fifth form

Chapter 3094 Internal Strife Cannot Stop

Because of Emperor Gaozu, the Crimson Sky Sword became famous throughout the world.

But very few people in the world have ever seen the Crimson Sky Sword.

Forging a fake sword sounds easy, but the steps involved in forging a real sword are indispensable, and the time spent on this process is substantial.

The Pingyang Marquis's mansion took about seven days to half a month to forge the fake Chixiao Sword. From investigating the sword theft case to finding Guan Fu, who was carrying the fake Chixiao Sword, at Tian Fen's wedding banquet, the time in between was less than ten days.

"In other words, this fake sword was already made in advance, just waiting to be used to deceive people once the real sword was in hand!"

By comparing the process flow and other details, it's not hard to guess what's going on.

"It seems that someone had been planning the Crimson Sky Sword for a long time and had made preparations in advance!"

The new emperor in the main hall of Weiyang Palace gasped.

Everything was done so quickly, faster than the imperial court could issue urgent official documents.

His caution not only allowed the new emperor to grow during the power transition in the court, but also prevented him from suffering undeserved disasters.

Several years ago, he relied on the Crimson Sky Sword to establish the legitimacy of the royal family. Even though the Empress Dowager disliked him, he still supported him. The new emperor was somewhat afraid to think about the consequences of losing the Crimson Sky Sword.

If someone were to force him to abdicate with a real sword, everything he had would vanish like water.

But the irony is that no one knew that the Crimson Sky Sword was a setup from the very beginning, a fake sword.

The other party was equally cautious and missed the best opportunity to expose the new emperor.

"Dongfang Shuo, who do you think is behind this?" the new emperor asked.

“Whoever covets His Majesty’s throne is likely the mastermind behind it all,” Zhang Xuezhou replied.

"Do you think Liu Dingguo, the Prince of Yan, is suspected of arranging a marriage with Tian Fen?" the new emperor asked.

"The Prince of Yan may have gotten caught up in it by chance, or he may actually have been involved!"

"You become vague and ambiguous when it comes to specific people being targeted!"

Zhang Xuezhou was outstanding among his many close advisors, even possessing unique abilities. However, he tended to shirk responsibility or speak in riddles when doing things.

The new emperor looked at Zhang Xuezhou with a headache.

"You don't need to worry about being caught red-handed," the new emperor said. "The Empress Dowager has also made concessions these past few days, dismantling the communication channels in Weiyang Palace. Now, what we say is known only to Heaven, Earth, you, and me, and no one else will hear it!"

“This megaphone can hear the sounds from Changxin Palace to Weiyang Palace. This treasure is truly amazing. It seems His Majesty has gained a lot of benefits this time,” Zhang Xuezhou praised.

"You... I got some benefits from the Empress Dowager. My aunt gave me Changmen Garden, which contains a demon-revealing mirror. It's like taking back a powerful weapon used to suppress evil spirits in the court in advance, to prevent any great demons from manifesting in the court. You can go to Changmen Garden to see the demon-revealing mirror." The new emperor pointed at Zhang Xuezhou before continuing, "Zhuang Qingzhai paid 16 million coins. Li Cai has been relying on expensive medicines to recuperate all these years, and his family is quite poor. There's nothing to investigate on his side. Then Tian Fen made a contribution by catching Guan Fu solidly at the wedding banquet!"

"Goodness, Zhuang Qingzhai has only been the Imperial Censor for two years, and he's already making so much money in one of the Three Dukes positions?" Zhang Xuezhou exclaimed in surprise.

"You can collect all this money if you get married twice more," the new emperor quipped.

“Your Majesty, please remember that I will continue to send gifts when I get married in the future. If it is not enough, I will ask you to make up the difference,” Zhang Xuezhou said.

"You're talking nonsense! Get out of here!"

Zhang Xuezhou's repeated shifts in topic were accidental, but clearly indicated his unwillingness to get involved in matters concerning the vassal kings. The excessive power wielded by the vassal kings had always been a drawback of the Han Dynasty. Many vassal kings were autonomous in their territories, possessing numerous rights such as minting currency, mining, and building armies. However, these rights were not related to the Han court and belonged to the vassal kings themselves.

These vassal states belonged to the territory of the Han Dynasty, but they could not generate any real benefits for the Han Dynasty.

Anyone who deprives others of their interests will become an enemy of many feudal lords, so it's understandable that Zhang Xuezhou was unwilling to get involved.

"Wait a minute," the new emperor suddenly said, "Zhu Fu Yan has come up with a solution for me. He thinks that instead of the territories previously ruled by each feudal lord being inherited solely by their eldest son, they should be inherited jointly by their eldest, second, and third sons." "What do you think of this plan?"

"It seems that the late emperor also adopted this approach when enfeoffing the five sons of the Prince of Liang?" Zhang Xuezhou stopped and asked doubtfully.

"Not bad," the new emperor nodded.

"Empress Dowager Liang has been waiting in Suiyang for His Majesty to show mercy, mentioning her willingness to pay tribute and submit. However, things are now somewhat difficult for the Liang Kingdom!"

Emperor Jing then took a series of drastic measures, ultimately bringing ruin to the Liang Kingdom.

If Emperor Jing and the King of Liang had not both died, there would have been many other vassal kings who joined forces with the King of Liang to oppose Emperor Jing.

With the fall of the Liang Kingdom as a precedent, this system of succession would inevitably lead to a division of power, and few feudal lords would be foolish enough to obey it. Forcibly promulgating laws would inevitably encounter resistance.

"Master Yan said that this law is unfavorable to the feudal lords, but extremely beneficial to their sons," the new emperor said. "If the court issues a law, these people will gain the right to legitimate succession, and some will inevitably benefit from it and thus be loyal to the court!"

"Only Lord Father Yan can implement the proposals put forward by Lord Father Yan!"

The new emperor revealed what he wanted to do, which is not unusual. There were similar checks and balances during the reign of Emperor Jing, which once triggered a civil war in which the seven major vassal states led large armies to besiege the court.

Apart from a few generals who benefited from the war, none of the others involved had a good ending.

The Master Father Yan Jian took a dangerous and unorthodox approach, and his actions were bound to be similar.

Zhang Xuezhou declined to comment, but his advice was genuine.

If a selfish person like Zhu Fuyan believes that such a proposal is feasible, the other side is likely to be quite confident of success.

As long as there's no fear of backlash, Zhang Xuezhou felt the new emperor could let Zhu Fuyan do his work freely.

If the plan fails, Zhu Fuyan will take the blame; if it succeeds, it will sow discord among the feudal lords, avoiding the hidden danger of suffering in the rear while fighting on the front lines. Moreover, it will allow for the continuous transfer of talent and resources from the smaller feudal states, which is almost equivalent to occupying a country at a very low cost. The benefits are immeasurable.

"You really won't offer even the slightest advice?" the new emperor asked doubtfully. "Even just a little bit of supplementary information would be appreciated!"

“Everyone has a different character and does things differently. If I offer advice and make changes, Zhu Fuyan will be more constrained in his actions, which would be more harmful than helpful,” Zhang Xuezhou said, shaking his head.

"Do you think he can succeed in this matter?" the new emperor asked.

"I'm not sure," Zhang Xuezhou said. "Your Majesty, while supporting this matter, would be best to avoid getting involved in any trouble!"

If possible, Zhang Xuezhou still hopes that the new emperor can be a stable and secure ruler.

The new emperor spent nearly ten years in seclusion before gaining control of the court. If he were to quickly fall into the midst of power struggles among the feudal lords, it would indeed be a very troublesome situation.

As Zhang Xuezhou said, external wars, no matter how they are fought, can weaken the opponent, while internal wars will only make the Han Dynasty weaker and weaker.

If they win, the civil war will have been worthwhile; but if they lose or both sides are severely damaged, they will have to continue to live a life of subservience for decades, repeating the life of Emperor Jing.

He could only offer a word of warning, lest the new emperor become overconfident and personally intervene, only to end up looking foolish.