gnovel Chapter 14: With the emergence of the Holy Emperor, the world will soon be bright!
Chapter 14: With the emergence of the Holy Emperor, the world will soon be bright!
"Grandpa."
Shi De's eyes flickered, and he asked, "Was Bu Shi's action intentional?"
"This child is teachable!"
Shi Qing stroked his long beard, a satisfied look on his face, and continued, "Yes and no."
As the saying goes, the taller the tree, the more the wind will blow against it.
"He rose from a shepherd to the Imperial Censor, and was only one step away from becoming the Prime Minister."
"Official rank and wealth are beyond the reach of ordinary people."
"Only those in high positions know the loneliness of being at the top."
"Just like me, I am walking on thin ice, trembling with fear."
The Han dynasty inherited the Qin system, and the Imperial Censor was not only one of the Three Dukes, but also the successor to the Chancellor.
If Shi Qing gets into trouble, Bu Shi, the Imperial Censor, will immediately be promoted to Prime Minister.
The position of prime minister was highly coveted in any dynasty, except during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han.
Since Emperor Wu of Han ascended the throne, there have been ten chancellors, and Shi Qing was the tenth. Apart from Wei Wan, Xu Chang, and Xue Ze, Gongsun Hong, who died in office, was considered fortunate. The remaining chancellors, Dou Ying, Tian Fen, Li Cai, Zhuang Qingzhai, and Zhao Zhou, all met tragic ends.
Shi Qing sided with the Crown Prince not only because he had once served as the Crown Prince's tutor, but also because he knew that only if the Crown Prince ascended the throne would he and the Shi family have a way to survive.
"Bu Shi didn't want to be prime minister!"
Shi De's eyes were filled with disbelief; the position of prime minister was the pinnacle a subject could ever reach.
"Foolish child!"
Shi Qing looked at his young son with a kind expression and patiently explained, "The reason why Bu Shi angered His Majesty was that he submitted a memorial to the prefectures and kingdoms stating that it was inconvenient to regulate salt, iron, and silk, and that these regulations should be abolished."
Was the salt and iron monopoly a good thing?
"Yes, and it's a great thing for the empire."
"However, the salt and iron monopoly offended local princes, nobles, and scholars, preventing them from recklessly reaping huge profits."
"The tax revenue from the tax collection system brought additional tax revenue to the Han Dynasty, greatly relieving the pressure on the national treasury."
"But it was a bad policy, and merchants, artisans, and even the poorest people all hated it."
"Merchants must pay 120 coins for every 2,000 coins (tax rate 6%), artisans (craftsmen) must pay 120 coins for every 4,000 coins (tax rate 3%), and taxes are levied on vehicles and boats. Ordinary people must pay 120 coins per vehicle, merchants must pay 240 coins per vehicle, and boats over five zhang in length must pay 120 coins per boat."
"In order to implement this policy, in the third year of Yuanding (114 BC), His Majesty promoted the 'reporting of wealth' system, which encouraged people to report each other. If the report was verified, all the property of the accused would be confiscated, and the informant could be fined half of his or her assets."
Would royalty, nobles, or even scholars be subject to such punishment? No.
"Because no one dares to report them, and officials won't be so blind as to levy taxes on them."
"This policy truly oppresses only merchants, artisans, and ordinary people."
"this....."
Shi De's eyes widened.
If all the feudal lords, nobles, scholars, merchants, artisans, and commoners are offended, how can the Han Dynasty survive?
"Bu Shi's memorial precisely reflects his awareness of the potential crisis facing the empire and his desire to remind His Majesty."
"As far as Your Majesty is concerned, the Son of Heaven is the Son of Heaven, so why would you care about other people?"
"He got what he wanted, at least for now."
"If Your Majesty accepts my advice, Bu Shi will naturally be willing to serve Your Majesty. But if Your Majesty does not accept it, he can extricate himself from the vortex, killing two birds with one stone."
Shi Qing greatly admired Bu Shi's approach; he considered Bu Shi a talented and intelligent man.
"Grandpa."
"Bu Shi is still the Imperial Censor, one of the Three Dukes."
"To appoint him as the Crown Prince's tutor is tantamount to a demotion."
"Is His Highness's action...?"
Shi De hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
The Imperial Censor, with a silver seal and blue ribbon, held a rank of 4200 shi (a unit of grain measure), a position of great power and influence; while the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince was merely a nominal position with a rank of 2000 shi, the difference between the two was like heaven and earth.
"Of course Mr. Bu would agree."
Shi Qing knew that Bu Shi had completely lost hope in Emperor Wu of Han and was now living like an idle person in his position as Imperial Censor.
Compared to Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, Bu Shi clearly had a stronger interest in Crown Prince Liu Ju.
For him, there was little difference between 4200 shi and 2000 shi.
"But what about His Majesty?"
Shi De was still somewhat hesitant. How could such an important official as the Censor-in-Chief be dismissed so easily?
"His Majesty has long since lost interest in the divination method."
"Our Emperor is even more ruthless than the First Emperor; in his eyes, there are only two kinds of people: those who obey and those who do not."
"The reason there's no divination method is simply because we haven't found a suitable reason yet."
"I will petition Your Majesty on the grounds of neglecting state affairs, requesting that Bu Shi be dismissed as Imperial Censor and promoted to Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince."
"At the same time, I recommended Erkuan to be the Imperial Censor."
Shi Qing's cloudy old eyes became incredibly clear; at least in supporting Crown Prince Liu Ju, he spared no effort.
"My son, be lenient!"
The corresponding figure, or rather: Ni Kuan, came to mind in Shi De's mind.
He studied under Kong Anguo, a great Confucian scholar and a twelfth-generation descendant of Confucius. He was well-versed in Confucian classics and calendar systems and was skilled in writing.
He was initially appointed by Emperor Wu of Han to manage civil affairs in Guanzhong. Due to his merits, he was promoted to various positions, including Literary Clerk of the Court of Justice, Censor of Judgments, Imperial Censor, Grand Master of the Palace, and Left Inner Historian.
When Er Kuan was appointed Left Inner Historian, he excavated the Six Auxiliary Canals on the south bank of the upper reaches of the Zheng Guo Canal. He encouraged agriculture and sericulture, eased punishments, handled legal cases, and showed compassion for the people, winning their hearts.
If he were to be appointed as the Grand Censor, absolutely no one in the entire court, whether civil or military, would object.
"Have you carefully observed what has happened these past two days?"
Then, Shi Qing turned his attention to his youngest son, Shi De, and asked him a question.
"Grandpa."
Shi De hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Your Highness seems to have changed."
"His Highness would never have treated his retainers so harshly in the past."
There were some things he didn't say, but how could Shi Qing not know what he meant? It was simply that the former Liu Ju was gentle and kind, and he couldn't bear to punish his servants. The servants in the Crown Prince's palace lived very comfortably. To put it bluntly, this was called indecisiveness.
The current Crown Prince Liu Ju possesses a thunderous and ruthless approach, cold and domineering, which is quite surprising.
In ancient times, there were no emperors.
"Qin King Ying Zheng unified the six kingdoms and took the names of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, becoming the First Emperor."
"Suihuang (Suirenshi) drilled wood to make fire, taught people to cook food, and invented knotted ropes for record-keeping."
"Xi Huang (Fu Xi) drew the Eight Trigrams, created the prototype of writing, made nets, taught fishing and hunting, and established the rites of marriage."
"Emperor Yan (Shennong) tasted hundreds of herbs, invented the plow and hoe, taught people how to cultivate the five grains, and opened markets for barter."
"The Yellow Emperor unified China, defeated Chiyou, and invented writing, music, clothing, boats, and vehicles. He is revered as the first ancestor of Chinese civilization."
"Zhuanxu established the calendar (Zhuanxu Calendar), severed the connection between heaven and earth, standardized the relationship between humans and gods, expanded the territory, and consolidated the unity of the country."
"Emperor Ku established the twenty-four solar terms to guide farming and educate the people."
Emperor Yao implemented the abdication system, selected virtuous and capable officials, established a calendar, and controlled floods.
Emperor Shun selected virtuous and capable officials, appointed Yu to control the floods, implemented virtuous policies, and rectified the court.
"These ancient sage kings never only ruled with benevolence and righteousness, but also never lacked warfare."
"A qualified monarch should not only ensure that his subjects live in peace and prosperity, but also protect the country from foreign invasion."
"The crown prince of the past was just a crown prince, but the crown prince of today is a qualified heir apparent."
Shi Qing stretched out his withered hand, waved it, and said, "This matter is settled, you can go back now."
"With the emergence of the Holy Emperor, the world will be bright!"
"Our Shi family cannot fall behind others."
"promise."
Shi De only half understood what Shi Qing was saying, but Shi Qing's expression made him extremely serious. He turned around, left the Prime Minister's residence, and returned to the Crown Prince's palace.
PS: 缗 is a unit of currency. 1 缗 is 1000 钱, and 1 算 is 120 钱.