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

Chapter 303 Ancestors
Carving the moon and cutting through the clouds, the lanterns are just being lit.

The Divine Dragon Palace was deserted and desolate. The emperor and his son looked at each other from afar. The light filtering through the roof tiles still made it impossible for Liu Che to see Liu Ju clearly.

“You are very much like Emperor Xiaowen, even in your bones,” Liu Che said sincerely.

One interesting aspect of the Liu dynasty rulers is that grandfathers never met their grandsons.

Emperor Gaozu never met Emperor Shao Gong, Emperor Xiaowen never met him, and Emperor Xiaojing never met Liu Ju.

Liu Che never met Emperor Xiaowen, and his impression of his imperial grandfather came mostly from legends of his father and grandfather, as well as from documents and records.

Before ascending the throne, or rather, before encountering the iron fist of Empress Dowager Dou, Liu Che was confident that he would become a great Han emperor who would surpass Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing and push the Han dynasty to a higher future.

Because the legacy left by Emperor Xiaowen and Emperor Xiaojing was too abundant: the vast wealth of the country, the half-crippled imperial clan, and the crippled meritorious group. It seemed that the Han Dynasty was just waiting for his arrival to sweep across the land, conquer all, and bring peace and prosperity to the world.

So after he ascended the throne, he immediately began to make sweeping reforms and prepare to create a glorious future. However, reality dealt him a heavy blow. He couldn't even do anything about a group of relatives of the emperor.

Empress Dowager Dou easily crushed his new policies. A blind old woman seized all the power in the court, and he was as helpless as a baby a few hundred months old.

Everyone made it clear to him that his power and position did not come from his ability, but from being "given".

Only because he was the son of Emperor Xiaojing, only because he married Chen Ajiao, the daughter of Princess Dou, and only because Empress Dowager Dou listened to Princess Dou's words, was his position as emperor preserved.

For the emperor, this was a great humiliation. Therefore, Liu Che was once invigorated and intended to endure hardship and humiliation, emulating the story of King Goujian of Yue, to hone his abilities, accumulate power, and reclaim the dignity he deserved from Empress Dowager Dou.

Then he discovered that the straw mat was too hard and prickly, and the gall bladder was too bitter.

Wanting to be a wise ruler seems a bit too difficult.

That night, Liu Che pondered for a long time. He thought of the countless thrilling battles between Emperor Xiaowen and Empress Lü, the imperial clan, and the marquises, and of Emperor Xiaowen's hard work in personally attending to every matter and caring for the people.

He also thought of Emperor Xiaojing's mediation with Empress Dowager Dou regarding the "Crown Prince," the helplessness and resentment involved, and the Rebellion of the Seven States of Wu and Chu, where tens of thousands of rebel soldiers were killed by Zhou Yafu.

Did Emperor Xiaowen and Emperor Xiaojing sacrifice everything, and as their grandson and son, I still have to suffer to this extent?
Liu Che was very unwilling, so he made a decision, even if it would shatter him.

He decided to wait!
Once Empress Dowager Dou passes away, and once the Dou and Tian families become irreconcilable enemies, we will reclaim everything we have lost.

Living a long life is the key!
Liu Che clearly recognized reality: he was not as good as Emperor Xiaowen, or even Emperor Xiaojing, but he would live longer than both Emperor Xiaowen and Emperor Xiaojing.

However, it was impossible for emperors like Xiaowen and Xiaojing, who were so diligent in their duties and spent all day at their desks, to maintain their positions for long.

On the contrary, indulging in sensual pleasures, traveling and hunting, which keeps both mind and body healthy, seems to be the way to longevity.

As for elixirs, he truly believed that the Han Dynasty had no "elixir testers," and that he would only consume them after they had been tested by humans and animals and proven safe.

Such behavior kept Liu Che energetic, but he did not focus on state affairs. Relying on the legacy of his father and grandfather and the art of emperorship, he only made macro-level adjustments. He managed to control the people of the world very well, or at least that's what he thought.

People are suffering? Thieves are rampant?
Among the more than one hundred prefectures and kingdoms of the Han Dynasty, even if the vast majority of officials were mediocre, there would always be a few honest and straightforward ones who would report the details of their localities. Not to mention, he had deliberately placed Ji An, a minister who dared to speak frankly and directly, by his side to demonstrate the virtue of a sage ruler. Liu Che could not possibly have been unaware of this.

However, he believed that the general populace of the Han Dynasty was in good condition, and that it was just a few unruly people and villains causing trouble.

I will bear the burden of hardship for the people, and shoulder the responsibility of expanding the territory.

It wasn't until that southern tour that Liu Che truly realized the extent of the chaos among the people. But he couldn't afford to think about it anymore. After all, if he couldn't even keep his throne, what did it matter whether the people were at peace or in chaos?

Perhaps now, he can cast aside all selfish thoughts and even observe the current state of the Han Dynasty as an "outsider," and he is surprised by the changes.

The situation is improving in all aspects. The wealthy have suffered, but the common people have prospered.

Why didn't he think of that back then?

It wasn't that he hadn't thought of it, but rather that the lives of ordinary people were too far removed from his own. More importantly, the common people couldn't come to his palace, nor could they curry favor with him.

It's either this hardship or that difficulty, unlike the wealthy who exhaust all means just to win a smile from him.

The wealthy are like brothers, while the common people are like clothes.

He can go without clothes, but he must never lose his hands and feet.

Where is the prince?
"Seeking truth from facts," "putting the people first," and "keeping wealth among the people" not only show that the people are taken to heart, but also demonstrate the determination to overcome difficulties to the people of the country.

Even in the midst of difficult times, including by his emperor father.

This is strikingly similar to the situation where, only three months after Emperor Xiaowen entered Weiyang Palace, four of his consorts died one after another.

To put it bluntly, Emperor Xiaowen did this to prevent the descendants of meritorious officials from suffering, while the Crown Prince did it to prevent the common people from experiencing hardship.

Emperor Xiaowen sacrificed four sons, while the Crown Prince sacrificed four powerful and wealthy families: meritorious families, official clans, wealthy merchants, and wandering bandits. It is impossible to judge the skill level of Emperor Xiaowen and the Crown Prince, but their circumstances were very different.

"Is it?"

Liu Ju smiled slightly, “If Father Emperor had said these words in the summer of the fifth month of the first year of Yuan Shou, I think the Han Dynasty would not be where it is today.”

"Will it get better or worse?"

"Father's rule... I probably don't need to elaborate, do I?"

"Can the Han Dynasty really fall under my rule?"

"It's hard to say!" Liu Ju said frankly and sincerely.

Do you really think things will change just because you regretted a couple of things?

That kind of governance, which takes the will of Heaven as its own, is extremely inhumane and treats all things as straw dogs, will bring disaster to all people if it is not changed for a day.

If it weren't for the substantial wealth left by Emperors Xiaowen and Xiaojing, and if my father had continued to rule for another twenty or thirty years, and if there hadn't been a capable leader to save the nation, the Han Dynasty would have truly perished.

"After ruling for more than twenty years, I have been regarded as a ruler who brought about the downfall of the country..." Suddenly, Liu Che's eyes welled up with tears.

Liu Ju did not leave.

cry?
Crying also takes time.

As expected, Liu Che's sentimental mood gradually disappeared. (The character "彘" means "to play" or "to be playful".)

Liu Ju didn't mind waiting a little longer.

"Your Highness, what else do you want?"

Liu Che was somewhat exasperated, pointing in the direction of Weiyang Palace, "Aren't you already sitting there now?"

(End of this chapter)