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

Chapter 211 Ancient Prime Minister
"Gongsun Hong?"

Liu Che gritted his teeth and said.

This white-robed prime minister was someone he personally promoted.

Before Gongsun Hong, almost all appointments of prime ministers in the Han Dynasty followed the principle of seniority, with those who were either meritorious officials or descendants of meritorious officials taking office with the title of marquis.

Gongsun Hong was the first person to be appointed prime minister before being granted a marquisate. This was undoubtedly the result of the emperor's efforts to overcome public opinion, with the intention of diminishing the influence and monopoly of the founding meritorious officials in the court.

Ultimately, it was to achieve the goal of absolute power, to be the only one who reigned supreme in heaven and on earth.

During the two years that Gongsun Hong first served as prime minister to Marquis Bao, this prime minister, who was skilled at forbearance, could be said to have been compliant in everything.

Whether it was implementing a cruel bureaucratic system in the court or establishing the inner and outer court system to weaken the power of the prime minister, Gongsun Hong always showed a compliant attitude, which made Liu Che very satisfied.

However, all of this changed after the succession ceremony, specifically regarding the appointment of the Crown Prince's tutor.

Empress Wei Zifu was made empress, Wei Qing was made general, Huo Qubing was made general, Gongsun He was made minister of the imperial stables... The power of the Wei family as imperial relatives often woke Liu Che in the middle of the night, making him involuntarily recall the fear of being dominated by the Dou and Tian families as imperial relatives.

Then, he made a decision that defied convention: he found two incompetent but virtuous men throughout the land and prepared to replace the Chancellor of the Han Dynasty as tutors to the Crown Prince.

Liu Che's idea was simple: he couldn't allow the generals and ministers to be gathered in the Crown Prince's palace, lest he be sidelined years later.

At the same time, in order to conceal his thoughts and his inner unease and fear, he gave the crown prince many admonitions, proving to the world how "incompetent" the crown prince was.

The phrase "the son is not like his father" appeared intentionally.

Unexpectedly, the humiliated crown prince turned on him. After arriving at the Northern Army's camp and ensuring his own safety, he immediately threatened the "teacher" chosen by his emperor and father.

His first words were, "Your bodies and your clans will be exterminated," which terrified Marquis Zhuang Qingzhai of Wuqiang and Shi Qing, the youngest son of Lord Wanshi, causing one to fall seriously ill and the other to hang himself. No noble or high-ranking official in the land dared to become the Crown Prince's tutor.

Gongsun Hong no longer submitted to the emperor and gradually moved closer to the crown prince's palace until he completely sided with it. To this day, although he no longer holds the title of crown prince's tutor, he has the reality of being the crown prince's tutor.

The Crown Prince even reinstated Gongsun Hong as "Grand Tutor" and bestowed upon him additional titles.

The relationship between ruler and subject was harmonious, and the relationship between teacher and student was kind and respectful. The world looked up to them, and they became a model for future generations.

The question is, what is he?
Liu Che asked himself honestly, and he had done nothing wrong. Weakening the power of the prime minister, weakening the influence of the maternal relatives, weakening the power of the crown prince's palace... wasn't this what a qualified emperor should do?

Why did things become like this?

The crown prince's foundation lay in the Northern Army, and in Wei Qing and Huo Qubing.

The power of the imperial court was concentrated in the Prime Minister's office, and in the hands of Gongsun Hong and Zhang Tang.

These are the Crown Prince's right and left arms.

The Crown Prince's military power would be unshakeable as long as either Wei Qing or Huo Qubing, uncle and nephew who had just made great contributions, lived.

If we want to act, we must act together, seeking an opportunity for Wei Qing and Huo Qubing to die together, but that is too difficult.

On the other hand, the imperial court is old and greedy, so they can be used.

First, cut off the Crown Prince's arm; then, by launching a counterattack against the court and seizing the initiative, he can gain the moral high ground, and then settle scores with the military generals. A shrewd and experienced strategist.

"How to kill?"

"Your Majesty, there are two methods of execution."

Dong Zhongshu spoke calmly, his thoughts not entirely the same as His Majesty's. The important reason why he believed in plotting against the Prime Minister before plotting against the Emperor was that Gongsun Hong was alive. The Confucian methods of supporting and slaying the emperor were useless, as Gongsun Hong could dismantle all the strategies the Emperor had to employ.

Gongsun Hong foiled his scheme to slay the dragon.

When it comes to scheming to slay a dragon, the "shared merit system" is a ready-made example.

Killing Gongsun Hong would not only conceal our secrets but also reduce the time the ruler has to think about the problem, thus decreasing the possibility of a desperate counterattack.

Furthermore, Dong Zhongshu also had to admit that jealousy played a part. In this dynasty, he was the foremost Confucian scholar, yet all his glory had been stolen by that old scoundrel Gongsun Hong.

Gongsun Hong sold Confucianism for a good price, acquiring the title of "ancient virtuous prime minister" and embodying the perfect scholar-official image of the ancient sages who "cultivated himself, governed the state, regulated his family, and brought peace to the world."

What makes Gongsun Hong so virtuous that his virtue will endure for thousands of years?
Dong Zhongshu noticed the change in his mindset and managed to calm himself down. "First, Gongsun Hong may be invincible, but the Gongsun family is not."

Gongsun Hong's mere presence could cover the entire field, but the mere presence of a member of the Gongsun family could keep people talking for a lifetime.

The saying "a tiger father, a dog son, and a dog grandson" is not just a figure of speech.

"Before the night of the incident in Chang'an, I had already established contact with Gongsun Hong's son, Gongsun Du. It is regrettable that, in order to curry favor with the emperor, Gongsun Hong ruthlessly made Gongsun Du disappear on the eve of the incident. His fate is unknown. Even if he is alive, given Gongsun Hong's methods, he would not give the world a chance to find him. However, no matter how ruthless Gongsun Hong is, he could not make the entire Gongsun family disappear. Gongsun Hong's grandson, Gongsun Qing, is even worse than Gongsun Du."

Dong Zhongshu spoke slowly.

If an individual can be clean, whether genuinely clean or cleaned through means, how can an entire family be clean?
The higher the position and power of a family, the less likely it is to be clean. There are too many temptations around them, and if they are not careful, they will fall into other people's traps.

Wealth, lust, wine, and passion are all human desires. In the past, Gongsun Hong and Gongsun Du kept an eye on him, and that "rabbit grandson" behaved very well. However, after Gongsun Du disappeared, the busy affairs of state and the trivial matters of family made the aging Gongsun Hong gradually lose his strength. His ability to control his grandson and clansmen was slowly declining.

"Your Majesty can secretly order the dissolute sons of the Grand Princess's residence, Princess Pingyang's residence, marquises, and members of the imperial clan to make more contact with Gongsun Qing and other members of the Gongsun family and lure them into a trap."

"It would be difficult to influence Gongsun Hong by relying on these members of the Gongsun family, wouldn't it?"

"Your Majesty, the deaths of Gongsun Qing and his clansmen can be accomplished."

Dong Zhongshu had no intention of playing the long game, just like Gongsun Du, who eventually lost his line. "The rule of a wise ruler is not the politics of cruel officials, but it is to punish all those who break the law, and to punish both the king and the common people equally. If the Gongsun family members commit serious crimes, even if the ruler can bring himself to do it, and Gongsun Hong can be ruthless, how can the world see that?"

You are like a green mountain, and your virtue is like a pine or cypress.
May my wealth and honor last a lifetime?
He wanted to see whether the ruler would fulfill his promise or ruthlessly enforce the laws of the Han Dynasty if all members of the Gongsun family were guilty.

Regardless of how it is handled, as the elder of the state and the head of the family, how should Gongsun Hong face the people of the world at that time?
If he could be so angry he'd die, he'd be laughing in his sleep.

The perpetrators did not extend their wrath to the family members, but Dong Zhongshu set his sights on the Gongsun family.

Insidious and despicable.

(End of this chapter)