The prince fled, and Emperor Wu was worried about his plot, so he stationed heavy troops at the gates of Chang'an. In fact, this is completely unnecessary. What kind of waves can Liu Zhi make? What's more, he has no tampering ambitions.
Emperor Wu's anger has not subsided, so although many people in the court knew that the prince was unjustly accused, no one dared to stand up and speak for the prince at this time, because that would be tantamount to looking for a gun to hit. At this time, the three elders of Huguan stood up risking their lives.
The so-called "Three Elders of Huguan" does not refer to three people. Huguan is a place name, located in the southeast of present-day Shanxi Province. The third elder is a local official with long-term discipline. The name of the three elders of Huguan is Linghu Mao.
The content of Linghu Mao's letter to Emperor Wu is roughly as follows:
I heard that father is like heaven, mother is like earth, and children are like all things growing in heaven and earth. Therefore, when the heaven and earth are peaceful and the yin and yang are harmonious, all things can flourish and grow; when a father is kind and the mother is loving, and the family is harmonious, only the children and grandchildren can be filial. The Crown Prince is His Majesty's bloodline and heir to the throne. He has to bear the inheritance of eternity and the trust entrusted by his ancestors. Jiang Chong was just a commoner, a gangster on the streets. Your Majesty made him noble and appointed him. If he complied with the emperor's order and forced the prince, he would definitely cause trouble and cover up the truth, so the father and son became increasingly estranged. When the prince entered, he could not express his love to the saint, but when he retreated, he was forced by Jiang Chong and other villains. He was wronged without complaining, and his anger was unbearable, so he killed Jiang Chong and fled in fear of crime. The son stole his father's soldiers just to save himself from trouble. I privately believe that the prince has no intention of treason and rebellion. "The Book of Songs" says, "The blue flies in the camp stop at the scorpion. The gentlemen are unfaithful and slanderous. The slanderous words are unreasonable and confuse the four countries." Jiang Chong deceived the emperor with his slanderous words and wanted to kill the prince to perform meritorious deeds. Everyone in the world knew about it. Your Majesty did not examine himself and only blamed the prince. In anger, he personally went to battle and sent troops to arrest the prince. Wise men dare not speak out, and debaters have no choice but to shut up. Privately, I feel heartbroken for Your Majesty. I just hope that Your Majesty can be attentive and clear up doubts, understand the relationship between father and son, stop blaming the prince, stop the search, and don't let the prince live in exile for a long time. I am so frightened that I am ready to behead Your Majesty at any time. Now I am waiting outside the gate of Jianzhang Palace.
This letter is written in a very reasonable way. "After all, he is his own son," Emperor Wu came to his senses, but he did not expressly forgive the prince's crime. This may be to save "face" and not be able to keep one's head down for a while. What he didn't expect was that because of this moment of hesitation and hesitation, he and Liu Zhi would never have the chance to meet again.
Liu Zheng took his two sons and fled to Hu County (near today's Lingbao County, Henan Province) and hid in a man's home in Quanjiuli. The family is very poor and the owner makes a living by selling straw sandals. The arrival of Liu Ju and the three men undoubtedly added a lot of burden to the host's family. Liu Zhi thought of a wealthy friend nearby, and asked someone to inform him that he was here in order to get help. Liu Zheng was the crown prince, and the description of his life in history books is very brief. He lived in Chang'an for a long time, so why did he suddenly have a friend who lived in Henan? This person may be a guest who visited Bowang Garden and socialized with the prince. But this rich friend disappointed the prince, because soon officials came to round him up, and the news could only be released by this rich man.
Footsteps pounded outside the door, and each step seemed to step on Liu Zhi's heart. Suddenly, he got rid of his anxiety and calmed down. The hidden and rugged road from the past to the present clearly appeared before his eyes, and there was no mystery at all. The prince who received all the glory yesterday, and the prisoner who is as panic-stricken as a bereaved dog today, everything is fate, there is nothing to complain about.
The fighting continued for a while, and finally the shoe seller died in the battle. This man whose name was not left behind is a real hero, because he is worthy of the word "righteousness".
When Zhang Fuchang, a native of Shanyang, kicked open the shabby wooden door of the poor man's house, Liu Zhi and his two imperial grandsons who were hanging on the beam had been dead for a long time. He was stunned and didn't know what to do. Behind Zhang Fuchang was Li Shou, the commander of Xin'an. He pushed Zhang Fuchang away and relieved Liu Ju. Liu Zhi's body was soft and his face was peaceful. He was only thirty-seven years old.
Emperor Wu was saddened by the death of the prince, so he named Li Shou the Marquis of Xie and Zhang Fuchang the Marquis of Ti.
Liu Zheng died, and the old Emperor Wu was also dying.
Among the remaining princes, King Yan Liu Dan is the oldest. He was the son of Emperor Wu and Li Ji. Originally, I could only be a local vassal king for the rest of my life, but I didn't expect that I would suddenly get the opportunity to ascend to the throne. So Liu Dan sent an envoy to write to Emperor Wu, saying that he would go to Chang'an and serve at Emperor Wu's bed as a sign of filial piety.
The injured and walking lone wolf in the wasteland cannot show its fatigue, because countless hungry wolves are staring at it. The moment it softens, those hungry wolves will swarm over and skin it and break its bones. How could Emperor Wu, who had been struggling for power all his life, not know this truth?
Just like that, in Emperor Wu's sneer, Liu Dan's messenger's head was chopped off. At the same time, Emperor Wu followed the clues, found out Liu Dan's illegal facts, and reduced his fiefdoms in three counties. The latter's wishful thinking was thus shattered.
Liu Dan was just a young man, and there were many people who wanted to compete for the throne. In the third year of Zhenghe (90 BC), the Xiongnu invaders invaded Wuyuan and Jiuquan and killed two Han Dynasty captains. Emperor Wu then ordered General Li Guang of the Second Division to lead 70,000 people to attack the Xiongnu. Prime Minister Liu Quyou sent him to the Wei River, and the two drank farewell. The reason why these two people are so close is that they are relatives - Li Guangli's daughter married Liu Quya's son - so they talked about everything. Li Guangli said to Liu Quya: "If the king of Changyi (that is, Li Guangli) If my sister, Mrs. Li’s son Liu Kun), can inherit the throne, then life-long wealth and honor for you and me will be just around the corner? I hope the prince (Liu Quya was named Peng Hou) will make plans early."
Li Guangli and Liu Quyou are in charge of the military and political circles. If they unite, it is indeed possible to establish the king of Changyi. Unfortunately, they were too impatient and did not learn lessons from Liu Dan.
The commander-in-chief Guo Ran reported to Emperor Wu that the wife of Prime Minister Liu Quyou invited wizards to perform sacrifices at home, cursing Emperor Wu day and night, and using very vicious words. Li Guangli, the general of the second division, also sometimes participated in the sacrifices, burned incense and prostrated himself to wish the king of Changyi an early enthronement.
What Emperor Wu cherished most at this time was his own life. In order to search for witchcraft, he would even kill his own daughter, and even indirectly forced the "rebellious" prince to death. But he couldn't figure it out. After so many people had died, there were still people using witchcraft to curse him. Could it be that he really aroused such hatred? Furious, he imprisoned Liu Quyou and his entire family. Liu Quya was later put in a vegetable cart and paraded around Chang'an City before being dragged to Dongshi and beheaded, and his wife was also beheaded. The people in Chang'an City secretly applauded the prince.
As for Li Guangli, who was leading troops outside, Emperor Wu was afraid that he would be forced to rebel, so he imprisoned his family first and was not in a hurry to behead him. Li Guangli won several victories in the north, but suffered heavy losses. At this time, a close confidant rushed over from Chang'an and told him about the surprising changes in Chang'an. Li Guangli was shocked, afraid and angry, so he surrendered to the Huns. There was no need to stage a show to seduce him, so Emperor Wu had his entire family executed.
Li Guangli was treated as a distinguished guest in the Xiongnu, and the Chanyu even married his daughter to him, which aroused the jealousy of the Xiongnu general Weilu.
This Wei Lu was originally a Han Chinese, and it is said that he had some connection with Li Guangli. Wei Lu was originally a good friend of Li Guangli's brother Li Yannian, and he was sent as an envoy to the Huns on Li Yannian's recommendation. However, Yannian's younger brother Li Ji committed adultery in the harem, so Emperor Wu had Yannian executed as well. When Wei Lu heard the news of Yannian's death, he was afraid that he would be implicated when he returned to the court, so he surrendered to the Huns.
It happened that Shanyu's mother was seriously ill and the medicine was ineffective, so Shanyu called for a witch doctor. The witch doctor had long been bribed by Wei Lu, so he pretended to be possessed by the deceased old Chanyu, and warned the Chanyu in a crazy tone: "My son, Li Guangli killed my people and destroyed the mountains and seas, but you treated him with kindness. Why are you so indistinguishable between ourselves and the enemy? How can your mother not get sick because the ancestors blame her?"
The Chanyu then beheaded Li Guangli. Before the execution, Li Guangli yelled: "Even if I turn into a ghost, I will destroy the Huns!" It turned out that he also believed in the existence of ghosts and gods. He did not know that he would die in the hands of "ghosts", so he never became enlightened until his death.
Some people say that Liu Juzhi was caught in a witchcraft disaster, and Jiang Chong's role was just a thug. The masterminds behind the plot were actually Liu Quyou and Li Guangli, who were married. This statement is not impossible. The key is that Liu Qumo was too clueless on the issue of Tian Ren's beheading. If he was really the mastermind behind the persecution of Liu Zhi, Tian Ren would be considered a stand-in by letting Liu Zhi go. On Liu Ju's side, even if he had a guilty conscience, Tian Ren should be imprisoned. Why was Tian Ren released on the spot? Judging from his submissive character, he really does not seem to have the courage to rebel. Moreover, his marriage to Li Guangli should have happened after Liu Ju hanged himself, so the two of them can only be regarded as short-term speculators, and it is unlikely that they will be long-term speculators. The dormant conspirator. But it’s hard to figure out the truth now.
The civil and military officials in the dynasty, watching Emperor Wu fight all the way, their legs were shaking and their teeth were chattering. How could they dare to say a word? At this time, another person who was not afraid of death came out. This person was Tian Qianqiu.
Tian Qianqiu was originally a descendant of Tian Qi. He later moved to Chang'an and became the tombkeeper of the great ancestor Liu Bang. He wrote a letter saying that his son stole his father's soldiers and was whipped. It was no big deal if the emperor's son manslaughtered in order to protect himself. This was not said by the minister, but by a white-headed man last night. The old man told me in a dream. Emperor Wu had long regretted Liu Shi's death. Tian Qianqiu gave Emperor Wu a way to step down, so Emperor Wu summoned Qianqiu.
"Qianqiu is more than eight feet long and has a very beautiful body." This was Emperor Wu's impression of Tian Qianqiu. Emperor Wu looked at him and sighed: "It is difficult to decide between a father and a son, and only what you say is profound. This is what the gods of Gaomiao (Liu Bang Temple) taught you to teach me. You must assist me in handling political affairs." ." So he rehabilitated the prince and promoted Qianqiu to Dahonglu, in charge of the affairs of the princes and ethnic minorities. A few months later, he became the prime minister. It can be regarded as a miracle of official promotion in ancient times.
Since the prince was wronged, who wronged him? Therefore, those who had made contributions and enjoyed wealth and honor in the process of conquering the prince were executed by Emperor Wu. The eunuch Su Wen was burned alive on the Wei Bridge.
No matter what, the emperor will never be wrong. If he is wrong, it must be the fault of his ministers. Of course, Su Wen and others have their own way to die, and it is not unjust. The most important thing is that the disaster of witchcraft has arrived. This finally comes to an end.
Before the witchcraft disaster broke out in full force, due to Emperor Wu's frequent conquests against the Huns, his extravagant spending, and his fondness for traveling around to grant blessings, the treasury was already empty. Coupled with constant natural disasters, domestic uprisings broke out from time to time. However, Emperor Wu was self-motivated and insisted on his own way without reflection.
However, after experiencing the horror, killing, and madness of the witchcraft disaster, experiencing the grief of losing his son in old age, and experiencing Li Guangli's surrender and betrayal, Emperor Wu's ambition was weakened, and the years passed ruthlessly, and now only a white-haired and frail person was left. old man.
When Emperor Wu worshiped Tian Qianqiu as his prime minister, he also named him "Fuminhou". The word "enriching the people" shows the changes in Emperor Wu's mentality and policy direction.
In the fourth year of Zhenghe (89 BC), Sang Hongyang wrote to Emperor Wu, proposing to garrison troops and cultivate fields in Luntai (today's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region) to guard against the Huns. Emperor Wu rejected his memorial and said: "Luntai is more than a thousand miles west of Che Division. In the past, we sent troops to conquer Che Division. Although we were lucky enough to win and forced him to surrender, the journey was too long and the soldiers could not bring enough troops on their way back. Food, so many old, weak, sick and disabled people died on the way and never came back. Now they have to garrison troops in Luntai to cultivate fields and squeeze the people's strength. This is not a move to care for the people, and I cannot agree with it."
Emperor Wu then reflected on his years of waging war and visiting immortals to seek enlightenment - "Since I came to the throne, I have acted wildly and rebelliously, causing the world to suffer. I cannot regret it. From now on, anyone who hurts the people and wastes the world will be punished." - All of this combined is the famous "Tire Sinner Edict".
Emperor Wu issued the first "Edict of Sin". Behind the thousands of words of this edict is the exhausted heart of an old man.
After the "Edict of Sin" was issued, the Han Dynasty's policy returned to the "rest and recuperation" of the early Han Dynasty, which eased domestic conflicts. A few years later, the country became prosperous again. Therefore, Sima Guang said that Emperor Wu "made the mistake of destroying Qin but avoided the disaster of destroying Qin".
What is worth mentioning here is Tian Qianqiu. "He has no other talents and no hard work to do", this is the evaluation of him in history books. In fact, it doesn't matter whether he has talent or not. What matters is whether he can have a beneficial impact on the current situation. Emperor Wu used Qianqiu in his later years to restore the policy of resting with the people, and Qianqiu's "quietness and inaction" happened to meet Emperor Wu's requirements. Therefore, when the envoy to the Xiongnu came back to report Shanyu's evaluation of Qianqiu's "letter to win the prime ministership", Emperor Wu thought that he had failed to fulfill his mission and wanted to kill him. It took him a long time to give up the idea.
Emperor Wu was seventy years old this year, and he gradually had a premonition of his death. Emperor Wu took a fancy to Fuling, who was only seven years old. He was smart and well-behaved, and he was very popular with Emperor Wu. However, Fuling was too young to bear the heavy responsibility of the emperor, so Emperor Wu hired Huo Guang, Shangguan Jie, Jin Rixi, Sang Hongyang and others as ministers to assist the young emperor.
Fuling's biological mother, Mrs. Gou Yi, was just in her early twenties. Emperor Wu believed that after his death, Mrs. Gou Yi would not be able to stay lonely, and would cause a filthy harem. With her young children and strong mother, she would easily fall into Lu's old ways of being authoritarian. . When Emperor Wu first came to the throne, he was severely constrained by his grandmother Dou and his mother Wang, which is still unforgettable and unforgettable to this day, so he ordered Mrs. Gou Yi to die. Soon, Emperor Wu also died of illness, and the old couple met again underground. It happened in the second year of Houyuan (87 BC).
After Emperor Wu died, Fuling ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor with the help of Huo Guang and others. In the second year, he was changed to Yuan Shiyuan and was named Emperor Zhao.
