My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 569 Learning from the Past: A Guide to the Future

Liu Rong did not think there was anything wrong with this mentality.

It can only be said that this is just like laziness, lust, or curiosity, revenge, or competitiveness—it's all perfectly normal human nature.

After a specific experience, psychological changes of this kind are highly likely to occur.

However, it must be mentioned that since these negative psychological changes are caused by specific life experiences, it means that these psychological changes can be avoided in advance through human intervention.

Take Liu Rong as an example.

Although he was not born of the legitimate wife, and no one fabricated his status as the legitimate son, he was still ranked as the eldest son of the late emperor.

In the rule of succession to the throne, where the eldest son is chosen if there is one legitimate heir, and the eldest son is chosen if there is no legitimate heir, the eldest son must be the one who is the eldest.

Furthermore, since the late emperor had no legitimate son, he naturally became the best choice within the rules.

With this title and moral high ground, Liu Rong would not take any extreme measures in order to "prove that he deserves the throne of the Han dynasty".

To put it more bluntly, as the rightful heir to the throne, Liu Rong did not need to prove himself.

Even if he achieved nothing in his entire life, Liu Rong would remain calm and would never feel uneasy because he was "unworthy of his position".

Because Liu Rong 'gained his position'.

Liu Rong's succession to the throne was a matter of course and was not influenced by his talent or achievements.

In contrast, Emperor Wu of Han in history did not have a righteous claim to the throne, so he naturally needed to make up for it in other ways.

In the later part of his reign, things were alright—he made up for it by relying on his legitimate military achievements and the title of "Emperor Wu of Han".

However, in the early years of his reign, especially after the Jianyuan New Policies were abolished by Empress Dowager Dou, and in the period between Empress Dowager Dou's death, Emperor Wu of Han could only prove himself and make up for his legal shortcomings by putting on a show.

Or, to put it another way, Liu Rong today and the two brothers, Emperor Wu of Han in history, are like two different types of rich kids.

Liu Rong was the son of the legal wife. Although his maternal clan could not provide him with any assistance, he was still born to the legal wife and had a legitimate lineage.

Liu Rong didn't have much of a psychological reaction to inheriting the family property—it was something that rightfully belonged to him, and he wouldn't be anxiously wondering what to do about it.
What mistake should I make to inherit the family fortune?

What mistakes should I make to avoid having my family property taken away by others?
None of this was something Liu Rong needed to consider.

All Liu Rong needed to do was to follow the established education for a 'successor' and inherit the family fortune.

After successfully inheriting the family fortune, Liu Rong didn't need to make any drastic moves. He just needed to maintain stability, smoothly complete the power transfer, and then lead the family business to continue its steady progress.

Emperor Wu of Han in history was like a wealthy man who had a mistress as his son, who then favored his concubine over his wife and made his mistress the legal wife, thus allowing the illegitimate son to inherit the family fortune.

His illegitimate birth and the presence of many older brothers made Emperor Wu of Han somewhat insecure.

Although Emperor Wu of Han himself made almost no effort in the struggle for the family property, it was precisely because of this that he felt even more insecure.

It's like a sum of money; if it's the reward for hard work, you'll always feel at ease spending it.

However, if it's a windfall, like winning the lottery, then amidst the excitement, one inevitably feels uncertain.

The same principle applies to the succession to the throne.

—A throne earned by oneself always gives one more confidence and allows for greater freedom of action.

But if someone else wins the throne for you, you will inevitably have doubts in your heart, and you will be hindered at every turn by the person who helped you win the throne, or even be turned into a puppet by them.

As is widely known, Emperor Wu of Han in history was able to inherit the throne only because his mother, Empress Wang Zhi, orchestrated the succession, cooperated with Princess Guantao Liu Piao, and gained the favor of Empress A Jiao and the approval of Empress Dowager Dou of the Eastern Palace.

It can be said that Emperor Wu of Han's throne was won through the combined efforts of Empress Dowager Dou, Princess Guantao Liu Piao, Empress A Jiao, and Wang Zhi.

As the saying goes: "He who eats another's food is bound to be indebted to him; he who takes another's

Since others helped you obtain the throne, you inevitably have to repay their kindness, and even prioritize using the throne they helped you obtain to benefit them.

However, in the original history, Emperor Wu of Han did not realize this at the beginning of his reign.

—His less-than-righteous birth made Emperor Wu of Han eager to prove himself;
He was made crown prince at the age of seven, and at the age of sixteen, Emperor Jing of Han, on his deathbed, forcibly brought him to adulthood, clearly intending for Emperor Wu of Han to assume personal rule immediately after his ascension to the throne. This inevitably made Emperor Wu of Han somewhat arrogant.

Thus, Empress Dowager Dou, Princess Guantao, Empress Ajiao, and Empress Wang Zhi were all forgotten by Emperor Wu of Han.

By implementing the new policies of the Jianyuan era, Emperor Wu of Han had offended Empress Dowager Dou to the core, and until her death, the real power of the Han dynasty never truly fell into the hands of Emperor Wu.

Furthermore, Empress Ajiao's performance of "Changmen Yuan" offended both Princess Guantao and Empress Ajiao, causing her to lose her biggest and most effective trump card in front of Empress Dowager Dou.

Even towards his mother, Empress Wang Zhi, Emperor Wu of Han was not exactly affectionate—he would frequently use phrases like "Don't be like the Dou family again" to reprimand and intimidate his mother.

After all this maneuvering, almost all four people who helped Emperor Wu of Han secure the throne were offended.

Having offended the very source of the throne and the rule of law, Emperor Wu of Han naturally lost the possibility of seizing power and achieving results to prove himself in the short term.

Desperate to prove themselves, they can only maintain their pitiful dignity by putting on a show and creating a public image.

The biggest difference between Liu Rong and Emperor Wu of Han in history lies precisely in this.

Liu Rong's throne was not won by others.

Undeniably, Empress Dowager Dou's initial approval and tacit consent, along with Princess Guantao Liu Piao's "non-interference," were key factors in Liu Rong's ability to inherit the throne.

However, it is only a key factor, not the decisive core factor.

What truly qualified Liu Rong to inherit the throne was his status as the eldest son of the emperor, which granted him legal legitimacy, as well as the recognition he received from the late Emperor Xiaojing for his own achievements.

As for Empress Dowager Dou and Princess Liu Piao of Guantao, while they made some contributions to Liu Rong's ascension to the throne, their contributions were limited to: not causing trouble or doing anything wrong.

Historically, Emperor Wu of Han was placed on the throne by Empress Dowager Dou, Princess Guantao, and others.
Without the help of these people, even if they didn't cause trouble or do anything wrong, Emperor Wu of Han would have had almost no chance of inheriting the throne.

This difference inevitably led Liu Rong and Emperor Wu of Han in history to present two different attitudes when facing these people.

When Liu Rong faced Empress Dowager Dou, he treated her with the utmost respect, as if she were an elder or the "Eastern Emperor." He also took good care of her Dou family relatives, adhering to the principle that cooperation would benefit both sides, while separation would harm both. Although he addressed her as "Grandmother" and "Grandson" repeatedly, in reality, the two communicated almost as equals.

—At least in terms of political identity, the grandfather and grandson are almost equal, except for the added layer of kinship and seniority.

Although Liu Rong was still slightly inferior to the Empress Dowager, he could still speak with his head held high, considering that Empress Lü had set a precedent for him.

As for Liu Piao, the master of Guantao, it goes without saying that Liu Rong was in a good mood and, out of consideration for Empress Dowager Dou, would call her "aunt" and chat with her for a few words with a forced smile.
If I'm in a bad mood, saying a few words to Liu Piao or criticizing her is no big deal.

Although the two women, aunt and niece, were of different ages in terms of kinship, in terms of politics, Emperor Liu Rong was the ruler and Princess Liu Piao was the subject.

In terms of kinship, Liu Piao was the greatest; in terms of ruler and subject, Liu Rong was the greatest.

Even with both, Liu Rong is still slightly larger.

In contrast, Emperor Wu of Han in history, when facing Empress Dowager Dou—the Grand Empress Dowager bowed slightly to the emperor, and the grandmother bowed even more to her grandson.
Furthermore, the throne was won by Empress Dowager Dou for Emperor Wu of Han, so she should be even more humble.

With all three factors combined, Emperor Wu of Han was completely overwhelmed by Empress Dowager Dou and could only speak while kneeling.

It was about the same when facing Liu Piao, the master of Guantao.

Although in terms of ruler and subject, she could surpass Liu Piao, the added layer of seniority as "mother-in-law and son-in-law," and the fact that she also owed Emperor Wu of Han a favor for "winning the throne for me," meant that Emperor Wu of Han still couldn't hold his head high when facing this aunt.

So much so that in history, when Empress Wei Zifu had only recently entered the palace, she was bullied and nearly tortured to death by Liu Piao, the "outsider" of the Guantao Palace, and Emperor Wu of Han did not dare to utter a word.

The reason for this is nothing more than the saying: "He who eats another's food is bound to be indebted to him; he who takes another's money is bound to be indebted to him."

Don't think you can use the throne to suppress others just because they earned it for you.

You must try your best to meet what others want, and you must try your best to avoid what they don't want to see.

If we fail to do so, for example, by introducing something like the Jianyuan New Policy, and anger others?

—Sending you to face the wall in the Imperial Ancestral Temple to reflect on your mistakes is too lenient!

If he hadn't married such a good wife, the deposition and installation of the emperor might have actually happened!
At this point, the most fundamental difference between Liu Rong and the historical Emperor Wu of Han becomes quite clear.

Liu Rong came from a "legitimate" background and obtained his position through legitimate means, which gave him confidence.

When facing Empress Dowager Dou and Princess Liu Piao of Guantao, Liu Rong still had to consider himself a junior, but he was ultimately able to use the emperor's power to protect his own interests, as well as the interests of the ancestral temple and the state.

However, Emperor Wu of Han in history was illegitimate in both his birth and ascension to the throne, so he had no real confidence.

When facing Empress Dowager Dou and Princess Liu Piao of Guantao, Emperor Wu of Han not only had to consider himself a junior, but even the only thing he could rely on, the status of the Son of Heaven, was earned for him by them.

Therefore, the notions of protecting one's own interests, or the interests of the ancestral temple and the state, were utter nonsense to Emperor Wu of Han in the early years of his reign.

—The only viable path for Emperor Wu of Han was to grant Empress Dowager Dou and Princess Liu Piao whatever they wanted, and then outlive them until they died.

In fact, Emperor Jing of Han's decision to depose Crown Prince Liu Rong and install Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, was also a move born out of necessity.

Even though Emperor Wu of Han later became known as Emperor Wu of Han, proving that Emperor Jing of Han's judgment was correct, he still had to admit that deposing Crown Prince Liu Rong was a helpless act that Emperor Jing of Han had no choice but to make.

no way.

It was truly a shame that Consort Li and her maternal relatives, the Li clan, were not respectable figures. In addition, the historical Crown Prince Liu Rong was also somewhat unrespectable.

Otherwise—if Crown Prince Liu Rong had even the slightest merit, Emperor Jing would not have deposed the already adult Crown Prince Liu Rong and instead installed Emperor Wu of Han, who was only seven years old and would inevitably be suppressed by Empress Dowager Dou.

Just like the current timeline.

Consort Li was still the same Consort Li, still causing Liu Rong immense suffering, making him endure more than a decade of extreme pain and depression.
The Li family, the in-laws, remained the same lowly Li family, with a total of about a hundred people. Liu Rong only managed to replace one barely usable, mediocre person named Li Cang.

But in this timeline, Liu Rong was capable of being presented in a respectable manner.

Therefore, even with the hidden risk of the "Li family's maternal relatives" and the overt risk of "Empress Dowager Li" in establishing Liu Rong as emperor, Emperor Xiaojing still passed the throne to Liu Rong instead of Emperor Wu of Han in history.

—Emperor Wu of Han was also at risk.

Deposing the eldest son in favor of the younger son is inherently risky.

If it weren't for the historical Crown Prince Liu Rong's utter incompetence, which prompted Emperor Jing of Han to make a decision to take a risk rather than accept the 'failure' written all over Liu Rong's face, Emperor Wu of Han would likely never have appeared in Chinese history.

It was precisely for this reason—and precisely because of the grudges and affections between Crown Prince Liu Rong and his younger brother Liu Che during the reign of the previous emperor—that Liu Rong was determined to bring the primogeniture system back to the historical stage during his reign.

Because Emperor Jing of Han deposed his eldest son and established a younger one in his place, it was a gamble that ultimately produced Emperor Wu of Han, which was a low-probability event.

Emperor Jing was lucky enough to have gambled on producing Emperor Wu of Han, rather than Emperor Xian of Han, Emperor Ling of Han, or Emperor Zhao of Han who died young without having any children, or even the deposed Emperor Changyi.

No one can always be so lucky.

Nine times out of ten you lose.

High-stakes gambles often end in disastrous defeat.

Therefore, Liu Rong could not allow future emperors of the Han dynasty to develop this concept of "using a younger son as a gamble."

Compared to such a high-stakes gamble with extremely high uncertainty, a systematic and structured approach to training is clearly more likely to produce qualified heirs to the throne in large numbers.

It may be difficult to cultivate a living saint like Emperor Taizong;

However, it is feasible to cultivate a qualified monarch like Emperor Xiaojing, who may not have talent but must be skilled in tactics.

Emperor Xiaojing himself is a successful example of this training model.

If even a chessboard warrior can be trained and molded into Emperor Xiaojing, creating the prosperous reign of Emperors Wen and Jing, then what kind of emperor cannot be systematically trained and ultimately become a qualified ruler?
In such a standardized system for cultivating emperors, the first thing to do is to identify the candidates.

If the candidates for the throne are not limited to one person in advance, but several people are trained at once and the best one is chosen in the end, it is easy to create a farce like the struggle for the throne among the nine princes.

Only by establishing the correctness of the primogeniture system and firmly limiting the heir to the throne to the eldest son can the Han dynasty ensure a stable transition of imperial power.

(End of this chapter)