"Haike talks about Yingzhou, but Yan Tao's letter is hard to come by."
When ancient people searched for the fairyland Yingzhou, they always set sail from the Bohai Sea. This shows that Qidi’s customs have been involved in the fantasy of gods since ancient times. The first emperor of Qin and Emperor Wu of Han also recruited and supported many local scholars in Qi in order to seek immortality. Yang Sheng and Gongsun Gui were both from Qi. Together with their fellow villager Zou Yang, they served King Xiao of Liang and became his guests.
These two people are not magicians who pretend to be magic, but they are not the pillars of peace and stability. They only have some cleverness and some tricks. But Liu Wu trusted them very much. The position of domestic history of Liang Dynasty was vacant. If Empress Dowager Dou had not personally issued an edict to ask Han Anguo, a famous general who suppressed the rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms, to fill the vacancy, the person who would be the domestic history of Liang Dynasty would probably be Gongsun Gui. Although Gongsun Gui did not become an internal historian, due to the favor of King Liang, his status in the Liang Kingdom was very high, and he was known as "General Gongsun".
Liu Wu's preference for these two people makes sense, because these two people will say whatever Liu Wu wants to hear. They had been encouraging him to be the heir to the throne of Emperor Jing and become emperor. Maybe they even played the game of kneeling and worshiping the emperor in the secret room with King Liang. Mr. Bo Yang calls this state of shameless flattery "big head syndrome", which really hit the nail on the head.
If a person has a certain desire in his heart and is worried about not being able to realize it, but does not want to give up, he will be hesitant and anxious like an ant on a hot pot. At this time, if there is someone who keeps blowing him, he will obey.
Liu Che became the crown prince, and Liu Wu's dream of climbing up the stairs and ascending to the throne of emperor was completely shattered. He was filled with anger and had nowhere to vent. At this time, Yang Sheng and Gongsun Gui turned his head and raised their fingers to the man who was suppressing a smile. Yuan Ang shouted, Hey, it's him! It's him! it's him!
In fact, it wasn't just him. Liu Wu sent more than a dozen groups of assassins to kill those who he thought were hindering him from ascending to the throne.
Yuan Ang is very popular. The first assassin arrived at Anling, Yuan An's hometown. Everywhere he went, he heard people saying good things about him. So he became unbearable and rushed into Yuan An's house at night, telling him the cause and effect of the incident and telling him to be careful.
Unexpectedly, Yuan Ang didn't take it to heart and still wandered around. One day he went to a friend named Hesheng to seek divination. When he came back, he was assassinated by an assassin outside the gate of Anling City. When Yuan An was held up by the assassin's arm, he asked others, "I am Yuan An. Did you find the wrong person?" What answered him was the sharp sword thrust towards him.
Yuan An is dead, but the drama is not over yet. The assassin forgot to take away the murder weapon, but the sword was still stuck in Yuan Ang's body, shining coldly.
News of Yuan An's death was quickly learned by Emperor Jing, and the ministers who accompanied Yuan An to persuade the Queen Mother also died one after another. Who did this? Emperor Jing immediately had a suspicion in his mind - this must have been done by King Liu Wu of Liang. Sure enough, the investigators followed the sword on Yuan Ang's body and found the master who sharpened the sword in Chang'an City. After checking it, the master said yes, the sword was indeed sharpened by me, and he was the son of a certain official in Liang Guo. brought.
Emperor Jing was furious and sent people to investigate the matter thoroughly. The investigating messenger's car ran back and forth between Chang'an and Liang Guo, day and night, and the messy ruts on the ground were like the vicious whip marks of Emperor Jing's anger.
The throne is like a mirror, a flower in the water, a moon in the water
After Empress Dowager Dou knew what had happened, she understood that her youngest son had committed a heinous crime and had only one way to die. For a moment, it was as if someone had cut off his flesh and blood, and her heart was broken. She just couldn't get a cup of tea. She hid in Changle Palace and cried day and night, her eye sockets filled with tears. Fell in.
Emperor Jing was a filial son, so he felt regret at this time. But after more than a dozen court officials died and no explanation was given to the world, where was the majesty of the court and what was the use of the laws of the Han Dynasty? After thinking about it, he convened the ministers for discussion. He called back the original envoy to investigate the case and sent Uncle Tian, who was familiar with Confucian classics, to investigate.
Confucianism attaches great importance to human relations and family ties and emphasizes generosity. It takes "Poetry", "Book", "Li", "Yi" and "Spring and Autumn" as its classics, but after the burning of books by Qin Shihuang, none of them have been passed down to the world. The scriptures that can be seen now were all dictated by masters who had hidden among the people in the late Qin and early Han dynasties, and compiled from records by the Han people. In addition, communication in ancient times was slow, so in the early Han Dynasty, the above-mentioned Confucian scriptures were not widely known to the world. Before Emperor Wu, Huang Lao was respected, and few courtiers were proficient in Confucianism. The Han Dynasty inherited the Qin system, which included the laws of the Qin Dynasty. However, the Qin Dynasty's laws were strict, and the jailers who tried the cases often would not stop until a person was killed. Therefore, Emperor Jing wanted to send "Confucian scholars" like Uncle Tian to investigate the King of Liang. In fact, He had already planned to spare King Liang. However, there must always be a murderer, otherwise it would be impossible to understand. Emperor Jing intends to forgive King Liang. He has already raised his palm. Will King Liang raise his palm and strike with Emperor Jing?
Yang Sheng and Gongsun Gui have appeared from behind the scenes. Emperor Jing sent envoys to Liang State to investigate the case, and they were arrested. But the envoy ran over and over again, searching the entire Liang Kingdom, but couldn't even catch the two of them.
There was only one place I didn't search: the palace of King Liang.
The King of Liang may not have even thought about handing over Yang Sheng and Gongsun Gui at all - this is tantamount to telling others that he did this. In fact, his identity as the mastermind has long been known to everyone in the Han Dynasty, but King Liang still tightened his masseter muscles and refused to admit it. He also refused to tell the truth to Han Anguo and other important ministers.
Throughout history, this kind of deception has been repeated countless times. The king of Liang was still in his dream, but Han Anguo was a bystander.
Han Anguo entered the palace to see him and cried: "If the Lord is humiliated, I should apologize and die. Your Majesty is in a dilemma and is very anxious now, all because of our inability to assist. Now that Yang Sheng and Gongsun Gui cannot be caught, the Emperor must blame him." , please allow me to say goodbye to you and allow me to commit suicide!"
King Liang knew that he could not hide it from him, so he said helplessly: "Why are you doing this?"
Han Anguo had already burst into tears. He choked with sobs and said, "Your Majesty, think about it for yourself. Who is closer to you and the Emperor, or to the relationship between Taigong Liu and Emperor Gao, or between the Emperor and Prince Linjiang?"
Liang Wang said: "Of course they are closer."
Han Anguo continued: "Liu Taigong had a father-son relationship with Emperor Gao, the emperor, and Prince Linjiang. However, Emperor Gao said: 'I am the one who takes over the world with a three-foot sword.' So the Taigong could only live in Yueyang. Palace, and could not interfere with the government until his death. Linjiang King Liu Rong was the eldest son and was established as the prince, but he was deposed just because his mother said a wrong word; and because he expanded the palace and occupied the ancestral temple of Emperor Wen, he was finally forced to commit suicide in the Lieutenant's Mansion. . What is the truth of this? Because governing the world is a public matter, how can we pay attention to personal relationships? Some people say: 'Even if it is a biological father, how do you know that he will not turn into a tiger? Even if you are a biological brother, how do you know that he will not turn into a wolf? 'Now, my king, you have listened to heresy and violated the laws of the Han Dynasty. Even if you are a prince, you cannot be excused. The emperor is filial, but he is afraid that the queen mother will be sad, so he did not find a swordsman and pen official who only knows the law to deal with you. The queen mother sheds tears day and night. , I hope the king can wake up on his own, but I still don’t see you changing your mind. If the Queen Mother dies suddenly, who can you rely on, my king?"
Before Han An finished speaking, King Liang was already crying bitterly. He said gratefully: "I will hand over Gongsun Gui and Yang Sheng now." So he forced Gongsun Gui and Yang Sheng to commit suicide.
Uncle Tian had been wandering around Liang Country for some time. The moment he saw the two bodies, he knew what he should do. When he returned to Chang'an and reported his duties to Emperor Jing, he gave him a surprise. It turned out that the King of Liang was not only the mastermind behind the assassination of the courtiers, he also recruited soldiers and forged weapons. He was indeed disobedient and "should be punished according to the law." Although Uncle Tian got the conclusive evidence, he burned it on the way back.
Destroying evidence is a felony. Emperor Jing looked unhappy and was about to have a fit when he heard Uncle Tian continue: "The King of Liang is lawless and rebellious. The evidence is as solid as a mountain. If he is not killed, the laws of the Han Dynasty will no longer be trusted by the people. But if he is really killed, the Queen Mother will be afraid." I will never forgive you in this life. Your Majesty, please give me your Holy Judgment!"
Emperor Jing smiled, turned around and sent the news to Changle Palace. After hearing this, Empress Dowager Dou immediately regained her vitality. The people in the palace immediately started to buy food and drinks for her to satisfy her hunger. Afterwards, she worshiped Uncle Tian as the Prime Minister of the State of Lu.
There is still a small episode in the middle. After the king of Liang handed over the bodies of Yang Sheng and Gongsun Gui, he was still worried that the disaster was not over yet, so he consulted with his officials. At this time, Zou Yang stepped forward, went west to Chang'an, found Wang Xin, the brother of Queen Wang (Wang Quan), and persuaded him to enter the palace to advise King Liang, in order to please the Queen Mother Dou and enable the Dou and Wang families to marry. form an alliance. Wang Xin "followed his plan." Emperor Jing listened to Wang Xin's advice and understood that if he insisted on executing King Liang, he would be called unkind for killing his younger brother. It happened that Uncle Tian came back to report on his duties, so he decided to stop there.
Emperor Jing's anger gradually subsided, so King Liang wrote a letter requesting an audience. When the group arrived at the Dahan Valley Pass, a subordinate named Mao Lan advised: "The king is still guilty, and it may not be appropriate to pay attention to the pomp and circumstance as before. It is better to take a cloth chariot instead." King Liang then took the car. At that time, the cloth carriage used for funerals only took two cavalry with it. Even so, he was still afraid and did not dare to meet Emperor Jing, so he hid in his sister Liu's house.
Emperor Jing sent an envoy out of the customs to meet King Liang, but King Liang had already entered the customs, so he only saw his entourage, chariots and horses. When the Queen Mother knew that she had not received anyone, she raised her arms and cried: "Your Majesty has really killed my King Liang!"
This was something that even jumping into the Yellow River couldn't wash away. Emperor Jing could only listen helplessly to his mother's scolding. At this time, things took a turn for the worse, and the palace people reported that King Liang was here. He was kneeling naked at the palace gate, carrying a chopping board and an ax on his back, begging for punishment. The Queen Mother finally cleared up from the heavy rain, and Emperor Jing was also very happy. He hugged King Liang and cried bitterly. However, Emperor Jing could not let go in his heart. He gradually alienated King Liang and no longer rode in the same chariot with him.
In the sixth year of Emperor Jing's reign (144 BC), King Liang went to Beijing again to pay homage. He submitted a memorial requesting to stay in the capital and serve Empress Dowager Dou. This time, Emperor Jing did not agree.
King Liang had no choice but to return to his country. He felt nothing when he was crazy, but exhausted when he woke up. After experiencing these twists and turns, King Liang calmed down, but he was no longer happy, and was in a trance every day. Once when I went hunting in Liangshan Mountain in the north, someone happened to offer a cow. This cow may have been born with a deformity, as its feet actually grew on its back. People at that time had no concept of biology, and the strange cow looked shocking. King Liang thought it was a monster descended from heaven, which foreshadowed disaster. He was disgusted and had no taste for food. In mid-October, King Liang fell ill with fever and died within a few days. Later generations gave him the posthumous title of King Xiao of Liang.
When Empress Dowager Dou found out that King Liang had passed away, she burst into tears and shouted, "Your Majesty has indeed killed my Wu'er!" Emperor Jing was frightened and worried, remembering the situation in the past when the brothers boarded the carriage hand in hand, hunted together, and talked at night with candles, as if they had been separated from each other for a while. I know how to face the changes of the past and present, but I can only feel sad. The King of Liang was very filial to Empress Dowager Dou. Every time he heard that the Empress Dowager was in ill health, he would stay awake at night and unable to eat. He always wanted to serve and accompany her.
Emperor Jing divided the Liang Kingdom into five parts and placed them in charge of the five sons of King Liang, each of whom was granted the title of king. This matter was discussed with the eldest princess Liu Piao. When the Queen Mother found out about this, she gradually became relieved. In fact, dividing a large country like Liang into five would be of great benefit to increasing the authority of the central government and weakening the power of local princes. Emperor Jing's move could be regarded as killing two birds with one stone.
To be fair, King Liang had no ambition to rebel. If they wanted to rebel, why did they assassinate Yuan Ang and others? In the case of insufficient preparation, wouldn't this act to alert the enemy? The King of Liang, like Li Ji, blindly indulged in sexual indulgence, but when the danger came, he regretted it too late.
Under the rule of imperial power, it is difficult to distinguish between family and country, and between public and private affairs. Tragedies like Emperor Jing and Prince Liang will be repeated many times in future generations. King Liang returned to his country and went hunting in the mountains. When he climbed to the top of the mountain and faced the rustling mountain wind, did he feel the desolation of his life? The top of the mountain is higher than the throne, and the throne is at the center of the human world. The top of the mountain jumps out of it all, giving you a bird's eye view of the turbulent human world.
When King Liang was alive, his wealth was counted in hundreds of millions. After his death, he still had more than 400,000 kilograms of gold, and all the treasures were used as burial objects. Historical records record that Cao Cao was short of soldiers and pay, so he came up with the idea of the tomb of King Liang. When he robbed the tomb, he "obtained more than 100,000 catties of gold and treasure and transported 72 ships." The King of Liang once built the "Liang Garden", which is "three hundred miles across" and its splendor is indescribable. The poet Li Bai traveled all over the world and lived in Liangyuan for ten years, but he still couldn't bear to leave. There are four sentences in his "Yin of Liangyuan":
The palace of Liang Wang is now in peace, and the horses have returned first without treating each other.
The dancing shadows and singing voices scatter in the green pond, and the empty Bian water flows eastward to the sea.
