The great man will live forever

Chapter 295 The big man will fall

"The stone in the river will not turn, but how much regret will be blown away by the wind!"

In troubled times, the struggle between heaven and earth reappears and it is up to us. How can there be a mirror, a flower in the sky, and a moon in the water that can heal the pain of history?

Looking back in shock, listen to that chilling battle cry! "

Time passed and came to the sixth year of Guanghe, 183 AD, the year of Guihai. This was Liu Hong's 13th year as emperor.

Thirteen years ago, when the 13-year-old boy walked into Luoyang City, walked into the palace, and sat on the throne, the entire Eastern Han Dynasty was still admiring: "We finally have a wise and intelligent emperor, and the fate of the country may have changed from now on." Change, and the resurgence of the empire may be just around the corner.”

However, who would have thought that this talented and intelligent emperor was destroying the already fragile Han Dynasty with his own hands.

Today's Han Empire no longer has the tiger that once dominated the world, and the dragon soars to the sky. He is like a frail old man, dying and may fall at any time.

Drought, plague, corrupt officials, Qiang chaos in the northwest, rampant eunuchs, and oppression by aristocratic families, all are sucking blood and eating flesh from the people, sucking their blood and eating their flesh.

It’s hard to imagine that such a decadent empire hasn’t fallen yet, but it’s not far away.

In the gorgeous palace located in the Chang'an Palace, Han Ling Emperor Liu Hong sat on the dragon chair, wearing a gold silk embroidered robe, a dragon crown on his head, and holding a jade scepter, showing his majesty.

The interior of the hall is gorgeously decorated, with splendid walls inlaid with gems and decorative chandeliers hung with gold candles, shining with luxurious light.

At this moment, a ridiculous performance was being staged in the palace. The palace maids in gorgeous costumes danced passionately, their feathers and jewelry sparkling under the lights, as if they were in a heavenly palace.

Most of the officials who were watching had expressions of confusion and boredom on their faces, because this was not the first time a similar scene had occurred. They shook their heads and sighed, feeling regretful at the emperor's absurd behavior.

It was at this time that a man about 45 years old entered the hall from the side door. He was wearing brocade embroidered with gold and had a contemptuous smile on his face.

Behind him were a group of beautiful palace maids, each of whom had a beautiful face, graceful figure, and charming manners, giving people a sense of kitsch.

This man was Zhang Rang, the eunuch who was a close confidant of Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty. He was called the "Golden Wandering Dragon" because of his extravagant and lustful behavior.

He clapped his hands gently, and a group of palace ladies immediately gathered around Liu Hong, vying to serve him and even taking off their clothes in the hall.

Looking at this scene, the expressions of the ministers did not change at all, because they were used to it, and the habit was a terrible thing.

"Chang Shi Zhang came and sat next to me, are you tired?" Liu Hong's face was a little pale and his speech was a little weak. It was obvious that he was not very good in that area.

"I dare not!"

"If you don't dare, you are my father."

Zhang Rang was from Yingchuan. He entered the palace as early as the time of Emperor Huan. Because of his sweet mouth, smart mind, and quick hands and feet, he was good at pleasing the emperor and other eunuchs. The weight of the small yellow door.

After the death of Emperor Huan, because he had no heirs, Empress Dou established Liu Zhi, Marquis of Jieduting, as the new monarch, the Ling Emperor of the Han Dynasty. Zhang Rang and others then served the new master.

Emperor Ling was only 12 years old when he ascended the throne. In the year he ascended the throne (168), there was an incident where General Dou Wu, Grand Tutor Chen Fan and the eunuchs were fighting for power. The situation was very tense for a time.

The eunuchs Wang Fu, Cao Jie and others were unwilling to sit back and wait for death, so they hijacked the young emperor and sent troops to kill Dou Wu and Chen Fan in the name of the emperor. They moved the Queen Mother Dou to Yuntai in Nangong and served as Emperor Ling's personal ruler.

Although this series of actions was not instigated by Emperor Ling, the result was exactly what he hoped for, so once he came into power, he immediately reciprocated the favor and rewarded the eunuch group heavily.

In order to repay the eunuch group, Emperor Ling named all 12 eunuchs, including Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong, who had contributed to "quelling the chaos", as Zhongchangshi, known as the "Ten Changshi" in history, and entrusted his confidants with important responsibilities.

As for Cao Jie and Wang Fu, who were already Zhongchangshi before, they were promoted, changed their titles, and increased their residences, and they were also promoted and valued.

You can understand it if you think about it. A 12-year-old child suddenly fell from the throne. First he was surprised, and then he was frightened. Fortunately, the eunuch Zhang Rang was there to protect him, and he took back the power in his hands and spent more than 10 spring and summer together. In autumn and winter, they raised and protected him, so he trusted these eunuchs.

"Come, sit down!" Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty forced him to sit down. Zhang Rang refused and showed humility. He could be arrogant in front of everyone, but in front of Liu Hong, he was always humble, like a loyal dog. , so Liu Hong has always favored him.

After Liu Hong came to power, he did not do anything serious. He killed the powerful eunuchs Hou Lan and Wang Fu, and engraved the "Xiping Stone Classic" to provide the final text for the Confucian Classics.

He promoted the advent of "rubbing", the prototype of printing technology; he also founded the world's first literary and art college "Hongdu Menxue", promoted the development of literature and art, and opened a new era in the history of world education.

In terms of technology, he also innovatively introduced the "Hu bed", which is a stool, which changed the Han people's habit of kneeling and sitting; he also appointed Bi Lan to invent the "Kewu" water diversion and road sprinkling device, which reduced the dust rate on the road...

Unfortunately, these are far from his absurdity.

As a natural person, Han Ling Emperor Liu Hong could definitely be regarded as a talented and intelligent person. If he was just an ordinary scholar or engaged in a certain job, he would definitely do an outstanding job.

What a pity, he is an emperor!

"Your Majesty, this is Yang Situ's letter. Would you like to read it?"

After watching Liu Hong finish enjoying, Zhang Rang took out a roll of paper. He read it right. It was indeed paper. Liu Han had changed history. Although it was weak, it had indeed changed.

The three provinces and six ministries and the imperial examination system were destroyed by Liu Xiu, but the paper remained. Of course, due to some reasons, it was still a little expensive. Ordinary families and small counties could only use bamboo slips.

Liu Hong waved his hand, "If you don't look at it, I'm afraid you'll try to persuade me not to covet beauty, or impeach you, right?"

Yang Ci, courtesy name Boxian, was born in Huayin County, Hongnong County (today's Huayin City, Shaanxi Province). He was a member of a family of officials. His grandfather Yang Zhen and his father Yang Bingjun both rose to the rank of Taiwei.

When he was young, he studied Confucianism and often lived in seclusion to teach his disciples, ignoring the rites and orders of the state and county. Later, he was conquered by General Liang Ji and served as Chencang Ling. He failed to take office due to illness and resigned from the three official orders. Later, he was promoted to Shizhong and Yueqi Xiaowei with high rank.

This guy is a bit stubborn and likes to speak out and give advice, but Liu Hong can tolerate it. He is considered the emperor's teacher. He, Liu Kuan, and Zhang Ji serve as lecturers in the Huaguang Palace to teach the Ling Emperor.

In the second year of Jianning (169), the green snake appeared on the throne. Emperor Ling asked Yang Ci the reason, so Yang Ci wrote a letter to impeach the internal officials by quoting the allusion.

In the fifth year of Xiping (176), he replaced Yuan Wei as Situ. At that time, the imperial court awarded titles in no order, and Emperor Ling liked to play very much. Yang Ci therefore wrote a letter to remonstrate with sincerity. Later, he was dismissed for recruiting party members, and he worshiped Dr. Guanglu...

Anyway, he was often dismissed, often promoted, and tried to persuade the emperor at every turn. Liu Hong was not stupid. Although he didn't like it, he knew that he was not a corrupt official, but a loyal minister, so he was promoted, demoted when he was unhappy, and recalled again when he remembered...

"No! If it were, I would not report it to His Majesty."

Zhang Rang shook his head, and Liu Hong became interested, "Then what did he say?"

"Situ said that Zhang Jiao sent his disciples to travel all over the world, constantly deceiving and tempting. In more than ten years, there were hundreds of thousands of followers in eight states, including Qingzhou, Xuzhou, Youzhou, Jizhou, Jingzhou, Yangzhou, Yanzhou and Yuzhou. Everyone responds.

Some believers sold their belongings and went to Zhangjiao. They blocked the roads, and tens of thousands of them died on the way before they arrived.

County and county officials did not understand Zhang Jiao's true intentions. Instead, they said that Zhang Jiao taught the people to be good, so he was supported by the people.

Now that his power is huge, if he rebels, it will probably cause an uproar.

Now, if Mingzhou and counties carry out suppression, I am afraid it will aggravate the chaos of the situation and prompt them to rebel in advance. The governor and county guards should be ordered to track down the refugees and escort them back to their respective counties to weaken the power of Zhangjiao's gang members, and then kill the leaders.

In this way, the situation can be calmed down without having to mobilize troops. "

"Zhang Jiao? Is this Zhang Jiao of Taiping Road?" Liu Hong had obviously heard of this man, and more than that, among the great eunuchs he was serving, Feng Xu and Xu Feng were both followers of Zhang Jiao.

The zhongchangshi "attends the left and right, from the moment you enter the inner palace, to praise and guide all affairs in the inner palace, and to take care of the affairs and deal with them", which is almost the highest level of eunuchs.

At the beginning, the rank was Qian Shi, and later the rank was increased to Bi2,000 Shi. In the middle and late Eastern Han Dynasty, the responsibilities of Zhongchang Shi became more and more important, and the number of posts also increased. It is also the responsibility of the boudoir, bedroom, and door."

"Yes, Your Majesty. A few years ago, Governor Dong impeached him for gathering a crowd to confuse the people. Feng Xu, the permanent minister, said that this was just spreading Huang Lao's techniques, so you pardoned him."

"Oh, that's true. I've read the Taiping Jing. It's a good book. He's just spreading doctrines. Don't worry about it. Yang Situ is just making a fuss."

"The Book of Taiping", also known as "Book of Taiping Qingling", is a Taoist book of Taiping in the Eastern Han Dynasty that is said to have been given to the alchemist Yu Ji by a god. In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, this book is said to be written by the old immortal Nanhua, but it is generally believed that the first person to hold it One of them is the alchemist Yu Ji, the legendary Taoist priest Yu Ji who was recorded and killed by Sun Ce.

It is said that the Taiping Sutra was given to Yu Ji by a man of god. The book has 23 words and 170 volumes. Today, only 57 volumes of the Dao Zang remain, and the rest have been lost.

Judging from the remaining chapters, the whole book does not have any anti-Han content. Instead, it is a large encyclopedia containing strategies to assist the country. Its content is extensive, covering the yin and yang of heaven and earth, the five elements, real disasters, gods, and many other fields. Based on the idea of ​​unity between man and nature, the art of ruling by doing nothing and the theory of yin and yang and the five elements outline a. ideal social picture.

The whole book is developed in the form of questions and answers, and can be roughly divided into four aspects.

First, it constructed the theological thoughts and systems of early Taoism, and put forward concepts such as the spirit in the body and the pursuit of immortality. The essence and spirit often mentioned in later generations also originated from this.

The second is to bring peace to the emperor. It proposes a set of governing techniques, which is also the most important part of the book. It is based on the theory of yin and yang and the five elements, and takes Huang Lao's theory of doing nothing and doing everything as the policy of governing the country. It believes that heaven and man are one, and man's A common will can influence the way of heaven.

When people are sick, injuries and diseases will occur; when the world is sick, disasters will come, with plagues raging, and in worst cases, the country and family will be destroyed.

He also used this to exhort and warn foolish kings and corrupt officials, condemn their greed, getting something for nothing and cruelty, demand equality, oppose excessive exploitation, and put forward the idea of ​​peace with the goal of establishing an equal society where everyone works and helps the poor.

The third is the method of cultivation, which proposes various methods such as fasting grain, eating Qi, taking medicine, nourishing the mind, returning to the spirit, acupuncture, divination, meditation, taboos, etc. Among them, the rich knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine can supplement the deficiency of the emperor's internal medicine.

The fourth is the idea of ​​persuading good deeds, which puts forward the concept of good and evil of "carrying responsibility". It is believed that the ancestors have made mistakes and accumulated more and more, and the future generations will bear their mistakes. The predecessors are "carrying" and the descendants are "bearing". If you do good deeds, your predecessors will accumulate blessings and your descendants will be blessed. If humans do too much evil, heaven and earth will change.

"The Book of Taiping" embraces the thoughts of ancient Taoism, Fang Xiandao, and Huang-Lao Taoism, and affirms Confucian ethics and morals, expressing its support and yearning for Mingjun and upright officials...

Looking at it this way, this is not a demon book at all, but a Taoist classic from the Erba Jing.

Don't think that Liu Hong was completely uneducated. He also had certain literary attainments and was considered outstanding among the emperors of the Eastern Han Dynasty. He not only liked calligraphy and poetry, but also left many famous lines and poems.

He himself composed "Huang Xi Pian", a total of fifty chapters, and other works. Later, he felt pity for the prince Liu Xie who had no mother when he was young. He also commemorated Wang Meiren and created "Zhui De Fu", "Ode to Ling Yi" and so on.

"Chinese Poems" also includes his works: "Song of Merchants".

Of course, he was extremely greedy for money, and he was so greedy that he would do anything.

There is a reason for this. When he was the little Marquis of Jieduting, his income was meager and he could not make ends meet. He might often borrow money to survive, which frightened his creditors.

After ascending the throne, he cursed the previous emperor, his uncle Huan Emperor Liu Zhi, for not knowing how to live, not knowing how to run a family business, not leaving him any "private money", and leaving the royal treasury empty.

Probably his former poverty gave him a deep stimulation, so he wanted to make money in large quantities.

At the same time, his biological mother, the Empress Dowager Dong, had suffered a lot with Liu Hong and his son in the past, and her desire for money was even more urgent. She could not help but remember the hardships and sweet things in front of the emperor's son, and encouraged her son to get rich. Of course, Liu Hong had to listen to his mother. .

Secondly, for Liu Hong, this throne may have come too suddenly and too luckily, which made him have the illusion of flying in the clouds instead of being down-to-earth. He always felt that the crown was not his own and would one day be taken away by others.

So he worked hard to collect money and returned to his hometown to buy a house and land, probably because he was preparing to return to be a rich man if the throne was lost. He made a very clear distinction between his family and the world.

He doesn't care about the world at all, and it doesn't belong to him. He only cares about the money in front of him.

He didn't pay attention to Situ Yangci's reminder this time, waved his hand and said: "Keep playing music, keep dancing!"

……

At the same time, Jizhou, Runan, Anyang County, Xiaodao Village,

Several people wearing yellow scarves were sitting in a temple, with a small table in front of them filled with various talismans, talismans and incense.

One of the young men was holding a quill pen and writing spells with concentration, his brows slightly furrowed. He was Zhang Jiao's registered disciple, named Liu Pi.

Outside the house, the people in the countryside can no longer bear the drought in recent days, the fields have withered and turned yellow, and the hope of the villagers has long been dissipated as the water sources have dried up.

Wearing tattered clothes, they gathered around one after another, with anxious expressions on their faces reflecting their tired figures.

"Line up, come one by one!"

"My son has a cold, please help Taiping Heavenly Master!"

"My child has a stomachache!"

"I'm dizzy!"

"There's something wrong with my legs."

There were several tables lined up with people.

Several men wearing yellow scarves burned the charms drawn by Liu Pi into the water.

There was a 30-year-old man at the front of the queue. He was only 30 years old, but he looked like he was in his 50s. He had a stooped body and a pale face. He looked malnourished and was dressed in rags. He was considered good, better. People gathered around him, but he had no clothes on top and no food, let alone anything to wear.

"Kneel down!" As a yellow scarf Taoist priest said, the man immediately knelt down.

"Yes!"

"Have you ever done anything bad?"

The man thought about it carefully, his expression hesitant.

"Seriously, the Heavenly Master will forgive you, just be sincere!"

"When I was 8 years old, I peeked into Widow Wang's bath!"

"According to the order of Master Tianping, I went to Fengdu Hell to examine the facts about the guilty people in the world.

Seeing my husband's black record is like a mountain, which is a sin in the life of the world. During this period, many evil deeds were committed, but the law of heaven was the most stringent in retribution for sexual misconduct.

A man rapes his wife and daughter, and defile his boudoir. In hell, you have to suffer for five hundred kalpas before you can escape. He lived as a mule or a horse for another five hundred kalpas, but then he was reincarnated as a human body and became a prostitute.

He plots and makes plans, rapes widows and women, and defeats others. In hell, you have to suffer for eight hundred kalpas before you can escape. He lived as a sheep or a hog and was slaughtered for another eight hundred kalpas, and then he was restored to human form, blind and mute...

This is a sin of obscenity and you must not commit it again next time! "

The yellow scarf Taoist priest spoke plausibly and made gestures in the air above the man's head, as if he was casting a spell.

"Any more?"

"When I was 13 years old, I stole eggs from Uncle Wang's house!"

"Someone acts unrighteously and acts against the principles; takes evil as his power and endures to do harm; betrays kindness and secretly insults the emperor and relatives; is condescending to his teacher and betrays his work; deceives the ignorant and slanders classmates; is vain He makes false accusations and accuses his relatives; he is strong-willed and unkind, and he is ruthless and cruel...

This is theft and should not be done again. "

"Yes!"

"Do you sincerely regret it?"

"Repent sincerely!"

"Drink the talisman water to eliminate disaster!"

"Heavenly Master bless you!" The man looked sincere and drank the talisman water respectfully.

……

Scenes like this can be found all over Qingzhou, Xuzhou, Youzhou, Jizhou, Jingzhou (now Hubei and Hunan), Yangzhou (now southern Jiangsu, southern Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian), Yanzhou (now eastern Henan, western Shandong) and Yuzhou (now eastern Henan and northern Anhui) states.

The world has been suffering for a long time, and all that is left is a fire.

(End of this chapter)