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

Chapter 315 Punishment and Virtue
"What kind of ruler, what kind of minister, what kind of son? If the ruler is not upright, the minister will flee to a foreign country; if the father is not kind, the son will surely be at odds with the ruler. The old prime minister's words are profound."

"Your Majesty, my intentions are not so profound."

"That is indeed the truth. There are no truly virtuous ministers. Whether they are virtuous or not is not up to you. If they are virtuous, you will use them; if they are not, you will dismiss them. It is all up to me."

Liu Ju laughed.

The saying "Oranges grown south of the Huai River are sweet oranges, but those grown north of the Huai River are bitter oranges" is true.

But precisely because of this, while those who abandon evil are commendable, they are ultimately less worthy than those who uphold good.

What are the pure and the corrupt, what are the emperor's cronies and the crown prince's ministers? Who are the true guardians of good in the Han Dynasty?

Rather than those who stand on the shore watching boats capsize in order to gain a reputation for integrity.

Gongsun Hong knew he was wrong; otherwise, he wouldn't have been openly criticized by Yuan Gusheng for "distorting learning and flattering the world" during His Majesty's reign. He also knew that His Majesty didn't mean to satirize his change of heart.

He was now certain that the emperor's use of people was unconventional; after ascending the throne, regardless of the emperor's faction or the crown prince's ministers, the virtuous were employed, and the unvirtuous were honored.

The magnanimity of a wise and virtuous ruler is truly admirable.

The moon rises above the willow branches, and the Weiyang Palace is quiet and spacious, its layers of palace buildings exuding a serene and mysterious charm reminiscent of a canyon.

"Your Majesty is not worried about the final edict of His Majesty, so why do you seem to have something on your mind?" Gongsun Hong asked respectfully.

"The old prime minister."

"The minister is here."

"do you know?"

"Please enlighten me, Your Majesty."

"I've been thinking about this, and now that I've reached this point, I really feel lost," Liu Ju said with a sigh.

Even after living two lives, he still felt apprehensive about the unknown. When he accepted his father's abdication and became the Emperor of the Han Dynasty, all his experience seemed insignificant at that moment.

"His Majesty……"

Whether intentional or not, Gongsun Hong's form of address changed, and Liu Ju was taken aback for a moment, "Huh?"

Is the process not yet complete?

"Your Majesty is the successor to the Han dynasty, with both civil and military achievements, and a profound understanding of the past and present. This is also true of the affairs of the world," Gongsun Hong said with a smile.

"I am not afraid of martial arts. With my uncle, my elder brother, and the Northern and Southern Armies, even if there are strong enemies and many soldiers, they will only number in the hundreds of thousands at most. I would not say that they can be wiped out with a snap of the fingers, but it should not be difficult."

When the restoration movement began, it was estimated that there were millions of people, including meritorious families, officials, wealthy merchants, and wandering bandits. Liu Ju did not change his expression in the slightest. He was not afraid of any civil war, let alone any foreign war.

"But in the past two months, the court has undergone reforms, and affairs of state are not as important as before. They first go to the Prime Minister's office, are screened, and then presented to the palace. Many memorials have even reached my face..."

"Your Majesty is addressed by your subject, not by your sovereign. What Your Majesty should say is 'numerous memorials have been presented to me,'" Gongsun Hong reminded him.

"Numerous memorials and reports have been submitted to me. The officials and bureaucrats are busy with countless affairs every day. I truly feel that being the emperor is very different from being the crown prince," Liu Ju sighed.

The imperial court underwent reforms, with the Prime Minister's Office being split up, the Censor-in-Chief's Office being abolished, and the offices of the Nine Ministers and other central government agencies being reorganized, resulting in a significant centralization of the imperial court.

Imperial power reached an unprecedented level, and so did political affairs.

The bamboo slips contained local details, official impeachments, official reports from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and rumors, and their weight was far more than 120 jin (approximately 60 kg).

It is tedious and burdensome.

Gongsun Hong smiled again: "The officials and bureaucrats each have their own duties. Your Majesty only needs to grasp the essentials; once the essentials are grasped, everything else falls into place." "That's true," Gongsun Hong continued, "but this grasping and lifting of the key points affects the entire realm. If a mistake is made, how can it be reversed in a short time?"

It concerns the Crown Prince.

Liu Ju had two things to do: first, to serve his father, and second, to implement benevolent policies and bestow favors upon the people.

Even if he was wrong, his subjects would blame the emperor, believing it was a problem left over from his father that even he, the wise crown prince, couldn't fix.

After ascending the throne, his father could no longer take the blame for him.

Gongsun Hong smiled calmly and nodded, saying, "However, if Your Majesty can still rely on the people in the Crown Prince's palace, it won't be as difficult as Your Majesty thinks."

Your Majesty's use of people is more like accumulating sand to form a tower.

In the imperial court, he won over the Prime Minister's office, controlled the Imperial Archives, and used the Prime Minister's office's influence and his numerous disciples to control public opinion and dominate the country.

In the military, he was on good terms with Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, using righteousness and profit to control the twelve generals of the Northern Army, and then layer by layer downwards, to tighten his grip on military power and intimidate the court and the public.

In Gongsun Hong's view, such methods of control, or rather, imperial tactics, were not a big problem, and even if problems arose, they would still be within a controllable range.

In the current political climate, although Your Majesty's idea of ​​"ruling the world by doing nothing" is too arrogant, the Han Dynasty is indeed on the rise, and we have no end in sight.

One of the reasons why Your Majesty is so tired is a terrifying fact: Your Majesty can no longer fully trust the Crown Prince's ministers.

Liu Ju nodded silently, "Old Prime Minister, over the years, you have recruited talented people for me, implemented new policies and systems, maintained stability and earned praise. You have worked hard."

"Thank you for your favor, Your Majesty," Gongsun Hong said humbly.

"but……"

Liu Ju then said, "After the old prime minister, who can I trust?"

What he believed in was never the so-called official position, but the specific "person".

In the military, he trusted his uncle Wei Qing and his elder brother Huo Qubing, believing that with these two men by his side, his military power would be as stable as Mount Tai, relying on their kinship.

In the imperial court, he trusted Gongsun Hong. With Gongsun Hong in power, his regime was as solid as a rock. This was based on the contract between the ruler and his subject, and on Gongsun Hong's advanced age.

With little time left for Gongsun Hong, he could bestow upon him all the honors a subject could bestow in exchange for Gongsun Hong's boundless support and efforts.

Under the influence of traditional morality, Gongsun Hong had neither the inclination nor the energy to harbor any rebellious thoughts.

The problem is that there is only one Gongsun Hong in the court. After Gongsun Hong, how can he control the government and how can he relinquish power to his ministers?

Mozi Mo, Huo Guang, Chen Mo, Xu Le, Yan An, the Six Ministers... weren't they all ambitious people?
Gongsun Hong's smile froze on his face.

The cruel relationship between the emperor and his ministers was on full display at this moment. His Majesty could trust him because he was someone His Majesty could trust, but the vast majority of people in the court were people His Majesty could not trust.

His three top disciples, in particular, are full of vigor and have plenty of time to challenge for higher power. At some point, even the power of a subject may not satisfy their desires.

Gongsun Hong knew without a doubt that His Majesty was referring to his disciple.

Gongsun Hong felt a tightness in his chest and remained silent for a long time. He unconsciously took a few steps forward with Liu Ju's support, and then stopped. "Your Majesty knows the abilities and character of your subjects. Otherwise, you would not have entrusted them with such an important task."

Your Majesty is well aware of Huo Guang's character, yet you still allow him to serve in the Grand Council, which demonstrates Your Majesty's magnanimity.

"What I wish to say is that 'the wise ruler guides and controls his ministers through two handles: punishment and reward. Punishment is killing, and reward is celebrating.'"

(End of this chapter)