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

Chapter 290 Six Years of Hengtai
In the sixth year of Hengtai, the world is at peace.

After the fourth emperor of the Han Dynasty ascended the throne, the policies of the world did not fluctuate like the original emperor ascended the throne. Instead, there was a very smooth handover.

This is due to the fact that Emperor Wen gradually transferred his power to the emperor at the end of his reign.

Therefore, many of the emperor's policies did not change after he ascended the throne, but the general framework of the imperial court continued.

Emperor Wen died in the 18th year of Houyuan, and then the emperor ascended the throne and changed the name to "Hengtai", which means that the world can have long-lasting peace and tranquility.

In the first year of Hengtai, the emperor decreed that "Chao Cuo" should be appointed as the censor to supervise the ministers, and then Zhou Yafu would be appointed as the general, and his mother's brother "Dou Ying" would be appointed as the Taiwei to take charge of the military affairs of the country.

With his teacher "Chen Tuo" as the right prime minister, he is also the only prime minister in the Han Dynasty so far, and the left prime minister is almost empty.

It was also from the Hengtai period that the Han Dynasty began to have "only one phase".

In the past, in order to check and balance the power in the hands of the prime minister, both the Han Dynasty and the previous Qin Dynasty would set up two prime ministers, and even set up internal officials of the prime minister to divide the power in the hands of the prime minister.

At the end of the first year of Hengtai, all the three princes of the Han Dynasty were in place.

In the second year of Hengtai, another sad thing happened in the world.

Chen Bi, the contemporary head of the Chen family, the teacher of the late emperor, and the "grand tutor" and "grand master" of the current dynasty, passed away. Before his death, Chen Bi wrote a memorial and handed it over to the court. The things recorded in it were eliminated. Except for the emperor, Chen Tuo, Dou Ying, Chao Cuo, and Zhou Yafu, no one else was seen.

To this day, people all over the world are still speculating on the content of this memorial.

After Chen Bi's death, the emperor mourned and even fell seriously ill. When he recovered again, he ordered Chen Bi to be posthumously named "The Most Holy King of Anguo" and worshiped as "Taibao". From then on, the "Three Masters" Chen Bi is responsible for the name.

But this had no impact on the court, after all, everyone had passed away.

The emperor still felt that it was not enough, and with a stroke of his pen, he personally inscribed "Holy Master", "Scholarly Heirloom", "Family List of Ten Thousand Generations" and sent it to the Chen family's mansion in Guandu.

This title that should have belonged to "Confucius" in history fell on Chen Ye.

Chen also received two plaques of praise, and these three plaques were hung on the ancestral hall to highlight Chen's glory.

Of course, although the boast on this plaque is a bit exaggerated, it is not the first time that Chen has received such a plaque. Which of the four emperors of the Han Dynasty has not given such a plaque? The kings and emperors of Great Qin, even the fourth emperor, who was a little mentally ill, all gave similar plaques.

For the Chen family, which has been passed down for hundreds of years, the honor above the ancestral hall is no longer "the honor of the Chen family", but the glory of the emperor.

The emperor's words of "bestow" are hung above the ancestral hall. That is Chen's recognition of you!
You kid, have some fun.

In the third year of Hengtai, King Wu once again wrote a letter, hoping to be rewarded by the emperor. The memorial stated that the country of Wu was too poor, and even said that the clothes on his body were all shabby.

The words all imply that the emperor will open the "coin power" to him.

During these long ten years, the world has long forgotten how the emperor took away the coinage rights of the kings. However, the unified forging of coins by the imperial court has stabilized the economic order of the people a lot, and people are also enjoying this stability. Life.

And under the suggestions of Chao Cuo and Chen Tuo, the emperor's attitude was also obvious, you said you are poor?

Well, then I will reward you with some clothes.

We cannot let the clothes on the king's body be all shabby, but Uncle Wu, you said that your clothes are all shabby. I gave you new clothes, but you are not willing to wear them. So are you deceiving the king? Or are you despising the king?

Each one is a major sin.

So, after King Wu received a pair of clothes, he didn't know how he felt in his heart, but in front of the servant who passed the decree, he directly changed the clothes into the clothes given by the emperor.

The State of Wu was not ready for a showdown with the imperial court for the time being, so the King of Wu had to obey the emperor's words no matter how unwilling he was, at least superficially.

Winter of the fifth year of Hengtai.

A letter from home flew from Chang'an to Guandu.

Guandu Chen family, mansion.

Two young men were sitting by the lake, with a look of leisure and contentment on their faces. They were wearing fox furs, which were very warm. Their faces were extremely handsome, and their bodies were graceful.

A young boy from afar ran over in a hurry, with a look of worry on his face: "You two young masters, there is a letter from Chang'an City. Madam wants you to go back as soon as possible."

A letter from Chang'an City?

Chen Pi raised his eyes with curiosity on his face: "Brother, what do you think the letter from Chang'an City will say?"

Chen Qiu was a little helpless. He put away the scroll in his hand and said softly: "It's nothing more than letting us enter Chang'an City."

He shook his head slightly: "Uncle Tuo has been urging me more and more in recent years. I'm afraid you and I won't be able to escape this political quagmire."

Chen Pi didn't say anything: "This is a trivial matter. As disciples of the Chen family, you and I have many talents and learnings, so we naturally have to do our part for the family."

He patted the dust on his body and walked forward, saying as he walked: "Is it just the current situation in the world? Uncle Tuo called us to enter Chang'an as soon as possible, maybe to compete with Mr. Chao about reducing the vassal state? "

Chen Qiu said with a smile in his eyes: "That should be the case."

"After all, although Mr. Chao is from the Chen family and was his father's disciple, he has a stubborn personality and has always been at odds with Uncle Tuo's personality. This time, there must be an irresolvable dispute between the two of them, right?"

Chen Pi sighed: "Actually, I don't want to step into this quagmire."

"Brother, you are fine. You have a calm mind and are suitable for the ups and downs of the court. But I just want to go to the Western Regions to have a look, to see the solitary smoke in the desert, and to see if there are really any "novel things" guessed by my ancestors there. "Bring it back."

Chen Qiu looked at Chen Pi with peace in his eyes: "Let's see what His Majesty says then."

"Maybe you can really get what you want, maybe?"

Hengtai six years, spring.

The world is getting warmer, and Chen Tuo, who is in Chang'an City, receives a letter from Guandu.

The two brothers Chen Pi and Chen Qiu replied that they would leave for Chang'an City at the end of winter and hoped that he would stop urging him.

Chen Tuo looked at the content of the letter and smiled helplessly. How come these two boys, at this age, still like to tease people so much?

He stood up, walked to the window, looked at the bright moon in front of the window and sighed slightly.

"Time flies."

Hengtai six years.

There is always plenty of rain in summer, and countless raindrops under the sky are connected to form a whole, everything is like God's good will to wash away the dust. A carriage rolled from a distance, crushing the dust on the ground into pieces.

The two young men sitting on the carriage looked a little tired. Chang'an City in the distance was still so majestic and majestic, but Chen Pi and Chen Qiu were different from when they first came to Chang'an City.

At that time, they were only two or three years old, just two ignorant children, but now they have grown up, and Chen Qiu has become the contemporary "head" of the Chen family.

Originally, Chen Pi and Chen Qiu should compete for the position of the head of the family, but in Chen Pi's opinion, this job was not a good job, so he directly called Chen Qiu "brother" and forced a sophistry, saying that he was born that year. At that time, I had met Chen Qiu once, so Chen Qiu should have been born first.

After this reason was refuted, Chen Pi once again said that when he was in his mother's womb, he had already felt a child beside him. This child was slightly older than himself and appeared before him.

This time no one could argue with him.

Because who can know what is going on in the belly?

Therefore, Chen Qiu naturally became the "eldest son of the Chen family" and then the "head of the family".

This is the reason why Chen Pi has been calling Chen Qiu "brother" these days. He really doesn't want to let those in the family take the lead. Isn't it the position of a family head? He really doesn't want to be.

For a free-born person like Chen Pi, the status of the head of the family is not only not a "benefit", but a shackles.

After letting out a long sigh, Chen Pi stretched out: "Brother, there will definitely be a lot of people coming to see you later, and Uncle Tuo will definitely be there too."

He shook his head and said: "Then you will say that I was tired and fell seriously ill on the road, so I can't see guests."

Chen Qiu looked at Chen Pi speechlessly. Chen Pi had used this reason and excuse countless times. No one in his hometown in Guandu believed it anymore. Now in Chang'an City, he used the same old tricks again.

But I’m afraid many people will believe it this time.
Chen Qiu sighed helplessly while thinking about this matter, but he didn't even have the slightest intention of refusing in his heart.

Ever since Chen Pi started calling him brother, he seemed to have really become Chen Pi's brother and was worried to death.

In fact, Chen Qiu knew it.

The one who came out first that day should be "Chen Pi", which means that Chen Pi is his elder brother. However, no one knows about this except his mother and a woman who delivered the baby that day. The woman has been there for more than ten years. Since he had passed away before, his mother would naturally help them keep it a secret.

There was a sound of horse hooves outside the carriage.

"Master, we're home."

The two brothers Chen Qiu and Chen Pi had just arrived home. Before they had settled down, many guests were already waiting outside. Chen Pi hurriedly went to the backyard to hide, but Chen Qiu, as the current head of the Chen family, could not hide. I want to meet Chen's disciples.

So we could only meet them one by one.

After meeting everyone, Chen Qiu turned his head and looked at "Chen Tuo" sitting next to him: "Uncle Tuo, what do you want to do here?"

Since Chen Tuo was worshiped as prime minister and was posthumously named "Gong Tuo'an" in the fourth year of Hengtai, he had a separate residence and did not live in the Chen family's old residence.

Chen Tuo looked at Chen Qiu with a look of helplessness on his face: "That old guy Chao Cuo insisted on arguing with me, saying that now was the best time to cut down the vassal, and made suggestions one by one, all of which were straightforward. ”

"Although the emperor values ​​me as a teacher and thinks what I say makes sense, the temptation to make contributions is too great. The emperor is different from the late emperor, so his thoughts coincide with Chao Cuo."

He held his forehead and sighed: "What I mean is that you must go to court tomorrow, and then you can persuade that old stubborn donkey."

"Now that the imperial court is in an advantageous position, why bother forcing the rabbit to jump over the wall? Isn't it a good thing to take your time and use gentle strategies to gradually reduce the vassal state? This is what the original memorial meant! What on earth is the emperor thinking?"

Chen Qiuqian smiled. Before his father passed away, he wrote a letter to the emperor. The letter also discussed the reduction of vassalage.

His father also agreed with "boil the frog in warm water". After all, King Wu really couldn't make any waves.

"Uncle Tuo, you also know that I am just a junior."

"Mr. Chao, can you listen to my advice?"

Chen Tuo looked angry and slammed the table.

"bump--"

He said angrily: "You are the current head of the Chen family! As a disciple of the Chen family, he dares not to listen to you? Rebel against him! Do you think that you can despise the Chen family by becoming a censor? The three masters and three masters of the Chen family don't know How much came out!”

Chen Qiu sighed and comforted the angry Chen Tuo.

He knew that Chen Tuo actually had anger in his heart. After Chao Cuo became the imperial censor, he gradually became a little arrogant and treated Chen Tuo's uncle with less respect than before. After all, they were all three men, who was worse than the other?
So the problem between these two people is actually not just a "dispute to reduce vassal status".

"When I see Mr. Chao, I will give him good advice. Uncle Tuo, don't be angry. It will hurt your health."

After Chen Tuo said a few more words, he left angrily. Less than a quarter of an hour after Chen Tuo left, a figure quietly appeared in Chen's mansion.

It was Chao Cuo.

Chao Cuo had a smile on his face: "How was it? Did that old man scold me severely?"

Chen Qiu was speechless and choked up after listening to Chao Cuo's words. Do you know that Uncle Tuo will scold you? So what are you asking? Can I just say it?
Chao Cuo looked at Chen Qiu's silent look and laughed loudly: "Okay, don't worry about what he said. Just say what you think in the court tomorrow."

He curled his lips and said, "That old guy Chen Tuo was very arrogant when we were studying together. He became even more arrogant after being the prime minister for six years."

Chao Cuo's voice was filled with worry: "Oh, this is not a good thing for him."

Chen Qiu could only lower his head and agree.

And when Chao Cuo also left, another figure appeared in the mansion again.

"How about it?"

The visitor smiled, looked at Chen Qiu and said, "Isn't it interesting to see them arguing and worrying about each other?"

Chen Qiu turned back to look at Liu Qi, with a helpless and peaceful expression: "Your Majesty, you are really..."

It's hard to say.

After Liu Qi also left, Chen Picai quietly walked out of the backyard with sympathy on his face.

"Brother, cheer up."

"You have a tough battle tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)