Chapter 587

That year, Yang Ci submitted a memorial saying that the Taiping Dao and Zhang Jiao's influence were too great, suggesting that the imperial court find a way to restrict them and arrest Zhang Jiao, but it was all rejected by Liu Hong.

Just last year, Yang Ci submitted a memorial again, requesting to arrest Zhang Jiao, but Liu Hong still did not agree.

When he saw the contents of these two memorials, Duan Yu felt somewhat strange.

Zhang Jiao was the Great Virtuous Teacher of the Taiping Dao, but he had no official status.

As Grand Marshal, did Yang Ci need to ask Liu Hong for permission to arrest the leader of a civilian organization?

With Yang Ci's status as one of the Three Excellencies, he could have just issued an order to get it done.

Who was it that was stopping Yang Ci?

Who was it that caused Yang Ci to need to submit a memorial for approval before he could arrest Zhang Jiao?

Duan Yu remembered that before he transmigrated, there were some theories that the Eastern Han gentry existed behind Zhang Jiao.

It was the gentry who pushed Zhang Jiao, using Zhang Jiao to coerce Liu Hong.

Because of the Proscription of Partisan Prohibitions, the eunuch faction was powerful.

In the fifth year of Xiping, the third Proscription of Partisan Prohibitions occurred because the Administrator of Yongchang, Cao Luan, submitted a memorial to clear the names of the "partisans," demanding the lifting of the proscription.

Liu Hong not only did not listen, but instead arrested and executed Cao Luan.

Immediately afterward, Liu Hong issued another edict: any partisans, their students, former subordinates, fathers, or brothers who held official positions were to be dismissed, proscribed for life, and the punishment would extend to their five clans.

The gentry lost their official positions, and Liu Hong instead took these vacant positions to sell them.

If he hadn't learned all this, Duan Yu really wouldn't have dared to imagine it.

Saying that Liu Hong sold offices and titles is a belittlement of Liu Hong.

But after learning all this, Duan Yu didn't think so anymore.

The gentry occupied official positions, sucking the blood and flesh of the Great Han, sucking the bone and blood of the people, thereby strengthening their families, with no benefit to the country at all.

Instead, they formed cliques for private gain, their influence growing ever larger, suppressing imperial power.

The Proscription of Partisan Prohibitions, rather than being eunuchs harming the gentry and suppressing the gentry,

it would be better to say it was the Emperor using the eunuchs to suppress the gentry.

Since you gentry hold official positions and control the government, then use the proscription to prohibit you.

Anyway, the official positions in the hands of the gentry, through the form of students and former subordinates, were also a disguised form of selling.

As Duan Yu sees it now, it's just that Liu Hong did it more thoroughly.

Since you gentry can sell, why can't the Emperor sell?

Anyway, they are going to be sold, so it's better for me, Liu Hong, to sell them.

Duan Yu just sighed at the power of the river of time; some things, separated by too much distance, even if recorded on paper, are not necessarily true.

But he is in the present now, and some things are just seen more clearly.

Liu Hong is definitely not an incompetent emperor.

In the great game of the world, he is also a player, and the opponent sitting across from Liu Hong is the gentry of the world.

Taiping Dao, Liu Hong, gentry.

Duan Yu tried hard to sort out the complex relationship lines in his mind.

But he still felt something was missing.

There was something wrong somewhere.

Tang Zhou reported that Zhang Jiao was going to rebel after meeting Yuan Kui.

What was Ma Yuanyi doing coming to Luoyang carrying a Taiping Heavenly Book?

And why did Yuan Kui want to obtain the Taiping Heavenly Book in Ma Yuanyi's hands? ===== CHAPTER 589 =====