperor Xiaowen and Prince Li of Huainan were brothers, while the Emperor and Prince Zhao were nephew and uncle. Even though Prince Zhao and His Majesty were brothers, there was still a layer of separation between them.

Stripping a title, exterminating a clan, and ordering someone to commit suicide—while severe, these measures were not entirely incomprehensible. However, the fact that this was the beginning of the massacre of princes of the same surname terrified countless people.

Liu Pengzu immediately fainted.

Liu Piqiang, the Minister of the Imperial Clan Court, ordered his subordinates to take him to the Imperial Clan Court prison and, after he woke up, to offer him a white silk noose.

"Liu Duan, the King of Jiaoxi, is cruel, tyrannical, and licentious. He has committed many misdeeds in his vassal state. Now he is involved in colluding with the Xiongnu. Although it was not intentional, he is not innocent. His crime is unforgivable. He is hereby stripped of his title of prince and imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court, never to be released again!"

Strip him of his royal title and imprison him until his death!
The princes remained silent, both unexpected and understandable. Liu Duan had committed countless atrocities during his more than twenty years in office.

Whenever officials who went to Jiaoxi to serve as chancellors or officials of the rank of two thousand shi (a unit of grain measure), if they governed the country in accordance with the laws of the Han Dynasty, Liu Duan would always find out their faults and report them to the court.

If no crime could be found, they would devise a scheme to kill them, and the methods of the schemes were so varied that they were impossible to guard against. Under Liu Duan's command, only Dong Zhongshu escaped.

Although Jiaoxi was a small country, the number of officials of the rank of two thousand shi who were killed or injured was no less than that of Zhao.

Normally, Liu Duan, relying on his impotence and lack of offspring, had no taboos and defied the imperial decrees, meddling in matters that were highly unacceptable to the world. Even after being discovered, he did not repent and intended to lead a group to deceive the emperor and force him to abdicate. His behavior was heinous, and his character was even more despicable. He should enjoy a punishment second only to Liu Pengzu.

However, given Liu Duan's personality, being imprisoned until death might be more painful and agonizing than dying outright.

Liu Duan also fainted.

As a member of the imperial family, he lacked the courage to commit suicide, but the thought of being imprisoned in a high wall where he would never see the light of day until his death filled him with indescribable fear.

Liu Piqiang, the Minister of the Imperial Clan Court, once again ordered his subordinates to carry the person from the Xuan Shi Hall into the Imperial Clan Court prison and keep a close watch on him.

“Liu Ji, the King of Jiaodong, has committed many illegal acts in his vassal state. When the King of Huainan rebelled, he prepared chariots and bows and arrows, intending to do something treacherous. Now he is also involved in colluding with the Xiongnu. He is ambitious and completely ignorant of the principles of loyalty and forgiveness.”

“Liu Shun, the Prince of Changshan, is arrogant and lazy, and has committed many licentious acts, repeatedly violating the law. Now he is involved in colluding with the Xiongnu. He is foolish and stupid, fearing the shadow of evil deeds.” “He shall be stripped of his title as a prince and reduced to a commoner. He shall be sent to the Prince’s residence in Chang’an to cultivate his character, study and understand principles. He shall not leave without an imperial edict.”

He was stripped of his royal title and confined to the royal residence.

The punishment was reduced by one level.

What intrigued the princes was that Chang'an City previously only had the Imperial Residence, so when was a "Royal Residence" built?
But it wasn't a big deal. With the conversion of Jianzhang Palace, Gui Palace, Bei Palace, and Mingguang Palace into Hua Mansions, any one of the tens of thousands of Hua Mansions could be used as a "prison".

Life saved.

And beyond fate, there is nothing.

Liu Ji and Liu Shun, unsure whether to feel fortunate or sorrowful, knelt and kowtowed, saying, "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty!"

They were stripped of their titles and confined to their quarters. The Imperial Clan Court no longer needed to supervise them; the palace guards entered the palace and took them away.

He was granted the title of prince four times in a row.

The atmosphere in the main hall was so oppressive it was terrifying.

Grand Censor Zhang Tang was still not satisfied. When he stood in the center of the hall again, the other twelve princes were clearly panicked.

Now that things have come to this, even the most obtuse princes can see that the Emperor intends to withdraw the vassal states and integrate them into the Han Dynasty to consolidate power. As the sharpest blade in the Emperor's hand, it is not hard to guess what Zhang Tang will do next.

The charges against the feudal lords were presented!

Previously, when Zhao Ren Jiang Qi entered the capital, he publicized the numerous crimes of the feudal lords. However, the emperor and the court never investigated the matter. After a brief period of unease, the feudal lords thought that the emperor had let them off the hook. Little did they expect that it was not just that the accounts were not being dropped, but that the final accounts would be settled.

With overwhelming momentum, how can we turn the tide?
"Your Majesty, as the princes and vassal kings have come to the capital to pay homage, rumors about them have spread throughout Chang'an and even the whole country. Since this involves the dignity of the imperial family, I dare not make any arbitrary decisions. Therefore, I dispatched an imperial censor to investigate the matter directly. Now I am reporting the facts to Your Majesty."

Zhang Tang took out a memorial and held it above his head. "Liu Jian, the King of Zichuan, has committed slander and instigation; Liu Hu, the King of Jibei, has been arrogant, lawless, and deceitful to the emperor; Liu Pengli, the King of Chengyang, has killed countless people and committed numerous evils... Liu Zhu, the King of Chu, has indulged in pleasure and neglected state affairs. The above twelve kings have run rampant in the court and the country, and their misdeeds are well known. They should not be tolerated by the law."

Liu Ju did not read it, but instead had Jiang Bo distribute it to high-ranking officials, marquises, and members of the imperial family both inside and outside the court for review.

Of the twelve kings, all except for King Liu Zhu of Chu and King Liu Ji of Hejian had committed obvious crimes.

Indulging in pleasure and neglecting state affairs, leaving the affairs of vassal states to the prime minister, and spending his days in revelry—this was how Liu Zhu and Liu Ji put the Han emperor and the court at ease, demonstrating that they had no disloyal intentions, no ambition, and no desire for power.

This inevitably led to laziness and inaction in governance. The delays caused some unrest and civil unrest that should not have occurred. Among the sixteen vassal states of the Han Dynasty, the states of Chu and Hejian were among the most notorious for theft.

Apart from that, the King of Chu and the King of Hejian did not commit any illegal acts. As for the ten kings, including Liu Jian, the King of Zichuan, Liu Hu, the King of Jibei, and Liu Pengli, the King of Chengyang, none of them spared the people of their vassal states. The law of the king truly became the law in their mouths.

"You are all the flesh and blood of Emperor Gao, and my relatives. I gave you some words beforehand, which can be considered as a prior warning. Now your sins are heinous. Tell me, what should I do?" Liu Ju looked at the princes and sighed.

Isn't this "pre-arranged statement" a bit too late?
The feudal lords, disregarding their inner grievances, all left their embroidered stools and knelt on the ground, saying, "We are guilty!"

The leading King of Chu suddenly remembered the secret letter from his uncle, the Minister of the Imperial Clan, and in that instant, he seemed to understand everything. He knelt down and stepped forward, saying:

"Your subject voluntarily submits to the three guards of the Prince's Palace and enters the Prince's residence in Chang'an to cultivate his character, study, and understand principles!"

(End of this chapter)