Chapter 25 Chapter 5: The Road to Heaven

There are many misers in the world, and their mentality is generally lack of sense of security, so they can only settle down in the eyes of money, and spend their lives in panic.There are also many power slaves in the world, and their mentality also lacks a sense of security, because once they lose power, they will inevitably be liquidated by political opponents.On this point, Wang Zhengjun and Wang Mang's aunt and nephew have a strong consensus: the head can be broken, the blood can be shed, and the power cannot be lost.When Emperor Ai was in power, the Wang family was oppressed and suffered from the loss of power. Now that they have finally turned around, how can they let the power fall to the side, so that people will be swordsmen and I will be fish?

After the death of Emperor Ai, he left no heirs, so Wang Zhengjun and Wang Mang chose Liu Jizi, the king of Zhongshan who was only nine years old, as emperor, and he was Emperor Ping of Han.A nine-year-old child is only interested in toys and games, but has no concept of power. He can't fight and has no strength to fight. Naturally, all the power of the government falls into the hands of Wang Zhengjun and Wang Mang. Even so, Wang Mang did not dare to take it lightly. After all, Emperor Han Ping was not Peter Pan. He was going to grow up after all. When he grew up, it was hard to guarantee that he would not become the next Emperor Ai, support his relatives, and fight against the royal family.Therefore, on the one hand, Wang Mang bestowed great rewards on Emperor Han Ping's mother party. His mother party took strict precautions and ordered him to stay in Zhongshan and prohibit him from entering Chang'an, the capital.Wei Ji Si'er was eager, but had no choice but to cry day and night.

Wang Mang disregarded human relations and forcibly separated Han Pingdi's mother and son so that they could not see each other. There were many criticisms about this in the court, including Wang Mang's eldest son Wang Yu.Wang Yu not only sympathized with Han Pingdi's mother and son, but also worried that Emperor Ping would retaliate against the royal family after he became an adult.Wang Mang was furious. Wang Yu was his eldest son, and he would inherit his title and career in the future. He should have one heart with him, but he dared to oppose him. In a rage, he beat Wang Yu half to death.

Seeing that the persuasion failed, Wang Yu came to discuss with his teacher Wu Zhang and his uncle Lu Kuan. Wu Zhang and Lu Kuan thought hard, and finally came up with a bad idea, which was to play tricks and scare Wang Mang. Wang Mang might agree if he was afraid.The plan was made, Lu Kuan brought in a carload of dog blood at night, and splashed it in front of the gate of Wang Mang's mansion, but was caught by the gatekeeper, and immediately turned him into prison, so that he could get rid of his conspiracy.When Wang Mang heard the news, he was very disdainful, dog blood is nothing, if you want to spill human blood!

Wang Mang first killed Wu Zhang and Lu Kuan's family, then killed his eldest son Wang Yu, put Wang Yu in prison, and poisoned him to death.Wang Mang's wife begged Wang Mang to spare Wang Yu's life, so she cried and went blind.Although Wang Yu's wife was pregnant, who made her Lu Kuan's younger sister, she was also imprisoned by Wang Mang. After she gave birth to the Wang family's flesh and blood, she was immediately executed. For Wang Mang, killing his own son Wang Yu was a price he had to pay and was worth paying.Only by killing Wang Yu first, will the next killing be justifiable, leaving outsiders with nothing to say--I even killed my son, which shows that I have no selfish intentions, how can I kill!I am for the peace of the world.

The butcher knife was raised, and the head fell to the ground.Wang Mang used Wang Yu's case to kill Wei Ji's family, leaving only Wei Ji alive. At the same time, he investigated the implicated people, eradicated dissidents, forced to death his uncle Wang Li and cousin Wang Ren who had always been dissatisfied with him, and killed the royal relatives and state heroes. hundreds of people. This was a more tragic purge. Wang Mang's opponents were almost completely wiped out. Absolute power leads to absolute arrogance, and the end point of arrogance is undoubtedly becoming the emperor.Thus, Wang Mang began to climb the ladder of power in a planned way, gradually shortening the distance between him and the throne:

First, he promoted his marquis to duke, called An Han Gong. Then Xu betrothed his daughter to Emperor Ping as the queen, and took the opportunity to call himself the prime minister again, ranking above the princes and kings. Add nine tins. At this time, Emperor Ping was fourteen years old, a young man in the rebellious period, and he was very dissatisfied with Wang Mang's monopoly on power. He didn't know how to use it, so he didn't appreciate it. He only knew that Wang Mang imprisoned his mother, killed his mother party, and at the same time took away the power that should belong to him, so he often complained to the servants in private, threatening to If you are pro-government, you must retaliate.When the news reached Wang Mang's ears, Wang Mang didn't do it, he didn't stop, and he didn't want his son-in-law, so he simply poisoned Emperor Ping with poisonous wine.The ministers were frightened by Wang Mang's power, although they felt that the death of Emperor Ping was suspicious, but there was no real evidence after all, so they could only sigh in return.

Once Emperor Ping died, the line of Emperor Han Yuan died out, and the new emperor could only be chosen from among the descendants of Emperor Han Xuan.Wang Mang picked and picked, and finally fell in love with Liu Ying, the son of Guang Qihou, who was only two years old.A two-year-old child can't take care of himself, let alone listen to the government. Therefore, Wang Mang logically brought up the story of the Duke of Zhou assisting him to become a king, and made a picture of a gourd. Living in Jianzuo, serving the crown of the emperor, calling himself a false emperor, possessing all the powers of the emperor, and enjoying all the treatment of the emperor.Poor Liu Ying, although named Crown Prince, has been kept in a dark room by Wang Mang all year round. The only one who can get close to him is the nurse who feeds him, but even the nurse is forbidden to talk to Liu Ying, let alone give him love. And education, so that when Liu Ying grows up, he is almost like an idiot, and he doesn't even know chickens, ducks, pigs and dogs.

Although Wang Mang has repeatedly declared that the world belongs to me as well as Liu Ying's, but in the final analysis, it still belongs to Liu Ying. When Liu Ying grows up, I will retire and return to my hometown immediately, and give the world back to Liu Ying.However, no one believed this.Wang Mang's desire to proclaim himself emperor is well known to passers-by, so inside and outside China, various persuasive talismans sprung up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, springing up in due course. First, someone in Wugong County dug out a well and found a piece of white stone with a circle on the top and a bottom on the bottom, and there was an inscription on it: "Wang Mang, the Duke of Anhan, is called the emperor." Soon someone in Linzi County had a dream, and the angel told him that : "The fake emperor is the real emperor. If you don't believe me, there will be a new well outside the house tomorrow morning." When I woke up the next morning, I saw that there was a new well outside the house, and it was as deep as a hundred feet.Then there were Bajun Stone Niu and Fufeng Yongshi, all of which were engraved on stones, urging Wang Mang to proclaim himself emperor.Then there is the mourning chapter mentioned above, forging the copper cabinet books, pretending to be the manifestation of Han Gaozu Liu Bang, and actively transferring the country to Wang Mang.

God's will cannot be violated, so Wang Mang summoned all the officials, showed the talisman, and held Liu Ying's hand in public, bursting into tears, and said emotionally: "Duke Zhou was regent back then, and I finally hoped that King Cheng would grow up and succeed. Similarly, when you grow up, the world will be returned to you, but the emperor's orders are so overbearing, he urges me to accept orders and stand on my own feet, alas, this is my original intention." After finishing speaking, he lamented for a long time, and all the officials in the palace heard the words. move.

When Wang Mang ascended the throne, he sat down to the south. The waiter led Liu Ying down to the hall, and bowed down to Wang Mang as a minister.Between sitting and kneeling, the Western Han Dynasty came to an end, and Wang Mang's new dynasty was born. This day is the first day of the first month of the ninth year AD.