During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, there was a thrilling power game in the court. Dou Ying, a famous general who leaned towards the government and the opposition, suffered the fate of being framed. His death sparked a terrifying political storm that shocked the entire Central Plains. What was the reason why Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty had to eradicate this virtuous minister who had made great contributions to the country? How did Dou Ying get involved in the whirlpool of this conspiracy? The key to everything may be hidden in the mysterious "false edict". Is this edict true or false? Is it Dou Ying's last fight to turn over, or is it some medicine sold in the gourd set up by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty?
1. The rebellion of the Seven Kings was pacified, and Dou Ying's power fell for a while
Since the Han Dynasty unified China, the Han Dynasty has experienced half a century of protracted conquests, and the country has gradually stabilized. However, with the advent of the peaceful and prosperous era, the iron-blooded soldiers of the Rongma clan in the past were gradually confused by the idea of ruling by inaction and the art of Huang Lao.
In the year of Emperor Liu Qijian of the Han Dynasty, the Empress Dowager Dou, a relative, was extremely authoritarian, and the Confucian scholars who advocated the Gangchang Famous Religion were ostracized. At this juncture, a turmoil suddenly broke out - the rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms of Wu and Chu broke out. The rebels were extremely ferocious and murderous, shocking the government and the public, and panicking the people.
At the time of the crisis, Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty had to rely on the strength of the nobles of the clan and at the same time recruit famous generals and strategists to clean up the turbulence. At that time, Dou Ying was the most outstanding among the Si people. He not only restrained the Zhao Qi rebels in the Central Plains, but also made great achievements in the subsequent crusade, was named the Marquis of Wei Qi, obtained 10,000 fiefdoms, and became a generation of powerful giants in the government and the opposition.
In the following years, the government and the opposition all bowed to Wei Qihou. Even Zhou Yafu, who was already famous all over the world at that time, needed to meet with courtesy. Whenever there is a major event in the imperial court, the opinions of Dou Ying and Zhou Yafu must be consulted first. The status of the two is almost the same level, and even Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty planned to divide the left and right phases to assist Liu Che before he succeeded to the throne, which shows the depth of his weight.
In the end, Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty appointed Wei Juan as the prime minister, and Zhou Yafu was wiped out by the nine clans, leaving only Dou Ying. After Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty Liu Che ascended the throne, he also attached great importance to Dou Ying, entrusted him with the important task of personally serving as the crown prince and concubine, and awarded him the courtesy and treatment of important ministers. The world once thought that Dou Ying would follow in the footsteps of Zhou Yafu and become the first assistant minister during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
However, Dou Ying did not expect that when his power was at its peak, conspiracy was already secretly breeding, and he was also in the midst of a surging political whirlpool, falling into the power struggle between Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and his relative Dou clan. A terrifying storm began.
2. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty succeeded to the throne, and the power of his relatives was gradually cut off
Soon after Emperor Liu Che of the Han Dynasty succeeded to the throne, he set out to weaken the power of his relatives. As the nephew of the Empress Dowager Dou, Dou Ying bore the brunt. As a result, the balance of power slowly tilted to the side of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
First, the Empress Dowager Dou was placed under house arrest in the palace, and the power of the court was lost. Previously, the Dou family was in power in the court, and manipulating the government and the opposition had become the norm. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty used the excuse of his relatives to be arrogant and arrogant, and interfered in the court, but detained the Empress Dowager Dou and ordered her not to interfere in political affairs.
Second, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty issued an order to abolish the official positions of foreign relatives. In the Dou family, quite powerful people are in the court, occupying important positions to control the government and the opposition. However, with this personnel change, a number of relatives were removed from their official positions, and their power was suddenly greatly reduced.
Third, the bushman was falsely accused and imprisoned. Dou Ying was originally a close friend of Dou Ying, and he had a very close personal relationship. However, a false accusation sent the husband to prison, and although Dou Ying tried his best to save it, the friendship between the two became increasingly estranged. It can be seen that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty has secretly laid a lot of traps.
There are various indications that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty is bound to completely purge his relatives and magnates in order to consolidate his dominance in the government and the opposition. As the last pillar of power among relatives, Dou Yingzi is also gradually losing ground in the undercurrent.
In the rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms, Dou Ying worked hard to suppress the rebels and made outstanding achievements. Its ability to command soldiers and the high strategy of the battle array won precious time for the Han family and curbed the spread of war. Therefore, when Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty was dying, he also intended to pass on the important task of Prince Liu Che and grant Dou Ying to support his administration.
However, after Liu Che succeeded to the throne, he listened to slander and insisted on implementing the new policy of the party and fighting against differences, and the remnants of his relatives were gradually purged. In particular, the Empress Dowager Dou was afraid that the Han family would be unbalanced, so she repeatedly recommended Dou Ying to Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty, which became the fuse for Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to cut off his relatives.
As a result, Dou Ying's situation became increasingly difficult. As his power waned, he had to seek a new point of support, so he began to get close to the still humble Doufu. This practice aroused the vigilance of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and Gufu was soon unjustly imprisoned. Although Dou Ying tried his best to protect it to no avail, he also formed a bond with Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
For more than ten years, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's methods of dealing with his relatives can be described as step-by-step, from far to near, from hidden to subtle, and secretly crossing Chen Cang has his own clever plan. When the vitality of the Dou family is greatly damaged, the fate of Dou Ying is destined to be affected. And at this juncture, a terrifying political conspiracy quietly kicked off.
3. The emergence of a conspiracy to forge the edict
The struggle for power intensified, and the rift between Emperor Wu of Han and Dou Ying continued to widen. At this juncture, a mysterious stranger appears, seemingly hiding some kind of key clue.
It was an ordinary dusk, and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was reviewing the folds in the Chunhua Palace. An unreported strange envoy suddenly broke into the palace and clamored to see Emperor Wu of Han. The attendants were shocked when they saw this, and hurriedly stepped forward to stop them, but the envoys were so quibbly that they did not want to leave.
Just when the attendants were helpless, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty heard the movement and ordered someone to bring the envoys in. After the envoy made a flattering salute in the hall, he went straight to the point and said his intention.
He reported that his family had been a eunuch, and because of his family's downfall, he begged in the world. Not long ago, when staying at the home of a down-and-out scholar in Hedong, I accidentally saw a handwritten edict from Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty. The main content of the edict is to establish Dou Ying as the prince and the prince, and the heavy weapon of the Zuo Li Han room.
Hearing this, Emperor Wu of Han's expression changed greatly, but then regained his composure and ordered the envoy to be imprisoned and interrogated strictly. After the envoy was brought down, he gathered his core advisers to discuss countermeasures.
After repeated discussions, everyone believed that this matter was of great importance and should not be taken lightly. If the edict is true, Dou Ying will have the capital to start a new stove, and the power struggle will surely become white-hot. On the contrary, if the edict is forged, Dou Ying will inevitably suffer a heavy blow, and the remaining party of his relatives will also be destroyed.
Therefore, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty decided to secretly deploy and beware of Dou Ying's actions. He quietly sent his cronies to search Dou Ying's mansion, hoping to find clues about the edict. At the same time, he also ordered someone to closely monitor Dou Ying's every move to prevent trouble.
And when Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty investigated the whereabouts of the edict, the government and the opposition also discussed this matter. Some people speculate that Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty secretly left an edict before his death, instructing Dou Ying to be canonized in the future. Some people also believe that this is just a blank check forged by Dou Ying, intended to seize imperial power.
In any case, this incident has touched the nerves of the entire government and the opposition, and all the powerful people are secretly arranging and mobilizing. As a result, a terrifying political turmoil began.
Fourth, the court duel, the truth is revealed
With the further escalation of the turmoil, the contradiction between Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and Dou Ying has reached a hot point. The controversy over the handwritten edict has finally become public in the court.
In Jingyang Palace, civil and military officials gathered. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty personally presided over the reading, and the atmosphere was solemn and solemn. First of all, Dou Ying was ordered to enter the court and questioned about the handwritten edict.
Dou Ying was full of coyness, turning a blind eye to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and repeatedly stated the existence of his own edict. He argued that Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty had indeed made an edict on his deathbed, designating him as the crown prince and concubine, and Liu Che as the assistant to take charge of the court.
Where is the handwritten edict? Dou Ying said that he had handed over the edict to the imperial court, but unfortunately he was missing. Later, Dou Ying was even more vigorous, claiming that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was mediocre and disregarded the will of the first emperor, and if he did not implement the edict as soon as possible, the power of the dynasty would definitely fall into the hands of others.
Hearing these wild words, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was furious and reprimanded Dou Ying for being arrogant and bullying the king, and he would be severely punished. At the same time, he ordered someone to present the results of the previous secret investigation, proving that there was no handwritten edict in Dou Ying's mansion at all, but it was an outright framing scam.
Subsequently, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty ordered a search for the whereabouts of the handwritten edict in Jingyang Palace. Sure enough, nothing was found in the palace. This undoubtedly proves that what Dou Ying said is all a lie.
Dou Ying was embarrassed after being exposed, and had to beg Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty for mercy. However, the courtiers present had completely lost confidence in Dou Ying, and then someone exposed some of his early conspiracies and tricks, proving that he had always had ulterior motives.
In the end, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty categorically ordered Dou Ying to be taken down and hanged. For a time, the government and the opposition were in an uproar, and the party of foreign relatives was also destroyed. Although Tian Wei was lucky for the time being, he was also suspicious and attacked by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
At this point, the controversy over the edict was finally settled, and the truth was revealed. Dou Ying's death marked the end of this shocking political turmoil. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty took advantage of the victory to pursue, weakening all the power of his relatives in the court and clearing the last obstacles.
In the face of the trickery and conspiracy of his political enemies, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty handled it calmly and strategically, and finally won the victory. And the mysterious handwritten edict, is it Dou Ying's own words, or is there another hidden secret? The truth that is already self-defeating is destined to be buried forever with the dust of history.
5. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty ruled the world, and the power of his relatives was eliminated
Dou Ying's death did not end the power struggle, but cleared the way for Emperor Wu of Han to further weaken the power of his relatives.
First of all, Empress Dowager Dou was placed under house arrest in the palace and finally died with hatred. For many years, she has relied on the old and betrayed the old in the DPRK and China, and stole the country and interfered in politics, which can be said to be the cause of the bane of her relatives. Now that she has been removed from the position of the temple, she has completely lost all power, and she is doomed to a tragic end.
Secondly, the eunuchs of their relatives were dismissed from their posts and removed from their titles. Once upon a time, the government and the opposition were all under the control of relatives and eunuchs, and they used certain links to control real power. Now Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty has purged them, removed them from official positions one by one, and deprived them of the source of power.
Moreover, the entire clan of the Dou clan was punished by the Nine Clans. Although Dou Ying has been beheaded in the court, there are still remaining henchmen in the Dou clan. In order to completely cut off the future troubles, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty took extreme measures to kill the entire clan to prevent future troubles.
In the end, Tian Wei and other pawns were also deeply implicated. Dou Ying's death also brought a great storm of purging the government and the opposition, although Tian Wei and other powerful ministers were not executed, but they were also deeply suspicious and suppressed by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and the status of the court was not as good as before.
At this point, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty completely wiped out the forces of his relatives and re-consolidated his dominance in the government and the opposition. He repeatedly killed the bow to set an example, which shows the depth of his jealousy of his relatives.
In this protracted political struggle, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was cautious and composed, step by step. He first weakened the foundation of Dou's relatives, and then completely defeated them with the help of the conspiracy of "false edicts". From the beginning of the house arrest of the Empress Dowager Dou to the final execution of the Dou Ying and the Nine Clans, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty cleared all obstacles and finally unified the Chaogang regime.
Although this terrible storm is over, its impact is far-reaching. The power of foreign relatives was completely eradicated, and the autocratic system of monarchical power was established. This not only indicates that the centralization of power in the dynasty will be more thorough, but also that the contradictions between the imperial power and the civil official group will become more and more intensified in the future.