Thousand-year-old family: its rise began with Shang Yang’s reforms

Chapter 280 The righteous King of Wu

What exactly is going on is probably beyond Kong Yun's mind.

At this time, Wang Liuwu had already been prepared. He even couldn't wait to stand up when Kong Yun just finished speaking and the emperor didn't even express his attitude.

As the Minister of Taxation Temple, Chen Tuo was naturally above the court at this time.

The corners of his eyes twitched as he listened to King Dai's "tea talk."

Although there is no such thing as green tea in this era, Chen Tuo has already experienced the "tea language" of this generation of kings.

"Father, brother, he definitely didn't mean it. Please don't blame brother too much."

Liu Wu's face was filled with uncontrollable excitement, and Liu Heng's brows furrowed as he looked at him on the stage. Is this stupid thing really his biological son?

He glanced at the ministers standing below who were watching his joke, and for a moment he felt pain in his heart.

In the seven years since he ascended the throne, he has not let the officials see the joke. But now, because of his stupid son, the officials have seen his joke, and he has nothing to say.

Second time?
Liu Heng sighed inwardly. He was quite aware of how stubborn his teacher was. After all, for Chen, "the law" seemed to be higher than anything else.

Chen Bi's remarks made many courtiers a little confused, but Liu Qi and Liu Heng were not surprised at all.

"Your Majesty, I have no complaints."

He lowered his head, bypassed the two idiots Kong Yun and Dai Wang, looked at King Wu and said, "King Wu, what do you think of my and Prime Minister Chen's handling?"

Liu Heng nodded slightly, looked at Liu Qi and said, "What do you think?"

At this time, King Wu had seen enough of the excitement in the court and stepped forward directly, with a sense of righteousness and awe in his body.

Although Chen has always been reluctant to admit that his "school" is Legalism, some of his core ideas are inseparable from Legalism.

Liu Heng nodded directly: "In that case, let's conclude this matter."

I'm afraid King Wu is going to start "asking for a price" now, right?
Just don’t know what price you want?
The emperor felt the same way, so he frowned a little, looked at King Wu and said, "What is the request?"

The emperor wanted to pick up this matter high and put it down gently, but would King Wu really agree? Previously, it was because the emperor's accusation against King Wu and his son could not be refuted, and King Wu had no power in Chang'an City, so he could only admit it.

"What's the point?"

ask?

"Your Majesty, there is some truth in what the king said."

These words made both Liu Heng and Liu Qi feel a little frightened.

"Let me hear it."

"Although His Highness the Crown Prince's behavior does not comply with Chinese law, it is not wrong at all in terms of reason."

Sure enough, Chen Bi was heard to say: "Even if the Crown Prince of Wu violated Han law, the Crown Prince of Wu should be dealt with according to Han law and should not be lynched. Today, His Highness the Crown Prince used lynching to directly kill the Crown Prince of Wu. It is true that It’s a bit too much.”

His face was full of justice, as if the prince was his son and the dead man was someone else.

King Wu turned around, looked at Chen Bi who was standing aside and asked softly: "I dare to ask Mr. Chen, is it recorded in Han law that if someone insults other people's ancestors, doesn't that person have the right to resist or even stop him?" "?"

There was a bit of excitement in his voice: "That scoundrel dared to insult the Emperor Gao and the Emperor! If this crime were dealt with according to Han law, it would be a serious crime of treason!"

"Can't the Chinese law tolerate reasonableness?"

Chen Bi's heart moved. He looked at the impassioned King Wu, and his evaluation of King Wu was even higher.

Chen Bi's remarks were not to help the idiot Dai Wang, but to protect the only remaining face of the court.

Fortunately, there were still honest people among the ministers. Chen Bi took a step forward, with a bit of solemnity in his voice. He smoothed things over and gave the emperor a step down.

"According to Chinese law, you should be whipped twenty times."

"If Han law has such a provision, then isn't the provision of Han law intended to protect evildoers?"

He said clearly and clearly: "No matter what the reason was for His Royal Highness to kill the Crown Prince Wu, whether the Crown Prince Wu really insulted the Emperor or the Emperor Gao, the Crown Prince killed the Crown Prince Wu by mistake. What happened."

"It's just that if you die, that little beast will be better off."

"What King Wu said makes sense."

Everyone looked at King Wu, with a feeling of "Sure enough," in their hearts.

"Your Majesty, my rebellious son has his current fate because of his own fault. How can His Highness be implicated because of this?"

Both father and son knew Mr. Chen very well.

King Wu bowed down, his expression even more humble. His face was full of sincere pleading, and he said something that no one had expected.

Liu Qi did not refute. For this matter, this was already a relatively mild punishment.

Who do you think can judge this?

If you continue talking, wouldn’t it be the emperor’s face that you lose?

After all, the acting king is now the acting king, and he is also the son of the current emperor.

King Wu saluted with a more sincere look on his face: "I just have a request, and I hope your majesty will grant it."

It's just overwhelming.

"Cough-cough-"

He sighed and said cooperatively: "So, according to what King Wu said, how should this matter go?"

King Wu then smiled and said: "I once listened to a lecture in the court of the King of Zhen, and also read a book by Chen Zi. I feel that Chen Zi's remarks are very consistent with the current situation."

"That sentence is called [Extra-legal tolerance]."

"Chen Zi once said that if the perpetrator can obtain the forgiveness of the victim, or if the public is outraged, the law should be appropriately tolerant. This is the law that serves people."

"Chen Xiang should agree with this statement, right?"

This statement comes from a book by Chen Zi, and the above contents are all said by the ancestors of Chen Ye. This matter is irrefutable. Not to mention Chen Bi standing here, even his father Chen Ju has nothing to say.

This is the word of our ancestors!

Chen Bi could only nod: "The ancestors once said this."

King Wu sighed in a low voice: "The so-called victim - my traitorous son has passed away and cannot be forgiven. But I am the father of that traitorous son. All his flesh and blood are from me, and I am my father." The gestation of sperm and maternal blood.”

"I, the king, should be able to make an understanding for him."

"Is this true?"

Whether it was Kong Yun whose brain had shut down, or the other ministers who were watching the excitement without reacting, or the emperor and the prince who were extremely nervous, or even Chen Bi who was standing in front of the King of Wu, Can't refute.

In this era, parents even have the right to kill their children, and the word "filial piety" is as big as heaven.

There is no explanation for this statement.

Even if Liu Xian is reborn again at this time, he cannot, dare not, or cannot refute this statement.

So everyone responded again: "Not bad."

King Wu laughed: "That's enough."

"This matter has nothing to do with the prince. If I had been present at that time, I would have drawn my sword and killed that beast!"

"How can the emperor's divine power be violated by him?"

"What's more, talking about Emperor Gao?"

"Isn't the blood of Emperor Gao flowing in his body? Where does his so-called glory come from? Doesn't it all come from Emperor Gao?"

"How can you write two characters Liu in one stroke?" King Wu sighed deeply. At this time, the court seemed to have become a performance stage for him alone.

"I request your Majesty to revoke the punishment on the prince. If your Majesty must punish me, then punish me."

"That evil boy will end up like this, and it's all my fault as the father."

"Your Majesty, please punish me."

After Ling Ran's righteous words, everyone in the court collapsed and was at a loss.

What do you mean?
What does it mean?
Why don't they understand what this means?

The one who died was the Crown Prince of Wu, right?

Not the prince, right?
The man standing impassioned in front of the court is also the King of Wu, right? Not the emperor, right?

Only a few people standing at the front saw the problem. Whether it was Han Xin, Zhou Bo, or other ministers who followed Liu Bang to conquer the world, they all looked at King Wu with eyes like sharp swords.

The Crown Prince of Wu is already dead. Logically speaking, this is a slap in the face of King Wu.

And no matter what King Wu did, he could not save this face.

how?

Do you want the prince to pay for your life?
There were only two possibilities for this matter from the beginning to the end. One was that the prince paid for the death of the Crown Prince of Wu; the other was that everyone acted as if nothing had happened.

There is no intermediate option for him - such as what Confucianism and Daiwang think, which is to abolish the prince and replace him with Daiwang.

Or as ordinary courtiers thought, the King of Wu asked for a high price, the Emperor sat down and paid back the money, and finally the two of them worked together to sell the Prince of Wu for a good price.

Because this matter involves the core issue.

Whether the emperor is supreme or not.

If so, then the Crown Prince and the future Emperor just killed you, a little Prince of Wu, and you have to "compensate"? If the emperor kills you, will there be compensation?

What a supreme being that day is.

If not, then the Crown Prince should pay with his life!
It's a simple "yes or no" question that leaves no choice for anyone.

But King Wu just played this problem into a flower.

Not only did he not argue about what was right and wrong, but he placed all the blame on Prince Wu and himself.

The prince killed Prince Wu to teach Prince Wu a lesson, or even to "clean up the place."

The prince is clean, the emperor is clean.

But is this really the case?

What reputation will King Wu gain when this incident comes out?
A reputation for righteousness that destroys relatives, a reputation for benevolence and righteousness.

In the past, the Mohist family's son Fu Shuo had a great sense of justice and exterminated his relatives, and gained a reputation for benevolence and righteousness. If we were a little closer, wouldn't the same be true for the Chen family back then?

The emperor and the prince will always owe King Wu a favor!
Whether it's for reasons or whatever.

Today you killed my son. Not only did I take a big step back to cover you up, but I also took all the sins and dirty water on myself and was covered in mud. I am so loyal, and you will say that I did it someday. What can you do to reduce the vassal status?

Only then can you remove my fiefdom?

Are you saying I am treasonous? When you killed my son back then, I tried to make amends for you. How could I possibly plot against you now?
Are you saying that I have a disobedient heart? When you killed my son, I made amends for you. How could I be disobedient now?
Within three generations, or even within four or five generations, the King of Wu had achieved an invincible golden body through this matter.

I, the King of Wu, am a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty.

King Wu stood in the court hall. He looked at the emperor who was sitting on pins and needles opposite and the prince who stood there with a gloomy face that looked like he could drip water. He almost laughed wildly in his heart.

He even wanted to shout.

"Who can kill me?"

"Who dares to kill me!"

The news that the emperor wants to cut down the feudal vassal has already spread throughout the vassal states, and from today on, unless the emperor is completely shameless, he will not be able to attack the King of Wu even if he attacks the princes of the world.

Liu Heng's expression was gloomy for a moment, but he calmed down in the blink of an eye.

At this point, no matter whether he agreed to King Wu's request or not, what King Wu wanted to do has been accomplished.

He could only nod: "Hey——"

"Just follow what Uncle Wu Wang said."

Chen Bi lowered his head slightly, with a look of helplessness in his eyes. King Wu is indeed a smart man. No wonder he has been able to develop steadily for so many years.

In a corner that no one knows about, oh no, in the center where everyone is watching but ignored by everyone, there are two people who are gently broken.

King Dai even looked at King Wu's face, his eyes full of "I am fighting to the death, why did you surrender first?"

King Wu pretended not to see it, straightened his back and stepped back.

A son is nothing.

If the Wu Kingdom could be replaced and developed for two or three generations, let alone one of his sons killed by the prince, even if the prince asked him to kill all the remaining sons, he would do it with a loyal face.

Son?

He is still in his prime now and will only have a few more.

eldest son?

The first sons are dead, and the next one is the eldest son.

legitimate son?

His queen can be replaced at any time. Whoever is the queen, her son will be the eldest son.

King Wu looked at Liu Heng with a smile on his lips.

What he is eyeing is the big position that he can almost reach!

"But."

When everything was settled, King Dai looked at Liu Heng who was sitting in a high position with a blank look on his face, and was about to say something.

And this sound completely ignited Liu Heng's anger.

He was plotted against by the King of Wu to such an extent that his own son was still the same as a barbecued pork?
But?

At this time, Liu Heng even wanted to send Liu Wu to see Emperor Gao!

He angrily shouted: "Are you qualified to speak about important matters in the court?"

"Somebody come!"

"Suppress this evil beast!"

Angry flames rose in his eyes: "Pass on my order to change the king to Liang Wang, and the vassal will be established immediately. There must be no mistakes."

Liu Heng glanced at Kong Yun who was standing there: "Besides, Kong Yun has behaved inappropriately in front of the Imperial Academy to offer wine to the emperor. He should be dismissed from his post and go back to his hometown to retire!"

After saying that, Liu Heng walked away directly.

Changle Palace

Liu Heng looked at Liu Qi in front of him and almost squeezed out a sentence through his teeth: "What a sin you have done!"

(End of this chapter)