I, the prince, only want to be deposed.

Chapter 209: Pass it on, Sima Qian of Taishi Company is a plagiarist!

"???"

All the officials present were also surprised.

These officials could see Sima Tan every morning at the court session, so it was impossible for them not to know him.

Sima Qian was a newly promoted Imperial Counselor, and he rose to the top directly from no official position. Naturally, this has attracted a lot of attention recently.

Therefore, everyone knew about the relationship between Sima Tan and Sima Qian, and they also knew that Sima Qian was a rare filial son.

Why do you say that?
Because Sima Tan asked Sima Qian to travel all over the country to collect ancient stories and events, and to collect lost old news, Sima Qian really traveled thousands of miles, which lasted for five or six years, and he only returned to Chang'an a few months ago.

This is practicing filial piety through practical actions.

How many people in the world can do this?

It's not like the officials present here are without children, so they all have a clear idea of ​​the situation anyway.

If they made similar requests to their own sons, they would most likely end up with an unfilial son who disobeyed his father's orders. So in order not to damage the father-son relationship, it is better not to mention it.

As a result, Sima Qian, a recognized filial son, openly opposed Sima Tan's political views in the court?
And it’s a self-defeating opposition?
As we all know, the Sima family is a family of historians. Their ancestor was the Grand Historian in the Zhou Dynasty. Sima Tan also often told people that their family was also in charge of celestial affairs during the reigns of Yu Shun and Xia Yu.

What job does a historian do?

In addition to recording historical events and compiling history books, he was also in charge of national classics, astronomy, calendar, and sacrificial matters. That is why when Emperor Liu Che wanted to hold the Fengshan ceremony, he ordered Sima Tan and Dong Zhongshu to prepare for it together.

Then look at what Sima Qian is saying now?
Openly denying the records in Zhou Shu!

Blatantly denying the signs of the solar eclipse!

He was just short of jumping up and denying the ancestors and father of the Sima family, and the meaning of the existence of the Grand Historian!

filial piety!
How filial!
Such filial piety was beyond our expectations!
"..."

Liu Ju was also a little surprised. He thought that what he had just said was very straightforward and there was no logical problem. He should be able to gain the support and recognition of some officials.

But he did not expect that Sima Qian would be the first person to stand up and support him.

What's more, the person who opposed his political views was his father Sima Tan, because Liu Ju also knew that Sima Qian was a filial son. At least in history, as long as Sima Tan asked him to do something, he insisted on doing his best no matter how difficult it was.

"Eh?"

However, when Liu Che saw this scene, he instantly became excited.

Although Sima Tan had already called him a "rebellious son" in public, Liu Che did not care at all. Instead, he gave Sima Qian an encouraging look:
"Sima Qian, please continue. I appointed you as the Imperial Counselor because you dare to express your inner thoughts and speak the truth!"

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty."

Sima Qian bowed first, and then, as Sima Tan's eyes gradually changed from disbelief to anger, he said without looking away,
"I think that whether it is a fight between frogs and toads or a sign of a solar eclipse, there is no conclusion yet and it is false."

"And the drought that the prince just mentioned is actually happening. It is indisputable and true."

"And the prince's reasoning about cause and effect is not without reason. Because of the drought, frogs and toads fought to the death for water, the people's harvest failed, and they fought each other to fill their stomachs, and therefore wars broke out again in the world."

"So the cause and effect should be that the drought caused the people to suffer, which in turn led to the war."

"It is not the vision of frogs and toads fighting to the death that will lead to another war. Both are the results of the drought. They should not be confused. Just like when someone chokes to death while eating fruits, the root cause is that they are in a hurry to swallow the fruits without chewing them thoroughly. Just because there is a worm hole in the fruit, we should not think that the worm hole in the fruit is a sign that the person will choke to death. This is putting the cart before the horse and deceiving oneself and others."

"What's more, now one is real and one is fake before our eyes."

"I think we must not neglect the real for the sake of the fake. We should give priority to disaster relief, agricultural development, and drought resistance. This way, the people can live and work in peace and the government will be more stable."

"in addition……"

"Your Majesty is a rare ruler in a thousand years. I have no doubt in my heart that as long as the Han Dynasty is stable, any war will be nothing but a false disaster to Your Majesty. Your Majesty can destroy it with a wave of your hand."

"Your Majesty, please make a clear decision!"

After saying these words, Sima Qian bowed slightly, still avoiding Sima Tan's gaze which was now filled with anger.

I dare not look at it, I dare not look at it at all!
In fact, he was extremely panicked now, knowing that he had openly discussed political views with Sima in the court, and his words might be suspected of digging up the ancestral graves of Taishi's lineage. He would definitely be severely beaten when he returned.

But he just felt that Liu Ju's theory of cause and effect made a lot of sense and was a clear truth in the world.

Therefore he had to say these words.

After all, he is now a counselor, with the responsibility of participating in conspiracy and setting things straight. Didn't the emperor just say that he skipped the palace official and made him a counselor because he saw this in me...

at the same time.

Sima Qian had heard the sound of Sima Tan grinding his teeth beside him, and he seemed to be squeezing out four words from between his teeth:

“Deceiving…myself…and…others?!”

Sima Tan's body couldn't help but tremble, his face turned red as blood, his chest was beating violently like a bellows, and even the beard on his cheeks exploded unconsciously.

This rebellious son dared to use this word to question the records in the Book of Zhou and the words of his father, and he did it in front of the emperor and his colleagues!
This is a blatant insult and mockery!
Although the Grand Historian was not a high-ranking official, Sima Tan still had some reputation. At least no one had ever insulted him with such words in the court before!

But the first person who treated him like this was actually his son...

This made Sima Tan's anger multiply several times. If the emperor and his colleagues were not present and he had nothing handy, he would definitely let this rebellious son know why the flowers are so red! "Why does his last sentence sound so familiar?"

After Liu Ju heard Sima Qian's words, he was stunned for a moment, and then he reacted.
"Damn it! Those are my lyrics. How dare the great historian Sima Qian plagiarize my lyrics? Pass them on. They must be passed on. Sima Qian is a plagiarist!"

at the same time.

"Hahahaha!"

Liu Che, however, rarely laughed heartily in the court, and while laughing he looked at Sima Qian with great admiration.
"Sima Qian, I was right about you. You said very well. You need to keep up the good work. I see in you the spirit and courage of a pillar of the country!"

After he finished speaking, he glanced at Sima Tan, who was blushing, and the smile on his face grew even wider:

"Sima Tan, you gave birth to a good son and taught him well. The Sima family really has the unyielding spirit of the ancient historians. It is a continuation of our family tradition."

"When you go back, you must teach me well, and don't let me teach such a good seedling astray."

While speaking, Liu Che's eyes glanced at Liu Ju intentionally or unintentionally, and it was unclear who he was addressing with these words that were slightly suspicious of fanning the flames.

"Your Majesty is so complimentary."

Upon hearing this, Sima Qian lowered his head and thanked him submissively.

The bad premonition in my heart immediately became stronger, and I even felt a slight tingling pain in my buttocks.

"Your humble servant! Obey your order!"

Sima Tan answered word by word, as if each word was made of steel bars.

But let’s talk about it.

Liu Che still had his own judgment in his heart and would not easily listen to one side of the story. He could not ignore the problem of drought, nor could he ignore the problem of war.

Moreover, he now has horses and money, so he can divide some of them to work in two ways and divide and conquer.

As for the issue of conscription and military training, let's compromise and put it on hold for the time being...

In addition, two new counties had been established in the Hexi Corridor, and the Western Qiang had also obtained large tracts of uncultivated land. In addition, a lot of public land had been recently taken back from the salt and iron merchants. All of these could be used as fake public land and military farms to resettle many rogues and disaster victims who had lost their land. Why not do it?
Thinking about this, Liu Che stopped laughing and asked again:
"Liu Ju and Sima Qian just proposed three policies: disaster relief, agricultural development, and drought resistance. Disaster relief is self-evident, but agricultural development and drought resistance are not the same. They cannot be accomplished without specialized talents. Do you have any suitable people to recommend?"

"..."

After hearing this, all the officials discussed it, but no one took the initiative to come forward to recommend someone.

Previously, the matter of promoting agriculture was the responsibility of the Grand Minister of Agriculture. If there were any agricultural talents, only the Grand Minister of Agriculture would know about them. One would have to ask Sang Hongyang and the Minister of Agriculture.

Since they can't recommend a suitable candidate, others naturally can't recommend one either.

To fight drought, all we have to do is pray for rain.

This matter was usually handled by the Taichang, and sometimes alchemists were summoned to assist.

But after Emperor Liu Che personally "burned books and drowned prescriptions" in the Taiye Lake last time, few people dared to show up easily. Even some people in the Ministry of Rites were frightened. If they couldn't pray for rain, wouldn't they lose their lives?

Liu Che did not embarrass them when he saw this, but continued:

"Sang Hongyang, when you go back, search for some talents who are proficient in farming among the agricultural supervisors for me, and report them to me as soon as possible."

"Then let's pray for rain first, and leave this matter to the Taichang."

"This rain-praying ceremony needs to be more grand, and it must reach the ears of the gods..."

"..."

Liu Ju originally had no intention of speaking anymore, but after hearing this, he finally lost his temper and stood up again and said:
"Father, there is no need to rush to pray for rain. I know that a person who is proficient in farming can definitely take on the important task of promoting agriculture and alleviate some of the impact of the drought."

"tell me the story."

"This man's name is Zhao Guo."

"Zhao Guo?"

Liu Che obviously had never heard of this person's name, and continued to ask,
"Who is this person? What is his official position now? Where is he now?"

"This……"

Liu Ju was stunned.

He didn't know any of this, and there was no record of such news in history books.

He only knew that Zhao Guo was suddenly appointed as the commander of the grain-collecting army after Emperor Wu of Han issued the "Luntai Edict". He then implemented policies and advanced agricultural tools such as the Daitian method, the couple plow, and the three-legged plow cart. He was an agricultural expert who benefited the Celestial Empire for two thousand years.

It can be said that Zhao Guo’s achievements played a huge role that cannot be ignored in the rapid restoration of the country’s prosperity during the reigns of Emperor Zhao and Emperor Xuan.

It is no exaggeration to call him the Great Man Yuan.

Unfortunately, people are always accustomed to attributing ancient China's power and prosperity to its rulers, but ignore the behind-the-scenes heroes like Zhao Guo who really did practical things. Even relevant records in history books are very few.

This trend is a tragedy of the times and will eventually become a stumbling block to the country's scientific and technological development and progress.

Not fair at all!
(End of this chapter)