Liu Bang, the emperor, has a high sense of existence in Chinese history, he is the first person in Chinese history to become an emperor from the grassroots, and at the same time, he is also the person who killed the most heroes after becoming an emperor.
Of course, the heroes that Liu Bang killed were all kings with different surnames, and the reason why they killed these kings with different surnames was because they had military power in their hands, and Liu Bang was afraid that his descendants would not be able to suppress them, and they would rebel and subvert their own rivers and mountains. Therefore, we will get rid of them all to avoid future troubles.
For example: Zang Di, King of Yan, Han Xin, King of Han, Yingbu, King of Huainan, Peng Yue, King of Liang...
Even Han Xin, who was regarded by Liu Bang as the "Three Masters of the Han Dynasty", did not escape the disaster. After Zhang Liang became famous, he chose Mingzhe to protect himself and no longer asked about the affairs of the DPRK, and Liu Bang let him start and end well.
In addition to Han Xin and Zhang Liang, among the three masters of the Han Dynasty, only Xiao He was there.
So, what happened to Xiao?
Xiao He was the minister of the Great Han, and he held a high position of power, especially when he served as the minister of the Great Han for more than ten years. Such a Xiao He can be said to be deeply loved by the people.
Especially the people in Guanzhong, they have deep feelings for Xiao He. Don't forget that when Liu Bang and Xiang Yu were fighting for world domination, it was Xiao He who was in the rear to help Liu Bang govern here in Hanzhong, and Xiao He practiced light and thin endowments in Hanzhong, and was deeply loved by the people of Hanzhong.
However, Xiao He was a person, and he had no handle to grasp. Liu Bang wanted to find him, and there was no legitimate reason, it was precisely because Xiao He was too incorruptible, and Liu Bang felt that Xiao He was a dangerous person!
Therefore, in Liu Bang's later years, especially when he was crusading against Yingbu, the most reassuring person was Xiao He. Because he felt that his time was running out, if he was gone, Xiao He was his biggest hidden danger.
Xiao He's reputation is too good, he has a good reputation, if he wants to be an emperor, it is a matter of words. Xiao He helped him to take charge of the Great Han for more than ten years, and if Xiao He had different intentions, his son Liu Ying, the Emperor hui of Han, was definitely not his opponent.
Liu Bang meant that he wanted to get rid of Xiao He, and before Liu Bang had returned from the rebellion, he asked Xiao He many times how he had done recently.
When the messenger said that Xiao He had managed the country in an orderly manner, and that his work was hard-working and meticulous, Liu Bang was not very happy.
Every interrogation is like this.
In short, Xiao He was a perfect person in Liu Bang's view!
In fact, at this time, Xiao He also sensed something strange, Xiao He was often asked by Liu Bang, and he also knew that it was not a good thing. His men told him that you might be in trouble, and that the Emperor was now suspicious of you.
Why doesn't Xiao know how to deal with it?
His men told him that if you want to live now, you can only destroy your reputation!
How do you ruin the Festival?
Let all the people in the pass hate you. The most important property of the people of Guanzhong is land, so Xiao He bought a large amount of land in Guanzhong at a low price, even by force.
Although Xiao He was unwilling to do such a corrupt and bribery thing, he had no choice but to do so in order to save his life.
Sure enough, it didn't take long for the people in Guanzhong to hate Xiao He to death, and after Liu Bangping's return from the rebellion against Yingbu, many people along the way were telling Xiao He about xiao He's complaint, saying that Xiao He had taken advantage of the change of his position to seek private interests for himself.
Liu Bang was very angry when he heard this, in fact, he was still very happy in his heart, Xiao He did not keep his reputation in the end, but he was still arrested by Liu Bang and sent to prison.
Xiao He was a very good person, and the reason why he was corrupt was that he was afraid that Liu Bang would kill him. This is something that many reasonable people know. When Xiao He was arrested by Liu Bang, someone interceded with Liu Bang, saying that Xiao He did not make any mistakes, that he was a good prime minister, that he should not be imprisoned in prison, and that Liu Bang should let Xiao He go.
In the end, Liu Bang also let Xiao He go.
Why was he originally dissatisfied with Xiao He, and after Xiao He was corrupt, Liu Bang chose to spare his life?
Because Xiao He was greedy for small profits and had selfish intentions to seek private interests for his family, this showed that he did not spy on Liu Bang's Jiangshan, and if he was a person who spied on Jiangshan, he would not care about Xiao En Xiaohui. Just like when Liu Bang came to Hanzhong after he destroyed Qin, he asked for nothing to do. What he wants is the world, so he must make a good impression on the people in Hanzhong.
Xiao Heruo had a good reputation, was not corrupt, and did not seek private interests, which made Liu Bang feel at ease, which was very similar to what Liu Bang did back then. Therefore, when Xiao He was corrupt and self-destructed, Liu Bang understood Xiao He's meaning, he would not spy on his own family's Jiangshan, so he simply let Xiao He go.
It can only be said that the needle in the imperial heart is the worst to ponder. If you can't understand the emperor's mind, you are likely to be killed, and you don't know how to die.
Fortunately, Xiao He was a smart man who chose to self-destruct his reputation to save his life.
Reference: Chronicle of History