Changle Palace.
In the side hall, there was only a flickering oil lamp shining. The room was very dark. Liu Bing was half leaning on the mat, half of the light shone on his face, half light and half dark. There was a glass of wine in front of him, "Prime Minister , you are blaming me in your heart."
Wei Ping, who was sitting in the banquet with his head bowed, was startled. He immediately leaned down and said tremblingly: "Your Majesty, I don't dare."
Liu Bing had finished his wine and said, "You are the leader of the heroes of Jingnan, but I am jealous of you. I was born in Guandong, and I received favors and affected Guandong, but you don't blame me. This is wrong."
Wei Ping was completely speechless. He had even thought about leaving the palace and committing suicide. However, he heard the emperor ask as if making matters more normal: "What is your eldest son's character like? I have heard some bad rumors."
Wei Ping said in a trembling voice: "My eldest son has a somewhat irritable personality and is impulsive. He has done a lot of wrong things. Your Majesty is troubled. I must discipline him strictly."
Liu Bing sighed slightly after hearing the words: "You Jingnan princes are all loyal ministers who are rare in life. If it weren't for you Fengtian Jingnan, the Han Dynasty might have ended with Emperor Ru.
Since I came to the throne, there have been villains who have used slanderous words to confuse me, saying that the ministers who contributed to Jingnan have lost power to the government and the public. The world only knows that there are ministers who contributed to Jingnan, but they don’t know that there is an emperor. I have never paid attention to it. If they say too much, I will kill them casually. "
Wei Ping had always known that there were people who slandered the emperor, but this was the first time he heard the emperor say that he had dealt with all those people. He once again bowed deeply: "Your Majesty is so kind that I will never repay you even if I die."
Liu Bing continued: "It is my wish that loyal ministers can enjoy their old age in peace and that the heirs of loyal ministers can continue. There is no problem with your generation, but what about future generations?
You are now the prime minister, so your son becomes arrogant and arrogant. You are the leader of the Jingnan heroes, so your son is not even considered by the emperor. This is the source of disaster. This is not what I want to see. ah.
The Wei family was promoted by Emperor Xiaowu. It only existed for a few decades and had not experienced any major decline.
Look at Yuan Congzhu Xun, Emperor Gao had hundreds of families when he founded the country, but only a few dozen remain today. Is this because the Han Dynasty is unwilling to share wealth and honor with them?
It's because Zi Si is so incompetent. Not only does he have no merit, he also keeps doing nothing.
I am grateful for your achievements and treat the descendants of the Wei family well, but when you pass away, I really don’t know how long I can tolerate your son.
Isn't it rare that the parents have made great achievements, but the descendants have spent their money arbitrarily, and in the end the family fortune has been ruined?
It's better to return to Guandong. In the princely country, I can't see it and I don't want to take care of it. The wealth of three generations has been obtained in this way. "
Wei Ping was deeply moved by what he said.
Liu Bingji said again: "I am the emperor, and it is easy to give wealth and honor to the princes' families, but I cannot give myself wealth and honor.
I have been thinking about it. The emperor is the son of God who carries the destiny. If the emperor has no authority, how can he suppress the four poles of heaven and earth? How to rule the people of the world?
Am I the emperor who has received the destiny of heaven, or am I the emperor who is supported by the princes?
I have thought about it for a long time, and I must be the emperor who has received the destiny of heaven. Otherwise, the scattered hearts of the people in the world will not be able to unite, but should be above the princes.
Those traitors are trying to frame you, but one thing he said is right, that is, the people of the world do not take the Emperor into their eyes! "
Such heart-wrenching words!
Wei Ping kowtowed directly and said tremblingly: "Your Majesty, I will treat you respectfully and will never have the slightest objection."
Liu Bingji said in a calm tone: "I know, otherwise how could I tell you these innermost thoughts?
But it is a fact that the people of the world are divided. If the people of the world are not united, does the Prime Minister know what will happen?
Will split!
Split means turmoil, bloody killing and death, and the victims are not just one family.
Everything I have done since I came to the throne has been for one thing, which is to revive the emperor's authority.
Do you understand it? "
Wei Ping didn't understand, but Luo Sheng said the same thing to him. After Liu Dan's disaster and Fengtian's calamity, the prestige of the Han court center was completely lost, and the emperor's sanctity suffered a huge blow, even involving the Western Region Protectorate. and the events that shocked the barbarians in the Liaodong Protectorate and the Lingnan Protectorate.
After hearing this, Wei Ping knew about the matter of transporting grain to Guandong. The emperor was indeed hesitant, worried about disaster in Guanzhong and worried that the prestige of the imperial court would suffer another severe blow.
If Chang'an changes hands again, the man's destiny will begin to countdown.
If Liu Bing had held the grain, Guanzhong would be absolutely stable. At most, Guandong would be alienated. Now that he has transported the grain to Guandong, he is putting his throne in the hands of natural disasters, ministers and people.
What a difficult decision for a king to make!
That's why Wei Ping said that even if he risked his life, it was because he was prepared to go to jail and die.
But the final result was much better than he imagined. After all, Liu Bing was not a single husband like Liu Dan. If Liu Dan had the character, he would definitely let the people of Guandong fend for themselves.
Most of the resentment in Wei Ping's heart was gone, and this time he worshiped sincerely: "Your Majesty has a kind heart, and I would like to congratulate all the people in the world."
Yes.
Liu Bing is already very kind-hearted. This means that in this world with a good moral bottom line, if the Han Dynasty in the previous life had experienced mean-spirited and ungrateful movie kings and emperors, there would be no group like the heroes of the Jingnan War. Being able to survive is like the five dragon kings of the Tang Dynasty. The end is to kill them all.
Liu Bing already said softly: "The Prime Minister will convey my thoughts to the princes and heroes. Don't let the heroes and the court be separated. This is what I hope."
Wei Ping kowtowed and left the palace. After leaving the palace, he felt cold sweat all over his body. Thinking about what was said in the palace, the worries in his heart gradually disappeared, just as Young Master Sheng said.
"The emperor doesn't want to liquidate the heroes, but when he sits in that position, he will definitely do certain things."
But as long as the emperor himself does not harbor any ill will towards the people who contributed to Jingnan, Wei Ping will have nothing to fear.
Liu Bing had already looked at Wei Ping's leaving figure and whispered to himself: "Taishi Ling has memorized everything."
Sima Qian walked out from behind the pillars, holding a pen in one hand and a book in the other. He bowed and said, "Report to Your Majesty without leaving a single word."
Liu Bing had already asked: "When Taishi ordered the history to be written, how should the likes and dislikes be determined?"
Sima Qian replied: "Take King Su's likes and dislikes as his likes and dislikes, and follow the "Luogong Chunqiu·Government" as the standard. Use small words to express righteousness, one word of praise or criticism, right and wrong, record it, write it down, do not change it, and leave it to future generations."
Liu Bingji asked again: "When will the history of Zhaozhao be circulated?"
Sima Qian replied: "When people die, history emerges."
Liu Bing nodded, indicating that he understood and would not ask further questions.
…
After only a few days of conversation between the monarch and his ministers, Wei Ping submitted a memorial begging for bones. Liu Bing naturally could not agree directly. It would be too shameful for Wei Ping, so he issued an edict to persuade him to stay. Wei Ping explained his reasons again, and so on. Only then did Liu Bingji agree to Wei Ping's proposal.
The next day.
An edict came out: "In the fifteenth year of the Yuanzheng period of Emperor Ruili, the heroes of Jingnan revived the country and made great contributions to the country. Today, Guanzhong gradually becomes prosperous, the refugees in Guandong gradually return home, and the troubles caused by Emperor Ruili are gradually eliminated.
Now that the Prime Minister is leaving me, I looked around and saw that none of the heroes of the past were with me. This must be because my virtue is not enough and the rewards I have given are too few.
Emperor Gao bestowed upon Yuan Cong many honors and benevolences, and thus we have what we have today.
Now, I want to announce to the world that the feudal kingdoms of the princes and kings who participated in the Jingnan can be extended for one more generation. The county guards who participated in the Jingnan are recorded as superiors. The outstanding ones among them will be given the titles of Guanneihou and Liehou, and the county officials will be given the title of heroic honor. The descendants of loyal ministers serve as scholars.
I will make an oath to increase the number of households in the feudal states from 500 to 1,000 households.
Even if the majestic mountains disappear, even if the surging rivers dry up, let your country and dynasty die together, let your descendants continue to inherit, and your feudal states will not be abolished. "
Liu Bingji either doesn't do it, or he will do it to the end. Once he decides not to liquidate the heroes of Jingnan, he must eliminate their wariness.
This is an unprecedented large-scale money-spending, especially the addition of food towns is really outrageous. Almost 200,000 households have to be sealed off.
Exchanging power for wealth is the same as exchanging military power over a glass of wine.
The effect was very remarkable. The sinister atmosphere that had filled the air before had basically dissipated. Among the heroes who remained in Chang'an City, the previous sad mentality of the rabbit dying and the fox basically disappeared.
Not to mention that he was accompanied by the emperor's oath!
The last time such an oath was made was jointly made by Emperor Gao and Yuan Cong when the Han Dynasty was founded. Now the emperor has sworn an oath again.
This edict went to the world and spread to all places in Hexi, calming the hearts of the people here.
It spread to Guandong, and then spread to various states and counties. Most of the princes who returned to Guandong early were finally relieved. The Jingnan incident was completely over with the current emperor.
Lu Chan, who had been staying in Jimo, finished reading the letter with a smile. He raised the kettle in his hand to water the flowers and plants, and said softly: "If they grow more prosperous, I will use you to write them next month." Believe it."
Luo Sheng stayed in Chang'an for a long time, but he had a tacit understanding that he and Liu Bing had not met each other since they were not from the same era.
"Emperor Gao's oath has been implemented by the fifth emperor as regent. Hundreds of years of nurturing grace have achieved the current results. Do you have a group of descendants like this for your oath?"
Luo Sheng sighed slightly.
When he saw that the matter was completely over, he decided to go back to Zhaocheng. When he was about to leave Chang'an, Liu Bing took a look at the city wall with the Empress Dowager from a distance.
Liu Bing already whispered with an inexplicable meaning: "Mother, what are we doing here?"
The Empress Dowager narrowed her eyes slightly, "You did a good job this time. Luo Shi is coming back. Emperor, you must be prepared. Whether you can become the fourth emperor to get the temple title depends on your efforts."
After Liu Bing heard this, he looked at his mother in surprise, his face full of questions.
————
In the past Yuan Dynasty, when he received titles from various honors, Emperor Gao made an oath: "Make the river like a belt and Mount Tai like a strong mountain. The country will be eternally peaceful, and the Miao descendants will be loved."
When it came to Jingnan, Xiaoxuan said: "The princes of the Zhou Dynasty, who have lived through three dynasties for more than a thousand years, are still seen in history. I swear: 'The mountains will have no edges, the rivers will be exhausted, the country and the dynasty will rest together, and there will be no hereditary inheritance.'"
In the beginning, there was no desire to consolidate its roots. However, over the past hundred years, some of the branches and leaves have become slightly sloping and declining, or some of the branches and leaves have become luxuriant and canopy-like. This is all due to my own merits and demerits. ——"Historical Records: Chronology of Meritorious Marquises since the rise of Han Dynasty"
(End of chapter)
