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

Chapter 264 Piling Up Firewood
Weiyang Palace, Xuanshi Hall.

The room was filled with smoke, so much so that the lanterns and candlelight had a yellowish tinge.

Unlike the usual court audiences between emperor and his ministers, Liu Ju and Gongsun Hong sat facing each other around a stove.

"Zhang Tang, you must hate me now," Liu Ju said helplessly.

Right after Jiang Bo left, the old prime minister entered the palace and presented a memorial detailing the various chaotic events that occurred during Zhang Tang's formation and leadership of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, as well as the impeachments made by officials, nobles, and members of the imperial family against Zhang Tang and the Embroidered Uniform Guard for their illegal and irregular conduct.

In short, Zhang Tang's cruel and tyrannical style remained unchanged.

Therefore, the old prime minister requested that the power of the Embroidered Uniform Guard be immediately restricted, especially in matters related to property such as confiscating property and confiscating it into the government, and that these matters be handled by the Minister of the Imperial Treasury and the Minister of Grain Administration.

The Embroidered Robe Envoy's act of embezzlement must be thoroughly investigated.

Gongsun Hong lowered his eyes. "It's Zhang Tang. He's not suitable to serve as an embroidered-robed envoy."

Zhang Tang was a legal official.

Once Zhang Tang is associated with the law, it means that his actions can only be based on the law and his own grand schemes.

The Embroidered Robe Envoy was actually a den of intrigue.

These are two extremes.

When the emperor appointed Zhang Tang to reorganize the Embroidered Uniform Guard and directly supervise the censors, he chose the wrong person. Zhang Tang was not someone who knew how to refuse power. Therefore, when problems arose in forming and managing the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he almost subconsciously relied on "path dependence".

Zhang Tang recruited and protected a large number of cruel officials, who served as embroidered-robed envoys. These officials only cared about the results and not the process, which led the embroidered-robed envoys to go to any lengths to obtain the truth, or the "truth" they wanted.

At the same time, being directly responsible to the monarch, with virtually unlimited power, can inflate the egos of already wicked officials, leading to increasingly lawless and unruly behavior.

If left unchecked, the terror of the Embroidered Uniform Guard will engulf the entire Han Dynasty court, and a new regime of cruel officials will emerge. Since the Embroidered Uniform Guard's actions are "special affairs," Gongsun Hong is willing to call it "secret service politics."

Gongsun Hong was certain that secret police politics was more ruthless and insane than cruel official politics.

Zhang Tang is not suitable to serve as an Embroidered Robe Envoy; such a position should be given to someone who is "fulfilling schemes and plots."

"Moreover, what the Lord has given Zhang Tang is already more than enough."

Gongsun Hong felt a mix of emotions, "The Emperor has given his courtiers more than enough."

Zhang Tang studied law from a young age and initially served as an official in Chang'an. Because he was appreciated by Prime Minister Tian Fen, he successively served as the magistrate of Maoling and the scribe of the Prime Minister.

Later, in the investigation of the case of Empress Chen's alleged bewitching, he thoroughly investigated the root cause and was appreciated by the emperor. He was promoted to Grand Master of the Palace and Minister of Justice.

Later, he worked with Zhao Yu to compile laws, which were harsh and severe, and also catered to the emperor's preferences. In short, he used the ancient meaning of the Spring and Autumn Annals to govern prisons and judged cases according to the emperor's will.

During Your Majesty's reign, Zhang Tang had both merits and faults. He was cunning and manipulative, using his wits to control others.

He started as a minor official, feigning close relationships with wealthy merchants in Chang'an, such as Tian Jia and Yu Weng Shu.

Upon reaching the position of one of the Nine Ministers, Zhang Tang cultivated relationships with renowned scholars and officials throughout the country. Although he did not personally approve of them, he outwardly displayed admiration. All his actions were aimed at climbing the ranks. Gongsun Hong did not think Zhang Tang was wrong in doing so; he simply believed that with Zhang Tang's wisdom, he could have spoken out for justice and upheld the law, becoming a loyal and upright minister of the court.

However, Zhang Tang chose to take a shortcut, using his cunning to reject advice, using treachery to cover up his mistakes, focusing on flattery and sophistry, and only knowing how to cater to the monarch's wishes.

He would seize the opportunity to slander what His Majesty disliked, and he would lavish praise on what His Majesty liked.

Furthermore, Zhang Tang enjoyed creating trouble, manipulating legal provisions, harboring treacherous intentions to influence the monarch, and relying on harsh officials to establish his prestige.

After the emperor came to power, Zhang Tang was able to advance to the rank of one of the Three Dukes and serve as the Grand Secretary. The emperor entrusted him with important responsibilities and rewarded him continuously, giving him a small reward every three days and a large reward every five days. Although he was not as high-ranking as the two Grand Marshals and Generals, nor as high-ranking as the Chancellor of the Han Dynasty, Zhang Tang was still the most honored person in the Han Dynasty.

As his former mentor, Gongsun Hong repeatedly advised Zhang Tang that his past sins had blocked any further advancement for him, and that he should no longer aspire to the position of prime minister. He believed that leaving a name in the Qilin Pavilion would be the end of his life.

Focus on your work, be dedicated, and be realistic. Leave the rest to fate.

Zhang Tang said no.

They will not relinquish any power they can hold onto, and even if they lack the ability, they will never hand it over to others.

Even if it leads to mistakes and harms the country.

As the Chancellor of the Han Dynasty, Gongsun Hong had a responsibility to stop all of this.

Moreover, what Zhang Tang received from the ruler far exceeded what he gave. Now, restricting Zhang Tang's power is for the sake of the country and the people. What is there to hate about Zhang Tang?

Throughout both Chinese and foreign dynasties, Zhang Tang was not the only one like this. Including Gongsun Hong, all the court officials received more than they gave, but they were unaware of it. They rose to the limit of their abilities at a rapid pace and then stopped. Then, many court officials did not think it was their own problem, but rather that they had been suppressed and harbored resentment.

Because the way a ruler employs people is like piling up firewood, with those who come later always taking the lead.

Those court officials, seeing that those with less seniority, less merit, and inferior in many ways had become their superiors in the blink of an eye simply because of their outstanding abilities, were unable to accept the huge psychological gap. They completely forgot that their own promotion speed had also surpassed that of a group of veteran officials, including those who had served two, three, or even four dynasties, even if they had not made any great contributions.

According to seniority, the turtle in the Wei River should be the head of both civil and military affairs.

The imperial court was like this, and so was the military. If it weren't for Huo Qubing, the Grand Marshal of the Han Dynasty who was not even twenty years old, killing more than 100,000 Xiongnu people in the Battle of Hexi and whose sword was so sharp that it covered the whole of China, those military officers would have been in an uproar long ago.

As you may recall, during His Majesty's reign, Wei Qing's position as Grand General was frequently questioned by veteran generals like Li Guang.

With him keeping the imperial court in check, and with Wei Qing and Huo Qubing keeping the military in check, those officials who talked about ability when faced with incompetence and seniority when faced with incompetence did not become too presumptuous.

However, Gongsun Hong felt that his time to pass away was drawing nearer and that the court was in a state of transition, so he wanted to nip any potential disasters or turmoil in the bud.

Liu Ju looked at Gongsun Hong and saw the loneliness and solace in those hazy eyes. His heart skipped a beat. "Old Prime Minister?"

"Your Majesty, my time is running out."

With the slightest movement, Gongsun Hong's breathing became heavier, and one could vaguely sense that he was struggling to speak. He said sincerely, "Before Your Majesty abdicated, Your Majesty's only enemy was Your Majesty. After Your Majesty ascended the throne, Your Majesty's enemies are all those who want to abuse their power for personal gain and oppress the people with their wealth. Your Majesty, for the sake of the Han Dynasty and the people, do not be soft-hearted."

(End of this chapter)