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

Chapter 308 Reigning Over the Country
Liu Che believed he had been bewitched.

The sound of nursery rhymes lingered in my ears at all times.

"You have established your rule over all the common people, and though they are ignorant and unaware, they follow the Emperor's will..."

Singing day and night.

The singing only disappears when Chuntuo is serving, but when asked, Chuntuo does not know the nursery rhyme.

He tried to take a nap during the day, but dreamt that thousands of wooden figures with wooden staffs rushed to hit him, and he suddenly woke up from the nightmare.

Liu Che believed that these small wooden figures were undoubtedly reflections of the wooden figures buried by the Crown Prince, court officials, and palace servants who were cursing him, and that the staffs in the wooden figures' hands were the needles stuck in them.

After waking up from this dream, his once healthy body seemed to fall into illness and distress. The imperial physician came to treat him and even brewed some medicine, but Liu Che refused to eat it and only took the few remaining pills. For some reason, he began to experience increasingly severe forgetfulness.

He often forgot what he had said or done, and no matter what he did, he could not get rid of his illness. The torment of the combination of physical and mental illness made Liu Che suffer unspeakably.

Only by resting his head on Chun Tuo's legs and listening to Chun Tuo recount the changes in the court situation could he barely fall asleep.

I woke up in a fright again and again.

Under the leadership of the Crown Prince and with the cooperation of the Prime Minister's Office, the imperial court underwent a complete reorganization.

The central authority of the Han Dynasty was no longer the Prime Minister's Office of the small court, but was changed to the Privy Council.

When Liu Che woke up, he knew that this was something that would happen sooner or later. The Crown Prince had great ambitions. Whether it was civil administration or military prowess, the Crown Prince wanted to push the Han Dynasty and China to unimaginable heights.

If a comparison must be made, the "Tushan Conference" where Yu the Great established the Xia Dynasty, marking the transition of the Huaxia people from a tribal alliance to a supreme ruler, might be a more similar analogy.

Legend has it that after Yu the Great quelled the floods and conquered the Sanmiao, he convened a grand assembly at Tushan to consolidate his royal power, bringing together leaders of numerous states and tribes from the Xia and Yi regions.

At the meeting, various feudal lords presented jade and silk as tribute, a historical event known as "ten thousand states presented jade and silk," symbolizing widespread political allegiance.

At the meeting, Yu the Great reviewed his own conduct, clarified the tribute system, and symbolized the unification of the nine provinces by casting nine tripods, making the nine tripods a symbol of royal power and the Mandate of Heaven.

Yu the Great's "those who bring jade and silk to ten thousand states" refers to the river basin, while the prince's vision of "those who bring jade and silk to ten thousand states" likely refers to the entire world.

Under the whole world, could it be the king's land.

On the shore of the land, could it be the king's ministers?

The Crown Prince was the second person in China to hold the title of "Jade and Silk".

His virtues surpassed those of his ancestors, and his achievements rivaled those of the sage ruler.

In this process, the crown prince will not only reorganize the court, but also revise new laws in order to completely eliminate the emperor's supporters and his past efforts.

To bring peace and stability to the country, consolidate power, win popular support, and weaken the old aristocracy... the crown prince did what he wanted to do but couldn't at the beginning of his reign. More importantly, the crown prince had the ability and means to succeed.

After much deliberation, former Chancellor Gongsun Hong deservedly became the first Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, while Grand Marshal and General Wei Qing deferred to become the first Second Grand Secretary of the Cabinet and concurrently led the military affairs of the Han Dynasty. Although there was a distinction between the first and second, in terms of power, Gongsun Hong and Wei Qing were almost equal.

It is said that after Gongsun Hong, Wei Qing will take over as the Grand Secretary.

When Liu Che awoke again, he realized that he, an illegitimate son and a mere stable boy, was about to rise to the pinnacle of power. At that moment, he couldn't tell whether he wanted to laugh or grieve.

Chun Tuo inquired in great detail, or perhaps he was deliberately given the information. In any case, Wei Qing meticulously completed the state affairs and tasks assigned by Chancellor Gongsun Hong. Although he was still somewhat inexperienced and lacking in political skills, with Gongsun Hong following up for a while longer, and when he becomes the Grand Secretary in the future, a capable Deputy Grand Secretary can be selected. There will be problems, but they won't be major.

Liu Che remained silent.

Xu Lesheng, former Minister of the Imperial Stud, was promoted to Vice Minister of the Cabinet. With the reorganization of the Imperial Archives, he was transferred to the Censorate. Zhang Tang, the former Grand Censor, requested retirement due to illness, which was unanimously agreed upon by all officials in the court. The Crown Prince, unable to defy public opinion, granted Zhang Tang's retirement.

The first Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate was Ji An, the Prefect of Donghai Commandery.

Liu Che's emotions clearly fluctuated greatly.

Zhang Tang's career has come to an end.

This signifies the complete end of the cruel official politics in the Han Dynasty, and also the end of his reign. Liu Che was not surprised by this, and as for anger, it had long since subsided.

The source of his anger was the betrayal by the Ji family!

Emperor Wu of Han (Liu Che) boasted that he had treated the Ji family well. During his reign, as many as ten members of the Ji family held official positions with a salary of 2,000 shi (a unit of grain measure). It could be said that Ji An was the "Lord of 10,000 Shi" of the court.

However, the Ji family lacked the loyalty of the Shi family. During the Crown Prince's night in Chang'an, Ji Ren, the younger brother of Ji An, opened the Dinglu Gate, allowing Huo Qubing to take over the armory directly along Zhangtai Street. He then attacked Weiyang Palace and, with almost no effort, allowed the Crown Prince to enter Weiyang Palace and take over the Han regime.

Ji Ren was promoted from the guard of Dinglu Gate to the commander of the Water Balance, and many members of the Ji family were able to take up official positions.

However, when Liu Che, the mighty emperor of the Han Dynasty, wanted to recreate the night in Chang'an, Sima An, the former Commandant of the Capital and now the Commander of the Imperial Guard, contacted the Prime Minister's office and waited for him at the northern gate. As soon as he entered the city, he announced the end of the restoration.

Having been lured into a trap to this extent, Liu Che felt that there was no other emperor besides himself.

The betrayal of the Ji clan once again brought them rich rewards. Ji An, who had previously been demoted to the governor of Donghai Commandery for his cunning and flattery in the court, suddenly became the most prestigious "Chief Censor" in the Han Dynasty.

Liu Che did not hesitate to utter the most vicious curses.

The Ji clan will be wiped out when the Manchus are exterminated.

Ji An was indeed a loyal minister, but he was by no means as fair, just, selfless, and fearless as one might imagine; the advancement of the Ji clan is proof of this.

Such a person, in such an important position, would face utter ruin if he or his clansmen who hold official positions in the court or not were to encounter any problems.

After His Majesty had been cursing the Ji family for an hour, Chun Tuo continued to recount the reorganization of the court, with changes made to both public and private officials.

The former Nine Ministers' Offices and the twelve departments of the Prime Minister's Office were reorganized into six ministries: Personnel, Revenue, Rites, War, Justice, and Works.

The Ministry of Personnel was in charge of the appointment, selection, promotion, demotion, transfer and assessment of officials, and managed the roster, rank, selection and personnel files of civil and military officials nationwide.

The position of Minister was held by Yan Yi, the former Director of Grain Supply.

The Ministry of Revenue was in charge of national finances, household registration, taxes, salaries, and all financial affairs, including land, population, taxation, currency, and grain reserves.

The position of Minister was filled by Zhao Yu, the former Minister of the Imperial Household.

The Minister of Rites was Liu Piqiang, the former Minister of the Imperial Clan.

The Minister of War was Zhao Chongguo, the former Grand Master of Ceremonies.

The Minister of Justice was Bian Tong, the former Minister of Justice.

The position of Minister of Works has not yet been filled.

The powerful minister in charge of national engineering, water conservancy, construction, and handicrafts, responsible for civil engineering, water conservancy projects, state-run handicrafts, and land reclamation, was left in limbo. For some reason, Liu Che sensed a conspiracy, and suddenly, his head began to ache again…

(End of this chapter)