Chapter 47: The Great Reckoning, The Dust Settles

——Dead silence!

Absolute dead silence!

Inside the Chongde Hall.

The assembled officials stared blankly at this scene.

They looked at the person holding the sword standing beside the young Son of Heaven, their expressions dazed.

Until this moment, who could fail to see Gu Xi’s resolve today?

First, sending the Gu Shizi descendants back to Jizhou to relieve the family of any worries.

Not pacifying the officials who followed him.

This was to prevent the failure of his grand undertaking and avoid implicating too many loyal ministers.

Gu Xi’s prestige throughout the world was unimaginably high.

If he were to die, it would certainly shake the entire world.

Yan Ji’s actions were too fast.

She did not give Gu Xi the opportunity to summon the various regional princes to protect the throne.

If she were truly allowed to seal the fate of this matter, no one would know what the situation would evolve into.

Gu Xi was using himself as the bait.

If he succeeded, then everything could be settled.

If he failed and died.

Given his prestige, even if Yan Ji truly managed to place Liu Yi on the throne, it would still cause a global upheaval.

Then the Gu Shizi descendants and these loyal ministers could act according to the situation.

Understood!

Everything was understood!

Although it was only for a fleeting moment, countless thoughts flashed through the minds of the crowd.

Yang Zhen and the others were naturally the quickest to act.

Without any hesitation, they immediately knelt toward Liu Bao on the dragon throne.

"We, your subjects, pay our respects to Your Majesty!!"

Liu Shou and the other officials who had defected to the Yan clan were also completely bewildered at this moment.

Hearing that shout, which sounded like thunder.

Their faces turned as pale as paper one by one, and almost instinctively, they knelt down, their voices trembling: "Pay respects to Your Majesty."

"We, your subjects, know our error!"

"We hope Your Majesty will show mercy..."

What could they do?

What else could they do?

Gu Xi’s act of using his own life as a wager today completely exceeded their imagination.

He had been regent for many years; who in the court did not know Gu Xi’s methods?

For those of them who had defected to Yan Ji.

To survive now, they could only beg for mercy from this young Son of Heaven.

But... Liu Bao was not Liu Hu.

Looking at the kneeling officials before him, his expression did not show panic, but he did not speak directly either, instead looking at Gu Xi.

Gu Xi did not do anything extra.

After the officials finished their rites of paying respects to the Son of Heaven, he spoke again, his expression unchanged throughout.

"The late Emperor has passed away."

"The cause of death is unknown."

"Immediately throw Fan Feng, Jiang Jing, Yan Xian, and the others into prison and interrogate them with torture."

"You must find out the cause of the late Emperor’s death."

"Liu Shou and the others conspired with traitors to usurp the Han dynasty."

"Strip them of all official positions... abolish their titles, throw them all into prison to be beheaded, and dismiss all their family members from office."

"Empress Yan Ji has committed treason."

"Immediately announce her crimes to the world and exile the entire Yan clan."

"Strip her of her honorary titles and her status as Empress."

"Confine her within the palace to reflect on her mistakes."

"The assembled officials shall determine the posthumous title for the late Emperor!"

The cold voice rang through the hall.

Gu Xi seemed to have planned everything long ago; his expression had not changed from beginning to end.

In an instant, everyone’s expression shifted slightly.

Even Yang Zhen and the others had not expected this.

This punishment was too severe.

Others were one thing, but the main issue was Yan Ji, the current Empress Dowager.

Stripping her of her honorary titles and abolishing her status as Empress...

This was simply branding Yan Ji as a criminal once and for all.

One must know that even Empress Dou back in the day did not end up with such a fate!

Yan Ji’s expression changed completely; her emotions collapsed entirely as she stared fixedly at Gu Xi and shrieked, "Gu Xi!"

"How can you treat me like this?"

"I am the Empress appointed by the late Emperor!!"

"I am the current Empress Dowager!!"

"How can you treat me this way?"

Her voice had lost all its authority and even sounded somewhat shrill, like a shrew cursing in the street.

But at this moment, who would care about her?

Gu Xi waved his hand directly and had her taken away on the spot.

Following that were Liu Shou and the others.

Cries and wails echoed through the great hall; this was destined to be a bloody affair.

From beginning to end, Liu Bao just watched.

He was, after all, still young.

He felt a trace of fear, but he forced himself to hold firm.

Until a long time had passed.

The hall slowly quieted down.

Yang Zhen and the others also reacted at this time, and their expressions suddenly turned serious.

Determine the posthumous title for the late Emperor!

In the past, this matter naturally would not require much deliberation.

The current Han dynasty was far from a time where posthumous titles were given recklessly; the officials would naturally discuss a fair title.

But now, it was different.

As for the Emperor Liu Hu, if one were to ask what merits he had, there were actually none.

In the early days, Deng Sui and Gu Xi governed the world together.

He had no power in his hands at all.

Later, when Deng Sui passed away, he did have power, but he handed it all over to Gu Xi to manage.

This could actually be called employing virtuous ministers.

But the developments of these days contradicted this point.

Moreover, the Han dynasty had now survived years of natural disasters, and the national strength was gradually recovering.

After all, this had occurred during Liu Hu’s reign.

In any case, he should not be overlooked.

But to give Liu Hu a beautiful posthumous title?

Never mind whether Gu Xi would agree, even the officials could not make such a choice.

For Liu Hu.

Only a low-ranking, mediocre posthumous title was most appropriate.

The officials immediately had a judgment in their hearts, but no one spoke up.

Gu Xi would not let them reach a conclusion at such a time, but continued to carry out a series of more proper measures.

In any case, the court had to be stabilized first.

The impact of this incident was too great.

And this was assuming Gu Xi’s actions had greatly reduced the impact.

But since he had already purged the court officials.

It was destined to have repercussions.

Gu Yi had been watching all of this the entire time.

In truth, even he had not expected the Good Luck Card to have such an effect.

"If I can draw this kind of item again in the future, perhaps it could be used on the battlefield."

"Swords and blades have no eyes."

"A significant boost in luck will definitely play a major role."

He secretly made a decision, while also listening carefully to Gu Xi's arrangements.

It was very clear.

As the influence of the Gu family grew, the changes in history had already begun.

Starting from the time of Liu Zhao.

The Great Han had already undergone changes vastly different from the original history.

Now, it had even bypassed the period of Wang Sheng and Yan Ji's usurped power, arriving directly at the hands of Liu Bao.

This kind of change had completely surpassed what came before.

As for what the future would hold, he could not fathom it at all right now.

Because Gu Xi was only forty-six years old!

Although just looking at his experiences, Gu Xi truly gave people the feeling that having gone through so much, he must be very aged.

But he was not even fifty!

Having weathered the storms and gained fame throughout the world, he remained strong and vigorous upon his return.

The blessing of the Longevity Card ensured that Gu Xi’s body would not suffer from any problems at all.

Even if Gu Yi did not yet know the limits of this thing.

But as long as Gu Xi was still alive and in the imperial court, the Great Han could never again fall into the situation seen in the original history.

Having learned from this lesson.

Gu Xi would definitely be even more cautious.

With such uncertain factors, who could still see the future clearly?

Night.

The starry sky was vast, and the night was as quiet as a dream.

Gu Xi led Liu Bao all the way into the Beigong.

After an entire day.

The atmosphere of the entire Great Han imperial court was extremely solemn.

Liu Bao was only eleven years old, so he naturally appeared somewhat exhausted at this moment.

Most crucially, he was filled with the fear of the imperial palace that had remained from years past, silently tugging at Gu Xi's sleeve.

"Grand Tutor."

Just as they stepped into the bedchamber, Liu Bao hesitated repeatedly before finally unable to help but speak: "I..."

"Your Majesty should refer to yourself as 'Zhen' now." Gu Xi interrupted him softly.

Liu Bao seemed to only then realize, hurriedly changing his words, "Can I really be a good Emperor?"

He stared intently at Gu Xi.

Gu Xi did not hesitate, nodding slightly: "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will assist Your Majesty."

"Then will the Grand Tutor also leave me one day in the future?"

Liu Bao spoke again, a flash of nervousness appearing in his eyes.

To this, Gu Xi was silent for a moment, then laughed freely, "I am already old."

"However, Your Majesty may rest assured."

"Before Your Majesty has fully mastered the imperial court, I will absolutely not leave."

Gu Xi's expression was particularly earnest.

The two opened up the conversation, and Gu Xi began to instruct Liu Bao.

"As Your Majesty is the sovereign, you must never bear the name of being unfilial, which is why I chose to spare Yan Ji's life."

"However, this matter must be taken as a warning."

"Your Majesty must remember to pay attention to this point in the future."

"As for the families of those ministers, this matter involves a great deal, so Your Majesty need not harbor resentment."

"Executing the ringleaders is enough to show them your stance."

"I have dismissed them all, and Your Majesty may select and employ them based on their talents in the future."

"This move will surely make these people grateful to Your Majesty and can quickly cultivate a foundation of loyalty to you."

"Our Great Han's successive emperors have always had the practice of bestowing grace upon the people."

"Now that the world is gradually settling, Your Majesty may also do so."

"Let the people of the world know of Your Majesty's benevolence, only then can the hearts of the myriad people be settled."

"..."

Liu Bao listened very intently, and after Gu Xi finished speaking, he said: "Grand Tutor, I... Zhen wishes to promote the descendants of the Gu family."

Although there were currently over ten members of the Gu family serving as local officials.

But within this imperial court, Gu Xi was the only one from the Gu family.

Even the current Marquis of Huan was not in the court, but in his fief.

In fact, this could be considered Gu Xi's deliberate arrangement.

He was not Huo Guang.

If family descendants lacked talent, yet still occupied high positions, it was destined to leave behind disaster.

But Liu Bao clearly did not think so.

At least for now, the person who could bring him absolute security was the Gu family.

He had been living in the Champion Marquis's Mansion for this period of time.

He had even developed deep feelings for several Gu family descendants.

Hearing this, Gu Xi did not feel any surprise and immediately shook his head: "Your Majesty has no need for this."

"Whatever happens to the Gu family depends on the will of Heaven."

"Since the family descendants lack talent, why should they come to court?"

This bond of affection between the Gu family and Liu Bao must never be used here.

Even if Gu family descendants could enter the court.

Their lack of talent would inevitably cause this bond to grow increasingly shallow.

Rather than that.

It would be better to retire.

To wait until the family produces talent again, and then continue this bond.

Gu Xi clearly already had the same mindset as Gu Kang had back then.

Liu Bao stared blankly at Gu Xi, somewhat surprised by this explanation, and after a moment of silence, he nodded slightly.

The two, sovereign and subject, began to chat like this.

Gu Xi seemed to have noticed Liu Bao's fear of the imperial palace.

He took the opportunity to comfort him.

He spoke again of the state funeral and various arrangements for the future enthronement ceremony, which naturally included the posthumous title for Liu Hu.

In fact, regarding this matter, Gu Xi was not at all as conflicted as the ministers thought, and was even completely indifferent.

The descendants of the Gu family all had their own judgments regarding the relationship between sovereign and subject.

When Liu Zhao passed away.

He was incomparably heartbroken.

This was because Liu Zhao was an enlightened ruler, and they were in harmony as sovereign and subject.

Furthermore, on his deathbed, he had entrusted his heir to him, which was an act of absolute trust.

Although Deng Sui was not a sovereign.

She was also a person of great talent.

It could be said that if one were to replace Deng Sui's position back then with women like Empress Dou or Yan Ji.

The Great Han would have been destined to fall during those continuous natural disasters.

And what about Liu Hu?

He himself had no great achievements, and his arrangements before death almost caused a crisis for the state.

For this kind of emperor.

Gu Xi would not care too much.

He was a man who did practical things; as long as a posthumous title was not too outrageous, he could accept it.

The two chatted for a long time like this.

It was not until Liu Bao's heart had gradually calmed down that Gu Xi finally left.

From this day on, the entire Great Han seemed to return to how it was before.

Eunuchs like Jiang Jing could not withstand the severe torture.

Finally, they told everything about what happened in the imperial palace that night.

Empress Yan sat and watched as Liu Hu died on the couch.

She sealed the entire Imperial Palace and, holding the seal, forged an imperial edict.

Such details were handled down to the smallest matter.

Naturally, this also included the events of the past that Empress Yan had spoken of.

But who would care about such things?

Moreover, to the assembled officials, this matter was far too ridiculous.

What kind of person was Gu Xi?

That he would actually take action against a mere eunuch and someone like Wang Sheng.

Then it was destined that there must be hidden circumstances.

Added to this was the change in Liu Hu’s attitude toward Deng Sui in the past.

What need was there to guess the reason for that?

Once this matter came to light, it made the assembled officials even more disappointed in Liu Hu as an Emperor.

This series of behaviors by Liu Hu simply displayed his stupidity to the fullest extent.

Under these circumstances.

The assembled officials actually decided on a posthumous title for Liu Hu that completely exceeded Gu Xi’s expectations.

——Jingping.

"Jing" implies the stability of the Great Han realm, with a hidden meaning of "empty scenery," pointing directly to the fact that such a prosperous age had nothing to do with Liu Hu;

"Ping" points directly to Liu Hu’s incompetence and mediocrity, having caused great errors in his later years.

In fact, this posthumous title seemed extremely reasonable, and if one only looked at the literal meaning, it could not be considered a derogatory title at all.

But the key was that it did not contain the character "Xiao" (Filial)!

From the two Han dynasties until now.

Except for the founding Emperors, Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang and Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu.

All Emperors had the character "Xiao" in their titles.

And the fact that Liu Hu did not have this character explained the problem.

Regarding this, the explanation of the assembled officials was: "Liu Hu inherited the throne and should have been the son of Emperor Xiaohe and Empress He Xi."

"Yet Gu Xi was entrusted by the two to care for the orphan, but Liu Hu suspected Gu Xi."

This was an unfilial act.

Furthermore, the various behaviors of Liu Hu before his death shook the foundations of the Great Han.

This was also a major loss of virtue.

Therefore, it could not carry the "Xiao" character.

Regarding this, Gu Xi did not make too much judgment, but instead handed this opportunity to Liu Bao.

Liu Bao’s intelligence manifested under these circumstances.

Especially after being taught by Gu Xi, although he was still young, he clearly possessed a certain ability to govern.

Seeing that the assembled officials all approved of this posthumous title.

He directly agreed to the matter.

However, he said in public, "As a son, one must bear the father’s faults. In this life, I will surely govern the world as the Emperors Xiaowen and Xiaoming did in the past, to atone for the sins of the late Emperor."

This both pacified the assembled officials and preserved a reputation for "filial piety."

The assembled officials were very shocked that Liu Bao could say such things.

This was the sign of an enlightened ruler!

As the state mourning ended, Liu Bao held a formal enthronement ceremony and announced the change of the era name to "Yongjian," and everything finally settled.

As for the child Liu Yi.

No one cared about him at all.

The entire Great Han faintly regained the atmosphere of the days when Deng Sui was alive.

The young Son of Heaven sat on the Dragon Throne.

Gu Xi governed the world.

However, there were differences.

After this incident, Gu Xi had truly changed somewhat.

In the past, he would never carry a sword into the palace, and during court sessions, he would remain in the position of a subject.

Yet now, it was completely different.

Every time there was a court session, Gu Xi would always stand by Liu Bao’s side with his sword, protecting the young Son of Heaven to intimidate the officials.

Of course, the assembled officials could also feel Gu Xi’s change.

Any problem.

He would let Liu Bao consider it, while he acted as an assistant.

It was completely unlike the time of Liu Hu, when he had taken full charge of the government alone.

Everyone saw Gu Xi’s intention.

Just like Gu Kang in the past, he seemed to have the intention of retiring.

Regarding this, the thoughts of the assembled officials were all extremely complex.

Gu Xi had been the regent for many years.

Officials in the court had come and gone.

Now, those who remained had long been accustomed to working under Gu Xi and held him in great respect.

But one must ask, among the heroes of the world, who does not grow old?

As the days passed one by one.

Watching Liu Bao become increasingly familiar with state affairs, while Gu Xi became increasingly silent.

Everyone faintly felt it.

A brilliant and magnificent era seemed about to be completely turned over.

(End of this chapter)