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

Chapter 232 Proclamation to the Temple
A rare blizzard buried Qin Chuan.

Thunder rumbled and crashed across the sky, while massive snowflakes poured down, blanketing the mountains and rivers and burying the plains.

An endless series of booming and crackling sounds arose from the depths of the sky, like continuous war drums, making people tremble.

The four gate towers of Chang'an, which overlooked Guanzhong, were instantly engulfed in a vast snow fog.

The rolling blue waves of the Wei River, which was more than nine miles wide, were quickly blocked by a blizzard and turned into a flat plain.

The Jing River, Ba River, Feng River, Chan River, Hao River, Yu River, and Luo River were all sculpted and sealed by snow in the morning light, and the majestic southern mountains and the verdant northern slopes were covered by an endless white curtain.

The terrifying thunderstorm terrified countless people in Guanzhong, as the saying goes: "Winter thunder and snow, graves everywhere," and "Thunder and snow, people eat iron."

The common people did not know why heaven and earth had suddenly become angry, and could only look worriedly at the boundless snow curtain, praying for heaven's forgiveness.

Weiyang Palace, Xuanshi Hall.

The ministers and officials who participated in government and political affairs, as well as the high-ranking officials, nobles, and members of the imperial family from both the central and foreign courts, received the imperial edict and arrived despite the thunder and blizzard.

Then came the shocking news that weapons had been found at the almost forgotten tomb of the retired emperor. Before the princes and ministers could even recover, an even more shocking piece of news came out: the weapons were from the palace guards.

According to various reports, His Majesty's gatekeeper killed someone at the tomb of the retired emperor, staining the land of the Han Dynasty with blood!
The princes and ministers were filled with awe. Your Majesty is truly too filial!
Former Imperial Censor Li Cai bought and sold vacant land at Emperor Xiaojing's Yangling Mausoleum, and also disturbed the tomb of the retired Emperor. The princes and ministers thought that His Majesty was very harsh on the living, but they did not expect that His Majesty would not even spare the dead, even his own father and ancestors.

The story of Liyang City being the birthplace of the Shang and Qin dynasties, and the claim that the retired emperor guarded it with his life to ensure the Han dynasty's longevity, is a matter of debate. No one knows whether it's true or not, but most of the emperors and ministers preferred to believe it rather than dismiss it. Unexpectedly, Your Majesty has proven with your actions that it was all just the ignorance of the world.

The court officials were abuzz with discussion, and Liu Ju simply showed the memorial submitted by the commander of the Wannian Mausoleum Guard, along with the blood-stained iron arrowhead of the gatekeeper, to the officials in the outer and inner courts, thus confirming the rumors.

"The tomb of the Retired Emperor has been struck by a great evil, disturbing the peaceful and auspicious burial ground of the Retired Emperor for ten thousand years. This is truly due to the unfilial conduct of his descendants. I should have immediately gone to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to offer sacrifices and apologize to my ancestors..."

As soon as Liu Ju spoke, he set the tone for the matter, and the princes and ministers of both dynasties immediately fell silent, their minds echoing with the four words, "to apologize at the Imperial Ancestral Temple."

The Rites of Zhou states: "When the Son of Heaven is about to go out, he makes offerings to the Supreme God, sacrifices to the six ancestral temples, and observes the rites at the mountains and rivers, and also visits all his ministers. When he goes on a hunting trip, he travels there; when he stays there, he resides there."

Since ancient times, the emperor, as the master of the state, had to offer sacrifices to the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the various temples, and the Altar of the State before his imperial tours. The Grand Sacrificer presided over the offering of sacrifices and implemented a tiered sacrificial system for famous mountains and rivers such as the Five Sacred Mountains and the Four Great Rivers. The emperor personally offered sacrifices to the major mountains and rivers, while the emperor appointed historians to offer sacrifices to the minor mountains and rivers with silk and coins. The former was called "personal sacrifice" and the latter was called "historical sacrifice," which together constituted the two major sacrificial rites of China.

The official in charge of reporting the matter shall use sacrificial animals; the historian shall use coins.

Whether it was a personal proclamation or a historical proclamation, it was mostly a monarch making a proclamation to the gods of heaven and earth, and to his ancestors, recounting his civil and military achievements.

On rare occasions, it was also used for "punishing rebellion," such as when Tang of Shang was about to attack Jie, he announced to Heaven: "I, Tang, a humble man, dare to use a black bull and dare to solemnly announce to the Emperor. The Shang dynasty reveres white and has not changed the rites of the Xia dynasty, therefore a black bull is used. I dare not pardon the guilty, and I, as a minister of the Emperor, do not conceal my crimes, for they are already recorded in the Emperor's heart. I, as a minister of the Emperor, dare not hide my crimes, for they are already recorded in the Emperor's heart. If I am guilty, I cannot blame the people of the land; if the people of the land are guilty, the guilt lies with me."

No monarch has ever taken the initiative to go to the ancestral temple to express remorse to the gods of heaven and earth and to review the state of affairs.

This was even more powerful than an edict of self-reproach.

The edict of self-reproach was only for the living to see, while the confession at the Imperial Ancestral Temple was seen by both the dead and the living.

Using this punishment as a ritual for a monarch to reflect on serious mistakes, calamities, or misfortunes is undeniably creative. If this matter were unrelated to His Majesty or any imperial relatives, and a murder were to occur in the capital, the crown prince might indeed deserve to "appeal for punishment at the Imperial Ancestral Temple."

Unfortunately, this matter was handled by Your Majesty's gatekeeper, or even Your Majesty's intention. Therefore, it would be inappropriate for the Emperor to apologize to the Imperial Ancestral Temple, but it would be very appropriate for Your Majesty to do so.

The expressions of the princes and ministers all underwent subtle changes.

Liu Ju continued, "However, it is even more important to pursue the most heinous criminals and restore peace to this land for ten thousand years. What do you all think?"

The sound falls.

Without hesitation, Chancellor Gongsun Hong praised the Emperor, saying, "Your Majesty's wisdom and understanding are unparalleled!"

"Your Majesty is truly wise and sagacious!" The princes and ministers, realizing the gap between themselves and the old prime minister, hurriedly echoed the emperor's praise.

"Who among you is capable of undertaking the great task of apprehending the most heinous criminals?" Liu Ju asked again.

This time, even the Imperial Censor Zhang Tang and the Minister of Justice Bian Tong, along with other princes and ministers, all looked towards the ranks of officials in the central court, focusing their attention on figures such as Grand Master Er Kuan and Doctor of Classics Chu Da.

Regardless of whether the actions of the gatekeeper were Your Majesty's intention or not, the breaking of the earth on this auspicious site will inevitably incur the charge of "desecrating the ancestors" on Your Majesty's part. Your Majesty must make the trip to the ancestral temple to apologize, as the Emperor has stated.

The courtiers who take over this post will not only have to get His Majesty to hand over all the murderers, but will also have to "invite" His Majesty to apologize at the Imperial Ancestral Temple. This is by no means a good job.

With things having come to this, Er Kuan had no choice but to steel himself and walk into the center of the hall, explaining, "Your Majesty, the arrowheads can be faked; they are not necessarily made by the gatekeeper..."

"Did I say it was Qimen Lang who did it?" Liu Ju interrupted Er Kuan's words.

Erkuan stood frozen in place. What did the Lord mean by this?
It's obvious, yet no specific gatekeeper is designated. Could it be that the Emperor doesn't want to involve His Majesty in this matter?
"It seems you have made considerable achievements in the art of forging. In that case, this matter will be entrusted to the Grand Master to find the true culprit and ensure that no one is left behind!"

Liu Ju's next words made Er Kuan feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave: the real culprit was Qi Menlang, and not a single one of them should be spared. The one who fired the arrow in Wan Nian Ji Rang should not be spared, along with his family.

The saying "Those who wage war against imperial tombs will be executed" is not just a figure of speech.

One should not have had any hope for His Majesty's affairs. By confessing one's sins at the ancestral temple, His Majesty is trying to confirm that His Majesty is unfilial.

First came the edict of self-reproach, and now there is the creation of an even higher ancestral temple to confess one's sins. Your Majesty has committed a series of grave offenses and lost all your authority. Is Your Majesty now planning to take the final step?
The reasons for deposing an emperor could be immorality, violation of etiquette, incompetence, lack of divine favor, manipulation by relatives or powerful ministers, treason or rebellion, etc. Being unfilial and immoral is definitely the most shameful one!
Er Kuan raised his head and met Shao Long's cold eyes. Those calm and indifferent eyes revealed nothing.

Looking up at the king, he intended to assassinate him, but the young lord clearly had no intention of taking it personally. The trip to Ganquan Palace was unavoidable.

Zhang Tang shouted, "Grand Master, why haven't you received the imperial decree yet?"

"The minister obeys the order!"

(End of this chapter)