My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 95 Under the great reputation, there is no virtual scholar

"Really?"

Weiyang Palace, Phoenix Palace.

Liu Rong was a little surprised to hear his cousin Dou Ying talk about this matter - especially when he said, "Chao Cuo was worried that his "Cutting the Vassal Policy" would give Wu King Liu Bi the knife to rebel." Eyes widened.

"Shouldn't it?"

"——Using the "Cutting the Vassal Policy" to force Liu Bi to rebel, wasn't it something that Chao Cuo had already discussed with his father, and everyone inside and outside the court knew about it?"

"Even if the "Cutting the Vassal Policy" provided Liu Bi with a banner of righteousness, shouldn't it have been expected by Chao Cuo?"

"Now that we have come to this point, Chao Cuo is worried that his "Cutting the Vassal Policy" will provide Liu Bi with a reason and excuse to rebel?"

After Dou Ying made the point in an understatement, Liu Rong not only did not open up, but became increasingly puzzled.

Doesn't it make sense?

What kind of thing is this "Cutting the Vassal Policy"? As the instigator, Chao Cuo doesn't know?

——The purpose of this thing’s existence is to legitimately force the feudal lords to rebel against their clan members!

What do you mean?
The court issued a new policy, saying: Oh, in recent years, the princes and vassals have been very disrespectful and completely disobedient to the law~
For the sake of the harmony and stability of the country, let’s cut a circle without discrimination and warn everyone, so that everyone can enjoy the breeze and sweat~
This is not directed at anyone~
But everyone here has a role to play...

Then, the princes and vassal kings sat on the wax.

To comply or not to comply?

Do you admit it or not?

If you admit it, you will be deprived of your land and will suffer a great loss;
If you don't admit it, you will be labeled as "resisting and disobeying the edict", and you will be directly classified as a traitor and traitor.

Therefore, in a sense, the "Cutting the Fandom Policy" and the "Tianfa Order" are both scheming.

"The Strategy of Cutting Down the Vassal": I want to snatch your territory and cut down your rights, so that you, a powerful vassal king, will gradually turn into a mascot, or even a super rich man or a rich man.

Will you be obedient, or will you rebel?

"Tweening Order": I will distribute your land to all your sons, and then start again and again, dismembering your territory from generation to generation, until your huge country with an area of ​​thousands of miles will be split into thousands of pieces in the hands of future generations. place.

Are you going to be obedient, or are you going to rebel?

In the final analysis, it is actually this sentence: Are you obedient or rebellious?

And this choice was placed in front of the princes and vassals, and there was nothing to worry about.

——If you really can’t swallow this breath, and you think there is a chance to make it happen, then fight!
——If you can't take this breath, or if you can't take this breath but feel you can't do it, then admit it.

But Liu Bi is an exception.

Everyone in the world today knows that Liu Bi will definitely rebel, and he doesn't need any more excuses at all.

When the crown prince was called to be a proton by Chang'an, he was inexplicably beaten to death by the crown prince, but the Chang'an court did not even give an explanation - this alone was enough.

Therefore, rather than saying that "Cutting the Fess Policy" is forcing the princes and vassals to make a choice, it is better to say that the Chang'an court felt guilty because of the incident of Prince Wu being beaten to death, so it came up with such an obviously unequal treaty. Come and force Liu Bi to raise his troops.

Without the "Cutting the Vassal Policy", Liu Bi raised his troops to avenge the death of the crown prince of Wu. Although it was a bit willful, it was excusable;

On the other hand, Emperor Qi of Chang'an, because of his youth and frivolity, pushed the whole world into the flames of war. Even if the war was finally suppressed, he would be the main culprit who caused all the people in the world to be poisoned by the flames of war.

And with the "Policy for Reducing the Domain", no matter what kind of banner Liu Bi raised, the Chang'an court could insist on it: Liu Bi just wanted to resist the central government's decision-making and was unwilling to be deprived of his territory, so he raised his troops to rebel!
The former is 'to avenge my son, I need an explanation';
The latter is to 'resist the central government and raise troops to conspire'.

What's right and what's wrong is clear at a glance.

Under this premise, the Chang'an court was really eager for Liu Bi to use the "Cutting the Vassal Policy" to make an argument, or even use Chao Cuo as a banner of righteousness to raise troops.

——As long as you don’t mention Prince Wu’s mess, you can do whatever you want!

And this makes it even more incomprehensible that Chao Cuo stopped insisting on cutting the vassalage of King Wu because he was afraid that the "Fans-Cutting Policy" would provide Liu Bi with the basis for rebellion...

"Master, what do you think your Majesty wants?"

Seeing Liu Rong thinking hard but still looking puzzled, Dou Ying only smiled and asked.

Then Liu Rong said without thinking: "Of course it was Liu Bi who raised his troops and conspired to rebel. At the same time, he never mentioned the matter of Prince Wu. Instead, he made a fuss about the important affairs of the court, such as the "Cutting the Fans Policy"."

Hearing this, Dou Ying smiled and nodded, then asked, "What about Chao Cuo?"

"What does Chao Cuo want?"

Liu Rong still said without thinking: "Of course..."

But as soon as he said the words, Liu Rong couldn't help but be stunned, and his eyes filled with confusion gradually became clear.

Seeing that Liu Rong realized the crux of the problem so quickly, Dou Ying nodded in appreciation and proudly stroked his beard.

Children can be taught...

"Sir, you have overlooked a key point."

"——What Chao Cuo wants is not exactly the same as what His Majesty wants."

"The ultimate goal of Your Majesty's promotion of the policy of reducing vassalage is to kill Liu Bi, and at the same time solve the disadvantages of the clan princes being unable to defeat each other and separatist rule."

"At the same time, in order to prevent Liu Bi from confusing too many people, Your Majesty also wants to ensure that the matter of Prince Wu will not become a means for Liu Bi to gain sympathy from the people of the world and criticize the Chang'an court - especially His Majesty. "

"So in your Majesty's opinion, Liu Bi can raise his troops no matter what kind of righteous banner he raises."

"But it cannot be the death of the Crown Prince of Wu - only it cannot be the emotional card of 'The Emperor of Chang'an kills the Crown Prince of Wu'."

···
"Where's Chao Cuo?"

"What does Chao Cuo want?"

"——From the beginning, when he entered the palace as a doctor of "Shangshu" and became His Majesty's confidant, what Chao Cuo wanted has always been to revive Legalism and bring the knowledge of Shen Buhai and Shang Yang from Pulled out from the abyss of 'helping Qin's remnant people and helping Zhou to commit oppression'."

"Therefore, Chao Cuo promoted the "Cutting the Vassals Policy" not only to help His Majesty and achieve His Majesty's goals, but also to become famous in the world and achieve his own goal of 'reviving Legalism'."

"Therefore, in Chao Cuo's view, it is acceptable for Liu Bi to raise his troops no matter what kind of righteous banner he plays - even if he plays the card of 'the emperor killed my crown prince'."

"But it can't be what Father Chao said last night: punish Chao's mistakes, and Qing Jun will side..."

Saying these words in a calm tone, Dou Ying just stroked his beard leisurely, looking at Liu Rong with admiration, and his face was full of an aunt's smile.

After Dou Ying pointed out the crucial point, Liu Rong's thoughts, which were as messy as a ball of wool, were smoothed out one by one in a moment.

Dou Ying's unfinished words also came out of Liu Rong's mouth along with Liu Rong's smoothed thoughts.

"Chao Cuo, not afraid of death."

"But Chao Cuo couldn't accept himself, so he died as a 'criminal minister'."

"What Chao Cuo wants is to be respected and looked up to by the people of the world, to sacrifice himself for the sake of righteousness, to die for the ancestral temple and the country - for the people of the world."

"Because only in this way can Chao Cuo use his own blood to draw a broad road leading directly to the Chang'an court for the disciples of Shen Buhai and Shang Yang."

"In the past three generations, the teachings of Shen Buhai and Shang Yang have replaced Huang Lao's teachings that are now popular in our Han family, and they have appeared in the temples. It is unknown..."

With that aunt's smile that became brighter and gentler, Dou Ying felt even more gratified when he saw Liu Rong calmly and calmly telling the truth.

But he didn't forget to take over Liu Rong's words and continued: "Chao's father said that the banner of righteousness that Liu Bi wants to fly is to punish Chao's mistakes and clear the emperor's side."

"Your Majesty can accept this banner, but Chao Cuo cannot."

"——If Liu Bi really takes up this banner, no matter whether he succeeds or fails, Chao Cuo will not be able to become famous in the world."

"If the chaos is calmed down, it will be like 'Chao Cuo's evil words deceived the country and almost overturned the ancestral temple and the country'."

"If there is no justice, Chao Cuo will be the chief culprit for the ruin of the world and the collapse of the clan."

···
"That's why Chao Cuo hesitated when he looked at the court ceremony today."

"——Chao Cuo's death really caught Chao Cuo off guard, and he had no time to react at all."

"My father's death may be due to the unfilial piety of 'forcing his biological father to death', plus the sentence: punishing Chao's mistakes, Qingjun's side..."

"In a moment of confusion and confusion, it is only reasonable for Chao Cuo to act like he did today..."

As Dou Ying finished speaking, Liu Rong finally understood the cause, consequences and logic of this matter.

After combing through it from beginning to end in my mind, I finally nodded as if I had just woken up from a dream.

"In this way, what really made Chao Cuo waver or even retreat was not Chao's father's death."

"——But the sentence that King Wu Liu Bi deliberately revealed to Chao's father through spies: punishing Chao for his mistakes will lead to his side?"

Then Dou Ying nodded slowly, then shook his head slightly: "Of course, that's not entirely true."

"In addition, Chao Cuodang also has other concerns."

"——For example, the rebellion that is about to break out, the number of vassal kings that may be involved, and the scope that may be affected are all far beyond Chao Cuo's expectations." "The development of the situation did not proceed according to Chao Cuo's expectations. , even slightly out of Chao Cuo's control."

"So, Chao Cuo should have some concerns because of this."

"After all, whoever it is would be frightened to learn that there are only sixteen clan princes in the Manchu clan of my Han family, but at least ten of them plan to raise troops - especially if they join forces with the coalition to rebel against Chang'an... "

As he said this, Dou Ying still had a smile on his face, but secretly he swallowed subconsciously.

As Dou Ying said: Even if the Wu-Chu Rebellion has not broken out yet, the battle is still huge enough to be scary.

Think about it back then, when the princes and ministers jointly executed Zhu Lu, how many kings in Guandong raised their troops?

The answer is: One King!
There is only one person, King Qi Liu Xiang!
King Qi Liu Xiang, Chen Ping, Zhou Bo and other veterans alone succeeded in attracting more than half of Zhu Lu's troops outside the pass!

Most of the remaining half were instigated by Zhou Bo with the words "Liu Shizuo", and he successfully overthrew Zhu Lu's relatives who controlled the Chang'an court.

What now?
What about the Wu-Chu Rebellion that has not yet broken out?

There are no less than five rebel kings who can match the former Qi King Liu Xiang - and the Qi State in terms of military strength!

Wu!
楚！
Zhao!
All together!

Huainan Department!
In addition, Zhao Tuo's South Vietnam in the south of Lingnan, as well as Minyue, Dongyue, and even the Huns outside the northern border wall may have a foothold...

Empirical science has always run through human civilization.

With only simple calculations, it is not difficult for people to draw the following conclusions;

Back then, the Chang'an court under the control of the Lu family lost against the King of Qi + the veterans in the court.

Now, the Chang'an court, which is stronger than before, is about to face the combat power of at least the "five kings of Qi".

Even if the Chang'an Central Center today is no longer the same as the Chaotang Central Center under Lu's control back then, the enemy's at least five-fold increase in combat power is still frightening.

——Who dares to say that the Chang'an court today is more than five times more powerful than it was then?
Not to mention people inside and outside the court, or Dou Ying, Chao Cuo and others;

I am afraid that even Emperor Qi of Weiyang Palace and Queen Mother Dou of Changle Palace may not be beating drums in their hearts!

And this makes Liu Rong's calm and calm posture seem so abrupt...

"Young Master, you don't seem to be worried at all?"

The question without warning caused Liu Rong to snap out of his thoughts immediately;

After looking at Dou Ying for a moment, he realized what Dou Ying was referring to and immediately shook his head and smiled.

"Isn't it the same for my cousin?"

Hearing this, Dou Ying only took a breath, suppressed the instinctive fear from the depths of his soul, and then forced a smile and said: "If Liu Bi succeeds, I, the nephew of the Queen Mother and a descendant of the Dou family, will There is absolutely no way to survive.”

"If that's the case, then instead of worrying unnecessarily, why not deal with it calmly and do your best?"

Then Liu Rong smiled and nodded: "My cousin is like this, so why not my nephew?"

"Even my cousin, the nephew of the Dou family, has no reason to worry about this matter. He can only do his best. How can my nephew, the eldest son of the emperor, have any way out?"

"——As the eldest son of the emperor, naturally he cannot lead troops eastward to serve the country and resist Liu Bi's traitors like his cousin."

"I can only do what I can, and then hope that the previous emperors of the Han family can protect the ancestral temple and the country..."

After answering like this, seeing his cousin Dou Ying lowering his head with a smile, Liu Rong also took his eyes away from Dou Ying, lay back on the back of the rocking chair, and fell into deep thought again.

As the uncle and nephew took their seats, the small courtyard fell silent for a long time.

I don't know how long it took before Dou Ying's gentle tone of voice, which was like a refreshing spring breeze, sounded again in the small courtyard.

"What are you thinking about, Master?"

He asked softly, but it didn't make Liu Rong come back from his thoughts.

Still lying on the rocking chair, he rubbed his index finger horizontally under his lips, his gaze fixed on an unknown place.

He just said in a deep voice: "Chao Cuo."

"--Um?"

"——Young master, do you still have doubts about Chao Cuo?"

Another question finally brought Liu Rong back to reality from his thoughts. He saw Liu Rong exhale a long breath and lay down completely on the rocking chair.

"I thought Chao Cuo was scared out of his wits, and that's why he decided to retreat today at Shuo Wang Chao."

"But after my cousin gave me some advice, looking at Chao Cuo, it seemed..."

"It's not that unbearable?"

Hearing this, Dou Ying just chuckled and looked at Liu Rong with a touch of softness in his eyes.

"With such a great reputation, there is no such thing as a false person."

"Even if he can be compared with the talents of national scholars like Jia Yi and Jia Changsha, Chao Cuo will definitely not be an ordinary person..."

"Master, do you know how Jia Yi and Chao Cuo became officials back then?"

Hearing this question, Liu Rong only nodded his head subconsciously, realizing that Dou Ying's question seemed to have a profound meaning, and he hesitated a little and said: "Aren't they all conquered by the late emperor? Entering Chang'an?"

Then Dou Ying smiled and shook his head again, then nodded slightly.

"It's Zhengpi, that's right."

"But the process by which these two men were recruited was completely different."

"——Jia Yi and Jia Sheng were disciples of Xunzi and the favorite disciple of the late Prime Minister Zhang Cang, Marquis of Beiping."

"Since childhood, I have studied "Spring and Autumn" with the Marquis of Beiping. By the time he was eighteen years old, Jia Sheng's talent and reputation had already spread throughout the county."

"Ji Guan was recommended by Zhang Cang, the Marquis of Beiping, who was still a censor at that time, and was recruited by the late emperor."

"Therefore, Jia Sheng followed the path of recommending teachers and the emperor's recruitment of famous people, and promoted virtuous and upright people."

···
"Chao Cuo, on the other hand, studied the words of Shen and Shang with Zhang Hui since he was a child, and later entered the court as a civil servant."

"After showing off his talents little by little, he gained the appreciation of the late emperor step by step. Then he was awarded the title of "Shang Shu" by Fu Sheng of Jinan, and was conferred as a doctor of "Shang Shu" by the late emperor."

After saying this, Dou Ying did not forget to turn his head slightly, and looked into the depths of Liu Rong's eyes with a smile for three to five breaths;

Then, he said meaningfully: "They both entered the dynasty for the purpose of conquering, but they are completely different."

"——Jia Sheng was conquered, almost as soon as he finished his studies and left the school, he directly worshiped the late emperor as a doctor of "Spring and Autumn"."

"It is even more worthy of being recommended by the imperial censor and mentor. Even if he is worthy of his name, he has finally gained the honor of his master."

···
"On the other hand, Chao Cuo started out as a civil servant and worked hard in the court for many years. Not only was he not recommended by famous people, but he also had the taint of being a 'Legalist remnant.'"

"Only by my own strength, I overcame thousands of difficulties and dangers, and climbed step by step from a civil servant with a hundred stones to the current position of internal history with two thousand stones in the rank and the first among the nine ministers."

"——To enter the dynasty, you need to be recommended by at least one of the important ministers."

"Chao Cuo was recruited by the late emperor. If we have to find out who recommended him, we can definitely say that Chao Cuo was recommended to me by the late emperor himself..."

At the end of the sentence, Dou Ying shook his head with a smile and reluctantly stood up from the rocking chair.

After getting up, he did not forget to look back at the rocking chair, and then said the last sentence to Liu Rong: "Chao Cuo's virtue is indeed quite flawed."

"But in terms of his talent alone, even if he is not as good as Jia Yi and Jia Changsha, he is definitely not inferior."

"——It's just that Chao Cuo put too much energy on the revival of Legalism, but instead put the ancestral temple, the country, and even the people of the world in a relatively lighter position."

"Compared to Jia Sheng, there is no such thing as taking the suffering, sorrow and joy of all people in the world as his own responsibility..."

The inexplicable words made Liu Rong gain something, but they also made Liu Rong stand up with a puzzled expression.

After giving Dou Ying his hand, he did not forget to ask: "Cousin, what do you mean by saying this...?"

But Dou Ying smiled casually, held up his hands pretending to be indifferent, and said calmly: "I want to tell you that anyone who can rise to the top of the court will never be a mediocre person."

"Especially those who can come to His Majesty's side and gain His Majesty's trust. Even if they have shortcomings in some aspects, they will definitely have outstanding talents that can make up for their own shortcomings in other aspects."

"——For example, Chao Cuo."

···
"I am actually telling you this to remind you: Don't conclude that a person is not worthy of attention just because he has done something ridiculous."

"Many times, the person who can promote something in one fell swoop, or accidentally destroy something, is often such an extraordinary person, but because he has done something wrong, he has become 'inconspicuous'..."

　First update today.

　　Next update around 21:

　　
　
(End of this chapter)