The autumn wind and autumn rain make people sad, but in this autumn of the thirteenth year of Kaibao, Emperor Liu did not feel this way. In the past, he was always melancholy in autumn and complained a lot. Therefore, this year, Emperor Liu decided to change his mood and live. Gotta be more chic.
While the civil and military ministers at the center of the imperial court were promoting the reform of the military system in an orderly and intensive manner, Emperor Liu seemed very relaxed when he stayed in the Han Palace. For him, now that the big policy has been decided and has a detailed implementation plan, specific responsible officials, and personal supervision by important military officials such as Zhao Pu and Cao Bin, he does not need to hold on to the remaining matters. Just pay attention regularly.
Therefore, in the days before the Mid-Autumn Festival, Emperor Liu lived a very lively life, spending his days relaxing, practicing calligraphy, reading, listening to history, and taking care of his children.
From time to time, some distinguished officials and nobles were invited to the palace to keep company, drink, chat, discuss the past and present, and talk about the world. Of course, those who were summoned were basically veterans and retired to the second line. There were no meritorious officials who had actual duties in the court, such as Guo Wei, Fu Yanqing, Xiang Xun, Wang Quanbin, Zhao Kuangyin, Wang Yansheng and others.
It is also a great pleasure for the monarch and his ministers to chat together and recall the glorious past. Of course, this is only for Emperor Liu personally. Today, Emperor Liu has no one who can communicate with him calmly. In the whole world, Empress Fu is probably the only one who can speak frankly "normally", but even Empress Fu will pay attention to her attitude and tone.
In Emperor Liu's view, these heroes and nobles had retreated behind the scenes, and they might have been emotionally hurt. Therefore, he personally entertained them, showed concern, comforted their hearts, and showed his closeness to show that neither he nor the court had forgotten them.
On the other hand, Emperor Liu was still very concerned about what these noble heroes were doing after they retired. Although there is a secret agency to help keep an eye on it, it is second-hand after all, and the ministers have learned to be smart. No matter how pervasive Ren Huangcheng Secretary is, after so many years of adaptation, he has already learned to deal with it, and it is difficult to completely monitor it.
In addition, Emperor Liu always had reservations about second-hand information. He never believed or believed anything. In some cases, he had to experience it with his own eyes before he could know. Whether he was cautious or suspicious, this was his usual behavior. style.
Of course, the result may just be a kind of peace of mind that deceives oneself and others. The most unpredictable thing is the human heart, and Emperor Liu did not really have a pair of eyes that can see everything. As for Emperor Liu's "concern", even Wang Yansheng was imitated, not to mention those noble and sophisticated people.
The people who retreated behind the scenes were old or sick, but Zhao Kuangyin was the most special. He was in his prime and had no serious health problems, but he had to be depressed.
Before starting the Northern Expedition, it may be called a normal "rest". After a period of rest, there will be an opportunity to use it again. The head coach of the Eastern Route Army during the Northern Expedition is proof of this.
But since the end of the Kaibao Northern Expedition, Zhao Kuangyin has basically entered a state of complete retirement. No matter what it looks like on the surface or what others think, Emperor Liu chose to completely abandon Zhao Kuangyin.
It was caused by many reasons. First, Concubine Zhao entered the East Palace and gave birth to the prince's only son; second, Zhao Kuangyi. If Emperor Liu wanted to use him, he would have to restrict Zhao Kuangyin. It was not uncommon in the Han Dynasty for brothers and sons to share the same dynasty. For example, the brothers Lu Yin and Lu Duan, or the famous Five Dragons of the Dou family, but they are all civil servants and there is no comparison.
The third, most important and fundamental factor is the "historical" factor. In the past, Emperor Liu was confident and even arrogant. He felt that he could control the world and control the heroes. No matter who you were as an "emperor or general", he dared to use it boldly, and to a certain extent, he could use it without any doubt.
However, as we grow older, that mentality gradually dissipates, replaced by doubt and worry. For Emperor Liu, the Zhao brothers were naturally the most suspicious objects. After all, "history" was a guide.
Why did the emperor become paranoid when he got old? It was not only the change in mentality, but also the aging of the body. This would make him feel that his control was insufficient and even doubt himself. The more wise the master, the more so. The self-confidence in the past often turns into arrogance in his later years.
Emperor Liu seemed to be gradually developing in that direction, and it was not surprising that he thought a lot when he was free. He also had enough time to pay attention to these things.
Emperor Liu remained vigilant and suspicious, and as a result, Zhao Kuangyin's political career basically came to an end. Even if he had a prominent position, influence, and the title of cabinet bachelor, it was meaningless. Without real power, it was difficult to call him A real man.
For such a situation, it would be impossible to say that Zhao Kuangyin had no thoughts or complaints in his heart. For a hero with great ambitions, it was a tragedy that he was shelved early and had nowhere to show his talents.
From the Chongzheng Hall, Zhao Kuangyin respectfully exited, walked down the imperial steps with slow steps, and left the palace. There was still a little bit of obvious drunkenness on his face, but his steps were steady, his expression showed a little bit of depression, and his sighs were all silent.
Emperor Liu came to him for a drink again. Although Zhao Kuangyin was famous for his good wine, drinking with the emperor became more and more depressed, boring and uneasy.
In fact, Zhao Kuangyin has been feeling quite depressed in the past few years. When he examines himself, he inevitably falls into self-doubt. He is very confused about why the emperor only targets himself with so many meritorious officials.
If in the past, all Emperor Liu's fears and vigilance were hidden in his psychology, then judging from the situation in recent years, some traces have been revealed. Others may not know it, but Zhao Kuangyin himself clearly and truly Feel.
For a while, Zhao Kuangyin felt that it was only Emperor Liu who was suppressing and restraining the Xungui Group. After all, he was also considered a prominent figure among the Xungui Group, but later he discovered that it was really only Zhao Kuangyin who was targeting him. And this target was indeed a bit heavy for Zhao Kuangyin.
What Zhao Kuangyin has always been unable to let go of is that in terms of merit, qualifications, and prestige, he is not the only one among the nobles. If he did not have the experience of being the commander of Kaibao's Northern Expedition, his reputation would be lower, at least not the same. Murong Yanzhao and Chai Rong are shoulder to shoulder.
If we talk about the identity of a foreign relative, there are still many people who are still active in the military and political circles of the Han Dynasty. Gao Huaide was transferred to Anton not long ago and served as deputy to the King of Qin Liu Xu. In terms of background and performance, Zhao Kuangyin didn't think he could surpass Gao Huaide.
Looking back carefully on the past, Zhao Kuangyin also discovered that Emperor Liu had always paid special attention to him. He was promoted from a mid- to low-level officer in the Forbidden Army to Ban Zhi of the bodyguard. Later, he was promoted many times and entrusted with important tasks, including Breaking the rules and leapfrogging could originally be regarded as Emperor Liu's love for talents, but now it seems that the root cause is still that special "attention".
It is understandable that he was afraid of Guo Wei at the beginning and asked him to retire early. After all, Emperor Liu's position was not yet stable at that time, and he used tricks against all the founding officials.
Even Murong Yanzhao and Chai Rong, who are known as contemporary Dukes of Wei and Dukes of Heroes, may have higher reputations than themselves, but Emperor Liu always showed trust.
This is also what puzzles Zhao Kuangyin the most. How virtuous and capable is Zhao Kuangyin?
Of course, what Zhao Kuangyin didn't know was that if Chai Rong was in better health or lived a few more years, his life wouldn't be much better than his...
