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

Chapter 296 The Deposed Prime Minister
"Your Majesty, compared with wealth, the Han Dynasty today is showing signs of great progress in all aspects: the administration is becoming increasingly clean and the people are becoming increasingly prosperous."

Gongsun Hong continued.

For a country, especially a large one, the stability of its regime is paramount; this is an undeniable fact.

Within the empire, powerful families, wealthy merchants, wandering knights and thieves—anyone who could directly affect the Han people by stealing the court's power, influence, or possessions—was considered an unstable entity.

Privileged and wealthy individuals are classes that the imperial court must and will always purge, in order to ensure the long-term stability of the Han regime.

Unfortunately, this part is the most difficult to clean up. If one is not careful, it can lead to disaster and cause local or even overall turmoil.

The rebellion of the kings of different surnames during the reign of Emperor Gaozu, the sale of official positions and titles during the reign of Emperor Hui, the rebellion of the Lü clan during the reign of Empress Lü, the rebellion of the King of Jibei and the King of Huainan during the reign of Emperor Wen, the Rebellion of the Seven States during the reign of Emperor Jing, and the rebellion of the King of Bailu, the King of Huainan, and the King of Hengshan during the reign of Your Majesty... all caused considerable turmoil, and the Han dynasty's empire rose and fell several times.

His Majesty's restoration was no less significant than the previous upheavals. Under His Majesty's leadership, not only was the upheaval quelled, but it was also used as a pretext to carry out a major purge of the privileged and wealthy classes of the entire Han Dynasty.

People at the time often discussed matters in terms of the fate of the nation.

When Your Majesty inherited the prosperous reign of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing, people said that the Han Dynasty would last for at least three hundred years.

However, the wise and insightful people soon realized that their prediction was wrong; it wasn't nearly that long!

With immense wealth, His Majesty can indulge in extravagance and reckless military campaigns without any problem, as the foundation is solid enough to sustain it.

However, there is a problem when a country indulges in extravagance and debauchery while simultaneously engaging in militarism. Under the heavens, there is no nation that can sustain such wastefulness and unrestrained behavior.

Many wise and insightful scholars even felt that if His Majesty lived a long life, perhaps another thirty or forty years, the Han Dynasty might perish on the road to becoming ever stronger.

The crown prince, who appeared like a comet, took over the reins of government and can be said to have saved the Han Dynasty. The predictions of wise and virtuous scholars were unanimously conservative, and judging from the Han Dynasty today, it is said to be prosperous for at least three generations.

Based on the reigns of Emperor Xiaowen, Emperor Xiaojing, and Your Majesty, the dynasty's lifespan is estimated to be extended by fifty years.

What does it mean to save the day?
This is what it means to save the world from collapse.

"You've worked hard, Prime Minister," Liu Ju nodded.

The entire restoration case, from how people should be killed to how pigs should be slaughtered, and how to maximize profits after the slaughter, was all orchestrated by Prime Minister Gongsun Hong.

This matter involved both the Chinese and foreign courts, and the level of hardship involved was no less than commanding a battle with hundreds of thousands or even millions of people, and yet it was completed perfectly. Under heaven, only the old prime minister could accomplish this.

At this moment, anything I say would be meaningless; all my words can be summed up in one sentence: "Thank you for your hard work."

"I am satisfied."

Gongsun Hong shook his head and answered with a smile.

Those three simple words carried the cacophony of a broken bellows, a harbinger of utter exhaustion.

It was clean and empty.

Who can match such loyalty?
Gongsun Hong disliked the somber atmosphere in the hall and spoke again: "I hope Your Majesty will make preparations for the affairs of the country as soon as possible."

The only thing he still regrets about in this world is that there has never been a suitable successor to the position of Chancellor of the Han Dynasty.

Mo Zimo, Huo Guang, and Chen Mo are all too young. Even with their extraordinary talents, they are far from meeting the requirements of the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty. This is not a narrow view of seniority, but rather a lack of practical experience. Although Mo Zimo and Huo Guang are competent in handling the affairs of the Prime Minister's residence, they have too little experience. Even as their teacher, I cannot guarantee that my two disciples will have sufficient composure and preparation to solve all problems in a crisis for the Han Dynasty.

As for Chen Mo, a disciple in the same hall at this time, although he hadn't reached the point of being forced to grow too fast due to the influence of his family's teachings, his growth ceiling had been fixed.

On the first day of entering the Embroidered Uniform Guard, one becomes the Commander-in-Chief, and on the day of one's death, one will still be the Commander-in-Chief of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

This is the principle behind the saying, "When one possesses a sharp weapon, the desire to kill arises naturally."

The harm of the Chen family's tradition of learning lies here.

The feeling of manipulating people's hearts and manipulating the general trend, the feeling of using the world as a chessboard and all things as chess pieces, is something you'll never forget once you've experienced it.

If Chen Mo were already in his forties or fifties and possessed such abilities, he might still be able to control his temper and suppress his desire to savor the flavors of food, becoming like his ancestor Chen Ping, and taking over the position of Chancellor of the Han Dynasty would not be impossible.

Unfortunately, it's too late.

When he came into everyone's view, he manipulated the heads of the three meritorious families of Xiao, Zhang and Zhou, and even planned to push millions of people from the privileged and wealthy class of the entire Han Dynasty into a bottomless abyss.

If Chen Mo weren't his own disciple, and if he weren't confident that Mo Zimo and Huo Guang had even greater talent and higher potential, Gongsun Hong would have definitely taken Chen Mo away before he died.

The Chen family's school is too dangerous, damn it.

Therefore, the Embroidered Uniform Guard is Chen Mo's destiny. The position of Chancellor of the Han Dynasty is out of the question. Gongsun Hong is genuinely worried that Chen Mo might rise to power and use the military might of the Han Dynasty to change the world.

The eyes of the Imperial Censor Zhang Tang, who sat there like a clay sculpture, lit up, but Gongsun Hong didn't even bother to glance at him.

Outside the Prime Minister's residence, in the Han Dynasty's internal and external courts, Grand Marshal and General Wei Qing made rapid progress in national affairs, but he still lacked a great deal to truly take control of the Han Dynasty's military and political power.

As for the other Grand Marshal and General Huo Qubing... he had even greater potential for growth.

As for the high-ranking officials, nobles, and members of the imperial clan, apart from Xu Le, the Grand Master of the Imperial Stud who had an understanding of the impending collapse and a sense of crisis, the others were not worth mentioning.

Xu Le's problem is similar to that of his disciples Mo Zi Mo and Huo Guang: he is too young. He has already been promoted to the Nine Ministers. If he wants to advance further, he needs to mature and gain more experience.

The Han Dynasty was an ever-expanding empire. Innate talent was merely the foundation; vision, breadth of mind, and so on all required the best qualities. But more importantly, it was also necessary to maintain a balance between the upper and lower levels.

One should be cautious and discreet towards subordinates, and respectful and courteous towards superiors.

The balance between the power of the monarch and the power of the prime minister has been a problem since ancient times. If it is not balanced, the life or death of the monarch and his minister is a minor matter, but the disaster of the country is a major one.

"What does the old prime minister mean?" Liu Ju understood the implied meaning.

Gongsun Hong fell silent, struggling internally. He thought about the fates of emperors and ministers throughout the ages, the changes in the power of the emperor and the prime minister, and the deliberate weakening of the prime minister's power in the inner and outer court system. He had to admit that the power of the emperor and the prime minister were intertwined, and the contradictions between them were irreconcilable.

Fortunately, the ruler was a wise and powerful monarch.

"Your Majesty, after me, if things don't work out... then abolish the Prime Minister's Office and the Prime Minister system."

(End of this chapter)