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

Chapter 245 Tian En
The term "family elder" originated from the enfeoffment system of the Western Zhou Dynasty.

The word "家" originally referred to the fiefdom granted to high-ranking officials, corresponding to the "邦" which was a feudal state of a vassal state.

In the commentaries on the Rites of Zhou, the system of household retainers included positions such as Zai, Situ, and Sima, while the "Jialao" was at the top of the household retainer hierarchy and was responsible for the overall management of the entire household retainer team.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, the Zuo Zhuan records that when Dong An, a retainer of the Zhao family in the State of Jin, served as the head of the family, he was in charge of the family's defense and even military affairs.

In the Han Dynasty, the elders of large clans had "three powers".

First, responsible for the daily management of the entire family, including but not limited to the allocation of resources and the distribution of money and food.

Second, participate in decision-making in major family affairs.

Third, they represent the head of the family in performing ritual activities such as sacrifices and alliances, and in maintaining the family's etiquette and order.

If we compare it to the imperial court, the emperor is the head of the family, and the prime minister is the elder of the family. The elder of the family has the power to punish other family servants or even relatives. However, excessive power, the distinction between relatives of the same surname and different surnames, and so on often cause dissatisfaction among relatives towards the elder of the family. More and more large families do not have elders of the family or transfer the power of the elder of the family to their own elders. The thought is nothing more than "the flesh rots in the pot".

The Chen family is not.

For decades, the Chen family elders have been renowned throughout Chang'an for their meticulousness, integrity, and unwavering principles. Even if the son of the family head commits a serious offense, they will be punished according to the family law without any leniency, and even if the family head pleads for leniency, nothing will change.

"Xiao Mo, is your father on the Chen family genealogy?"

Xiao Qing thought of Chen Mo's father, Chen He, the fourth Marquis of Qu Ni of the Han Dynasty. In the fifth year of Yuan Guang, Chen He was stripped of his fiefdom and title for seizing another man's wife, and was also executed in the marketplace.

Rumor has it that Chen He died in accordance with the law, but this did not stop there. The Chen family had its own family rules, and the elders of the Chen family proposed that Chen He be removed from the Chen family genealogy.

Zhou Gong and Zhang Cheng also looked over with curiosity.

Chen Mo's smile froze on his face as he thought of his "dog father's" actions, and his face flushed slightly.

No answer is an answer.

Xiao Qing gasped. The Chen family elder could be considered half the head of the Chen family. How he became the Embroidered-Robe Censor and secret envoy was unknown to others. But the Chen family knew there was a "ghost" in the family, yet they put the ghost in such a position. It was hard to understand and he admired him greatly.

"Whatever is known outside, there is nothing hidden." To achieve this level of understanding, Zhou Gong and Zhang Cheng could see the resistance in each other's eyes when they looked at each other.

The price of gaining the trust of superiors is so high that it is unacceptable.

Chen Mo has already explained the essence of loyalty. As for whether or not to practice it, that's a matter for each family. Xiao Qing slowly calmed down and said, "Xiao Mo, please continue."

"If something is good, attribute the credit to your superiors; if something is bad, take the blame upon yourself."

Chen Mo stopped thinking about his father and continued, "As a subject, one should attribute merit to one's superiors and take responsibility for one's own mistakes. Do not think that you are very capable and that your sovereign is incompetent and that you are being suppressed at every turn. You should know that everything we have is given by our sovereign; thunder and rain are all blessings from Heaven."

At this point, Chen Mo stared intently at Zhou Gong, making Zhou Gong very uncomfortable. Zhou Gong retorted, "Little Mo, are you talking about my great-uncle?"

"Do not."

Chen Mo shook his head and said softly, "I'm talking about the entire Zhou family."

Zhou Gong's face flushed red instantly, and he instinctively wanted to slam his fist on the table and stand up, but Xiao Qing held him down.

"Xiao Mo, what do you mean?" "First, completely discard the rotten 'shared world' concept of the High Emperor's covenant in your mind," Chen Mo said solemnly.

The ruler is the ruler, and the subject is the subject; the former is the dragon, and the latter is the tiger. Even if the dragon is playing with tigers in shallow waters, it will only be able to return to the sea and carry three thousand weak waters to kill all the fierce tigers.

There's no such thing as sharing the world; it's just a joke. Whoever takes it seriously loses.

If the ruler or father takes things too seriously, it will harm the country; if the subject takes things too seriously, it will harm himself.

Zhou Gong's great-uncle Zhou Yafu, the entire Zhou family, and the entire group of founding heroes all took it seriously, completely ignoring the deaths of Han Xin and Peng Yue.

If you don't change your mindset, people will be replaced.

Xiao Qing nodded and said, "That's easy to say. And then what?"

Now that they have recognized the ruthless nature of the Liu family rulers, it is easy to correctly position the roles of ruler and subject, father and son.

A hundred words from a person are useless; a single act of teaching will truly touch one's heart.

"Remember the principle of 'the superiors are rewarded and the inferiors are punished.' We can deal with future matters later, but we must apply what is in front of us. My two uncles, Zichuan, what is the biggest impact that His Majesty's restoration has had on the Emperor?"

"Is the position of Crown Prince unstable?"

"...The Emperor will indeed soon transition from Crown Prince to Emperor, and his position as heir apparent is not very secure. However, once the Emperor's position is secure, the restoration movement initiated by His Majesty will not harm the Emperor in the slightest, but its impact will be far-reaching."

Chen Mo was somewhat exhausted. He broke things down and said, "Throughout history, there have been instances of sons rebelling for their fathers. King Wuling of Zhao, who died in the Shaqiu Palace, is a precedent. But, does Your Majesty have to follow the same path as King Huiwen of Zhao?"
"A wise and benevolent ruler in a peaceful and prosperous era, yet his descendants are devoid of filial piety?"

During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, King Wuling of Zhao promoted the adoption of nomadic dress and cavalry archery, which propelled the State of Zhao to become a powerful state among the feudal states. In May of the 27th year of his reign, King Wuling of Zhao abdicated the throne to Zhao He, who became King Huiwen of Zhao. He called himself "Lord Father" and went to live in the Shaqiu Palace, where all state affairs were managed by Zhao He.

Zhao He's intelligence and talent exceeded King Wuling of Zhao's expectations. He quickly gained control of the army, governed the country in an orderly manner, and became a true king.

At this point, King Wuling of Zhao could no longer sit still. He was only fifty years old and was unwilling to accept his fate. In addition, he grew increasingly fond of the deposed crown prince Zhao Zhang, who was also serving him diligently. Furthermore, he wanted to regain control of the Zhao state. So he devised a plan to appoint Zhao Zhang as the King of Dai, so that they could check and balance each other and he could achieve his goal of regaining power.

This clearly shows that he was unwilling to relinquish the throne too early and wanted to seize power again through rebellion. However, King Wuling of Zhao underestimated Zhao He's abilities. Zhao Zhang and his confidants' conspiracy to rebel failed, and they fled to Shaqiu to seek King Wuling's protection. Zhao He directly sent troops to surround the palace in Shaqiu.

After a long stalemate, King Wuling of Zhao had no choice but to hand over Zhao Zhang, thinking that this would end the matter. However, things were not that simple. Wise rulers know how to eliminate all threats, and they do not even want to let their own father go.

Because of the prolonged siege, the palace ran out of food and water, so Zhao He released everyone out one by one, except for King Wuling of Zhao. The siege lasted for three months, and King Wuling starved to death inside.

King Huiwen of Zhao, Zhao He, reigned for thirty-three years, during which he brought the State of Zhao to its zenith and prevented the State of Zhao from expanding eastward for more than forty years. He can be considered a wise and enlightened ruler.

However, he was not known for his filial piety.

"His Majesty intends to become a model for future sage rulers and virtuous monarchs. The name of 'unfilial piety' must not be associated with His Majesty in the slightest. Qin Jun Wei Qing, Wan Jun Huo Qubing, and Prime Minister Gongsun Hong are all people from the Crown Prince's palace and meritorious officials of the Qilin Pavilion. If any of them takes action, it will implicate His Majesty and make His Majesty's rebellion a reality, which would be disgraceful to the Empress Dowager. Therefore, only you can do it."

"us?"

Zhou Gong, Xiao Qing, and Zhang Cheng looked at each other in bewilderment.

(End of this chapter)