Chapter 9 Fourth, the turning point

Cui Hao died because he wrote the history of the country. This case happened one year before the death of Crown Prince Tuoba Huang, but it seems that it has nothing to do with the prince. Known open secrets.But neither Cui Hao nor the crown prince can decide the other party's fate.It is still Emperor Taiwu who controls their destiny and future, and it can only be Emperor Taiwu. So, why did Emperor Taiwu kill Cui Hao? Because of anger and disappointment, Tuoba Tao originally placed high hopes on Cui Hao.After flattening the northern countries, Emperor Taiwu felt that the great Northern Wei Dynasty could no longer live without a national history.So he issued an edict to Cui Hao, asking him to take the lead in completing this task.The instructions given are: follow the facts.

Cui Hao happily ordered the pen. Cui Hao, who is well-educated and has been in office for three dynasties, is full of confidence, but this kind of self-confidence makes him decapitated.After the history of the country was completed, under the instigation of others, the hot-headed Cui Hao engraved this proud work on a stone tablet and spent three million to make a forest of steles with a radius of 100 steps. Published an uncensored history of the Northern Wei Dynasty. It is a pity that Cui Hao does not live in the Internet age, and the forest of steles built with state treasury funds should not be his self-media.What's more, in order to demonstrate his professional ethics and academic conscience, Cui Hao insisted on certain stories that must be "treasoned for the venerable".This touched Xianbei's sensitive nerves.You know, as former barbarians, their ancestors were not very elegant.

Complaint letters flew to the imperial court like a snowflake. Emperor Taiwu was furious.He never expected that Cui Hao would disappoint Shengen so much.The imperial edict to revise the history begins with "My Taizu Emperor Daowu" and continues to say "How can I benefit from this alone", isn't the meaning unclear?Be careful not to miss the great achievements. Who told you to "slander wantonly"? Is it tolerable or unbearable, if this person is not killed, who should be killed? Cui Hao's blood was splashed on the execution ground. This case is often seen as a typical example of conflict between Hu and Han, but it is not.There should be a deeper reason for Cui Hao's death, and the national history case is just the fuse.In fact, Emperor Taiwu did not go into the matter of "slander", and not all the Han people who participated in the writing of this book were killed. For example, Gao Yun survived.

Gao Yun, a Han Chinese, is the chief author of this "Book of Nations" and the teacher of Crown Prince Tuobahuang.Therefore, after the incident, the prince invited the unknowing teacher to live in the East Palace.When he took him to see the emperor the next day, he specifically told Gao Yun: "When the emperor asks after a while, what I say, the teacher will say accordingly." Gao Yun asked: What's the matter? The prince said: You will know when you go in. After entering the hall, Tuoba Huang tried his best to excuse Gao Yun.The prince said: Gao Yun has always been cautious and dare not make his own claims.Although he worked with Cui Hao this time, but Cui Hao was domineering, and Gao Yunren spoke lightly, asking the emperor to forgive his crime.

Emperor Taiwu asked Gao Yun: Is this book written by Cui Hao? Gao Yun replied: Except for the part about Taizu, it was written by Chen and Cui Hao.But Cui Hao is only the president, and there are more ministers than Hao in writing. Emperor Taiwu was furious: Gao Yun has committed a lot of crimes, how could he not kill him? Tuobahuang hurriedly said: "Tianwei is serious, Gao Yun was frightened and confused just now." Emperor Taiwu asked Gao Yun: Is it really what the prince said? Gao Yun replied: No.The minister deserves to die if he is not talented and wrongly participates in the matter.His Royal Highness the Crown Prince just wanted to ask for a little life for the minister because he accompanied him to study in the East Palace.If the emperor doesn't ask, the minister dare not speak.The emperor asked, but the minister did not dare to be confused.

Emperor Taiwu was greatly moved.He turned around and said to Tuoba Huang: How can ordinary people achieve such integrity and integrity?So not only Gao Yun was pardoned, but also let him serve as the leader of the special case team and draft the punishment decision of the national history case. Gao Yun was unable to write for a long time. Hesitation is understandable.Because according to the opinions of the relevant departments, the 128 people involved in the case from Cui Hao to the next will all be exterminated from the five clans.Therefore, Gao Yun met the emperor and argued hard.Gao Yun said bluntly: I dare not say whether there is a fish that slipped through the net; I dare not agree to so many people being sentenced to death.

As a result, Gao Yun saved thousands of lives. Saving a life is better than building a seven-level pagoda.Gao Yun, who had great merit and virtue, lived to be ninety-eight years old in good health, and all five emperors treated him with courtesy.Neither the national history case nor the princelings had any impact on him.Because Gao Yun adhered to the bottom line of morality throughout his life, and was so poor that there were only a few huts and a few jars of pickles, the later Wencheng Emperor Tuoba Jun (read Rujun) was deeply moved. Morality can transcend national boundaries. What's more, the ethnic relations at this time are different from before.Cui Hao's father, Cui Hong, was arrested by Tuoba Gui to become an official, but Cui Hao devoted himself to the Northern Wei Dynasty.In fact, Cui Hao's problem is not that he has resistance or hostility, but that he regards the Northern Wei Dynasty as his own country too much.This aroused the resentment of the real masters, the Xianbei nobles.When the antipathy found a breakthrough, Cui Hao had to die.

There is no evidence to show that the death of the crown prince Tuoba Huang had anything to do with the death of Cui Hao.But the frequent occurrence of so many strange cases proves that the Northern Wei Dynasty has reached a turning point at this time.This transformation will be slowed by the killing of Emperor Taiwu until a mysterious woman returns to start a new program. This woman is Queen Mother Feng. Like Taiwu Emperor Tuoba Tao, Empress Dowager Feng is also full of mysteries, but these mysteries are accompanied by scandals.According to official history, Empress Dowager Feng was the daughter of Emperor Wencheng Tuoba Jun. She entered the palace at the age of fourteen, became empress two years later, and became empress dowager nine years later.At this time, she was only twenty-five years old.

The twenty-five-year-old Empress Dowager Feng showed a peculiar view of love.She first jumped into the fire to be buried for Emperor Wencheng.She was rescued and became the queen mother, but scandals spread again.As a result, the successor Xianwen Emperor Tuobahong couldn't bear it anymore and executed her two lovers.In retaliation, Empress Dowager Feng poisoned the emperor. The grievances and resentments in it can no longer be clarified.In fact, as Empress Dowager Feng's nominal son, Emperor Xianwen may also be her man.Because according to the Xianbei people's custom of "accepting marriage" (accepting and marrying other women who are not the biological mother left after the death of the father), Emperor Xianwen can do this.Even his son Tuoba Hong, Emperor Xiaowen, may have been born to Empress Dowager Feng.

In this way, Emperor Xianwen's murder may be jealousy, and Empress Dowager Feng's revenge is inevitably suspected of being "the most poisonous woman's heart". Of course, no one will pursue it. But there is no doubt that Queen Mother Feng is tough.As the empress dowager and the possible mistress of the current emperor, she launched a palace coup in the second year of Emperor Xianwen's succession (AD 466), killed the prime minister, emptied the emperor, and quickly took control of the Northern Wei Dynasty.At that time, she should not have been pregnant. However, this does not prevent her from having a child with the emperor, nor does it prevent her from killing the emperor later, if these speculations are true.

Hehe, Empress Dowager Feng is not Cui Hao. of course not.In fact, except for the short time before and after Tuoba Hong's birth, Empress Dowager Feng firmly held power.As a descendant of the Beiyan royal family, she seems to have extremely high political talent, and can make life-or-death decisions in an instant, leaving many men beyond the reach.In the end, the disheartened Emperor Xianwen had no choice but to become the Supreme Emperor, even though he was only eighteen years old at the time. Emperor Xiaowen Tuoba Hong succeeded to the throne at the age of five. This happened in the first year of Chengming in the Northern Wei Dynasty (AD 476).That same year, the Germanic mercenary general deposed the last emperor, Romulus Augustus.The Western Roman Empire sunk into the Mediterranean Sea, and an ancient civilization came to an end. The Northern Wei Dynasty turned around magnificently.The thirty-six-year-old Empress Dowager Feng came to the court in the name of the Empress Dowager and started a comprehensive political and social reform.These reforms would fundamentally change Xianbei and Northern Wei.Fortunately, this is not only the last wish of Tuoba Tao and Cui Hao, but also the consensus of Empress Dowager Feng and Tuoba Hong.

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Notes: Volume one hundred and twenty-five. Volume one hundred and twenty-five. Volume one hundred and thirty-one.Note: Empress Dowager Feng's coup took place on February 25th (Gengshen) in the first year of Tian'an (466) in the Northern Wei Dynasty, and Tuoba Hong was born on August 14th (Wushen) in the first year of Huangxing (467).Therefore, even if Tuoba Hong was the son of Empress Dowager Feng, he would not be pregnant during the coup.