introduction:
Today, Ao Xiaojie Read History Channel shares with readers the wisdom of ancient emperors, hoping to help everyone understand more life principles. When we talk about "emperors," we tend to associate them with words like supremacy, power, and words. This is a universal thinking that we have formed based on the unique political existence of the "emperor". But are all the emperors in history like this?
Of course not! In fact, among the hundreds of emperors in China's history, although there are such heroic overlords as The Qin Emperor, Han Wu, Tang Zong, and Song Zu, there are also many emperors who are subject to the imperial court at that time because of various reasons such as their origins, age, and connections, and even their lives are in danger at any time. In such a court environment, what should the emperor with weak foundations do? Can you finally be in a dark and desperate situation? This requires considerable political wisdom.
Emperor Xuan of Han "Deep Love for the Sword"
In 74 BC, Emperor Wu of Han's great-grandson Liu Yiji (later renamed Liu Qing) took the throne as Emperor Xuan of Han. The emperor is on the throne, and it is time to make an empress. The ministers gathered together to discuss the candidates, and they thought that the great general Huo Guang just had a young daughter who was not yet married, and they all felt that it was quite appropriate. But just as they were about to propose to the emperor, Emperor Xuan of Han suddenly issued an edict saying that when he was living in the people before, he once had a beloved sword and now wanted to find it.
The edict was somewhat inexplicable, but the ministers were clever and soon understood the emperor's meaning. Before Emperor Xuan of Han became emperor, he lived in the folk for a period of time, married a wife named Xu Pingjun, and is now a concubine in the palace. Emperor Xuan of Han ostensibly said that he wanted to find an old sword, but in fact he expressed his opinion on the selection of an empress. Therefore, at the suggestion of the ministers, Xu Pingjun was eventually made empress.
This story was widely recited in later generations, and people praised Emperor Xuan of Han for "deep affection for the sword" and for not forgetting the poor and lowly couple after he became apparent.
But in fact, although it is true that Emperor Xuan of Han had a deep affection for his husband and wife, this matter was not just as simple as heavy love and righteousness. Behind the "Deep Love of the Sword" was the extremely delicate relationship between Emperor Xuan of Han and the great general Huo Guang.
Emperor Xuan of Han and Huo Guang: Don't be hasty and be patient
Among all the Western Han emperors, Emperor Xuan of Han's experience was quite different. He was the great-grandson of Emperor Liu Che of the Han Dynasty, but only a few months after his birth, he caught up with the cruel "scourge of witchcraft". His grandfather, Liu Zhao, the crown prince at the time, was suspected of murdering Emperor Wu of Han with witchcraft, and when Emperor Wu of Han ordered a strict investigation, he rebelled because of fear, and was suppressed, and finally resisted arrest and committed suicide.
After this incident, the prince's family was almost killed, and emperor Xuan of Han at that time escaped the disaster because he was still a swaddling baby, and later he went into exile and became an adult, which was very difficult.
It is precisely because of such a life encounter that at the beginning of the reign of Emperor Xuan of Han, there was no foundation in the imperial court, and the power in his hands was naturally very limited. However, the Huo Guang and Huo clan he faced were power groups that had been operating in the DPRK for more than a decade. How much power does Huo Guang have? What happened to another emperor is known. Before Emperor Xuan of Han, there was also a Liu He who was later known as the Emperor of Han. This Liu He was welcomed by Huo Guang, and was also deposed by Huo Guang, and only became emperor for twenty-seven days. Regardless of the reasons for which this Liu He was deposed, just by the tragic fate that he could easily be deposed, it can be seen that Huo Guangquan was in the opposition at that time, and no one could reach it, which was in stark contrast to the almost no foundation of Emperor Xuan of Han.
It is said that on the day of Emperor Xuan of Han's ascension to the throne, he went to worship the mausoleum temple of Han Gaozu. At first, Huo Guang accompanied him to go with him, which made him frightened along the way, only to feel like a thorn in the back; later, when he changed others to accompany him, he felt safe and calmed down a lot. It can be said that the existence of Huo Guang made Emperor Xuan of Han, who had just ascended to the throne, feel great pressure.
However, Emperor Xuan of Han's life experience in the folk was not without benefits for him to become the emperor. In the early days, he liked to travel, almost traveled all over Chang'an, and was very familiar with the local human feelings, so he had a strong ability to withstand pressure, not only could bear it, but also knew how to bear it.
From the day he became emperor, Emperor Xuan of Han showed great respect for Huo Guang.
The new emperor took the throne, and Huo Guang, as an auxiliary chancellor, should return to the throne. However, when Huo Guang proposed to return the power, Emperor Xuan of Han refused to agree, but instead humbled himself, asking Huo Guang to continue to preside over the government, and also said that everything in the imperial court should be known to Huo Guang first, and then he would inform himself. Every time Huo Guang entered the hajj, Emperor Xuan of Han was also respectful and very humble.
Did Emperor Xuan of Han do this because he was afraid of Huo Guang's power and bowed his head?
In fact, no, later history proved that he was not a mediocre monarch, in the story of "the love of the sword", he once insisted on his own opinion in a euphemistic way, and did not let Huo Guang's power further develop into the inner palace. However, he also knew very well in his heart that his current self was absolutely incapable of competing with Huo Guang, and all he could do was to try his best to restrain himself, even if he sought perfection, he must first keep the throne, not let himself become the second deposed emperor Liu He, and then slowly seek development.
A series of performances by Emperor Xuan of Han eliminated Huo Guang's suspicions, and the two spent six years together, basically at peace.
In these six years, Emperor Xuan of Han emphasized his orthodox status by erecting a temple for Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty; taking advantage of the celebration of the temple to promote the title of adult men throughout the country, which won a large number of people's hearts; and also attacked the Xiongnu and raised the western region. Step by step, he fought steadily and steadily, and gradually established his prestige.
After Huo Guang's death, Emperor Xuan of Han took the camp step by step
In the sixth year of the reign of Emperor Xuan of Han, Huo Guang died of illness. Emperor Xuan of Han's heart should have been very happy when this powerful minister who frightened him died, but his mind remained sober, and he knew that although Huo Guang was dead, the power of the Huo clan did not go with it. The Huo family's sons, in-laws, and henchmen had already infiltrated all the key departments of the imperial court, and if they wanted to regain all power, they still needed to take it step by step.
The first thing Emperor Xuan of Han did was to stabilize the Huo family
So he buried Huo Guang with the highest specifications, and personally attended the funeral, and also added officials to the main figures of the Huo family, such as Huo Shan, Huo Yu, and Huo Yun, and ostensibly continued to respect the Huo clan.
But secretly, he took the strategy of drawing salaries from the bottom of the cauldron and quietly began to deprive the Huo family of their rights.
For example, Emperor Xuan of Han allowed Huo Guang's nephew Huo Shan to lead the Shangshu, but at the same time reformed the Shangshu system, so that hundred officials could bypass shangshu and report directly to the emperor, which not only ensured that the emperor could understand the situation at any time, but also invisibly emptied huoshan's authority to lead shangshushi; Emperor Xuan of Han also promoted huo Guang's son Huo Yu as the grand sima and promoted him in the name of sima at the same time, but at the same time deposed his right general Tun Bing's subordinates, effectively depriving Huo Yu of the military power in his hands.
As soon as these measures came out, it was equivalent to setting up a separation zone between the Huo family and the supreme power of the imperial court, which fundamentally removed the threat of the Huo family exercising the supreme power. No matter who the Huo family was, it was impossible for them to monopolize power like Huo Guang anymore. After years of forbearance, Emperor Xuan of Han finally showed his cunning and means.
After the power of the main figures of the Huo family was deprived, the Huo clan henchmen who were in various key departments of the imperial court were easy to deal with. Emperor Xuan of Han adopted the method of changing his position to a foreigner, and drove the Huo family members who held military power out of the imperial court one after another, and replaced them all with his own relatives and cronies. In this way, after about two years, the Huo family's power has been stripped away.
In 66 BC, seeing that the family was in danger, the Huo family was terrified, and fantasized about using the power of the empress dowager to kill the close subjects of Emperor Xuan of Han, and even planned to depose Emperor Xuan of Han and make the Huo family emperor. But it was too late, and Emperor Xuan of Han's power was already solid, and it could not be easily shaken. Soon after, the conspiracy was denounced, the Huo family either committed suicide or was captured and killed, the Huo clan was completely destroyed, and Emperor Xuan of Han finally got all the power he wanted.
There is a saying in the Zhou Yi: "The bend of the inchworm, in order to seek faith [Shen]; the sting of the dragon and the snake, to survive also." ”
Inchworm, an insect we have probably all seen, usually relies on the body's flexion and extension to move. "Inchworm bends in order to seek faith", which means that in order to make the inchworm a small insect, in order to keep moving forward, it needs to bend its body first. The meaning of "the sting of the dragon snake is also similar, that is, in order to keep itself alive, the dragon snake will choose to hibernate when appropriate.
postscript
Emperor Xuan of Han, Liu Qing, was such an emperor who could bend and stretch and knew how to lie dormant and wait for change. He started from a humble background, had a shallow foundation, and under the tremendous pressure of the powerful ministers in the DPRK, he knew that there was no good way but to cultivate obscurity
。 But while he endured the humiliation and burden, he was also good at planning and operating, and finally accumulated enough strength when the time came to take back the power he wanted. Emperor Xuan of Han's strategy of seizing power without haste and forbearance and step by step demonstrated the wisdom of the emperor in the face of adversity.