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

Chapter 360 If someone usurps power, thousands of arrows will pierce his heart, and all his descendants will die violently [6k, please subscribe]

The moon is high.

The scenery in the garden remained the same as before, just as it was when the three people first came here many years ago.

Liu Bei and Cao Cao just walked forward slowly, not in a hurry. As they walked, they also talked about what happened in recent days. At this time, they really put aside their identities and all other trivialities.

Because they knew that this might be the last time they would be able to talk to each other like this.

The outcome of everything depends on whether this conversation tonight goes smoothly.

If all goes well, they may still be able to remain friends and drink together again many years later; if not, this glass of wine tonight might be their last.

Thinking of this, Liu Bei and Cao Cao's expressions became more frank.

After knowing each other for many years, both of them felt that no one could understand them better than each other and the friend who was waiting in the garden.

"Meng De."

Liu Bei's voice was calm, and he simply said: "If I can persuade Your Majesty and Donglin, are you willing to come back?"

Turn back?

Cao Cao stood there, a look in his brows flashed, he just looked at Liu Bei who was standing beside him. At this time, Liu Bei's eyes were confused, but firm.

What was Cao Cao's best answer at this time? He was to just brush it off and change the subject.

But for some reason, perhaps it was because the moonlight was so beautiful tonight, or maybe it was because he had seen Liu Bei busy all these years, or maybe it was because the young man who wanted to save the Han Dynasty and was not afraid of power and had his powerful uncle killed came back to life again.

Cao Cao was silent for a long time before he said, "If Donglin is willing to save the country, and if you can persuade His Majesty."

"Cao Mengde will always be the most loyal minister of the Han Dynasty."

He looked at Liu Bei and said word by word: "What I want is actually very little. Maybe I want a lot, but Cao Mengde will always be the Cao Mengde who dares to kill the powerful and plead for the people!"

"He never died, and he never left."

"Believe it or not, everything I did over the years was out of necessity."

Cao Cao raised his head and looked at the moon hanging high in the sky. His voice was a little low and a little tired: "The king wants his subject to die, but the subject does not want to die. I don't think this is too much, right?"

In this era, the saying that if the king wants his subjects to die, the subjects must die has not yet appeared, because the development of Confucianism was not very smooth.

Although Dong Zhongshu still appeared, he did not dare to explain the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues in detail because of the existence of Chen's "political science" and many other theories. He only mentioned them briefly in his book "Dongzi". After all, the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues were first seen in Confucius.

As a great scholar, how could he not read the books of Confucius?

Liu Bei didn't know what to say because every word Cao Cao said was true.

This is the saddest thing.

But from the emperor's perspective, was the emperor wrong?

In fact, the emperor did not make any big mistakes.

Because of their different perspectives and standpoints, the emperor wants his own rights, so he wants to eliminate Cao Mengde and these powerful ministers standing in front of him. These powerful ministers fight with the emperor because the people do not want the emperor to take power completely and also to save their own lives.

If it were a time when Confucianism was flourishing, perhaps it would be wrong to be hostile to the emperor.

However, the current situation is not the flourishing of Confucianism, but the flourishing of political science, and the coexistence of many schools of thought such as Confucianism, Taoism, and the School of Diplomacy. So this approach cannot be considered wrong.

Liu Bei is no longer the child he was many years ago. He knows that many things in this world are not black and white.

But it is precisely this situation where no one is at fault that is more difficult to deal with.

Liu Bei was already very grateful that Cao Cao could make such a promise today.

He paused for a moment, looked at Cao Cao, and then bowed: "I would like to thank Brother Meng De here."

Liu Bei raised his head and said with emotion: "Perhaps after tonight, everything will be very different."

He continued to move forward with anticipation.

In Liu Bei's imagination, Cao Cao, the most difficult to convince, has already been convinced and is willing to make such a promise. The next step is to convince Chen Zhulou. In his imagination, Chen Zhulou is relatively easy to convince, after all, Chen Zhulou has always valued the people.

In other words, the Chen family has always valued the lives of the people.

Being able to reform without causing war is naturally a more acceptable option for the Chen family than solving problems through war or uprising.

By then, as long as we can convince the emperor, the Han Dynasty can still prosper for another two hundred years!
Cao Cao followed behind Liu Bei with a look of expectation on his brow. Perhaps it was because the youthful spirit he had back then had not yet disappeared, and Cao Cao at this moment was still the Cao Cao who wanted to support the Han Dynasty.

In the pavilion

The moonlight shines on the earth like water, and everything seems very peaceful and easy-going.

Chen Zhulou sat in the pavilion with pots of warm wine in front of him. A few flames rose up and reflected on his cheeks.

At this time, Chen Zhulou was sitting in the pavilion in a white robe. With the moonlight and pear blossoms around him, he had a sense of "unparalleled young man in the world".

The sound of footsteps broke this beautiful scene.

The figures of Cao Cao and Liu Bei appeared in the garden. Cao Cao laughed very coolly and said, "Hahahahaha, Donglin, you are finally back."

He smiled and said, "How does it feel to be back in Chang'an City after a year?"

Liu Bei was also sitting next to Chen Zhulou, just like he did back then.

Chen Zhulou picked up the wine glass, smiled slightly, and drank the wine in the glass. Then he said, "It's been a long time since I last saw you two brothers. It makes me feel very emotional."

"Reentering Chang'an after a year has completely changed the feeling from when I first entered Chang'an."

There was some melancholy and loneliness in his voice: "The rich are living a life of luxury, and the turmoil and corruption in this world have reached a point where they must be changed."

Chen Zhulou did not chat with the two of them for long, but directly brought up the topic.

He became more and more fierce and capable, and the euphemisms that belonged to the children of aristocratic families in the past seemed to have disappeared from him: "The three of us will meet tonight, and perhaps this will be a conversation that will change the situation of the Han Dynasty."

"I don't want to beat around the bush with you two brothers. What do you think of the big man nowadays?"

"What do you think of the present?"

"What do you think of the future of the Han Dynasty?"

Three questions were asked in succession from Chen Zhulou's mouth. Liu Bei and Cao Cao were stunned for a moment. Chen Zhulou was different from the Chen Zhulou in their memory.

If we must say, Chen Zhulou at this time had some of the "bandit spirit" that is unique to the heads of the Chen family throughout the generations.

Yes, it's banditry.

This is also a fundamental difference between the Chen family and many other aristocratic families. The heads of the Chen family seem to have always been so "bandit-like", even if they look very noble and arrogant.

This is a special temperament.

In the past, they were still wondering how the pampered Chen family master could have such a bandit spirit. Now, they both had some guesses. Maybe Chen Zhulou's "recuperation" this time was not just for recuperation?

Thinking of this, Cao Cao spoke first.

He picked up the wine pot beside him, filled a glass of wine for himself, and then said directly: "I don't know what Donglin thinks for now, but in the past two years, Xuande and I have some differences of opinion."

After Cao Cao sorted out his thoughts, he looked at the two of them, picked up the wine glass, drank the wine in the glass, and then said under the influence of alcohol: "My opinion is very simple."

"Today, the Han Dynasty has many powerful families and aristocratic families."

"Although the Chen family has been constantly maneuvering, it is difficult for poor families to produce scholars of the "scholar" class. The selection of filial and honest officials is controlled by the aristocratic families. King An saw this and took direct action to eliminate the two major aristocratic families, the Yuan and Yang families. It is also because of this that many children from poor families have appeared in the court in recent years."

"But if you say that the aristocratic family is the biggest problem of the Han Dynasty, I don't think so."

Cao Cao stood up, holding the wine glass, with an air of giving orders about the country.

"From top to bottom, there is almost no good in the man."

"From the above, the current emperor is even worse than the previous emperor, more foolish, more incompetent, more cunning and stupid."

It is hard to imagine that cunning and stupidity can be applied to the same person, but when it was applied to Liu Bian, none of the three of them thought there was anything wrong with it, and even Liu Bei had to agree with Cao Cao's evaluation.

Cunning and stupid.

"What the Han Dynasty needs most right now is not reform, nor rest and recuperation, but a new emperor!"

Cao Cao said something shocking. He looked at Liu Bei and said, "In fact, Xuande knows in his heart that the best way now, the only way to extend the life of the Han Dynasty, is to change the emperor!"

"If Xuande doesn't want to bear this infamy, then it's very simple. We can choose a Liu family member from the clan, an obedient, not ambitious, mediocre emperor."

"After that, the three of us will work hard to reform and save the country!"

Cao Cao looked at Liu Bei and said word by word: "If Xuande is worried that I will control the government and usurp the throne like Wang Mang did, then I can swear today to the bright moon, to the Chen family, and to all the people in the world."

"If Xuande agrees to my method of saving the country today, and I change to another emperor, the three of us will work together with all our strength. If I, Cao Cao, try to usurp power in the future, I will be pierced by thousands of arrows and die a miserable death. I will also make all the descendants of the Cao family die suddenly in the future, and I will not be able to rest in peace after my death!"

"If Cao usurps power in the future, please ask the head of the Chen family to govern and take my head and hang it on the tower of Chang'an!"

"Then let my name be recorded in history as a curse, and my infamy will live forever!"

After this oath was made, both Chen Zhulou and Liu Bei were a little confused, but Cao Cao didn't care at all. He held the wine glass and used all his strength. His pupils were a little red and filled with bloodshot.

He supported the table with both hands and asked Liu Bei in a hoarse voice.

Cao Cao asked word by word: "Does this oath reassure Xuande?"

Liu Bei sat there without saying a word.

Chen Zhulou sighed, stood up, and pulled Cao Cao and said, "Meng De, why are you doing this?"

"Sit down."

Then, he said softly: "In fact, Meng De's method is not too absurd. The Duke of Zhou was able to depose and exile the King of Zhou. Why can't Xuande learn from him?"

Chen Zhulou had some extravagant hopes in his heart. Compared to Zhang Jiao's uprising and the subsequent war that swept the world, he was actually more willing to save the Han Dynasty.

Liu Bei remained silent for a moment. After a moment, his voice became hoarse, and he whispered, "Is this the only way to save the Han Dynasty?"

Cao Cao looked at Liu Bei and sighed softly.

Actually, he had nothing much to say, because Cao Cao knew Liu Bei's character, which was that he was too kind. He could not make such a decision, because deposing the current emperor was tantamount to an act of usurpation.

Duke Zhou did not have a good reputation in his days.

Seeing that Cao Cao and Chen Zhulou were silent, Liu Bei sighed and said softly, "Can you two give the emperor another chance?" "In fact, the emperor is not who you think he is."

He stood up and bowed to the two of them: "I know that both of you care about the people of the world."

"But if you let Bei depose the current emperor and enthrone a new emperor, isn't this an act of usurpation?"

Liu Bei slowly raised his head with a determined look in his brows: "Let's give the emperor another chance."

"I will personally go to the Weiyang Palace to persuade the emperor to change his mind."

Cao Cao frowned and looked at Liu Bei: "But what if the emperor still refuses to change his ways? Are we just going to watch the Han Dynasty fall into decline?"

He stood up suddenly, staring at Liu Bei.

"Xuande!"

"You are a relative of the Han Dynasty!"

Cao Cao pointed at Chen Zhulou, then at himself, and then said, "We two are outsiders!"

"Even if the Han Dynasty falls, based on the prestige of the Chen family, the next country will still be respectful to the Chen family, and the Chen family will still be the number one family in the world!"

"Even the king who rises from the troubled times will know the power of the Chen family better than you and the current one!"

"Believe it or not, the next emperor who will establish a new country may even personally go to Guandu to invite Dong Lin to be the prime minister! And he will directly confer the title of king on the Chen family again! By that time, the glory of the Chen family will not be diminished in the slightest!"

"And what about someone?"

"I can continue to serve as the Grand Commandant. Given the power of the Cao and Xiahou families, can't I find a position in the new dynasty?"

"We are both willing to risk our lives for the big man, so what are you doing?"

"Do we have to wait a hundred years until the Emperor Gaozu points his finger at your nose and scolds you when you are in the underworld?"

Liu Bei's expression remained unchanged. He looked at Cao Cao's disappointed look and smiled.

"If the emperor still refuses to repent, I will depose him in the name of the current Liu clan leader, in the name of the minister appointed by the previous emperor, and in the name of the emperor's uncle, and demote him to the King of Hongnong. I will then choose a suitable emperor from among the Han clan members!"

His voice was sonorous and powerful, and Liu Bei looked very majestic at this moment.

The moonlight was in the sky, falling on his cheek, illuminating his determination.

Liu Bei looked at Chen Zhulou and Cao Cao and said sincerely, "Your Majesty was also raised by Donglin and Mengde. His nature is not that bad. After all, holding power is what all emperors want to do, right?"

"Give the Emperor another chance."

"I will go to the Weiyang Palace to advise Your Majesty."

"If this doesn't work out, I will never persist in this mistake again."

After listening to Liu Bei's words, Cao Cao's excitement eased a little. He sat there, holding the wine glass, drinking one cup after another.

This result doesn't seem too bad.

After all, as far as Cao Cao is concerned, he doesn't really want to be called a powerful official who deposed the emperor.
Duke Zhou's reputation after his death was not very good. Although the emperor was very respectful to Duke Zhou after he came back, no one knew what he was really thinking.
Although many people in later generations praised Zhou Gong's virtue, many people actually had complaints about him.

Cao Cao thought somewhat depressedly that it would be a good thing if Liu Bian could be persuaded.

Liu Bei was relieved to see Cao Cao compromise. He turned his head and asked Chen Zhulou, "Donglin? Donglin?"

Chen Zhulou sat there, slightly silent.

He was actually thinking about the method Liu Bei mentioned.

Is it really possible to admonish the emperor?

For many things, no one knows whether they will succeed before they are carried out, such as this one.

But if you don't even try, you will be directly denied.
How likely is Cao Cao's plan?

In fact, in Chen Zhulou's opinion, the plan Cao Cao mentioned was also unlikely.

First, who can guarantee that if a new emperor is replaced, this emperor will definitely be a good one?

According to what Cao Cao said, choose an obedient one?

But first of all, there were only a few direct descendants of the Liu family, and Chen Zhulou had heard of those people, but none of them was particularly suitable.

Secondly, even if there is one that they like, how can they guarantee that the emperor will always be obedient during the process when the three of them are in power and saving the country?
Power is like poison; it will subtly change a person.

No one understands this better than the Chen family. How many emperors have the Chen family seen in the past five hundred years?

How many of them can keep their original intentions?

If so, what if the emperor changes? Choose a new one?
But there are some things that you can do for the first time, but never for the second time.

After all, if you change the emperor once, you can say it is for the sake of the people of the world, but if you change it a second time, no matter what your reasons are, you can't escape the label of a powerful official.

And with the second one, who knows if there will be a third one
Once a third person appears, the nature of the matter changes completely. Regardless of whether the three of them are really trying to support the Han Dynasty, they will be known as Wang Mang in future generations!

There is no escape from this.

Chen Zhulou was willing to sacrifice his reputation for the sake of the world, and he believed that Liu Bei and Cao Cao were also willing to do so.

But the question is, can such a sacrifice save the Han people?
The big man is completely corrupt from the inside out!

Seeing the silent and hesitant Chen Zhulou, Cao Cao was stunned for a moment, and his brain began to work. Could it be that Chen Zhulou had other ideas?

When Liu Bei began to get anxious, Chen Zhulou finally sighed slowly.

He whispered, "Well, let's listen to Brother Xuande."

Chen Zhulou raised his head, looked at Liu Bei, and whispered: "Xuan De, we can give the emperor a chance."

"But it's only this time."

"The people of the Han Dynasty can no longer wait."

“They don’t have time.”

Chen Zhulou was also standing there, with his back to Liu Bei and Cao Cao. He closed his eyes, and his mind was filled with everything he had seen during his travels in the Han Dynasty with Zhang Jue in the past year.

"Do you know what the world has become now?"

"Do you know what kind of life the people at the bottom of society are living now?"

Chen Zhulou said word by word: "Don't you want to know where I went?"

He turned around and said, "I can tell you that I went to find Zhang Jiao."

Ignoring the surprised expressions of the two men, Chen Zhulou simply continued, “Following this great and virtuous teacher, I walked in front of the lowest class of people, watching them lingering on like ants, just trying to stay alive.”

"Do you know?"

Chen Zhulou pointed at the wine jug in front of him.

"A bowl of hot water can sometimes save a life."

“Because they can’t get hot water.”

"While the three of us are sitting here, warming our glasses and discussing the state of the world, how many people are freezing to death in this long, cold night?"

Liu Bei and Cao Cao fell silent after listening to Chen Zhulou's words.

Have they seen the people of the world?

Have.

But have they seen the people at the bottom of society? No.

All they saw were the common people living near Chang'an. All they saw were the common people who were able to survive. After all, they were at the feet of the emperor. After all, they were at the feet of the emperor!
Liu Bei's hands trembled slightly in his sleeves, and he didn't know what to say.

Chen Zhulou had already calmed down and turned around. He looked at Liu Bei and said, "I know Xuande's concerns, and I also know Mengde's worries, so I am willing to give the emperor a chance."

"But I want you to know."

"The world doesn't have to be ruled by the Liu family!"

"The Second Emperor was tyrannical, so Chen Sheng and Wu Guang started an uprising. Later, the people were living in misery, so Emperor Gao came into being, saved the people of the world, and established the Han Dynasty, which lasted for 400 years."

"The destiny did not belong to the Liu family from the beginning!"

"In this world, if Liu can do it, others can do it too!"

After saying this, Chen Zhulou walked up to Liu Bei, drank the wine in the cup, and then put it on the table.

"That's all I have to say!"

"Farewell!"

After Chen Zhulou left, Cao Cao and Liu Bei were the only ones left in the yard.

There was a sense of loss in the eyes of both of them.

Especially Liu Bei.

He clenched his hands in his sleeves and then opened them again.

Liu Bei stood up and whispered, "I will go to the palace to see the emperor now!"

"Meng De, be prepared to face everything!"

He left without looking back.

An Wangfu
Chen Chengji looked at Chen Zhulou, whose face was a little darker but whose gaze was much firmer than before, with a bright smile on his face.

He saw a lot in these eyes.

He saw hope for the people of the world.

Chen Chengji did not achieve much in his life, but the only thing he felt he had a clear conscience about was educating his son.

"Zhu Lou, have you made up your mind?"

(End of this chapter)