Ji An was a strange man in the era of Emperor Wu of Han.

If Ji An was a typical person with an emotional intelligence that was infinitely close to negative values. If it weren't for the Yinzi system of the Han Dynasty, he would never have entered the officialdom, and he would not have been in the Nine Ministers. If he was not born in the Han Dynasty, but in the later generations, not to mention his academic background of Huang Lao, just saying that his bad temper would be enough for him to die ten times.

There were many ministers in the Han Dynasty who were famous for their direct rebellion against Yan, but in terms of not giving the emperor face, Ji An was undoubtedly the first one. He mercilessly exposed the true face of Emperor Wu of Han, leaving behind the famous saying "Your Majesty has many desires inside but is benevolence and righteousness outside, how can you want to follow the rule of Tang and Yu?" The only one who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him was Yang Qi, the Later Han Dynasty who said in person that Emperor Ling and Emperor Huan of Han were all the goods.

However, it was such a person who received praise from the ministers of the country in Emperor Wu of Han.

When he heard that the emperor compared himself with Ji An, and saw that the master Yan gave him flattery in time and confirmed the emperor's evaluation, Liang Xiao knew that this had passed, and he also owed Master Yan a great favor. If Master Yan, an old slip-on who was proficient in the art of mediating, this matter would not have been resolved like this.

But this matter is not over yet, Dou Ying is still imprisoned in Tingwei Prison. Liu De's suicide needs a reasonable explanation, otherwise the emperor will not be able to explain to the royal family. Compared with this matter, Liang Xiaojun's impoliteness is only something that a few people know, and it has little impact. The emperor beat him up and Liang Xiao is so mean. Even if this matter is over, it may still leave a story of the emperor being generous and loving talents.

The royal family is not so easy to talk to. Although they are not as simple and crude as Liang Xiao, they will break into the palace and give up if they have any opinions, but it is even more difficult to deal with the dissatisfaction in their hearts. The eldest brother Liu Rong died in a bad life, while the second brother Liu De was a human being with his tail between his tail, but in the end he committed suicide in the capital. The three princes born to Li Ji died abnormally. How could the emperor explain to the late emperor a hundred years later?

He could use astrological diagram to break the theory of destiny, but the belief that people have spirits is deeply rooted in death. Even Xunzi, who claimed that "the way of heaven is normal", did not deny the worship of his ancestors. He forced his brother to die, and he was a brother who always adhered to his duties. He could not bear this bad reputation. When Emperor Wen of Han forced Liu Chang to death, he left behind the nursery rhyme of "the two brothers are incompatible", and finally had to sign Liu Chang's third son as king, leaving behind the hidden danger of King Huainan.

If it weren't for this, the emperor wouldn't have let Liang Xiao go so easily. He needed Liang Xiao to win again and help him solve this dilemma.

Naturally, the emperor mentioned Dou Ying's incident.

"The kings are in the court, waiting for the generals to return to triumphantly and hold a ceremony for the court meeting. Unexpectedly, such a thing happened, the royal family suspected and the court could not understand it." The emperor was very distressed. "The late emperor once said that Wei Qihou was not serious enough and could not entrust the important tasks. I did not listen to the late emperor's words, and it was true that such a thing happened. Bo Ming, how should I deal with it?"

Liang Xiao scratched his head. Sure enough, the ministers of the country were not easy to be accused of, and this trouble immediately became a problem. But he could not hide from this matter, otherwise Dou Ying would undoubtedly die. The emperor obviously wanted to use Dou Ying as a scapegoat. If Dou Ying died, the Chen and Dou families would lose a backbone, and it would be difficult to find another person with the same influence.

But he could not simply say that Dou Ying was innocent. Not to mention that Dou Ying was the direct cause of Liu De's suicide, the emperor could not take it lightly by the evaluation of Dou Ying by the late emperor. Didn't the master Yan, Xu Le and others know that Dou Ying was innocent, Han Anguo, Zheng and others knew that Dou Ying was wronged, but why didn't they say it? Because they all knew that the crux of this problem lies with the emperor.

Liu De committed suicide because he was scared to death. It was not Dou Ying, but the emperor.

"What did Dou Ying say to the King of Hejian?"

The emperor waved his hand, and the master father Yan understood and pulled out a memorial from his sleeve and handed it to Liang Xiao. The moment he turned his back to the emperor, the master father Yan squeezed his eyes at Liang Xiao. Liang Xiao nodded quietly, took the memorial, and looked carefully.

This was the first time he learned about the conversation between Dou Ying and Liu De directly.

Liu De said it very carefully. When Dou Ying came, what he said, and when he left, each one was written clearly. It was said to be a memorial, but no matter how you look at it, it seemed like a confession. It seemed that it was not Dou Ying who was being tried, but Liu De.

Looking at the memorial, Liang Xiao felt very moved. This vassal king was so frustrated that he committed suicide. He died early and was reborn early, so he could not suffer any life.

Liang Xiao put down his memorial, thought for a long time, and sighed: "Under the Yellow Spring, if the King of Hejian is lucky enough to meet the late emperor, he will probably be beaten."

The emperor was stunned. He waited for a long time and expected many possible answers, but he never expected Liang Xiao to say so.

"What did you say?"

"I mean, King Hejian did something wrong." Liang Xiao shook his memorial and put it on the desk. "A little thing happened, he actually committed suicide. His mind was too weak. He didn't look like the late emperor at all, but a bit like the Linjiang Min King. To be honest, weren't they born to a mother? The late emperor deposed the Linjiang Min King and did not make him the crown prince, which was indeed extremely wise."

The emperor's eyes flashed, and he heard a little meaning, and a knowing smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. Not to mention anything else, Liang Xiao at least thought that he was more reliable as an emperor. He gave the King of Hejian a weak evaluation, which seemed to be disrespectful to the deceased, but it was a very appropriate reason. Because Liu De's weak personality, the late emperor did not make him the crown prince. Because Liu De's weak personality, he scared himself to death and no one was responsible.

What's more cleverly is that Liang Xiao also pulled out the late emperor as a signboard. Not making Liu De the crown prince was the late emperor's decision. If you think it is inappropriate, you can go to the late emperor to argue. Liu De's suicide proves that the late emperor's choice was wise. How can such a weak person take on the important task of ruling the world?

The emperor thought about it, the more he felt that Liang Xiao's move was wonderful, which was beyond everyone's expectations, but it solved the current dilemma just right. As long as it was proved that Liu De's suicide was his own problem, there would be no trouble in this matter.

"Where is Dou Ying, he has no responsibility?"

"Wei Qihou has a responsibility, of course. As the late emperor said, Wei Qihou was not serious enough. He was not unaware of the nature of King Hejian, and he still bothered him with such things. Although he did not kill King Hejian, he could not say that he was not responsible at all. In my opinion, he was at least the third person responsible."

"The third person in charge?" The emperor's interest increased greatly. "Who is the first and second person in charge?"

"The second person in charge is naturally Zhang Tang."

Liang Xiao was not too slow, and he seemed to be thoughtful and cautious. These days, he was not idle. A red heart was two kinds of preparations. He was determined to break the dead and also had a plan to peel off the cocoon. Now that the opportunity is in front of him, he can be so calm. The emperor thought he was picking it up at will, so how could he know how many brain cells he died for this?

"Zhang Tang?" The emperor nodded slowly. He was mentally prepared for this. Liang Xiao and Zhang Tang had a grudge, and it was no longer necessary to take the opportunity to drug Zhang Tang. But Dou Ying suffered such a great grievance. If he didn't find a scapegoat, Chen Dou's children would not give up. Zhang Tang was indeed a good choice. He was not good at doing things well and did not get the confession, but it caused a storm in the city, pushing the court into a dilemma. If he didn't kill him, who would kill him?

However, the emperor did not let go easily. "What is the connection between King Hejian's death and Zhang Tang?"

Liang Xiao asked back: "What is the connection between the death of Linjiang King and Zhi?"

The emperor frowned slightly, and he didn't understand it very well for a moment. Zhi was the direct responsible person who forced Liu Rong to death. It was normal for Empress Dowager Dou to kill him to vent his anger, but Zhang Tang had no connection with Liu De's death. Why did Liang Xiao say that he was the second responsible person?

"Your Majesty, why did King Hejian commit suicide?"

The emperor's heart moved, and he understood what Liang Xiao meant. Although Zhang Tang did not force Liu De to death, he was the same as Zhidu, both were cruel officials. Liu De felt that he couldn't explain clearly and was unwilling to enter the Tingwei Mansion to be punished. This mentality was actually the same as Liang Xiao. He would rather die in the palace than go to the Tingwei Mansion for trial. The fundamental reason was that the Tingwei Mansion was chaired by Zhang Tang, which was not a place to reason, so it was better to commit suicide.

Dou Ying is the most direct example. He went to Tingwei's Mansion and was beaten to death by Zhang Tang.

From this perspective, Liu De was indeed scared to death, and Zhang Tang was the one who scared him to death. It was not unfair to say that he was the second responsible person at all. The emperor even felt that Zhang Tang should be the first responsible person.

"Who is the first person in charge?"

Liang Xiao blinked his eyes and didn't say anything. The emperor urged him twice, but he still didn't say anything. The emperor suddenly realized: "Are you talking about... me?"

Liang Xiao shook his head. He would not be so stupid. No matter how generous the emperor is, he would not admit that he was the first person responsible for killing Liu De. If he dies, he will not die. People are selfish, let alone the emperor who thinks he is the narcissist. If he is willing to admit this responsibility, he will not sit here.

"Of course it's not Your Majesty, it's Qin Shihuang."

"Qin Shihuang?" The emperor twitched his cheeks twice, wanting to laugh, but he didn't laugh, wanting to scold, but he didn't say anything. He thought he was prepared enough for Liang Xiao's jumping thinking, but now it seems that it is still far from enough. He coughed and suppressed the urge to scold Liang Xiao. "Now is not a joke, just talk serious."

Even the master Yan couldn't laugh or cry, feeling that he couldn't keep up with Liang Xiao's ideas.

"Your Majesty, I am not joking." Liang Xiao said sincerely: "I feel that it was Qin Shihuang who gathered great power in all respects, ignored human etiquette, imprisoned his mother and brothers, slaughtered his ministers, and slaughtered his ministers without any scruples. He turned the imperial power into an invincible weapon that killed people and killed gods, forcing people all over the world, from ministers and common people to hold their breath in front of the imperial power, bowing their heads and killing them. If there is no choice, there is only a zero-sum situation of rising up and taking them away. I heard that Emperor Gao wanted to compete for the world because he saw the supreme power of Qin Shihuang..."

"Stop talking." The emperor lowered his face and became angry. Hearing this, if he still didn't understand what Liang Xiao wanted to say, he would be too stupid. Liang Xiao was talking about Qin Shihuang, but in fact he was talking about imperial power. In other words, according to Liang Xiao's theory, he was the first person responsible for Liu De's death. He stood up, paced back and forth for two steps, stood in front of Liang Xiao, and said in a deep voice: "Bo Ming, do you know why I don't agree with the Greek system you mentioned?"

Liang Xiao's heart skipped a beat. The emperor did not let go of this thorn. Now he has changed the old things. He dared not be negligent and bowed to salute. "I don't know, please let Your Majesty make it clear."

"I read almost all the books you brought back, and later I sent people to collect some of them. I don't think I know less about Greece's stories than you. Let's not talk about anything else, let me ask you first, why did Greece decline?"

Liang Xiao bowed again. "Please give advice from your Majesty."

"Because the cities are not subordinate to each other and do their own affairs. When strong enemies invade, they cannot be united in external affairs. When there are no strong enemies, they fight each other and continue to continue. Their decline is because they are too free. Each city only cares about its own interests and has no idea of ​​the overall situation."

Liang Xiao's eyes flashed, but he didn't say anything. He admitted that the emperor's words were justified, which shows that what he said was true, and he did study Greek history and came to his own conclusions. However, this does not mean that he agrees with the emperor's views.

"Greece is too far away, and the story of the six Shandong countries may be easier to understand. Which of the six Shandong countries, Qi, Chu, Zhao and Wei, is not a great country that can resist Qin? But why was it Qin who was the last to unify the world, not them? If they could unite and Qin would be destroyed, how could they wait until Qin Shihuang destroyed and proclaim themselves emperor? Besides, if the world was not unified and there was no fighting within, how could they be able to pacify the two Yues in the south and drive the Huns in the north?"

The emperor stopped, breathed a sigh of relief, and calmed his tone. "What's wrong with the unification? Do you have to harm your neighbors and kill them to the death? What's the benefit of gaining this kind of freedom? What's the loss?"

Liang Xiao raised his head, stroking his palm and laughed. "Your Majesty is a great view, I congratulate the world. Lord, although you are a descendant of the royal family of Zhao, you are a great man now. Don't you think Your Majesty's argument is so wise that you should praise me?"

Master Yan was stunned for a moment, and then clapped his palms.

The emperor was a little surprised and looked at Liang Xiao suspiciously. "Do you think so too?"

"Your Majesty, I have never opposed the unification." Liang Xiao said with a smile: "I can even say without any modesty that I will not care about my own life and sacrifice my life to fight for the unification of Your Majesty. If not, why would I have lost my legs at a young age?"

The emperor was relieved and nodded repeatedly. Liang Xiao did not object to the great unification, and as he said, he had been serving his great unification cause. He had the hard work of Liang Xiao in almost all external conquests, whether he was fighting in person or giving advice.

"Then why do you still advocate the Greek system?"

"Your Majesty misunderstood. I provide research on the Greek system, but not the Greek system. The so-called stones from other mountains can be used to attack jade. The Greek system is stones, which can be used to attack jade from our dynasty, but it does not mean that you should take stones and abandon jade. Your Majesty, do you think what I said is right?"

The emperor thought about it and looked slightly. "So, I thought it simple. Then what do you mean by accusing Qin Shihuang? Isn't it echoing the Greek system?"

"Your Majesty, I just think that too much is too much. Whether it is the Qin government or the Greek system, they are actually going to extremes. If you want long-term stability, you must reconcile the two, learn from their strengths and weaknesses, and not be completely unrestrained. Just like river water, it is not good to have too little water, but too much water is also inappropriate. If the river water is beneficial and harmless, there must be a stable embankment to limit the river water. Once the river embankment collapses and the river water leaks for a thousand miles, it will be harmful."

The emperor pondered without saying a word, thinking.

"Your Majesty is the emperor, governing the ministers and raising all the people. If brothers are not compatible, how can people with other surnames be safe to fight? They are suspicious of each other and are hard to understand. The weak are like the King of Hejian and can only die. What should the strong ones do? Your Majesty hopes that all the weak are like chickens and dogs in the Han Dynasty, and all the strong have different intentions?"

Liang Xiao fell to the ground. "I am ignorant, but I am moved by Your Majesty's kindness, and I am not foolish and provoked you to make suggestions. I beg Your Majesty to make plans for the great cause of the past thousands of years and show the world sincerity. It is said that brothers are united and their strength is broken. Your Majesty can truly gather the strength of the world's talents, and the king and ministers are united. What is the matter in the world? Don't talk about the two Xiongnu, even thousands of miles away, wherever the horses go, they are all in the territory of the Han Dynasty. Those who can speak are all the people of Your Majesty. Isn't that great?"—

(To be continued.)
Chapter completed!