bookbashuk Chapter 174 Schemes
Chapter 174 Schemes
Chapter 174 Schemes
There is an idiom called "如丧考妣", which means as if one's parents had died.
In ancient times, a deceased father was called "Kao" and a deceased mother was called "Bi".
"Huangkao" is the emperor's term for his deceased father. Since Zhao Zongquan was adopted by the previous emperor to inherit the throne, he could not use this term to address his biological father and mother according to etiquette.
Han Zhang, however, supported this act that violated etiquette and law. At first glance, it seemed that he knew Zhao Zongquan's purpose and was using this method to support the Empress Dowager in returning power to Zhao Zongquan.
However, upon closer examination, the issues involved are not so simple.
Zhao Zongquan wanted the Empress Dowager to return power, but he didn't want to ask directly, so this method was quite normal.
After all, he was an emperor without any real power, and he couldn't find any other reason to force his officials to take sides.
However, as the Grand Chancellor of the court, Han Zhang could have directly petitioned the Empress Dowager to return power to the Empress Dowager.
When the late emperor ascended the throne, he was too old to rule in his own right.
Later, when the late emperor reached old age, many court officials petitioned Empress Dowager Liu to return power to him.
Even Empress Wu Zetian, who became emperor herself, had many people petitioning her in her later years to return the throne to the Li family.
If he were to submit a memorial to the throne, and the Empress Dowager were unwilling to relinquish power, then it would be perfectly acceptable for him to side with Zhao Zongquan.
However, it is highly problematic that he, as the Grand Chancellor of the court, did not take the lead in petitioning the Empress Dowager to return power to the Empress Dowager, but instead directly sided with her.
Looking at some of Han Zhang's choices during his decades in office, it's not hard to see that although he often appeared righteous and awe-inspiring, he was actually acting in his own self-interest.
He is capable, but he failed to demonstrate his abilities at many crucial moments.
For example, in matters of reform and in resolving the conflict between Zhao Zongquan and the Empress Dowager.
He did nothing in the former case, except to plead for Fan Da Xiangong and others after they were demoted.
Note that this was a plea for leniency after being demoted.
It should be noted that there was a considerable amount of time between the time when Fan Da Xiang Gong and others were attacked and the time when the emperor demoted them and banished them from the capital.
During this period, Han Zhang did not take any action until they were demoted to local posts, at which point he pleaded for their lives.
He did nothing in the matter of Zhao Zongquan and the Empress Dowager; he simply supported Zhao Zongquan and helped him deceive the imperial seal.
He finally tried to persuade the Empress Dowager to relinquish power, but she tricked him.
It can be said that he did not demonstrate any of the political skills and abilities that a Grand Chancellor should have.
Wang You suspected Han Zhang because Han Zhang, along with other officials, pressured the emperor before he ascended the throne.
Normally, given Han Zhang's life, he should have helped the emperor.
But he didn't do that, because it would offend too many people.
How could he dare to disobey the will of the entire court?
If we were to do that, we would immediately be targeted by all the officials.
At that time, the emperor had not yet ascended the throne, so how could he be protected?
In the original drama, he did not persuade the Empress Dowager to return power, but instead supported Zhao Zongquan in posthumously honoring his biological father, precisely because he was afraid of being targeted by the Empress Dowager.
After all, if he had stood up from the beginning, the power would still be in the hands of the Empress Dowager, and she would have had plenty of ways to deal with him.
"This old fox is not easy to deal with." Wang You rubbed his head, feeling a headache coming on.
Given the nature of the officials, he was confident he could persuade them to implement reforms.
However, Han Zhang, as the Grand Chancellor, had the authority to reject the Emperor's decree.
If he doesn't cooperate, things will be very difficult to handle later.
Even if someone else takes over, the situation won't be much better.
In the eyes of many, imperial power is supreme.
In reality, imperial power was not that great, and strictly speaking, the ancient world was not a family-run empire.
Many people look down on the Song Dynasty, believing that the Song Dynasty ruled the country with the scholar-officials and that each emperor was weaker than the last.
In fact, both during and before the Tang Dynasty, the country was ruled jointly by powerful clans and aristocratic families.
However, by the Song Dynasty, the aristocratic families had disappeared and were replaced by scholar-officials.
In essence, there was no difference between aristocratic families and scholar-officials; emperors ruled the country together with their officials.
Some might ask, if that's the case, why did the Song Dynasty prioritize civil affairs over military matters, while other dynasties did not?
In fact, all dynasties in their later stages emphasized civil affairs over military affairs.
The reason why dynasties before the Song Dynasty did not have this distinction was because there was no strict division between civil and military officials at that time.
At that time, the ideal was to govern the army on horseback and maintain peace on foot, with the ultimate goal being to become both a general and a prime minister.
Before the Tang Dynasty, most military generals came from aristocratic families.
In their eyes, civil and military affairs are actually the same; the emphasis is different at different times, and the positions that the family members seek are also different.
Previously, the emperor was wary of powerful clans, but he couldn't do anything about them.
Even a powerful ruler like Li Shimin, who wanted his son to marry women from five different clans, could only issue an edict prohibiting such marriage alliances when the women refused.
It wasn't that he didn't want to kill, but that he couldn't. Almost all the officials came from powerful families, and even if he killed them, the people promoted would still be from powerful families.
The so-called "poor family children" are not children of ordinary people, but children of fallen aristocratic families.
Even if they are given important positions, once they gain power, they will still think about reviving the family.
Conversely, if Li Shimin had killed all five surnames and seven powerful clans at once, the resulting power vacuum could very well have been swallowed up by a few families.
Originally, the Five Surnames and Seven Noble Families were seven families. After their extinction, three or four families might emerge to replace them.
At that time, power and wealth will become more concentrated, and those families will have greater influence.
The entire history of the Sui and Tang dynasties is more like a history of struggle between imperial power and aristocratic families.
Emperor Yang of Sui's three campaigns against Goguryeo, seemingly driven by ambition, were in reality aimed at weakening the power and military authority of the Guanzhong aristocracy.
At that time, the Guanzhong region had the largest number of soldiers, who were also the most elite, but these soldiers were all in the hands of the Guanzhong nobles.
Of course, it's not to say that Emperor Yang of Sui deliberately lost; he was genuinely incompetent.
According to Emperor Yang of Sui's plan, destroying Goguryeo or severely weakening it would also result in significant losses for his own side.
He then built Luoyang as the eastern capital and moved the capital there, which would completely weaken the power of the Guanzhong aristocracy.
Unfortunately, they failed to win several times and suffered huge losses, ultimately making a mess of things.
However, he did indeed deal a heavy blow to the Guanzhong aristocracy.
After Li Yuan raised his army, he tried his best to win over the five surnames and seven noble families. After he established the Tang Dynasty, he also made good use of these families.
Later, after Li Shimin launched the Xuanwu Gate Incident, he began to heavily rely on the Guanzhong aristocracy.
However, due to Changsun Wuji, after Li Zhi assumed power, he once again began to heavily rely on the five surnames and seven prominent families.
After Wu Zetian ascended the throne, she began to promote people from poor families and lower-ranking officials, and vigorously promoted the imperial examination system to select talents.
It can be seen that these struggles involve supporting one side while suppressing the other.
However, there was no large-scale killing, because the transfer of power takes time.
One or two officials can be promoted exceptionally, but the appointment and removal of a large number of officials requires time to cultivate them gradually.
After killing a group of third-rank officials, the vacant positions can only be filled by promoting officials from the fourth rank. It's not feasible to promote a bunch of seventh or eighth-rank officials to take over the high positions.
The true establishment of a dynasty through family rule actually began with Zhu Yuanzhang.
After he abolished the position of prime minister, the country became his personal fiefdom.
Even so, this period was relatively short. Later, after the cabinet gained control of the government, it was able to check and balance the imperial power.
If the Emperor wants to remove Han Zhang, the Grand Chancellor, there are only a handful of people in the court who can take over the position. Promoting them might not necessarily make them any better than Han Zhang.
After careful consideration, Wang You still felt that keeping Han Zhang alive was far better than bringing him down.
People like Han Zhang, who have selfish motives, are relatively easier to deal with.
Those who are selfless but extremely stubborn and pedantic are the most difficult to deal with.
With this in mind, Wang You made a decision: he would still prioritize winning over Han Zhang.
The Gu family was filled with weeping.
The fourth and fifth wives cried and screamed as they watched their loved ones being taken away by the Imperial City Guards. They could only beg for help from Madam Qin.
"Sister-in-law, please think of something!"
"Aunt, my husband is timid; he wouldn't participate in a rebellion!"
"What's the panic?"
Madam Qin said irritably, "Since you all say they wouldn't participate in a rebellion, it must be a misunderstanding. Once the matter is cleared up, they'll be released!"
"Sister-in-law, you make that sound so easy!"
The Fourth Master said coldly, "Is that a place fit for human beings? And what if they get a confession through torture?"
"Yes, sister-in-law, this isn't just a matter for our fourth and fifth branches. If they're tortured into confessing, our entire Gu family will be in deep trouble!" said the fifth master.
"What can a woman like me do?"
Madam Qin said coldly, "You can't even control your own son, so what's the use of coming to me now?"
"What flower are you talking about, sister-in-law?"
The fourth master angrily said, "What do you mean we can't control our son? We've already said Tingbing is innocent."
"Then why wasn't Tingwei arrested?" Madam Qin asked rhetorically.
"Maybe it's because we offended Erlang!"
The Fifth Master said, "The one investigating the case is the son of Physician Wang, and he and Erlang are friends. It's very likely that Erlang asked him for help, which is why they came to arrest him."
"Then go find Erlang, why are you coming to me?" Madam Qin asked in return.
"Sister-in-law, I don't like hearing what you're saying."
Fourth Madam said, "We offended Erlang because of you. Otherwise, since Dalang is a sickly man, why would we be so stupid as to offend Erlang?"
"No matter who inherits the title, we are still the elders. They can't possibly drive us away, can they?"
"Exactly! My sister-in-law is trying to kick me while I'm down!"
"We've offended Erlang, so it's no use asking him for help now. If Aunt isn't willing to ask Erlang for help, we can't guarantee what we'll say in order to persuade him."
When Xiao Qin heard the people from the fourth and fifth branches threatening her, she sneered, "I'm not afraid to tell you, Da Lang has already handed over the family division documents left by his father-in-law to Er Lang."
You all know Erlang's temper. Do you think he can tolerate you?
Threatening me won't work; I'm barely able to protect myself right now.
Before Gu Yankai's father passed away, he summoned the elders of the Gu family to witness the division of the family property between the fourth and fifth branches.
After Gu Yankai inherited the title, he did not ask the fourth and fifth branches of the family to move out. Instead, out of consideration for their brotherhood, he allowed them to continue living in the Ningyuan Marquis's residence.
As the saying goes, a large tree branches out, and a large family splits up.
The Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion is the main branch, so the fourth and fifth branches naturally don't get much of the family property.
They naturally didn't want to move out. Over the years, they had stayed in the Ningyuan Marquis's residence, and their food, clothing, and daily necessities were all provided by the Marquis's residence.
The inheritance they received was of no use whatsoever.
Even so, they didn't want to move away, which is why they helped Madam Qin plot against Gu Tingye.
Without Madam Qin's instructions, how could they possibly scheme against Gu Tingye, their nephew who was likely to inherit the title?
Originally, although they were somewhat worried about Gu Tingye's return, they were not afraid.
Anyway, the documents for the division of the family property back then are no longer available. Since Gu Tingye inherited the title, if he wants to drive them away, he has to give them some of the family property.
But when they heard that the documents had not only not been destroyed, but had also fallen into Gu Tingye's hands, they could no longer sit still.
Madam Qin sneered inwardly, but on the surface she pretended to sigh and said, "The eldest son wants the second son to inherit the family business and the title. He has secretly hidden the master's will and the documents for dividing the family property."
I only found out about this from Dalang when I went to him for help.
Erlang hates me to the core. If I go to him for help, it will only backfire. Only if you go to him yourselves might it be of any use.
She actually knew about this a long time ago, but she kept it a secret from the fourth and fifth wives.
When Gu Tingye suddenly returned, the fourth and fifth branches of the family naturally asked her for the reason.
Her answer was that Gu Tingyu was dying, which is why she agreed to let Gu Tingye come back temporarily.
She couldn't stop it, worried that it would upset Gu Tingyu.
As the saying goes, a dying man's words are good. It's understandable that Gu Tingyu, who is nearing his end, would suddenly cherish his brotherhood.
Therefore, the fourth and fifth branches of the family did nothing. Anyway, the family division documents were destroyed, and as long as Gu Tingye did not inherit the title, there was nothing they could do.
The purpose of all this was to force the fourth and fifth branches of the family to fully recognize the situation and stand on her side.
Over the years, the fourth and fifth wives have schemed against Gu Tingye quite a bit. Based on her understanding of Gu Tingye, he would at most protect the Gu family and wouldn't care about the life or death of the fourth and fifth wives.
Once Gu Tingye rejects the fourth and fifth wives, they will only have her to rely on.
Although Gu Tingyu inherited the title, he still needs the approval of the Imperial Clan Court if he wants Gu Tingye to inherit the title.
If the fourth and fifth branches of the family go to the Imperial Clan Court to oppose Gu Tingye's inheritance of the title, citing Gu Tingye's death of his father, the Imperial Clan Court will consider it.
The reason I didn't say it from the beginning was because I was worried that if I dragged it out too long, Gu Tingye would figure it out.
Once Gu Tingye realizes what's going on and uses this to threaten the fourth and fifth branches of the family, they will side with Gu Tingye.
Upon hearing this, the fourth and fifth wives knew that it was no use to Madam Qin, so they immediately went to Gu Tingye's courtyard in a large group.
Madam Qin watched them leave and gave Mama Su a wink.
Seeing this, Su's mother quickly and quietly followed them.
Before a cup of tea could be brewed, Su Mama rushed back, her face filled with anxiety. She said urgently, "Madam, something terrible has happened. The Second Young Master promised the Fourth and Fifth Branches that if they were willing to go to the government to identify you as the one who orchestrated the schemes against him, he would be willing to get them released."
"What?"
Madam Qin jumped to her feet, asking anxiously, "They didn't agree, did they?"
"The fourth and fifth wives didn't agree, but promised to move out," said Mrs. Su.
"Yes."
Madam Qin said, "If they admit it, their reputation will be completely ruined. They can't possibly agree to that."
If the fourth and fifth wives admit to conspiring with her to scheme against Gu Tingye, they will inevitably be condemned by the world.
Moreover, they had no evidence whatsoever; they relied entirely on hints.
Even if they did agree, he could still say that Gu Tingye used their son as a threat to force them to agree.
The reason is quite simple: Gu Tingye was driven out of his home after his father died of anger, and he hated his stepmother, Gu Tingye, to the core, wanting to take revenge on her.