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

Chapter 225 Restoration
A message quickly spread among the upper echelons of Chang'an.

The Crown Prince, the Chancellor, and the two Grand Marshals and Generals held secret talks for two days and nights, preparing for a major war against the Han Dynasty!

Throughout the history of the Han Dynasty, apart from a few coups involving the execution of kings of different surnames, the Lü clan, and the Rebellion of the Seven States, there were almost no major coups. Long-term domestic stability and foreign wars complemented each other; wars strengthened stability, and stability ultimately won the wars of today.

After the great achievements of the Han Dynasty, the powerful nobles had a premonition of an earth-shattering change and also foresaw the small meeting in the Xuan Shi Hall. However, when the emperor issued more than a dozen edicts through the Prime Minister's Office without consulting the courts of both the central and foreign courts, the nobles still felt great panic, spread the news, and discussed it among themselves.

Among the various decrees, two things attracted the most attention and had the greatest impact: the relocation order and the audit.

Previously, the emperor of the Han Dynasty would only issue an edict after ascending the throne, ordering the wealthy families of the land to relocate to the location of the emperor's mausoleum. Now, they don't even bother with the formalities. Without a crown prince to ascend the throne, they directly issued the relocation order and started robbing people.

Choose one from the mausoleums of the Five Emperors or the magnificent palaces of the Four Emperors.

The former could also receive 200,000 coins as "demolition compensation" from the imperial court, while the latter seemed to have higher demolition compensation, with the imperial court giving 300,000 coins as compensation. However, this money could not be received directly, but was instead deducted from the new mansion in the form of "prefecture tickets," and wealthy families would have to pay an additional 2.7 million coins.

No, the imperial court disregarded their wishes, forcibly demolished their mansions, and now expects them to spend millions of dollars to buy new ones.
Imagine this: they sold their original land and houses cheaply to the local government or the imperial court, obtained a sum of money, moved all the way to Chang'an to live, and before they could even enjoy the money from the sale, they had to return it to the imperial court, and might even have to pay out of pocket. This is outright robbery! Do these bastards have no justice?
Of course!
Both Zhang Tang and the Embroidered-Robe Censor could provide an explanation of the law, which is the law of the sovereign!

The Emperor could have seized power like His Majesty, but he gave him a magnificent mansion in Chang'an. Isn't that merciful enough?
You are merciful... The powerful and wealthy families are full of complaints. Your Majesty's rule is like cutting flesh with a big knife, while the ruler's rule is like bleeding with a small knife. What does your mercy have to do with the Liu family monarchs?

Countless powerful and wealthy people wanted to resist, but they were suffocated by the words "Edict of the Crown Prince of the Great Han Dynasty" on the imperial edict.

Power and wealth form a vast web. Wealth does not necessarily equate to power, but power certainly brings wealth. Local powerful families and clans have intricate connections with the imperial court. For a time, countless envoys braved wind and snow to travel between Chang'an and the provinces, trying to find a way to avoid being relocated.

But it was all in vain. By the time of the Emperor, the Han Dynasty had been relocated for six generations, and everything was very well-organized. During the Yuanshuo era, even the famous hero Guo Jie could not escape the result of his entire family being relocated. He pleaded with General Wei Qing and even with His Majesty, but ended up being killed and his clan exterminated.

While wealthy families were buzzing with gossip, almost everyone who had served or had served as an official during His Majesty's reign, along with their families, panicked upon seeing the imperial edict ordering a thorough investigation of the court's revenue and expenditure accounts from the first year of the Jianyuan era to the second year of the Yuanshou era!
In twenty years, the Han Dynasty spent the 100 million taels of gold that Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing had spent during their reigns. It is true that His Majesty was arrogant, extravagant, and licentious, and it is also true that he was warlike and aggressive. It is also true that the cruel officials during the reign of the cruel officials were just as greedy as they were stealing oil.

A single main beam of a palace transported from the southwestern barbarians to the capital could fetch up to 100 taels of gold at its peak, and a single palace could command a price of up to 10,000 taels of gold at its highest. These all occurred during His Majesty's reign.

Although the Han Dynasty had not yet conquered the southwestern barbarians and was in a period of unrecovered territory, transporting timber was difficult and costly. However, when it comes to timber beams worth hundreds of gold coins and palaces worth tens of thousands of gold coins, once it is weighed, it weighs over a thousand pounds.

It is true that His Majesty exploits everyone equally, but those in power and the wealthy may not be able to transfer all the exploitation, but they do have ways to transfer some of it.

Those who wield great power steal from the national treasury, while those who hold minor official positions exploit the people.

In order to maintain their high positions, to please the emperor, and to benefit their descendants... apart from a few ruthless officials like Zhang Tang, all the ruthless officials in the world are stealing the country and harming the people.

Once you investigate, everything is over.

All sorts of discussions and developments in Chang'an were promptly reported to the Ganquan Palace by officials of the central court. Ever since the small gatherings in the Xuan Shi Hall, where they talked day and night, Er Kuan and Chu Da were completely captivated.

The grievances, embarrassments, and resentment of the wealthy and powerful families across the land converged, forming a persistent dark cloud over Chang'an. If this continued, the entire Han Dynasty would be shrouded in this cloud.

The ruler was still young and impatient, and did not understand the principle of gradual progress. He had just established a great achievement for all ages, and he wanted to coerce the rich and powerful of the world, completely unaware of the source of his power.

Without the patronage of the powerful and wealthy, there would be no such thing as a Son of Heaven or a chosen one. Everyone has only two ears, one nose, and one life, just as Chen Sheng and Wu Guang said: "Are kings, nobles, generals, and ministers born with a special destiny?"

Time seems to be running out for Your Majesty. It is time for you to return.

……

In winter, the mountains around Ganquan Palace are covered with frost and ice, and the trees are covered with layers of icicles, making them look like "jade trees and branches".

Above the ice and snow, the Tongtiantai, perched atop the main peak of Mount Li, appears even more mysterious and magnificent.

Two astrologers set up twelve stone incense tables around the high platform, according to the positions of the stars, which is the same as the "Zhou Li" which states that "the lands of the nine provinces are distinguished by the stars and the land, and the fiefdoms are all of great importance, so as to observe omens and signs."

The three stars of Jiao, Kang, and Di—Yanzhou.

The two stars, Fang and Xin, represent Yuzhou.

The stars Tail and Winnowing Basket represent Youzhou.

The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl – Yangzhou.

The two stars, Xu and Wei, represent Qingzhou.

Ying Shi, Dong Bi—Bingzhou.

Kui, Lou, and Wei are three stars—Xuzhou.

The two stars Pleiades and Bi – Jizhou.

Dongjing, Yugui—Yongzhou.

Beidou – the world's rivers, lakes, and seas.

From the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods onward, this division became too crude, so astrologers made a new, more detailed division, which led to the creation of the Twenty-Eight Mansions.

According to this division of celestial spheres, the two scholars set up the main altar for sacrificial rites under the Venus star to the west of the observatory. On the altar were prepared sacrifices: three heads of cattle, sheep and pigs, washed and shaved white and tied with thick red ribbons, stood proudly in a large bronze plate, and the fragrance of their sacrifices permeated the high platform.

The actual observatory in the center was surrounded by yellow curtains, and only the sound of flags fluttering at the top reminded people of its mysterious mission.

"You two scholars have worked hard." Liu Che walked over.

The two scholars, one tall and thin and the other short and stout, bowed respectfully. The tall and thin scholar replied, "Your Majesty, we two need to first regulate our breathing and spirits. We will observe the stars at midnight tonight. If there are any omens, we will then discuss them with Your Majesty."

Liu Che respectfully cupped his hands and said, "I too shall sincerely revere Heaven and seek your guidance again at midnight."

(End of this chapter)