Chapter 2123: Kangzong Chronicles 9: The Era of Peace and Prosperity

The "era of regency" stumbled along, rarely finding peace, and managed to pass three years. By the second month of spring in the fourth year of Pingkang, a fierce political struggle erupted once again at the power center of the Great Han Empire. The two main parties in the struggle were Emperor Liu Wenpeng and Prince Lu, Liu Ai, and the conflict revolved around the funeral of Grand Dowager Consort Zhe.

Grand Dowager Consort Zhe—a remarkable woman who had accompanied Emperor Shizu for nearly his entire life, witnessed the glorious and prosperous Taizong era, and was beyond reproach in personal morality and integrity—finally reached the end of her life in her seventy-eighth year, passing away at Fuqing Palace in Luoyang.

That Grand Dowager Consort Zhe was a Worthy Consort of the highest order was beyond doubt. Even Emperor Shizu had deeply respected her, and her reputation had long spread throughout the court and beyond. And even setting aside those fleeting reputations and honors, the mere fact that she was the birth mother of the two princes Zhao and Lu was enough to show her standing in the Great Han Empire.

At the same time, as time passed, Emperor Shizu's political traces grew fainter, but it was also an indisputable fact that he was being increasingly "sanctified" by the people of the age. As one of the consorts most trusted by Emperor Shizu before his death, it was only natural that Grand Dowager Consort Lady Zhe passing would have a major impact on the court.

Even someone as proud and arrogant as Empress Dowager Murong dared not throw her weight around in matters concerning Grand Dowager Consort Lady Zhe funeral arrangements. Otherwise, the two princes Zhao and Lu, as well as the Qi and Liang branches in the South Seas, would not stand for it. With the deterrent formed by these four princes, no one dared to challenge it lightly.

Even someone as impetuous as Emperor Liu Wenpeng treated it with the utmost seriousness, issuing an edict to suspend court for seven days, performing grand rites of worship before the spirit tablet, and having ministers deliberate on her posthumous honors. It was precisely on the question of posthumous honors that the emperor and Prince Lu came into conflict.

As the son of Grand Dowager Consort Zhe, Liu Ai held an extremely high reverence for his mother and naturally wanted to grant her the highest honors in her funeral arrangements. And there was no more honored treatment than posthumously conferring the title of Empress and burying her with the rites befitting an empress.

Moreover, Liu Ai firmly believed that his mother deserved the position of Empress. One had to know that when Noble Consort Gao passed away back then, Emperor Shizu had posthumously conferred the title of Empress upon her. And since the two consorts Gao and Zhe were of the same rank, one could reasonably infer that had Consort Zhe died during Emperor Shizu's era, her funeral would certainly have been handled with "empress rites" as well.

Furthermore, Noble Consort Gao had even been a remarried woman, while Consort Zhe came from a pure background, had borne children, and served Emperor Shizu—how could her status and treatment be inferior to Noble Consort Gao's? (When remarks of this nature spread south to the coastal state of Linhai, Prince Linhai, Liu Wenhai, cursed Liu Ai and the others loudly, and later submitted a memorial sternly opposing the conferral of the Empress title upon Grand Dowager Consort Zhe.)

Of course, aside from the filial piety of securing his mother's proper title, Prince Lu inevitably harbored political aims in pushing this matter. At the very least, if Grand Dowager Consort Zhe were to become "Empress Zhe," then as her son, Liu Ai, the "Prince Regent," would gain another halo of glory. Combined with "Prince + Chief Minister," his grip on court politics would be all the more convincing.

If Prince Lu wanted to push it, then the emperor naturally had to block it! Over the past year or more, Liu Wenpeng had been trying every possible means to reclaim power, but had been constantly hampered. And as the high ministers and officials saw through this emperor of theirs more and more clearly, resistance from all sides only strengthened.

And compared to his mother, Empress Dowager Murong, Liu Wenpeng's methods were hardly more sophisticated. His likes and dislikes showed plainly on his face, and his straightforward, blunt personality and style made him extremely difficult for the court ministers to adapt to. Opportunities like the "Lü Removal Incident" were not so easily encountered, so most of the time Liu Wenpeng could only wage tug-of-war over trivial matters.

To be fair, Liu Wenpeng had no particular objection to Grand Dowager Consort Zhe herself. Considering her background and experience, under ordinary circumstances, posthumously conferring an honorific title would have been no problem. But combined with the court situation, and considering the struggle between imperial power and ministerial power, he could no longer afford to consider face or even filial piety.

Liu Wenpeng was already worrying about how to remove Prince Lu, Liu Ai, from power, and now Liu Ai had made this move. Liu Wenpeng could also see the threat that "posthumous honor for the Grand Dowager Consort" might bring him—how could he permit it? Naturally, he could only resolutely oppose and counterattack.

And so, Prince Lu, Liu Ai, submitted a memorial, and Emperor Liu Wenpeng issued an edict for deliberation on the matter. And this deliberation was a grand deliberation. At the same time, this kind of debate with obvious political struggle overtones rarely produced any unified conclusion. The key lay in the contest of strength and influence between the two sides, and the final result was usually determined by who was stronger.

And the facts proved that under the current system of the Great Han Empire, with the framework meticulously constructed by the two emperors Shizu and Taizong still functioning normally, even an emperor who was not particularly adept at wielding power could, if he pushed with determination, stir up boundless waves and devour the opponents in his path.

Prince Lu, Liu Ai, was ultimately not the kind of powerful minister who truly dominated the court. By the fourth year of Pingkang, the "Taizong's deathbed mandate" had lost much of its force, and the people and voices dissatisfied with the regent ministers' grip on power had grown louder, nearly boiling over. After all, there were plenty of people hoping for "a new emperor brings new ministers" and seeking advancement and promotion.

And Liu Wenpeng, no matter how willful and headstrong, was still the emperor—the legitimate, orthodox, true-blue emperor of the Great Han.

Thus, at the beginning of the grand deliberation, with Prince Lu and the Zhe clan putting in effort, along with those who fawned and flattered, actively participating, there were many who supported the petition, and the momentum was considerable.

However, as those who had been sitting on the sidelines watching the situation one by one entered the fray, and opportunists energetically waved their flags and shouted their support, the voices of opposition gradually rose as well.

At the very least, on the matter of posthumously honoring Grand Dowager Consort Zhe, the force Liu Ai could muster had a ceiling, while on the emperor's side, the strength of his supporters could stack almost without limit. In the end, within the court, aside from those of Prince Lu's faction who still stubbornly persisted, all the rest were voices of opposition. Even the Zhe clan itself, seeing that things were going badly, quietly lowered their banners and silenced their drums.

If at first both sides had been discussing the matter on its merits, citing classics and precedents, and debating around the empire's ritual system, then as it developed further, it devolved into personal attacks, dredging up old grudges, and dragging up sordid affairs. The atmosphere at court immediately turned foul.

The nature of the matter, as its influence spread widely, transcended the "posthumous honor for the Grand Dowager Consort" itself and completely became a head-on conflict between imperial power and ministerial power, between the "Regent Faction" and the "Emperor's Party." When this kind of needle-point-against-wheat-awn situation appeared, Prince Lu's "defeat" followed accordingly. Throughout the court, those who supported the emperor did not necessarily revere him from the bottom of their hearts, but standing on the emperor's side was clearly the lower-risk choice. And human nature's tendency to pursue advantage and avoid harm would also drive them to chase after the victor.

Moreover, the situation within the court was already complex to begin with—all sorts of forces intertwined, each with different interests and demands. There were those foolishly loyal to the emperor, those single-mindedly devoted to the state, those with insight and vision, and likewise those who sought advancement through flattery. And for those seeking rapid promotion, it was clearly easier to serve a young emperor like Liu Wenpeng.

In fact, with such a willful emperor as Liu Wenpeng sitting on the supreme throne, some felt worried, but others secretly rejoiced. After all, if you could simply win his favor, you could obtain wealth and honor—wasn't that far easier than serving a diligent and wise emperor alongside those seasoned counselors who plotted for the state?

And so it was that Prince Lu, Liu Ai, fell from power in this "Grand Deliberation on Posthumous Honors" in the fourth year of Pingkang. This struggle between imperial power and ministerial power ended with the victory of imperial power.

Liu Ai was thoroughly stripped of power this time. After Grand Dowager Consort Zhe was buried in the accompanying tombs, he was forced to leave the court and go overseas, proceeding to his fiefdom on the Nanhai Islands (the Philippine archipelago). Along with this came a large wave of "Prince Lu's faction" being dismissed from office—which, to a certain extent, meant that Liu Ai did not suffer from a shortage of talent in the early days of his fiefdom.

And with Liu Ai's departure to his fiefdom, the regency structure that had held for over three years completely collapsed. Among the Yongxi regent ministers, Xiang Deming and Li Jilong belonged to the meritorious aristocrat faction that controlled military orders and military affairs; unless absolutely necessary, they basically did not participate in court political struggles. This was also one of the reasons why, no matter how the central power struggled, the empire never descended into chaos.

As for the rest, such as Zhang Qixian and Li Hang, although they remained important court ministers and leaders of the literati, they had already completely suppressed the many factions and power groups. In the final analysis, the class they represented did not occupy a core position in the ruling class of the Great Han Empire. Their ability to hold high positions and wield great power previously was more because Emperors Shizu and Taizong needed them to balance the court situation and to exert a certain degree of suppression over the empire's vast meritorious aristocrat and military-landlord class.

One regent minister after another losing power, falling, and leaving—the central power balance established by Emperor Taizong before his death was completely shattered. This represented the resurgence of imperial power belonging to Liu Wenpeng, accompanied by the gradual rise in power and influence of the empire's meritorious aristocratic families.

After all, with Liu Wenpeng in power, the actual suppression and restraint exerted on the vested interests throughout the empire had dropped significantly.

Of course, Liu Wenpeng could not see any of this. He was still immersed in the joy of having decisively defeated his imperial uncle Liu Ai, and for this, he generously rewarded a wave of "meritorious ministers."

For example, Wang Qinruo, the Director of the Palace Library who had firmly supported the emperor in the grand deliberation, was promoted to Vice Director of the Secretariat, Chief Minister, and Assistant Chief Minister, effectively taking on the powers and responsibilities that Prince Lu, Liu Ai, had previously held—a meteoric rise indeed. Salt and Iron Commissioner Dong Yan was promoted to Deputy Finance Commissioner. Others such as Liu Gui, Wang Yue, Lin Te, and Chen Xiangyu, who had played important roles in the process, also received rewards and honors.

Compared to his father, Liu Wenpeng was far more generous in these matters. The rise of the Emperor's Party was henceforth unstoppable, and the Great Han Empire truly entered the era of Emperor Pingkang.

However, even as he wielded imperial power with great satisfaction, all sorts of contradictions were quietly brewing and developing. The young emperor's authority had been re-established, but the empire's edicts and orders were no longer as unified as before. From top to bottom, from within to without, there was much disorder—such a strange state of affairs, the first in decades.

Where did the problem lie? Clearly, in the emperor.

There was one person who had to be mentioned: Prince Zhao, Liu Fang. If anyone's feelings toward Grand Dowager Consort Zhe were the most pure, it was unquestionably him.

And because of this matter, Liu Fang for the first time felt dissatisfaction toward the emperor. He did not care whether the Grand Dowager Consort could be posthumously conferred the title of Empress, but he was extremely displeased that Liu Wenpeng had applied the tactics of political struggle to this matter, leaving the Grand Dowager Consort unable to rest in peace even after death, having to face the discussions of the entire court.

He said nothing aloud, but in his heart he was deeply angered. The same emotion was also directed at Prince Lu, Liu Ai, his own full brother. This was also the reason why, from beginning to end, Liu Fang had never made any statement or taken any action on this matter.

Probably out of a sense of guilt, Liu Wenpeng later thought of Liu Fang, his fourth uncle, and personally went to "Cheng Lu" on Mount Mang to visit Liu Fang, apologizing for the matter and explaining his helplessness. However, the aged Prince Zhao, Liu Fang, with failing ears, dimming eyes, and sluggish reactions, left Liu Wenpeng returning in frustration.

In the eighth month of autumn in the fourth year of Pingkang, with Director of State Affairs Zhang Qixian being dismissed from office, the Great Han Empire truly welcomed the era belonging to Emperor Liu Wenpeng.