My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 568 Psychological Compensation Mechanism
First of all, Liu Rong obviously could not repeat the mistakes made by Emperor Wu of Han in the original history.

Liu Rong was not a materialistic person to begin with.

In other words, Liu Rong's material desires were not beyond the understanding and cognition of normal people.

Take a meal as an example.

Liu Rong could accept eating rice porridge; at most, it just tasted bland.
Liu Rong would be satisfied if he could have a hearty meal with a good balance of meat and vegetables and delicious taste.

If Liu Rong could eat rare and scarce ingredients and have his taste buds greatly satisfied, he would indeed be happy.

Even rare and unusual ingredients, or luxurious cooking methods—as long as the taste of the dish justifies the complicated procedures and extravagant costs, Liu Rong is also willing to accept them.

It's worth the price.

But no matter what, Liu Rong would never be able to cook a meal that would allow the Imperial Kitchen to serve him hundreds of delicacies, and then he would only eat a bite of each dish, or even nothing at all.

For example, a piece of clothing.

A rough rag—Liu Rong probably wouldn't want to wear it after all these years of the emperor sitting down.

However, Liu Rong could also wear ordinary fabrics that wouldn't cause noticeable itching.

Of course, if possible, Liu Rong still prefers to wear Shu brocade, which is made of fine materials and is extremely comfortable to wear.

But that's all there is to it.

In any case, Liu Rong would never spend far more than the scope of 'clothing' on a single garment.

To put it bluntly, Liu Rong's material desires, if placed in later generations, would probably be: if he could drive a Xiali, he could also drive a Santana.

I'm open to looking at used cars priced at 7,000 or 8,000 yuan, and I don't mind smaller brands priced at 30,000 to 50,000 yuan.
A new car worth tens of thousands of yuan would make Liu Rong happy, but a near-luxury car worth hundreds of thousands of yuan would make him even happier.

Luxury cars costing millions, or even tens of millions—as long as they are worth the price, Liu Rong also yearns for them.

But if you were to suggest that Liu Rong spend a few small sums of money to buy a pure gold Rolex, purely for the purpose of showing off, then Liu Rong would politely decline.

In reality, Liu Rong's materialistic state was roughly as follows: he could eat a bowl of rice porridge that cost less than one cent, or a boiled fish dish that cost twenty cents.

I can eat a rib that costs over a hundred yuan, but I also hope to eat caviar or something that costs thousands of yuan.

If the raw materials are indeed scarce and the cooking methods are indeed complicated and necessary, Liu Rong wouldn't mind spending tens of thousands of yuan to enjoy a feast that would make his taste buds dance.

But what if you were to say that Liu Rong spent millions of dollars on every meal, filling half of the Xuan Shi Hall with his plate, and then, like a chick pecking at rice, taking a bite from this and a bite from that, and finally throwing away the rest?

All Liu Rong could say was: Young man, you're in danger!

You're so glad that the Han Dynasty doesn't have streetlights!

For ordinary people, Liu Rong's material desires have clearly far exceeded the red line of "extravagance".

However, considering that Liu Rong was the emperor, the ruler of heaven and earth who possessed all things, his desires were at most 'not exactly simple'.

Aside from these desires—whether it's eating delicious food or wearing comfortable clothes—Liu Rong has almost no other material desires.

Clothing, food, housing, and transportation—clothing, brocade is sufficient;

As long as it smells good, that's fine;
Living here—what more can be said about living in such a huge palace?

Alright—whenever you leave the palace, you'll be greeted by a yellow canopy and a left-hand banner. There's only one like it in the world. It's as spacious and comfortable as you could ever want. What more could you ask for?

As for the things that men think about and do in their crotches, there's no need to say more.

I've heard of feudal emperors being dim-witted, but I've never heard of ancient emperors lacking women.

To be honest, Liu Rong couldn't quite understand Emperor Wu of Han's extravagant lifestyle, such as building the Jianzhang Palace outside Chang'an and turning the Shanglin Garden into a back garden.

Why bother?
—Isn't Weiyang Palace enough to house everyone?

Why did you have to build the Jianzhang Palace to show how capable Emperor Wu of Han was?
Or do you think that Weiyang Palace belongs to the 'Han Emperor', while Jianzhang Palace belongs exclusively to you, Emperor Liu Che?
That's all.

After all, Emperor Wu of Han's construction of Jianzhang Palace was simply a wasteful act of spending money recklessly and engaging in large-scale construction, and there was nothing to criticize about it.

In the words of later generations, this was at most a pointless and futile effort, having no effect on the ancestral temples and the state, but it wouldn't be considered to have any negative side effects.

But to renovate Shanglin Garden would be to seriously undermine the foundation of the nation, or even to undermine the ancestral temples and the very foundation of the state.

The most important question is: why bother?

why?

The Shanglin Garden, a beautiful place, quietly served as a guardian stone for the Han dynasty's national destiny, playing a positive role in the ancestral temple and the state.

Why do we have to go and make a mess of things?
Even if they wanted to enjoy themselves and put on a show, they didn't have to cut the Han family's lifeline so precisely, did they?
So the Han dynasty wasn't the Han dynasty of your Emperor Liu Che?

Even if it costs some money?
—Even in other places, could we build a royal garden of the same scale as Shanglin Garden from scratch, just for Emperor Liu Che to play in?

That way, at least it's just squandering money, not cutting off your own lifeline...

Completely baffled, Liu Rong could only come up with one possible explanation, which might not be accurate, but was the only one.

—Spiritual emptiness.

When people are in a state of spiritual emptiness, they are likely to do many unnecessary things, but these are things that can give them psychological comfort.

For example, people who have experienced prolonged hunger in their childhood often instinctively hoard food when they grow up.

Does it make sense?

Pointless.

By the time this person grows up, no one in China will starve to death, and there will be no need to hoard food.

Even this person himself was very clear: times have changed, the world has changed, and people will no longer starve to death.

Even knowing this, this person would still instinctively hoard food.

Only in this way can a person feel at peace and suppress the painful memories brought about by that childhood period.

For example, a person who was once destitute and extremely lacking in material possessions may develop a desire for revenge through excessive spending after achieving success.

Even though he lives alone and one car would be enough, he insists on buying several to drive in rotation.

He could easily live in one apartment, or even a villa, but he insists on hoarding a whole box of property deeds.

The reason for this is nothing more than the well-known saying that everyone knows: they were terrified of poverty.

Fearing that this immense wealth was just a dream, they wanted to take this dream to its absolute limit, within the bounds of their imagination.

Such people and such a mentality are what people call: nouveau riche, nouveau riche mentality.

You can't say he's wrong; you can only say it's a normal psychological phenomenon.

In Liu Rong's view, Emperor Wu of Han's "revenge spending," unrestrained extravagance, and excessive luxury beyond reasonable limits were all due to a similar mentality.

Liu Rong recalls that this kind of psychology has a professional term, roughly something like 'psychological compensation mechanism'.

In other words, the more someone lacks something, the more they flaunt it. When they have no money, they pretend to be rich; when they fail, they pretend to be successful.

Once you have money and success, will you stop pretending?

No.

—When you're broke, pretend you're rich; when you're rich, pretend you're very rich.

—When you fail, pretend you succeed; when you succeed, pretend you succeed even more.

Because I once lacked this thing, I am extremely concerned and mindful of whether others perceive me as lacking it.

Pretending to be rich when you're broke, because you're afraid others will know you're poor;

After having money, they became even more afraid that others wouldn't know they were rich.

Those who pretend to succeed after failing are afraid that others will know they failed.
After achieving success, they were afraid that others wouldn't know they had succeeded.

This psychological compensation mechanism often appears in people who have experienced great ups and downs in life and whose values ​​are not mature or healthy enough.

Clearly, Emperor Wu of Han in history was such a person.

—From the tenth son of a concubine to the artificial eldest son of the emperor and the crown prince, the difference in status is extraordinary.

As the tenth son of Emperor Jing, who was born out of wedlock, Liu Che theoretically had no chance of inheriting the Han throne.

Even if the eldest brother Liu Rong is crippled, there are still the second brother Liu De and the third brother Liu Yu;
Even if the three sons of Consort Li in history and Empress Dowager Li in the present are excluded, Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, still had a total of six older brothers before him.

Moreover, as the tenth son of Emperor Xiaojing, Liu Che's age was significantly different from that of his nine older brothers.

Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, was born in the seventh year of the reign of Emperor Taizong Xiaowen, which was basically the same time as Emperor Xiaojing ascended the throne.

At that time, the eldest son of the emperor, Liu Rong, was already over fifteen years old.

Three years later, Emperor Wu of Han was three years old, while his elder brother Liu Rong was already eighteen.

Liu Fei, the fifth brother who had been appointed to lead the expedition to quell the Rebellion of the Seven States of Wu and Chu, was also already fifteen years old.

The eldest brother, Liu Rong, and the fifth brother, Liu Fei, were only three years apart in age;
And from his fifth brother Liu Fei to his ninth brother Liu Sheng, who was only 'a little older' than him, there was only a three or four-year age difference.

In other words, in the original history, when Emperor Wu of Han was seven years old and was appointed Crown Prince by Emperor Jing of Han, his eldest son Liu Rong was already twenty-two years old.

Among the brothers, Liu Sheng, the ninth prince who ranked only before Emperor Wu of Han, was also over fifteen years old.

Seven years old and fifteen years old are different.

Especially within the imperial family—especially in the Han dynasty today—these two-year-old crown princes evoke different levels of speculation both within and outside the court, and even among the people of the world.

When people think of a seven-year-old crown prince, they only think of the former young emperor Liu Gong and the later young emperor Liu Hong.

He's so old he can barely hold his pee, and he's still acting like a prince...

But when people think of the age of fifteen, they think of Emperor Xiaohui, who also ascended the throne at the age of fifteen.

—Although they haven't reached adulthood yet, it's not a few years apart, they can just wait it out.

In fact, it does.

A fifteen-year-old crown prince, or even the emperor, will only be described as: he is temporarily unable to assume power and rule personally, but only temporarily;

In a few years, when I get older, everything will be back on track.

But at seven years old, it's not a matter of 'waiting a few years' anymore.

Thirteen years!
During Empress Lü's reign, thirteen years was enough time for her to depose and kill at least three young emperors...

In other words, in the original history, Emperor Xiaojing originally had a more secure option.

—From the 22-year-old eldest prince Liu Rong to the 15-year-old ninth prince Liu Sheng, they were all suitable choices.

Especially considering that in history, Emperor Xiaojing stubbornly held on and reigned for a full sixteen years;
Even if Liu Sheng, the ninth son of the emperor, were made crown prince, he would still be twenty-four years old by the time Emperor Xiaojing passed away.

In an era where men were betrothed in their early teens, married and had children at thirteen or fourteen, and began paying taxes and serving in the military at seventeen, or even joining the army to make a name for themselves, twenty-four was already a very mature age.

However, Emperor Jing of Han in history ultimately chose his tenth son, Liu Che, who was significantly younger than his nine older brothers, from among his dozen or so sons.

Such a dramatic shift—from what was theoretically impossible, to what was never going to happen, to the eventual triumph—must have caused Emperor Wu of Han immense emotional turmoil.

At the same time, Emperor Wu of Han was undoubtedly insecure about his status as a son born out of wedlock or a son created to be the legitimate heir, coupled with the fact that he did not meet either the criteria of establishing the legitimate heir or the eldest son.

In addition, he was named crown prince at the age of seven, and was forced to be crowned at the age of sixteen by Emperor Xiaojing on his deathbed;

Just as he was about to get down to business after assuming power, the failed Jianyuan New Deal dealt him a heavy blow.

All these factors combined made Emperor Wu of Han urgently need to prove himself.

Prove what?
— This proves that Emperor Xiaojing made the right choice.

He proved himself to be the most suitable among Emperor Xiaojing's sons to inherit the throne.

How can we prove it?

If he had power and the necessary conditions, Emperor Wu of Han might have followed the example of later emperors like Emperor Taizong of Tang (Li Shimin) and Emperor Taizong of Ming (Zhu Di) – letting his achievements speak for themselves.

Li Shimin: You say I murdered my brother, imprisoned my father, and usurped the throne?

Alright, then I'll show you what it means to be the Heavenly Khan!

Zhu Di: You say I rebelled and seized the throne from my nephew?

Okay, then I'll become the Yongle Emperor and show you!
In order to prove themselves as competent emperors, these two Taizong emperors devoted almost their entire lives to striving for more achievements.

But Emperor Wu of Han made a different choice.

Liu Che: You say I am neither the eldest son nor the heir, and that my ascension to the throne is illegitimate?
They said that my new policies during the reign of Emperor Jianyuan had created chaos in the court, but Empress Dowager Dou brought me back to reality with a single blow.

To say I'm unworthy to be emperor is just a lie; I only won the throne by my mother whispering in the late emperor's ear.

it is good!
Then I'll...!
I'll build a Jianzhang Palace for you to see...

Let me show you Shanglin Garden...

Extravagant pleasures, touring the world, performing the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai...

Look at this, look at this!

Isn't it impressive?!

Isn't it magnificent?!
That's a big spender, isn't it?!
With such lavish spending and such extravagant lifestyle, doesn't this prove my imperial demeanor?
It can only be said that children from poor families mature early, but once they become wealthy, they will inevitably develop some psychological flaws.

For example, Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty, was a hostage in the State of Zhao when he was young. He faced many dangers and his personality became somewhat ruthless and sinister.

For example, Emperor Wu of Han was born into an improper family and did not have any outstanding achievements in civil administration and military affairs in the early years of his reign.
It's like a rich kid who hasn't shown any talent or achieved anything yet, and can only flaunt his difference through luxury cars, mansions, beautiful women, and expensive watches.

(End of this chapter)