The Great Han Dynasty: From Crown Prince Li to Emperor of All Ages!

Chapter 13: The Crown Prince's Three Temples, the First Step in the Plot to Usurp the Throne!

The Three Temples were first established by the Northern Qi Dynasty, modeled after the Nine Temples in the central government, and served as the Crown Prince's official residence.

Since the Wei and Jin dynasties, the position of Grand Tutor was only placed in the Crown Prince's palace, hence the name Crown Prince's Grand Tutor, who was in charge of all affairs inside and outside the Eastern Palace.

The Crown Prince's palace held an extremely important position and was fully staffed with officials. It was known as the "Palace Court" and its structure resembled that of the imperial court. During the Northern Qi Dynasty, the Grand Chamberlain (Zhan Shi) oversaw the three temples of the Eastern Palace (the Imperial Household Department, the Imperial Household Department, and the Imperial Household Department), as well as the Left and Right Guards, the Gatekeepers' Office, and the Imperial Library. The Crown Prince's power as the heir apparent was expanded to its extreme.

Liu Ju's purpose in reforming the Crown Prince's Palace was clear: to align it with the central court in order to actually usurp the throne.

"Zhang He".

"Immediately seal off the Crown Prince's palace, inside and out."

"Not a single fly is allowed to fly out without my order."

"Zhang Guang, Wu Qie."

"You will work with Zhang He to investigate the accounts of the Crown Prince's palace."

"I want to see how many parasites this Bowang Garden has bred."

With piercing eyes, Liu Ju issued two decrees in quick succession for the Crown Prince.

"promise."

Zhang He and the other two responded in unison, accepting the order.

Before long, the three hundred guards of Chang Le Palace began to move.

"The Crown Prince has ordered the Crown Prince's Palace to be sealed off; no one is permitted to enter or leave!"

"The Crown Prince has ordered the Crown Prince's Palace to be sealed off; no one is permitted to enter or leave!"

"The Crown Prince has ordered the Crown Prince's Palace to be sealed off; no one is permitted to enter or leave!"

For a moment, the sound of metal clashing rang out inside and outside Bowang Garden; it was the sound of the armor of the guards of Changle Palace rubbing against each other as they walked.

'Squeak'

The once-open gates were then closed, turning the entire Crown Prince's Palace into an isolated island.

This scene immediately attracted the attention of the Southern army, which was stationed at the foot of the city walls within the Weiyang and Changle Palaces, responsible for guarding the two palaces.

The news quickly reached Jianzhang Palace.

"You mean the Crown Prince ordered the Crown Prince's Palace to be sealed off?"

Emperor Wu of Han, standing on the steps of the palace, looked down towards the southeast, where the Bowang Garden was located.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The Commandant of Jianzhang reported in detail: "The Grand Chamberlain, carrying the Empress's decree, ordered the Commandant of Changle Palace to dispatch three hundred guards from Changle Palace to the Crown Prince's Palace to receive orders."

"Currently, the three hundred guards of Chang Le Palace have completely taken over the Crown Prince's Palace."

"Oh?"

Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, never took his eyes off Bowang Garden, and said in a hoarse voice, "It seems that our Crown Prince has made progress."

"If a ruler is not discreet, he will lose his ministers; if a minister is not discreet, he will lose his life; if important matters are not kept secret, they will lead to disaster."

"If he had known this would happen, the Crown Prince and I would not have ended up like this."

"What else did the Crown Prince do?"

"Your Majesty."

Despite the pain in his back, Huangmen Shilang Su Wenqiang respectfully said, "The Crown Prince sent someone to the Court of Justice. The Chief Justice Bing Shen and a group of officials from the Court of Justice investigated all the Confucian scholars in the Crown Prince's palace. Anyone found to have committed crimes was detained by the Court of Justice and taken to prison to await trial."

"Rong Guang, Hao Xing Gong, and Wei Xian have left the Crown Prince's Palace and are calling on their friends and sending letters to counties and kingdoms throughout the land."

"Um?"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, narrowed his eyes, a chilling glint appearing in his cloudy old eyes.

Su Wenqi, the Commandant of Jianzhang Guard and the Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, held his breath, not daring to utter a single sound.

"The Crown Prince cleaned up his own household, but he still did not change his attitude toward the Guliang faction."

"This is to recruit another group of people from the Guliang School."

"Hmph! I overestimated him."

"Pack up and return to Weiyang Palace."

"promise."

Su Wen, the Commandant of Jianzhang Guard and Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, responded loudly.

Immediately, the entire Jianzhang Palace was plunged into chaos.

The imperial guards, numbering 2500 and the palace guards, numbering 1500, escorted the emperor's carriage and left first, followed slowly by palace maids, eunuchs, cooks, and physicians.

Three days later was the regular court session of the Western Han Dynasty. The Crown Prince's actions had already attracted the attention of many people. This court session was bound to be filled with some unusual turmoil. Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, returned to Weiyang Palace in advance, also to prepare for this matter.

Over the years, the Wei family's power has become so immense and deeply rooted that even the emperor is somewhat wary of them, so much so that he tries to weaken the Wei family whenever he has the chance.

But now, the champion Marquis Jingheng, Huo Qubing, has been dead for a long time, and the Marquis Changping, Wei Qing, is ill and does not come out. The Wei family poses little threat to the imperial power. If those covetous hyenas were to find an opportunity and swarm in, it would be nothing short of a disaster for the Han Dynasty.

Crown Prince Liu Ju was unaware of this and was still preoccupied with the small Crown Prince's Palace, focusing all his attention on the Guliang faction. This caused Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, to lose all remaining positive feelings towards him and become increasingly disappointed.

..............

Chang'an was situated between Guigong and Beigong. The Beidi, north of Weiyang Palace, was the residence of imperial relatives and high-ranking officials.

Within this place, the Prime Minister's residence stands out as unique, symbolizing the glory and honor of the person second only to the Emperor.

Chancellor Shi Qing was the son of Wan Shi Jun Shi Fen. He was cautious and honest. In the first year of Yuan Shou (122 BC), he was transferred from the Prefect of Pei County to the position of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince. Seven years later, he was promoted to Grand Censor. In the autumn of the fifth year of Yuan Ding (112 BC), he was promoted to Chancellor and enfeoffed as Marquis of Muqiu.

However, his position as prime minister was merely a figurehead from beginning to end.

At the beginning of Shi Qing's reign, the Han Dynasty was conquering Nanyue and Dongyue in the south, driving out the Xiongnu in the north, allying with the Western Regions in the west, and eyeing Wiman Joseon in the east. The emperor toured the whole country, built temples and monasteries, offered sacrifices to heaven and earth, and encouraged rites and music, which led to an empty treasury and tight finances. Sang Hongyang and others opened up new sources of revenue, Wang Wenshu and others implemented strict laws and punishments, and Er Kuan and others promoted literature. The Nine Ministers performed their duties, and the emperor was informed of important state affairs by the inner court. There was no need for him at all.

Shi Qing never felt that being prime minister was a desirable position. On the contrary, he felt like he was walking on thin ice in this position because none of the prime ministers during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han had a good ending. How could it be a good thing for him?

Therefore, this honest man turned his attention to the crown prince, Liu Ju, and sent his favorite youngest son, Shi De, to Bowang Garden to serve as a palace attendant.

Today, Shi De's arrival has stirred up a long-dormant feeling in Shi Qing's heart.

"Bu Shi" (卜式).

"Your Highness has grown up."

"Employing him as the Crown Prince's tutor was indeed a brilliant move."

Shi Qing stroked his long beard, sat upright on the couch, and sighed deeply.

"Grandpa."

"Who is this fortune teller?"

"Why does His Highness insist on making him the Crown Prince's tutor?"

Shi De didn't know much about the officials in the court, so he naturally didn't know Bu Shi's background.

"Bosh is a smart man."

Glancing at the young child, Shi Qing said, "This man makes a living by farming and animal husbandry. Over the past ten years, he has amassed more than a thousand sheep."

"He once donated half of his family fortune to support Your Majesty's campaign against the Xiongnu, and later donated 200,000 coins to the governor of Henan to help the poor people who were relocated to the border."

"His Majesty was pleased and appointed him as a Gentleman of the Palace, granted him the title of Left Grand Master and ten acres of land, and proclaimed this to the whole world."

"Bu Shi initially did not want to serve in the court and herded sheep in the Shanglin Garden until His Majesty discovered his talent and appointed him as the magistrate of Goushi, and later as the magistrate of Chenggao, the tutor of the King of Qi, and the prime minister of Qi."

"When Lü Jia of Nanyue rebelled, Bu Shi wrote a letter expressing his willingness to join the army with his son. The emperor was delighted and granted him the title of Marquis within the Pass."

"During the Yuanding era (116-111 BC), Bu Shi was summoned to serve as Imperial Censor. He submitted a memorial stating that the salt, iron, and silk tax collection in the prefectures and kingdoms was inconvenient and should be abolished, which displeased His Majesty."