Chapter 36: Disasters Abound, the Tribulation of the Great Han

The sudden passing of Liu Zhao seemed to press the pause button on the flourishing Great Han.

A hundred-day-old Son of Heaven;

A regent Empress Dowager and her ministers;

From this day on, the entire Great Han seemed to be on the verge of collapse.

The slightest carelessness, and everything would crumble in an instant.

In such perilous times, the gap between Gu Xi and Gu Kang was fully revealed.

Gu Xi’s political aptitude was indeed excellent.

Yet he could not achieve the far-sightedness of Gu Kang.

He could not maintain composure at all times, nor could he immediately adjust his state of mind to face the impending state affairs.

When the heavy burden of regency fell upon his shoulders.

Gu Yi could clearly see that Gu Xi was somewhat lost.

This perhaps also had to do with his young age.

It was not until two days later that he improved and went to see the Empress Dowager.

Changlegong.

When Deng Sui saw Gu Xi walk in, her expression did not change; she merely said indifferently, "I thought the late Emperor had entrusted his legacy to the wrong person."

"That the Grand Tutor would be crushed by this."

Deng Sui’s tone was quite serious, giving off an exceptionally majestic air.

"Your subject pays respects to the Empress Dowager."

Gu Xi first bowed with hands clasped, then sighed softly, "The late Emperor has passed, and your subject is filled with grief; there was indeed some negligence."

"Today, your subject comes to see the Empress Dowager to discuss state affairs."

Gu Xi was actually very clear about the current situation in the imperial court.

The ministers were uneasy.

This matter had to be resolved quickly; otherwise, as time passed, the situation would inevitably become increasingly severe.

It was even enough to threaten the foundation of the Great Han.

Deng Sui was indeed a very clever woman; upon hearing Gu Xi’s words, she immediately understood his meaning.

She pondered for a moment, then said with a stern expression, "What are the Grand Tutor’s thoughts?"

"Your subject intends for His Majesty to ascend the throne immediately."

Gu Xi spoke at once, his voice deep, "The court ministers and the people of the world must know that the throne of our Great Han is secure."

"Ascend immediately?"

Deng Sui frowned slightly.

The Great Han now had complete ritual protocols and governed the world through filial piety.

According to ritual.

When the Son of Heaven passes, the state funeral comes first, and the new monarch must undergo a series of procedures, including mourning and sacrifices, before the enthronement ceremony can take place.

Gu Xi was clearly intending to skip these.

Although it seemed inconsistent with ritual.

For the current Great Han, it was the best solution.

It must be said that Deng Sui’s intelligence was indeed extraordinary.

After thinking for a moment, she nodded, "The Grand Tutor’s words are reasonable; the new monarch should indeed ascend immediately to stabilize the nation."

As she spoke, her tone paused.

"However, for this enthronement ceremony, who shall act on behalf of the Son of Heaven?"

The enthronement ceremony was no small matter.

The rules were numerous.

Respecting Heaven and Earth, sacrificing to the ancestral temples.

This series of rituals was clearly not something a hundred-day-old Son of Heaven could complete.

Deng Sui’s words were clearly meant to determine the hierarchy within the regency.

In fact, this was the most important reason for the current unrest in the hearts of the people of the Great Han.

The Son of Heaven was young, and the Empress Dowager acted as regent according to ritual.

And Gu Xi was the high-ranking regent minister entrusted by the late Emperor on his deathbed.

If these two did not establish a hierarchy, it would inevitably cause waves.

There was no help for it; Liu Zhao could not solve this problem at all.

His upbringing gave him a wariness toward the relatives of the Empress, but how could he fully trust a minister like Gu Xi?

His arrangement was intended to make the two check each other.

This was the balance within the art of imperial governance.

Fortunately, whether it was Deng Sui or Gu Xi.

Both were very clear that the current Great Han could not withstand internal strife; otherwise, it would surely lead to greater chaos.

Deng Sui raised this point, naturally asking for Gu Xi’s stance.

Gu Xi could naturally hear the deep meaning in her words.

However, he did not hesitate and said quite frankly, "Both publicly and privately, it should naturally be performed by the Empress Dowager."

"Oh?" Deng Sui’s expression changed slightly, seemingly surprised by Gu Xi’s reaction.

Looking at the current situation in the court, the ministers all needed to choose a side.

This move by Gu Xi.

Truly left too much room for imagination for many people.

This was already a concession of power!

And to express it so frankly, Deng Sui was naturally somewhat surprised.

But immediately after, Gu Xi’s expression turned serious, and he stared fixedly at Deng Sui, saying, "Your subject will only help the late Emperor watch over this world."

"Until the Son of Heaven comes of age, to return the entire world to His Majesty’s hands on behalf of the late Emperor."

Gu Xi’s tone was surprisingly solemn.

He could concede power!

But the Deng clan should not think of acting like the Dou clan of the past.

This was the bottom line.

Deng Sui watched Gu Xi silently, pondered for a moment, and then smiled faintly, "With the Grand Tutor’s words, my heart is at ease."

"Please rest assured, Grand Tutor."

"I am not Empress Dou; I will naturally, like the Grand Tutor, watch over the entire world for the Son of Heaven."

"Grand Tutor, please return to your residence."

"Tomorrow, we shall summon the officials to discuss the matter of His Majesty’s enthronement."

A silent cooperation.

Gu Xi nodded slightly, then bowed to Deng Sui, turned, and walked out of Changlegong.

The next day, when this news spread, the court and the public were shaken!

It was not because the Son of Heaven was ascending the throne directly; after all, everyone understood that this was forced by the political situation.

What truly shocked everyone was that Gu Xi had actually conceded power!

The impact of this matter was too great for the ministers!

Since the passing of Liu Zhao, the entire court of ministers had been considering the problem of which side to take.

This had almost become a source of anxiety for everyone.

Facing the power to rule the world, how could the two of them not struggle for it?

And once they reached their level, if a struggle between Deng Sui and Gu Xi broke out, how could they not choose a side?

To remain aloof in such a situation.

That was destined to please neither side and would surely come at a great cost.

Who among those who had reached this point was not an old fox?

They understood this principle very well.

Most importantly, there was the precedent of the entire Yin clan being dismissed from office.

For the ministers, this matter could be said to be a choice involving their very lives, so they were naturally extremely worried.

But now... Gu Xi had actually conceded power?

For the ministers, this was both shocking and somewhat joyful.

There was no struggle between Deng Sui and Gu Xi.

For them, and for the entire world, this was great news.

As for the matter of letting Liu Long ascend the throne directly.

No one cared about that anymore.

Under these circumstances, Liu Long ascended the throne.

Deng Sui, in the capacity of Empress Dowager, acted on behalf of the throne, took charge of the government as a female ruler, and announced the change of the era name to Yanping.

Gu Yi had been watching all of this silently, and he was not the least bit surprised by Gu Xi’s choice.

The Great Han of today has not yet reached an era where rituals collapse and music is ruined.

The people of the world value moral character.

The Gu clan has always had family rules, and for several generations, they have also provided relative education.

It is naturally reasonable and logical for Gu Xi to make such a choice.

As time passed by.

The various ministers also went from finding it hard to believe at first to gradually believing that Gu Xi and Deng Sui would no longer fight each other.

The entire Great Han imperial court seemed to have returned to its usual state.

There was no help for it; after all, from the time Liu Zhao fell ill, Gu Xi had been helping him handle the affairs of state.

The ministers had all become accustomed to this.

Even though he was now the regent, it appeared as if there were no changes from the usual.

As for Deng Sui, she became an existence similar to what Liu Zhao had been.

This was the tacit understanding between the two.

Deng Sui was indeed a very capable woman; her judgment of the situation was very precise, and she had no intention of suppressing Gu Xi.

And under these circumstances, the hearts of those in the imperial court gradually settled.

Furthermore, Gu Xi now held the power of regency.

Handling various government affairs was even more convenient, and the entire Great Han seemed to have recovered to the state it was in when Liu Zhao was alive.

But on the day of Ren-Chen in the fourth month of the first year of Yanping;

——An earthquake occurred in Kuaiji Commandery.

The scope of the impact was extremely wide, and countless people were injured.

In the fifth month;

——The capital Luoyang and its surrounding areas were hit by continuous heavy rain, causing the Luo River to overflow, farmland to be flooded, and disaster victims to be displaced.

The mountains in Yuan of Hedong collapsed, injuring countless people.

In the sixth month;

A locust plague occurred in the northern commanderies; swarms of locusts blocked the sky as they arrived, eating all the crops clean and causing countless refugees.

A series of disasters followed one after another.

Gu Xi became increasingly busy.

At the very beginning, he could still calmly deal with everything.

After all, because of the existence of the Gu clan, the national strength of the Great Han today was far stronger than imagined.

Facing the floods in Kuaiji Commandery and around Luoyang.

He did not need to go to great lengths to handle them; he only needed to open the granaries to distribute grain.

The foundation of the Great Han was not yet at the point of being shaken to its core by this matter.

But with the locust plague in the north.

Gu Xi had to face a much larger group of refugees and arrange every expenditure more meticulously.

The most critical thing was the impact of these successive natural disasters on the imperial court.

It was unknown from when it started.

A certain narrative gradually emerged in the imperial court.

That was that these continuous natural disasters were because Deng Sui held power in the name of a female ruler.

Gu Xi was not targeted because Gu Xi had already been in power for a long time.

From the thirteenth year of Yongyuan, he had been participating in state affairs bit by bit; it was just a matter of lacking the title.

Naturally, no one would pin these things on Gu Xi.

If that were not the case, there would be a possibility of implicating Liu Zhao.

But Deng Sui was different.

Actually, if there were no natural disasters, with Gu Xi present, such rumors would absolutely not appear in the court or among the public.

Even if the ministers had such thoughts, they would suppress them in their hearts.

But it was different when there were disasters in the world.

This was not a small matter.

When such a stir arose in the court and the public, this matter would sooner or later radiate to the entire populace, causing unimaginable damage to the prestige of the entire imperial court.

Even though Gu Kang had already influenced the entire Great Han's pursuit of prophecy and superstition.

But the limitations of the era were right there.

Even Gu Kang could not completely escape from it, let alone these descendants.

Under these successive great disasters, the hearts of the people of the Great Han, which had just settled down, suddenly became restless once again.

Night.

Dark clouds covered the night, dim and without light.

Gu Xi walked slowly into the Changlegong, his face full of exhaustion.

Deng Sui's expression at this moment was also somewhat unsightly.

But the moment she saw Gu Xi, she could not help but sigh: "The Grand Tutor has worked hard."

Gu Xi did not speak.

Deng Sui did not mind; she sighed deeply and continued: "I am already aware of the rumors in the court recently."

"Natural disasters are constant."

"Perhaps it is truly my fault for lacking virtue."

"What does the Grand Tutor think if I issue an edict of self-reproach?"

Deng Sui stared closely at Gu Xi.

Gu Xi immediately shook his head and said sternly: "The Empress Dowager must never have such thoughts!"

"With constant natural disasters, the hearts of the people in our Great Han court are all restless."

"If the Empress Dowager issues an edict of self-reproach and the natural disasters do not stop, what should be done?"

"I have already successively mobilized grain from the Great Granary and local Ever-Normal Granaries to provide relief to disaster victims and exempt the disaster-stricken areas from taxes."

"And according to some ideas left behind by my grandfather, the Marquis of Wencheng, I have ordered officials in various places to exterminate the locusts."

"This natural disaster indeed has a great impact."

"However, it is not enough to affect the foundation of the world built by the wise monarchs of our Great Han over several generations."

"The Empress Dowager must not stir up more trouble!"

"Moreover, in the past, my grandfather once said to 'respect ghosts and gods but keep them at a distance'; how can we let the people of the world think the imperial court has lost its virtue because of a few mere natural disasters?"

Gu Xi's expression was very serious.

Especially after overseeing the government for these days, Gu Xi was clearly still so young, yet a sense of majesty had grown upon him.

Compared to the people of the world, the descendants of the Gu clan studied Gu Kang's learning more deeply.

Gu Xi was the best of their generation.

He always maintained the attitude that man can conquer nature.

"The Grand Tutor's words are reasonable."

Hearing this, Deng Sui nodded slightly, but immediately sensed something wrong, and her expression changed slightly: "Could it be that the Grand Tutor thinks there will still be natural disasters in our Great Han?"

"I have observed the books left behind by my grandfather in those years."

Gu Xi did not hide it and sighed lightly: "My grandfather once said that after floods and locust plagues, there might be a great epidemic."

"Although it may not be true, one must be prepared."

"I have been summoning doctors from all over the world during this period, but I fear that if a great epidemic truly occurs, it will be like trying to put out a cartload of burning firewood with a cup of water."

Deng Sui's expression changed again.

This was the judgment of the Marquis of Wencheng.

In the Great Han of today, from the imperial court down to the common people, Gu Kang had truly become a figure of god-like status.

His judgment was likely not to be wrong.

"If that is truly the case, does the Grand Tutor have any solution?"

Deng Sui could not help but ask again, her expression becoming increasingly serious.

"As long as the hearts of the people are settled, our Great Han will never be in chaos."

Gu Xi sighed softly, "Please, Empress Dowager, do not overthink it; as for the rumors in the court and the public, I will handle them well."

Having said this, Gu Xi said no more.

After bowing to Deng Sui, he walked straight out.

He did not have much time to waste.

It could be said that as the turmoil in the court and the public gradually rose, Gu Xi had truly become the pillar of the Great Han.

If it were not for Gu Yi using a longevity card on him.

Gu Yi would have to worry about whether his body could withstand this level of consumption.

The current foundation of the Great Han was too good.

Under the circumstances where Gu Xi had formulated a series of disaster relief plans, these natural disasters really had not been able to affect the national foundation of the Great Han.

But it also did not escape Gu Xi's conjecture.

The floods and locust plagues had not yet ceased.

——A great plague followed in succession.

The seventh month.

A great plague broke out in the capital Luoyang, Yanzhou, Jizhou, and other places.

The people were plagued by illness, and the dead lay pillowing one another on the roads.

Even though Gu Xi had made preparations in advance, he still felt somewhat powerless in the face of a plague of this scale.

And this was not the end.

The ninth month.

A great drought occurred in parts of Jingzhou and Yangzhou; rivers dried up and farmland cracked.

The Yihai day.

Four meteorites fell in Chenliu.

This event seemed to pierce the final layer of defense for the imperial court, even though Gu Xi and Deng Sui had tried their best to control the rumors and had even punished several officials.

But when the news of the meteorites falling to earth arrived.

The imperial court, and even the common people, instantly erupted in chaos.

"Meteorites falling to earth" had always been called an ominous sign by the people of the world, not to mention that this was now added to this series of natural disasters.

The entire Great Han fell into a panic.

From the court to the countryside, and among the common people, rumors spread everywhere.

Luoyang.

The Champion Marquis Mansion.

The faint candlelight flickered, reflecting on Gu Xi's face.

He was concentrating fully on reviewing the urgent disaster reports sent from various regions.

The dancing candlelight outlined his tightly furrowed brows and extremely grave expression even more clearly.

Suddenly, a panicked voice came from afar, drawing closer and closer.

Gu Xi instantly raised his head, instinctively thinking it was another urgent report of worsening disaster.

But in an instant, he sensed something unusual.

Although the voice was male, it was somewhat shrill.

A eunuch?

Holding the memorial, Gu Xi frowned and walked quickly out of the mansion.

Just as he reached the mansion gate, he saw a group of eunuchs holding torches standing before it, every face filled with panic and anxiety.

In an instant, a strong sense of unease surged into Gu Xi's heart.

He looked at the leading eunuch, frowned, and asked in a deep voice, "What exactly is the matter?"

"Grand Tutor!"

The group of eunuchs instantly knelt in unison, and the leader said with a sobbing tone,

"His Majesty has fallen ill and has passed away."

"The Empress Dowager requests the Grand Tutor to enter the palace immediately!"

With a "thud," Gu Xi's figure trembled violently, and the memorial in his hand slipped uncontrollably to the ground.

The Gengchen day of the ninth month of the first year of Yanping;

——Liu Long passed away inside the imperial palace.

When the news spread, the world was shaken, and the already unstable hearts of the people seemed to show signs of collapse from this day on.

—————————

The first year of Yanping.

In the fourth month, on the Renchen day, an earthquake occurred in Kuaiji; the mountains and hills split, a sign of yin flourishing and encroaching upon yang.

In the fifth month, torrential rain fell in the capital Luoyang; the Luo River overflowed, submerging fields and houses.

Mount Yuan in Hedong collapsed, causing many casualties; the Grand Historian reported: "The water has lost its nature; this is the fault of yin pressing upon yang."

In the sixth month, locusts rose in the northern frontier, obscuring the sky; crops were completely destroyed, and there were starving corpses in the fields.

The *Book of Songs* says: "Remove the insects and the pests." This is a response to harsh taxes and labor.

In the seventh month, a great plague spread across the world, especially in Yanzhou and Jizhou; white mourning cloths hung from doors and windows.

The autumn air was abnormal; it was because metal and wood were in conflict.

In the ninth month, the land was scorched for a thousand miles in Jingzhou and Yangzhou; in Chenliu, stars fell at night like dippers. People whispered: "Mars is guarding the heart, and the Purple Palace is shaken."

By the Gengchen day, the Emperor passed away in the inner palace; celestial phenomena and human affairs stirred each other.

———*Book of the Later Han: Treatise on the Five Elements*

(End of this chapter)