Chapter 7: Bestowing Favor (Part 2)

To be honest, whether Liu Yan serves as the deputy secretary or not does not have a significant impact; Liu De simply cannot bear to see his younger brother travel all the way to Hubei.

Chao Cuo was of Legalist origin, and Legalism emphasizes the use of power and strategy

This is equivalent to declaring war for the Legalists

However, Shentu Jiaqiang is the archrival of Chao Cuo

Liu Yan took the silk book, glanced at it, and at first, there was a somewhat indifferent expression on his face

He then took out the seal and affixed it to the silk manuscript

During the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Xiaowen era, Shentu Jia was the only minister capable of representing the Son of Heaven in punishing Deng Tong

Liu De also seized the opportunity

It is no exaggeration to say that in certain respects, Chancellor Shentu Jia is even a figure who can stand on equal footing with the Son of Heaven

Liu Yan, no matter how mediocre, cannot be mediocre to a great extent

Therefore, Liu An initially thought that his elder brother was once again, as usual, writing a purely theoretical memorial to enhance his presence, and thus Liu An did not pay much attention to it

When Emperor Xiaowen passed away, Shentu Jia, in his capacity as Prime Minister, received the imperial edict and promulgated it throughout the realm. At the same time, with the ascension of the new ruler, the funeral of Emperor Xiaowen and the construction of the temple were all managed by him.

Su Ji is a woman lacking in political foresight, and Liu Rong is even more of a person without responsibility. Otherwise, in their previous life, they would not have held such a good hand of cards, only to be swept away by others.

Liu Deli should have received this courtesy

Liu Yan set down the silk book and looked at Liu De, expressing with emotion: "Your Majesty, you are indeed one who, when silent, remains unnoticed, but when you speak, you astonish all. If this memorial were to be seen by Father Emperor and circulated among the court officials, it would likely offend many people"

This is indeed a remarkable individual

However, as time passed and he gained a deeper understanding of this era, Liu De realized that he was gravely mistaken

Liu De replied with a smile: "Your Highness, this statement is incorrect. Our Han family has always had its own system, which is why the way of the overlord is mixed in! To put it simply, it is having a sharp sword in hand while speaking of benevolence; purely using Confucianism is merely a prejudice held by outsiders against me. Your Highness, we are connected by blood; how could you not see through this?"

Now it only depends on whether Liu Yan is willing to co-sign on it

Before being transported, the protagonist Liu Decong was indeed intelligent, but he was deeply influenced by Confucian scholars such as Wei Wan, who were teachers in the royal court. As a result, he was a cautious and principled individual, with his mind filled with concepts related to the relationships between rulers and subjects, as well as between fathers and sons. To put it somewhat exaggeratedly, his thinking had become rigid.

Shentu Jia is not one of those mere figurehead chancellors behind him; he is a chancellor who truly wields real power, with ministers clearing the way and paying their respects to him.

This cannot be blamed on him either

For example, writing style, word choice, and penmanship

In a previous life, after half a year, Shen Tu Jia died from vomiting blood due to the anger of Chao Cuo

Otherwise, he would have to wait until Chao Cuo died before he could present this decree of preferential treatment, but by then, it is likely that the cucumbers and vegetables would have already cooled down

Liu De shook his head, what a joke

If it were not for the pitiable fate of Liu Yan, Liu De would rather keep it buried in his heart than easily share it with others

Liu Yan was slightly taken aback upon hearing this

At this time, Shen Tu Jia is in good health, full of energy, and naturally able to share some of the pressure from Chao Cuo with Liu De

Let us not mention that it is only when the Wu and Chu rebellions arise that Chao Cuo will be considered a dead man

Just like Liu De's younger brother Liu Duan, who later fell into self-destruction, many only saw his absurdity and cynicism, yet failed to recognize his ability to manipulate the entire Jiaodong Kingdom and even the court at will. He consistently walked near the bottom line set by Liu Che, neither crossing the boundary nor retreating, leaving Liu Che helpless against him

There are no fools among the royal offspring

Although Liu Yan did not have much presence among the royal offspring, he was, after all, a descendant of the emperor and received an exceptional education from a young age. Therefore, he immediately noticed the issues with the characters on the silk manuscript.

He has understood that his imperial brother is likely to stir up the winds and clouds

Liu Yan pondered for a moment before saying: "Your Majesty, this matter is of great importance. Should we not discuss it with elder brother and mother?"

This will certainly offend Chao Cuo

Thus, Liu De can jump out without any reservations to criticize Chao Cuo and gain political capital

I am aware that there is a trend in the court to reduce the power of the feudal lords, and the one who initiated this is none other than the Minister of Internal Affairs, Chao Cuo. If my brother submits this memorial, it will surely offend Lord Cuo!" Liu De spoke eloquently

After reading less than a hundred words, Liu Yan's expression became serious

At this moment in the court, Chao Cuo also has numerous political adversaries

In fact, the words spoken by Liu De were originally those of Emperor Xuan of the Han dynasty, Liu Xun, educating his son

The power of Shentu Jia derives, on one hand, from the late Emperor Xiaowen, and on the other hand, from his lineage—he is, to date, the last founding father actively involved in the political arena, a meritorious minister who fought alongside Emperor Gao to establish the dynasty, and a veteran of five reigns

The content of this silk manuscript is essentially a plagiarism by Liu De of the later decree of Zhu Fu Yan, which he then slightly modified to transform it into his own copyright

But how could Liu De be afraid

Having said that, he was too lazy to explain further

Liu De merely smiled and did not respond.

As soon as Liu De submitted this memorial, regardless of how the Emperor considered it or how the court debated it, one thing can be confirmed: Liu De has boldly stepped forward to oppose Chao Cuo.

After Liu Yan listened, he gritted his teeth and said: "Since Your Majesty has said so, I will use the seal to..."

Those who are not well-versed in the history of the Han Dynasty may very well consider this individual to be merely a passerby, and in a previous life, Liu De also held this belief

But he has countermeasures.

Liu De, upon hearing this, chuckled softly, for he understood that no matter how much a person may change, certain fundamental aspects will remain unchanged

In ancient times, King Zhuang of Chu, when he did not make a sound, was already remarkable when he finally did; this was due to his keen sense of timing

Liu Dedao: "Your Highness, if you are willing, then use the seal to sign; if not, I shall not force you, my brother!"

Thus, in the original course of history, the Liu De who was not traversed ultimately became the savior of Confucian classics. Throughout his life, he devoted all his efforts to rescuing and protecting the lost Confucian texts and documents, leaving behind a reputation as a wise king in the historical records of later generations

In the later Heavenly Dynasty, an elder with such qualifications would influence the political landscape with every word and action, let alone in the feudal society over two thousand years ago

After completing all this, Liu Yan also felt a bit curious. Pointing to the content on the silk manuscript, he asked: "Brother Emperor has always revered Confucianism, how is it that the literary style has suddenly changed so drastically, vaguely resembling the trends of Shen and Han?"

He looked into Liu Yan's eyes and said: "You only need to believe that you and I are blood brothers; as your elder brother, I would never harm you!"

Without waiting for the other party's response, Liu De proudly declared: "I shall name it the Recommendation Policy!"

In Liu De's view, this matter is purely about providing benefits to Liu Yan, enabling him to gain some advantages in the upcoming enfeoffment, so that he would not end up like those who had previously fled to Huguang.

Liu De is one hundred percent certain that if Su Ji and Liu Rong were to see the contents of this silk document, they would undoubtedly do everything in their power to stop and oppose it

Thus, Liu Anji respectfully said: "I will remember the teachings of my royal brother in my heart"

The heaviest weight, of course, belongs to the current Prime Minister, Lord Anhou Shentu Jia.

Seeing Liu An being so sensible, Liu De also became interested, and thus took the silk book and explained to Liu An: "Do you know, Your Highness, what this memorial is called?"