Chapter 64 Chapter 64: Common People Emperor

Da Sima General Huo Guang died on Gengwu Day in March of the second year of Dijie (68 BC).Before Huo Guang's death, Emperor Xuan appointed his son Huo Yu as the right general, and Huo Shan, the grandson of Huo Guang's elder brother (Huo Qubing), was listed as a marquis. Emperor Xuan has done his best to the country's heroes.And this is the day he's been waiting for.From now on, he can command the court at will. Emperor Wu entrusted the young Emperor Zhao to Huo Guang and Jin Ridun for assistance, and Jin Ridun died the year after Emperor Zhao ascended the throne.Therefore, the imperial court was of course under Huo Guang's monopoly.

Emperor Xuan had wisdom that people who grew up in the court did not have. No matter how much Confucian rituals and music the court puts on, it is of no benefit to actual politics—he knows this very well. His understanding of politics is completely elusive to the common people. ——I must promote realpolitik directly related to improving the lives of the common people... Since he took office, he has always had this idea.But unfortunately, all politics are under Huo Guang's control. Because of Huo Guang's death, Emperor Xuan could realize his ideal. Emperor Xuan adopted a calm attitude, he knew that he had to act patiently.What he gradually implemented was based on legalist thought, rich in reality and focused on the rule of the people.

——The emperor came to the throne because of us, and the queen is our clan. The Huo clan with such pride is still very domineering.They seemed to show their power by belittling the emperor. Huo Yun, the grandson of Huo Guang's elder brother, is serving as a General of Zhonglang, so he should serve the court every day.However, he often only sent his servants to the court to say "leave due to illness" and not to go to work. In fact, he took many diners out to hunt. Huo Guang had several daughters who were married to famous dignitaries.Mrs. Huo Guang often took these daughters to Changxin Palace to play.Changxin Palace is the palace where Huo Guang's granddaughter, the Empress Dowager, lived.Although the other party is a granddaughter, this place is always a palace.Palaces naturally have palace regulations, such as restrictions on visit time and procedures for visits.Mrs. Huo Guang ignored this completely.

In doing so, they clearly flaunted their power by ignoring the rules of the court. The Huo family continued to build or expand their mansions.In addition, the carriages or sedan chairs they ride in are all beautifully decorated with gold leaf or embroidered cloth. Emperor Xuan sneered at the domineering style of the Huo family. "If Huo Guang is alive, he will definitely stop the tribe from being so arrogant, right?" Emperor Xuan thought to himself. It can be said that the Huo family became even more arrogant because of Huo Guang's death. "Our prosperity and wealth are not solely dependent on the Great General Sima. After the death of the General, we are still so prosperous, this is the proof!"

This seems to be their common psychology. In the second year of Huo Guang's death, in April of the third year of Dijie, Emperor Xuan appointed the son of the late Empress Xu as the crown prince.The son's name was Shi, who later became Emperor Yuan. Mrs. Huo Guang was furious at this. It is natural for the emperor to make the eldest son of his wife's wife the crown prince, and there is absolutely no reason for him to be blamed. When Emperor Xuan made this decision as if nothing had happened, none of the officials objected, because it was a reasonable thing. Why is Mrs. Huo Guang so angry?

After the death of Queen Xu, Huo Guang's daughter was established as the current queen.Although her daughter, Empress Huo, has not yet given birth to a child, there will always be a possibility of having a child in the future.According to Mrs. Huo Guang's idea, it is "natural" to make Empress Huo's son the crown prince! Of course, Emperor Xuan knew Mrs. Huo Guang's thoughts. ——That child was born when the emperor was still among the people!How can he become the crown prince!When Empress Huo gave birth to the prince in the future, wouldn't she have to be compared?Such a thing is absolutely not allowed!

Emperor Xuan imagined Mrs. Huo Guang screaming hysterically. In fact, this decision was intended as a warning: the Huo family will not be allowed to do whatever they want in the future! After Huo Guang's death, the tribe was only busy expanding their power, and no one understood this warning. "You kill the crown prince with poison!" Mrs. Huo Guang instigated her daughter, Queen Huo. "How can I do such a terrible thing!" "Did you forget that it was because I asked Chun Yuyan to poison Queen Xu that you became a queen!" Mrs. Huo Guang said. Emperor Xuan granted the late Empress Xu's father, Xu Guanghan, who often made embarrassing things, the Marquis of Ping En.

——He is the grandfather of the crown prince. The reason for this title is also a challenge to the Huo family. Then, Emperor Xuan moved Huo Guang's sons-in-law to the left one by one, and transferred them to remote areas as much as possible to serve as local governors. Although Huo Guang's son Huo Yu succeeded his father as "Da Sima", Emperor Xuan did not allow him to "big crown".The reason why Huo Guang was granted the "big crown" was because he was a national hero. Huo Yu is only allowed to "Little Crown", which is another kind of warning.

——You became Da Sima in the shadow of your father, and you are not a national hero at all.You have to recognize this and exercise restraint in your words and deeds. The original Guard Corps is still under the leadership of the Huo clan.Emperor Xuan deprived him of his command and was replaced by historians and Xu's children. Although Emperor Xuan was an orphan, he found out the Shi clan from his grandmother's natal family and used them together with the clan of the late Empress Xu.The purpose is to reduce the power of the Huo family. Huo Shan concurrently served as Minister.When officials and people submit complaints to the court, they must go through the hands of the Minister.However, Emperor Xuan changed this regulation, ordering the filing of complaints and applications for homage, all without going through the Shangshu.He retained the position of Shangshu, but made it a nominal one.

Like peeling off the skin of bamboo shoots, he deprived the Huo clan of their power one by one. This is Emperor Xuan's challenge to them, and the impatient Huo family will definitely rebel because of this.At that time, the power of the Huo clan will be overthrown in one fell swoop! ——You became emperor because of our support! The Huo family who held this idea naturally despised Emperor Xuan, but Emperor Xuan was a person who had experienced a hard life that the Huo family had never experienced. - This boy! The Huo family looked down on the emperor because he was still weak.In fact, Emperor Xuan, who has tasted a lot of bitterness, has a very stubborn personality.In his eyes, the Huo family, who are used to living a noble life, are totally vulnerable.

Emperor Xuan waited for the chance to play the final trump card. He already has evidence of Mrs. Huo Guang's murder of Queen Xu and Queen Huo's attempted murder of the crown prince.This is the trump card he is prepared to play when necessary.Emperor Xuan waited for this day with a leisurely attitude. In fact, it was the Huo family who were panicking.Because Emperor Xuan revealed this trump card faintly. ——Could it be that the murder of Empress Xu has been caught! Not being able to understand the exact situation is very unbearable for the domineering Huo family. ——If it goes on like this, it will definitely go from bad to worse. Instead of being disintegrated in the end, it is better to go out and rebel now and try your luck! The Huo family had the idea of ​​jumping over the wall in a hurry.Of course they didn't have a careful plan at this time, not to mention Emperor Xuan sent spies to undercover in the Huo family, so Emperor Xuan knew their every move. They have a strong sense of kinship, and they get in touch with the empress dowager and empress who are related to the Huo family in everything.For Emperor Xuan, it was like setting up a theater in front of his eyes and acting for him. The performance of the Huo family can be described as full of loopholes. "Since we want to do it, let's do it vigorously!" They often conspire in this way. ——The so-called "vigorous and vigorous" refers to Huo Yu as the emperor.For this, of course Emperor Xuan must be abolished. ——It is the emperor supported by our family, of course we have the right to abolish him! Their logic only goes so far, so the plan is of course very crude. At that time, the person closest to Emperor Xuan was the prime minister Wei Xiang and the father of the former empress—Ping Enhou Xu Guanghan. ——Just get rid of the prime minister and Ping Enhou. As long as there is an order from the Empress Dowager, it is easy to kill these two people.After that, the emperor was abolished and Huo Yu was replaced. In this way, all the plans were successfully completed. Abolish the emperor of the Liu family and replace him with the emperor of the Huo family! The plan of the Huo family has reached the stage where the arrow is on the string. A plan that underestimates the opponent's strength will surely fail. The Huo family didn't even know that Emperor Xuan had spies around them. Their plan is to: A banquet was held in honor of the Prime Minister and Ping Enhou.Huo Guang's son-in-law Fan Mingyou and Deng Guanghan beheaded them at the banquet on the grounds of "following the order of the Empress Dowager".Then Emperor Xuan was abolished and Huo Yu was established... This information has long been obtained by the spy network arranged by Emperor Xuan. Under the protection of such an unstoppable force like Huo Guang, the Huo family, which has always been going well, can't be an enemy of Emperor Xuan who believes that "the one who protects himself is no one but himself". Emperor Xuan solved the Huo family who had been domineering for a long time like subduing a baby. It turned out that Emperor Xuan sent Zhang Zhang, a friend he knew among the people, to a person named Zhang She.Zhang She and Li Jing are close friends, and Li Jing's daughter is Huo Yun's wife. The deployment of the spy network is not at the center of Huo's home, but at its periphery - this is a very ingenious deployment of Emperor Xuan. Zhang She is a young Zhuge Liang——Emperor Xuan had heard of this rumor when he was still among the people.One of Zhang She's close friends had a close relationship with the Huo family. Therefore, Zhang She was likely to be entrusted with planning for it—Emperor Xuan made such a judgment. Because of Zhang Zhang's complaint, Zhang Amnesty was arrested.Emperor Xuan's brilliant trick was to issue such an order: Immediately stop the interrogation of Zhang Amnesty. Of course, Emperor Xuan did not intend to let the Huo family go.He did this in order to wait for the rebellion to become a reality. In order to kill the survivors of Huo Guang, the elder of the country, there must be a good reason. ——Huo Guang's family should be killed. It is necessary for Emperor Xuan to make the world understand this. Soon, Huo Yun was transferred to be the prefect of Xuantu.This is today's North Korea, but at that time it was a place at the ends of the earth. Once transferred to this place, I don't know when I will be able to return.Therefore, things to be done in Chang'an must be started as soon as possible. The members of the Huo clan began to fall into a state of anxiety. Restlessness breeds negligence.They showed flaws in their actions. Emperor Xuan, who had been waiting for a long time, really grasped this flaw. The ironclad evidence that cannot be quibbled is then displayed in front of the world. Huo Yu was sentenced to be cut in half for the crime of treason. Mrs. Huo Guang and many daughters were all sentenced to death and beheaded in the city. Empress Huo was forced to take responsibility for her clan's misbehavior, her successor was abolished, and she was moved to Zhaotai Palace.Twelve years later, she was again moved to the Yunlin Hall, where she later committed suicide. It was not until the final stage that the Huo family knew what kind of person their emperor was. "Now, the air is much cleaner." After the Huo clan was wiped out, Emperor Xuan said with emotion. The big faction that monopolized the imperial court disappeared in an instant.If no decisive measures are taken, Emperor Xuan may become a puppet under the Huo family forever, right? In fact, the "common people's experience" that remained in Emperor Xuan's heart would not make him willing to be someone else's puppet. In the year of Huo's demise, Emperor Xuan promoted Zhu Yi, the prefect of Beihai with the best governance record among the local governors, as Da Si Nong.His intention in doing so is to practice the principle of reward and punishment, and the principle of suitable talents and suitable places. In the third year after Queen Huo was deposed, Emperor Xuan decided to establish a new queen. At this time, he favored Fahrenheit, Zhang, Wei and others, and they all had princes or princesses. Emperor Xuan deliberately chose Wang, who had no children, as his queen.Choosing a woman who is not his favorite as the queen is a kind of coldness and strictness of the feudal monarch.For those who rule the world, sometimes they have to resort to unavoidable measures. Although the reign of Emperor Xuan was not as splendid as that of Emperor Wu's golden age, this may be the period in which all officials lived and worked in peace and contentment in the entire Han Dynasty. Another reason for the stability of the Han during this period was the split within the Xiongnu.