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

Chapter 261 Han Thieves
Princess Pingyang slowly walked into the front hall, stood in front of Zhang Tang, and stared intently at him.

Zhang Tang also watched her quietly.

"Grand Minister of Works?"

"The minister is here."

"How do you interpret the phrase 'repay kindness with enmity'?" Princess Pingyang asked with icy eyes.

"A virtuous person has virtue, while a petty person has no virtue."

Zhang Tang calmly replied, "Is the Princess implying that I am a despicable and immoral person?"

"clever."

Princess Pingyang's eyes grew even colder. "You were originally a 'rat-hunting boy,' a lowly official in Chang'an. It was only through the favor of my imperial brother that you attained the position of a high-ranking official. Yet you conspired with the rebellious emperor to force the emperor to abdicate, causing the mighty Han emperor to retreat to the Ganquan Palace. First, you were ordered by the rebellious emperor to apologize at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and now you are again ordered by the rebellious emperor to turn your knife against me, the emperor's half-sister and the rebellious emperor's own aunt. You have taken my Liu family's bowl and smashed my Liu family's cauldron!"

"I call you a villain, don't you say so yourself?"

“Your Highness, I, Zhang Tang, am a subject of the Han Dynasty, holding one of the Three Dukes positions and serving in the Chang’an Bureau. I am paid by the court and receive taxes from the people. It is only natural to speak up for the people. Whether I am a gentleman or a villain, what does it matter?” Zhang Tang retorted indifferently.

It is true that the Han Dynasty was a family-run empire, but the food of the Han Dynasty was still shared among the people. You say I eat the food of the Liu family, but I say I eat the food offered by all the people. If I eat the food of the Liu family, I must obey the orders of the Liu monarch. If I eat the food offered by all the people, I must act as the master for the sake of the millions of people.

If I only obey the orders of the Liu family monarch and do not stand up for the millions of people, how could the Liu family monarch dare to employ such a treacherous minister?
Having been appointed to one of the Three Dukes means that I will obey the orders of the Liu family monarch and will stand up for the people.

If officials who stand up for the people are called "petty people" by the Liu clan, then what kind of officials are considered "gentlemen" in Princess Pingyang's eyes?
Princess Pingyang knew Zhang Tang was powerful, but during His Majesty's reign, Zhang Tang had been subservient for so long that she had never seen just how powerful he really was. Now that she had experienced it for herself, she was so angry that she trembled all over. "Stop rambling on!"
A rebellious son who was despised by his father for being "unfit" was worshipped and elevated to the highest position by you, Zhang Tang, and Gongsun Hong. You are destined to be despised by future rulers and ministers!
"I only ask you this: to whom are you truly loyal?"

"My family has been fed by the Han dynasty for generations, and I will serve the Han dynasty in life and death. I am devoted to serving the country, and what I am loyal to is naturally the Han dynasty!" Zhang Tang said calmly.

Princess Pingyang, who thought her move had struck at the heart of all the Crown Prince's ministers, was enraged by such a righteous and awe-inspiring reply. She roared, "You are a traitor to the Han! You used your subject to coerce the emperor, Zhang Tang! You are a traitor to the Han! A traitor to the Han who deserves to be executed!"

So-called princesses and so-called eldest princesses are no different from ordinary women. When they can't win an argument, they resort to sophistry and, when sophistry fails, they resort to cursing.

Zhang Tang calmly replied, "Whatever death penalty I may receive is my blessing. But the Marquis of Pingyang, who flooded fields and harmed the people, and seized land, deserves to be executed."

The Book of Rites, "The Royal Agreement": "When a person is punished in the marketplace, he shall be abandoned by the crowd."

"Execution in the marketplace" refers to the execution of criminals in a crowded marketplace to demonstrate that they have been rejected by the public. This practice dates back to the Shang and Zhou dynasties.

During the Qin Dynasty, there were many types of capital punishment, such as dismemberment by chariot, waist-cutting, and beheading, among which public execution was also an option.

During the Han Dynasty, the system inherited from the Qin Dynasty was simplified, and there were only three common methods of execution, one of which was execution in the marketplace.

Cao Xiang, or rather, the Marquis of Pingyang throughout history, deserved to be executed in the marketplace.

The embroidered woman moved.

They surrounded Cao Xiang.

"Who dares?"

Princess Pingyang drew the sword held by her maid and blocked the approaching embroidered envoy. Looking at Zhang Tang, her teeth clenched so tightly that they cracked: "This is the precious sword bestowed upon me by the Empress Dowager. It can kill even high-ranking officials. Who dares to harm my beloved son?" Looking at the dragon and phoenix engravings on the sword, Zhang Tang did not doubt its authenticity.

It was Empress Dowager Wang again.

The calamities caused by the maternal relatives of the Han dynasty were inextricably linked to these empress dowagers.

Each empress dowager has a life story that is more legendary than the last.

The Queen Mother's mother was Zang Tu, the Prince of Yan, and her name was Zang Er. Zang Tu was originally a vassal king who supported Emperor Gao, but he was killed during Emperor Gao's elimination of kings of different surnames.

Zang'er was forced to live among the common people and married Wang Zhong. She had a son, Wang Xin, and two daughters. After Wang Zhong died, Zang'er remarried to a woman surnamed Tian and had two sons, Tian Fen and Tian Sheng.

Zang'er's eldest daughter, Wang Zhi, was the Empress Dowager. During the reign of Emperor Xiaowen, she married a man named Jin Wangsun and had a daughter. Zang'er consulted a fortune teller who said that both of her daughters were destined for greatness. However, at that time, "Wangsun" were all fallen nobles, and following Jin Wangsun did not seem to lead to great wealth. Therefore, Zang'er resolutely took back her eldest daughter and sent her to the Crown Prince's palace, where she became the Crown Prince and later a palace maid of Emperor Xiaojing, Liu Qi. She gained favor and was given the title of Beauty, and gave birth to three daughters and one son.

The eldest daughter was Princess Pingyang, and the son was the current Emperor Liu Che.

The fortune teller's words came true.

After His Majesty ascended the throne, the two powerful maternal relatives, Empress Dowager Dou and Empress Dowager Tian, ​​engaged in a bloody power struggle in the court for several years. The conflict ended with Dou Ying forging the late emperor's edict and executing his entire clan in Weicheng, and Tian Fen dying from demonic possession.

The imperial harem of the Han Dynasty was a place of legend for everyone.

The ruthless and cruel Empress Lü, the strong and decisive Empress Dowager Dou, the treacherous and cunning Empress Dowager Wang, the kind and virtuous Empress Dowager Bo, the jealous and pampered Empress Chen, and the dignified and virtuous Empress Wei.

They all left a significant mark on the politics of the Han Dynasty, and continued to cause trouble for the Han court both during their lifetimes and after their deaths.

Zhang Tang smiled slightly, "It seems that the Princess only has a sword for killing, not a sword for saving lives."

Before entering the mansion, he was genuinely worried that Emperor Xiaojing, the current emperor, had left an edict for the Pingyang Marquis's mansion that "all crimes are pardoned." In particular, Emperor Xiaojing's edict was from a ruler of a prosperous era, and he was also the emperor's grandfather. If the edict pardoned the crimes, things would probably become very difficult.

However, even if Emperor Xiaojing really did have a will pardoning the crimes of the Marquis of Pingyang's family, the Cao family probably wouldn't dare to bring it up, as the lesson of the Dou family was still fresh in their minds.

A life-saving sword?
Princess Pingyang had never been so surprised before.

He was stunned and stared at Zhang Tang in disbelief.

A bad feeling suddenly welled up in her heart. Zhang Tang wasn't coming for her son or the Pingyang Marquis's mansion. Perhaps he was coming for her, the eldest princess and the imperial sister of the Han Dynasty.

Her overly concerned actions allowed Zhang Tang to see through her true nature.

Now it was Princess Pingyang's turn to turn pale.

In an instant, Zhang Tang's imposing aura enveloped the entire Pingyang Marquis's residence. He said indifferently, "Bring him here!"

Several embroidered guards led a handsome but somewhat effeminate man through the gates of the Marquis's residence.

Upon recognizing Dong Yan, Princess Pingyang finally realized what was happening and cried out in a shrill voice, "There's a treacherous minister! I demand to see His Majesty! I demand to see His Majesty!"

(End of this chapter)