Chapter 195 The Mystery of Lü Ze
One reader once said, "Since the Liu emperors dared to delete it, they shouldn't blame later generations for daring to think about it."
In fact, as soon as Sima Qian finished writing the Records of the Grand Historian, it was confiscated by the emperor and locked in the treasury to prevent its circulation, and regarded as a heretical "slanderous book".
Although Sima Qian had a backup plan, he secretly wrote a second copy and entrusted it to his daughter for safekeeping and hid it. However, the backup copy of "Records of the Grand Historian" was discovered because Sima Qian's grandson, Yang Yun, spread it to the public. Before it could circulate more than a few chapters, it was confiscated.
Yang Yun was dismissed from office for a series of incidents, accused of slandering the emperor. Later, he wrote back to those who advised him against it, cursing the emperor. When the emperor found out, he was executed by being cut in half at the waist for causing a solar eclipse, and his whole family was exiled to Dunhuang.
It wasn't until the mid-Eastern Han Dynasty that, under pressure, the Eastern Han emperor issued an edict ordering Yang Zhong to lead a team to abridge and supplement the Records of the Grand Historian, reducing it to just over 100,000 words before allowing its publication.
It is truly regrettable, even infuriating, that such a monumental historical work has been treated so crudely.
However, the version of the Records of the Grand Historian that was passed down to later generations was not this extremely censored version. It was likely a more complete version that was in the royal collection. Ban Gu even consulted it when he wrote the Book of Han and found that this version of the Records of the Grand Historian was ostensibly missing ten chapters. As for the deletions and alterations, Ban Gu discovered them but dared not say anything.
It is undeniable that the Han Dynasty imperial family caused the incompleteness of the Records of the Grand Historian. Since deletion was possible, alteration was naturally not out of the question.
There's a little anecdote here: when Ban Gu first started writing the Book of Han, he was also arrested by the emperor. Later, Ban Gu's younger brother wrote to Emperor Ming of Han, saying that Ban Gu's purpose in writing the Book of Han was to praise the virtues of the Han Dynasty and to let future generations understand history and learn lessons from it, and that he had no intention of slandering the court.
Therefore, Emperor Ming of Han released Ban Gu, allowing him to continue praising the virtues of the Han Dynasty, and lent him the Records of the Grand Historian, which was missing at least ten chapters.
In this process, in order to maintain consistency in the narrative, who knows whether the content in the Records of the Grand Historian that influenced Han De was altered?
Please don't misunderstand, Liu Ji's character is not the same as Han De's, and the negative things about Liu Ji in the Records of the Grand Historian cannot be washed away, it would be easy to erase the whole person.
By adding more credit and smearing Xiang Yu for comparison, Liu Ji's image would naturally take center stage, and how many people would still care about those sordid trifles?
So why is there no biography of Lü Ze in the Records of the Grand Historian? He was a key figure in Liu Bang's group, responsible for leading troops in battle, and his achievements were great enough to warrant the title of king.
Was Lü Ze's biography deleted because of Lü's rebellion? But in reality, Lü Ze had already died when Lü's rebellion occurred, so what did it have to do with Lü Ze?
Moreover, figures like Ying Bu also plotted rebellion, yet their biographies weren't deleted, were they?
After much thought, Hao Jiu felt there was a big problem here. He also thought about Liu Ji's many inexplicable military achievements and his inconsistent command abilities.
Let's make a bold guess: the fundamental reason why there is no biography of Lü Ze is that Liu Ji took all of Lü Ze's credit and attributed it to him!
Under such circumstances, Lü Ze's biography must be deleted, otherwise it would overlap with Liu Ji's military achievements. Moreover, Lü Ze's record would not help in consolidating the empire, while Ying Bu could at least prove that 'Xiang Yu' killed Emperor Yi. Keeping it would be useful.
There is a hidden record in the "Chronological Table of Meritorious Officials and Marquises of Emperor Gaozu" in the Records of the Grand Historian: "He rose from Xue, served under King Daowu, defeated the Qin army at Gangli, and defeated Yang Xiong's army at Quyu." Whose resume is this? It is none other than Guo Meng, the Marquis of Dongwu.
From this, we can see that Guo Meng should be a subordinate of King Daowu, Lü Ze. Therefore, whether it was the battle at Gangli or the battle at Quyu against Yang Xiong, it should have been fought by Lü Ze. However, after Lü Ze's account was deleted, the record of the battle achievements was placed under Liu Ji's name.
What's infuriating is that some malicious fans even forcibly added Liu Ji to Guo Meng's Baidu Baike page. Their shamelessness is outrageous and has deceived too many people (I was also fooled; I used to write books where I portrayed Guo Meng as Liu Ji's personal bodyguard, but in fact, Liu Ji's bodyguard was Zhou Xie. I apologize to everyone here).
Such shameless embellishment and praise of Liu Bang is too much for people without a certain level of historical knowledge to be deceived. What exactly is the purpose of these Liu Bang enthusiasts?
Lü Ze fought for Liu Ji to conquer the world, but Liu Ji coveted his military achievements. Perhaps Liu Ji was innocent, and it was his descendants who, for some ulterior motives, insisted on creating a new Liu Ji.
Thus, Lü Ze met a tragic end, almost completely erased from history by the Han dynasty, leaving only fragments of his name.
It's not just Lü Ze's records that have disappeared; many records about Xiang Yu have also vanished, leaving a significant gap in information. Even the existing records are almost entirely filled with unreasonable and negative accounts.
The purpose was obvious: to prove that Liu Ji's rebellion against Xiang Yu and his attempt to seize the world was just. This was the foundation of Han's virtue and something that had to be upheld.
Of course, Sima Qian was not a person from the same era as Xiang Yu. He could only write the Records of the Grand Historian based on the records of his predecessors, such as Lu Jia's "Chronicle of Chu and Han". It is also possible that the original sources such as "Chronicle of Chu and Han" were missing, unreasonable, or had other purposes.
Compared to Lü Ze, Xiang Yu was relatively lucky, as at least one of his biographies has been passed down to posterity. Although it may not be Sima Qian's original version, the brilliance of it is something that the person who edited it would probably be reluctant to cut.
Of course, even if it's unreasonable, it's better than nothing. As a loser in the struggle for power, it's really not easy to have a place in history books and even have some commendable aspects.
Consider Lü Ze, who devoted himself to helping Liu Ji conquer the world, yet he didn't even have a biography in the historical records, and it was difficult for him to even get a chance to shine by borrowing the fame of others.
Interestingly, a characteristic of Sima Qian's writing of the Records of the Grand Historian is that the biographies of different figures can corroborate each other, and there is a lot of overlapping content. It is not possible to erase Lü Ze from history simply by deleting Lü Ze's biography.
The key point is that Lü Ze's merits were enough to warrant the title of king. Given his status, he must have participated in many important events. Simply deleting things is not enough; some content had to be changed, while other content had to be kept.
Lü Ze's military achievements are the easiest to handle; they can be attributed to Liu Ji or the other generals. However, matters involving Emperor Er Shi and Empress Lü cannot be deleted arbitrarily.
Thus, Lü Ze's record in the Annals of Empress Lü was preserved, but it was modified with some effort, such as adding the title of Marquis of Jiancheng before Lü Ze.
Because Lü Ze was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Zhou Lü, while his younger brother Lü Shizhi was the Marquis of Jiancheng, later generations would think it was a mistake when they read this passage, either the Marquis of Jiancheng was wrong or Lü Ze was wrong.
In short, even such a small amount of record has to be contested by the two brothers, Lü Ze and Lü Shizhi, making it impossible for later generations to determine who it really is. Isn't that pathetic?
An ancient scholar named Xu Guang annotated the Records of the Grand Historian, saying that Lü Ze died in the eighth year of Emperor Gaozu's reign. It is unknown what he based his conclusion on.
If we follow the time of death in his annotation, Lü Ze died before the two succession changes, and it should have been Lü Shizhi who helped Empress Lü protect the crown prince.
However, Hao Jiu felt it was unlikely. Firstly, people usually remember names more easily than titles. Even if it was a mistake, it should be that Zhou Lü Hou was mistakenly written as Jiancheng Hou, and Lü Shi Zhi was mistakenly written as Lü Ze.
Another point is that if Lü Ze had died in the eighth year of Emperor Gaozu's reign, his eldest son Lü Tai should have inherited Lü Ze's title of Marquis of Zhou Lü much earlier. However, historical records show that Lü Tai was only enfeoffed as Marquis of Li by Empress Lü after Liu Ji's death in the twelfth year.
Therefore, it can be concluded that Lü Ze's actual death date was later than the eighth year of Emperor Gaozu's reign, approximately around the time of Liu Ji's death. Of course, it's also possible that Hao Jiu's research was incomplete, and Xu Guang might have irrefutable evidence that Lü Ze died in the eighth year of Emperor Gaozu's reign.
In this dimension, Lü Ze has just died, and Lü Zhi and Liu Ying are facing the greatest challenge and crisis of their lives.
"Does the God of Wine want me to stop Liu Ji from establishing a crown prince?" Xiang Yu shuddered with pleasure.
"That's not necessary. Just keep an eye on the Black Dragon and make sure it doesn't get away. It doesn't matter who becomes the crown prince. As long as Liu Ji doesn't completely eliminate the Lü clan before he dies, how can Lady Qi and a ten-year-old Liu Ji be a match for the deeply rooted Lü Zhi?" Hao Jiu was also very curious about whether Liu Ji could rewrite history after obtaining the Black Dragon System.
"I imagine tomorrow's morning court will be quite a spectacle," Xiang Yu said with a slight smile.
Hao Jiu was secretly pleased. So even the Overlord liked to gossip. "Then let's choose a target and participate in it ourselves."
"Haha, that's exactly what I was thinking!"
Chapter 196 Prince Yi
The following day, at Weiyang Palace, in the main hall of council proceedings.
The civil and military officials arrived early, each with a solemn expression, whispering among themselves in small groups.
"His Majesty has arrived..." Zhou Xie deliberately drew out the last syllable.
Liu Ji glanced at the assembled officials with a smirk, then sat down unsteadily on the precious couch.
"Your Majesty, we pay our respects." Xiao He, Zhou Bo, and the others stood in a line and bowed with their hands clasped.
"Yes, rise. I have heard about the matter of Zhou Lühou, and it pains me greatly! According to Empress Lü's memorial, it is suspected to be the work of Han Xin's remnants, whose purpose, of course, is to take revenge on Empress Lü."
What's infuriating is that the perpetrator was a servant who had served Lord Zhou Lü for many years, and Lord Zhou Lü had even been kind to him. It's truly unbelievable that such a loyal servant would turn into a murderer who betrayed his master just a few years later!
"Prime Minister Xiao, how is the matter of forcibly buying land from the people being handled?" Liu Ji pulled a short blade from his waist and pretended to shave his nails.
"Your Majesty, this old minister has returned the land to its rightful owner and apologized in person, and has also given the money originally used to purchase the land as compensation," Xiao He said solemnly.
Actually, this is all old news, and everyone already knows about it. Liu Ji must also be aware of it, but he brought it up at this time, clearly using it as an excuse to make a fuss.
"Hmm, it was handled reasonably well. However, I have a few words to say to the Prime Minister in front of everyone," Liu Ji said, pointing his knife at Xiao He.
At this moment, a man suddenly stepped forward from among the officials. He was none other than Shusun Tong, the tutor of Crown Prince Liu Ying.
"Your Majesty! I am in charge of etiquette, and there is something I must say. It is already unseemly for Your Majesty to be manicuring your nails while attending court, and to point a knife at the Prime Minister in court is truly detrimental to Your Majesty's wisdom."
Liu Ji glared at him and said, "This is my empire, my palace, my grand hall. Don't even mention getting a manicure, even if I were to take a dump here, what business is it of yours!"
As for pointing a knife at the Prime Minister, am I referring to the Prime Minister? I am referring to all of you! Do you even respect me, the Emperor?
"The dignified Prime Minister led the forced purchase of land from the common people, and the Minister in charge of etiquette interrupted the Emperor's speech in court, even arguing vehemently, 'If you dare utter another word, I will dismiss you from your post!'"
Xiahou Ying hurriedly whispered to Shusun Tong, "Grand Tutor, be careful with your words! This is a critical time. If you are dismissed from your post and driven out, who will be willing to speak cautiously for the Crown Prince?"
Shusun Tong, who had been so angry that his beard was trembling, instantly calmed down, cupped his hands, and said, "Your subject knows his crime."
"Hmph." Liu Ji snorted coldly, "I will not hold it against you because you are old and your eyesight is failing."
"Thank you for your magnanimity, Your Majesty," Shusun Tong said through gritted teeth.
"Uh, where was I?" Liu Ji stood up and put one leg on the table.
Xiao He cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty has something to say to this humble subject."
"Oh! Yes, yes. Prime Minister, I must apologize to you in front of all the officials today. Although you forcibly bought land from the people, given our relationship, I should not have imprisoned you. The reason I imprisoned you was to let the world know that I am a tyrannical emperor like Jie of Xia and Zhou of Shang!" Liu Ji said, then flicked his sleeves and sat back on his couch.
“How can Your Majesty belittle yourself? If Your Majesty were a tyrannical ruler like Jie of Xia or Zhou of Shang, would there be any wise rulers in this world?” Zhou Xie said with great distress.
"His Majesty is a wise ruler for all ages." Chen Ping rushed back from the imperial mausoleum overnight; he simply had no choice but to return, as one matter after another was of utmost importance.
"His Majesty is a wise ruler for all ages!" Zhou Xie shouted, and the other ministers couldn't very well not follow suit. After all, it was just a slogan, and anyone who jumped out to refute it at this moment would be a fool.
Liu Ji chuckled, "Prime Minister Xiao, am I a wise ruler for all time?"
"Yes. Your Majesty is a wise ruler for all time," Xiao He said, bowing.
"Is the Prime Minister a wise minister for all ages?" Liu Ji asked again.
"Your humble servant is not worthy of such praise, let alone the title of a wise minister," Xiao He said modestly.
Liu Ji curled his lip and said, "Heh heh, you do have some self-awareness. With your forced land purchase, you're no longer a virtuous prime minister."
But I aspire to be a wise and benevolent ruler for all time, and to do so, I must act impartially. I believe that for the Prime Minister's grave crime, merely a day in prison and a personal apology are insufficient.
"Since I have already formally apologized to you, I will be frank. I will demote Xiao He by one rank, from Chancellor to Prime Minister. Zhou Bo will succeed him as Prime Minister. Do any of you have any objections?"
"This old minister has no objection." Xiao He took the lead in expressing his opinion. He no longer cared about the affairs of the court and was eager to go home to retire. If it weren't for the favor he had to repay to Empress Lü, he would have already resigned.
"I have no objection," Zhou Bo said, bowing.
"We have no objection," everyone said in unison.
The Chancellor is one rank higher than the Prime Minister, and is the head of all ministers, second only to the emperor. After Xiao He was demoted to Prime Minister, Zhou Bo was placed above him. This was not a severe punishment, and even Zhou Chang could not easily stand up and refute it.
The key point is that Lü Ze had just died, and Liu Ji claimed it was the work of Han Xin's remnants. Who would believe that? It must have been an assassination attempt by Liu Ji to intimidate his court officials, but there was simply no evidence.
Of course, even if there were evidence, the Lü family might not be able to do anything to Liu Ji. Lü Ze was dead, and Empress Lü was the only support for the Lü family, and Empress Lü's son was the crown prince.
At this point, Lü Zhi's best option was still to preserve Liu Ying's position as crown prince. If the Lü clan dared to raise an army, Liu Ji would definitely take the opportunity to change the crown prince, since Liu Ji felt that Liu Ying was not like him.
"Very well. In that case, is there anything else you gentlemen wish to report? If not, the court may adjourn." Liu Ji smiled slightly.
"Your Majesty! I have something to report!" Lu Jia said loudly.
Everyone felt a chill run down their spines. It seemed that things wouldn't end well at the morning court session. Everyone knew that Lu Jia was now a favorite of Liu Ji and was eloquent.
"What is it, my dear minister?" Liu Ji weighed the short blade in his hand.
"Your Majesty, I believe the death of Marquis Zhou Lü is of great importance. Since the establishment of our dynasty, rebellions have occurred frequently, and there are many remnants. Now, Your Majesty was merely injured in the process of suppressing Ying Bu, and those remnants are already eager to jump out. What if Your Majesty... uh, I believe the Crown Prince is not capable of shouldering such a great responsibility, and we should change the heir apparent to appease the people's hearts," Lu Jia said, bowing.
Zhou Chang was furious upon hearing this, "How dare you! Your Highness, how dare you speak so presumptuously!"