My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 401 Great Courage

Liu Rong thought that this matter was not easy to handle, at least it would not be so easy to deal with Empress Dowager Dou.

But the old queen's subsequent reaction was still worse than Liu Rong's previous most pessimistic estimate.

"Does a blind old woman like me need to teach the emperor the truth about hair without skin?"

With just this one sentence, Liu Rong immediately realized the seriousness of the situation, and his expression suddenly became serious.

If the skin is gone, where will the hair be attached? This saying was first mentioned in Zuo Zhuan, the 14th year of Duke Xi. Its original meaning is that a monarch who is treacherous and pursues trivial matters instead of the essential will cause the entire country to be abandoned by the world.

But Liu Rong knew very well that what Empress Dowager Dou wanted to express by saying this was what most people in later generations understood: If the roots are gone, how can the tree stand?

How can I survive...

"I understand what the emperor wants to do."

"But has the Emperor forgotten?"

"——Emperor Taizong Xiaowen was, after all, the illegitimate son of Emperor Taizu Gao and Empress Dowager Lu."

"Even if his biological mother was someone else, Emperor Taizong Xiaowen would still call Empress Dowager Lu his legitimate mother."

"The emperor is not someone who doesn't have a "legitimate mother."

"And Emperor Taizong's legal mother is not like the emperor's "legal mother". She can't be easily deposed by the emperor of the Han family in just a few words..."

Another blunt warning, which immediately made Liu Rong's face stiffen. Even the Queen Mother Li beside him looked at Liu Rong with a hint of worry.

After spending the past few years as empress dowager, Empress Dowager Li has learned something.

Although she still couldn't quite understand why, Empress Dowager Li at least had figured out what the late Empress Xiaojing Bo, now Concubine Dowager Bo, meant to her son Liu Rong.

There is no need to say anything else, just this one point.

——Liu Rong came to Changle Palace to pay a visit to Empress Dowager Dou and Empress Dowager Li. He followed the precedent of Emperor Taizu Liu Bang, who paid a visit to the retired emperor every five days, that is, he came to pay a visit and talk to the two empresses once every five days.

Apart from this, Liu Rong would only appear in Changxin Palace when he was forcibly summoned by Empress Dowager Dou for questioning, like today.

As for Concubine Bo in Gui Palace, Liu Rong had to pay an additional visit to her at least once a month in addition to the usual visit every five days.

Empress Dowager Li knew her son very well, and knew that he was a man who never "shot at nothing".

Especially after ascending the throne, almost every move of the emperor's son is quite necessary.

Combined with what she heard from her family members - her maternal relatives, Empress Dowager Li finally understood: the emperor's son went to Gui Palace so frequently, even more frequently than Changle Palace, and the reason was not just that: the current Concubine Bo is the biological mother of the current Liu Rong.

Although Concubine Bo was deposed from the position of empress as early as the time of Emperor Xiaojing, this does not mean that the emperor's illegitimate son Liu Rong could really not treat her as his biological mother.

There are countless eyes in this world watching how the current Emperor Liu Rong treats the Gui Palace and Concubine Bo.

Therefore, even if he was pretending, Liu Rong had to pretend to be extremely pure and filial, to show it to the world and to tell the world frankly: Although I am born out of wedlock, I will never subvert the moral code and ethics because of this.

The distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, and the order of superiority and inferiority, will never change in the slightest just because I am born out of wedlock.

The system of primogeniture and the mother being the head of the family are still the main themes of the Han Dynasty today!
When Empress Dowager Li first learned this - knowing that the emperor's son, whether truly or falsely, valued Concubine Bo more than herself, she certainly felt a little uncomfortable.

After all~

Ahem, she is Queen Mother Li after all...

But later, Liu Rong successfully convinced his mother with a very simple reason.

——Liu Rong became the emperor, so he had to pretend in front of the world and treat Concubine Bo as his own mother;
But the late emperor had more than ten sons. Even if we exclude the three brothers born to Empress Dowager Li, there are still more than ten people in total.

These brothers don't need to put on an act in front of the world, nor do they need to be overly respectful to Concubine Bo.

And their biological mother is precisely the current Queen Mother Li, who will be known in history books as Empress Xiaojing Li.

As a result, Empress Dowager Li's attitude immediately changed 180 degrees. She changed from being full of complaints and having some complaints about the difference between legitimate and illegitimate children to being complacent about her identity as "the legitimate mother of the late emperor's sons."

Later, when the kings came to pay homage, Empress Dowager Li experienced the treatment of a legitimate mother and understood what the word "legitimate mother" meant in the Han family today.

Therefore, Empress Dowager Li knew very well that for the emperor's son, even if the queen was deposed by the previous emperor, she was still a legitimate mother who needed to be respected and treated well.

Even the deposed empress was like this;

Even Empress Xiaojingbo was like this;
What’s more, what about Empress Dowager Gao Lu, who had never been deposed and had “made great contributions to the country”?
Liu Rong treated Concubine Bo, who had long been deposed, in this way;

What's more, Empress Dowager Gao Lu was the wife of the founding emperor, the mother of Emperor Taizong, and the great-grandmother of Liu Rong...

"In recent years, the emperor's path has been too smooth."

During the long silence, under the gaze of Liu Rong, who was slightly solemn, and Empress Dowager Li, who was full of worry, Empress Dowager Dou finally took a deep breath;

Although his eyes were almost completely blinded, even those dim, unfocused eyes seemed to be able to see through Liu Rong's soul.

When Liu Rong raised his head, he saw the old queen beating her legs gently, and continued to say: "Emperor Taizu Gao lived a dissolute life, and finally became the King of Han at the age of 47, and established the Han Dynasty at the age of 52."

"Emperor Xiaohui was the crown prince for eight years, and was enthroned before he even came of age, and then he was the "Nono" emperor for another five years."

"Emperor Taizong Xiaowen was crowned a king at the age of five, lost his father at the age of six and became a vassal. He suffered for a full fifteen years in Dai State. By chance, he was enthroned as a county official in Han."

"Emperor Xiaojing was also granted the title at the age of eight, and then served as the crown prince for a full twenty-three years;"

"He finally ascended the throne, but at the age of six, he passed away..."

With every word, Empress Dowager Dou Lai's tone became heavier.

At the end, when she talked about her son who was a emperor, the old empress dowager's cloudy and lifeless eyes were filled with layers of mist.

It was unknown how long it was before the old empress took a breath with a trembling voice, and when she looked at Liu Rong, her eyes returned to a deathly calm.

"Emperor, it's too smooth."

"He was appointed as the crown prince, and the crown prince was appointed as regent. He immediately took power and fought against the Xiongnu..."

"——The emperor had such a smooth journey that he forgot the taste of failure;"

"Forget what failure means to the emperor, and what a painful price he will have to pay..."

At this point, Empress Dowager Dou obviously wanted to cite some vivid examples.

But in the end, considering that those cases were too bloody, the old queen had to give up.

But he immediately changed the subject: "All emperors often have to endure for the sake of their country, and their thoughts cannot be understood."

"For the sake of the ancestral foundation, the ancestral temple, and the country, the grievances that the emperor has suffered have always been unimaginable to the world."

"But these grievances can prove the emperor's responsibility." "Being willing to suffer grievances for the sake of the ancestral temple and the country is what an emperor should really learn."

"The more grievances this emperor endures, the more successful he becomes..."

As she spoke, the old queen finally took action with her hands. She took Queen Mother Li's hand and asked her to massage her legs.

After Empress Dowager Li was stunned for a long time, she started to work as if she had just woken up from a dream. The old empress dowager continued, "Everyone says that Emperor Taizu Gao was a playboy since childhood and did nothing all his life. He was able to establish a country and build a country, but it was just luck and fluke that made him succeed."

"But few people know that Emperor Taizu was as wise and brave as Xiang Yu, even if he was slightly inferior to him."

"——If it weren't for the fact that Emperor Taizu was not wise and powerful enough, and worthy of ruling the world;"

"But our Han family needs a Taizu Gaohuangdi who is mediocre and good for nothing, who is only blessed by heaven and granted the power to rule the world..."

Hearing this, even though Liu Rong was in a bad mood, he still nodded in approval.

Whether Emperor Taizu Gao, Liu Bang, was just lucky or had the ability to be an emperor and start a country is a matter of debate in later generations.

But in today's Han Dynasty, at least at the level of the Queen Mother and the Emperor, there is a consensus: no matter what the facts are, Taizu Liu Bang must be portrayed as a rogue who was unlucky.

why?
Because the evaluation of "wise and brave" can be applied to many people.

For example, Xiang Yu;

For example, Han Xin;

Even Peng Yue, Ying Bu, and every person in the world who thinks he is "skilled in martial arts" and "has great strategic vision".

In other words, if Liu Bang became emperor because of his wisdom and bravery, then there would be many people in this world who are qualified to be the second Liu Bang, if not as numerous as fish in the sea, at least they would be everywhere.

Only the divine right of kings!

Only "shitty luck", especially the shitty luck that falls on an incompetent person, can make Taizu Liu Bang unique.

Therefore, Emperor Taizu Liu Bang must have been a mediocre and muddle-headed person who couldn't even get enough food to eat, but in the end he was the son of destiny who founded a country.

As for Xiang Yu, Han Xin and others, they can only serve as foils for the son of luck.

——Look at this, look at this!
——As strong as Xiang Yu and Han Xin are, they are ultimately no match for the Son of Destiny who is protected by Heaven!

——What’s more, we are definitely not as good as Xiang Yu and Han Xin?

Therefore, since the founding of the Han Dynasty, the political propaganda work of the Han Dynasty has presented an extremely abnormal and even abstract scene.

Everyone is criticizing Liu Bang!
Including the Han Dynasty officials and even the emperor himself, they were intentionally or unintentionally fanning the flames and creating a bizarre image for Liu Bang that he was "useless but extremely lucky".

On the contrary, a group of villains including Xiang Yu and Han Xin were increasingly praised by public opinion under official guidance.

What is it about Xiang Yu who gets angry and the ghosts and gods are terrified?

Something like Han Xin's use of soldiers was like divine help - the main point was to make it as outrageous and exaggerated as possible.

In essence, it is just that the Han Dynasty officials, especially the Liu family, need to let the people of the world have such an understanding;
Han Xin is awesome;
Xiang Yu is more awesome.

They are so awesome that in the entire history of mankind, there will never be another person like them - even a "god" of their level would be hard to come by!

However, such a brilliant figure in history was easily defeated by Liu Bang.

Does this mean that Emperor Taizu Liu Bang was a more capable and brilliant person?

No~no no no no no no;
Good luck!

It's all dog luck!
Taizu Liu Bang was a gangster leader in Fengpei area. He was in his forties and still couldn't get married. He still needed his father to clean up the mess he made.

How could such a loser defeat people like Xiang Yu and Han Xin? What else could that be but luck?

If it’s not luck, then what is it?
So,
Don't think that you can try to compete for the world just because you have some ability or strengths.

Those who are truly qualified to be the emperor are all sons of destiny who are protected by the way of heaven.

That luck was so strong that even a waste like Liu Bang could be lifted to a higher position than Xiang Yu and Han Xin.
Therefore, those of you who not only don’t have Liu Bang’s luck, but also don’t have Xiang Yu or Han Xin’s abilities, should give up early...

Liu Rong knew that this propaganda system was not something that later rulers took advantage of when Emperor Taizu Liu Bang was in power, but had already been promoted during Emperor Taizu's reign.

In other words, even Liu Bang felt that the Han Dynasty needed to use such propaganda methods to ensure the stability of its rule.

Did Liu Bang feel wronged?
Come to think of it, I still feel a little aggrieved.

A founding emperor, a founding monarch who was still fighting wars at the age of 62 and who had led more wars in person than he had wives and concubines, was portrayed as an extremely useless son of fortune due to political needs. How could he not feel any grievances?

But as the old queen just said: the more grievances a feudal emperor suffers, the more it proves his responsibility.

In a sense, the amount of grievances one has suffered can, to a certain extent, serve as indirect evidence to judge an emperor.

Closer to home.

Liu Rong certainly understood what the old empress dowager meant by saying this.

——Tolerate each other for the sake of the country.

It is no big deal to suffer a little injustice for the country, the ancestral temple, and the country;

On the contrary, if Liu Rong relied on his youthful vigor to touch an epic taboo like that of Empress Dowager Lu, not only would he burn his hands, he might even plunge the originally stable Han family into unknown turmoil again.

But Liu Rong also has something to say about this.

——Why did Emperor Taizu make fun of himself in person, instead of leaving the matter to future generations?
Because Liu Bang knew very well that no one could slander him except himself.

Especially his descendants and later kings, it is impossible for them to "not hurt or bring disgrace to their ancestors."

Therefore, Liu Bang took the lead himself, and later the entire Chang'an court followed up for a long time and regarded it as a political task.

The current situation is the same.

The problem of Empress Dowager Lu should have been solved as early as the time of Emperor Taizong!
After all, no matter what, Emperor Taizong was merely the illegitimate son of Empress Dowager Lu, not a illegitimate grandson like the previous emperor or a great-grandson like Liu Rong.

Now, it’s the great-grandchildren!

If this goes on, the seniority of future rulers will become lower and lower, and the problem of Empress Dowager Lu will become more and more difficult to deal with.

Sacrifice is a science.

Sacrifice requires great courage.

Some sufferings, sooner or later, must be borne by someone;
Some potatoes, no matter how hot they are, someone has to reach out and pick them up...

(End of this chapter)