Once he sits on the throne, the emperor is doomed to find it difficult to trust anyone, not only to prevent others from spying on the throne, but also to keep an eye on the ministers not to be too powerful, to prevent himself from becoming a puppet emperor, in addition, the emperor also has to deal with the affairs of the world, so as not to end up with the name of a "faint prince" and leave a stink for thousands of years.
The emperor is not easy, it is not easy to be a good minister, Zhou Yafu is the son of Zhou Bo, the founding hero of the Western Han Dynasty, during the han Wen Emperor, the Xiongnu frequently attacked, which made the emperor feel worried, Zhou Yafu served as the taishou of Hanoi to guard Xiliu.
The soldiers fought on the front line, there was no "easy" to say, Emperor Wen of Han, in order to boost morale, also personally went to the three roads of Bashang, Zhimen, and Xiliu to reward and comfort, the emperor was after all the Ninth Five-Year Honor, and the soldiers of Bashang and Zhimen were respectful to the emperor's carriage and horse, but Zhou Yafu's Xiliu left a deep impression on Emperor Wen of Han.
First, the guards at the military gate said that the army only listened to the general's orders, and the emperor's edict was not the most important; then he also solemnly informed Emperor Wendi's retinue: carriages and horses should not rush in the army. Zhou Yafu came out to receive Emperor Wen of Han and did not kneel to pray, but wore armor to see him in the army.
However, in the view of Emperor Wen of Han, Zhou Yafu's various behaviors were not offensive, but rather an orderly performance in the army, which was bound to be able to repel the Xiongnu, so he attached great importance to Zhou Yafu, and later when the Xiongnu soldiers retreated, Zhou Yafu was promoted to lieutenant and took charge of the military power in the capital.
On his deathbed, Emperor Wen of Han also instructed the crown prince Liu Qi: "Even if there is a hurry, Zhou Yafu can really serve as a general." ”
In 157 BC, Liu Qi became the Emperor of Hanjing, and at the beginning he also had a lot of trust in Zhou Yafu, and Zhou Yafu's talent was not low, and in three months he quelled the rebellion of the Seven Kings, maintained the unity of the Western Han Dynasty, and was later promoted to chancellor, but Emperor Jing of Han was not Emperor Wen of Han after all.
During the reign of Emperor Jing of Han, his mother Empress Dou extended her hand to the imperial government, and the King of Liang had hatred for Zhou Yafu in his heart, and every time he entered Kyoto, he had to say something bad about Zhou Yafu at Empress Dou's side, and Empress Dou wanted to give her deceased brother the title of Marquis, but was opposed by the gengzhi Zhou Yafu, and the contradictions accumulated.
Later, when a Xiongnu general submitted to the Han Dynasty, Emperor Jing of Han wanted to make them marquises in order to win people's hearts, but Zhou Yafu was very opposed, and said: "If he betrays his lord and surrenders to His Majesty, His Majesty Houzhi, then why should he blame those who do not obey the rules?" ”
Emperor Jingdi of Han was very unhappy to hear this, but he was the emperor, and Zhou Yafu was a courtier, the emperor had the highest decision-making power, and the Xiongnu general who surrendered finally became a marquis, and Zhou Yafu's temper was not small, and he immediately resigned from illness and did not serve the emperor.
Although Emperor Jingdi of Han knew that Zhou Yafu had no intention of rebellion, but the courtiers threw the emperor's face, Emperor Jingdi's heart was naturally very dissatisfied, but remembering that Zhou Yafu had meritorious service to the Han Dynasty and was a usable person, he feasted on Zhou Yafu again to test whether Zhou Yafu had changed, so he deliberately ordered people not to put chopsticks in front of Zhou Yafu.
When Zhou Yafu saw it, he immediately pulled down his face, and the emperor invited himself to eat but did not give him chopsticks, what did it mean? The displeasure on Zhou Yafu's face was all seen by Emperor Jingdi of Han, and after eating, he pretended to be joking and said, "Isn't this still not pleasing to you?" ”
Zhou Yafu listened to this and changed his face, so he knelt down to apologize to Emperor Jing of Han, Emperor Jing of Han did not want to be more embarrassed, as long as Zhou Yafu's temper was slightly restrained, he could also assist the prince in the future, but Emperor Jing of Han had just said a word "up", and Zhou Yafu stood up and whisked his sleeves away.
After the Han Jing Emperor knew that Zhou Yafu's temper was difficult to change, he did not intend to leave Zhou Yafu anymore, if a capable person was willing to submit to himself, he could still use it, but a capable person was stubborn and did not know how to bow his head in front of the emperor, which was a potential threat to the emperor and could not stay.
Therefore, even though Emperor Jingdi of Han knew that Zhou Yafu would not rebel, he still gave Zhou Yafu a rebellious hat, and Zhou Yafu was not able to bear this humiliation, but he was also very tough, went on a hunger strike to prove his innocence, and vomited blood and died five days later.