My father is Emperor Wu of Han, how can I be different from him?

Chapter 237 Continue, don’t stop
As we enter early autumn, the summer heat subsides, the weather becomes clear and crisp, and it is the time when river fish become plump and delicious.

Bowang Garden.

Beside the Kunming Canal that runs through the palace garden, water gurgles under the plank road. On the wooden plank road, three people are sitting or lying, leisurely and contented.

To be precise, it was the Great General Sima who was lying in the center on the rocking chair, with his arms resting on both sides and pierced with thin silver needles.

On his left and right sat a nephew, the General of Cavalry and the Crown Prince, each holding a fishing rod in his hand.

It is clear.

Wei Qing was doing acupuncture, Huo Qubing and Liu Ju were fishing.

"In recent years, you have come up with a lot of new things, such as horse gear, farm tools, and food. They are all good for the country and the people. It won't hurt to spread them around."

"But there are some things..."

Wei Qing, who had the temperament of a simple old farmer, pointed at the reclining chair below him and said, "For example, this seat is indeed comfortable to sit on. If you want to talk about its advantages, it has some."

“But when you spread the word, you won’t get praise, but criticism.”

"You know this too."

Liu Ju did know that there were careful considerations as to what could be passed on and what could not be passed on among the new items that had circulated out of the Prince's Palace in recent years.

It didn't matter if horse gear, farm tools, even steamed buns, dumplings, candied haws, etc. were passed around, so common people could eat and use them, and in the process they could think of Liu Ju a little.

He benefited greatly from it and felt very gratified.

But buns and dumplings can be passed on, but stools cannot. Hu stools, Hu stools, things used by the Hu people, it’s okay to tinker with them in the Prince’s Palace in private, but spreading them out is asking for trouble…

"The seats are like this, so are the nine ministers?" Wei Qing sighed, "Things with good intentions may not be easy to do."

"Humph!"

Huo Qubing on the left snorted and said coldly: "Whether it is easy to do or not, whether it can be done or not, you have to try it to know!"

The two people beside him smiled when they heard it.

Wei Qing nodded and said, "What Qubing said is true. If you want to do something, just go for it. When the day comes when we are needed to contribute, just ask."

"It's just that everything is prepared. If you don't prepare, you will fail. Your Highness should have an idea of ​​what troubles you will encounter and how to solve them."

Liu Ju nodded and accepted the instruction.

The conversations with my uncle and cousin were so direct and simple: Is this a good thing? If it’s good, then do it.

Is there any difficulty? If yes, then you go ahead and we will follow behind.

That's all...

At noon, the two air force fish stinking baskets and a sick person did not eat any fish. They only enjoyed a meal of game at Bowang Garden and then returned home.

After returning to the city, Liu Ju went to the Weiyang Palace with the written regulations.

Inside the Chengming Hall.

The emperor walked around the beam while looking at the memorial in his hand.

"The idea of ​​the official avoidance system is fine, but this local supervisory agency... I set it up once, and it only monitors this little bit?"

"My son is stupid."

"Stupid? I say, take your notes and add a few more points. First... when local officials promote and appoint officials, they must not be nepotistic or unfair."

"Second, local officials must not flatter the powerful and undermine government orders!"

"Third, even if the 2,000-stone disciples abuse their power and commit crimes, they should be severely punished!"

At the steps, the emperor took the wet memorial, glanced at it, and handed it back to the prince. "Tomorrow morning, during the court session, you will present it to the ministers for discussion."

Just as Liu Ju had expected, the prince's palace staff tried to be clever, but the emperor not only saw through it, but also turned the tables on them.

Regarding this…

Liu Ju didn't care. He was not afraid of offending people.

After giving the instructions, the emperor saw that the prince had not moved, and his face was hesitant to speak. He raised his eyebrows and said unhappily as he took a step forward:

"If you have something to say, just say it. There is no room for procrastination in government affairs."

"Yes, Father, I think the Nine Ministers system has some flaws and needs to be changed. I have some ideas here, you see..."

That’s all I have to say.

The emperor had not taken a few steps when he suddenly stopped and looked back at Liu Ju, asking doubtfully, "You think Jiuqing has flaws, do you still have any ideas?"

"Correct!"

Liu Ju's face was filled with the expression "If you don't let me dither, I'll get straight to the point." He nodded solemnly, "Father, do you want to hear my words?"

At this moment, the emperor looked at the prince with an extremely strange and bizarre look, thinking: "You little rascal, you actually want to touch the nine ministers?"

"Are you trying to abuse your power for personal gain?"

In an instant, the emperor's thoughts turned to the dark side, but he did not point it out directly. Instead, he asked tentatively: "What do you think?"

Liu Ju did not answer immediately, but walked up the imperial steps and took the pen, ink, paper and inkstone from the imperial desk. The eunuch standing by hurried to help when he saw this.

Not long after.

The emperor saw the prince write the names of the nine ministers including Taichang and Zongzheng on papers and then spread them on the ground one by one.

"Your Majesty, please pick out the things that cannot be moved first, otherwise what I say will be in vain." Liu Ju pointed at the papers on the ground.

Seeing this scene, the emperor's expression restrained slightly. He glanced back and forth between the names of the nine ministers and the prince's face. After a moment, he kicked away the paper with the word "Weiwei" written on it.

"You can't move this."

Weiwei was the only one among the Nine Ministers who held military power. It seemed that the emperor was always clear about the source of his power, and he picked out the most critical person at once.

Liu Ju was not very surprised.

If he hadn't guessed what his father the emperor was thinking, why would he have asked that question before he opened his mouth?
"Father, please take a look."

Excluding one Weiwei, Liu Ju still had a lot of ideas about the remaining ones. He pointed to a piece of paper on the far left, on which was written: Zong Zheng.

"In the early days of the Han Dynasty, there were many vassal states and they had great power, so the position of Zongzheng was established and appointed to the position of a member of the imperial clan to govern the various kings."

"But now the power of the princes has weakened. The Zongzheng, who were originally used to govern the princes, have become their mouthpieces and spokespersons in the court!"

"You must be careful!"

Before he finished speaking, the emperor's face had already turned serious, and when he heard the word "spokesperson", a cold light flashed in his eyes.

When Zhuo Jin seized the title, Zong Zheng stood on the side of the princes. When the salt and iron were government-run, there were also voices from Zong Zheng opposing on behalf of the princes.

Liu Che had long been dissatisfied.

He put his hands behind his back and said in a cold voice: "I have changed the candidates for Zongzheng many times, but after changing them, they always get mixed up!"

At this time, Liu Ju came up with a solemn expression, "Father, it is customary for the sons of the royal family to serve as the chief of the clan. This is also the ancestral system. But who says that the ancestral system cannot be changed?"

Ok?
The emperor heard this and the corners of his mouth suddenly curled up, "Go on."

"Since the royal family members will always be mixed up with the princes, we should recruit foreign officials to serve as the Zongzheng, and we can also appropriately weaken the power of the Zongzheng Mansion."

After saying this, Liu Ju pointed to another piece of paper and said, "The responsibilities of the Shaofu are too vast. They are responsible for everything, including the palace, the outside world, finance, food, clothing, and construction."

"This is not good."

What's wrong?

It is not good for a minister to have too much power!

After hearing this, the emperor nodded immediately and said, "I know, that's why I asked you to supervise the Water and Water Conservancy Commander to divide the Shaofu. Do you think it's not enough?" "Not enough!"

Liu Ju said sternly: "As long as it does not involve the royal finances, it must be handed over to the Minister of Agriculture. If it has nothing to do with the royal construction, it must also be handed over to the Chief Architect."

"Since the Shaofu is in charge of the inner treasury, he cannot touch the outer court. If he fails to distinguish between the inner and outer courts, it will easily lead to trouble!"

The word "incident" is very appropriate.

It should be noted that many government offices and workshops under the jurisdiction of the Shaofu, such as Shangfang, Goudun, and Zhishi, were all located in the Weiyang Palace. On the west side of the imperial palace, there was even a separate palace gate for the workers to enter and exit on weekdays.

Going in and out of a place like the Weiyang Palace for a long time, how could there not be some trouble?
"Take note!"

The emperor gave an order to the eunuch beside him, and the old eunuch with a solemn expression bowed quickly in response.

Afterwards, the emperor signaled Liu Ju to continue.

Liu Ju didn't hesitate, pointing at another person and saying, "The power of the Grand Coachman is too small. Either we completely abolish him, or we need to increase his power."

"Why?"

"Father, Gongsun He has served as the Imperial Horse Master for decades. Didn't Your Majesty notice that he rarely expressed his political opinions in the court?"

Those who are involved are often confused, while those who are on the sidelines can see things clearly. The emperor stands high and can see far, making it easy for him to see the overall situation, but he will inevitably ignore the abnormalities at his feet.

Especially for an old acquaintance like Gongsun He, the emperor trusted him, so to some extent, it would be natural for him to be ignored.

Gongsun He was one of the Nine Ministers. Even though he was taciturn and not good at speaking, he had been in the court for decades and had heard hundreds or even thousands of state affairs, but he never spoke a word?
With Su Wu's personality, he would always offer some suggestions during discussions in the Prince's Palace. Why is Gongsun He so taciturn?

"hiss--"

The emperor suddenly frowned.

Some windows are easily broken with a poke. He turned to look at the eunuch holding the pen and said, "Please make a note of this. Also, I will hold a banquet in the evening and summon Zishu to the palace."

Gongsun He, whose courtesy name was Zishu.

At this point, all the dark thoughts and contempt in the emperor's heart disappeared, and the look he gave his son was nothing but affirmation and approval.

"I have been on the throne for too long, and my ministers are afraid. They dare not speak out and advise me on some matters. Even if they know there is a problem, they dare not mention it."

"Next time you ask, ask in person!"

The Gongsun He incident, to put it mildly, has chilled the hearts of his close associates; to put it more broadly, it has caused an imbalance in the court's political situation!
The emperor was so happy and excited that he sat down on the ground, pointed at the remaining papers, and urged:

"Just keep going."

Liu Ju had a lot of ideas in his mind. Seeing his father like this, he became more interested in talking, just like Boya meeting Ziqi.

From the Grand Minister of Agriculture who was in charge of national finances, to the Grand Minister of External Affairs who was responsible for external communications, to the Tingwei who was in charge of criminal law.

Liu Ju suggested weighting the above three aspects: finance, diplomacy, and law!
Where does power come from?

Separated from Shaofu, Zongzheng and Taichang!

He also suggested that the emperor raise the rank of the chief architect so as to pay more attention to the construction of bridges, roads and water conservancy projects.

As Liu Che nodded frequently, Liu Ju also talked about the minister he had kept until the end and the one he valued the most - Langzhongling!

"This one……"

The emperor realized that the prince was going to take ruthless action, and could not help but remind him: "Do not act rashly."

Liu Che wanted to hear good advice from his son, but was also afraid that his son's advice might be good but would ruin his plan, so he had no choice but to say:
"I will rely on the Langzhongling to select talents, and the authority cannot be reduced."

"No!"

Liu Ju clapped his hands, his eyes widened as he said, "How can we cut it? Not only that, we must increase the power, increase the power the most!"

"What do you mean?" the emperor immediately raised his head and asked.

The eunuch who was recording the scene frowned when he saw this. The old eunuch looked at the prince who was walking fast in the hall with inexplicable excitement and wanted to say:
"My ancestor, why don't you sit down and talk? It would be disrespectful for His Majesty to look up at you!"

Neither the father nor the son knew what the old eunuch was thinking. In any case, the emperor didn't care, and Liu Ju cared even less, as he was in high spirits.

The Han prince said excitedly: "Don't worry about the various counselors, middle officials, and middle generals under the command of the Langzhongling."

"I think the place where weight should be added is in Langguan!"

"Only in Langguan!"

Liu Ju looked at his father with a look of disdain on his face. "Langguan is where the emperor stores talents, but how many talents can be obtained every year by relying on the protection and recommendation of meritorious officials?"

"It's too small! It's really too small!"

"Your Highness suggests that you should reinstate the practice of summoning talented scholars to the capital for questioning during the Jianyuan period. After reinstating it, it should no longer be treated as an exception, but should be made a permanent rule!"

"Every three or four years, the initial large-scale screening can be done by others, but when it comes to the final questioning, the emperor should come in person."

"The identities of the participants can no longer be blocked, especially..."

Speaking of which.

The emperor's eyes sparkled, and he stood up and immediately took over the conversation: "Especially, the candidates can no longer be recommended by the local governors?"

"Not bad!"

As soon as Liu Jugang confirmed that the emperor had completely figured it out, he clenched his fist and walked quickly, thinking quickly in his mind to perfect his subsequent ideas.

"In recent years, I have asked the Shaofu to spread scriptures and articles everywhere, and it has achieved initial results. There is no shortage of students, but the talents selected in this way are inevitably weaker than those in the military..."

"An additional chancellor should be appointed under the Langzhong Order to manage these people. He should no longer be called a Langguan. He should be replaced by... replaced by..."

"The emperor's disciple!" Liu Ju continued in a deep voice.

Hear the words.

The emperor suddenly turned around, his expression instantly brightened, and he said in surprise: "Good, what a great disciple of the emperor!"

"I do not attach myself to the rich and powerful, I do not attach myself to the wealthy and powerful, I only attach myself to the emperor and his disciples!"

"it is good!"

If Liu Ju's previous suggestions regarding the Shaofu and Tingwei had made the emperor take it seriously, then the utterance of those four words at this moment made the emperor overjoyed.

Many years ago, Liu Che began to prepare for the "century-long plan", but to be honest, he had anticipated the impact that the spread of paper and printing would have.

Otherwise, the Shaofu would not have kept pushing it forward.

however.

This estimate was vague and hazy, until today, when Liu Ju's words "the emperor's disciple" seemed to have hit the most secret corner of the emperor's heart.

It made him tremble all over and feel so comfortable!

"This matter is of great importance. My son, you must discuss it with me carefully." The emperor took Liu Ju's hand and walked towards the imperial steps.

After walking to the imperial desk, he snatched the paper and pen from the eunuch's hand, and the emperor himself took the pen and wrote with ink. There was a roar of wind and rain in his chest, and dragons and snakes moved under his pen!

"Add the position of Langzhong Lingcheng, and let virtuous and talented people of letters come to the capital as a permanent rule. No recommendation by local officials is required, and there should be..."

Liu Ju's voice sounded at the right moment: "The content of the questions should not be limited to the vague ways of governing a country, and it should not even be limited to the classics."

"Makes sense!"

The emperor immediately agreed, writing with his pen, and said anxiously: "We are selecting ordinary officials, not selecting ministers who can govern the country. The classics, laws, and arithmetic..."

"correct."

Liu Ju interrupted at this time and said, "Father, since the emphasis is on law, the interpretation of the classics cannot only examine the Confucian classics, but also include the Legalist classics."

The emperor paused, then nodded immediately: "That makes sense!"

(End of this chapter)