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

Chapter 396: Politics is the art of compromise (Part )

Xun You's expression did not change at all. He just sat there and looked at Cao Pi very calmly: "Have you made up your mind?"

"If you have made up your mind, then we will follow your actions."

From the emergence of the Nine-Rank System, the aristocratic families were bound together with Cao Pi. They advanced and retreated together and made profits together. If one side failed, the other side would definitely not get any benefit.

This is sharing honor and disgrace.

Cao Pi nodded suddenly, he stood up, walked to the eaves in the yard, looked at the rain water flowing down from the eaves in the courtyard, sighed softly and said: "We don't have time anymore."

"If we continue to wait at this time, we will only be dragged into the quagmire by the big man."

He turned his head, looked at Xun You and said, "You should have heard the news from Dayu that Chen Linan from the Mohist School went to Dayu. I think you should know what this means."

Xun You nodded silently.

Chen Lin'an's identity is very special. He is not only a contemporary giant of the Mohist school, but also one of the most outstanding representatives of the "Guan Du Chen Family" of this generation.

Can his trip to Dayu be considered as Chen's support for Dayu?

Cao Pi stood there. He knew very well what Xun You was thinking, and also knew very well the ideas of these aristocratic families, so he buried a secret in the deepest part of his heart and never told anyone.

This secret might be able to make those noble families who are eager to support him retreat instantly, or even start to reconsider who they support.

"It's not the first time that Chen has expressed support for Dayu."

The only people who know this secret now are probably the emperor of Dayu, Liu Xuande of Chang'an, and myself.

Before his father passed away, he told him the news after much hesitation, so Cao Pi was so anxious to introduce the "Nine-Rank System" in order to completely bind the aristocratic families to his own camp before they could react.

This is his method.

And when the time comes when both of them prosper and suffer together, even if these families want to withdraw, it will be too late, and they can only follow me down the same path until the end.

"Power is a poison."

There was a faint smile on Cao Pi's face. He clenched his hands, stretched out his hands, and looked at the azure sky in the distance.

Xun You didn't understand what he meant, but this sentence was very appropriate at this moment.

If power were not a poison, how could the world have come to this point in time?
Politics is the art of compromise.

The end of the 13th year of Yuan'an.

The emperor of Dayu issued an edict to change the era name to "Zhengtong", which was taken from the meaning of "the four seas are pacified and the world is at peace, the mountains and rivers are unified and the people are at peace". The "ambition" contained in this made Chang'an and Langya very nervous.

The following year was the first year of Zhengtong.

When the Emperor of Dayu issued an edict to change the era name, a major event also happened in the Han Dynasty far away in Langya.

However, when this major event happened, not many people expressed "shock" and panic, and the entire Langya court seemed to have reached a consensus.

Only the emperor, who sat in a high position, felt uneasy about this.

Because the emperor issued an edict, which was verified by the Secretariat, confirmed by the Prime Minister's Office, and discussed by the three public officials - but it did not pass through the emperor's hands.

This is an edict of abdication.

I will not repeat the original text of the edict, but will select some excerpts from it.

"I have been in office for more than thirty years, and the world has been in turmoil. Fortunately, thanks to the spirits of my ancestors, I have been able to survive from the crisis."

"When the great way is practiced, the world is for all, and the virtuous and capable are selected. That is why Tang Yao was not partial to his sons, and his name spread far and wide. I admire and admire him. Now I will follow Yao's example and abdicate the throne to the King of Wei."

This edict did not attract the attention of people all over the world - except Chang'an.

However, even Chang'an seemed unable to make any major moves on this matter. After all, people in Langya seemed to have become accustomed to the Cao family's power.

The ministers from Langya also remained silent.

The aristocratic families have already taken control of Langya - or rather, Langya has taken control of the aristocratic families.

Chang'an City

Prime Minister's Mansion

The imperial edict from Langya made Liu Bei extremely angry, but his advisers and generals all looked very peaceful.

Fa Zheng even tried to appease Liu Bei and said, "Prime Minister, ever since Cao Pi coerced the emperor to issue the edict of abdication, you and I should have been prepared for this. Now Cao Pi is just doing it in advance, which will not do us any harm."

Jian Yong, Xu Shu and others also echoed and expressed their agreement.

Only Zhuge Liang sat at the best position, with a look of calmness and a hint of sadness in his eyes.

Perhaps this is the sorrow of the Han people?
No one was mourning for the Han anymore. Everyone was only thinking about what they could get from this grand funeral.

The great man who stood at the top of the world, who intimidated all the barbarians around him and made the four seas his subjects, will eventually fall. Perhaps they are standing here to guard the last piece of the great man?

Maybe.

He closed his eyes, lowered his gaze, and said nothing.

Just silence, silence.

Liu Bei's old face turned in the direction of Weiyang Palace and then in the direction of Langya. His heart was filled with complicated emotions and mixed feelings. For a moment, his eyes were filled with tears and he didn't know what to say.

He wanted to revive the Han Dynasty and support the Han Dynasty.

Liu Xuande never thought of becoming emperor in his life!
But the situation no longer waits for him, and no longer gives him a chance!

It is impossible for everything in this world to develop as expected.

He stood in the Prime Minister's Mansion, trembling, looking around at the people sitting here.

Ma Chao, Huang Zhong, Wei Yan, Xu Shu, Jian Yong, Pang Tong, Dong Yun, Fa Zheng, Zhang Fei, Zhuge Liang, Guan Yu.

At this time, almost all the high-ranking officials of the Han Dynasty in Chang'an gathered here, which could be described as a galaxy of dazzling stars. However, these dazzling stars could not fulfill the last wish of an old man.

There was a hint of confusion in Liu Bei's eyes. He stood there, looking at the people in front of him who were both familiar and unfamiliar.

Heroes create times, and times create heroes.

But in the end, the hero will be swept away by the times.

More than a decade ago, those sitting here were a group of people who wanted to revive the Han Dynasty. There was a blazing fire in their eyes. They wanted to make everything better, save the world, and build a brand new Han Dynasty, a Han Dynasty that would allow all common people to have enough food to eat.

At that time, they were in tune with each other and no one would do anything so-called "betrayal".

But what about today?

Liu Bei could only smile. Except for Zhuge Liang, the people sitting in the Prime Minister's Mansion probably had no regard for the Han Dynasty or the people. Ma Chao wanted to rule the northwest after the unification of the Han Dynasty. Perhaps it would be better to call him a king.

King of the Northwest?
What about the rest?

Liu Bei didn't know.

He just sat there, closed his eyes, and quietly made a decision in his heart, a decision that would result in him falling to pieces.

At this moment, he suddenly felt a little emotional.

"Thirty years of fame and dust, I'm afraid they will all fall into the fire."

"Friends who once shared the same path are now at odds with each other."

Everything has become just a struggle between the major families.

Who else would care about the common people?
The first year of Zhengtong, summer.

On the third day after the Emperor of Langya issued the edict, the King of Wei in the King's Palace responded. He wrote a letter to express his refusal tactfully, saying that he did not have the talent to accept this position, and that he would definitely inherit his "father's" grand wish and work hard for the unification and restoration of the Han Dynasty.

After Cao Pi politely refused, the play moved on to the next step.

In the summer of the first year of Zhengtong, the second month after King Wei expressed his refusal, the emperor issued another abdication edict. This time the abdication edict was more earnest and tear-jerking. He even stated that he had no sons to inherit the position, so he hoped that King Wei would not refuse his abdication and that he would accept his request for the sake of the people of the world.

This time, Emperor Liu Xie's abdication was more direct. He issued the "Abdication Treasure Book".

"The book says: 'I would like to ask you, King Wei: In the past, Emperor Yao abdicated the throne to Yu Shun, and Shun also gave the throne to Yu. The mandate of heaven is not a matter of course, but only belongs to those with virtue.'"

"Ah, the destiny of heaven is in your hands. If you hold on to it, the blessing of heaven will last forever. You should just follow the great ceremony, offer sacrifices to all nations, and solemnly accept the will of heaven."

Now that the imperial edict had been issued, there seemed to be no turning back on the matter, but the King of Wei obviously did not agree.

He wrote a very impassioned memorial, which was recorded in the three historical books: Records of the Han Dynasty, Records of the Han Dynasty, and Records of the Han Dynasty.

This memorial is titled "A Letter to the Emperor to Give Up Zen Again"

The full text is as follows
"I received the imperial edict of the Renxu year of this month, and was given the imperial edict. I listened to the edict with my heart trembling and I didn't know what to do. The divine power of the world is passed down from generation to generation. Therefore, Yao passed it to Shun and gave it to Dalu. Shun ordered Yu to report his achievements. The fierce wind did not confuse the nine states. After inquiring about the matter and examining the words, he ordered it. But you still insist on being humble and yielding virtue and not inheriting. Moreover, I am stubborn and my character is not the second saint. I respond to the order of heaven and receive the final edict. I dare to keep my humble integrity and return to Jishan. I am overwhelmed by the great plain. I respectfully submit my feelings and ask you to present the imperial edict."

It is also very simple to translate it. It is to secretly tell Emperor Liu Xie that you have not followed all the procedures. How dare I accept such an edict?

On the evening when this memorial was presented to the emperor, Cao Pi entered the Weiyang Palace under the cover of darkness and wrote an edict to be promulgated the next day.

The next day.

The emperor issued an edict, bestowing Baoyu and Xuangui on King of Wei, Cao Pi, and then recounted the achievements of King Wei and King Wu of Wei, also known as "Cao Cao".

This time, King Wei accepted the imperial edict.

Then, the process continues.

After submitting a letter to politely reject Liu Xie's edict for the third time, the emperor issued the fourth edict of abdication, and this time, the King of Wei finally accepted it.

This grand drama, in which the whole world watched, finally came to an end in a tactful way.

The King of Wei finally sat on this supreme position as the people of the world wished, as the Han Emperor Liu Xie wished, as the court families wished, and as he himself wished.

After the cumbersome coronation ceremony, King Wei issued the first edict.

"The Emperor's minister, Pi, dares to use the black ox to announce it to the Empress and the Queen."

"I have only received the imperial seal and I dare not disobey. The divination of the tortoise shell indicates a great change, and the divination of the three changes indicates a change. I will choose a new year's day and go to the altar with all the officials to receive the imperial seal and ribbon, and report to you, the great god;"

"Only you can abdicate and enjoy eternal good fortune. You are the hope of the people and will be blessed for generations to come.

This is one of the necessary procedures and formalities. At the end of this drama, the King of Wei, oh no, the new Emperor of Wei, Cao Pi, issued an edict of enthronement.

The former Han emperor was conferred the title of "King of Shanyang".

Changed the reign title to "Yankang"

Afterwards, the new emperor of Wei conferred the title of "Emperor Taizu" on his father Cao Cao, or "Taizu of Wei", and posthumously named him "Wu", or "Emperor Wu of Wei".

In history books, this incident was recorded in a simple sentence.

"In the first year of the Yankang reign, Emperor Xian abdicated to Emperor Wen. Emperor Wen declined three times, but he had no choice but to accept the abdication because he was concerned about the well-being of the people."

"Then grant Emperor Xian the title of King of Shanyang, and let him receive the same title as Great Wei."

"When the emperor first ascended the throne, he was given the title of Taizu Wu Huangdi."

When Emperor Xian abdicated for the second time, everyone understood that this was not a "show" or test like the previous one by Cao Cao, but a real drama.

Everyone was ready to welcome the new emperor and the new dynasty.

History officially began from this moment, and a clear dividing line appeared. If before this the world was nominally a struggle between "Great Han" and "Dayu", then from today on, the world's dispute was the Three Kingdoms of "Great Han", "Dayu" and "Dawei".

The same is true of the records in history books. In all history books and the recognized historical circles of later generations, the era after this year is called the "Three Kingdoms".

The era before this was called the "Yellow Turban Rebellion" and was attributed to the end of the Han Dynasty.

Changan
After the establishment of the Great Wei, there were always people coming and going in the Prime Minister's Mansion, including children of noble families, people who had followed Liu Bei for a long time, and even Zhang Fei and Guan Yu.

They all advised Liu Bei that since the Wei Dynasty had abolished the emperor, should they also take any action?
Is it okay to just simply rebuke?

The meaning of their words was very clear and simple: they wanted Liu Bei to become emperor.

If Liu Bei had not become emperor, they would never have been able to be granted titles of nobility and become prime ministers. If Liu Bei had become emperor, and even unified the country in the future, they would no longer have their current status.

Under these people's advice, Liu Bei just sat in the Prime Minister's Mansion, motionless.

夜晚
The wind was blowing gently, and everything seemed to be as normal as it was at other times.

Liu Bei sat in the backyard of the Prime Minister's office, looking at the starry sky.

There was a sound of footsteps behind him, and then a voice rang out: "Prime Minister."

Liu Bei said softly, "Are you here to persuade me too?"

Zhuge Liang just smiled and sat next to Liu Bei: "I have always been determined to support the Han Dynasty. How could I advise the Prime Minister to become emperor?"

He looked at Liu Bei and his voice was firm.

"I am willing to follow the Prime Minister's lead. If the plan succeeds, the Han Dynasty will be saved from danger. If the plan fails, everything will be nothing more than a pile of dirt."

"The Prime Minister is not afraid."

"What is Liang afraid of?"

(End of this chapter)