My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 625 Historical Mission
In a sense, this is also a unique sense of crisis in Chinese civilization.

Leave something for your child; they'll need it sooner or later.

Having understood these things—understanding how ordinary people in the feudal era perceived and understood the world—we can then look back.

It's easy to understand why the people of this era didn't care which Liu family member sat on the throne; they only cared whether the person sitting on the throne was surnamed Liu or not.

Because to ordinary people, both this person with the surname Liu and that person with the surname Liu are the same person with the surname Liu.

If Liu Ying were emperor, he would not distribute an extra bushel of grain to the people.

Even if Liu Ruyi were to rule the world, he would not let anyone lose a single copper coin from their pocket.

The Crown Prince Qi will succeed to the throne and will not allow the agricultural tax to increase from one-thirtieth to one-sixtieth.

Even if Liu Yi, the Prince of Liang, were to inherit the throne, he would not allow the agricultural tax to revert to the 1/15 rate.

No matter who rules the country—as long as they trust Liu Bei, then the Han dynasty still exists.

As long as the Han dynasty exists, nothing will change.

Agricultural tax was 1/30, poll tax was 40 coins per person per year, military service was required for every male for two years, corvée labor was required every three years for one month each time, and corvée labor was required every three years for fifteen days each time.

Conversely, if the person sitting on the throne no longer bore the surname Liu, it meant the Han dynasty had fallen and a new dynasty had been established.

The taxes and levies of the Han dynasty were already low enough, and it is almost impossible for the taxes and levies of the new dynasty to be even lower;

In other words, the lives of ordinary people under the new dynasty can only be worse than before, and can never be better.

This is, in fact, a reflection of public sentiment.

All of this is closely related to ordinary people and directly benefits them.

In this situation, after the rebellion of the Lü clan was quelled, the question of who would rule the Han dynasty was a matter of great concern to the vast majority of ordinary people.

—Will the new emperor still bear the surname Liu?

—If a new emperor is established, will the world still be ruled by the Liu family?
Before the common people could even begin to speculate, the true nature of the Lü Clan Rebellion had already revealed the answer to the world.

The Rebellion of the Lü Clan was caused by this group of people surnamed Lü trying to overthrow the Han Dynasty of the Liu family!

The purpose of suppressing and eliminating the Lü clan was to support the Liu Han dynasty, preserve the Liu family's empire, and ensure that the Han throne remained in the hands of the Liu family!

Once this is clear, the people can feel at ease.

There was no change of dynasty; it was still the Han dynasty of the Liu family.

The emperor sitting on the throne can still be surnamed Liu.

Whoever he is or what his name is—whether it's Liu Heng, Liu Xiang, Liu Chang, or even Liu Bi—it doesn't matter.
Anyway, his surname is Liu.

Who does it is Old Liu's family business, we farmers shouldn't get involved, let's just focus on farming.

Against this backdrop, Emperor Taizong Xiaowen, upon assuming the throne, needed to establish himself in the eyes of the people as the "patriarch of the Liu family" and the "most popular candidate for the throne within the Liu family."

As I said before;
As long as the emperor's surname is Liu, the people of the world don't care who he is specifically.

As for whether this person is qualified or should sit here, that's a family matter for the Liu family.

Since it's a family matter, it should naturally be discussed and decided within the family.

At least in the eyes of the people, the one surnamed Liu who sat on the throne of the Han Dynasty after the Lü Clan Rebellion must have been someone that most people within the Liu family respected.

This is about public opinion.

On a practical level, as mentioned earlier, Emperor Taizong's foundation was unstable after ascending the throne, and he needed the military support of his relatives and princes to help him stabilize his position in Chang'an. This was also Emperor Taizong's urgent need at that time.

To put it bluntly, Emperor Taizong wanted Chen Ping and Zhou Bo to understand that it wouldn't be so easy to launch another "dethronement" campaign against him.

So what should we do specifically?

Naturally, he wanted to flaunt his good relationship with the clansmen and relatives in Guandong in front of Chen Ping and Zhou Bo, so that they would receive the message that "if anything happens to me, my relatives will definitely get you."

At this time, Liu Bi, the King of Wu, became Emperor Xiaowen's only choice.

Firstly, King Wu, Liu Bi, was not closely related to the direct line of the Liu family and was the least likely among the princes and relatives to pose a threat to Emperor Taizong.

According to the succession order of the imperial throne in feudal times, the first order was from father to son, which was further subdivided into succession by the legitimate son if there was one, and succession by the eldest son if there was no legitimate son.

Having no sons at all—not even illegitimate children—only makes one second in line: one's brothers.

If none of the brothers are available, then the third priority is the late emperor's brothers, that is, his uncles and aunts.

Next, in fourth place, are the sons or grandsons of uncles or aunts, or the sons of brothers.

There was still no one to choose from – the deceased emperor had neither sons nor brothers, nor even uncles or cousins, so it was only the fifth in line: a member of the collateral branch of the imperial family to succeed him.

After the Lü Clan Rebellion, Emperor Taizong ascended the throne, and the succession was arranged step by step according to this order.

At that time, both the former young emperor Liu Gong and the latter young emperor Liu Hong were labeled as illegitimate emperors born of the licentious harem of the Lü clan, by the group of meritorious officials led by Chen Ping and Zhou Bo who had helped to eliminate the Lü clan.

The legitimacy of the reigns of the former and latter young emperors was stripped away, and Emperor Xiaohui, Liu Ying, was artificially deposed.

Since the first priority of 'father to son' is invalid because Liu Ying had no heir, we can only look at the second priority: Liu Ying's brothers.

That is, the other seven of Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang's eight sons, excluding Emperor Hui Liu Ying.

Among them, the eldest son of a concubine, Liu Fei, the King of Qi Daohui, had already passed away at that time;
The second son, and the eldest legitimate son, was none other than Emperor Hui of Han, Liu Ying.

The third son, Zhao Yinwang Liu Ruyi, was poisoned to death by Empress Lü, and his mother, Lady Qi, was turned into a human pig by Empress Lü.
The fourth-generation king, Liu Heng, is still alive.

The fifth prince, Liu Hui, the King of Zhao, was forced to commit suicide by Empress Lü.

The sixth son, King You of Zhao, Liu You, was summoned to Chang'an by Empress Lü and starved to death.
The seventh prince, Liu Changshang, the Prince of Huainan, is still alive;
Liu Jian, the eighth prince of Yan, died young, and his son was assassinated by Empress Lü, thus ending his lineage.

In other words, after the rebellion of the Lü clan was quelled, and with the first priority of "father to son" being eliminated due to Liu Ying's "extinction of his lineage," the second priority of "brother to brother" was actually left with only two candidates.

Liu Heng, the Prince of Dai, and Liu Chang, the Prince of Huainan.

Between these two choices, it's obvious who should be chosen.

The reason why Emperor Shao Liu Hong died under mysterious circumstances, and why Emperor Hui Liu Ying was "artificially killed off", was because the meritorious officials who eliminated the Lü clan, led by Chen Ping and Zhou Bo, were worried that they would be purged by the emperor in the future!
Therefore, one requirement that the newly elected emperor must meet is that he must not be close enough to Empress Lü and her clan.

Liu Chang, the Prince of Huainan, was raised by Empress Lü herself; though not her biological son, he was very much like one. Thus, by the process of elimination, the heir to the throne could be determined in the second step.

—Emperor Hui of Han, Liu Ying, had no heir, so the first order of succession: father-to-son succession was not valid;
—Second in line: from elder brother to younger brother, the candidates are Liu Heng, the Prince of Dai, and Liu Chang, the Prince of Huainan.

Ultimately, the group of meritorious officials who helped eliminate Empress Lü, led by Chen Ping and Zhou Bo, chose Liu Heng, the Prince of Dai, who was not so close to Empress Lü, based on the reasons that he was "older" and "more stable." He later became Emperor Xiaowen of the Taizong Emperor.

As for Liu Xiang, the King of Qi, who once thought he had secured the throne but ultimately missed out on it and died of depression.
According to this order of succession, King Liu Xiang of Qi, as the son of King Liu Fei of Qi, and Emperor Liu Ying of Qi, belonged to the order of succession after father to son, brother to brother, nephew to uncle, and fourth place: the son of a brother.

In other words, even though Chen Ping, Zhou Bo, and others did not exclude Liu Xiang, the King of Qi, from the list of candidates because he was a powerful and capable ruler, and even if the succession was arranged according to the rules, Liu Xiang's position in the line of succession would still be very low.

—The sons of Emperor Hui, who were in the first priority, were indeed artificially excluded by Chen Ping and Zhou Bo;
—The second in line of candidates for Emperor Hui’s brothers are Prince Liu Heng of Dai and Prince Liu Chang of Huainan;
The third in line was Liu Ying's uncle, who was also the King of Chu, Liu Jiao, who was still alive at the time.

The fourth in line were Liu Ying's uncles' sons and his brothers' sons; Liu Xiang was still not the only candidate.

Among the sons of his uncles and aunts was Liu Xin, the Marquis of Gengjie, the son of his eldest uncle, King Wu Ai, Liu Zhong.
There were two sons of the second uncle, who succeeded the king: Liu Bi, the King of Wu, and Liu Guang, the Marquis of De;
There were the sons of Uncle Liu Jiao, such as Liu Fu and Liu Li.

If we were to rank them like this, even if he were fourth in line, King Liu Xiang of Qi wouldn't necessarily be at the top.

It's no wonder that in the end, no matter how unwilling Liu Xiang, the King of Qi, was to accept Chen Ping and Zhou Bo's decision to choose Emperor Taizong Xiaowen, he could only submit to fate.

—They certainly have the right to do so!

—Their relationship with the direct line is indeed closer than yours!

The young emperor died, and instead of giving the throne to his fourth uncle, should it be given to your cousin from your eldest uncle's family?

It looks like the third mourning period is almost over...

Therefore, after the rebellion of the Lü clan was quelled, King Liu Xiang of Qi lost the throne. Although the core reason was that his army was strong and powerful, and Chen Ping and Zhou Bo were worried that he would be difficult to control, procedurally speaking, King Liu Xiang of Qi was not the highest-ranking successor.

Choosing Liu Heng, the Prince of Dai, to succeed to the throne would be more in line with procedure.

On the contrary, if Chen Ping and Zhou Bo really decide to support Liu Xiang, they will have to put in more effort to find a way to elevate Liu Xiang's position in the hierarchy.

For example, he also killed Liu Heng, the Prince of Dai, and Liu Chang, the Prince of Huainan, so that Emperor Hui of Han, after being childless, would further lose all his brothers...

In conclusion, Liu Xiang, the King of Qi, who was fourth in line to the throne, was unable to resist Chen Ping and Zhou Bo's decision to "welcome the King of Dai" even though he had a strong army.

Naturally, Liu Bi, the Prince of Wu, who was also fourth in line, posed almost no threat to Emperor Xiaowen of Taizong, who had just ascended the throne.

Because King Liu Xiang of Qi was only fourth in line and 'not necessarily the first in line';
However, King Liu Bi of Wu and Marquis Liu Guang of De were destined to be at the bottom of this fourth-ranked group.

no way;
Who can blame them when their father, Liu Xi, the King of Daiqing, had a 'glorious history' of abandoning the country and surrendering when the Xiongnu army was at the gates?

With their father so useless, the sons naturally couldn't hold their heads high either.

It was precisely because King Wu, Liu Bi, had such a disgraceful father as King Daiqing, Liu Xi, that Emperor Taizong Xiaowen of that time was able to befriend Liu Bi without any scruples, regarding him as a solid ally within the Liu family.

Because no one wanted to accept a distant relative or vassal who was not of Emperor Gaozu's bloodline, who was almost three degrees removed from the direct line of the Liu family, and whose ancestors had a dark history, as the emperor of the Han dynasty.

In this respect, Liu Bi had a unique advantage, which indeed won him many benefits in front of Emperor Taizong Xiaowen that other princes could not even imagine.

Mining rights and currency minting rights go without saying.

Let me mention one point that is most easily overlooked.

—As everyone knows, Liu Xian, the crown prince of Wu, was killed on the streets of Chang'an by a chessboard when Emperor Xiaojing (Liu Qishang) was still the crown prince.

Few people noticed: Why was the Crown Prince of Wu not staying in Wu, but instead doing something in Chang'an?
If one is to be a hostage, shouldn't one stay obediently in the prince's mansion or post station and study?

Not only did he run into the streets, but he also sought out the Crown Prince to play chess?
Playing chess was one thing, but to make such rude remarks pushed the prince to his limit, leading him to smash a chessboard in the street and kill someone.
In fact, it is not difficult to conclude with a little thought that the Crown Prince Liu Xian of Wu at that time was actually summoned to Chang'an by Emperor Taizong Xiaowen in order to get closer to King Liu Bi of Wu and to keep his own Crown Prince Liu Qi company.

For the princes and nobles, there was no greater honor or more blatant favor than having the crown prince accompany the crown prince.

Of course, it may not be entirely without the element of a proton, but it was certainly done incidentally rather than specifically as a proton.

Unfortunately, Crown Prince Qi messed things up.

Therefore, in Emperor Xiaojing's view, the future of the Liu family was actually closely related to the Rebellion of the Seven States of Wu and Chu.

Will a war break out?

How big is the fight?
How long will it last?
How is the result?

How severe and far-reaching is the impact?
Every variable would influence Emperor Jing's judgment on the future of the Han Dynasty.

Ultimately, although the Wu-Chu Rebellion affected most of the Guandong region, it was quelled in a mere three months.

After the rebellion was completely quelled, Emperor Jing might have been able to ensure that the Han dynasty would last for another seven or eight hundred years.

That’s right;

Like Emperor Taizong, he still envisioned the Zhou dynasty's eight hundred years of rule as his goal, or even the minimum of a 'conservative estimate'.

But when it came to Liu Rong, everything was different.

Liu Rong knew very well that in the eight hundred years of feudal dynasties, China had only produced one Zhou dynasty.

There has never been a second one in history, and even with Liu Rong's intrusion into this timeline, there still won't be a second one.

The 300-year dynastic cycle continues to exert a profound influence on the historical process of Chinese civilization.

Furthermore, given that Liu Rong may have intentionally or unintentionally accelerated the development of Chinese civilization, the well-known three-hundred-year dynastic cycle could very well have been shortened to two hundred years, or even one hundred and fifty years.

Again.

Things reach their extremes and then reverse; the full moon begins to wane.

There is also a saying: "Even a great country will perish if it loves war; even if the world is at peace, it will be in danger if it forgets war."

A long-lasting and stable feudal dynasty will inevitably exacerbate social contradictions and eventually perish as these contradictions erupt.

A chaotic world of endless warfare will inevitably reach a critical point where it must move towards unification and peace.

The unified genes were already instilled in Chinese civilization by the First Emperor.

What Liu Rong wants to do is to inject another important gene into Chinese civilization.

(End of this chapter)