I am not Yuan Shu

Chapter 353 The Mandate of Heaven Crisis of the Liu Clan of the Han Dynasty

The emergence of this claim inadvertently fueled the crisis of destiny for the Liu family of the Han dynasty, greatly shortening the period of collusion among various forces after the elimination of the eunuch group.

By the time Liu Kui passed away in the fifth year of the Zhengshi era, this period of illicit cooperation had come to an end.

Thus, marked by the dispute over whether Liu Kui should have a temple name, the second wave of the second crisis of destiny for the Liu family of the Han Dynasty officially began. At this time, Cheng Li, the mastermind behind the scenes, continued to fuel the flames and made his own contribution to the course of history.

After sending Yuan Shu the news of Liu Kui's death, Cheng Li submitted another memorial separately.

The content is a suggestion to remove the temple names of four emperors: Emperor He, Emperor An, Emperor Shun, and Emperor Huan.

Cheng Li believes that according to Emperor Guangwu's evaluation criteria for the emperors of the Western Han Dynasty, only Emperor Guangwu, Emperor Ming, and Emperor Zhang were qualified to have separate temples since the establishment of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Although the emperors of the later generations also received some offerings, how did they compare to Emperor Jing and Emperor Zhao?
Since it is far inferior and has made many mistakes, how can it be qualified to establish a temple?

Their temples should be abolished and all moved into the Imperial Ancestral Temple, eliminating the need for separate worship. This would save a large amount of extra sacrificial expenses and could be used to subsidize the national treasury.

Cheng Li was specifically responsible for delivering memorials, so he personally delivered this memorial to Yuan Feng and asked Yuan Feng to read it on the spot.

Yuan Feng was initially a little puzzled, but when he opened it, his eyes widened in disbelief. He looked up at Cheng Li, who remained calm, and after a moment's thought, he suppressed his surprise and continued reading, word by word, afraid of missing anything.

After reading it, he put down the bamboo slip in his hand and looked at Cheng Li with a very complicated expression.

"Minister Cheng, your memorial is of great importance and cannot be decided by me alone. If it is to be implemented, it must be discussed by the ministers. And once it is submitted to the ministers for discussion, do you know what will happen?"

Cheng Li's expression remained unchanged, and he remained calm.

"I know what will happen, nothing more than a bunch of fame-seeking insects getting angry and barking incoherently. But since the Shang Dynasty, the matter of building temples for emperors of all dynasties has always been handled with utmost care. Those who have been granted temples are all sage rulers with outstanding achievements and whose names are recorded in history."

Emperors Xiaohe, Xiaoan, Xiaoshun, and Xiaohuan certainly made great contributions, but how do they compare to Emperors Xiaojing and Xiaozhao? Even with the merits of Emperors Xiaojing and Xiaozhao, they were not allowed to have temples built for worship, let alone the four emperors of the previous dynasty. We, as ministers, cannot disregard the facts and bestow all honors upon our sovereigns in order to flatter them.

The ancients said, "If a ruler's virtue is not commensurate with his position, calamity will surely follow. If a ruler's achievements are insufficient yet he is granted a temple, future generations, upon learning of this in history, will inevitably ridicule him for being ambitious and fond of grandiose achievements, causing him to suffer an unjust injustice. Is this the kind of thing a subject should do? I have said all I have to say; I hope the Minister will consider this carefully!"

Yuan Feng remained silent for a while, pondering for a moment.

Cheng Li's words make a lot of sense. From any perspective, it is a very reasonable argument. Even in a debate, this statement would be a very weighty point of view, and it would be very difficult to refute it.

Since Emperor Guangwu (Liu Xiu) had already abolished temple names, using him as an example is highly valuable.

Moreover, this matter happens to perfectly align with Yuan Feng's needs.

Yuan Feng wanted to pave the way for Yuan Shu and create a favorable public opinion environment for Yuan Shu to replace the Han dynasty and establish himself. This required Yuan Shu to stand up for himself and also needed external assistance to severely belittle the person he wanted to replace and defeat him in public opinion.

The more emperors who have temple names, the more meritorious emperors and wise rulers the dynasty has, and the more favored it is by the Mandate of Heaven. This is a political symbol.

The scarcity of emperors with temple names indicates a lack of enlightened rulers, a lack of divine favor, a weak foundation for rule, and an susceptibility to instability.

This is rather detrimental to the long-term stability of a dynasty.

Therefore, during the reign of the same dynasty, it is rare for an emperor to voluntarily cancel the temple name of the previous emperor, unless the other party is truly inhuman and has incurred the wrath of both heaven and man.

The temple names that Liu Xiu abolished were, in fact, those of previous emperors. Moreover, those who abolished them were mostly the culprits who caused the chaos at the end of the Western Han Dynasty and the sinners who caused the Western Han imperial family to lose the Mandate of Heaven. Abolishing them met the needs of the society at that time and further highlighted Liu Xiu's hard work.

However, what Cheng Li wanted to do was to abolish the temple names of the first four emperors of the Eastern Han Dynasty during its existence, deny the achievements of the first four emperors, and diminish the value of the ruling group of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

They had not yet lost their mandate of heaven. During their reigns, the Eastern Han Empire did not decline; Emperor An and Emperor Shun even showed signs of a revival.

Therefore, abolishing their temple names would further weaken the mandate of heaven for the Liu family of the Han dynasty and shake the foundation of their rule.

This carries a very strong political connotation. As long as the officials in the court are not fools, they will be able to see the strong political symbolism contained here, and they will be able to feel what Yuan's purpose is in pushing this matter forward.

Wouldn't this be tantamount to putting Yuan's desire to replace Liu in the open for public scrutiny?

Is this appropriate?

Yuan Feng hesitated for a while, then looked at Cheng Li again.

"Have you discussed this matter with Zijia? Does Zijia know about it?"

Yuan Feng knew the relationship between Yuan Shu and Cheng Li, and that Cheng Li was Yuan Shu's loyal lackey. If Yuan Shu wanted to do this, Yuan Feng would think that Yuan Shu was confident of victory, and that it was not unreasonable to push it forward and let the ministers discuss it.

However, to Yuan Feng's surprise, Cheng Li shook his head and denied it without hesitation.

“Lord Yuan, the young master is unaware of this matter; this is merely my own opinion.” Yuan Feng was taken aback, then frowned.

"Minister Cheng, this is such a big matter. You came to see me without discussing it with Zijia first. Aren't you worried that Zijia will blame you if he finds out? Besides, if such a big matter is not approved by Zijia, what will others think? I think you should discuss it with Zijia before making a decision!"

As he spoke, Yuan Feng was about to return the memorial to Cheng Li.

As a result, Cheng Li immediately took a few steps forward, knelt down opposite Yuan Feng, and offered his advice to Yuan Feng.

“Lord Yuan, the young master is busy with military and political affairs in Bingzhou and is overwhelmed with them. How can he possibly have the energy to take care of things in Luoyang? The young master’s decision to leave me in Luoyang is a sign of his trust in me and to allow me to share his burdens. If I fail to do so, wouldn’t I be letting down the young master’s trust?”

Yuan Feng was quite surprised to see Cheng Li's excited expression.

“Minister Cheng, what you say makes sense, but this matter is too important. It concerns the whole situation, and a single move can affect the whole body. It is not appropriate for you not to let Zijia know.”

"This memorial is in duplicate. I have already sent one copy to Bingzhou. The young master will know."

Cheng Li said in a low voice, "But what I hope even more is that, after you learn of this, young master, Lord Yuan has already accomplished this task."

"you……"

Yuan Feng frowned, looking at Cheng Li with great surprise, and asked, "What do you mean by this?"

Cheng Li took a deep breath.

"Lord Yuan, may I ask if you are aware that the young master harbors ambitions to usurp the Han throne?"

Cheng Li's question was so direct that it startled Yuan Feng. He quickly looked around and, seeing that no one was around, hurriedly said, "Silence! How can you say such treasonous words? Do you want your entire family to be exterminated?"

Cheng Li simply looked at Yuan Feng.

"Lord Yuan, I believe that the young master has no hidden feelings for you. You must know what he is thinking, right?"

Yuan Feng gradually calmed down, stared intently at Cheng Li, and after a while, he slowly nodded.

"It seems that Zijia really trusts you a lot, that he can tell you something like this."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Li's face immediately lit up with pride.

"To be honest, Lord Yuan, you and I have shared a bed and slept side by side many times, discussing important matters of the world. You have never hidden these things from me and have told me everything. Therefore, I am willing to repay your kindness with my life!"

"And it is precisely for this reason that I have made this decision, and am willing to do something for your great cause, young master. I just don't know if Lord Yuan is aware of your ambitions, or if he is willing to support them."

Yuan Feng pursed his lips, pondered for a moment, and then sighed softly.

“That’s right, I know. Zijia didn’t hide anything from me. Back then, I asked him if he wanted me to be King Wen of Zhou, and he nodded, saying that he wanted me to be King Wen of Zhou, while he himself aspired to be King Wu.”

Cheng Li's face lit up with joy, and he nodded repeatedly.

"In that case, Lord Yuan must be willing, right?"

Yuan Feng sighed deeply.

"How can a father turn a blind eye to his son's request? Zijia has been intelligent since he was a child, bringing me so much joy. He is also the future hope of the Yuan family and has never caused me any worry. Now that he has asked me for something, of course I can only agree."

"In that case, Lord Yuan, why not clear away the obstacles for the young master?"

Cheng Li said in a low voice, "Young Master has his own things to do. He doesn't have the energy to take care of everything. So, as his confidant, it's only natural for me to relieve his worries."

And I have also heard that parents who love their children should plan far ahead for them. Since Lord Yuan deeply loves his son, he should do everything possible to reduce obstacles for him. This is not only for the son's sake, but also for the future of the Yuan family. Isn't that right?

Yuan Feng was completely convinced by Cheng Li and smiled helplessly.

“What Minister Cheng said is all correct. This is exactly what I should do. I am at ease knowing that Zijia has a confidant like you. Even if I am no longer here, I can rest assured that he will have a confidant like you to assist and help him.”

Upon hearing this, Cheng Li immediately straightened his clothes and bowed to Yuan Feng.

"I will dedicate my life to serving you, my lord, with unwavering loyalty, even unto death!"

(End of this chapter)