In early spring and February, the morning in the empire is still cold.
It was supposed to be February when the grass was growing and the orioles were flying, but unexpectedly, there was another light snowfall last night, which completely knocked away the lingering spring feeling, making people feel as if they were in the severe cold of winter again.
The Han Dynasty has always advocated prophecy, and such abnormal weather gave space and opportunities for those who were interested to interpret it.
The so-called prophecy, to put it bluntly, is a prophecy. There are various reasons for this thing to flourish in the Han Dynasty, but the most important one is the popularity of the theory of induction between heaven and man.
In the past, the First Emperor swept across Liuhe and swept across the eight wastelands. Under the strict laws of the Qin State and the powerful military power of the Qin Army, everyone in the world trembled and surrendered.
In essence, Qin's unification of the world relied on its strict laws and military strength that far exceeded the six countries.
This Legalist system reformed by Shang Yang turned Qin into a truly militaristic Qin, which was invincible when conquering the world. But when the time comes to dominate the world, militarism will not last long.
Being under high-pressure rule for a long time, the people's nerves are all tense. They would break the law at every turn, and the most severe punishment would be to be exiled to the labor force, or to the most severe punishment, beheading and annihilation of the entire clan. Therefore, Qin's law is as harsh as a tiger!
Qin Shihuang unified China and his achievements lasted for eternity. Of course, he could dominate the entire world. But when the manpower was finally exhausted, after the death of the First Emperor, Hu Hai, who succeeded him, naturally could not carry it anymore, so wars broke out everywhere, and the Qin Dynasty was defeated in only a few years.
After the Han Dynasty was established, Liu Bang felt that Qin's laws were harsh, so he made a three-law agreement with the people. Since then, he has been adopting the Taoist Huang Lao Wuwei idea to govern the country.
At this time, another question arises, that is, does the Han Dynasty and Liu Bang have the legal right to rule?
The legal right of rule of the Qin State is to have strong soldiers and strong horses. His ancestor Ying Zheng was the ruler of the Qin State and was the Duke of Qin personally named by the Emperor of Zhou. He later defeated the six kingdoms and took over the world.
Looking back further, the Zhou Dynasty was destined to be the destiny of heaven. King Wen inherited the destiny, and King Wu exterminated Yin and Zhou, so he was naturally qualified to rule the world.
Then why did your Han Dynasty rule the common people?
Liu Bangwai claimed that the Qin Dynasty was cruel, and of course he could not play Qin Shihuang's tricks, so he could only imitate the Zhou Dynasty and claim to have received the destiny.
From this, one of the most interesting historical phenomena emerged, which is the tendency of people in the Han Dynasty to confuse the Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty.
Whether it is "Historical Records" or "Hanshu", although the image of Liu Bang in the "Historical Records" or "Hanshu" is good at understanding people and making good use of them, in terms of personal ethics, he is a complete gangster, even a street kid.
You see, our Han Emperor was shameless, morally corrupt, engaged in extramarital affairs, and even betrayed his trust. As soon as he made a pact with Xiang Yu, he immediately attacked the overlord...
But they still gained the world, why?
Just because they are destined by fate!
If you don't agree, we, Han Gaozu, are the rulers of the world appointed by God, and his old Liu family should rule the world.
This argument once became the political correctness of the Han Dynasty. It was not until the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty that a man named Dong Zhongshu came out of the sky and strengthened this theory of the king's power being given by heaven. It was the so-called theory of induction between heaven and man.
The Son of Heaven has the right to rule the world. This is unquestionable and undeniable. It is strongly supported by Confucianism.
Whoever dares to say no is a traitor and will die!
But... the emperor is still a human being and will make mistakes. So how do you know whether the emperor's actions are in line with God's will?
Dong Zhongshu gave a clear direction - various natural phenomena in the world are manifestations of God's will, and are called disasters.
So, who will interpret these disasters and who will advise the emperor?
Of course it’s us Confucian scholars!
Relying on the telepathy between heaven and man, Dong Zhongshu launched a sneak attack on the Huang-Lao thoughts of Taoism. In one fell swoop, he put Confucianism, which he was good at, on the table and became the official doctrine, and also expelled Taoism from the temple.
By the end of the Han Dynasty, disasters and prophecies had already become part of the scholar's knowledge system. Whenever there was an abnormal climate phenomenon, it was not only discussed in private meetings, but could also become a reason for the big officials in the court to disagree with each other.
At this time, the emperor would remove the three princes to calm the situation. Anyway, the former emperor Han Ling made a fortune by selling his officials. The more disasters happen and the more you criticize each other, the more excited I am. If I change a group of officials, I can make a lot of money. Wouldn't it be great!
But after Mr. Dong came to power in Luo, this trick no longer worked.
Because Mr. Dong came from a shady background, whenever an official came to criticize the current situation or comment on the general trend of the world because of a disaster, Mr. Dong felt that he was mirroring himself.
But he had no choice. After all, he didn't want to completely break up with these Guandong families yet, so he could only endure it.
Of course, if Mr. Dong is proficient in geography, he will know that this year's abnormal climate has nothing to do with him, it is purely because of the arrival of the Little Ice Age.
The ice age had a great impact on history. Because of the abnormal climate, the food production was reduced, and the people were starved of food, which would naturally lead to the end of the dynasty. This is a historical law and is not subject to anyone's will.
Luoyang.
In the early morning, Mr. Dong woke up from his bed in Beigong and suddenly felt a little dizzy.
The Luoyang Palace is called the South and North Palace. To put it simply, it is divided into the South Palace and the North Palace. The so-called North Palace actually includes the palace where the emperor's concubines, princesses, queen mothers and others live.
Yes, Mr. Dong slept in the palace last night and had an in-depth exchange with the late emperor's favorite concubine.
Although Emperor Ling is mediocre and unprincipled, there is one thing that is really worthy of praise, and that is his vision in choosing women. These concubines are all charming little fairies. They fascinated Mr. Dong last night. He almost risked his life and was willing to work hard and die for them!
Dong Zhuo sat up and glanced at the beautiful woman who was still sleeping next to him, with a trace of disdain in his eyes.
Humph, the noble concubine who is so high above me has now become everything under my crotch!
Thinking of this, Mr. Dong felt a sense of satisfaction in his heart.
In the past, when the late emperor was here, he took everything from his ministers. Now the late emperor's woman is allowed to be manipulated by me. Isn't this karma?
Seeing that Dong Zhuo had woken up, the maids standing beside him hurriedly came up to change Dong Zhuo's clothes. Another maid handed Dong Zhuo hot water and a silk scarf for him to wash up.
After tidying up, Dong Zhuo finally got dressed and was about to leave the palace when a voice came from outside.
"Uncle, my nephew wants to see you!"
When Dong Zhuo heard the sound, a smile appeared on his face.
"Ahuang, my son, come in quickly!"
After the words fell, a young man in his thirties walked into the hall. It was Dong Zhuo's nephew Dong Huang.
Dong Zhuo had no children, and his third brother Dong Min also had no children. His eldest brother died early, leaving only Dong Huang as a solitary child. Therefore, Dong Zhuo liked Dong Huang very much and often called Dong Huang my son and planned to treat him as his son. Cultivate a successor.
"Greetings, uncle!"
Dong Huang walked into the back of the palace and bowed to Dong Zhuo.
"We are all our own people, why are you so polite!"
Dong Zhuo came up, brushed the snowflakes off his nephew's body, and asked, "Is it snowing outside again?"
Dong Huang nodded.
"It's snowing in February, what the hell kind of weather is this!" Dong Zhuo snorted coldly and shook his hands.
Dong Huang thought Dong Zhuo was too cold and said with a smile: "Uncle, this Luoyang is much better than our Xiliang. Even if it snows, it doesn't feel cold."
When it comes to climate, how can the prosperous place of Luoyang be as bitter and cold as Xiliang?
Hearing this, Dong Zhuo shook his head and sighed, looking at his nephew helplessly.
"It's not that I feel cold, it's just..."
Halfway through, Dong Zhuo became even more helpless. His nephew had joined the army since he was a child, and he would mount a horse and kill the enemy to try his skills. However, it was really difficult for him to understand what prophecy was, so he changed his explanation.
"Is there anyone talking nonsense in the court today?"
Dong Huang shook his head, "There is no rumor, why did uncle suddenly ask about this?"
After entering Luo, Dong Huang was worshiped as a servant by Dong Zhuo and appointed as a lieutenant in the Central Military Academy. He had the responsibility of guarding the palace. He was naturally the first to know about the news inside and outside the court.
"It's okay if you don't." Dong Zhuo nodded, "You came here in a hurry to see me, what do you mean?"
Dong Huang then remembered the purpose of his visit and immediately said, "Uncle, Mr. Li wants to see you."
"Wen You, do you want to see him? Please invite him in quickly. No, I will go to the Chancellor's desk."
As soon as he heard that it was Li Ru who was asking for an audience, Dong Zhuo was first ready to let Li Ru in, but then he remembered that he was in the harem and it would be disrespectful to meet Li Ru here, so he changed his mind.
"As you command!"
Dong Huang responded.
