Chapter 45 Chapter 41 Awakening in old age

After the sacrificial speech was finished, Emperor Wu was still standing silently, tears rolling down his rapidly aging cheeks... Huo Guang came to report: "Your Majesty, the Sizi Terrace has been built. Your Majesty is invited to come on the stage." Emperor Wu put down the playbook in his hand and said, "Go and think about the womb." Emperor Wu came from Chang'an to the newly built Si uterus in Hu County, where the prince died.As soon as he entered the womb of thinking, Emperor Wu looked gloomy and sad.Huo Guang brought Emperor Wu to Sizitai, followed by Sima Qian and other officials.

Huo Guang pointed to the Sizi Terrace in the center of the Sizi Uterus and said, "Your Majesty, this is the Sizi Terrace that you want me to supervise." Emperor Wu asked Che Qianqiu: "Did the prince die here?" "Yes, Your Majesty." Emperor Wu raised his head to look at the vast sky, thinking that his biological son left him forever in an instant, why on earth is this! Emperor Wu's eyes were full of tears, and they fell down... The ministers sighed, and Sima Qian, who was standing aside, also shed tears sadly. "Help me to the stage. I want to pay homage to the prince."

"yes." With the sound of mourning and music, Emperor Wu took the joss stick and slowly climbed up to Sizitai with the support of Huo Guang and Sima Qian. Emperor Wu bowed to the vast sky with a candle in his hand, and said silently in his heart: Son, it was the emperor who killed you, the emperor is guilty... It should have been passed on to you, but you have left the emperor forever... Oh, God, tell me, what is going on? ... Emperor Wu covered his face and wept... Sima Qian read the sacrificial speech: After the sacrificial speech was finished, Emperor Wu was still standing silently, tears rolling down his rapidly aging cheeks...

Seeing this, Sima Qian was filled with emotion, and sighed in his heart: "Your Majesty, although it's too late to regret, it's good to know regret." When Emperor Wu's dragon body healed a little, he was promoted to the palace for discussion. Da Si Nong Sang Hongyang came out and reported: "Your Majesty, there is a place in the Western Regions called Luntai, which has 5,000 hectares of fertile land. I suggest that you send soldiers to garrison the fields. You can recruit people to go to the frontier to cultivate. Danger of emptiness." According to the past, Emperor Wu passed these large-scale plans with one blow, but today Emperor Wu was uncharacteristically, and after a while of silence, he said slowly: "What Sang Hongyang said is true. It is true that the battles have been fought for years, and the taxes are heavy. Now that the national treasury is empty and the people are exhausted, if we send soldiers to Luntai to garrison fields, build pavilions and barriers, and then recruit people to reclaim wasteland in the frontiers, I dare not say whether the income will be increased, but Luntai is more than a thousand miles away from Beijing. If the soldiers are forced to work far away and the common people run around, it will be too disturbing to the people."

Emperor Wu paused for a moment, and then said: "To be honest, I sent Li Guangli to go west a few years ago. The soldiers died and some fled. Now I want to let them go on an expedition. This is really inconsiderate. " All the ministers were stunned by Emperor Wu's words. The emperor began to reflect on himself for the first time, and finally began to show compassion for the people. Sima Qian was also moved to listen... Emperor Wu raised his voice a little more and said: "The most important thing now is to reduce taxes and corvees, strictly prohibit tyranny and tyranny, and strengthen farming..."

Emperor Wu also announced: "Let Che Qianqiu be the prime minister, and he will be a rich man." The ministers all looked at each other in surprise. Che Qianqiu couldn't believe her ears, she opened her eyes wide and didn't dare to come out to receive the order, Emperor Wu repeated it again, and Che Qianqiu came out to kneel to receive the order: "Mr. Che Qianqiu thank the Lord for your kindness." Emperor Wu said again: "I am old and tired. I think my subjects have also been tired with me for fifty years. It is time to rest for a while." Soon, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty promulgated the eternally famous "Sin Ji Zhao".From then on, Emperor Chawu changed his course and changed his internal utilitarianism and foreign affairs into resting with the people, enriching the country and supporting the people.

The gray-haired Emperor Wu held a portrait of the prince and burst into tears... Mrs. Gou Yi saw her, and knew that the emperor was missing the prince again, so she went to bring Fu Ling. "Father..." Eight-year-old Fu Ling ran up to Emperor Wu. When Emperor Wu saw Fu Ling, a smile spread across his face. He wiped away the tears on his face with his sleeve, and said, "Fu Ling, come here." Fuling held him in his arms, put his face against his little cheek and said: "I still have a son, I still have a son." Seeing that Emperor Wu was happy, Mrs. Gouyi hurriedly brought over the reheated bear paw meat porridge, and persuaded: "Your Majesty, you haven't eaten any food today, so have a bite while it's hot!"

"Father, let the child feed you." Little Fuling fed his father spoonful by spoonful.Emperor Wu finally swallowed a few mouthfuls, and Xiao Fuling still wanted to be fed, so Emperor Wu waved his hand to express that he didn't want to eat. Mrs. Gouyi said: "The emperor only eats this little? Let's eat some more." Emperor Wu shook his head: "Take it down!" Emperor Wu looked at Fuling, the more he looked like himself, thick eyebrows, big eyes, broad forehead, full sky, burly physique... Even the way he spoke was exactly like him, he couldn't help but feel happy.

"Fu Ling, father is getting old." "No, Father is not old. Father doesn't want to ascend to heaven." Fu Ling said innocently. "Ha..." Emperor Wu smiled happily. Mrs. Gouyi looked back in surprise, this was the first time she heard Emperor Wu laugh since the death of the crown prince. Emperor Wu asked again: "Fu Ling, what books did Master teach you to read recently?" "Sir taught me Confucius." "Okay, you should master Confucius' books carefully. Tell me what you want to learn from Confucius the most?" "My father, my son must learn from Confucius's rule of benevolence and righteousness."

"Govern the country with benevolence and righteousness, good. It seems that my Fu Ling is a great talent in governing the country." Mrs. Gouyi, who was standing by the side, was overjoyed when she heard what Emperor Wu said, and she tried to ask: "Your Majesty, are you planning to establish a crown prince?" When Emperor Wu heard this, his face sank: "Is this what you should ask?" "Your Majesty, forgive me." Mrs. Gou Yi knelt down. "Get up!" Emperor Wu was restrained by the Empress Dowager when he was young, so he hated the harem meddling in politics the most in his life. Mrs. Gou Yi saw that Emperor Wu was unhappy, so she had to quietly go to give Emperor Wu medicine.

After dinner, Emperor Wu stood alone under the tree in the courtyard, gazing at the western sky, which was red with the setting sun. The dark red sun brilliance dyed the sky red, as red as blood, looking a little bleak... For the first time in his life, Emperor Wu felt sad about the setting sun. He sighed and felt that he was no longer the emperor of the Han Dynasty who was in full swing, but rather lonely in his old age when the sun set. When the evening wind blew, the leaves fluttered and fell, Emperor Wu shivered, alas, his body was far from what it used to be.Mrs. Gouyi came over and put a fur coat on him. "Your Majesty, it's windy, let's go inside!" Mrs. Gouyi helped the emperor into the house, and lay down on the couch. As soon as he lay down, Huo Guang came to report: "Your Majesty, Changyi King Liu Mao, no... no more." "Ah!" Emperor Wu limp on the bed. "Your Majesty." Huo Guang quickly supported Emperor Wu. "Is it my fault again?" "No, Your Majesty, Changyi Wang's noble body is originally weak. This is destiny. How could it be the Emperor's fault." "Huo Guang, of my six sons, only three remain." "Your Majesty, there is no need to be sad, the three princes are all in good health." "Ah..." Emperor Wu felt short of breath again, he covered his chest with his hand and screamed for pain. "Tell the imperial physician." Huo Guang shouted. The imperial physician came in, knelt down and felt the pulse, went to the outer hall to write a prescription, Huo Guang asked: "How is the emperor's dragon body?" The imperial doctor shook his head and said: "The emperor's heart energy is weak, and the phlegm is turbid and obstructed. It is necessary to nourish the energy, broaden the chest and remove blood stasis. You can't be tired anymore, and you can't be angry." Therefore, Emperor Wu went to Xiangquan Palace to recuperate, and the affairs of the Chang'an court were temporarily handled by Huo Guang. Emperor Wu was lying on the couch, and Sima Qian read the memorial for the emperor. When Liu Dan, the king of Yan, asked to serve the emperor in Beijing, Emperor Wu was furious, lifted the quilt, and scolded: "Nizi, he wants to seize the throne before I die. Why come to Beijing to serve the emperor, I don't know his plan yet." ?" "Tell Huo Guang." "Yes... Huo Guang." The eunuch declared. Huo Guang got up in a hurry. "Kill the envoy sent by Liu Dan." "yes." After Huo Guang left, Emperor Wu was out of breath again. Sima Qian hurriedly called: "Tell the imperial physician." The imperial doctor hurried in, showed Emperor Wu the pulse and prescribed a prescription. Mrs. Gouyi brought medicine to Emperor Wu, and gave him spoonfuls to eat. Emperor Wu just woke up in a daze, and Du Zhou came to report: "Your Majesty, some people say that Chang'an Prison has the spirit of the Son of Heaven." "Ah! Go and investigate quickly! All serious criminals will be executed." "Follow the order." So Du Zhou carried out a large-scale cleansing of all prisons in Chang'an, killing all serious criminals.One day, Du Zhou found a prison, but was stopped by prison guard Bingji. He said: "The emperor's great-grandson is here, and others are not allowed to die without guilt, let alone the emperor's own great-grandson?" Think, could it be that my grandson is still in prison?Could it be that God ordered "amnesty to the world" to prevent me from dying. It turned out that the son of the prince's eldest son, Liu Jin, was also imprisoned in his infancy, and was secretly protected by the jailer Bingji. When Bingji heard Emperor Wu's order to "amnesty the world", he hurriedly rescued Emperor Wu's great-grandson from prison.This child really became the emperor later, that is, Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty. In the afternoon of this day, Emperor Wu felt a little better after taking a nap. The weather was very hot, and Sima Qian accompanied the emperor to sit in the gazebo to enjoy the cool. "Sima Qian, I only have three sons left now, who do you think is the ideal successor?" Sima Qian said: "Does the emperor want his ministers to speak out?" "Yes, the reason why I am willing to ask you is because you tell the truth." "Then the minister dared to speak out. The king of Yan, Liu Dan, was ambitious and coveted the throne for a long time. The emperor killed his envoy, which shows that the emperor has denied him." Emperor Wu nodded: "Go ahead." "Liu Xu, the king of Guangling, has a rude personality and often does some lawless things. The emperor has long said that he is not expected to be a king." "Hmm." Emperor Wu nodded again. "Although King Fuling is only eight years old, eight years old is enough to see a lifetime. Although King Fuling is not very old, he is very similar to the emperor in terms of appearance and demeanor. He especially loves scriptures and advocates benevolence and righteousness. According to my ministers, he is a king. figure." Emperor Wu breathed a sigh of relief: "Sima Aiqing, you have touched my heart." "But..." Sima Qian hesitated for a moment. "But it doesn't matter." "It's because Mrs. Gouyi is too young. The emperor has never forgotten the end of Empress Lu's power in Gaozu's time." Emperor Wu's face darkened, and his brows were furrowed. It seemed that there appeared in front of him the Empress Gaozu's funeral, Emperor Hui was young, and Empress Lu used her power arbitrarily, slaughtered dissidents, let her relatives monopolize power, and dominated the court... What made Emperor Wu even more nervous was that he had been restrained by Empress Dou for six years since he ascended the throne as a young boy... Emperor Wu's heart tightened, and the angina pectoris broke out again. He covered his chest with his hands and his face turned blue... Sima Qian hastily called out: "Cherish the Imperial Physician..." Mrs. Gouyi came, she supported Emperor Wu, but was pushed away by Emperor Wu, Sima Qian hurriedly supported Emperor Wu. Mrs. Gouyi looked at the emperor blankly... The imperial doctor came and prescribed a prescription for Emperor Wu... After taking the medicine, the palpitation was relieved a little. The next day, Emperor Wu asked Sima Qian again: "Sima Aiqing, my body is getting weaker and weaker, and I can't do what I want, and the prince is getting old. Look, who among these ministers is worthy to be the Duke of Zhou?" Assisting the young master... Sima Qian thought to himself, that must be a person of high morals and prestige. Although Emperor Wu had thirteen prime ministers, they were all mediocre, and none of them reached this level.Besides, in order to monopolize the power and guard against the monopoly of the prime minister, the prime minister he promoted had neither geniuses nor outstanding talents. Who should he promote? ... "Why don't you talk, I'm asking you!" "Your Majesty, I really can't think of anyone who is as respected as Duke Zhou and worthy to be the prince's assistant." "Alas!" Emperor Wu sighed, "Although none of them are particularly outstanding, it's okay to rank one or two." Sima Qian replied earnestly: "My Majesty, according to my opinion, although Jin Rixun is loyal and has great martial arts skills, it is a pity that he is a Hun; Although Sang Hongyang's business and economics are good, he lacks political scheming. So only Huo Guang can barely..." Emperor Wu asked: "Then... what do you think of Huo Guang?" Sima Qian said: "Huo Guang is a man who follows the rules and takes an unbiased route every day. Although such a person cannot have any great ideas, it is still possible to maintain stability." Emperor Wu nodded and said: "That's right, Sima Qian, you are a political talent, but why did you choose to write history?" "My Majesty, Sima Qian has never been interested in official career. Since ancient times, the officialdom has been like floating clouds, dangerous and changeable, which is beyond Sima Qian's ability to deal with. Sima Qian's job here is only to write history." Displeasure gradually appeared on Emperor Wu's face: "Okay, okay, you can kneel down." "Yes." Sima Qian withdrew. The servant brought up the medicine, Emperor Wu took the medicine cup and drank it, and another servant brought water for Emperor Wu to rinse his mouth.Emperor Wu took the towel and wiped his mouth, then lay down on the dragon couch again, and said to himself, "Huo Guang, Huo Guang, can you be the Duke of Zhou?..." In the Jianzhang Palace, Emperor Wu half-reclined on a chair and closed his eyes in the imperial study room, and Sima Qian moved in. "Minister Sima Qian respectfully invites the emperor to be safe." "Sima Aiqing, give me a seat with my life." "Thank you, Your Majesty." Sima Qian was given a seat aside. Emperor Wu put down the memorial book in his hand. He stared at Sima Qian's beardless face and felt guilty... He picked up the teacup, took a sip of water, and calmed down before saying, "Sima Aiqing, although you and I are together It is a relationship between a monarch and a minister, but you have been serving me for thirty or forty years since you were young. It can be said that you have had the most contact with me in the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty, and you also know me best. view?" Sima Qian replied: "From a historical point of view, the emperor was often unconscious in his later years. It is not easy for the emperor to promulgate the "Edict of Guilt" to wake himself up in the world. This also proves that the emperor is worthy of being the Lord of Britain." When Emperor Wu heard this, a trace of comfort flashed across his old face. Sima Qian looked at the face of Emperor Wu who had aged rapidly since the death of the prince, and was filled with emotion. Your Majesty, if you don't listen to one side and trust others, and appoint a villain, how could you end up like this! "Sima Qian, you have been with me day and night for so many years, I want to hear your evaluation of me." "Does the emperor want to listen to the ear, or the ear?" "Sima Qian, when did you say something nice to me!" "The emperor, please forgive me for speaking bluntly. Since the emperor came to the throne, for more than fifty years, he has made great achievements and made great achievements. This is recognized by everyone in the world." "Oh, Sima Aiqing, tell me the details." "Yes. Since the emperor came to the throne, he has been praised by people all over the world for three merits: the first aided him by promoting favor and cutting down the feudal clan and strengthening the imperial court; the two major merits were to attack the Xiongnu and open up the Western Regions; Gong is also true. These three merits are enough to last forever, and the emperor is worthy of being a hero of a generation." "Haha..." Emperor Wu laughed, "Sima Qian, I didn't expect you to be fair to me." "Then what are my three mistakes? I really want to listen carefully?" "This... Your Majesty..." Sima Qian hesitated. "To be blunt, I pardon you for not guilty." Sima Qian didn't want to say it at first, since he was tortured, his words have been much less, but since Emperor Wu is so willing to listen, out of his duty as a historian, I will add a few words of advice. "The emperor accepts policy but does not accept officials, this is a pass." "Why do you say that?" Emperor Wu asked. "Please recall, Your Majesty, since your Majesty took office, you have appointed thirteen prime ministers, which one is highly respected, and which one has become your left and right arm... No! Your servants don't understand why the Emperor doesn't learn from the previous emperors and reuse outstanding talents To be a prime minister, but appoint mediocre people? Undoubtedly, it shows that the emperor is afraid of powerful ministers who will make great achievements, and has suspicions, and dare not appoint great talents, so that you lack capable assistants and the country lacks pillars. Isn't this one of the emperor's faults? Is it too big?" Sima Qian looked up at Emperor Wu, who was noncommittal, and only said, "Are you complaining again that I didn't reuse your teacher Dong Zhongshu?" "No, what I regret is that it's not just that the emperor didn't reuse him." "What about the second time? Go on." "What I said just now was the application of civil servants. For generals, the emperor only uses your relatives and brothers, but you dare not appoint some old generals." Emperor Wu was a little unhappy when he heard this: "Do you want to say Li's goalkeeper again?" Sima Qian said: "The emperor and I are taboo to keep silent about Li's goalkeeper. I don't want to expose the emperor's scars, and the emperor doesn't want to stab my ministers in the heart again. Please forgive Sima Qian for not wanting to talk anymore." "Sima Qian, I did something wrong to the Li family's gatekeeper. I feel even more guilty because of Li Ling's harm to you. However, this cannot be a big mistake for me." "The emperor forgives the sin, Sima Qian is just a wake-up call." Emperor Wu's anger softened slightly: "What about the third pass?" "Your Majesty, forgive me for not wanting to say any more. I'm afraid I will offend the Emperor." Emperor Wu said gently: "Didn't I say it? I don't blame you. Since I have issued the "Edict of Guilt", I want to hear more opinions. You can speak boldly." "Yes, Your Majesty. Do you still remember what Ji An once said to the Emperor, saying that there are too many internal desires and foreign affairs?" "You mean to say that the great joy is my third fault?" "I don't dare, I just say that the emperor's "Edict of Guilt" and resting with the people are indeed the best way to ease the financial crisis and stabilize the people's hearts." Mrs. Gou Yi came in with the medicine, "Your Majesty, please drink the medicine." Emperor Wu took the medicine cup and drank the medicine.Concubine Yi took the bowl, wiped the emperor's mouth with a silk cloth, and walked out. Emperor Wu looked at Sima Qian and asked: "Sima Qian, do you want to write all my merits and demerits in the history books?" Sima Qian replied: "My Majesty, what Confucius wrote in "Spring and Autumn" is how I wrote my history books." "What's the meaning." "It is not false and not evil. It means that history must be written according to history. Your Majesty, because history is not the history of one person, but the history of the people of the world. Writing history is not just for the court to read, but for the world. People watch." "The history of the people of the world, hum!... Sima Qian, kneel down, I want to rest for a while." Emperor Wu said sullenly. "Yes, I will retire." After Sima Qian withdrew, Emperor Wu smashed the playbook next to his pillow to the ground.