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

Chapter 235 Restraint
The subjects of the Han Dynasty were supervised by the Court of Justice and the Imperial Archives. So, who supervised the Emperor of the Han Dynasty?
The ministers and officials who participate in government and political affairs, as well as the nobles, marquises, relatives, and members of the imperial family, can answer without hesitation, "Your Majesty can!"
However, in the more than eighty years of the Han Dynasty, only four emperors and their crown princes were counted: Emperor Gaozu, Emperor Hui, Emperor Wen, and Emperor Jing. Only one emperor was a true man!
Throughout history, only His Majesty has ever had a crown prince or prince of such caliber!

So, after the emperor, or even the emperor's power, who will restrain it?

Does this mean that imperial power will be unrestrained from now on?

If this happens, within a century, the Han Dynasty will inevitably face excessive spending by the court, rampant corruption among officials, an empty treasury, and widespread suffering among the people.

Chu Da spoke in a clear and concise voice, directly pointing out the consequences of destroying the theory of calamities. He said that if Prime Minister Gongsun Hong had a way to restrain imperial power, then destroying the theory of calamities might be acceptable; otherwise, Gongsun Hong was simply taking advantage of his age to bully others, only caring about the present and ignoring the devastation that would follow his death. He was no better than a good prime minister of ancient times.

Chu Da did not believe that Gongsun Hong could have a better way to restrain imperial power than the theory of natural disasters. Even if Gongsun Hong did, how could he possibly restrain imperial power with the schemes of a subject in front of the emperor and his ministers?

Chu Da's demeanor drew the attention of all the court officials; he truly lived up to his reputation as the foremost of Dong Zhongshu's four disciples.

Gongsun Hong looked at Chu Da, his vision seemingly blurry, and couldn't help but sigh, "You are as eloquent as your master."

Chu Qi's momentum vanished, his eyes filled with indignation. The old prime minister did not answer the question directly, but instead used his advanced age, seniority, merit, and rank to bully others. This was too despicable.

The expressions of the princes and ministers as they bullied the weak were quite fascinating.

"I'm not bullying you, I'm just stating the facts."

Gongsun Hong's words meant one thing, but others interpreted them differently, and Chu Da's face gradually turned red.

Seeing this, Gongsun Hong smiled helplessly and asked, "Do you remember that classic questioning contest between His Majesty and your master?"

In the first year of the Yuanguang era, the Three Strategies of Heaven and Man immediately came to mind for everyone.

"I remember," Chu Da replied.

"That was the beginning of your teacher's fame. His theories on auspicious omens, natural disasters, following the example of the former kings, and promoting virtuous teachings—before your teacher, no Confucian scholar in the Han Dynasty had ever made such clear propositions. Your teacher pointed out the direction that all Confucian scholars should strive for throughout their lives. However, in the same year, the stars in the sky shone particularly brightly, as if they were all shaking together. His Majesty summoned the star astrologer to ask what this omen meant. Do you know what the star astrologer answered?"

"I don't know."

The star-gazer replied, "This foretells that the people of the world will begin to toil even more."

Gongsun Hong slowly said, "Your master's 'interaction between Heaven and Man' is an attempt to completely bind the emperor with a doctrine, but such a doctrine should be perfect and not a crudely made product..."

Chu Da's face turned pale.

When someone pointed a finger at him and called his school a bunch of flawed good-for-nothings, he didn't retaliate. This was not only because what Gongsun Hong said was true, but also because Gongsun Hong was too powerful.

"Or rather, it was a deliberate act done for personal gain," Gongsun Hong continued.

Chu Da's face turned pale.

There are few ways for a subject to restrain imperial power, but they are not nonexistent.

Even within Confucianism, there is an advocacy of "benevolent governance" and "people-oriented governance," emphasizing that "the people are the most important, the state is next, and the ruler is the least important." Xunzi also said, "Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it."

Dong Zhongshu, however, deliberately distorted this part, talking about the fundamental principles of ruler-subject and father-son relationships. Furthermore, the Chancellor of the Han Dynasty, as the head of all officials, participated in decision-making and supervised its implementation, thus acting as a check and balance on the monarch's decisions, and at times, could refute imperial edicts.

The imperial censors and high officials of the Han Dynasty also had the power to speak frankly and offer advice, influencing the monarch's decisions. In dire circumstances, they could even "die for their cause" and be remembered in history.

Furthermore, the historians of the Han Dynasty would truthfully record the words and deeds of the monarch, forming the "Spring and Autumn Annals style," which made the monarch restrain his behavior for fear of leaving a bad reputation.

For example, when Dong Hu recorded "Zhao Dun murdered his lord," Confucius praised him as a good historian.

In short, a monarch can be tyrannical, and subjects can turn against each other. Chen Sheng and Wu Guang's question, "Are kings, nobles, generals, and ministers born with a special destiny?" is the answer to all of this.

Mencius said to King Xuan of Qi: “If a ruler regards his ministers as his hands and feet, then the ministers will regard the ruler as their heart and soul; if a ruler regards his ministers as dogs and horses, then the ministers will regard the ruler as a stranger; if a ruler regards his ministers as dirt and weeds, then the ministers will regard the ruler as an enemy.”

Many things have long been explained and resolved, but they have been deliberately forgotten by those with ulterior motives.

Dong Zhongshu and his theory of the relationship between Heaven and Man, while simultaneously strengthening Your Majesty's rule, also constrained Your Majesty's imperial power. Ultimately, it was all for your own benefit.

Before Confucianism, no matter how tragic the process of a prime minister, censor, official, and historian restraining imperial power was, history has given a fair evaluation.

The Xia Dynasty valued loyalty, the Shang Dynasty valued respect, and the Zhou Dynasty valued culture and education. The first dynasty lasted 470 years, the second dynasty lasted 554 years, and the third dynasty lasted 790 years. Although the five hundred years of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty were during the chaotic Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, a dynasty's lifespan is still a dynasty's lifespan, marked by its rise and its fall.

When it came to Dong Zhongshu, he suddenly proposed to change things, to reduce the cultural and educational aspects of the Zhou Dynasty, and to respect and use the loyalty that the Xia Dynasty valued to assist the emperor's rule. He also proposed a plan that would reduce the casualties and ensure that future prime ministers, censors, grandees, and historians would not have to go through such a brutal process of restraining imperial power.

I'm doing this all for your own good!

啐！
Do I need you? Are you out of your mind? Who agreed to this?
"I have heard that your teacher often says, 'Believe in the wisdom of later Confucian scholars.' Is this a conspiracy to seize imperial power and take it over through constant distortion of learning?"

Gongsun Hong's words were like a sharp dagger, piercing Chu Da's heart and stirring it twice.

This single sentence succinctly reveals the true nature of the saying "a sage emperor governs the world by doing nothing," which refers to emperors who use their knowledge to deceive and manipulate others, and then plot to seize power.

"Eunuchs are castrated and sent to the palace after being cut in the crotch. Your teacher, too, was castrated in his studies and sent to the palace," Gongsun Hong sighed.

Chu Dayi raised his head, then suddenly lowered it again, and with a "plop," blood stained the Xuan Room Hall.

He glared at Gongsun Hong, wanting to say something more, but his bleeding throat produced only incoherent gurgling sounds. Overwhelmed by grief, he collapsed to the ground.

Gongsun Hong shook his head. Confucius was not hypocritical, Mencius who vehemently criticized Mozi was not hypocritical either, and Xunzi was even less hypocritical. It was only later Confucianism and Confucian scholars who were too hypocritical.

He turned around, looked at the throne, and bowed deeply, saying, "Your Majesty, I request that the power of the Imperial Censor and the Grand Master to offer advice be restored, and that the Left and Right Historians be restored, with the Left Historian recording words and the Right Historian recording events!"

The censors and officials of both the Chinese and foreign dynasties were overjoyed. Sima Tan, the Grand Historian standing to the side of the hall, paused, his brush pausing to form ink marks. He couldn't help but sigh, thinking that his student Xu Zhuang was very lucky to have encountered such a good time for historians.

"Prelude!"

(End of this chapter)