There is an ancient saying in history: the cunning rabbit dies, and the lackey cooks;The birds are all gone, and the good bow is hidden;The enemy country is broken, and the ministers are killed.
Although this sentence is ancient, it is still relevant. It is an immutable truth that once an excellent person loses his value, he is destined to be abandoned. How many heroic founding fathers struggled in the flames of war, but could not escape the setbacks of the peaceful and prosperous times. In wartime, it is easy to dodge open guns, and it is difficult to defend against hidden arrows in the court.
Those courtiers who have made great achievements also understand the tragedy of high merit and great merit. The Tui En Decree was Emperor Wu of Han's means to weaken the power of the vassal king. But how to deal with it has become a difficult problem. There is such a vassal king, not only to maintain his position, but also to enjoy glory and wealth under the supervision of the emperor, and even has more than 120 heirs. This is King Jing of Zhongshan.
The most important thing is to talk about righteousness", this sentence is well known, and Liu Bei's classic words are also a vivid portrayal of his person.
In "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Liu Bei also kept claiming that "I am the queen of Liu Sheng, King Jing of Zhongshan".
In history, there was the "Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms of Wu and Chu", and the initial division of the feudal kings was to maintain blood intimacy and maintain the stability of the country, but with the estrangement of blood and the desire for power, rebellion became inevitable.
It is an inevitable trend that the dynasty will be divided and merged, and it will be divided for a long time. This war made the emperor realize the danger of the feudal king's excessive power to the country. Even though the war did not shake the foundations of the country, the emperor wanted to prevent this possibility, and it became a top priority to cut down the feudal domain. However, it has become a problem to justify the reduction of feudal domains. There is an undercurrent between the monarch and the minister, but on the surface, there is a need to maintain mutual trust.
In 414 BC, Emperor Jing of Han died and was succeeded by Emperor Wu of Han. In order to maintain the best power, he formulated the "Left Palace Law" to absorb talents from all over the world and let them work. Subsequently, the "Tui Grace Order" was implemented. A vassal king could only inherit the title as a son-in-law, but it was not uncommon for a courtier to have multiple wives and concubines and many heirs. There is also a clear difference in status between these heirs, and with the exception of the son-in-law, the treatment is entirely based on the preference of the father.
The "Tui En Order" forcibly distributed the power of the vassal king to each of the heirs. For the concubines, this is an opportunity, and their eyes are set on the power in the hands of their fathers. The son-in-law and the vassal king were naturally unhappy, but with the support of the emperor behind them, they did not dare to disobey. It was a godsend for these concubines to get fiefs that did not belong to them, and their gratitude was overflowing.
This led to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty being highly respected and his power gradually returning to **.
Behind the "Tui En Order" is the emperor's suspicion and determination to weaken the power of the vassal king. The vassal lord must take a stand and choose to contain his power in order to survive. Among them, Liu Sheng, the king of Zhongshan, became a model.
The more children he has, the more power he gets. Liu Sheng had nearly 120 children, he was the brother of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and enjoyed the same treatment as the emperor from an early age. However, he had no interest in the imperial throne. He knows how to live an escapist life, and although he indulges in sound and lust, he is not stupid. When the "Tui En Order" was implemented, Liu Sheng knew the emperor's intentions, and in order to show his position, he frequently took concubines and had children.
For adult heirs, Liu Sheng also distributed fiefdom rights in accordance with the law, which made his territory thinner and no longer a threat to the emperor. This became the best strategy for him to face the "Tui En Order".
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty Liu Che has a huge national strength, and it is more than enough to raise a wine bag and rice bag like Liu Sheng. This also explains why Liu Bei claimed to be King Jing of Zhongshan, but there was no way to find out King Jing's **.
In this era, many families are ruined in order to fight for invisible rights. The only one who is in the court and is not disturbed by it, except for the emperor, is Liu Sheng. In every era, all kinds of talents emerge: the brave are prominent in the war, the wise can retire and enjoy their old age after the founding of the country, and people like Liu Sheng, although they live in the court, they live the life they want.
In life, we often give up because we are forced to do so, either for a better choice or for a more beneficial way forward. Forced choices are painful, but they don't necessarily end badly. Looking at the present wisely, looking for other ways out, and starting over after solving the problem, is the smart way to solve the problem.