My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 557 Let's do it!

Empress Dowager Dou neither agreed nor disagreed with Liu Rong's statement, but she was still somewhat satisfied.

At first glance, it seems that Empress Dowager Dou's wariness of the newborn eldest son was merely a precaution against Empress Cao Shu and the Cao family of Pingyang Marquis behind Cao Shu.

It's purely a contest between the old and new maternal relatives.

But in fact, there was another reason that could not be ignored for Empress Dowager Dou’s strange attitude.

—Primogeniture.

From a personal perspective, Empress Dowager Dou certainly did not want the new maternal relatives of the Han dynasty, the Cao family of the Marquis of Pingyang, to become the maternal relatives of both the eldest son of the emperor's concubine and the eldest son of the emperor's legitimate wife in the future.

From a purely altruistic perspective, Empress Dowager Dou instinctively wanted to uphold the primogeniture system of succession.

It's the same old topic again.

The Han dynasty has not had a legitimate eldest son who is in line to inherit the throne for a very long time.

If we exclude Emperor Jing, who was considered a "half-eldest son of the emperor," the last legitimate eldest son of a previous emperor in the Han dynasty to inherit the throne would be Emperor Hui, Liu Ying, the legitimate son of Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang.

It could even be said that Emperor Xiaohui, Liu Ying, was the only eldest son of the late emperor to inherit the throne in the Han dynasty since the founding of the dynasty by Emperor Gaozu.

After that, none of the emperors—the former young emperor Liu Gong, the latter young emperor Liu Hong, Emperor Taizong Liu Heng, Emperor Xiaojing Liu Qi, or even the current emperor Liu Rong—inherited the throne as the eldest son of the legitimate wife.

Later generations often say that if you tell a lie enough, the liar will start to believe it himself.

When more people listen to lies and believe them, the lies naturally become the truth.

The same applies to rules.

When too many people break the rules—especially when they break them repeatedly—those originally sacred and inviolable rules become mere castles in the air, meaningless.

Although Empress Dowager Dou was a woman, she also had academic credentials.

Nowadays, Huang Laoxue, who is not yet completely dead, is almost being kept on his last breath by Empress Dowager Dou.

There is even a consensus that the complete decline and withdrawal of Huang-Lao thought from the central government in Chang'an will be marked by the death of Empress Dowager Dou.

In the Huang-Lao school of thought, the importance of the word "order" is self-evident.

—The Huang-Lao school of thought advocates non-action, yet it accomplishes everything.

By combining this somewhat obscure philosophical idea with the current reality of the Han Dynasty, it is not difficult to arrive at a relatively simple interpretation.

In other words, governing by non-action does not mean that those in power or rulers do nothing and let the world grow wildly or be destroyed.

Instead, we should first establish a relatively healthy operating system, or a stable order, and then let the world develop naturally within this stable order.

It is euphemistically called: the way of nature.

In short, it means first drawing a framework, then 'keeping everyone under control', allowing everyone to indulge themselves within the framework, but never allowing them to break out of it.

Once the framework, that is, the system and order, is established, Huang-Lao philosophy will appear as a lazy approach of "governing by non-action".

But once the framework is broken, the system is destroyed, and the order becomes chaotic, then Huang-Lao philosophy will have to change completely, and its mantra will change from the original "governing by doing nothing" to "doing everything".

As the sole 'protector' of this peculiar school of thought, Empress Dowager Dou naturally possessed a profound understanding of Huang-Lao philosophy.

After all, it's been decades of accumulation; even if one's talent isn't great, they should have achieved something by now.

Therefore, in the eyes of Empress Dowager Dou, who favored Huang-Lao philosophy, the importance of the word "order" was also unparalleled.

Specifically regarding the primogeniture system, a core component of the social order in the feudal era, Empress Dowager Dou's attitude was exceptionally clear.

Whenever there's an opportunity, we must make it happen!

Unfortunately, starting with Emperor Taizong Xiaowen, who ascended the throne from Dai, the Han dynasty failed to adhere to the objective conditions of primogeniture in two consecutive imperial successions and transfers of power.

When Emperor Taizong ascended the throne, he offered sacrifices to his principal wife and all his legitimate sons.
Although Empress Dowager Dou was eventually promoted from concubine to empress, and Emperor Xiaojing was given the status of 'eldest son by the legitimate wife' in a de facto way, it was clear to everyone that the late emperor's status as Emperor Taizong's eldest son by the legitimate wife was purely artificial.

If this kind of operation is considered primogeniture, then there's no need to uphold primogeniture.

From now on, if the emperor wants to make a son the crown prince, he can simply elevate the mother of that son to the empress title, and that son will become a 'manufactured legitimate son' like the late emperor.

Emperor Wu of Han in history was able to become the crown prince and eventually inherit the throne by following the same procedure of Emperor Jing.

The tenth prince ascending the throne is outrageous.
However, as the eldest and only legitimate son of the tenth prince, there was no problem with him ascending the throne.

Let’s get back to the present.

Emperor Taizong's failure to establish his eldest son as heir was due to objective circumstances.
Moreover, Empress Dowager Dou and the late Emperor were both beneficiaries of that unfortunate incident, so Empress Dowager Dou couldn't say anything.

The late emperor and the current emperor Liu Rong also lacked the objective conditions to establish the eldest son of the legitimate wife.

—The late emperor had no legitimate son, nor could he have a legitimate son born to the late emperor's empress Bo.

If the conditions do not permit, then the only option is to settle for second best, since there is no legitimate heir to establish the eldest son, so the current Liu Rong is chosen.

However, in the case of Liu Rong today, there is no longer a situation where "objective conditions do not allow it" as in the time of Emperor Taizong or Emperor Xiaojing.

Empress Cao Shu was chosen after much deliberation, with the late emperor and Empress Dowager Dou both agreeing, and Liu Rong himself giving his approval.

Neither Cao Shu herself nor the Pingyang Marquis family behind her had any major concerns such as "not being able to become the maternal relatives of the crown prince" or "not being able to become the maternal relatives of the future empress dowager's family."

Under such circumstances, given that objective conditions allowed, Empress Dowager Dou naturally hoped that during Liu Rong's reign, the Han dynasty could return to the proper system of primogeniture.

The succession to the throne in the past, such as Emperor Taizong passing the throne to the previous emperor and the previous emperor passing it to Liu Rong, can be reasonably explained as: there was no legitimate heir to establish the eldest son, so this was the only option.

However, if the succession to the throne follows the second principle of "establishing the eldest son if there is no legitimate heir" for three consecutive times, then the first principle of "establishing the legitimate son if there is one" becomes dispensable.

—Anyway, the emperors of your Han dynasty could not produce a legitimate eldest son!
—What nonsense about 'establishing the legitimate heir'?
—Let's just change it to 'If there's a senior, then the senior will be appointed'!
Furthermore, one or two times could be considered a coincidence, but three times in a row, it's inevitable that people will gossip.

It's not surprising that the emperors of the Han dynasty deliberately avoided having their eldest sons.

I fear that some ill-intentioned people might fabricate prophecies such as "Heaven is punishing the Han people and will not allow the Han emperor to have a legitimate eldest son."

If that were to happen, Empress Dowager Dou would be in great distress.

Just imagine.

If one day, this saying spreads everywhere in the world and becomes the mainstream accepted view;

Doesn't that mean that, apart from Emperor Gaozu, who had an eldest son and made him the heir, every subsequent generation of the Han dynasty "offended Heaven"?

Don’t even say it!

If we take this as a premise and look back at the past fifty years of the Han Dynasty—truly, there are no prophecies in the world, only those who are willing to listen! Emperor Xiaohui, the second emperor of Han, died young without a legitimate son!
The former young emperor Liu Gong died young without an heir!
Emperor Shao, Liu Hong, died young without an heir!
Emperor Xiaowen of the Taizong Dynasty, Liu Heng, what kind of living saint, what kind of sage ruler for all ages—wasn't he just about to ascend the throne when Heaven took away his wife and all his legitimate sons?!

The late emperor was the same; he had more than a dozen sons, yet he couldn't get the empress to bear him a single child...

If you count them on your fingers, the one who "offended Heaven" to the most was actually Emperor Taizong Xiaowen!

After all, while others were simply unable to produce a legitimate son, Emperor Taizong had already produced one, but just as he was about to ascend the throne, Heaven took him and his wife away together, leaving none behind!
This is very scary!

As the saying goes: the higher you stand, the harder you fall.

The reason why praising someone to death works is because of this principle.

You say that Emperor Xiaohui 'offended Heaven,' which is why he didn't have a legitimate son?

It doesn't matter~
In any case, Emperor Xiaohui's flaws are not limited to not having a legitimate son.

Since Emperor Taizong, successive Han emperors have intentionally or unintentionally neglected Emperor Xiaohui when offering sacrifices to their ancestors.

They've even died out...

Even if another clause were added, 'He has offended Heaven and therefore has no legitimate son,' no one would care.

The late emperor was no less capable.

With the stigma of being a "chessboard hero" hanging over his head, even if he truly "offended the heavens," the world would only say: "Oh, I know."

Harming one's own family!
Heaven truly has eyes!
But Emperor Taizong Xiaowen was different.

As the fourth son of Emperor Gaozong, who succeeded to the throne from a collateral branch, Emperor Taizong's lineage was inherently suspected of having an illegitimate claim to the throne.

The reason why the Rebellion of the Seven States broke out—and why the Qi faction, the Huainan faction, and even the Wu, Chu, and Zhao states did not support Emperor Taizong's lineage—was largely because they felt that when the feudal lords and ministers jointly executed the Lü clan, each family originally had the opportunity to succeed to the throne.

The Qi faction, in particular, shamelessly believed that not only should the feudal lords and ministers jointly eliminate the Lü clan, but Liu Xiang, the second King of Qi, should also succeed to the throne.

Even when Emperor Gaozu died, the throne should have been inherited by Liu Fei, the eldest son of a concubine, who was the Prince of Qi Daohui!
This lack of respect and the unease of Emperor Taizong's lineage were actually quelled and resolved thanks to Emperor Taizong Xiaowen's reputation as a "living sage," the historically renowned reign of Emperors Wen and Jing, and the successful suppression of the Rebellion of the Seven States.

However, once Emperor Taizong Xiaowen is also identified by public opinion as a sinner who "offended Heaven and therefore had no legitimate son," then the already controversial and unstable lineage of Emperor Taizong will be severely impacted!

Having "offended Heaven," Emperor Taizong was no longer a saint in this world.

As the successor of Emperor Taizong, it was only natural that the late emperor would become a "chessboard warrior".

Even Liu Rong today would have his position shaken and his popularity damaged as a result.

The one who suffered the most was naturally Empress Dowager Dou.

—The late Emperor Liu Qi and the current Emperor Liu Rong, besides being the son and grandson of the living sage Emperor Taizong, also had their own merits.

The late emperor pacified Wu and Chu, and established peace in the Guandong region;
Although Liu Rong's northern expedition against the Xiongnu has not yet been successful, it has already shown signs of avenging past humiliations.

Even if they lose their fathers and grandfathers who were 'living saints' and become members of a 'family that has offended Heaven,' the former emperor and the current Liu Rong will only experience a downgrade in historical evaluation and a slight erosion of their status.

But everything Empress Dowager Dou had depended entirely on Emperor Taizong!
The reason why Empress Dowager Dou was able to become the "Eastern Emperor" in the eyes of the late emperor and the honorary emperor in the heart of the current Liu Rong was almost entirely due to her status as the "principal wife of Emperor Taizong and the wife of a living sage"!

Once Emperor Taizong ceased to be a living saint and instead became someone who had offended both Heaven and man, then Empress Dowager Dou would not only be the wife of a sinner, but also the mother of a sinner.

Even back then, when Emperor Taizong lost his first wife and all the legitimate sons born to her in a short period of time, it could be blamed on Empress Dowager Dou!

Rumors circulating among the people might even fabricate stories about Empress Dowager Dou and the late emperor, portraying them as a wicked mother and son who harmed the empress and the legitimate son for power and the throne!
Empress Dowager Dou will become a concubine who persecutes the principal wife;
The late Emperor Liu Qi would become the half-brother who harmed his elder brother.

And Liu Rong, now, will become the emperor whom this treacherous maternal clan unanimously agrees to and has jointly supported in placing on the throne...

"That's all~"

"I am old and my eyes can no longer see anything."

“There are some things I don’t need to explain too clearly; the emperor will understand.”

...

"The Cao family is not incapable of achieving prominence, but it is not something that can be rushed."

"The emperor no longer needs the assistance of his maternal clan, the Li clan, or his wife's clan, the Cao clan, in addition to his maternal clan."

"Marquis Bowang, Cheng Bushi, very good."

"Proceed step by step, and never fight a battle you are not confident of winning."

"Your Majesty, you might as well learn from him."

With these words, Empress Dowager Dou made her stance clear.

After Empress Dowager Dou finished speaking, Liu Rong raised his head with slight surprise and glanced at his mother, Empress Dowager Li, who was nodding and smiling at him beside the old empress dowager.

— Empress Dowager Dou's statement contained a lot of information!
In particular, Empress Dowager Dou showed an unprecedentedly friendly attitude towards the Li family, her maternal relatives…

"Was it Mother's own idea?"

"Or is there a master guiding you?"

Thinking this to himself, Liu Rong shook his head and smiled to himself, not giving it much thought.

As Empress Dowager Dou said: For Liu Rong now, the help from his maternal clan, the Li family, is already enough.

It might not even be necessary.

After all these years, Liu Rong had never expected his maternal relatives to provide him with any assistance.

Just don't cause trouble;
As long as you don't cause trouble, that's fine.

As for supporting his wife's family, the Cao clan, to consolidate his own position, it is completely unnecessary for Liu Rong at this point.

The trend of the 'Dou-Li alliance' implied in Empress Dowager Dou's words did not arouse any unusual emotions in Liu Rong.

No matter what, the Li family was, after all, Liu Rong's maternal clan.

The Li family's prominence, while not entirely without harm to Liu Rong, would certainly bring him numerous benefits.

As for the troubles and hidden dangers that the Li family might cause, Liu Rong, during his time as crown prince, might still have a headache.

But for Liu Rong now, his maternal relatives are not a big problem as long as they don't rebel.

—During the reign of the late emperor, the outrageousness of Princess Guantao, Liu Piao, was no less than that of Consort Li at the time!
Even if the Li family is outrageous now, they are still better than Liu Piao, the Princess of Guantao during the reign of the late emperor.

(End of this chapter)