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

Chapter 21 Thick Barrier

In Chang'an, autumn rain poured down.

Two pairs of leather boots climbed the steps in the rain.

The autumn sky is clear and the air is crisp, which should be a pleasant climate, but Guanzhong is like this. More than a month of continuous rain has made the area inside and outside the city slippery and difficult to walk on.

The leather boots landed on the steps, raindrops flying everywhere, making a clanging and clattering sound.

Huangmen Suwen was on duty in front of the palace when he saw the two people coming down the steps, soaked by the rain. He quickly led the young eunuchs to cover them with silk and greet them.

This scene is not fit for discussion in the palace.

While standing still, the two looked at Weiyang Palace in the deep rain and sighed in unison.

This residence of the emperor can be described as a magnificent palace thousands of feet high and a detached palace hundreds of feet high, with painted eaves like rolling waves and towering buildings like piled-up mountains.

At the beginning of the Han Dynasty, countless amounts of money and grain were used to build this magnificent palace, involving hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians. It was so glorious and magnificent. However, after only seventy years, the current emperor no longer cared about it and wanted to use millions of gold and millions of soldiers and civilians to build four new palaces.

"Lord Dong." Zhuang Zhu, the Grand Master of the Palace, showed no disdain for Dong Zhongshu's official position as Grand Historian with a salary of 600 shi (a unit of grain), and addressed him with respect.

In terms of scholarship, Dong Zhongshu was the best of his time; in terms of ability, he was able to serve as the prime minister of Jiaoxi for three years, surpassing countless others in the world.

Dong Zhongshu's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he respectfully said, "Grand Master."

But with that one word, Zhuang Zhu suddenly felt something had changed. He recalled how he, Dong Zhongshu, Gongsun Hong, Yuan Gusheng, Feng Tang, and others had competed together in the Chengming Hall behind him. How spirited Dong Zhongshu was back then, and how he boasted after the exam that he was the "classic" himself, and that "it's not a matter of whether His Majesty chooses me or not, but whether I should serve His Majesty." His magnificent spirit at that time made everyone admire him and admit their inferiority.

That was also Zhuang Zhu's longing and sigh during countless midnight awakenings.

Upon hearing "Master Dong" and "Grand Master Zhong," Zhuang Zhu's eyes welled up with tears for some reason.

"The position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat is currently vacant. Lord Dong, would you be willing to condescend to such a position?"

The official positions of the Han Dynasty have undergone a major "change in the political landscape" during the reign of His Majesty.

In the past, besides the emperor, the prime minister held real power in the central government. He assisted the emperor, managed government affairs, and had immense power. Not only did all officials obey him, but even the emperor had to treat him with great respect.

However, not all emperors were as tolerant as Emperor Gaozu. The conflict between imperial power and the power of the prime minister was self-evident, especially under the current emperor, when Tian Fen was prime minister and appointed officials, power shifted to the emperor, and the conflict between the emperor and his minister reached its peak.

In order to weaken the power of the prime minister and strengthen the imperial power, Your Majesty gradually formed the Inner Court and Outer Court by making important appointments to civil and military officials.

The outer court is also known as the outer palace, and the middle court is also known as the inner court.

There are generally two types of officials in the central court: one type is the so-called guests of the emperor. These people originally had no status in the court, but often participated in deliberations under the title of Attendant-in-Ordinary.

Another category consists of trusted ministers among the civil and military officials, such as the military officials Grand Marshal, Generals of the Front, Rear, Left, and Right, and the civil officials Grand Master of the Palace, Grand Master of the Palace, Grand Master of the Palace, and Minister, who were also given the titles of Attendant-in-Ordinary or Attendant-in-Ordinary, and together they formed the officials of the central court.

If we categorize and summarize, the three officials in the central government were: the general's staff, the Ministry of Personnel, and the Attendant-in-Ordinary, Vice Minister, and Censor-in-Chief, among others. Most of them held additional official positions, but their ranks were not high.

The Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, like the Grand Master of the Palace, belonged to the Imperial Household Department and was only a 600-stone official. However, compared to a 600-stone official like the Grand Historian of the Outer Court, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, a trusted minister of the emperor, represented far more power.

Zhuang Zhu did not want to see his old classmate, who possessed the talent of a king's advisor, surpassing even Yi Yin and Lü Shang, and whose advisors, like Guan Zhong and Yan Ying, were no match for him, sink into obscurity.

Dong Zhongshu's eyes lit up, then dimmed again. "Why would His Majesty use me?"

Seventeen years ago, his "Three Policies on Heaven and Man" shocked the world here and even profoundly influenced the government's policies in recent years. His "divine right of kings" and "dismissal of all other schools of thought and exclusive veneration of Confucianism" are also known to the world, but they have been maliciously misinterpreted by His Majesty.

The theory of divine right of kings states that only those appointed by Heaven can overthrow the previous dynasty and establish a new one. Emperor Gaozu was that appointed ruler, and the successor was also recognized by Heaven. This legally negates the legitimacy of the rebels, which Your Majesty would naturally be happy to accept.

However, His Majesty denied that the celestial phenomena and calamities were part of the emperor's immorality and a warning from Heaven, or part of "restraining imperial power."

The idea of ​​suppressing all other schools of thought and exclusively honoring Confucianism is a prime example. In the original text, he clearly stated that "all those not within the scope of the Six Arts and the teachings of Confucius should have their paths cut off and should not be allowed to advance together." His intention was to "honor the Six Classics," not to eradicate other schools of thought.

What Dong Zhongshu wanted was for Confucianism to stand out from the crowd, not for it to be the only one to excel. This was because the Confucianism he was good at, the Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals, was not the Confucianism of the pre-Qin period, but a new Confucianism that absorbed elements of Taoism, Yin-Yang and Five Elements Theory, and Legalism.

The stagnation of other schools of thought also eliminated the possibility of innovation for Confucianism. "Read a book a hundred times and its meaning will become clear." Dong Zhongshu clearly knew that stagnant learning would eventually lead to destruction.

His Majesty disregarded all these matters, condemning all schools of thought in one fell swoop, and further censoring Confucianism, retaining only the parts about loyalty, filial piety, and social order that were beneficial to ruling the people, while deleting everything else.

Dong Zhongshu could not foresee whether such Confucianism would remain a prominent school of thought, but he was certain that it would be sought after by all rulers and condemned by the people for generations to come!
If Dong Zhongshu were to be placed in a position of power, he would inevitably try to change this situation and undermine the foundation of the rule. How could Your Majesty allow that?
Zhuang Zhu looked at the person in front of him and said slowly but very clearly, "Master Dong, just answer whether you are willing or not. As for the rest, I will handle it."

Dong Zhongshu remained silent for a long time before saying with great emotion, "If Your Majesty employs me, I am willing to serve as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat."

"It's a word?"

"It's hard to chase a horse!"

The gentleman's agreement has been made.

Excitement gleamed in Zhuang Zhu's eyes.

"The Prime Minister has arrived!" a guard outside the palace announced in a long voice.

When Chancellor Gongsun Hong arrived, Zhuang Zhu and Dong Zhongshu, who were about to turn around and enter the hall, stopped in their tracks. They could vaguely see a palanquin being carried in the rain and several figures dressed in raincoats also heading towards Chengming Hall.

“We’re old acquaintances, let’s greet you.” Zhuang Zhu descended the steps, and Dong Zhongshu followed suit.

Although it was raining heavily and visibility was poor, the people on the other side gradually became clearer as they got closer. They were Gongsun Du, Zhang Tang, and other sons, students, and former officials of Prime Minister Gongsun.

Gongsun Hong, with his white beard and eyebrows, rode alone in the palanquin. Upon seeing Zhuang Zhu and Dong Zhongshu approaching, he hurriedly instructed Gongsun Du, who was following closely beside the palanquin, "Stop, quick, help me down."

With a smile as bright as a chrysanthemum, she walked towards Zhuang Zhu, showing no trace of the arrogance that threatened to execute him before the emperor.

(End of this chapter)