Control your ancestors and create an immortal family starting from the Eastern Han Dynasty

Chapter 32: Disasters Abound, the Han Dynasty's Disaster

The sudden death of Liu Zhao seemed to have pressed the pause button for the booming Han Dynasty.

The Son of Heaven of a Hundred Days;
the Queen Mother and her ministers who served as regents;

From that day on, the entire Han Dynasty seemed to be on the brink of collapse.

If you are not careful, everything will collapse in an instant.

In such a dangerous situation, the gap between Gu Xi and Gu Kang was fully revealed.

Gu Xi's political attributes are indeed excellent.

But he couldn't be as far-sighted as Gu Kang.

He cannot remain calm all the time and adjust his state immediately to face the next political affairs.

When the burden of regency fell on him.

Gu Yi could clearly see that Gu Xi was a little confused.

This may also be related to his young age.

It was not until two days later that he felt better and went to see the Queen Mother.

Changle Palace.

When Deng Sui saw Gu Xi walk in, her expression remained unchanged. She simply said, "I thought the late emperor had entrusted the wrong person."

"The Grand Master will never recover."

Deng Sui's tone was quite serious, giving people a particularly majestic feeling.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to the Queen Mother."

Gu Xi bowed his hands in greeting, then sighed softly, "I am deeply grieved by the passing of the late emperor. I have indeed been negligent."

"I have come to see the Queen Mother today to discuss state affairs."

Gu Xi was actually very clear about the current situation in the court.

The ministers were uneasy.

This matter must be resolved quickly, otherwise it will definitely become more serious as time goes by.

It is even enough to threaten the Han Dynasty.

Deng Sui was indeed a very smart woman. After hearing what Gu Xi said, she immediately understood what he meant.

After a moment's silence, he said seriously, "What do you think, Master?"

"I wish Your Majesty to ascend the throne directly."

Gu Xi immediately spoke up, saying in a deep voice, "The ministers of the court and the people of the world must know that my throne is secure."

"Ascend the throne directly?"

Deng Sui frowned slightly.

Today, the Han Dynasty has a complete system of rituals, and it governs the world with filial piety.

According to etiquette.

When the emperor passes away, the national mourning begins first. The new emperor must go through a series of procedures such as mourning and offering sacrifices before he can ascend the throne.

Gu Xi obviously wants to skip all of this now.

Although it seems to be against etiquette.

But for the current Han Dynasty, it is the best solution.

It has to be said that Deng Sui's talent is indeed extraordinary.

She thought about it for a moment and then nodded: "What the Grand Tutor said makes sense. The new monarch should ascend the throne directly to stabilize the country."

As she spoke, her tone paused.

"But who should go to the throne room on behalf of the emperor?"

The coronation ceremony is no small matter.

There are many rules.

Respect heaven and earth, and offer sacrifices to ancestral temples.

This series of rules is obviously not something that an emperor of one hundred days can accomplish.

Deng Sui's words were obviously intended to determine who was the better regent.

In fact, this is also the most important reason for the current unrest among the people of the Han Dynasty.

The emperor was young, so the empress dowager served as regent according to etiquette.

Gu Xi was also the regent whom the late emperor entrusted with his son's affairs before his death.

If there is no distinction between the two, it will definitely cause a stir.

There was no way, Liu Zhao could not solve this problem at all.

His experiences since childhood made him wary of his relatives by marriage, but how could he completely trust Gu Xi as a minister?

He made this arrangement to keep the two of them in check and balance.

This is the balance in the emperor's mind.

Fortunately, whether it is Deng Sui or Gu Xi.

Both of them knew very well that the Han Dynasty today could not withstand internal strife, otherwise it would definitely cause even greater chaos.

When Deng Sui said this, she was naturally asking about Gu Xi's attitude.

Gu Xi could naturally hear the deep meaning in her words.

However, he did not hesitate and said calmly, "For both public and private reasons, the Queen Mother will take over."

"Oh?" Deng Sui's expression changed slightly, as if she was a little surprised by Gu Xi's reaction.

Judging from the current situation in the court, all the ministers need to take sides.

Gu Xi's move.

It really leaves too much room for people's imagination.

This is already considered giving up power!
And he acted so calmly that Deng Sui was a little surprised.

But then, Gu Xi's expression suddenly became serious. He stared at Deng Sui and said, "I will only help the late emperor to keep the country in good condition."

"When the emperor comes of age, I will hand over the entire empire to your majesty on behalf of the late emperor."

Gu Xi's tone was surprisingly serious.

He can give up power!
But Deng should not think of doing the same as Dou did in the past.

This is the bottom line.

Deng Sui looked at Gu Xi silently, pondered for a moment, and then smiled faintly: "With your words, Master, I feel at ease."

"Please rest assured, Master."

"If I were not Empress Dou, I would be like the Grand Tutor, watching over the entire empire for the Emperor."

"Taifu, please go back home first."

"Tomorrow, you can summon all the officials to discuss your majesty's ascension to the throne."

Silent cooperation.

Gu Xi nodded slightly, then bowed to Deng Sui, turned around and walked out of Changle Palace.

The next day, the news broke, shocking the government and the public!

It was not because the emperor ascended the throne directly. After all, everyone understood that this was also forced by the court situation.

What really shocked everyone was that Gu Xi actually gave up power!

The impact of this matter is too great for the ministers!
Since the death of Emperor Zhao, all the officials in the court have been considering how to take sides.

This has become a concern for almost everyone.

Faced with the power to rule the world, how could the two not fight for power?
Now that they have reached this point, how could they not take sides as long as Deng Sui and Gu Xi fight each other?
To remain alone in this situation.

That is bound to please neither side and will definitely come at a heavy price.

Who among those who have made it to where they are today is not an old fox?
They are very clear about this principle.

The most crucial thing is that the entire Yin family had been dismissed from office.

For the ministers, this matter was a choice that concerned their lives and property, so they were naturally extremely worried.

But now, Gu Xi actually gave up power?
This was both shocking and somewhat gratifying to the ministers.

There was no conflict between Deng Sui and Gu Xi.

This is great news for them and for the whole world.

As for letting Liu Long ascend the throne directly.

Instead, no one cares.

It was under such circumstances that Liu Long ascended the throne.

Deng Sui, acting as the Empress Dowager, took charge of the government in the name of the Queen and announced the change of the reign title to Yanping.

Gu Yi had been watching all this silently and was not at all surprised by Gu Xi's choice.

The Han Dynasty today has not yet reached an era of the collapse of rituals and music.

People in the world value morality.

The Gu family already had family rules, and several generations had been providing corresponding education.

It is natural and reasonable for Gu Xi to make such a choice.

As time goes by.

The ministers also went from being unable to believe it at first to gradually believing that Gu Xi and Deng Sui would not fight again.

The entire Han Dynasty court seemed to have returned to normal.

There was no way, after all, Gu Xi had been helping Liu Zhao handle state affairs since he fell ill.

The ministers were accustomed to this.

Even though he is now the regent, he looks no different from usual.

As for Deng Sui, she became a figure similar to Liu Zhao in the past.

This is the tacit understanding between the two.

Deng Sui was indeed a very capable woman. She had a very accurate assessment of the situation and had no intention of suppressing Gu Xi.

And it was under such circumstances that people in the government gradually calmed down.

And now Gu Xi also has the power of regent.

It was extremely convenient to handle various government affairs, and the entire Han Dynasty seemed to have returned to the state it was when Liu Zhao was alive.

But on the 4th month of the first year of Yanping,
——An earthquake occurred in Kuaiji County.

The impact was extremely wide and countless people were injured.

May;

——Heavy rains in and around the capital Luoyang caused the Luo River to overflow, farmland to be submerged, and the victims to be displaced.

The Hedongyuan landslide caused countless casualties.

June;

A locust plague struck the northern counties. Swarms of locusts covered the sky, ate up all the crops, and caused countless refugees.

A series of disasters followed one after another.

Gu Xi is getting busier and busier.

At the beginning, he could handle everything calmly.

After all, because of the existence of the Gu family, the national strength of the Han Dynasty is now far stronger than imagined.

Faced with floods in Kuaiji County and the surrounding areas of Luoyang.

He didn't need to go to great lengths to deal with it; he only needed to open the granaries and release the grain. The Han Dynasty's foundation would not be seriously damaged by this matter.

But with the locust plague in the north.

Gu Xi would have to face a larger refugee group and arrange every expense more carefully.

The most crucial thing is the impact of these successive natural disasters on the court.

I don’t know when it started.

Gradually, a new opinion emerged in the court.

This series of natural disasters was caused by Deng Sui's reign as the empress.

Gu Xi was not targeted because he had been in power for a long time.

Since the 13th year of Yongyuan, he has been gradually involved in government affairs, just lacking a title.

Naturally, no one would blame Gu Xi for these things.

Otherwise, there is a possibility that Liu Zhao will be harmed.

But Deng Sui was different.

In fact, if there had been no natural disaster, with Gu Xi around, such rumors would never have appeared in the court.

Even if the ministers had such thoughts, they would suppress them in their hearts.

But it’s different when there is a disaster in the world.

This is not a trivial matter.

When such a disturbance occurs in the court and the country, it will sooner or later spread to the entire people and have an unimaginable impact on the reputation of the entire court.

Even though Gu Kang had already influenced the entire Han Dynasty to pursue superstitions about prophecies and divinations.

But the limitations of the times are there.

Even Gu Kang could not completely escape from it, let alone these descendants.

Under these disasters, the people of the Han Dynasty, who had just settled down, suddenly became restless again.

night.

The night was covered with dark clouds, and it was gloomy and without light.

Gu Xi walked slowly into Changle Palace, his face full of fatigue.

Deng Sui's expression was also a little ugly at this time.

But when she saw Gu Xi, she couldn't help but sigh: "Master, you have worked hard."

Gu Xi didn't say anything.

Deng Sui didn't care. She sighed deeply and continued, "I'm aware of the recent rumors in the court."

“Natural disasters continue.”

"Perhaps it is really my fault that I lack virtue."

"Taifu, what do you think of me issuing a self-criticism edict?"

Deng Sui stared at Gu Xi closely.

Gu Xi immediately shook his head and said sternly, "Your Majesty, please do not have such thoughts!"

"Natural disasters continue to occur, and the people of our Han Dynasty are all restless."

"What if the Queen Mother issues an edict of apology and the natural disasters continue?"

"I have already allocated grain from the Taicang Granary and local granaries to provide relief to the victims and exempt the affected areas from taxes."

"And based on some ideas left by my grandfather, Marquis Wencheng, we ordered officials from all regions to exterminate the locusts."

“This natural disaster has indeed had a significant impact.”

"But it is still not enough to affect the foundation of the Han Dynasty built by generations of wise rulers."

"Queen Mother, please don't try to stir up trouble!"

"Besides, my grandfather once said, 'Respect ghosts and gods, but keep them at a distance.' How can we allow the people of the world to believe that the court has lost its moral integrity just because of a few natural disasters?"

Gu Xi's expression was very serious.

Especially after these days of reviewing the state affairs, Gu Xi is still as young as ever, but he has a more majestic aura.

Compared with the rest of the world, the descendants of the Gu family have a deeper understanding of Gu Kang's knowledge.

Gu Xi is the best of their generation.

He always maintains the attitude that man can conquer nature.

"What the Master said makes sense."

Hearing this, Deng Sui nodded slightly, but then she realized something was wrong and her expression changed slightly. "Could it be that the Grand Master thinks that there will be natural disasters in our Han Dynasty?"

"I have read the book left by my grandfather."

Gu Xi did not hide anything and sighed softly, "Grandfather once said that after the flood and locust plague, there might be a major epidemic."

“Although it may not be true, we must be on guard against it.”

"I have been gathering doctors from all over the country for a while now, but I am afraid that if a major epidemic really breaks out, it will be a drop in the bucket."

Deng Sui's expression changed again.

This is the judgment of Marquis Wencheng.

In today's Han Dynasty, from the government officials to the common people, Gu Kang has truly become a god-level figure.

His judgment is unlikely to be wrong.

"If this is really the case, what can Master Tai do?"

Deng Sui couldn't help but ask again, her expression becoming more serious.

"As long as people's hearts are at peace, our Han Dynasty will never be in chaos."

Gu Xi sighed softly, "Please don't worry too much, Queen Dowager. As for the rumors in the court and the public, I will handle them."

After saying that, Gu Xi said no more.

After bowing to Deng Sui, he walked out.

He didn't have much time to waste.

It can be said that as the turmoil in the court and the country gradually increased, Gu Xi really became the pillar of the Han Dynasty.

If Gu Yi hadn't used the longevity card on him.

Gu Yi had to worry about his body, wondering whether it could withstand such a level of consumption.

The Han Dynasty’s current foundation is very good.

With Gu Xi formulating a series of disaster relief plans, these natural disasters really failed to affect the foundation of the Han Dynasty.

But it was exactly what Gu Xi had guessed.

The floods and locust plagues have not stopped.

——Major epidemics followed one after another.

July.

A major epidemic broke out in the capital Luoyang, Yanzhou, Jizhou and other places.

The people suffered from many diseases and epidemics, and the dead were lying side by side on the road.

Even though Gu Xi had made preparations in advance, he still seemed a little powerless in the face of an epidemic of this scale.

And that’s not all.

September.

Severe drought occurred in parts of Jing and Yang states, rivers dried up, and farmland cracked.

Yi Hai day.

Four meteorites fell in Chenliu.

This incident seemed to have penetrated the last line of defense of the court, even though Gu Xi and Deng Sui had tried their best to control the rumors and even punished several ministers.

But when the news of the meteorite falling to the ground came.

The court and even the people were in an uproar instantly.

"Meteorites falling to the ground" has always been regarded as an ominous sign by people all over the world, not to mention that now there is also this series of natural disasters.

The whole big man was in a panic.

Rumors were spreading everywhere, both within the government and among the people.
Luoyang.

Champion House.

The dim candlelight flickered, illuminating Gu Xi's face.

He was concentrating on reviewing the disaster reports that were urgently sent in from various places.

The flickering candlelight made his furrowed brow and solemn expression even more distinct.

Suddenly, a panicked voice came from a distance, getting closer and closer.

Gu Xi raised his head instantly, instinctively thinking that it was another emergency report of the worsening disaster.

But in an instant, he noticed something strange.

Although the voice was male, it was a bit shrill.

eunuch?

Gu Xi held the memorial in his hand, frowned, and walked out of the mansion quickly.

As soon as he arrived at the gate of the mansion, he saw a group of eunuchs holding torches standing in front of the door, and each of their faces was filled with panic and anxiety.

In an instant, a strong feeling of uneasiness surged into Gu Xi's heart.

He looked at the leading eunuch, frowned, and asked in a deep voice, "What's going on?"

"Teacher!"

All the eunuchs knelt down in unison, and the leader cried out,

"His Majesty was ill and has passed away."

"The Queen Mother invites the Grand Tutor to enter the palace immediately!"

With a "click", Gu Xi's body trembled violently, and the memorial in his hand fell to the ground uncontrollably.

On the Gengchen day of the ninth month of the first year of Yanping;
——Liu Long died in the imperial palace.

When the news came out, the whole world was shocked, and the already unstable people's hearts seemed to be on the verge of collapse from that day on.

---------

The first year of Yanping.

On the 23rd day of the fourth month, there was an earthquake in Kuaiji, and the mountains and hills cracked, indicating that the yin was invading the yang.

In May, heavy rains hit Jingluo, and the Luo River overflowed, submerging farmlands and houses.

The Hedongyuan Mountain collapsed, causing many casualties. The historian reported: "The water has lost its nature. This is the fault of Yin forcing Yang."

In June, locusts swarmed across the northern border, covering the sky. All crops and millet were destroyed, and the fields were filled with starving people.

The Book of Songs says, "Get rid of the moths and caterpillars, and get rid of the looters and thieves." This is probably a response to the harsh and cruel taxes and labor service.

In July, the epidemic spread throughout the country, especially in Yan and Ji, where white cloth was hung on every door and window.

The autumn air is abnormal because metal and wood are in conflict.

In the ninth month, the land of Jingyang lay scorched for thousands of miles, and at night, stars fell from Chenliu like a field of stars. People of the time secretly remarked, "Mars is in the heart, and the Purple Palace is shaking."

On the Gengchen day, the emperor collapsed in the inner hall, and all celestial and human affairs were in turmoil.

———Book of the Later Han Dynasty: Records of the Five Elements

(End of this chapter)