A son who doesn't resemble his father? Love you, old man, see you at Xuanwu Gate!

Chapter 56 Winning the Gold
Inside the big tent.

The charcoal fire was relit, and the earthenware pot for brewing tea was set up. Liu Ju warmly and kindly invited Prime Minister Gongsun Hong to take a seat.

Gongsun Hong could no longer suppress his anxiety. The Crown Prince's behavior was no different from that of a real emperor exercising his power.

However, if one had to describe the current Han, he would say that he was drifting aimlessly, without a sense of direction, and had no idea where to go.

Under Your Majesty's relentless militarism, the entire empire has been swept away by a massive torrent, and no one knows where to reach shore.

His Majesty retreated to Ganquan Palace to recuperate, leaving the entire mess to the Crown Prince. Gongsun Hong originally thought that the wise Crown Prince would maintain the status quo at the beginning of his reign, governing the country with a Confucian exterior, a Legalist core, and a Taoist mindset, restoring national strength through recuperation and spending His Majesty's remaining years.

The main focus is on stability.

However, even after a brief encounter, Gongsun Hong concluded that behind the Crown Prince's gentle demeanor lay a powerful force of control.

Even when sitting comfortably across from him, casually brewing tea with his delicate hands, the Crown Prince always seemed so happy and content during their conversation, accompanied by hearty laughter.

Gongsun Hong was born in the seventh year of Emperor Gaozu's reign. If Empress Lü is considered a female emperor, she lived through the reigns of six emperors of the Han Dynasty, which can be said to have spanned the entire Han Dynasty.

Unlike the old folks in the countryside who live a hundred years in vain and accomplish nothing, Gongsun Hong worked as a prison official in his hometown when he was young. After being dismissed from his post due to a legal violation, he was appointed as a "Doctor" by Emperor Xiaowen in the first year of Emperor Xiaowen's reign, along with Jia Yi, a peerless genius of the same age.

In just one year, Gongsun Hong was promoted to the position of Grand Master of the Palace, a trusted minister of the emperor. Although he was not as dazzling as Jia Yi, he was still one of the few in the world to achieve this.

Gongsun Hong met Emperor Xiaojing, and in the first year of Jianyuan, he, along with Yuan Gusheng, Feng Tang, and Dong Zhongshu, once again entered the Emperor's Hall.

Well, Gongsun Hong has seen many geniuses, but all of them call him a genius.

Those more talented than him were born at the wrong time, or could not have survived as long as he did; those less talented than him did not hold as high a position as he did.

In his eighty years of life, Gongsun Hong had seen indignant emperors, terrified princes, and jealous nobles, but he had never seen a crown prince like him.

The crown prince would joke with someone who looked serious, comfort someone who was crying, and encourage someone who was disheartened.

A murky yet shrewd consciousness permeated the entire situation, guiding the course of events.

The crown prince can certainly become tough and powerful, and if he so chooses, he is fully capable of manipulating the court with ruthless tactics.

Charisma, humor, power, persuasiveness, intimidation, and ideological convictions—these are all weapons in the hands of the crown prince.

The Emperor will not allow the current state of the Han Dynasty to continue!
As Liu Ju poured tea for Gongsun Hong, he said, “In the past ten years, people’s income has dropped by more than half, and nearly four million people have died in despair, which is nearly one-tenth of our dynasty’s population.”

"As the Chancellor of the Han Dynasty, I cannot escape my guilt," Gongsun Hong said solemnly as he accepted the pottery bowl.

"I have no intention of blaming anyone. Besides, I know that the blame does not lie with the Prime Minister."

Although the ruler did not name names, it was as if he was reporting information to His Majesty's "household register".

"At this point, it's not just a matter of delaying hunger; it concerns the very survival of our Great Han Dynasty," Liu Ju sighed heavily.

Frequent military campaigns abroad led to an empty treasury and a heavy burden on the people. In order to make up for the financial deficit, the court continued to increase taxes and corvée labor. Coupled with frequent natural disasters and man-made calamities, the people were living in misery, which eventually triggered a large-scale rebellion.

Especially in the areas between Nanyang, Chu, Qi, Yan, and Zhao, there were rebellions almost every year. These rebel armies numbered from several hundred to several thousand people. They attacked cities, seized weapons from armories, released prisoners, and killed county officials, causing repeated heavy blows to county governments.

In addition, those foreign states that feared power but did not appreciate virtue often rebelled due to dissatisfaction with the rule of the Han Dynasty. The court dispatched large armies to quell these rebellions, but the costs often outweighed the benefits. Faced with rebellions in various places, the Emperor initially sent the Censor-in-Chief and the Chief Secretary of the Chancellor to various counties to supervise local officials in suppressing the rebellions, but the results were unsatisfactory.

Subsequently, he dispatched imperial censors and others to various places to send troops to suppress the rebellion. In some large prefectures, they were able to kill more than 10,000 rebels at once.

When the suppression became difficult, the emperor would also take some measures to appease and weaken the rebels. He would sometimes give certain preferential treatment to the rebel generals who surrendered in order to attract other rebel armies to surrender.

Overall, however, the emperor's methods of suppressing rebellions were quite harsh, and he insisted on using force as the primary means to maintain his rule.

The Han dynasty was largely wasting its manpower, resources, and manpower in a meaningless manner.

"I have pondered the matter of national prosperity for a long time, and it boils down to four words: 'put the people first.'"

Gongsun Hong's heart skipped a beat: "Your Majesty's insight into worldly affairs is profound and far-sighted, far beyond my reach..."

"Prime Minister, there's no need for that."

Liu Ju interrupted Gongsun Hong's flattery, paused slightly, and said: "In the present Han Dynasty, there are no rewards for merit, no land to cultivate, no relief for famine, no harvests in a year, and labor without reward. The people have different thoughts, which is really helpless. If I were to act for the people, I might have to follow my ancestor's example and take up a three-foot sword to fight against the wicked and punish the tyrant."

"Your Majesty, be careful with your words!"

Gongsun Hong rose from his seat and knelt down, saying, "If Your Majesty has the ambition to change things, then you will have no shame before the people of the Han Dynasty, nor before your ancestors and the nation."

Liu Ju also left his seat, helped the old prime minister up with both hands, and said with a sob, "Therefore, I am determined to reform, and I ask the prime minister to take on this great responsibility for me!"

"Your Majesty trusts me, and I will die ten thousand times over!" Gongsun Hong said in a hoarse voice.

I knew the Qilin Pavilion wouldn't be easy to get into.

He's just an old man; even if someone takes him apart, it doesn't matter. At eighty, he's at the prime of his life, ready to fight for his lord.

"The deeper the reform, the more arduous the road ahead. Therefore, I ask the Prime Minister to do three things."

"Please give your instructions, Your Majesty."

"Firstly, there needs to be a group of people who wholeheartedly support the reforms, and these people need to be spread throughout the counties and prefectures of the country. Otherwise, the law will not be upheld, the orders will not be implemented, and the reforms will become a spent force."

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I have students all over the world, and the officials in all the counties are all from my school. I will do my best to build up your strength."

"Secondly, reforms do not shy away from the powerful and wealthy. Once the new law is implemented, the whole country will follow the law. Even if a prince breaks the law, he will be punished the same as a commoner."

“This is not a difficult matter. Zhang Tang, the Minister of Justice, has always been close to the Prime Minister’s office and acts as a cruel official. Once he has something to say, he will never back down.”

"Thirdly, there is the matter of money and provisions. Reforms cannot be carried out without money. I have heard that Your Majesty intends to build four palaces: Jianzhang Palace, Gui Palace, Bei Palace, and Mingguang Palace, which will cost 300,000 taels of gold. I request that a way be found to transfer the gold from the national treasury and the Imperial Treasury to the Crown Prince's Palace for the purpose of issuing decrees."

Gongsun Hong was speechless for a moment. The 300,000 taels of gold could be said to be political donations from Dongguo Xianyang and Kong Jin, who served as officials under the central government as merchants. It was money offered to His Majesty.

For over a decade, it has been Your Majesty who has been eyeing other people's money. Now that the new emperor has just taken over the country, he has already set his sights on Your Majesty's money. What a monster!
"For hundreds of years, all the heroes of reform have died unnatural deaths. I have known the Prime Minister for a long time, and the Gongsun family will enjoy wealth and honor for generations to come!"

"You are like a green mountain, as majestic as a pine and cypress. With Heaven as my witness, even if I am shattered to pieces, I will never betray you!"

(End of this chapter)