The most powerful emperor Liu Bang

Chapter 33
When Liu Bang returned to Pei County, he was warmly entertained by his father and fellow villagers. He lived there for more than half a month.Everyone in Pei is grateful for hearing this.But before leaving, all the villagers stopped Liu Bang and refused to let him go. They knelt down and begged Liu Bang to relieve the burden of Fengyi people, saying: "Although your majesty grew up drinking water from Pei County, he is called Pei Gong, and he has a deep relationship with Pei County. Some, but after all, it is a matter of abundance. Both Fengyi and Peixian are your hometown, and the two places are close neighbors. Relatives are relatives. How can His Majesty only exempt the people of Peixian County from taxes and corvee, but not Fengyi? ?”

Liu Bang said: "I was just a borrower in Fengyi, and I almost died there before I was born. Seeing the Qin army coming to slaughter babies, the neighbors are more self-protected, and they don't hesitate to frame my family, causing the whole family to be displaced. I am in Fengyi. How? At the beginning of my uprising, it was difficult to start a business. It was an opportunity to use people and resources. Fengyi defender Yong Chi and Fengren took the lead in rebelling against me, and almost strangled the rebels in the cradle. Every time I think of this, I hate it , so I do not admit that I am from Fengyi, I have nothing to do with it!"

The villagers shouted together: "Your Majesty has always been generous and merciful. Please don't worry about the past. If you don't agree, we won't be able to kneel!"

Liu Bang couldn't bear to see so many folks kneeling in front of him, so he said, "It's okay, you can get up."

All the folks immediately stood up and shouted: "Thank you, Your Majesty, and the emperor is blessed!"

Liu Bang led a group of entourages and happily returned to Chang'an. He passed through some cities along the way.

The Weiyang Palace, the new imperial palace under Xiao He's responsibility, is about to be capped. From a distance, it looks majestic and majestic.Liu Bang frowned when he saw how luxurious the building was, and immediately asked Xiao He to be called into the palace to scold him: "Are you sincerely destroying my country, or is there water in your head? I asked you to be in charge of building the palace, you It’s all right to build a slightly larger yard. Who told you to make it so large and tall, so extravagant and wasteful? Now that the country has just been established, after so many years of war, the country and its people are very poor. Let us be so spoiled? No matter how small the palace is, it will not affect the decision-making. As long as you keep the people in your heart, you can work anywhere. Seeing the resentment of the people all over the world, do you want me, Liu Bang, to be the second Qin Shihuang?"

Liu Bang was born as a poor child. Although he became more and more involved in the officialdom and did not regard money as important, he still could not tolerate such things as waste.After hearing him scolding, Xiao He hurriedly explained to him: "Your Majesty, calm down and let me explain the reason. The reason why I made the palace so grand is because we entered the city with mud legs, and most people in the world think that we are similar to them. They are used to being ruled in the heavily guarded environment in the past. If we build the palace too shabby, some people will think that we are worthless and dissatisfy us from the bottom of their hearts. At the same time, all the feudal princes now have old palaces , the scale is very large, if the emperor uses it, it is not as grand as theirs, it is not enough to show your dignity, nor can it constitute a deterrent to them. In addition, no matter how poor the country is, it does not depend on whether to build a few big houses. Save money Frugal spending is more than enough for managing a family, but not enough for governing the country. The Qin State was destroyed because they fought for years and distributed corvee to the people without restraint, which caused resentment from all directions. How could they be defeated because of the expense of a palace?"

Hearing what Xiao He said, Liu Bang lost his temper a little, but he still said: "There is no need to make strong words. I think you have entered the city and started to talk about the faction, and you still have to give so many high-sounding reasons."

"It's not that I'm talking about the faction. Your Majesty, seriously think about whether it's necessary. Someday you go to the scene and take a look, and you may be able to approve it." Xiao He said.

Liu Bang said: "Alright, I'd like to see if what you have done is practical, otherwise, I will tell you to pick it up and rebuild it, and you will get me the cost."

In a few days, Liu Bang led several close officials to Weiyang Palace for inspection.This Weiyang Palace covers an area of ​​more than 2000 mu, with one main hall and several auxiliary halls.The main hall is the Yizheng Hall, which is three floors high, and it is the place where the emperor works, lives and summons ministers.There are three gates in front of the main hall. From south to north, they are Zhengyang Gate, Dezheng Gate and Antai Gate. Each gate is [-] feet apart.Behind the main hall is the Shenwu Gate, where the emperor entered and exited.There are four auxiliary halls on both sides, of which the Kunning Palace and the Grand Palace are located on the east, where emperors and princes stop and stay; and office space.In addition, there are a large number of auxiliary buildings around it, which are the places where the servants and the royal guards are stationed, and there are places for some institutions that cook, eat, drink, and sleep.Liu Bang looked at these places one by one, and thought it was quite thoughtful.On the second floor of the main hall, he saw that the dragon chair was high above and there was a large hall below, which could accommodate hundreds of people standing. He felt that he was sitting on it too far away from the ministers, so he said: "The seat is set well." It’s too high. Wouldn’t it make me feel like I’m divorced from the officials? In addition, I’m afraid I can’t see or hear the people below speaking clearly, which is not conducive to discussion. Although there is momentum here, it doesn’t seem to be practical."

Xiao He said: "Your Majesty is right. But not like this, we think it is not enough to show your dignity. At the same time, the people below keep a distance from the emperor. This can also be called a safety line to prevent people from plotting against the emperor when he summons foreign envoys. This kind of situation happened in the time of Qin Shihuang, so when we designed this piece, we thought about it. As for the speech of the people below you, you can’t hear clearly from above. As long as you come to the front, you can still hear it clearly. It’s just that because the light comes in from the south, it’s true that sitting on it can’t see the face of the speaker below. For this reason, the craftsmen have decided to open more at the back. Windows. In addition, in order to increase the splendor of the hall, some candles should be lit around when going up, so that you can clearly see the situation of the people below."

Liu Bang was very satisfied when he heard that Xiao He was thinking of him everywhere.But looking at how luxurious Weiyang Palace was built, thinking about the days I lived when I was young, and thinking about how many people in the country still live below the poverty line, I still feel that it is a bit too sinful. If the money is used for disaster relief and poverty alleviation , How many families can be saved?But now that things have come to this point, they can only accept it.Although Xiao He is considerate in handling things, he doesn't appreciate it from the point of spending money lavishly.What I, Liu Bang, want is for the Liu family to be evergreen. You gave me such a head start, how can future generations imitate it?This kind of extravagant style is passed on, and the iron-clad country can't stand the toss.So he said: "I am very satisfied with the whole project, but it is a pity that the waste is too much. You must pay great attention to economy in the finishing project. We have not long established our country, and there are still many things to do in various aspects. We must vigorously promote frugality. Wind, save as much as you can. The important thing is to set a good example for future generations and not let future generations sit on the mountain. Xiao He, do you think I am right?"

Xiao He hurriedly replied: "Your Majesty is very right. We will definitely do it." Although he said this, he had other ideas in his mind. On this point, he thought Liu Bang was a bit conservative, and he always felt that this was a century-old plan. If you do it well, you can't let people look behind after a few years.In addition, just now he got Liu Bang's satisfaction with the project, he was a little overjoyed, and felt lucky, I'll finish it first, then, when the time comes to make mature rice with raw rice, how can your emperor not approve?Thinking of this, he continued to build a large number of construction projects to make some follow-up projects more refined.Later Liu Bang knew that his words were not adopted by Xiao He, so he inevitably had opinions on Xiao He.

There are many times in official affairs that are nothing more than welcoming and seeing off, eating and drinking.When Liu Bang returned to Chang'an from Pei County, a group of ministers clamored to welcome him.Liu Bang said: "I don't want you to welcome me. Someday I will host a banquet and entertain you all. It is true that I am tired from fighting for rebellion, and you are also working hard at home. I should condolences to everyone."

The officials said: "This is better, we haven't had a drink in front of the emperor for a long time."

Liu Bang asked the imperial dining room to prepare for two days, and then held a banquet in Changle Palace, and invited some heroes, generals and ministers.Before the banquet, Liu Bang made great contributions to the meritorious officials. Before that, Zhang Liang was granted the title of Marquis of Liu, so the order of the titles this time is: Xiao He is the Marquis of Feng, with 140 households in Shiyi, and Cao Can is the Marquis of Pingyang, with 23 households in Shiyi. , Zhou Bo was the Marquis of Jiang, with eight thousand households in Shiyi, Fan Kuai was Marquis of Wuyang, with eight thousand households in Shiyi, Chen Ping was Marquis of Hu, with three thousand households in Shiyi, and Xiahouying, Guanying, Zhou Chang, Wangling, E Qianqiu and others, there are three thousand households, two thousand households, and one thousand households in Shiyi, and there are also people who are appointed to other positions.So far, Liu Bang has granted a total of [-] marquises, including [-] descendants of Peixian County. Jianghou Zhoubo, Anguohou Wangling, and Ruyinhou Guanying are all from Anguo Township, Peixian County, and they live no more than five miles away from each other. , so there is still a saying of "five miles and three princes".

Seeing Liu Bang entrusting heroes like this, some generals refused to accept it. They were all from the army, and they didn't know how to beat around the bush when they spoke. Killed countless enemies, many left large scars on their bodies, and made great contributions to the establishment of the Han Dynasty. These people deserve the heaviest rewards. Xiao He has never seen him on the battlefield, but only in the rear Organize some food and grass to appease the people, how can his contribution be greater than ours and get the most rewards? Is His Majesty being too partial in doing so?"

Liu Bang said: "That's why you don't understand it. You all know the process of hunting, right? Fighting a war is like hunting. It is a human who initiates the hunting, and someone decides how to fight. When a human finds the target, he shoots it out. Either hit or miss, then let the hunting dogs out, and the hunting dogs catch the prey and hand it over to the hunter. Xiao He’s role is like a hunter, who is a meritorious person, and your role is like a hunting dog, a meritorious dog. Hunting has Both the meritorious person and the meritorious dog have contributed to the harvest, but do you think it is the meritorious person or the meritorious dog that has the greater effect?"

The generals felt very uncomfortable when the emperor compared them to successful dogs. Even though they thought it was true, they still couldn't swallow it.Fenyang Hou Zhouchang said: "Although what the emperor said is reasonable, the greatest credit should not be credited to the people who command behind the scenes. Just imagine if there are no front-line soldiers who go to the front to fight, no matter how clever your meritorious ideas are, wouldn't the enemy Will you automatically retreat when you hear it, and raise your hands to surrender? Even if we are meritorious dogs, there are also all-round talents who not only take the lead, fight the enemy bravely, but also be resourceful and decisive, and are invincible in every attack. There are more than 70 places, is it possible that his contribution is not as good as Xiao He? If you want to rank, you should also rank first in Cao Shen."

What Zhou Chang said was not unreasonable. In fact, if Liu Bang really wanted to say who contributed the most to Zhang Liang, Xiao He, Cao Shen, etc., he would not be able to say for sure, but he felt that Xiao He was more caring with him from the bottom of his heart, so Xiao He ranked first.But I didn't expect that there was such a tendon among the subordinates, so I insisted on being serious about him.He had no choice but to say: "This is just a matter of ranking. In fact, their food towns are the same. They are all Marquis of Wanhu. In this regard, you should learn from Marquis Liu. He doesn't want to be the first in credit. I will seal him up." He is a Marquis of [-] households, but he would rather just be a Marquis of Liu with very little food."

When it comes to Marquis Liu, this is a character that everyone admires, so the generals can't say anything more. In addition, if you have an opinion, it's just a talk. Who can tear your face up and down to the emperor?But before Liu Bang finished speaking, there was a man named E Qianqiu who had just been granted the title of Marquis. He figured out what the emperor was thinking, and stood up to refute Zhou Chang, saying: "What you said is wrong. The merit of Cao Shen , is the merit of one person, and the merit of the prime minister is the merit of the overall situation. Since the emperor took Xianyang from the west, Prime Minister Xiao has been the emperor's most important adviser and assistant. The prime minister stays around, advises the emperor at any time, and handles all affairs according to his will. When the emperor is away, he will perform his duties, organize military supplies, and appease the people, so that there is no slightest difference. With the increasing number of Han soldiers, at most Millions of people, the prime minister will not make a loss in supply, ensuring that all armies can survive the difficult situation under unfavorable conditions. On the day when Chu and Han fought, the Han army lost a large area of ​​​​territory, but Guanzhong was preserved due to the power of the prime minister , This not only guaranteed the rear support of the Han army, but also left a glimmer of hope for those of us in the most difficult times, so we were able to lead our soldiers to persist in confronting the enemy. How much credit are these? Without these, we How can I still accept the emperor's award here today! Of course, General Cao Shen has made a lot of contributions, but if you measure it from the overall and local perspective, I think Xiao He should be the first and Cao Shen the second."

This long speech was too reasonable, but because it overemphasized Xiao He's contribution, it somewhat belittled the image of the emperor, which surprised Liu Bang a bit.When the ministers heard this, they couldn't say anything more.Liu Bang said: "The reason why I made this decision is also because I think so. Xiao He has made great contributions to the country and everyone. It's just that his role is played out through me. You can't see it, so you don't accept it. E Qing These words, I think not only make you speechless, but also make me feel how special Xiao He's role is, and I want to give him a higher treatment. Allow Xiao He to go to court with a sword and not enter the palace, and also grant Xiao He father and son More than ten brothers all have food.

Before this, the Qin law stipulated that ministers were not allowed to bring swords when they went to court, and when they entered the palace, they could not lift their feet when walking, but walked on the ground.Liu Bang gave Xiao He such a privilege, almost giving him the same treatment as himself, what an honor this is!More than a dozen father, son, and brothers have been honored by Xiao He, and they can be regarded as high-level civil servants.

When Xiao He heard this, he broke out in a cold sweat.He just saw that the ministers objected, so he wanted to hear their opinions.At this time, I heard that the emperor wanted to seal himself, how could this not be envied by more people!The big tree attracts the wind, and the early rafters rot first, he still understands this truth.Also, he has been with Liu Bang for many years, and he knows that the more the emperor lifts you up, it means that it is time for him to guard against you.So he hurriedly declined: "First of all, I would like to thank Your Majesty for your great kindness, but I really can't afford to give me such kindness. The generals are right. I have made very little contribution to conquering cities and conquering territories. I only do some things to supply food and grass in the rear , It’s all very easy to do, how can it be compared with the soldiers who were born and died on the front line. I implore the emperor not to make me a Marquis of Ten Thousand Households, and cut off other extra rewards.”

Liu Bang said: "Xiao He, don't refuse. I've made up my mind, so it's decided. Today I invite everyone to come, mainly for drinking. Our monarchs and ministers must get drunk today!"

Some are satisfied with Liu Bang's award today, and some are dissatisfied. Satisfied or not, that's all. He is an organization now. If you are not satisfied, can you still fight with him?All the ministers heard that there was going to be a meal, and after talking about it for a long time, they were all hungry, and swarmed around the table.A few high-level generals and ministers sat at the table with Liu Bang, and other people who had a better relationship would automatically form a table. With the addition of some staff, the ten tables were full.

Most of these founding generals are masters who can drink, one bowl after another, like drinking cold water.Liu Bang went to toast them first, and each table drank a bowl.Afterwards, they came to toast Liu Bang again, some came and some came alone, and they all asked the emperor to finish drinking.How could Liu Bang be respected by so many people, and he was almost drunk after a while.He also has the habit of swearing at people, and by virtue of his alcoholism, he will inevitably swear a few words when he sees someone who is not pleasing to the eye.Those scolded didn't dare to confront them face to face, and when they returned to their own tables, they would inevitably go berserk, drink and eat, swear, and quarrel like a goose's nest for a while.In the second half, the drinking became more and more chaotic. Some people who were not right at ordinary times started to fight.Many of these people come from the countryside, and they are not very rigid about etiquette. After drinking some wine, he didn't look like a prince or general at all, just like a group of rural old men scolding the conference.There are also some who drink too much, take a few steps away from the table, and defecate wherever they want.That night, the Changle Palace was vacated like a pigsty and doghouse.

Liu Bang didn't know when he left. The next day, he heard that the ministers were all drunk yesterday and made the palace messy, and he felt a little regretful.Thinking back on yesterday's situation, I felt that it was too inappropriate, and these people were too unruly, how could he be regarded as the king of a country, and he was simply regarded as a contractor who could negotiate conditions at will and drink as much as he wanted.How can a country be governed like this!
Later, Liu Bang encountered such situations several times in public, and was very annoyed because of this. Seeing those people's unrestrained and free-spirited appearance, he even didn't want to go to court.He discussed this matter with several of his close ministers several times, but no one could come up with a good solution.These people have all followed him along the way, some have made great contributions, and some are close relatives, what should be used to restrain them?If you just turn your face, you will inevitably encounter resistance from them, and besides, you can't keep a straight face all day long, then you will be too tired.

A Confucian scholar named Shusun Tong found out about this situation. He met Liu Bang and said, "This needs to be solved with Confucian etiquette. I will help you formulate court rituals. Monarchs and ministers must follow certain procedures when speaking and doing things. Obey the corresponding system, so that the monarch will have the majesty of the monarch, and the ministers will have the rules of the subordinates. Only when things are done can there be higher efficiency."

Although Liu Bang apparently accepted Xiao He's point of view that literati should be used to govern the country, he has never had a good impression of Confucian scholars. Today, he really has no choice but to accept Shu Suntong's suggestion and promise: "You do it first. Look, but I want to point out one thing, don't make it too complicated, I've always liked simplicity, I can't do too complicated."

Shusun Tong said: "No, Your Majesty, just delete some ancient etiquettes and formulate some regulations based on the current situation. The key is to follow the rules."

This Uncle Sun Tong was originally a Ph.D. of the State of Qin. After Liu Xiang destroyed Qin, he took a group of apprentices and defected to Liu Bang. Because he spoke humorously, handled things flexibly, and didn't talk too much, Liu Bang made him an aide in the army. .

It is Shu Suntong's professional skill to do ritual and music matters.After he got Liu Bang's permission, he immediately led a group of apprentices to tinker, and he came up with a whole set of things in a short time.According to this set of etiquette, he first organized some people to conduct exercises, and if he felt that there was something not smooth, he immediately made amendments and supplements.

Liu Bang became more and more reluctant to see some ministers joking and laughing, staring and cursing at every turn, feeling too vulgar.He was so bored that day that he took a few entourages to his private farm to hunt.This farm has more than 1 mu. Because there is no one to manage it, there are overgrown trees and weeds, and there are many wild animals and birds.Liu Bang rode a horse and led a dog, and arrived here with great interest, but saw that it was full of crops, and there was a shed not far away built by a farmer.He was surprised, and thought to himself, who would dare to come to the royal garden to farm casually?So they asked people to go forward to inquire, and it turned out that Prime Minister Xiao allowed them to come in.

"Damn it, this Xiao He dares to send people to break ground in the royal garden without authorization. What on earth does he want to do!" Liu Bang scolded.

The hunting failed, and Liu Bang returned to the palace angrily.These days he is listening to reports: "Since Xiao He became the Marquis of Ten Thousand Households, he has been so proud that he doesn't pay attention to the ministers at all. Also, he doesn't take the emperor's words seriously at all, saying that the emperor asked him to save money to build the Weiyang Palace. He said that this is a century-old project, and if it is to be built, it will be built. Another thing is to use the opportunity of building a palace to renovate the prime minister's mansion, which is suspected of embezzling public funds." At first Liu Bang heard these words, thinking that the ministers were the first to evaluate Xiao He's contribution Well, some people are jealous, and it is normal to say bad things about him behind their backs. Now it seems that it is not all false. Doesn’t it mean that he just doesn’t pay attention to all the ministers, even me!Thinking of this, Liu Bang immediately sent a decree: "Arrest Xiao He for me and put him in a prison in the palace!"

Xia Houying asked, "What's the reason, Your Majesty?"

"Don't ask why, I want to lock him up." Liu Bang said angrily.

Xiao He was imprisoned for no apparent reason, some people were surprised, some people were happy.This is just one of Liu Bang's tactics of employing people. Lifting up, pressing down, good for a while, bad for a while, always makes you feel fearful, like walking on thin ice, and dare not raise your tail.After he reappointed Xiao He, Xiao He was indeed gaining power in the court, which was the most intolerable for Liu Bang.In addition, many generals have always been dissatisfied with their hearts, and even appeared to be passive and sabotage. How can this go on for a long time? It is to block everyone's mouths, so that everyone has some psychological balance, and also to make Xiao He sober, let him know that I am the real master here, and I can seal you or demote you.

After a while, Wang Meng, the captain of the palace, who was in charge of Liu Bang's security work, took advantage of the opportunity to be on duty at night and said to Liu Bang, "Your Majesty, I have something to say, and I don't know whether to say it or not."

Those who can serve as Liu Bang's guards are all popular people in front of him.Liu Bang scolded casually: "If you fucking fart, just let it go, don't turn it around."

Wang Meng said: "I think your Majesty is too wronged to associate the prime minister. The prime minister has been with you for many years, but you still don't know what he is like? He built the Weiyang Palace better and did it for the emperor. Some people said that he took the opportunity to enrich himself. Impossible, he has always distinguished between public and private. You allowed him to ride in a four-horse cart, but the prime minister still rides in an ox cart. The prime minister's mansion is currently being repaired, but the house is about to collapse, and it can't be done anymore Yes. I also heard that the prime minister gave out his own money to improve the food for the craftsmen who built the Weiyang Palace. Doesn’t this show his loyalty? He handed over the royal garden to the common people to cultivate, and he really looked at the land idle It's a pity that it is also the prime minister's responsibility to manage the royal property well. Besides, these common people are your people, so what's wrong with it? Some people say that the prime minister has rebellious intentions, which is even more nonsense. Back then, he alone The guard is in the prime of his life and has never betrayed His Majesty. How could he turn against you when you have pacified the world and he is old? The prime minister is old and can't bear the hardships of imprisonment. You should release him quickly. Come out, or something will happen."

Liu Bang also knew these truths, and was looking for a way out, but unfortunately, none of the ministers in the court spoke up for Xiao He at the critical moment, which shows that people's hearts are unpredictable.Now that Wang Meng had spoken, he thought that Xiao He had been tormented enough, and immediately agreed: "Your boy is right, but he shouldn't have given the garden to others to cultivate without my permission, otherwise the palace I don’t know what else I can do if I sell it short. This is his punishment. Take him out tomorrow. Although he was locked up, he was not dismissed. Tell him to be careful in the future."

Wang Meng hurriedly agreed: "The emperor is right, I will definitely tell him."

Xiao He was imprisoned for nearly a month, but he didn't suffer much, but he knew more about Liu Bang's turning his face and refusing to recognize anyone.He came out to thank Liu Bang. Liu Bang looked at his vicissitudes and felt sorry for him, so he comforted him and said, "I've been so angry these days, and I've made you wronged. How many years have you been loyal? I know it, and you understand some things, and I did it for others to see. It’s up to you what to do in the future, and you don’t need to ask me for instructions on everything.”

Even though Liu Bang said so, Xiao He would dare to kill first and then join in later, unless he wanted to enter the palace again.

Xiao He said, "I will keep it in mind."

During the month Xiao He entered, the construction of Weiyang Palace was basically completed, and Shusun Tong's rituals, music, and rituals were almost completed, and they were in the experimental stage.A rehearsal was held at Weiyang Palace on this day, and Shusun Tong invited Liu Bang to come and give him guidance to see if he had any comments.After listening to the report, Liu Bang sat on the dragon chair to experience it again. He felt that it was the case, so he said: "Very well, from tomorrow on, let all the ministers in the court come to learn the court rituals. You teach them carefully, and there will be more Those who do not follow the rules will be punished!"

According to Liu Bang's instructions, from the next day, the ministers all went to the newly completed Weiyang Palace to learn rituals and music.Shusun Tong and his disciples, from how to enter the palace, to how to stand, take a seat, attend events, toast, watch the emperor leave the court, and the ministers retreat, they all talked about it once, and then began to practice, step by step, without any If there is a slight difference, anyone who is inappropriate will have to practice again.Liu Bang's supervisory censor was watching from the side, reprimanding those who did not practice well on the spot.

The ministers studied repeatedly for half a month in this way, and Shu Suntong reported to Liu Bang that the training was almost done and could be implemented.Liu Bang pondered for a while and said: "Choose August [-]th as the inauguration ceremony of Weiyang Palace, and then we will go to court to discuss matters according to the new court rituals."

Shu Suntong agreed "yes" and went to prepare.The palace people also notified the ministers according to Liu Bang's opinion, and the request should not be wrong.

On the [-]th day of the eighth month, the ministers walked into the palace from Zhengyang Gate, arrived in front of the Yizheng Hall, went up the stairs in line, entered the main hall on the second floor, and then stood in four teams, with civil servants on the right, military officials on the left, and Liu Bang When he arrived, he sat down on the dragon chair. At this time, Shu Suntong shouted: "Go up to the court, and give the emperor nine bows."

The more than 100 ministers standing below all knelt down and kowtowed nine heads to Liu Bang, shouting in their mouths: "I wish my emperor great happiness and good fortune! Forever safe! Forever safe!".

Shusun Tong shouted again: "After kowtowing, please stand up." The officials got up and stood in four rows again.

At this time, Liu Bang said: "Give me a seat." The officials sat in the seats designated in advance.

Seeing that all the ministers had sat down, Liu Bang said: "Today is the official opening day of Weiyang Palace. We will drink to celebrate and give each of you nine cups of wine!"

As soon as the waiter came to the ministers with wine from behind the scenes, Shusun Tong shouted to pour one glass at a time, and after the nine glasses were finished, he shouted again: "The wine is over, please thank the emperor." The officials stood up and lined up again. He cupped his hands and shouted: "Thank you, the emperor, for giving me the wine."

Then Liu Bang talked about the lack of rules in the past, and the phenomenon of speaking and doing things inappropriately, so this set of court rituals was implemented.Let's compare it and see if it looks better than before.Then he raised some requirements for the current major events and asked everyone to split up.Afterwards, the officials returned to their seats, and the waiter standing next to Liu Bang stepped forward and shouted: "If you have something to do, you can retreat to the court if you have nothing to do."

Xiao He, Cao Can, Fan Kui, and Shu Suntong each made a few more things, and Liu Bang all approved: "Do it."

After leaving the court, Liu Bang returned to **, met Lu Zhi, and said to his wife happily: "Today I really realized the dignity of being an emperor!"

It is true that his system took the emperor too seriously, so that in the entire feudal society for more than 2000 years, those emperors and fathers were still unwilling to give up this trick of pushing individuals to the extreme.This is also an important reason why China has not been able to get rid of the feudal dictatorship for a long time and has led to backwardness.Thinking of this, we don't know whether to say Liu Bang is good or bad.Maybe the kid surnamed uncle should be blamed, this person should have a bad reputation forever!

(End of this chapter)