My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 554 The Issue of Stance
After much deliberation, Liu Rong finally decided to keep his true thoughts hidden from public view.

once Upon a time;

Especially when the late emperor was still alive, Liu Rong was almost always completely honest when faced with questions such as "Why did you do this?" and "What were your considerations and purposes in doing this?"

Aside from his identity as a time traveler, Liu Rong was extremely honest with the late emperor, speaking frankly and without reservation.

Liu Rong even told the late emperor without reservation his own desire to become the crown prince and his belief that it would be most beneficial for the Han dynasty if he were the crown prince.

Because in Liu Rong's view at the time, almost no one in the world could lie to the late emperor.

Any demons, monsters, or scheming villains would have nowhere to hide before this robust emperor who had been the crown prince for over twenty years.

Therefore, Liu Rong at that time adhered to the principle of 'rather than hiding things and making a fool of himself, it is better to be open and honest,' and he was almost completely unreserved in his dealings with the late emperor.

Now, when faced with Empress Dowager Dou's roundabout reminders to "beware of the Cao family's relatives," which were actually a way to extend the Dou family's period of prominence, Liu Rong no longer believed that honesty was better, or that honesty was more cost-effective.

The reasons for this are actually a bit complicated.

First, it's a matter of stance.

According to Liu Rong's still clear memory, the late emperor's stance on things was actually very pure.

—The stability and continuation of the ancestral temples and the state are given top priority, and national interests and personal interests are placed in second place.

In short, when faced with a problem, the first thing the late emperor considered was whether doing so would harm the stability of the ancestral temples and the state.

—If it does not harm the ancestral temples or the stability of the state, then in the eyes of the late emperor, this matter can be considered half a 'capable' thing.

As for the remaining half, we'll see whether this matter will benefit the country or the late emperor himself.

As long as one of these conditions is met, the matter can be approved by the late emperor.

If it were both, then there would be no question—the late emperor would certainly support it wholeheartedly.

A specific example is that back then, Liu Rong, who was about to be named the Crown Prince, presided over the matter of stabilizing grain prices in Guanzhong.

The late emperor was capable of covering up what happened back then.

No matter how Liu Rong ended up causing trouble, the late emperor was capable of cleaning up the mess.

Therefore, allowing Liu Rongping to stabilize grain prices would not threaten the stability of the ancestral temples and the state.

As for this matter, the national benefits it can bring to the Han dynasty, as well as the personal benefits it can bring to the late emperor, are obvious.

—If grain prices can be stabilized, then the ancestral temples and the state will be at peace. In addition, the future crown prince will prove his ability, giving the people a sense of belonging.
The late emperor could finally put his mind at ease, establish the crown prince with peace of mind, and focus on nurturing Liu Rong. He could also save himself some trouble by not having to personally deal with the thorny and tiring matter of stabilizing grain prices.

It would not harm the stability of the ancestral temples and the state, and it would benefit the country and the late emperor. Therefore, the late emperor took the initiative to propose this matter as a test for Liu Rong before he was appointed to oversee the sterilization of the platform.

It may seem like an unnecessary step, but in reality, it was a natural outcome.

Of course, besides the two situations mentioned above—that it does not harm the stability of the ancestral temples and the state, and that one or both of the interests of the state and the late emperor's personal interests are satisfied—there is a third situation.

Doing so would undermine the stability of ancestral temples and the state, and could very likely trigger unrest.
At this point, it would be possible for this matter to be accomplished if both the national interest and the late emperor's personal interests were satisfied simultaneously.

The "Policy on Reducing the Power of the Feudal States" that Chao Cuo presented back then is a very typical example.

Whether looking at the predictions made by the court in Chang'an before the outbreak of the Wu-Chu Rebellion, or the scale of the rebellion after it actually broke out, it is clear that the consequences of promoting the "Policy of Reducing the Feudal Powers" seriously affected the stability of the Han dynasty's ancestral temples and state.

Even so, the late emperor still resolutely chose to promote the "Policy of Reducing the Feudal States," even if it ultimately led to the Rebellion of the Seven States.

The reason for this is as mentioned above: although the implementation of the "Policy of Reducing the Feudal Powers" shook the stability of the Han dynasty's ancestral temples and state, it brought extremely significant benefits to both the Han dynasty and the late emperor himself.

From the perspective of national interests, the "Policy of Reducing the Feudal Powers" had a significant positive impact on the Han Dynasty, regardless of whether it ultimately triggered a rebellion by the imperial relatives and vassal lords.

—If there is no rebellion, then the problem is to deal with the powerful and unruly relatives and princes through gentle means.
If there is a rebellion, it is like the real Rebellion of the Seven States of Wu and Chu, in which the problem of the powerful and uncontrollable relatives and lords is solved through relatively decent but brutal means.

In any case, no matter what the final outcome is, as long as the "Policy to Reduce the Power of the Feudal Lords" is implemented, the problem of the imperial relatives and feudal lords can be solved.

The only difference is whether the relatives and princes were submissive or rose up in resistance only to be suppressed.

In recent years—especially since the death of the late emperor and the ascension of Liu Rong to the throne—there has been intense discussion among the public about what happened back then.

Some say that the late emperor's mistake was that he rushed the "Policy of Reducing the Feudal States" too quickly, failing to defeat them one by one, and instead treating all the feudal lords in the east as mere playthings, which led to their united rebellion and ultimately the Rebellion of the Seven States.

Some argue that the "Policy to Reduce the Power of the Feudal States" was itself a strategy of seeking quick results. If the late emperor had adopted other, more moderate measures, the final outcome would certainly not have escalated to the point of the Rebellion of the Seven States.

You say you have your reasons, I say I have my evidence; opinions vary, but there is still no universally accepted consensus.

But Liu Rong always had an incredibly clear understanding of what happened back then.

—The policy of weakening the feudal lords was not something the late emperor insisted on or forced through, but rather something that had reached a point where it had to be implemented!

It could even be said that a joint rebellion by the Guandong clans, led by Wu and Chu, had reached a point where if it were not to break out soon—if it were to be delayed for another ten or twenty years—the Chang'an court would be unable to handle it!

Just imagine.

When Emperor Gaozu of the Southern Tang Dynasty enfeoffed Liu Bi as the King of Wu, Liu Bi's Wu Kingdom, although it had three prefectures and fifty-three cities, had a population of less than 100,000 households and at most no more than 300,000 people.

In the short span of forty years that followed, King Liu Bi of Wu opened copper mines, privately minted coins, and widely sheltered fugitives from all over the land.

When the Rebellion of the Seven States broke out, even if all the capable men in Wu were put to the table, an army of 300,000 men was still assembled!

As for the population, it had already surged from less than 100,000 households and at most 300,000 when Liu Bi was enfeoffed as the King of Wu at the beginning of the Han Dynasty to 270,000 households and more than 1.3 million people!

What's even more terrifying is that these 270,000 households, totaling over 1.3 million people, are exempt from paying taxes!

—Liu Bi took it all!

Liu Bi personally paid for all the agricultural taxes, poll tax, and even the three shi of fodder and two shi of straw per hundred mu of land!

Given this population base, war mobilization capacity, and this financial strength that can directly and completely exempt taxes!
If Liu Bi were allowed to remain immobile for another twenty years to develop, what would become of him?
In fact, even before the Wu-Chu Rebellion broke out, the extraordinary speed at which the Wu Kingdom had grown powerful had already attracted the attention of the imperial court in Chang'an. —Like the later Shu Kingdom, which absorbed the entire Shu region, the Wu Kingdom during Liu Bi's reign was also siphoning off the population of surrounding counties and kingdoms!

Everyone wanted to be a citizen of Wu, living a carefree life where they didn't have to pay taxes and could even profit from minting coins and boiling salt.

Therefore, even by the most conservative estimate, if Liu Bi were allowed to continue developing for another twenty years, let alone the seven kingdoms of Wu and Chu—even just the kingdom of Wu alone could develop into a powerful force that the central government of Chang'an would not dare to act rashly, or at least would not be forced to rebel.

At that time, with the addition of Chu, Zhao, and various other feudal lords from the Qi and Huainan factions, the Han dynasty would truly be in turmoil.

Good luck!

Fortunately, King Liu Bi of Wu was already sixty-two years old at that time;
Fortunately, Liu Bi, who was already 62 years old at the time, believed that his days were numbered and that if he did not rise up now, he would not have the chance to avenge the deceased Crown Prince Liu Xian in his lifetime.

Otherwise—if Liu Bi were to become another Zhao Tuo, an old coward, then the future of the Han dynasty would be truly uncertain.

Therefore, Liu Rong firmly believed that the late emperor's implementation of the "Policy to Reduce the Power of the Feudal States" was a good move!
By employing the "Policy of Reducing the Feudal Powers," the late emperor forced Liu Bi to choose between "admitting defeat with a stiff nose" and "taking a desperate gamble when there was little certainty of victory"—a choice that was exceptionally wise.

Even the late emperor was helpless!
Especially considering the scale of the Rebellion of the Seven States after the outbreak of the rebellion, the Han dynasty had already reached that point before the rebellion even began.

Alternatively, policy measures could be used to eliminate the henchmen of the imperial clansmen and feudal lords.

Either they force the powerful clansmen of the Guandong region to rebel, and then resort to bayonet charges and bloody suppression.

The "Policy on Reducing the Feudal Domains" can be described as killing two birds with one stone, directly presenting these two choices to the feudal lords and relatives of the Kanto region.

As for the actual situation—Liu Rong had also hesitated slightly: At that time, Emperor Taizong had only been dead for a few years, was the late emperor being too hasty?
But in hindsight, the late emperor was not in a hurry at all.

—It's a matter of life and death!

—For late-game heroes, the longer the game drags on, the more advantageous it is for the enemy. Why not just cut the Gordian knot?
From this perspective, the national benefits brought to the Han Dynasty by the late emperor's implementation of the "Policy of Reducing the Feudal Powers" are obvious.

Given that the longer it drags on, the more detrimental it will be to the central government in Chang'an, we should ignite the almost inevitable Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms of Wu and Chu ahead of time!
While cutting off the powerful and unruly relatives and lords, the resentment in the hearts of the various relatives and lords in Guandong, who felt that Emperor Taizong had "sat in the palace of Jinyang, and the throne fell from the sky," was also dispelled.

As for the late emperor himself, there's no need to mention it.

Prince Liu Xian of Wu!

Among the many stains in the late emperor's life, the death of Prince Liu Xian of Wu was undoubtedly the most painful thorn in his side.

If it weren't for the Rebellion of the Seven States, the late emperor's political prestige during his reign, and even his posthumous honors, might have been indelibly affected by the stain of 'forcing the death of Wu's Crown Prince Liu Xian'.

Leaving aside those far away—let's just talk about the officials and nobles who served in the same court as the late emperor!

Who isn't afraid?!
He would grab a chessboard at the slightest provocation, crack his own cousin's skull open, and even kill him!

Who would dare work with such a ruthless person who is unpredictable and would kill relatives for losing a game of chess?
Even if they were forced to work together, who would dare to voice dissent, who would dare to offer honest advice?
All of this ceased to be a problem after the "Policy of Reducing the Feudal States" triggered the Rebellion of the Seven States of Wu and Chu, which was subsequently quelled.

Before that, in the eyes of the people, especially the court officials, the late emperor was a madman who was capricious and would kill his relatives with a chessboard at the slightest disagreement!
However, after the Rebellion of the Seven States was quelled, the late emperor had a reason to defend himself.

—I have long seen that Prince Liu Xian of Wu has a rebellious streak and is not a subject; he will rebel sooner or later!
—Look at this!
—Didn't his father, Liu Bi, rebel?!

Like father, like son!
—If Prince Liu Xian of Wu were alive, he would surely be a second Liu Bi!
—At the very least, he was Liu Bi's right-hand man during his rebellion!

This statement, while somewhat putting the cart before the horse and suggesting a cause-and-effect relationship, is ultimately just a "suspicion," meaning a doubt or possibility.

It's better than before, when the late emperor couldn't wash away the accusation of 'harming the imperial clan,' especially since it involved such violent methods and such inexplicable reasons.

Furthermore, during the Rebellion of the Seven States of Wu and Chu, there were quite a few Qi states that participated in the rebellion, as well as the Qi-affiliated and Huainan-affiliated states that were either "quasi-rebellions" or "attempted rebellions." They joined the rebellion in the form of "fathers and sons fighting side by side."

These cases of kings rebelling and the crown prince following them can also provide vivid examples and evidence for the late emperor.

Therefore, although the "Policy to Reduce the Power of the Feudal States" was detrimental to national stability, it could bring benefits to both the country and the late emperor, and thus it was able to gain the late emperor's approval.

In other words, in the eyes of the late emperor, whether something could be done or should be avoided depended on whether it would harm the following three points.

Article 1: National stability.

Article 2: National Interests.

Article 3: The late emperor's personal interests.

Among them, the first factor is the primary factor, while the second and third factors are secondary factors in parallel.

Under such circumstances, Liu Rong's relationship with the late emperor was actually quite relaxed.

Because in these aspects, Liu Rong and the late emperor shared the same interests and goals.

Both father and son need the stability of the ancestral temple and the state, and they will both spontaneously safeguard the national interests of the Han dynasty.

As for the late emperor's personal interests—the late emperor would fight for them himself, and Liu Rong would also fight for them in order to please the late emperor.

This meant that there was no problem for Liu Rong to be honest with the late emperor at that time.

—Because in the eyes of the late emperor, Liu Rong had no ill intentions!
They did things for the sake of the ancestral temple, the state, and their emperor father;

Even becoming the crown prince was for the sake of the stability of the ancestral temple and the state.

But the situation was different when it came to Empress Dowager Dou.

If we say that the late emperor's stance was that national stability came first, and national interests and his own personal interests came second;
Liu Rong's stance is that national stability and national interests come first, while his own personal interests come second.

Empress Dowager Dou's stance was: national stability and the legacy of Emperor Taizong should take precedence.

Personal interests and the interests of the Dou family are secondary.

National interests come last...

(End of this chapter)