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

Chapter 340 From now on, there is no more destiny!
Eleven years after the founding of the country.

After the Battle of Kunyang, Wang Mang felt that he had lost his destiny. Without the favor of heaven and the "bronze mirror", he was just an ordinary person.

He knew this himself, but was still very afraid.

He was afraid that he would be killed by Liu Xiu.

Therefore, I hesitated.

The officials in the court also noticed Wang Mang's hesitation, so they were also thinking about how to give Liu Xiu, Wang Mang, and even themselves a decent ending.

The Central Government Officer thought of the answer to this question.

During the reign of the previous emperor, Emperor Xiaoai, the Empress Dowager abolished the position of the Minister of the Central Government.

But after Wang Mang ascended the throne, he was busy studying bronze mirrors and was unable to handle many government affairs of the court, so the position of the Chief of the Central Government was established again.

This Central Government Commander had been with Wang Mang since he was a child and knew Wang Mang's psychology very well.

He even knew about the existence of the "bronze mirror" and destiny.

Weiyang Palace
When Wang Mang was struggling and hesitating, the Central Government official named "Xie Jue" gave Wang Mang an idea.

"Your Majesty, why don't you have a frank talk with the King of Hongnong?"

"Now that you have lost the bronze mirror, you have no attachment to the throne, while King Hongnong has been blessed by the destiny and the Chen family. To be frank, he is the one who should be afraid."

"It would be of no benefit to him to fight to the death. As long as we can grasp his psychology, we can negotiate with him, right?"

Wang Mang raised his eyebrows and looked at Xie Jue, motioning him to continue.

Xie Jue smiled and said, "If Your Majesty sends someone to secretly negotiate peace with the King of Hongnong, and says that you are willing to hand over the throne and the world to him again, but the requirements are your own safety, and that the King of Hongnong stop pursuing you."

"After he ascends the throne, you will resign the throne of the emperor, and return to the position of Grand Master."

"In order to ascend the throne as soon as possible and avoid the suffering of all living beings, he would have had such an idea."

Wang Mang frowned: "Will he really agree?"

"I killed his brother."

“So did his father.”

Xie Jue said, "Emperor Xiaoai died of depression after being abandoned at a young age. What does this have to do with you? You are absolutely not responsible for his death. To put it bluntly, if Emperor Xiaoai had not died, would he, the King of Hongnong, have the throne?"

"As for Emperor Xiaoshen, he died of illness and died of old age. What does it have to do with you?"

"If you are worried, you can ask the King of Hongnong to swear an oath."

"If you break your oath, you will be abandoned by fate."

"What do you think?"

Wang Mang fell silent after listening to Xie Jue's words, and his heart was shamefully moved.

“It seems to make sense.”

He sighed, "It's just that I have never had such a trustworthy confidant in all the years since I ascended the throne."

Wang Mang looked at Xie Jue and said, "Besides you, who else can gain my trust?"

Xie Jue knelt on the ground, and then met Wang Mang's gaze and said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to go to the land of King Hongnong for you and negotiate with him."

He placed the crown on his head on the ground and said: "If the matter succeeds, I will continue to serve you. If the matter fails, I will definitely kill myself and not let anyone know about it."

Wang Mang nodded in satisfaction. He looked at Xie Jue and sighed, "Thank goodness I have you. Otherwise, what would I have done over the years?"

Luoyang
After the victory in the Battle of Kunyang, this place was already under the control of Liu Xiu, and Liu Xiu temporarily established a capital here.

In fact, everyone knew that when they had completely conquered the world, their capital would still be Chang'an.

But as Luoyang was the place where Liu Xiu rose to power, it would probably be called the "secondary capital".

The dual capital system appeared as early as the Shang and Zhou dynasties, so it was not a big deal.

But today Luoyang welcomed a rare guest, who was none other than Xie Jue, the Minister of the Central Government who served beside the Emperor of the New Dynasty and a dignified internal minister.

Changqiu Palace

As Liu Xiu's temporary palace, this place was not very luxurious, but rather very ordinary.

Different from the reason why Liu Bang built Chang'an City, Xiao He built Chang'an City for Liu Bang in order to subdue the nobles of the six countries and let them know that "this is the capital of the Han Dynasty", so the more luxurious the better at that time.

But now the palace built by Liu Xiu should be as frugal as possible, because the more frugal it is, the more people in the world will feel that he has the "legacy of Emperor Wen."

Simply put, Liu Bang was a gangster with no foundation, so he had to use "gorgeousness" to intimidate everyone; and now Liu Xiu is the "eleventh generation of the emperor" who has been rich for more than a hundred years, so he has to use frugality to eat the legacy of Emperor Xiaojing.

Liu Xiu sat on the high platform, looking very calm.

He looked at Xie Jue in front of him and asked, "What a rare guest you are. I wonder why Lord Xie came here today?"

Liu Xiu looked a little indifferent, as he thought Xie Jue was here to reprimand him on behalf of Wang Mang.

However, what came out of Xie Jue's mouth was something he had never expected.

Xie Jue bowed slightly and spoke out all the arguments he and Wang Mang had discussed. Then he quietly glanced at the young man sitting beside him with his eyes closed. He knew in his heart that this man was the next generation head of the Chen family and the current prince of the Kingdom of An.

His mind raced and he added a few words to attract Chen Chong's attention.

"If this is the case, we can avoid the need for war, so that the people who have been in turmoil for many years can quickly live a peaceful and stable life again. This is the best choice for the people."

"Your Majesty, please think again."

Chen Chong opened his eyes and looked at Xie Jue who was standing there. There was a hint of disdain in his eyes. He understood what Xie Jue meant by that.

It was nothing more than letting himself put pressure on Liu Xiu.

In fact, he knew Liu Xiu too well. Even if Xie Jue didn't say this and didn't let him put pressure on him, Liu Xiu would definitely do it.

Because what does Emperor Xiaoai have to do with him?
Does Liu Xiu care about the life or death of Emperor Xiaoai?

not give a damn about.

Emperor Xiaoshen?

Maybe he cared about it when he was young, but later when Emperor Xiaoshen forced him out of the palace to pave the way for Emperor Xiaoai and Empress Jingci, his father-son relationship with Emperor Xiaoshen was almost severed.

as predicted.

Liu Xiu was very calm. After Xie Jue finished speaking, he answered directly.

"I can agree to Wang Mang's conditions. I can even appoint Wang Mang as Grand Master after I ascend the throne and give him some posthumous honors after his death."

"But he must also give me something in exchange."

"Give me something I want."

Xie Jue suddenly raised his head and looked at Liu Xiu with a slightly incredulous expression: "Your Majesty, please explain clearly."

Liu Xiu stood up and walked down the stage step by step, saying as he walked, "It's very simple." "Wang Mang issued an edict of self-criticism, stating that he had usurped the throne. This abdication is to inherit the Mandate of Heaven and return the throne to the Liu family."

"If Wang Mang agrees, then I can swear by the Luo River."

"Not only will I never kill him in this lifetime, as long as he no longer violates Han law and no longer becomes my enemy, then I will not allow anyone to kill him!"

"Give him the position of Grand Master and allow him to retire peacefully."

Xie Jue didn't hesitate at all.

This is definitely the best condition for Wang Mang.

He raised his head and looked at Liu Xiu, saying: "I can agree to this on behalf of Your Majesty. If Your Majesty can really do it, I will personally come to Luoshui and make an alliance with Your Majesty."

Liu Xiu nodded: "My words are as good as gold. How can I not do it?"

"Let's set it for March next year."

"On the bank of Luo River."

"I invite all the noble families in the world, headed by the Chen family, to witness this together."

Eleven years after the founding of the People's Republic of China

Luoshui River
All the noble families in the world gathered here to witness an unprecedented covenant.

There are three protagonists in this alliance.

First, Liu Xiu.

Second, Wang Mang.

Third, Luo River.

In fact, there is a fourth protagonist, and this protagonist is the "Chen family", the head of the world's aristocratic families and the witness of the alliance between the new emperor and the Han emperor.

On the altar, with the majestic sky and the sound of evening drums, Liu Xiu wore a crown with twelve tassels and stood by the bank of Luo River. In front of many noble families in the world and Wang Mang, he pointed to the Luo River and swore an oath, saying that as long as Wang Mang issued an edict of repentance, explained the situation back then, and returned the mandate of heaven, Liu Xiu would never pursue Wang Mang's sins.

"I swear this oath by Luoshui River, and it will never change!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the new emperor Wang Mang accepted the surrender, handed over the imperial seal and the sword of destiny, and then the whole world submitted.

The emperor really did not hold Wang Mang accountable for his crimes. He threw the edict of apology written by Wang Mang himself directly into the Luo River, and then laughed and said: "This is the Luo River, wash your body clean, and from now on you will no longer be a traitor to the Han Dynasty!"

Later, he proclaimed himself emperor and changed the era name to "Jianwu" on the banks of Luo River.

Therefore, the eleventh year after the founding of the country is also called the "first year of Jianwu".

In the first year of Jianwu, the emperor ascended the throne.

The first thing he did after ascending the throne was to posthumously confer a title on his biological mother, naming her "Empress Xiaodunsu" and changing her title to empress dowager, and burying her in the emperor's mausoleum.

The second thing the emperor did was to change the series of reform measures implemented by Wang Mang.

The third thing the emperor did was to reform the civil service, appoint virtuous officials, crack down on corrupt officials, reduce criminal laws, and then implement an agriculture-based national policy, basically restoring a series of policies from the reigns of Emperors Xiaojing and Xiaowen.

The fourth thing the emperor did was to appoint Chen Chong, the prince of Kingdom An, as prime minister, to take charge of the government.

The fifth thing the emperor did was to confer the title of King An as King Zheng of the Kingdom and change the crown prince of King An's title to King An. This has almost become a routine and there is nothing to say about it.

But what Tianxia did next was very surprising.

He promoted Wang Mang to be the internal official in charge of grain, and later appointed him as the Grand Tutor.

People at that time said that the emperor really kept his word and did not pursue Wang Mang's crimes anymore.

It is for this reason that the oath sworn at the Luo River became an oath believed by everyone in later generations, because Emperor Shizong Xiao Guangwu actually did it!

Even the enemy who killed his father and brother and usurped the throne can be let go!

Weiyang Palace
Liu Xiu, Chen Chong and Wang Mang sat opposite each other. Wang Mang told them everything that had happened at the beginning with a slightly guilty look on his face.

He looked at the bronze mirror in his hand and said, "It was because of this thing that I became greedy and then did such a disloyal and unfilial thing. It is really my sin."

Liu Xiu squinted his eyes, took the bronze mirror and stroked it gently.

Then he sneered: "I am destiny."

Chen Chong also looked at the ordinary mirror, then frowned slightly and whispered: "Your Majesty, if this thing really has the effect that the Grand Master said, it must be an evil object."

"The destiny is nothing but slander."

"Chen has always firmly believed that the so-called destiny is nothing more than "human destiny", and man can conquer nature."

"Your Majesty, please give this to Chen."

Liu Xiu casually threw the bronze mirror to Chen Chong, and then asked curiously: "What will Chen do with this mirror?"

Chen Chong narrowed his eyes and whispered, "The Chen family will suppress this thing in the ancestral hall, and let the spirit tablets of the ancestors suppress it, so that it will no longer have the so-called effect to disturb the world."

Liu Xiu then nodded with relief: "Then I will give this item to Chen."

He stood up, stretched, and looked at the distant sky.

"Destiny, it is truly what the world is pursuing."

In the second year of Jianwu, the emperor established Chang'an as the capital, and later used Luoyang as a secondary capital.

For a time, the two capitals developed separately. Chang'an, as the cornerstone of the Han Dynasty, has always been magnificent and prosperous. Luoyang, as the secondary capital of the Han Dynasty, is not so magnificent overall due to its uniqueness. Instead, it has a sense of ancient grandeur.

In the fourth year of Jianwu, Grand Tutor Wang Mang played his role as an internal official in charge of grain, and he was indeed very suitable for working in this position.

In order to reward his merits, the emperor conferred on him the title of "Qingzi Jinlu Dafu".

Peach Blossom Spring
For some reason, an angry roar was heard from the vast river that crossed the sky. There was ferocity and confusion in the roar. It seemed that he did not understand why everything was going according to the "original" trajectory, but in the end he was the one who failed.

In the endless starry sky, black and white chess pieces crisscross.

The enormous Chen Ye spanned the sky. He was half-sitting there, and the shadows around him seemed to be twinkling with extremely bright stars.

He has replaced the so-called fate and history and crossed the sky!
When those eyes as big as the sun opened, a mocking laugh rang out.

"Haha, it's just a dead thing, how can it fight against people?"

He let out a long sigh. Even though he could have become "Him" at this moment, he still did not do it. Instead, he firmly existed as "Him".

The Chen family is a human family, and the ancestors of the Chen family must also be human!
Rather than the so-called destiny!
Chen's only purpose is to break the so-called destiny! Rather than replacing "God" and becoming the new God!
This is Chen!
Chen Ye opened his mouth, and the sound was as loud as thunder. He raised his finger and calmed everything.

"From now on, there is no such thing as destiny!"

"In eternity, man lives forever!"

Man can conquer nature!
In the eighth year of Jianwu, all the unrest in the world subsided and the people lived a stable life again.

The history books call it
The beginning of the new Han Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)