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

Chapter 219 Dragon Head
The cold wind chills to the bone, and snowflakes dance in the air.

The Xuan Shi Hall was so warm that there was no trace of the bleakness of winter.

Just as Wei Qing was about to prepare the drink, the strength in his hand vanished in an instant, the bowl tipped over, and the strong tea spilled everywhere.

Huo Qubing's life was also far from peaceful.

It is understandable that the imperial court would crack down on and even eliminate powerful figures such as princes, officials, local magnates, gentry, and wandering knights.

High-ranking officials and nobles used their power to disrupt the central government, while powerful local gentry and chivalrous figures used force to disrupt the local areas. Faced with the laws of the Han Dynasty, these people either held the power of interpretation or engaged in loophole-exploiting schemes, so it was only right that they were dealt a heavy blow.

But is Your Majesty also among those to be eliminated?

Is His Majesty preparing to formally end His Majesty's reign and elevate him to the position of Emperor Emeritus?

Wei Qing and Huo Qubing felt a chill run down their spines.

Liu Ju did not answer the questioning looks from his uncle and elder brother. He straightened the overturned bowl and poured tea back into it.

"General, Marquis of Champion".

Gongsun Hong recalled the original positions and titles of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, and said in a calm tone, "We, the four of us, the emperor and his ministers, must clearly realize that there has always been a force opposing the new policies of the emperor in the Han court and among the people. Those princes, officials, powerful merchants, gentry, knights-errant, and even bandits who have been harmed by the reforms have all gathered around Your Majesty to oppose the emperor's rule. In order to seek restoration, Your Majesty can be said to have accepted all kinds of people and harbored all kinds of evil!"

This is an objective fact.

The imperial court thwarted countless open and covert schemes, and arrested and killed countless people, but all of these people pointed to one direction.

Emperor Liu Che of the Han Dynasty!

“For a subject to speak of his ruler in this way is disloyal, but when he sees the emperor, a subject cannot help but say that Your Majesty is the source of all conspiracies.”

Gongsun Hong finally uttered those words.

It directly points out that His Majesty is the mastermind behind all the conspiracies and intrigues.

right?

Correct!
Although many of the conspiracies and schemes did not originate from Your Majesty, Your Majesty has protected or attempted to protect those who employ these conspiracies and schemes to oppose and distort the new policies of the Emperor.

From the perspective of the imperial court and the power structure, the old forces that suffered under the new policies of the emperor, under the banner of the "emperor's faction," had a serious and far-reaching negative impact on the Han Dynasty.

The Emperor was an extremely special genius in power. His great talent and strategy went beyond ordinary civil and military achievements in expanding territory. He was also able to calmly guide an unprecedented upheaval out of the midst of turmoil. His powerful wisdom and skillful maneuvering steadily prevented any potentially life-altering bloodshed from happening, ensuring that the Han regime was firmly controlled in the hands of the "Three Iron Ladders." He successfully forced the old Han nobles, including His Majesty, to "retire" completely in the new policies.

The ruler skillfully removed the obstacles that hindered the Prime Minister's office from issuing political orders, and the General's office and the Guard General's office from issuing military orders, thus smoothly concentrating power step by step.

After the Prime Minister's Office regained its power, it fully displayed the solemnity and overwhelming power of a great change in history, and the two generals' offices that regained and seized power also won an unprecedented victory.

However, the emperor always adopted a cold approach to the convergence of dangerous people and forces—if you don't jump, I won't move; I'll strike back later. This was once considered "weak" by the ministers in the court who were trying to overthrow the regime.

Huo Qubing showed his urgency and said bluntly, "Old Prime Minister, you might as well make your point clearer."

"Eliminate the dangerous forces!" Gongsun Hong solemnly declared.

As his death day drew nearer, and the Three Iron Ladders were nearing their end, he clearly couldn't care less about anything else. Wei Qing was deeply moved.

If this sentence is still not clear, it can be simplified to: "The Great Han Dynasty has de-emphasized His Majesty's influence."

These forces, fueled by hatred, frustration, and depression, sought to take their lives, and also to end the political life of the figurehead of all these dangerous forces, "His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Han." When these people and forces disappeared, the remaining forces naturally melted away in the general trend of the court and the country.

"Perhaps the way the old prime minister intends to eliminate the danger is not entirely in accordance with regulations?" Wei Qing asked, looking at Gongsun Hong.

Gongsun Hong paused for a moment, then stood up, leaning on the embroidered stool. He knelt down, lifting his robe, and said, "Your Majesty, I beg you to settle accounts with Your Majesty for all the extravagance and mistakes during your reign, and to announce this to the world!"

The eaves drip water generation after generation, and the new official doesn't investigate the previous official's accounts.

This is a corrupt practice in officialdom.

This is also the consensus of all those in power.

After all, no one wants to retire and return to their hometown only to be imprisoned the next day.

The previous system of indefinite accountability broke with outdated practices, causing great concern among officials, nobles, and members of the imperial family in both Chinese and foreign dynasties.

But they stopped there.

At higher levels, the Han imperial family was still not held accountable, even though the vassal kings were removed from their fiefdoms and brought into Han territory; most of their crimes were recent offenses.

No one dared to mention the mistakes of the Han emperor, for he was the sovereign and father, and how could his subjects criticize him?

Once the emperor's mistakes are exposed, it will inevitably affect the dignity of the emperor and may cause turmoil to the Liu family regime of the Han Dynasty.

This is one of the things that the Liu family monarchs absolutely could not tolerate.

The ruler was also a member of the Liu family.

Wei Qing and Huo Qubing turned pale upon hearing this and fell silent on the spot.

Liu Ju tapped the tea table three times, then looked at Gongsun Hong kneeling on the ground. "Does the Prime Minister think that I find the throne too secure?"

"No, I believe this land does not yet belong to Your Majesty!"

Gongsun Hong raised his head, met Xiang Shaolong's gaze, and said something shocking: "As long as Your Majesty does not abdicate, this country will not belong to you. What Your Majesty has now are the people of the world, and what I am advising is the means to make Your Majesty abdicate."

His Majesty will not abdicate voluntarily! Never!
Once people have tasted power, they will never let go of it, and they will not even be willing to let go until death, let alone imperial power.

Gongsun Hong believed that no matter how many methods the emperor used, or how many people around the emperor were killed, making the emperor a "tyrant," the emperor would not give up the imperial power, much less abdicate; this was human nature.

The current ruler possesses the "inner qualities" of an emperor, but lacks the "outer qualities." The empire and the divine artifacts are two separate things; when combined, the ruler becomes the true supreme sovereign.

As long as His Majesty’s extravagance and cruelty during his reign are exposed, countless subjects will spontaneously “attack” the Ganquan Palace. Even if His Majesty is unwilling, he will have to issue an edict to repent. After that, he can lead officials from both the central and foreign dynasties and the common people of the nine provinces to submit a memorial requesting His Majesty to assume the throne as the Supreme Emperor!

The emperor built the Qilin Pavilion, but did not mention who the head of the pavilion was, or rather, who the head of the meritorious officials was. In the court and among the people, the names of Gongsun Hong, Wei Qing, and Huo Qubing were all mentioned. Gongsun Hong was a man who did not admit defeat. Even with two powerful "competitors", he still wanted to fight to see who was the "head of the meritorious officials who followed the emperor"!
Wei Qing and Huo Qubing suddenly realized that they could no longer trust any veteran officials, past, present, or future who requested to retire or avoid responsibility due to old age.

He's 81 years old, and he can still work this hard?
(End of this chapter)