Liu Yu looked at Liu Bei's expression of thinking about the future, and could feel that Liu Bei was not just trying to deal with him, but was really thinking about the problem like this.
So he couldn't help but sigh, Liu Bei was really thinking about very distant things.
Such an emperor is actually quite good. Compared with those emperors who only care about their own happiness, Liu Bei is undoubtedly a very competent emperor. It can even be said that he is overly competent.
If the Han Dynasty had such an emperor earlier, it wouldn't be where it is today...
If there were a few reliable descendants among Liu Xiu's descendants, perhaps they wouldn't be "conquered by Liu Bei as a minor sect and become a major sect", right? It wouldn't have reached the point where it is today, right?
Time? Fate?
Liu Yu sighed.
Liu Yu had no more entanglements. He accepted Liu Bei's appointment and chose to serve as Zongzheng again. As Zongzheng, he presented a petition to Liu Bei, asking Liu Bei to seriously consider the existing issues of the clan king and clan.
He explained things more thoroughly in his performance, and he didn't worry about others saying he was flattering or anything like that. Anyway, by now, none of this matters anymore.
What he deserved, he already got.
In the past, he had already obtained all the things he had to rely on to gain fame.
Now that Liu Bei needs him, he must stand up. If he fails to stand up, the consequences will be more serious.
Compared to this, he would rather let others bear Liu Bei's anger, while he himself hides behind Liu Bei and becomes what some people call a "sycophant".
So he spoke more straightforwardly.
According to the practice of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the clan kings and other nearby marquis clans are equal to potential heirs to the throne. Once the royal main line does not have a suitable heir, a suitable heir must be found from these clan kings and nearby marquis clans to inherit the throne.
In the past 100 years or so, due to the repeated emergence of young emperors without heirs, this kind of thing has happened countless times, so everyone is used to it.
Isn’t it because the emperor is gone?
Little things!
There are so many candidates for the throne in the world, just choose one more. Is it possible that all the descendants of Liu Xiu after his death died in a short period of time?
But after Liu Bei's Xiaozong joined the Dazong, the situation became different.
The main manifestation is that none of the upper-class people surnamed Liu in the existing title system are close relatives of Liu Bei. They are all descendants of Liu Xiu. Although Liu Bei and Liu Xiu are both descendants of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty, the relationship between the two is a bit too far apart.
, completely unable to match.
The title system of the Liu surname built by Liu Xiu is a group of heirs that his clan can adapt to. It is completely operated for Liu Xiu to continue the power of his descendants. After Liu Bei's small clan joined the big clan, it stands to reason that it should also be built around this system.
A group of heirs suitable for their own clan, otherwise...
I'm not talking about a curse, but the actual situation. If there is no one in the main line and it is necessary to choose a side line to take over, wouldn't it mean that the descendants of Liu Bei are not chosen?
Before Liu Bei became emperor, the emperor was a descendant of Liu Xiu. After Liu Bei became emperor, the emperor was still a descendant of Liu Xiu. So didn't Liu Bei become emperor in vain?
It would be better if this kind of thing didn't happen, but once it happened, it would be a major event that would threaten the country's survival and cause a big mess.
Liu Bei may feel offended by this and feel that Liu Yu is an offended minister, but he has a loyal minister's heart and has no choice but to raise such concerns to Liu Bei.
And looking at it now, this worry can no longer even be regarded as a worry. In a sense, it can even be regarded as a reality.
Liu Yu pointed out in the public memorial that your old man is still alive and your sons are still fine. Liu She and Liu Zhong couldn't wait to jump out to oppose your throne. This shows that the former royal family system is dissatisfied with you.
It is no longer an assumption, but a fact.
Your throne was a gift from the Empress Dowager and the late Emperor who abdicated. It is recognized by the people of the world. The procedures are legal, the seals are complete, there is no bloodshed, and the transition is peaceful. Everyone is satisfied.
But now there are actually a few scoundrels who feel that this is not good and are not satisfied with it. They question your throne and your legitimacy, and they want to instigate the old throne inheritance system to go against you. This kind of thing threatens the foundation of the country.
Can you accept that too?
You can accept it, but I can’t accept it!
Although I, Liu Yu, am a descendant of the founding prince of Emperor Guangwu, my more important identity at this moment is that I am your minister. As your minister, how can I ignore the national affairs for my own selfishness?
If I do this, I can certainly save my reputation, but if the country suffers from it later, how can it not be my fault?
With such a worried mood, I wrote this memorial to express my deep concern for the country to you. I hope you can make the right decision and never put the country in danger because of too many false worries.
middle.
After this memorial was handed to Liu Bei, Liu Bei was very satisfied, so he made it public and distributed it to the cabinet, eight ministries, the Privy Council and other central organs of the court for discussion by courtiers and convened important officials.
Enter the court and discuss the matter with him.
It can be said that the shock caused by this memorial completely exceeded the shock caused by the land transfer decree.
Less than a month after the Dutian Decree was issued, it had already evolved from a political issue to a military issue and an economic issue. It was purely about using economic and military means to solve those rebels. After the resolution was completed, the Dutian Decree was successful.
, there is no other problem.
Once a problem breaks out into a military problem, it will no longer be a problem in itself. Military problems can be solved by military means. As long as all the people who raised the problem are killed, the problem will naturally disappear.
However, Liu Yu's performance brought about a problem that could not be solved by simple military. This problem involved the high-level title system left over from the era when the Liu Xiu family controlled imperial power, and also involved the survival of the entire Liu Xiu family that has flourished to this day.
, it is not unimportant.
Since the Western Han Dynasty, especially since Liu Xiu reformed the kingship rules, the entire existing kingship system and some nearby marquis systems have been candidates for the Liu Xiu family to inherit the throne. This is something everyone in the world understands.
Once there is no one in the large sect, people from the small sect will be selected to inherit the large sect. It is simple and easy to understand. This is how everyone has done it for the past 100 years or so.
But now, such a group of people have actually lost the possibility of inheriting the throne because of Liu Bei's ascension to the throne. Therefore, they have actually lost the necessity of their existence. Even their existence is no longer the guardian of the royal family.
It did not have the effect of protecting the royal family, but instead became a threat to the royal family.
It would have been better if this kind of thing did not happen, but once it happened, it would have a fundamental impact on the structure of the entire Third Han Empire from top to bottom.
Again, if some of Liu Xiu's descendants restore the Second Empire and overthrow the Third Empire, what will be the result?
Therefore, not only for the royal family, but also for the officials who follow Liu Bei, this matter must be resolved.
With the whole court in shock, many people were discussing this matter privately, and everyone had their own opinions on this matter.
However, because many people had already begun to consider that Liu Bei would make some adjustments to the clan system, when this happened, everyone was shocked, but it was not unacceptable.
The main thing is that Liu Bei really didn't take the initiative to find trouble. If we insist on taking the initiative to find trouble, it was Liu Bei who was looking for trouble against everyone in the world, not just against these old sect kings. In the end, they actually stood up and rebelled over tax matters.
They united and launched an army to rebel.
If they are killed and suspected, there is really nothing they can do. No matter how hard they are cleansed, they cannot be cleared away.
The key is that after this incident, at a meeting of senior officials hosted by Liu Bei, Liu Bei also revealed some of his thoughts.
He said that because he took over the throne from Liu Xie, he felt a little guilty towards Liu Xie and the late emperor, so he did not plan to make any large-scale changes to the existing clan system.
For this reason, he has not given any titles to his family, nor has he given any titles to his children for the time being. The reason is because of this guilt and he wants to make some additional policy adjustments to solve this problem.
Originally, the purpose of the Dutian Order against the clans was not to cause trouble for them, but to collect part of the tax revenue from them, and then use the money to pool it together to create a special fund specifically for the poor.
The Han clan clan members who had no food to eat sent some subsidies from far away to ensure that they would have food to eat so that they would not starve to death.
Therefore, Liu Bei simply wanted to do something good. He wanted the Han clan clan members in the world to feel some warmth from him as the leader of the sect, and he also wanted people in the world not to think that the Han clan was cold and heartless, and that even his own clan members could starve to death before their eyes.
The matter itself can be regarded as the wool comes from the sheep, and the money of the wealthy Han clan members is used to subsidize the impoverished Han clan clan groups.
But who would have known that if the Bodu Tian Order was pushed forward, some people would directly rebel.
It can only be said that they not only have no trust or gratitude for Liu Bei, but are also full of hostility, resistance and conspiracy. They are very dissatisfied with the current situation of the Han Dynasty. They even want to connect all the clan kings to raise troops to fight against the imperial court and create a first
The Three Empires version of "Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms".
This incident broke Liu Bei's heart.
"It can be said that people are harmless but tigers have harmful intentions. I didn't want to use any coercive measures against them. I just collected their taxes, but they directly launched an army to rebel, which made all my good intentions go to waste, and also caused such a big problem.
The hidden disasters and dangers they face are worthy of their villainy."
Liu Bei said with emotion: "Sure enough, meat-eaters are despicable and fail to think far ahead about such things. They never think of a better place and always think only for themselves. This shows how failed our previous education was."
The ministers did not dare to speak, and did not know how to speak. To be honest, this matter had a direct interest in them. If Liu Bei's succession issue could not be solved, they themselves might not worry, but their descendants would have problems.
.
Therefore, if Liu Bei is willing to take action to solve this hidden danger, how can it not be a good thing for them?
Therefore, throughout the entire meeting, no one raised any objections to Liu Bei's proposed handling of this incident.
As a result, the meeting came to several important conclusions.
First, expel all existing kings from their royal titles, and then launch a targeted investigation to see if they have anything to do with Liu She and Liu Zhong’s rebel gang. If so, investigate them seriously. If not, further investigate whether they are involved.
Behavior that violates the laws of the imperial court.
If there is, the crime will be punished according to the law, and the specific matter will be analyzed in detail. If there is no violation of law and discipline, the title will be demoted to a county marquis, and the enfeoffment location will be changed to Jingzhou, Yangzhou, Jiaozhou and other remote counties, and no enfeoffment will be allowed in the core areas of the Central Plains.
.
Secondly, all the princes and princes of the existing royal families must also be investigated. If there are any violations of laws and disciplines, they must be seriously investigated. If not, the current titles and levels will be maintained, the fiefs will be changed, and all the fiefs will be transferred to Jingzhou, Yangzhou and
The remote areas of the three states of Jiaozhou.
This result of dealing with the clan was not unserious, and Situ, Zongzheng and Liu Yu were the first to express their approval. They also praised Liu Bei for his wise and decisive policy, which relieved the country's danger for the Han Dynasty.
The following officials also expressed their support to Liu Bei one after another and agreed with the decision made by the court.
After leaving the palace, the officials gathered together in twos and threes to discuss what happened today. Some people who were relatively close to each other expressed their true thoughts.
For example, Cao Cao and Yan Wen, the two representatives of the foreign relatives' faction, each have their own opinions on this matter.
"Mengde, do you think what the emperor said before is true?"
"whats the matter?"
"I just want to use tax money to help those impoverished Han clan members."
Yan Wen frowned and said: "I always feel that although the emperor has always been kind, it is really unnecessary to do such a thing. For many years, the Han Dynasty has not taken care of these distant clansmen, and suddenly said that it will take care of them. You
Do you think this is true?”
Cao Cao walked a few steps and nodded slowly.
"I believe."
"Do you believe it?"
"Bojian, don't you believe it?"
Cao Cao smiled and said: "Although the emperor is decisive in his actions and often has a reputation for violence, I always think that he has compassion for the people of the world. Can't this be seen from the abolition of oral duties?
"
"Having said that, is it really necessary to provide aid to those impoverished Han clan members?"
Yan Wen said slowly: "The reason why the Han Dynasty implemented the order of grace back then was because they did not want to bear the living expenses of so many Han clan clan members. Now it is necessary to support them. Isn't it a bit inappropriate? I think the emperor meant that.
It’s going to be like this.”
"I don't think there's anything wrong with it."
Cao Cao shook his head and said: "This is not the first time that tribesmen help each other, and the money used is all the money of the Han clan clan. As the emperor himself said, the wool comes from the sheep.
Wouldn’t it be nice to use taxes from the rich to help the poor?”
"If you put it this way, it makes sense."
Yan Wen shook his head and said: "However, once this policy is promulgated, the Liu clan kings and princes in the local area may start a turmoil. I wonder how many people will be convicted and die for this? Mengde, what do you think?