My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 564 The reaction will be huge.

Cao Shi is gone.

Before leaving, he repeatedly apologized to Liu Rong.

The reason for the offense seems normal—such a trivial matter should not have troubled Your Majesty.

But both the emperor and his minister knew in their hearts that this was neither a trivial matter nor something that Liu Rong could ignore.

As for Cao Shi's actions to demonstrate the Pingyang Marquis family's specific plan of "being primarily relatives of the emperor," Liu Rong already understood.

—The most important matters of state are war and sacrifice.

The literal meaning of this sentence is that matters of state are limited to conquest and sacrifice.

Digging deeper, the three characters '戎与祀' will reveal an additional layer of meaning: 'national strategy and sacrificial rites'.

While this statement may not apply to all stages of human civilization, or even entirely to the Han Dynasty today, some of its principles are valid.

In other words, the attitude and stance of an individual or a group of people on a certain matter are most easily discerned in these two situations.

Firstly, it is the inclination on national strategic issues, or the choice made during times of national crisis;

Secondly, it refers to the ritual and legal systems adopted during major political events.

For example, before the Rebellion of the Seven States broke out, King Liu Bi of Wu had not paid homage to Chang'an or shown respect to Chang'an for decades.

This is what is meant by "not adhering to the etiquette of feudal lords," clearly revealing his stance of "not being content to remain a feudal lord."

During the same period, the various feudal lords of the Qi and Huainan factions outwardly complied with the edicts of Chang'an but inwardly defied them, which also meant that they no longer recognized the emperor of Chang'an as their sovereign.

An even more typical example: Zhao Tuo, the King of Nanyue!
Without even mentioning anything else, the mere sight of that yellow canopy and left-hand banner directly points to Zhao Tuo's 'usurpation of imperial etiquette,' making his ambition to become emperor blatantly obvious.

Looking back in hindsight, these traitors, or those who almost became traitors and destabilizing factors, had already revealed their disrespect for etiquette and the system of propriety long before.

Conversely, the Chang'an court could observe and judge whether the meritorious nobles and officials were loyal ministers based on their performance in terms of etiquette and law.

For example, during the reign of the late emperor, after the rebellion of the Seven States of Wu and Chu was quelled, Zhou Yafu, the Marquis of Tiao, who was appointed prime minister, repeatedly behaved improperly in front of the late emperor. This meant that although he had no intention of rebelling, his disrespect for the emperor was beyond doubt.

More directly, when the late emperor passed away, Liu Rong immediately offered sacrifices at the ancestral temple and received the homage of all the officials in the Xuan Shi Hall!

Why are you in such a hurry?
The late emperor's body is barely cold, and in a physical sense at that. Why are the court officials so eager to pay homage to the new emperor?

Or rather, why is Liu Rong so eager to accept the homage of all the officials?

If the name is not correct, then the words will not be proper.

If the distinction between ruler and subject is not established immediately, everything that follows will become extremely troublesome and chaotic.

Only by confirming Liu Rong's status as "Son of Heaven" immediately can subsequent matters be handled by Emperor Liu Rong leading the court officials.

This, too, is part of the system of etiquette and law.

Liu Rong's willingness to accept the homage immediately demonstrates his willingness to shoulder the heavy responsibility of the Han dynasty. If he were to refuse, he would inevitably be suspected of being "unfit for important tasks."
If court officials were willing to pay homage to Liu Rong immediately, it would mean that everyone was willing to be loyal to Liu Rong, to regard Liu Rong as their ruler, and to obey Liu Rong's orders.

Although this may not actually be the case—people may not actually listen to Liu Rong in everything—at least this gesture and this intention are put into practice.

Today, Cao Shi's plan to solidify his family's status as a "partial maternal relative" rather than a "partial meritorious marquis" also starts from the level of etiquette and legal system.

The Jitian Ceremony was a major political event held at the beginning of spring, in which Liu Rong, along with all the civil and military officials, went to the Altar of the Land and Grain in the southern suburbs of Chang'an to personally open the Jitian field, in order to encourage farming throughout the land.

The Silkworm Ceremony, held at the same time in the Jiaofang Hall of Weiyang Palace, was a complementary activity in which Empress Cao Shu, along with officials and their families, personally peeled cocoons and unspun silk to encourage women throughout the land to be diligent in sewing.

In both of these rectification campaigns, from the emperor down to the officials in charge of rites, there were strict standards corresponding to their respective positions.

For example, when personally opening the arable land, the number of steps and distance taken to pull the plow, and who takes over after unloading the plow, all correspond to the identities of the participants.

The roles of the emperor, the prime minister, the three dukes and nine ministers, and the meritorious marquises and noble relatives were all precisely defined.

The same applies to the silkworm-raising ceremony—the number of cocoons to be peeled and the amount of silk to be drawn are all determined first by the Empress, and then according to the status and position of the female relatives and their families, there are corresponding precise regulations.

When the emperor personally plowed the imperial field, Emperor Taizong Xiaowen could disregard etiquette and finish plowing half of the field in one go. This was because of the high prestige of the living sage, and no one dared to challenge Emperor Taizong's etiquette.
The late emperor personally plowed the imperial field, sometimes more and sometimes less depending on his mood. This earned him the nickname "Chessboard Hero," which intimidated the court and the public. Similarly, no one dared to offend Emperor Xiaojing, whose mind was smaller than a pinhole.

But if it were Liu Rong—at least the current Liu Rong—he wouldn't dare do anything that violated the rules and regulations during the Jitian ceremony.

Similarly, high-ranking officials, nobles, and their families also dared not do anything inconsistent with their status during the Jitian Ceremony and the Qinsong Ceremony.

As mentioned earlier, in the hierarchy of contempt among civil officials, military generals, meritorious marquises, and noble relatives, meritorious marquises are the highest, followed by military generals, then civil officials, and lastly, imperial relatives.

This is not just a rumor or a convention, but has a basis in reality.

Besides the channels through which these four types of people acquired their status and position, the most significant manifestation of this was the treatment and standards they enjoyed during major political events such as the Jitian Ceremony and the Qinsong Ceremony.

For example, the Jitian ceremony.

According to the "Han Rites" formulated by Shusun Tong for the Han dynasty, the emperor personally opened the imperial field, using a red brocade plow to pull the plow, walking nine steps before stopping, and then the prime minister would take over.

The prime minister used purple silk to pull the plow—he walked seven steps, and the marquis followed in his footsteps;
Both were wearing purple silk and pulling plows—they took six steps, followed by the Imperial Censor and the Nine Ministers in turn.

The Imperial Censor and the Nine Ministers, wearing blue belts, pulled the plow—walking five steps, followed by civil and military officials of two thousand shi (a unit of grain).

The civil and military officials, each holding a rank of two thousand shi, wore yellow belts and pulled the plow, taking four steps, followed by nobles and relatives.

The nobleman, dressed in white silk, pulled the plow and took three steps.

If a member of the imperial family is in court, or if a prince wishes to participate in the Jitian ceremony, he will pull the plow with a hemp rope and walk two steps.

The silkworm-raising ceremony presided over by the Empress in the Jiaofang Palace was basically a similar situation;
The understanding of the various identities in the Jitian Ceremony also corresponds to the order of the identities of the female relatives in the Qinsong Ceremony.

Within this system of rites and laws, the vast difference between "meritorious marquises" and "relatives of the empress" is clearly evident.

—In the Jitian ceremony, the emperor was the most honored, followed by the prime minister, and the third was the Marquis of Merit!
As for maternal relatives, they were theoretically ranked last, with a status only higher than non-princely members of the imperial family residing in the capital and princes who had not yet been granted the title of king.

Between the two, there were not only two of the Three Dukes (excluding the Chancellor) and the Nine Ministers, including the Grand Censor, but also all the civil and military officials of the rank of 2,000 shi (a unit of grain measurement) in the court.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Marquis of Gong's status in the Han Dynasty was second only to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, as well as the Chancellor, who was second only to the Emperor.

As for maternal relatives, they were only theoretically superior to retired imperial relatives, but in reality they might not even be as good as retired imperial relatives—after all, they were surnamed Liu.

Having understood these points, it's not hard to see the extent of the sacrifices made by the Pingyang Marquis family when they expressed their willingness to be related to the Cao clan as maternal relatives rather than the Cao clan of the Pingyang Marquis family, and their serious actions.

—The once glorious and prestigious Cao family of Pingyang will now become the insignificant Cao family of maternal relatives, whom no one would deign to associate with!

Originally, he could have been the most meritorious marquis in all kinds of political occasions without any controversy. From now on, he will have to fall to the bottom, and may not even be qualified to participate in the activities!

Most importantly, with the families of Marquis Zan and Marquis Liu having been stripped of their fiefdoms and yet to be reinstated, the family of Marquis Pingyang was undoubtedly the leading force among the founding meritorious marquises!

Now, the Pingyang Marquis family has not only given up its leading position, but has even withdrawn from this group with unparalleled glory, and instead joined forces with the 'favored and treacherous' Dou and Li families.

Among them, it is highly likely that Lady Dou was unwilling to get too close to the Cao family, who were related to the imperial family.
Although the Li family was clearly inferior to the Pingyang Marquis family, it is very likely that because the Li family was the Empress Dowager's family and the Cao family was the Empress's family, the Li family put on an air of being an experienced elder in front of the Cao family.

Such a stark contrast is enough to make one feel inexplicably depressed, let alone the fact that the Pingyang Marquis family will have to personally experience all of this in the future.

—It is no exaggeration to say that Cao Shi's statement alone was enough to make Liu Rong extremely satisfied!

If he wanted, Liu Rong could have easily said, "Having the intention is enough; there's no need to actually do it." But in the end, Liu Rong suppressed the impulse and ambiguously told Cao Shi to go back and think it over again.

While it was said that he was considering it, the real purpose was to make Cao Shi firm up, instead of making him look hesitant and as if someone was forcing him.

no way.

If you want to wear a crown, you must bear its weight.

Since they have gained the immense benefit of having both the eldest son of the emperor and the eldest son of the legitimate wife having Cao family blood, they should bear the corresponding attacks and risks.

Or perhaps, as it is now, we have to sacrifice or give up something to avoid these attacks and risks.

Although there are many priceless things in the world, in fact—at least in the political arena—everything can be put on a price tag.

For the Cao family of Pingyang Marquis today, the question is simply: how much price must be paid to securely acquire the bundled goods known as the "eldest son of the emperor" and the "eldest legitimate son of the emperor," and transform them into a talisman for the family's future, or rather, a stream of continuous profits?

Liu Rong was only instinctively curious about how to do it, but was unwilling to interfere too much.

As Liu Rong reigned for longer, he began to exhibit the bad habits that had only appeared in certain leaders in his previous life.

—Don't ask about the process, just the result.

As long as the result is satisfactory, Liu Rong is willing to step in and resolve any problems that arise during the process, as long as they are not too serious.

Conversely, if the result is unsatisfactory, no matter how perfect the process is, no matter how much effort was put in, or how much was "burned out," Liu Rong is still not very willing to accept it.

In this specific instance, the Pingyang Marquis family's act of "self-degradation to preserve themselves" is the same.

Liu Rong neither wanted to nor would get involved in the process.

We're just waiting for the final result.

If it worked out, Liu Rong was pleased and from then on, he treated Cao as his true and pure maternal relatives.

Conversely, Liu Rong did not mind changing his original plan at all—whether it was deposing the empress and establishing a new one, or making Cao Shu the second Empress Bo, Liu Rong had no psychological burden.

In fact, Liu Rong was even somewhat hoping that Cao Shi would mess things up, so that he could find an excuse to depose the empress and establish a new one!

After all~
cough cough...

The most lavish dowry in history—even for a time traveler like Liu Rong, it would be hard not to be tempted…

"What do you think, Qing?"

"Is the Cao family trustworthy?"

Reclining lazily on the imperial couch, Liu Rong uttered a soft 'whisper' without changing his expression or glancing to the side. As a result, Zhou Ren's figure emerged from the curtains diagonally behind the imperial couch.

Zhou Ren then deftly cupped his hands, but did not rush to answer. Instead, he pondered for a long time.

In the end, Zhou Ren gave an irrelevant answer: "The two empress dowagers of the Eastern Palace may not want to see this scene."

"It will be difficult for the Dou and Li families to coexist peacefully with the Cao family."

Zhou Ren gave an irrelevant answer, but Liu Rong showed no sign of surprise.

He took a deep breath and let out a long sigh, somewhat wistfully.

Looking up at the sky outside the palace gate, his gaze was deep, and he sighed, "Sooner or later, this day would come."

"Inevitable, sooner or later."

"—Early is good too~"

"The sooner we make a scene and get it over with, the sooner I can free up time to attend to other matters."

...

"I don't have much time left~"

"I have too many things to do, and time is simply not enough..."

After he finished speaking, a long silence fell over the Xuan Shi Hall.

After an unknown amount of time, Liu Rong finally spoke again.

"Is everything going smoothly at Shanglin Garden?"

Zhou Ren frowned and nodded: "Nothing much is wrong."

"But recently, officials inside and outside the court, as well as spies from the Eastern Palace, have been going to Shanglin more and more frequently and getting closer and closer to Bowang Garden."

"The Crown Prince's Palace is easy to deal with—the two empress dowagers are not outsiders, so they know it."

"However, both inside and outside the court, there are countless people who harbor ulterior motives and seek their own interests."

...

"If it's just for personal gain, then it's fine."

"What I fear most is the presence of the Xiongnu, or spies from Lingnan..."

Upon hearing this, Liu Rong's eyes sharpened, but he remained silent for a long time.

After a long while, Liu Rong slowly closed his eyes, lay flat on the imperial couch, and waved to Zhou Ren.

"It's better to guide than to block."

"Find out who they are, send people to Bowang Garden to inquire, and then send the list to the Empress Dowager so that she can give them a good tug on the ear."

"And then there's Lord Guantao—we can be stricter with him, even if it means taking his life."

“In recent years, my aunt Guantao has become increasingly arrogant and disdainful of others.”

...

"Have Kurikura put more effort into things at Shanglin Garden."

"This matter is of great importance and must be handled with utmost care."

After saying that, Liu Rong turned to the side, completely disregarding whether Zhou Ren had left or not.

In a daze, Liu Rong's thoughts had already flown far away.

—Shanglin Bowang Garden has been transformed from Liu Rong's private garden as the crown prince into the most important and highly confidential military industrial base of the Han Dynasty.

Liu Rong did not allow anyone to touch or even spy on anything within Bowangyuan.

Liu Rong had no choice but to try his best to keep it a secret from the two empress dowagers in the Eastern Palace; if he couldn't hide it anymore, so be it.

But others don't have the right to let Liu Rong do as he pleases.

(End of this chapter)