0p0 171 Wang Mang
171 Wang Mang
"Then, the Wang family patted their chests and swore that their Wang family was His Majesty's maternal family, and that they were all their own family members. How could they harm His Majesty! His Majesty should get closer to our Wang family!"
"Emperor Cheng of Han had no choice but to call his younger brother Liu Kang in and let him play with him. But the Wang family still said no, absolutely not."
A Ming Dynasty official: What's the difference between an emperor and a puppet?!
A poor student from the Song Dynasty: Good heavens, Liu Ao is completely unloved by his parents! Even Empress Wang Zhengjun doesn't seem to like this kid much!
A woman from a prominent family in the Tang Dynasty: She was not as good as Empress Lü. At least she was truly good to her son!
……
"Being an emperor is truly a miserable experience! Emperor Cheng of Han's ministers knew about his suffering, so one of them, with a stubborn stature, wrote a memorial to the throne, saying: 'You old Wang family members are doing well, but the emperor isn't even allowed to voice a small complaint. Is this how you ministers are supposed to be?'"
"When Wang Feng heard that someone was impeaching him, he immediately resigned. Before the emperor could say anything, Wang Zhengjun became unhappy and started making a scene, eventually forcing Emperor Cheng of Han to bring Wang Feng back!"
"Subsequently, Emperor Cheng of Han imprisoned the person who had submitted the memorial impeaching Wang Feng. He died in prison not long afterward. From then on, no official in the court dared to say no to the Wang family."
"At this time, the Wang family's power reached its peak. They indulged in all sorts of luxuries and beautiful women, completely disregarding Emperor Cheng of Han. It was at this moment that Wang Mang, the son of Liu Ao's second maternal uncle, was about to enter the fray."
All Western Han emperors: !!
A spoiled young master from the Song Dynasty: It won't be long before the Western Han Dynasty becomes the Eastern Han Dynasty!
Big Han Liu Zhuzhu (almost driven mad!): ...
A member of the Tang Dynasty royal family: It's alright, Liu Xiu will take care of him!
……
“Wang Mang’s father and brothers died one after another, so he lived with his uncle from a young age. Most of the other members of the Wang family in the clan were indulging in sensual pleasures and living extravagant lives, but Wang Mang alone did not like these things, but perhaps he could not afford to do so.”
"He lived a simple life, was humble, and loved reading. He studied the Book of Rites and the Book of Rites with his teacher Chen Can."
"In addition, he also took care of his mother and sister-in-law, and raised his elder brother's children. Compared to a group of rich second-generation kids who only knew how to eat, drink and have fun, Wang Mang, a moral exemplar in the eyes of the world, quickly became famous."
"Wang Mang had an excellent reputation before he established the Xin Dynasty, but he was indeed very good at getting things done. For example, when Grand Marshal Wang Feng fell ill, Wang Mang came to take care of him. He not only stayed by his side closely, but he also tested the medicines before giving them to his uncle. This moved his uncle Wang Feng to tears."
"While Wang Feng's own son was still out there playing around, this nephew was able to do such a thing that Wang Feng recommended Wang Mang to Empress Wang Zhengjun and Emperor Cheng of Han on his deathbed."
"Wang Mang has also entered the circle of power politics, although he is still insignificant at the moment."
A storyteller from the Song Dynasty: It's all thanks to the contrast with his peers! Wang Feng has to be completely open with him!
Liu Zhuzhu from the Han Dynasty: Emperor Cheng of Han is really useless!
An official from the Ming Dynasty said: "His reputation was indeed very good at the time! But I wonder if he studied the 'Rites of Zhou' or something similar, which is why he wanted to replicate that system later!"
A spoiled young master from the Tang Dynasty: I'm a little curious, did he really kill a lot of people named Liu Xiu?
Liu Xiu, who happened to be passing by at this moment: ? ? ?
……
During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han
Liu Che stared intently at Lin Ke on the screen, determined not to let a single word slip by!
He wanted to see just what Wang Mang was capable of that could cause his Han Dynasty to split apart!
……
"Subsequently, while serving as an official, Wang Mang maintained friendly relations with his uncles and made friends everywhere. It is said that his fifth uncle even gave him part of his fiefdom, and his reputation was extremely good!"
"When Emperor Cheng of Han saw that Wang Mang had a good reputation and many people were on good terms with him, he thought that this person must be a talented person, so he promoted him all the way up to the Marquis of Xindu."
"However, many people become arrogant when they hold great power. This one lives a life of luxury, that one embezzles and accepts bribes! But Wang Mang remained humble and even used his clothes and salary to help the poor. As a result, he became extremely famous among the people, even surpassing those uncles who held great power."
"Among the second generation of the Wang family, there was a man named Chunyu Chang who ranked before Wang Mang. He was the son of another daughter of the Wang family and entered the center of power a little earlier than Wang Mang. He can be considered the leading figure of the second generation of the Wang family."
"Because he was quite good at flattery, he was extremely favored by Emperor Cheng of Han and rose to the position of commander of the imperial guards."
"At this time, Wang Gen, who was then the Grand Marshal, was about to retire. He wanted to choose one of the second generation of Wang family members to be the Grand Marshal. Many people thought that Chunyu Chang should succeed him as Grand Marshal."
An official of the Song Dynasty: This Grand Marshal seems to belong to their royal family! I wonder if the former Huo Guang and Wei Qing would be furious if they knew this!
Huo Guang of the Han Dynasty: ...
The son of a wealthy merchant in the Ming Dynasty: By the way, Chunyu Chang's surname isn't Wang!
A mischievous boy from the Sui Dynasty: Hahahaha, the Wang family's ancestral Grand Marshal!
……
"Wang Mang also wanted this position, so he put all his effort into gathering evidence of his cousin Chunyu Chang's crimes. Meanwhile, Chunyu Chang was all smiles, thinking that the position of Grand Marshal was within his grasp, but little did he know that he was about to be eliminated by Wang Mang!"
"This story begins with Emperor Cheng of Han's favoritism towards the Zhao sisters. Interestingly, Liu Ao was bisexual, having male favorites such as Zhang Fang and Zhao Feiyan."
"The Zhao sisters were so favored that it's said that the children of other concubines died before they were even born."
"In the harem there used to be an Empress Xu, who was Liu Ao's childhood sweetheart and they were a loving couple. However, as she aged and her beauty faded, Liu Ao's affections shifted. Previously, ministers even said that Empress Xu was a jinx because of the frequent natural disasters at that time, and reduced her allowances. It's really hard to say who this jinx really is!"
"Later, the Xu Feiyan sisters falsely accused Empress Xu of using witchcraft to murder Grand Marshal Wang Feng, so Empress Xu was deposed. Emperor Cheng of Han was more willing to send Zhao Feiyan to the position of empress, but because of her lowly status, the Empress Dowager refused. Chunyu Chang was good at scheming and helped Emperor Cheng of Han, so he was enfeoffed as Marquis of Dingling."
"On the other hand, Empress Xu, who was deposed, was still hoping that Emperor Cheng of Han would change his mind, so she gave money to Chunyu Chang in the hope that he would speak well of her, even if it was just to become a concubine."
"However, Chunyu Chang took the money but did nothing. Even when Empress Xu sent him gold and silver jewelry worth millions, he received no response. As time went on, Chunyu Chang even began to harass and insult Empress Xu in his letters!"
A rough farmer from the Song Dynasty: How despicable this man is!
A scion of a prominent family in the Ming Dynasty: It's alright! He's about to be finished!
An old farmer from the Ming Dynasty: Damn it! My hands are itching! I really want to beat him up!
Big Han Liu Zhuzhu: This damn grandson can go whoever wants him! He's incompetent, lecherous, and utterly incompetent!
……
Lin Ke sighed. Empress Xu was indeed in a bad situation. She spent a lot of money, but Chunyu Chang was dishonest and didn't get anything done!
"Originally, Wang Gen valued Chunyu Chang quite a bit, after all, his elder brother had specifically asked him to take care of him before he died. But he never expected that after Chunyu Chang gained the favor of Emperor Cheng of Han, he would become even more disrespectful to his uncle who had helped him in the first place."
"As the saying goes, 'a long illness tests filial piety,' let alone an uncle who is a distant relative. Especially with Wang Mang taking care of him every step of the way, Chunyu Chang's behavior only seems less than ideal."
"Wang Mang, who was always looking for Chunyu Chang's faults, found out that Chunyu Chang had cheated the deposed empress out of money and written a letter to insult her. Chunyu Chang was doomed. Wang Mang ran to his uncle Wang Gen first."
"When he was serving Wang Gen his medicine, Wang Mang casually mentioned that the general was seriously ill, but his cousin Chunyu Chang was very happy and had already promised to help others obtain official positions!" (Book of Han, Biographies of Favored Officials)
"This sentence enraged Wang Gen, who bluntly called Chunyu Chang an ingrate. Then Wang Mang went on to report that Chunyu Chang had not only committed many crimes over the years, but had also extorted the deposed Empress Xu."
"Wang Gen was furious when he heard this, and immediately ordered Wang Mang to tell Empress Dowager Wang Zhengjun about it. Empress Dowager Wang Zhengjun did not expect Chunyu Chang to be so bold as to deceive Empress Xu, and immediately ordered Emperor Cheng of Han to investigate thoroughly."
A spoiled brat from the Tang Dynasty: Chunyu Chang must have gotten cocky because he thought he had the Grand Marshal in his grasp!
A Ming Dynasty official said: "The Wang family's sons are all useless! It's all Wang Mang's fault that Chunyu looks like this!"
A bystander from the Song Dynasty commented: "I just don't believe that Chunyu Chang did anything wrong. What does he, as his uncle, really know?"
……
"Liu Ao didn't believe his mother when she told him about this. He was still half-believing and half-doubting. He believed that Chunyu Chang was corrupt and lawless, after all, he had known about it for a long time. But Chunyu Chang's fraud against the deposed Empress Xu was probably just a rumor!"
"However, no matter what, Emperor Cheng of Han saw that the Empress Dowager had spoken, so he sent Chunyu Chang back to his own territory. But seeing that he was about to seize power, how could Chunyu Chang give up so easily? So he used a lot of money to bribe Wang Li, asking him to be magnanimous and put in a good word for him."
"Wang Li was also Wang Gen's younger brother. Earlier, it was mentioned that Chunyu Chang was a strong contender to succeed Chunyu Chang as Grand Marshal, but he was not without competitors. Wang Li also wanted the position, so he repeatedly clashed with Chunyu Chang. It was Emperor Cheng of Han who mediated the conflict."
"However, Wang Li is much better than Chunyu Chang; at least he didn't take the money and not do the job! But Chunyu Chang probably never imagined that Wang Li's plea would not only fail to get what he wanted but also arouse Emperor Cheng's suspicion!"
Liu Zhuzhu, the Great Han: He still has the nerve to be suspicious! What kind of emperor is this? He's going to drive me crazy!
Zhu Baba of the Ming Dynasty (lighting a cigarette with a weary expression): Sigh! Every family has a spendthrift son! Calm down!
Emperor Liu Xun of the Han Dynasty (spitting blood in anger): ...Too much power has been seized by a relative of the empress! No one has done a worse job than him!
……