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

Chapter 259 A real man

Lacking destructive power but possessing influence, the court paid less attention to officials and powerful families.

No promises need to be made; simply use a diversionary tactic to release the person from outside Chang'an, then ambush and kill him on his way to take up his post.

There's no need to even borrow a knife.

As for the big merchants, they had no influence whatsoever, and the imperial court paid even less attention to them. Long-distance trade was called itinerant trading, while setting up a shop in one place was called sedentary trading.

It's perfectly normal for traveling merchants to encounter bandits or for sitting merchants to be suddenly attacked by bandits; killing and ransacking are done in one fell swoop.

As for wandering knights and thieves, they are not tolerated by the imperial court. Previously, when bandits were rampant in Guandong, the court granted them generous conditions such as stopping the fighting, going down the mountain to be exempted from punishment, and cultivating the land for the people. Now, the wandering knights who continue to rob the rich to help the poor and the roving bandits who plunder and steal are nothing but lazy insects. In response, the court can only carry out the most severe "anti-thief and anti-knight" campaign in history.

Since the reign of the Emperor, the chaos in the Han Dynasty has gradually subsided, and the scene of the chaos at the end of the Qin Dynasty is no longer present. The people, who are gradually living in peace and contentment, no longer actively gather in the mountains and forests, but instead work hard to cultivate fertile fields. Without the support of the people, most of the wandering knights and thieves have died out. From now on, those who kill the knights and thieves will be rewarded, and those who help the knights and thieves will be killed. In the future, there will be no place for wandering knights and thieves to survive in the Han Dynasty.

Faced with meritorious families, powerful officials, wealthy merchants, and wandering knights and thieves, the old prime minister adopted different approaches and methods for different people. For those who were destructive, he openly granted them official positions, lured them away from their posts, and used others to kill them, in order to avoid panic among the meritorious officials of the Han Dynasty now and in the future. For those who were influential, he openly granted them official positions, lured them away from their posts, and then killed them with one blow. For those who had nothing, the court had only one word: kill!

Whether they committed suicide or were murdered, the imperial court always played a glorious role in it all.

His skillful and forceful political maneuvering undermined the support of powerful families, officials, wealthy merchants, and bandits for His Majesty's restoration, and the massacre of hundreds of thousands was quickly averted.

The old prime minister raised questions, categorized them, and finally solved them. His political acumen greatly benefited Zhang Tang, Mozi Mo, Huo Guang, and Chen Mo, who even felt a sense of awe and reverence for him.

Zhang Tang silently accepted the order, turned and left the study, stepping into the snow. The increasingly loud crunching sound proved the surging killing intent within him.

Only by killing can the anger in my heart be extinguished.

"Teacher, should we apologize?"

Mo Zimo watched Zhang Tang's figure disappear into the snow and asked Gongsun Hong.

Regardless of Zhang Tang's scholarship, he was the Imperial Censor of the Han Dynasty, and the veiled sarcasm from Huo Guang and Chen Mo seemed to have enraged Zhang Tang beyond measure.

"What did you do wrong?" Gongsun Hong asked in return.

Mozi Mo, Huo Guang, and Chen Mo looked at each other, staring at each other, not thinking they had done anything wrong. They believed that Zhang Tang was not a qualified legal official, had no opinions of his own, and had gone astray.

"Yes, teacher."

"Since there's nothing wrong, there's no need to apologize."

Gongsun Hong shook his head and said, "Think about it, if I were to say it, would Zhang Tang still be angry?"

Mo Zimo, Huo Guang, and Chen Mo were taken aback, but then they realized that if it was their teacher who said it, Zhang Tang would only feel ashamed and annoyed, not angry. Not to mention the teacher-student relationship, even if there wasn't, their teacher's official rank was higher than Zhang Tang's, so Zhang Tang wouldn't dare to be angry.

“It is only because of you that Zhang Tang harbors resentment,” Gongsun Hong sighed.

Many people come from humble backgrounds, but not everyone is like Zhang Tang, who attributes all problems to their birth.

"Zimo, Guang'er, Mo'er, remember, being born into poverty is not a disgrace. A true man is one who can bend and stretch."

Gongsun Hong looked at his three disciples and admonished them: "Being born into wealth is not glorious. Only perseverance can lead to great achievements." Although you are clever and insightful, it doesn't mean that you can seize opportunities or avoid failure just because you understand things clearly.

My elder brother has achieved unparalleled merit and wields immense power in the court, but I cannot rely on him. He is merely a fox borrowing the tiger's might, and his power will not last long.

With an astonishing family tradition of learning, the ability to manipulate the world at will, and the capacity to play with people's hearts, one is bound to rise and fall in the same way.

If one becomes lax and complacent when faced with setbacks, one will never achieve great things in the future.

A true man should be upright and honest in troubled times. Even in adversity, he should humble himself and wait for the right time, and not fight against fate.

A person with magnanimity is destined for greatness.

Mo Zimo, Huo Guang, and Chen Mo bowed solemnly and said, "Yes, teacher."

"Mo'er." Gongsun Hong looked at Chen Mo.

"teacher?"

"Does the Chen family's interpretation of loyalty mean sacrificing all Chen family retainers and keeping only close relatives?"

"Yes, teacher."

Chen Mo was surprised for a moment, then nodded in agreement. Worried that his teacher might think he was bloodthirsty, he explained, "Please believe me, teacher, none of those retainers are innocent."

The practice of keeping retainers was very popular among the aristocracy and bureaucratic class during the Han Dynasty. This tradition originated from the "cultivation of scholars" during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods and was revived in the early Han Dynasty due to the needs of political structure and talent mobility.

Retainers were mostly scholars, strategists, and wandering knights. They attached themselves to the powerful and wealthy, providing their masters with wisdom, martial prowess, or handling affairs. They were an important help to their masters in expanding their power and enhancing their prestige.

At the same time, keeping retainers was also a means for the powerful and wealthy to flaunt their wealth and compete with each other. For example, Lord Mengchang and Lü Buwei were known for keeping many retainers. In the present dynasty, Dou Ying, Tian Fen, and even the deceased King of Huainan Liu An all had thousands of retainers.

The relationship between retainers and their masters was relatively loose, bound by the concept of "righteousness." Retainers would stay if they were on good terms and leave if they were not. Retainers often moved between different powerful figures.

Among the retainers were scholars, warriors, and even some of the morally corrupt, presenting an overall picture of "good" and "evil" coexisting.

Chen Mo's father, Chen He, fell victim to "evil men" (a derogatory term for a shady man). He would often parade around the city with these men after drinking, then go mad and snatch other men's wives for public debauchery, resulting in his execution and the loss of his title and fiefdom.

After his father's death, Chen Mo took over the power of the Chen family. Instead of taking action against the retainers who caused the family's downfall, he allowed the evil retainers to drive out the "righteous retainers." His purpose was nothing other than to "borrow" the heads of the evil retainers and the entire clan at a critical moment. Whether it was to avenge his father or to avenge his family, in short, Chen Mo wanted revenge and wanted those people to die!

Gongsun Hong paused for a moment, then continued, "Entering my school means entering the Gongyang School. Under the great vengeance, with the hatred of your father and family, I cannot stop you. However, after this matter is over, when you take over the Embroidered Robe Envoy position, you must remember the Huang-Lao Daoist tradition of the Chen family: 'practice for the world,' 'apply what you need,' and 'cultivate yourself.' Only in this way can you last long."

Those who harm nature and morality should cultivate themselves.

Chen Mo replied solemnly, "This disciple will remember."

Mo Zimo was stunned.

Huo Guang was completely dumbfounded. What was going on? Why was his new junior brother suddenly going to become an Embroidered-Robe Envoy of the Han Dynasty?

(End of this chapter)