Some people say that if there are no loyal and good ministers in the court, the monarch will inevitably be mediocre; Some people also say that the home of loyal ministers will not escape disaster after all. These two completely different statements seem to be completely confirmed in one person - this person is Huo Guang, a powerful minister from the end of the Western Han Dynasty to the heyday.
This auxiliary minister, who was actually in power between the Han Zhao and Han Xuan dynasties, was wiped out after his death, and none of them were spared. So, is there a hidden truth in it that we are not aware of? Huo Guang, who has been conscientious all his life and tried to help the Han family, why did his family commit such a cruel punishment?
In 80 BC, Emperor Wu of Han, who had reigned for 54 years, died. Before his death, Emperor Wu summoned his confidant Huo Guang to come and set up his youngest son Liu Fuling as the crown prince, with the intention of entrusting several important ministers. Among them, the one who won the trust of Emperor Wu the most and leaned towards the government and the opposition in the future was Huo Guang, who was 38 years old at the time.
Two years later, Emperor Zhao of Han, who was only 8 years old, ascended the throne. The actual government inevitably fell on the shoulders of several auxiliary ministers, and the final champion was none other than Huo Guang. During this period, Huo Guang successively resolved the usurpation plots of three colleagues and ministers, and stabilized his position in the imperial court. He was honest and self-controlled, diligent in his work, and was deeply relied on by Emperor Zhao.
In 74 BC, Emperor Zhao of Han, who was still an adult, died. The Queen Mother entrusted Gu to Huo Guang on her deathbed, hoping that he could support the appropriate descendants of the royal family to stabilize the situation and inherit the unification. So, Huo Guang welcomed Liu He, the grandson of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, as emperor.
However, this decision seems to have been made too hastily. Liu He was deposed on the 27th as soon as he ascended the throne, and he was absurd, robbing the people's daughters and losing the hearts of the people. Huo Guang was faced with a choice at this time, what kind of monarch should he set up in order to transcend the old evils of the Han family and dominate the world?
After careful consideration, he set his sights on a civilian, Liu Aiji. This is the great-grandson of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, who was originally the son of the crown prince Liu Ju, who fell into the civil society in the palace struggle. Now Liu Zhi is a gray-haired old man, but he still cares about the world, has a wide range of contacts, and is well-informed. What's even more rare is that he has a gentle temperament, is benevolent and tolerant, and is very popular with the people.
Huo Guang Broad sensed that this person was the medicine for the Han family to recuperate and rejuvenate. So, under Huo Guang's strong recommendation, Liu Yi was welcomed into the palace and succeeded to the throne. He was the later Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty, Liu Aiji, the Ming monarch who created the prosperous era of the Han Dynasty.
It can be said that without Huo Guang's recommendation and support, there would be no accession to the throne of Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty. And he did live up to expectations, leading the Han Dynasty out of the chaos left by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty in his later years, and putting the country on the right track.
In the early days of Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty, the real power of the court was firmly in the hands of Huo Guang. He assisted the elderly Emperor Xuan in handling political affairs, and implemented many policies that benefited the people, and made great achievements. Emperor Xuan also relied on him very much, and no matter how big or small, he had to ask Huo Guang's opinion before doing it.
This made Huo Guang the powerful auxiliary minister at that time. But at the same time, the fact that he is in power also lays hidden dangers for the future.
Huo Guangcheng assisted the government and created the foundation of a peaceful and prosperous world. But after all, it was inevitable that his family and subordinates took the opportunity to use their powers, gradually expanded their power in the court, and even arbitrarily ruled the government in the name of Huo Guang, causing dissatisfaction.
For example, Huo Guang's son Huo Yu and nephew Huo Yun held important positions such as Zhonglang General and Fengche Lieutenant respectively, and controlled a considerable part of the Praetorian Guard; Son-in-law Pham Minh Huu and others are also in charge of palace security. It can be said that above the court, it has become Huo's "Yiyan Hall".
This is undoubtedly a hidden danger and threat to Emperor Xuan. After all, the one who can depose the king and replace it with a new one is right in front of him. Emperor Xuan understood that he had to avoid following in the footsteps of Emperor Wu in his later years, and his power was completely absorbed by Huo Guang and reduced to a puppet.
On the other hand, Huo Guang's family also has ulterior motives. In 71 BC, Huo Guang's daughter Huo Chengjun was made empress. However, many years have passed, and she has not given birth to an heir for Emperor Xuan.
This made the Queen Mother Huo Xian extremely anxious. She realizes that the crisis of having no successor to the royal family is growing. Maybe soon, Emperor Xuan will depose Huo Chengjun and set up another favorite concubine as the queen. At that time, Huo's position in the palace was in jeopardy.
Sure enough, even though Emperor Xuan treated Huo Chengjun closely, two years later he still made his concubine Xu Pingjun the queen. Moreover, Xu became pregnant soon after!
This is undoubtedly a heavy blow to Huo's. The Empress Dowager Huo Xian secretly decided that she couldn't let this Empress Xu give birth to a prince easily. Otherwise, the Huo family will lose power in the court, and even be exterminated.
So she united with the medical officer in the palace and poisoned Xu Pingjun when he was about to give birth, and finally gave birth. This matter was tightly sealed at first, and Emperor Xuan was not aware of it. Until the Queen Mother was seriously ill in bed, she confessed the secret to Huo Guang like a confession, hoping that her son would forgive her mistakes.
Huo Guang was shocked when he heard this. He is upright by nature, and he is strongly opposed to this method of darkness. However, the Queen Mother is his mother after all, and he really can't bear to cut her. So this appalling scandal was not brought to an end, and it did not reach the ears of Emperor Xuan.
This incident troubled Huo Guang's heart. He vaguely felt that the actions of his mother and family would eventually lead to disaster. However, it was too late, and he could no longer stop it.
After Huo Xian's death, Emperor Xuan soon canonized Liu Zheng, an illegitimate son previously born to a commoner woman Xu, as the crown prince. This once again touched Huo's sensitive nerves.
Now, not only is there no Huo family's bloodline sitting on the dragon chair, but even the crown prince is not his own. This made the Queen Mother Huo Chengjun extremely uneasy. Under the bewitchment of her mother, she had a terrible thought: If this Prince Xu died unexpectedly, would she have a chance to regain favor and give birth to a son for the emperor, so as to consolidate the Huo family's position in the palace?
So she repeatedly ordered food to be given to the young prince in the name of the queen mother. But every time the drug poison was discovered in time, it did not succeed.
This incident finally spread in the palace, causing Emperor Xuan's suspicion. He realized that this was never the Queen Mother's intention. I'm afraid this is the first sign that the Huo family wants to murder the prince to regain his footing.
Sure enough, not long after, Huo's signs began to become clear. Emperor Xuan discovered that the Huo family was secretly pulling connections and expanding their influence in the army. Even, Huo Guang's son Huo Yu secretly befriended the government and the opposition and won over people's hearts - this is already a precursor to rebellion.
After Emperor Xuan saw all this, he finally realized that he had to take action to curb Huo's ambitions. As long as they exist for a day, they will always be their own henchmen.
In the winter of 66 BC, a major case that shocked the government and the opposition was finally revealed - it turned out that the Empress Dowager Chengjun and Huo Guang's brothers, nephews and others had already united with their henchmen to plan a coup d'état, preparing to launch an attack in the first month of the following year and depose Emperor Xuan and establish himself as emperor! They planned to launch a mutiny and take control of the palace when Emperor Xuan went out to worship his ancestors; At the same time, the cronies of the rebels will break through the door and kill the crown prince, essentially eliminating dissent.
Fortunately, this earth-shattering conspiracy was still rumored by Emperor Xuan at the last moment. The Huo family's rebellious ambitions were clearly revealed, and their suspicions over the years were finally confirmed. Therefore, Emperor Xuan quickly deployed and hunted and killed all of the Huo family before they attacked. Huo Xian, Huo Yu, Huo Shan, Huo Yun, etc., were all spared.
At this point, the family of the former first minister of the DPRK and China was all over the house, except for the late Huo Guang, no one survived. The Empress Dowager Chengjun was also imprisoned for 12 years, and finally killed herself. The Huo family brought about their own destruction, but they were to blame.
However, there may be something hidden in the process that we do not know. Huo Guang is loyal, but his family is at fault; Emperor Xuan is lenient and gentle, but he is also jealous and suspicious. The intertwining and collision of these two forces made the Huo family come to an end and became a link in the historical trajectory.
When future generations look back on this thrilling palace battle, perhaps what should be examined more is the unfathomable dark side of the human heart. The tragicomic colors contained in this are also places where we can sigh and reflect on ourselves.
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