In April of the first year of Yuanping (74 BC), Emperor Zhao of Han died at the age of 21. Emperor Zhao suddenly fell ill and died. This made the officials in charge of the construction of the emperor's mausoleum very embarrassed. Because the emperor's mausoleum had not yet been seriously constructed, they quickly rented 30,000 oxcarts and pulled sand from the Weihe River beach to build an underground tomb. Despite the haste, the funerary objects found in Emperor Zhao's Pingling Mausoleum are still very rich. At that time, Huo Guang presided over the funeral of Emperor Zhao, and the tomb was filled with gold, silver and jewelry.
A country cannot live without a king for a day. After Huo Guang took care of the funeral matters of Emperor Zhao, he began to select a new king. Emperor Zhao had no heirs. After his death, many ministers in the court advocated making his half-brother, King Liu Xu of Guangling, emperor. But Huo Guang knew that Liu Xu had bad conduct, so Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty did not make him emperor at that time. Now that he is assisting the government, he instead elects an unscrupulous emperor. How can he be worthy of the dead Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty? Huo Guang had no choice but to risk offending many ministers and decided to choose another successor.
He discussed with the Empress Dowager to welcome Liu He, King of Changyi, the grandson of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, as emperor. In the third year of Zhenghe (90 BC), Li Guangli, Liu Quyou and others were discovered by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty because they planned to make Liu Kun, the Ai King of Changyi, the crown prince. In the first month of the first year of Houyuan (88 BC), Liu Kui passed away, and his five-year-old son Liu He became the king of Changyi. However, Liu He was a man who failed to live up to his expectations and did many ridiculous things as soon as he took the throne.
Huo Guang was very embarrassed. This emperor was established under his auspices. Such a delay to the country made Huo Guang feel that he was not worthy of Emperor Wu's kindness in entrusting him, but also of the late emperor's reputation as a wise man.
The auxiliary ministers in the early years of the dynasty have all been executed in the matter of establishing King Yan, and the current prime minister is a man who protects himself wisely and embarrasses his responsibilities. Therefore, only Huo Guang's good friend, the dynasty's chief minister, Farming Yannian, can discuss with him. Agreed.
Tian Yannian said to Huo Guang: "The general is the mainstay of the country. Since it is known that King Changyi is not suitable to be a monarch, it is better to report to the Queen Mother to depose him and choose another wise man as the monarch. You should ask Yi Yin of the Shang Dynasty Study. Be an important minister who can stabilize the Han Dynasty and the country."
There is another origin of this matter: Huo Guang wanted to depose Liu He, who acted recklessly and could not take up the responsibility of the country. He was also afraid of being stigmatized as a "disobedient" in the future, so he wanted to quote ancient examples to see if there were any such allusions in history, so he asked Tian Yannian asked, "Is this the case in ancient times?" Unexpectedly, just by asking this question, he opened his mouth and made people realize that "just learning does not involve learning". This is how the saying "no learning has no skills" comes from. Since then, politicians of all generations have tried to avoid letting others see their own depth, and senior officials and scholars have generally been able to draw equal signs, except of course, the founding fathers.
Seeing this, Huo Guang actually had already made up his mind, but he was worried that just relying on the power of the two of them would inevitably lead to false claims. Huo Guang had always been cautious about politics. He was afraid that Tian Yannian's opinions were not in line with the rules and regulations, so he finally chose to go with the other two. discussed with important ministers.
In fact, in everyone's minds, they were already dissatisfied with Liu He's misbehavior, so all the ministers unanimously decided to abolish this unjust and ignorant king. Huo Guang and his ministers went to see the Queen Mother and stated the reasons for deposing Liu He, King of Changyi. The Queen Mother also agreed with the ministers' opinions. So King Changyi, who had only been emperor for twenty-seven days, was deposed.
He was also the only emperor in the history of the Han Dynasty who did not have an imperial title.
Later generations will collectively call him the Wasted Emperor of the Han Dynasty!
Since King Changyi was deposed, the throne became vacant again. Huo Guang, who loyally assisted the government, was anxious about this day and night. Guanglu doctor Bingji wrote to Huo Guang, recommending Liu Bingji, the great-grandson of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, to live among the people. Liu was ill and later changed his name to Liu Xun, with the courtesy name Ciqing. Grandson of Prince Ru (Liu Ju), grandson of Emperor Shi Liu Jinzi. A few months after he was born, there was a witchcraft incident according to Liu. Liu Xun was adopted by his grandmother Shijia and has been living among the people. After King Changyi was deposed in the first year of Yuanping (74 BC), some ministers suggested that Liu Xun, the great-grandson of the emperor, was virtuous and talented and could be brought back to the palace to inherit the throne. Huo Guang also inspected Liu Xun for a period of time and found that he was kind-hearted and ambitious, so he and his ministers welcomed him from among the people into the palace. He first named him Marquis of Yangwu, reported the matter to the Empress Dowager, and then He took Liu Xun back to the palace and made him emperor. He became the famous virtuous emperor Han Xuan. Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty came to the throne in July of the first year of Yuanping (74 BC) at the age of 18. In the second year, the reign name was changed to Benshi.
After being deposed, Liu He's life could be described as miserable. Emperor Xuan Liu Xun of the Han Dynasty, who was supported by Huo Guangxin, was a little wary in his heart after he came to the throne. He was afraid that Liu He would not be reconciled and would become rebellious.
Therefore, in the second year after Liu Xun took the throne, he asked Zhang Chang, the prefect of Shanyang, to monitor Liu He. At this time, Liu He was under house arrest. Zhang Chang discovered that Liu He was addicted to drinking and sex all day long and had already lost his fighting spirit. Liu Xun knew that Liu He would never be his rival, so he felt compassion and did not harm his life. Instead, he sent Liu He back to Changyi State in Shandong to live a life of surveillance. Except for three upright people, all of the more than two hundred officials Liu He brought to Chang'an were beheaded.
In the second year of Yuankang (64 BC), in order to prevent Liu He from resurrecting, Emperor Xuan issued an edict to Zhang Chang, the prefect of Shanyang: "Beware of thieves and check the guests coming and going. Do not write down the letters given."
The next year, Liu He was demoted to the title of Marquis of Haihun, and his fiefdom was located in Yongxiu County, Jiangxi Province. At this time, he had been released from house arrest, but the emperor and Huo Guang still secretly supervised him. Once, "Ke", the governor of Yangzhou, reported something to the court: Liu He was dating a man named Sun Wanshi.
Sun Wanshi asked Liu He: "Before you were dethroned from the throne, why didn't you stick to the inner palace, close the palace gates, kill Huo Guang, but let them seize the imperial seal and ribbon?"
Liu He said: "Yes, I was too young at the time. It was a big mistake." Sun Wanshi also hoped that Liu He would become the King of Yuzhang and never be such an ordinary Marquis of Haihun. Liu He said: "This is true, but it is not appropriate to say this."
Liu Xun was furious and ordered Liu He to be investigated. In fact, Liu Xun had seen that Liu He was just talking and had no strength to oppose his rule, so he only reduced the population and taxes of his fief. Four years later, Liu He died in anger at the age of thirty-four.
Huo Guang supported Liu Xun, Emperor Xuan, and worked hard to maintain his throne and devoted himself to the court. After Emperor Xuan ascended the throne, in order to commend Huo Guang for his support, he greatly rewarded him. After that, Huo Guang loyally assisted the young Emperor Xuan, providing him with suggestions and strategies in order to make the emperor wise. With his assistance, Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty continued to formulate policies and handle state affairs in accordance with the principle of "rest with the people", making the Western Han Dynasty prosperous again, which is known as the "Zhaoxuan Zhongxing" in history. The Western Han Dynasty was able to prosper again during this period, which was closely related to the loyal minister Huo Guang's more than 20 years of service. Huo Guang was loyal to the Han Dynasty, knew people well and was decisive in doing things. He was a wise strategist. After taking office, he adjusted the excessive taxation policy in the last years of Emperor Wu, rested with the people, and eased the conflict between the court and the people. Therefore, the economy of the Han Dynasty entered another period of development.
In the second year of Dijie (68 BC), Huo Guang died of illness. Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty and the Empress Dowager personally hosted Huo Guang's funeral with extremely solemn etiquette in gratitude for his great contributions to the Han Dynasty. After his death, Huo Guang was buried next to the mausoleum of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty in Maoling, which reflects the respect of the Han Dynasty for this important minister who loyally assisted in the stabilization of the country.
Huo Guang is dead, but he left behind a family capable of subverting both the government and the opposition.
