vrcanaries Chapter 172 Emperor Ai of Han & Dong Xian
Chapter 172 Emperor Ai of Han & Dong Xian
"Although Emperor Cheng of Han was incompetent and foolish, he still had the suspicion that an emperor should have. What he disliked most was his subordinates deceiving him."
"He then ordered a thorough investigation of Chunyu Chang. Under severe torture, Chunyu Chang finally could not bear it and confessed to mocking Empress Xu. He eventually died in prison."
"Liu Ao was furious after examining the letters between Empress Xu and Chunyu Chang. He ordered Kong Guang to deliver a bottle of poison to the deposed Empress Xu with the imperial insignia."
"The poor girl longed day and night for her husband to remember her, but she was cheated out of her money by the villain Chunyu Chang, and in the end, she was given poison by her husband."
A noblewoman from a prominent family in the Song Dynasty: What a disgusting man!
A princess from the Tang Dynasty: The Liu family is all like this, each one more heartless than the last!
Big Han Liu Zhuzhu: ...
"By now, Wang Mang had virtually no rivals ahead of him, so his path to becoming Grand Marshal was going very smoothly. But no one expected that Liu Ao would die in Zhao Hede's bed."
"Moreover, the children in the harem were either nonexistent or all of them had been harmed, so they could only choose one of Liu Kang's sons to enter the palace."
All Western Han emperors: !!
During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han
Liu Che was furious! His face was dark, his chest heaved, and his eyes were practically spitting fire!
The Emperor of Han Dynasty died in a woman's bed!
Who would believe this if it got out! Now, everyone in the court knows that the Han Dynasty had an emperor who died such a humiliating death!
If he could catch him, he would definitely give him a good beating! He can't be a good emperor! He shouldn't be one at all!
……
"Liu Kang's son, Liu Xin, succeeded to the throne and became Emperor Ai of Han. Also entering the palace with him was Consort Fu, who was once greatly favored by Emperor Yuan of Han. These two old ladies probably disliked each other when they were young, and they disliked each other even more as they got older."
"So this old lady Fu started to mock Wang Zhengjun, saying things like, 'Oh, back then, you weren't favored by His Majesty, but your son became emperor. Fortune turns around! Now my grandson is emperor, and what about your eldest grandson?!' and so on."
"Moreover, Old Lady Fu did not stop there. She insisted on becoming the Grand Empress Dowager. Emperor Ai of Han could not persuade her otherwise and had to agree. However, Old Lady Fu continued to cause trouble, disagreeing with each title. In the end, she settled on the title of Imperial Concubine."
"The inner palace is in complete chaos. Old Madam Fu often picks fights with Wang Zhengjun, such as sitting side by side. Wang Mang couldn't stand it anymore, so he spoke up for his aunt. In the end, Wang Mang resigned!"
"This was exactly what Emperor Ai of Han wanted. Since he ascended the throne, he had found that the high-ranking officials in the court were basically monopolized by the Wang family, which made him very annoyed. Now that Wang Mang had resigned, he took this opportunity to dismiss most of the Wang family members from their posts."
An official from the Sui Dynasty said: "At this time, the Western Han Dynasty was plagued by frequent conflicts and various problems. It seems that it has truly reached its end!"
A scion of a prominent family in the Song Dynasty: The imperial harem is truly chaotic! It's a complete mess!
A top scholar from the Tang Dynasty: Back then, Emperor Xuan of Han left Emperor Yuan of Han a vibrant and prosperous Han Dynasty, but they have turned it into what it is today!
An old farmer in the Ming Dynasty: It's really a bit miserable to have such a troublesome eldest son!
Liu Xun of the Han Dynasty: ...
"After Emperor Ai of Han finished dealing with these matters, Heaven thought he had done a good job and sent [a virtuous person] to his side, so that he could experience the life of [a virtuous person]."
"Everyone knows this, right? The Liu family isn't exactly known for being devoted to their wives, but there are some oddities in the Liu family. Among all the emperors of the Han Dynasty, when it comes to doting on their wives, Emperor Ai of Han is second to none!"
All Han Dynasty emperors: ...
People from the Han Dynasty onwards all realized what Lin Ke was saying. After all, with her emphasis on "virtuous," who wouldn't think of the protagonist of a homosexual relationship?
However, Liu Che, on the other hand, instinctively felt that this was not a good thing. After all, the Western Han Dynasty had become like that, how could this guy be a wise and virtuous ruler?
"Let me tell you what happened. First, Heaven sent a man to Emperor Ai of Han, named Dong Xian. Second, the two fell in love! Finally, their love gave rise to an idiom, called 'the passion of the cut sleeve'!"
Big Han Liu Zhuzhu: ? ? ?
A spoiled young master from the Song Dynasty: Oh, so he really is a doting husband, even willing to give up the throne!
Liu Qi, the chess player of the Han Dynasty: ! ? ? !
A young lady from a noble family in the Tang Dynasty (covering her face): Ugh! I've even read stories about them! Boys with boys are so exciting! Oh, I'm so embarrassed!
A Ming Dynasty official: The chaos and disorder of the Han Dynasty under the Tang Dynasty were no joke!
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: What does this have to do with the Tang Dynasty!
……
"The sun was shining brightly that day. Emperor Ai of Han glanced at the young Dong Xian in the crowd and was immediately captivated. It was as if all the beauties in the harem paled in comparison to the androgynous Dong Xian. To put it another way, he adored him!"
"It is said that the Liu family generally believed that they were bisexual. Emperor Ai of Han liked Dong Xian's appearance. He first promoted him to the position of Gentleman of the Yellow Gate, and then promoted his father Dong Gongshi to the position of Grand Master of Ceremonies. It is said that when Emperor Ai of Han went out, Dong Xian would always be by his side. The rewards he received in a month reached about 100 million coins."
A bystander from the Han Dynasty exclaimed: "Damn! So much money!"
"Dong Xian was a gentle man who liked to flatter and fawn over Emperor Ai of Han. He always stayed in the harem, which puzzled Emperor Ai. Didn't he tell you to go home and rest? Dong Xian didn't say anything and just weakly said he didn't want to go home."
"Emperor Ai of Han, that big fool, had a bizarre way of thinking that Dong Xian must be in trouble and unable to go home, so he ordered that Dong Xian's wife be brought to the palace and let her live in Dong Xian's residence."
"In addition, Dong Xian's sister was summoned to the palace and made into a Zhaoyi, whose rank was second only to the Empress. Her residence was renamed Jiaofeng to match the Empress's Jiaofang Palace."
"Not only that, Emperor Ai of Han doted on Dong Xian. His father, father-in-law, and brothers all received rewards or promotions. He also built a luxurious palace for Dong Xian. Even the servants in Dong Xian's household received rewards. Just tell me how much he doted on his wife!"
"It is said that once the two slept together, and Emperor Ai of Han wanted to turn over, but was afraid of waking Dong Xian, so he ordered someone to cut off the sleeve that Dong Xian was pressing down with scissors. This is the origin of the idiom 'cut sleeve,' and since then, this idiom has been used to describe this kind of relationship."
A scion of a prominent family in the Song Dynasty: Han Chinese tradition!
An old farmer from the Ming Dynasty: Oh my goodness! How can these two be so shameless!
A spoiled young master from the Tang Dynasty: It's a family trait from the Liu family! Everyone else treats it as a hobby, but he's completely obsessed with it!
An official from the Ming Dynasty: This man is hopeless! He loves his son so much that he'd even give up the throne! What an unfilial descendant!
Big-Handed Liu Zhuzhu: Damn! ...? %……%
The First Emperor was greatly shocked! He didn't comment on the homosexuality, but he was truly puzzled that the throne could be relinquished to him!
However, he didn't dwell on it too much, thinking that the Western Han Dynasty was doomed, and that's why there were descendants who would bring shame upon their ancestors.
……
Back to the live broadcast room.
"Dong Xian's favor grew daily, and Emperor Ai of Han even wanted to make him a marquis. However, he had no achievements, so he set his sights on the Prince of Dongping. He had someone falsely accuse the Prince of Dongping's wife of disrespecting the gods during a sacrifice, thus incurring divine punishment."
"He claimed that Dong Xian had discovered it, and in order to highlight his merit, he was specially granted the title of Marquis of Gao'an. Everyone in the court could see that this was the emperor giving face to his male favorite, but no one dared to speak up because the prime minister Wang Jia, who had repeatedly remonstrated, had already been executed."
"After that, he went to great lengths to make Dong Xian the Grand Marshal, a position that became increasingly worthless! But this wasn't the first time Emperor Ai of Han had lost his mind. For example, once when he was drunk, he said in front of his ministers: 'Dong Xian is so good, why don't I follow the example of Yao and Shun and abdicate the throne to you!'"
The ministers present couldn't hold back any longer. What kind of nonsense is this? The Han dynasty's empire is being left to a male favorite?!
All Western Han emperors: ? ? ? !
In another timeline, Liu Che was furious. He used to think that even if someone was worse than Qin Shi Huang, that Hu Hai!
He truly never imagined that a descendant of the Han people would relinquish the throne for a male favorite!
Aaaaah! I'm going to kill that unfilial descendant!
……
"Not long after, Emperor Ai of Han kicked the bucket. Empress Dowager Wang Zhengjun was very happy about this. This old lady Fu can't be arrogant anymore! She doesn't even have her grandson anymore!"
"Afterwards, Wang Zhengjun summoned Dong Xian and asked: 'As Grand Marshal, what do you think should be done after the emperor's death?'"
"The trembling Dong Xian knew that he had no ability and was nothing without the favor of Emperor Ai of Han. On the friendly advice of Wang Zhengjun, he called Wang Mang, who was living a leisurely life in his hometown, back."
"On the other hand, Wang Mang had been living in his hometown for six years. During this time, he did not spend his days in despair, but continued to make friends everywhere and was very generous to his friends."
"For example, when Wang Mang befriended the governor of Nanyang, he gave the governor a sword inlaid with jewels. At the time, the governor of Nanyang felt it was too precious and kept refusing it."
"So Wang Mang immediately broke the gemstone in two and said with a smile: '...Now it's not valuable anymore!...You can accept it now!'"
"For example, Wang Mang's son accidentally killed a servant girl. This wasn't a big deal at the time, and other families might have covered it up! But Wang Mang wouldn't have done that. He insisted that his eldest son pay with his life for it!"
A scion of a prominent family in the Song Dynasty: To be fair, Wang Mang was indeed quite remarkable! In terms of his conduct and dealings with others!
An official from the Sui Dynasty: If it's all an act! That's too ruthless! They wouldn't even spare their own son!
A spoiled young master from the Tang Dynasty: And he didn't even protect his own son! I felt completely confused at the time!
A farming expert from the Ming Dynasty: It seems that emperors after Emperor Wu of Han all had relatively short lifespans!?
……
"Wang Mang's actions won unanimous praise from both the court and the public. After all, not everyone would be so selfless as to force their own child to death! If this was an act, then he must have been a ruthless man!"
A bystander from the Ming Dynasty commented: "This is a bit much for the son!"
"Officials kept submitting memorials saying, 'Wang Mang is such a good man! He's so selfless, how could he be dismissed? Is there some misunderstanding?'"
"For a time, the court was filled with memorials pleading for Wang Mang's innocence, and it was no exaggeration to say that the public was in a state of great agitation! As a result, Wang Mang finally returned to the court after a long absence. At this time, the emperor was the son of the King of Zhongshan, who became Emperor Ping of Han."
Wang Mang: They've entered Chang'an again! I will take back what I've lost!
"First of all, the position of Grand Marshal had to be taken back from Dong Xian. So Wang Mang took the moral high ground and attacked Dong Xian: 'His Majesty is ill, why don't you serve His Majesty well? His Majesty was so good to you in the past! In the end, His Majesty has misplaced his trust!'"
"With such a huge accusation leveled against them, Dong Xian and his wife, who were already in a panic, were so frightened that they committed suicide. In the end, the court sold off Dong Xian's property, which amounted to a total of 430 million coins!"
A spoiled young master from the Tang Dynasty: My goodness, now I know why Emperor Wu of Han's tomb has so many burial objects. The Han Dynasty was so rich!
Big Han Liu Zhuzhu: ...
A farming whiz from the Ming Dynasty: If I could own even a small portion of this money, I'd treat the emperor like my ancestor!
……
"After Wang Mang dealt with the Dong family, a secret ballot was held in the court to vote on who should be the Grand Marshal! Except for two people who did not vote, everyone else voted for Wang Mang!"
"As the saying goes, a sleeping dragon must have a phoenix chick by his side. This pair of clowns not only did not join Wang Mang, but instead joined each other."
"It's not that the two of them had any designs on the position of Grand Marshal, but rather that they were unhappy with the power of the maternal relatives. They simply disliked Wang Mang and wanted to show that they were loyal subjects."
"Although their actions were tantamount to throwing eggs against rocks, not only were they useless, but they were also dismissed from their posts and eventually died shortly afterward."
"However! Their fearless spirit is still commendable!"
A farming expert in the Ming Dynasty: The position of Grand Marshal is getting worse with each generation!
A lazy official in the Song Dynasty: These two brothers are like eggs hitting a rock; they just won't submit to Wang Mang!
An old fisherman from the Tang Dynasty: Alright, alright, I'll commend these two for their courage!
He Wu and Gongsun Lu: ...No need to make things so difficult!
……
"After Wang Mang became Grand Marshal, he held real power, and his actions were quite outrageous. If he wanted to impeach someone, he would often say to the ministers: 'The Empress Dowager doesn't like this person...' And when the ministers found evidence of this person's crimes, Wang Mang would take this evidence to the Empress Dowager and say: 'Ministers, impeach this person!'"
"The Empress Dowager was furious when she saw this and immediately impeached him! So afterwards, newly appointed officials would always visit Wang Mang first, but they weren't there to give gifts; they were there to receive them!"
“Wang Mang treated visiting officials with the same care and concern as an elder, asking them how they were doing. He also gave them money and jewelry. If it were me, I would probably like such a leader too.”
"By this time, Wang Mang's real power was that of a regent emperor, since the legitimate puppet emperor was still a member of the Liu family."
The optimist Su Dongpo: Actually, the emperor is dispensable!
Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty: The Western Han Dynasty's fate was sealed! The only difference between Wang Mang and Emperor Ping of Han was the title of emperor!
A Ming Dynasty official said: "Emperor's succession isn't a big deal anymore! The Western Han Dynasty already had many problems..."
……