Preface
In ancient Chinese history, there are often many breathtaking stories of power schemes, and the legendary story of Huo Guang, the top minister of the Western Han Dynasty, is even more sensational. He single-handedly deposed two emperors, and even used his wife's dark method of poisoning the queen to interpret power and conspiracy to the extreme.
In the wrestling field of imperial power and party struggle in the Western Han Dynasty, how did Huo Guang rise in the turbulent political whirlpool with his extraordinary wisdom and means, and once dominated the world? What was the reason why this super minister, who leaned towards the government and the opposition, was finally doomed by the annihilation of his family?
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was on his deathbed, and Huo Guang opened the road to autocracy
In the spring of 87 B.C., Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, who was in his late teens, faced a difficult choice in front of his sickbed. As the greatest generation of monarchs since the founding of the country, he swept away the threat of the Xiongnu since the sixth century by force, but also exhausted the country's wealth in successive wars. At present, only by temporarily putting down the butcher knife and meditating on cultivation can we stop the bleeding for the withering country.
However, the crown prince Liu Fuling is still young and ignorant, and those big families in the court are eyeing and ambitious. How can we ensure that our will will not be disappointed? Emperor Wu deliberated over and over again, and finally entrusted the heavy responsibility to Huo Guang, a close minister.
Huo Guang has been known for his extraordinary wisdom and steady character since he was a child, and he has served in the palace for more than 20 years, known as "acting like an opportunity". Emperor Wu knew that only such a cautious and experienced person could lead the government and the opposition and avoid the turmoil caused by the power vacuum. So, he personally gave Huo Guang the "Map of the Princes of the Zhou Dynasty Fucheng Dynasty", with a clear meaning - to assist the young master and create a great cause together.
In this way, Huo Guang opened his road to dominate the Han Dynasty. First of all, he consolidated his position, rewarded his relatives in a large way, and placed them in the key points of the imperial court. At the same time, he did not forget to bribe other ministers to ensure his dominance. With the assistance of these means, Huo Guang quickly became the de facto controller of the government and the opposition.
Although Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty was nominally an emperor, he was actually just a puppet at the mercy of others. Although he often felt resentful, fortunately, his political starting point was consistent with Huo Guang's, so he did not take a fierce confrontation with his authoritarian behavior. Under the leadership of Huo Guang, Dahan finally survived the crisis and regained his vitality.
The two emperors were abolished, and Huo Guang became the invisible son of heaven in the Han Dynasty
In 74 BC, Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty died young and had no heirs. According to the rules, the throne must be chosen among the other descendants of Emperor Wu. After careful consideration, Huo Guang finally set his sights on Liu He, the great-grandson of Emperor Wu and the king of Changyi.
Liu He is still young and has a thin foundation, which is exactly what Huo Guang wants. As a result, under the "support" of the government and the opposition, Liu He was soon canonized as the new emperor. But who would have thought that as soon as this young monarch came to power, he behaved abnormally, not only lascivious, but also turned a blind eye to the funeral etiquette of the first emperor. In just 27 days, he "created" a "record" of 1,127 charges.
In the face of such an erosive and incompetent emperor, Huo Guang made a decisive move, and with the "support" of the Empress Dowager Shangguan, Liu He was pulled down from the throne with a single edict. And the one who was put on the throne was another low-key great-grandson of Emperor Wu, Liu Aiji.
Although Liu Ying is not very old, he has a very good city, he humbly asked Huo Guang for advice, and gave him a big gift, which made Huo Guang let down his guard against him. From then on, Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty was only a nominal monarch, and the government was still firmly in the hands of Huo Guang. Sometimes, Emperor Xuan even felt a thorn in his back when he was sacrificing to the first emperor. It can be seen that Huo Guang has completely become the actual head of this dynasty.
This practice of abolishing the emperor also became a habitual method in later generations. As long as the ministers are strong enough, they can depose the disobedient emperor under the pretext of various crimes, and then support a more obedient puppet to ascend to the throne. This practice not only undermined the foundations of the monarchy, but also filled the imperial court with uncertainty, which would eventually lead to political turmoil.
His wife murdered the queen, and the conflict between the Huo family and Emperor Xuan intensified
Despite his power, Huo Guang is not unrestrained. When Emperor Xuan was about to be crowned queen, he did not push his daughter Huo Chengjun as expected. Instead, he chose to compromise and let Emperor Xuan marry his original partner Xu Pingjun.
But at this moment, an unexpected conspiracy made the contradiction between the Huo family and Emperor Xuan completely hot. It turned out that Huo Guang's wife Huo Xian had always been obsessed, and she was unwilling to let her daughter lose her position as queen, so she instigated the female imperial doctor Chun Yuyan to poison Xu Pingjun to death.
This incident was also a blatant provocation by the Huo family against Emperor Xuan's authority, and Emperor Xuan was furious and almost punished Chun Yuyan and others. In the end, Huo Guang had to come forward to settle the turmoil for his wife. But from then on, Emperor Xuan's wariness of the Huo family spontaneously emerged, and the prelude to a great purge began.
This incident also fully exposed the corrupt nature of the Huo family. As the actual controllers of the imperial court, they not only acted recklessly, but also did not hesitate to protect their own interests by murdering the queen. This kind of behavior is not only immoral, but also seriously undermines the prestige of the imperial power. Although Emperor Xuan was unable to take action against them for a while, the anger and dissatisfaction in his heart would surely brew a huge storm in the future.
Emperor Xuan teamed up with his relatives, and the Huo family was destroyed
In 68 BC, Huo Guang died, and Emperor Xuan gave him a thick burial, which shows that he still has some respect for this meritorious old minister. However, the arrogant and lascivious behavior of the children of the Huo family and dereliction of duty made Emperor Xuan very dissatisfied. He began to deliberately alienate the Huo family, reduce its power, and support his relatives Xu and Shi as new power supports.
Soon, the children of the Huo family realized that the general trend had turned, and they began to plot a rebellion, trying to overthrow Emperor Xuan and regain power. But all this was caught by Emperor Xuan in advance, and with the help of his relatives, he quickly launched a counterattack and put the Huo family in a pot.
In this way, the Huo family, which was once in power, was completely wiped out in just a few years. Huo Yu was beheaded, Huo Yun and Huo Shan committed suicide, and none of the other family members were spared. Even Empress Huo Chengjun was deposed and eventually committed suicide. For a while, the government and the opposition were shocked, and they all felt choked by this ending.
This reckoning was undoubtedly an inevitable move taken by Emperor Xuan in order to consolidate his power. As a far-sighted monarch, he knew that only by completely eliminating the Huo family's major disaster could he truly control the overall situation. And with the help of the power of his relatives, his actions are more decisive and powerful. This scene also heralded a major change in the power structure of the Han Dynasty in the future.
epilogue
Huo Guang's life is like a wonderful drama, he used his wisdom and skills to rise in the turbulent times and once dominated the world. But it is precisely this excessive centralization of power that has also laid the root of the family's demise.
This may be what history has taught us: no individual or family should put power above the state. Only by establishing a reasonable and effective mechanism of checks and balances can we avoid autocracy and corruption and truly benefit future generations.
With the help of his relatives, Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty finally reversed the turmoil of the Huo family and re-injected vitality into the Han Dynasty, which is worthy of our serious reflection.
We should understand and learn from these historical stories with an open mind, draw wisdom from them, and provide useful references for the development of real society. Only in this way can we avoid repeating the mistakes of the past and collectively build a more just and stable future.