The altar of power always requires countless innocent victims. Liu Ying is innocent, and Queen Zhang is even more innocent. Just because she couldn't give birth to a son, she had to pretend to be a vase and let others manipulate and use her. The palace is very big and Lu Pheasant is very powerful. For certain purposes, something must be sacrificed, and Zhang Yan just happens to be the sacrificed thing.
Liu Ying was about to die. Lu Pheasant knew that Queen Zhang would never be able to give birth to a son no matter what, so he had to hide Zhang Yan in the harem and announce that Queen Zhang was pregnant with a dragon seed. Lu Pheasant brought other harem women and Liu Yingsheng's son and said that it was the son of Queen Zhang. Just in case, Lu Pheasant killed the child's mother.
After Liu Ying's death, Zhang Yansheng's false son Liu Gong succeeded to the throne and proclaimed himself emperor. The young emperor was weak and incompetent, so Lu Fei took the throne, which meant that she exercised actual power. When Liu Ying was in power, Lu Fei exercised actual power, and of course he still exercises it now.
The greatest influence on character formation is acquired factors. Liu Ying is incompetent, and the son he gave birth to is not like him. Liu Gong did not inherit his father's cowardice, but he inherited his grandfather's strength. However, in a cage, whoever is strong will break first.
Although Lu Pheasant has power, he always lacks a sense of security. After Liu Ying's death, she concluded that she should distribute her minions at key locations. If Zhu Lu had held military power and held an important position, she wouldn't have had to wail and cry so hard and perform so tiringly.
Lu Fei thought about it and felt that Zhu Lu's military power was not enough. Once a big event happened, her brothers would not be able to support the building she built. Lu Pheasant felt that only by allowing Zhu Lu to be crowned king and rule by ceding territory would he be able to gain strength. If Zhu Lu cedes land and becomes king, less than half of the world will belong to the Lu family. With this small half as the foundation, even if Lu Pheasant dies, the Lu family will be as stable as Mount Tai. Lu Pheasant made a decision, Zhu Lu must be crowned king. Whoever stood in the way, Lu Pheasant would let his blood fill the road for Zhu Lu to be crowned king.
The desire for power will give people an inexplicable sense of impulse. For the sake of power, people are willing to go through fire and water. At that time, Liu Bang made an oath with his courtiers: If the Liu family is not the king, the whole world will fight against him. Most of the ministers who had sworn an oath were dead, and the only ones whose words were effective were Right Prime Minister Wang Ling, Left Prime Minister Chen Ping, and Taiwei Zhou Bo.
Liu Bang could not generalize troops, but he could generals. This is Han Xin's evaluation of Liu Bang, and he was very accurate. Before Liu Bang died, he said a few words, which actually set the direction of the Han court. After Xiao He's death, Cao Shen took over as prime minister; after Cao Shen's death, the prime minister was divided into two, with Wang Ling as the right prime minister, Chen Ping as the left prime minister, and Zhou Bo as the Taiwei. Liu Bang was worried that Wang Ling would not be able to stabilize the country, and indeed Wang Ling could not. Xiao He was right, no one who knows his ministers is as good as his master.
Some people think about it before doing it, and some people think about it after doing it. Wang Ling didn't know how to behave, he acted spontaneously, and said whatever came to his mind. He was a guy who only knew how to do things without considering the consequences. As soon as he heard what Lu Pheasant said, he immediately brought up Liu Bang's covenant and said, "If the Liu family is not the king, the whole world will fight against it." This made Lu Pheasant three parts embarrassed and seven parts angry. Wang Ling is a loyal minister, but if such a loyal minister acts recklessly, he will definitely do bad things.
After appreciating appearance and appearance, Chen Ping came forward and said: "It is natural for Emperor Gaozu to bring peace to the world and to make his descendants kings; it is only natural that the Queen Mother once fought with Emperor Gaozu in all directions, and now she is in charge of the dynasty and wants to make her brothers kings. I, Chen Ping, am the first to agree." After Chen Ping finished speaking, Zhou Bo agreed. Zhu Lu was made king. Three people voted, and two votes passed. Lu Fei came to the dynasty to claim the throne, and Zhu Lu was granted the title of king, which was completely legal. Wang Ling was dumbfounded, what was going on? He didn't understand why Chen Ping would agree to such an unreasonable request; after doubting it, he became even more angry because Chen Ping had forgotten Emperor Gaozu's oath.
Afterwards, Wang Ling scolded Chen Ping and Zhou Bo, saying: "Weren't you here when we made a blood oath with Emperor Gaozu? Gaozu had just died and the Queen Mother had taken over the power, so you just flattered him. Let's see how you will see Gaozu after your death!"
"When the court remonstrates, I am not as good as you; to preserve the Han Dynasty and continue the Liu family bloodline, you are not as good as me." This was Chen Ping's answer.
Although Wang Ling is upright, he is not unreasonable. Chen Ping's words clarified the crux of the matter and knocked Wang Ling awake. Lu Pheasant holds great power, Zhu Lu firmly holds the military power, and the Lu family has the final say in Chang'an. The court dispute is just a waste of words, and if you offend Lu Fei, you will only be demoted. If all the loyal ministers were demoted, Lu Pheasant would promote his confidants. In this way, the court would truly belong to the Lu family. Chen Ping pointed this out, and Wang Ling was speechless; Wang Ling was speechless, but it was too late, and he was demoted.
Lu Fei demoted Wang Ling to the position of emperor's tutor and took away his power as prime minister. As expected, Wang Ling could only give remonstrances in court. After the power of the prime minister was taken away, he claimed that he was ill at home, swept the floor and closed the door, and refused to go to court. Du Men of the royal tomb thanked the guests and ignored the government affairs, which was exactly what Lu Pheasant wanted. Without the royal tomb, the rotation of the earth is more in line with Lu Pheasant's wishes, and it is much easier for Zhu Lu to do things. Ten years later, Wang Ling died.
Without the obstruction of the royal mausoleum, Lu Fei was able to flex her muscles. She was promoted to the prime minister of the left, and Chen Ping was the prime minister of the right. This Shenshi and Lu Zhi had suffered together in Xiang Yu's prison. After meeting him in this prison, Lu Zhi loved him very much. After Liu Bang became emperor, he only saw the smiles of the new people and did not hear the tears of the old people. Lu Pheasant's neglected heart was soothed by Shen Shi. He has a unique ability to scrutinize food, soothe the heart of a lost woman, and win the heart of Lu Pheasant. After Liu Bang's death, there were rumors that Shen Shiqi and Lu Fei were acting improperly. The cowardly Liu Ying couldn't bear it and almost killed Shen Shiqi. Shenshi was promoted to Prime Minister Zuo, but he ignored the Prime Minister's affairs and still exercised his powers as Lang Zhongling. Lang Zhongling is an official in charge of palace affairs. This makes people even more suspicious of his relationship with Lu Pheasant.
People's hearts are different, just like their faces. Liu Ying doesn't hold grudges, but Lu Pheasant remembers it deeply. Liu Ying died, and some people owed Liu Ying unpaid debts. The biggest representative among these people was Zhao Yao.
At the beginning, Zhou Chang temporarily retained Liu Ying's position as crown prince because of his outspokenness. At the same time, he was transferred from the central government to assist Liu Ruyi because of his outspokenness. Zhao Yao squeezed Zhou Chang away, which on the one hand deprived Liu Ying of a protective umbrella, and on the other hand created obstacles for Lu Pheasant to kill Liu Ruyi.
Just when he was employing people, Lu Pheasant hated Zhou Chang when he lost him; when he was about to kill someone, Zhao Yao set up obstacles, and Lu Pheasant hated him even more. After Lu Pheasant drove away Wang Ling, he found any excuse and threw Zhao Yao into prison. According to common sense, once an immoral and incompetent person like Zhao Yao enters a prison, it is like entering a tomb. Unless there is a miracle, he will never come out.
The four words "please grudge and grudge" should be Lu Pheasant's motto. She holds a deep grudge and a deep grudge; she must avenge her and repay her favor. In addition to promoting his favorite ministers to review and eat him, Lu Fei also promoted his benefactor Ren Ao to succeed Zhao Yao. Both of them were friends that Lu Pheasant met in prison.
Ren Ao was from Peixian County and helped Lu Pheasant in prison. When Liu Bang rebelled, the jailers of the Qin Dynasty went to arrest Liu Bang. Liu Bang escaped successfully, but Lu Pheasant was captured. At that time, Lu Pheasant was young and somewhat pretty, so the jailer touched Lu Pheasant. Ren Aosu respected Liu Bang, and when he saw Lu Pheasant being humiliated, he was furious and gave the jailers a hard punch. Liu Bang was a scoundrel, and it was a miracle that a man like Ren Ao respected him.
As the saying goes, there is an emperor and a minister. Lu Pheasant not only ruled the dynasty, but also vigorously supported his power. Her ambition is well known to everyone.
Lu Fei's promotion of outsiders was all foreshadowing. Her real purpose was to make Zhu Lu king.
Lu Pheasant first promoted the founding hero Lang Zhongling Feng Wuze to the title of Marquis of Bocheng, then made Zhang Ao's son Zhang Yan the king of Lu, then made Liu Fei's son Liu Zhang the title of Zhu Xuhou, and married Lu Lu's daughter to Liu Zhang , and finally Lv Zhong was granted the title of Peihou, Luliu was granted the title of Fuliuhou, and so on. There is no big trouble in making a marquis. Just order someone to write an imperial edict and cover it with a jade seal.
Unfortunately Liu Ying left behind five sons. Lu Pheasant then made them all princes: Liu Qiang was named the King of Huaiyang, Liu Buyi was named the King of Hengshan, Liu Shan was named the Marquis of Xiangyang, Liu Chao was named the Marquis of Zhi, and Liu Wu was named the Marquis of Huguan. Several of Liu Ying's children were involved in imperial power struggles at a young age, and none of them ended well.
Since becoming emperor, Lu Pheasant has paved a smooth road for the Lu family. This road leads to the Lu family's regime. First, the founding heroes and the Liu family's children were granted the title to calm public anger, and finally the Lu family's children were granted the title. The children of his surname are at the bottom, and the children of the Lu family are on top. Lu Pheasant is very familiar with it, and it is not easy. At this time, Lu Pheasant just wanted to replace the Liu family and push the Lu family onto the stage of history.
In the third year of Empress Lu (185 BC), in the summer, the Yangtze River and the Han River flooded, inundating more than 4,000 households; in the autumn, stars appeared in broad daylight, and then the Yishui, Luoshui and Ru Rivers flooded, destroying a total of 2,400 households. More than a hundred households.
In this year of flooding and disasters, Zhang Yan's false son, the new emperor Liu Gong, died. Liu Gong has been the emperor for several years. His body has grown taller, his blood is rushing, and he exhales and inhales loudly. At a glance, ordinary people would know that he was spirited and brave, unlike Liu Ying who was cowardly and incompetent. He has grown up a little, but he is not sensible. When he heard that his mother was killed by Lu Pheasant, he wanted to take revenge. Not only did he want revenge, he also yelled for it. Liu Gong said: "The Queen Mother actually killed my own mother and made me someone else's son. When I grow up, I will take revenge."
But as fate would have it, Liu Gong's wish for revenge finally came to nothing. This child can't hide his thoughts. In a dark environment, those who can't hide their thoughts will definitely not be able to save their lives. After Lu Pheasant heard this, he was worried that Liu Gong would cause trouble in the future and become a serious problem for him, so he imprisoned the little emperor in Yongxiang. Since Lu Fei took over power, I don’t know how many people have been hidden in Yongxiang. For one person’s ambition, I don’t know how many victims have never seen the light of day.
After Liu Gong was imprisoned in Yongxiang, Lu Pheasant announced that Liu Gong was seriously ill and that for the sake of the country, he needed to establish another emperor. Lu Fei has great power in her hands, and she can replace whoever she wants. The emperor is no longer in name only. He is just a puppet for her to give orders, and announcing to the world is just a formality.
Because Liu Gong was too tough and caused a lot of trouble to Lu Pheasant, Lu Pheasant wanted to choose a young and docile one this time. Eventually, she set her sights on Liu Buyi, so she stripped him of his throne and renamed him Liu Hong. Liu Hong is the Later Young Emperor.
For the sake of record keeping, Liu Hong's reign is not called the first year. Lu Pheasant knew that he would not live long. Since we don’t live long, why bother everyone and just settle for anything. The throne is like a chair, and Lu Zhi stretches out his claws. Anyone who is disobedient will be thrown into the alley; whoever is docile and well-behaved can come and play on the dragon chair. In addition to opposing Lu Pheasant, people sitting on the dragon throne can do anything, including drinking and having sex all day long.
The essence of power is violence. Lu Pheasant not only loved power, but also loved killing, especially the sons of Liu Bang and other concubines.
Since Liu Ruyi was named King of Zhao, King Zhao has become a thorn in Lu Pheasant's side. No matter who the Liu family's descendants are, if they dare to accept the enfeoffment from King Zhao, Lu Pheasant will kill him. The new King Zhao is Liu You.
The generous Lu Pheasant not only consecrated the Liu family's children as kings, but also gave each of them a woman. The women Lu Pheasant gave to others were all from the Lu family. Whoever marries the woman sent by Lu Fei must respect her as a real wife, otherwise he will bear the consequences. Lu Pheasant does not know how to engage in politics, but she can engage in political marriages. Her arranged marriages are dedicated to the grafting of power.
However, Liu You is disobedient. He doesn't like arranged marriages. He wants to love freely. But the person in the Liu family who has the final say is not Liu, but Lu. Lu Pheasant gave him a woman as a gift, how dare he refuse? But he regarded this woman as a tiger or a wolf, and he believed that this woman was Lu Pheasant's spy, so he simply ignored this genuine lady and went to tangle with his concubine.
Mrs. Zhengzhi couldn't bear the neglect, so she complained to Lu Pheasant. She even said that Liu You had told her that people named Lu wanted to be kings, and when Lu Pheasant died, they would kill all the Lus.
It has to be said that this woman is very smart, and she always seizes on Lu Pheasant's pain points when making slanderous remarks. Lu Pheasant waited all his life and worked hard for half his life. His purpose was to think that long live the Lu family, long live the Lu family. Liu You dared to kill the Lu family.
After hearing this, Lu Pheasant was furious and found a way to recruit Liu You to Chang'an. As soon as Liu You arrived in Chang'an, Lu Pheasant sent people to surround his official residence and refused to give him food or drink. Anyone who sends something to Liu You privately will be punished as a crime.
Liu You eventually starved to death.
After Liu You's death, Lu Pheasant promoted Liu Hui to the title of King of Zhao. Liu Hui is Liu You's younger brother. They also have a younger brother named Liu Jian. After Lu Wan rebelled, Liu Bang named Liu Jian King of Yan. This move was the best performance of naming a king with the same surname. However, not long after Liu You died, Liu Jian also left, and Lu Pheasant even killed Liu Jian's son.
Empress Lu does things cleanly and cleanly, always cutting off the roots and showing no mercy. Liu Hui mourned his two brothers one after another. Just after the funeral, Liu Hui inherited the throne of King Zhao.
Although being the King of Zhao is better than being the King of Liang, Liu Hui has become accustomed to the life of the King of Liang and does not want to change the environment. He wanted to be the king of Liang, but he didn't dare to say it. Since he was asked to leave the Liang Kingdom, Liu Hui has been frowning and depressed all day long, as if his yang energy has been exhausted. The woman Lu Pheasant gave to Liu Hui was Lu Chan's daughter. This woman married Liu Hui and brought many of her confidants with her. Because Liu Hui was cowardly and afraid of Lu Pheasant, Lu Nu gradually began to take power. Living in a repressive environment, Liu Hui's every move was constrained.
Since the Liu family's children are so cowardly, we can't blame Lu Pheasant for taking power. If all the Liu family's descendants are brave, Lu Pheasant will not be able to monopolize power easily. Just like in spiritual practice, if you don't have enough concentration, don't blame the demons for tempting you.
Lu Pheasant's monopoly on power was a big test for Liu's children. In this kind of test that costs blood and tears, the one who can win will definitely be extraordinary.
