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

Chapter 89 Dark Clouds
Chang Le Palace, Xuande Hall.

The prosperity of the day before was like a bubble, vanishing in an instant.

Wei Zifu sat in the back seat.

Gongsun He and his son Gongsun Jingsheng paced back and forth in the hall.

The Crown Prince's sudden action was not communicated to anyone else in the Wei clan group except for Wei Qing and Huo Qubing. Even Empress Wei Zifu, who was ruling as regent, was kept in the dark until Bian Tong, the chief secretary of the prime minister, arrived with imperial credentials and persuaded Empress Wei to send guards from Changle Palace and carriages from the imperial stables to provide assistance.

Clearly, in the mind of the Crown Prince, no one in the Wei clan other than Empress Wei, Wei Qing, and Huo Qubing, was trustworthy.

What alarmed Gongsun He and Gongsun Jingsheng even more was that the implementation of the decree on calculating and reporting wealth was not going smoothly. In the capital region, the envoy in charge of calculating and reporting wealth was arrested by the local government as soon as he took action!

It's not hard to guess who in this world would dare to harm the women of the Empress's palace.

Gongsun He and the Crown Prince's nephew, Gongsun Jingsheng and the Crown Prince's cousin, didn't have many interactions. In the few times they did interact, things were relatively harmonious. But at this moment, why did an oppressive and unfriendly aura emanate from the direction of Weiyang Palace?

Changyu entered the hall leaning on her lotus-adorned armchair and announced, "Your Majesty, the Emperor requests an audience."

"Did Your Majesty bring any attendants?" Gongsun He asked eagerly.

“Zhang Tang, the Minister of Justice, came along.”

"It's over!"

Gongsun He looked ashen-faced, while Gongsun Jingsheng panicked and knelt before the woman behind him, pleading, "Please, Aunt, save my father and me."

By now.

Wei Zifu gradually sorted out many things. From the beginning of her regency, her brother-in-law and son had been urging her to ascend the throne. Then they urged her to hold a court discussion and issue an edict. The details that she had overlooked at the time were now all connected.

Wei Zifu's phoenix eyes were filled with anger, but seeing her brother-in-law and son's attitude, and thinking of her elder sister Wei Junru, she paused for a moment and said, "You two go into the inner hall to take refuge for now. I want to hear what Ju'er has to say."

Neither agreeing nor refusing, Gongsun He and his son Gongsun Jingsheng were caught in a dilemma, but they could only obey and hide in the inner palace.

Chang Yu Yi Hua led Liu Ju into the main hall. Liu Ju looked around, bowed, and said, "Your subject greets Mother."

"My son."

Wei Zifu stood up and pulled Liu Ju to sit down in the back seat. After carefully examining him and finding no damage whatsoever, she hesitated and said, "My son has just returned to Chang'an, and it is a busy time for internal and external affairs. I am not in a hurry."

"My sudden return to Chang'an must have made my mother uneasy. No matter how busy I am with state affairs, nothing is more important than comforting my mother," Liu Ju said with a smile.

"Is it because my regency has displeased my son?" Wei Zifu asked Liu Ju earnestly.

"Nothing."

Liu Ju shook his head. "If Mother doesn't believe me, she can ask Uncle. I don't care that Mother is ruling as regent."

"Was it a mistake on my part in issuing the edict?"

Wei Zifu's unease was palpable. She explained, yet remained puzzled, "Calculating and reporting wealth both involve profiting from merchants. Didn't my son do the same thing before?"

Liu Ju continuously increased commercial taxes to profit from commerce, which was no secret in the court. When Gongsun He and his son Gongsun Jingsheng offered this plan, she thought she was following her son's idea. How could she have gone astray?
“Mother, I am profiting from the business, not from the merchants. It’s just that those merchants have taken more than they deserve. What I’m doing is taking back the profits that the merchants shouldn’t have received,” Liu Ju slowly explained to his mother.

My mother came from humble beginnings, originally just a singer in Pingyang Prefecture. She was fortunate enough to be favored by the imperial family, and with the help of Chen Ajiao's childlessness and arrogance, as well as the efforts of my uncle and elder brother, she has achieved what she has today. Now that my mother is ruling as regent, she probably doesn't even understand what court regulations are, let alone how to discern those decrees that harbor treacherous intentions.

“If it were merely about calculating the wealth and profiting from merchants, Mother’s actions would not be wrong. However, the additional act of reporting the wealth deliberately incites the evil in human nature. Once it spreads, it will not be a wave affecting just one industry, but a wave that sweeps across the entire Han Dynasty.”

Wei Zifu was shocked.

As the Empress of the Han Dynasty, she only needed to be cautious and discreet, and her influence was confined to the inner palace. However, she never expected that a single decree issued by her regency could affect the entire empire.

"Then I shall immediately withdraw the decree?"

"We'll have to wait."

Liu Ju soothed his mother's emotions and said slowly, "Now, in terms of status and position, since the founding of the Han Dynasty, only my great-grandmother Lü Shi has been able to match you. Even my great-grandmother Dou Shi and my grandmother Wang Shi cannot compare. As the mother of the nation, your word is law and cannot be changed overnight."

"My son, what should we do?"

"I have already ordered the Prime Minister's Office and the Court of Justice to intervene in this matter, but they will not expand the decree. Later, an imperial edict of amnesty will be issued."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Zhang Tang spoke up at the opportune moment, saying, "The Prime Minister's Office and the Court of Justice have all issued orders to strictly prohibit the expansion of the decree. If any villains are found, the local officials should arrest them and send them to Chang'an. I will absolutely not forgive those who deliberately dishonor Her Majesty's holy name!"

As Zhang Tang's voice fell, chaos erupted from the inner palace. The cruel official's use of the word "absolute" easily brought to mind the powerful families and clans that had been exterminated.

"Nephew, I'm innocent!"

Gongsun He and Gongsun Jingsheng rushed out of the inner hall, crying out, "Calculating the amount of money and reporting the debt were not my idea, Uncle! I'm innocent!"

Liu Ju looked at Gongsun He with unfathomable eyes. This uncle-in-law was not a Han Chinese, but a Yiqu person.

The Yiqu were originally a branch of nomadic tribes in the northwest, now part of the Beidi Commandery under the Han Dynasty. They once established the Yiqu Rong Kingdom, which existed throughout the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.

In the thirty-fifth year of King Zhaoxiang of Qin, Qin conquered the Yiqu Rong state. Some of its people fled north and were assimilated into the Xiongnu, while others remained in their original territory and were incorporated into the Qin population.

The Yiqu were skilled in horsemanship and archery, and were known as a strong race since ancient times. After entering the Han Dynasty, they were an important source of cavalry for the Han army.

Many of the generals and guards of Liu Ju, Wei Qing, Huo Qubing, and other generals of the Han Dynasty came from the Yiqu.

Among the Yiqu people, the Gongsun family was a noble clan, with generations of generals. Gongsun He's father, Gongsun Hunxie, served under Zhou Yafu in suppressing the Rebellion of the Seven States of Wu and Chu, and was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Pingqu for his meritorious service. Later, he served as the Director of the State, responsible for handling the affairs between the Han Dynasty and the surrounding ethnic groups, with a rank of two thousand shi.

Standing on the shoulders of his clan and his father, Gongsun He joined the army as a knight in his youth and made many merits. The Han Dynasty had a long-standing habit and policy of winning over powerful families of other ethnic groups. During the reign of Emperor Xiaojing, Gongsun He entered the Crown Prince's palace and became a retainer of the Crown Prince.

When Crown Prince Liu Che ascended the throne, Gongsun He became the Grand Master of the Palace and one of the Nine Ministers.

The position of Grand Master of the Palace was both prestigious and prestigious, and could only be held by extremely close and trusted ministers. This system had been in place since the time of Emperor Gaozu. A good Grand Master of the Palace could sometimes save a life, as was the case with Marquis Xiahou Ying of Ruyin.

A young man follows the dragon, a young man attaches himself to the phoenix, and he establishes a relationship with the Wei family. In middle age, or even in old age, he can remain aloof.

"Whose idea was this?" Liu Ju asked.

"Doctor, Dong Zhongshu!"

(End of this chapter)