Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Ma Chao was well aware that Li Ru's story was imbued with personal feelings, praising Dong Zhuo with unbridled praise. However, Ma Chao's doubts remained. He was eager to understand why Dong Zhuo, after entering Luoyang, had revealed a side of himself he hadn't yet grasped. So, Ma Chao urged Li Ru to continue.

"Mr. Wenyou, please continue to explain my doubts. What exactly happened after Mr. Dong entered Luoyang? Why is it different from what you said before?" Ma Chao stared at Li Ru, expecting his answer.

Li Ru paused, as if gathering his thoughts. He sighed softly and spoke slowly, "Don't worry, General. Let me explain. When Lord Dong entered Luoyang, he was filled with lofty ambitions, intending to restore order and save the people. However, the situation proved far more complex than Lord Dong could have imagined..."

Li Ru explained to Ma Chao, "General, you must have learned something from your respected teacher Lu Zhi. Dong Gong went to the capital because of the power struggle between the eunuchs and the relatives of the emperor's wife. As for why there was a power struggle between the eunuchs and the relatives of the emperor's wife, we need to start with the formation of the relatives of the emperor's wife. To put it bluntly, the relatives of the emperor's wife are a means for the emperor to fight against the aristocratic families. As I said before, the aristocratic families have a long history and only care about family interests while ignoring the foundation of the country. The relatives of the emperor's wife are the weapon that the emperor uses from his mother's family to fight against the aristocratic families. Generally speaking, most relatives of the emperor's wife do not have a good end. Most of the time, the emperor uses the relatives of the emperor's wife as a weapon to weaken the influence of the aristocratic families.

Aristocratic families have always been powerful, so how could they allow themselves to be manipulated by the emperor at will? For this reason, they would inevitably slander the imperial relatives. In this situation, there are usually three different outcomes.

First, when aristocratic families triumphed in a struggle, the emperor was often left with no choice but to target his relatives to appease them and prevent the country from falling into chaos. Because once aristocratic families gained power, if the emperor did not take action to check and balance them, they would likely disregard the greater good for their own benefit, leading to the collapse of national order.

Secondly, if the power of the imperial relatives became too strong, after they successfully suppressed the aristocratic families, the emperor would observe the situation. At this point, the aristocratic families' arrogance would subside somewhat, while the imperial relatives would gradually gain strength again. In this situation, the emperor would once again invoke the aristocratic families, finding an appropriate pretext to appease the aristocratic families while simultaneously disciplining the overpowering imperial relatives. His goal was to restore power to the emperor's own hands. Only in this way could the emperor maintain a relative balance between the aristocratic families and the imperial relatives, ensuring that his rule was unshaken.

Third, like Wang Mang in previous years, this was a unique case. After the aristocratic families were defeated by Wang Mang, Wang Mang, as a relative of the emperor, was unwilling to let the emperor take power back to the central government and let him wield it at his mercy. So, Wang Mang resolutely deposed the emperor and ascended the throne himself.

After Wang Mang ascended the throne, he implemented various policies, all of which were aimed at reforms targeting the aristocratic families. The implementation of these policies actually touched upon the fundamental interests of the aristocratic families.

Wang Mang's reforms encompassed multiple aspects, including the land system, the monetary system, and commercial policies. Regarding the land system, he attempted to implement the Wangtian system, nationalizing and redistributing land. This undoubtedly severely impacted the vested interests of the aristocratic families, who had amassed large amounts of land. Regarding the monetary system, frequent reforms led to a chaotic monetary system. Since the aristocratic families often relied on a stable monetary environment to gain enormous wealth in their economic activities, this move significantly undermined their economic interests. Regarding commercial policies, he implemented monopolies on key commodities such as salt, iron, and wine, limiting the expansion and monopoly of the aristocratic families in the commercial sector.

In short, Wang Mang's series of reforms struck at the heartstrings of the aristocratic families at every level. The consequence of this was that the aristocratic families, while ostensibly disobeying government orders, secretly supported the restoration of the imperial clan. Emperor Shizu Liu Xiu's successful restoration of the Han dynasty was undoubtedly due to the involvement of the aristocratic families. To safeguard their own interests and status, the aristocratic families supported Liu Xiu in opposing Wang Mang's usurpation of the throne.

These are the three methods the Emperor used to counter the aristocratic families. General, consider carefully whether this is the case. Since Emperor Taizu rebuilt the Han Dynasty, the power and influence of the aristocratic families have grown ever stronger. Leveraging their long historical heritage, vast family influence, and extensive connections, they have occupied a prominent position in various fields, including politics, economy, and culture. Meanwhile, the Emperor's power has gradually eroded.

Under such circumstances, Emperor Xiaoling spared no effort to support his relatives by marriage, hoping to use their power to fight against the aristocratic families and maintain his ruling position and national stability.

After saying all this, Li Ru looked at Ma Chao, as if to ask if he understood. Ma Chao quickly picked up the tea and handed it to Li Ru, saying, "Mr. Wenyou, please have some tea first. Your analysis is truly insightful and profound. I'm enlightened. Please drink some water first, and then tell me why the power struggle between the imperial relatives and the eunuchs occurred."

Li Ru listened to Ma Chao's words and nodded slightly, a hint of appreciation flashing across his face. He reached out to take the tea Ma Chao handed him, took a sip, and felt the warm tea spread in his mouth, then put the cup down. His gaze fell on Ma Chao again, and he slowly said: "General, now that you have understood what happened before, I will continue. Although Emperor Xiaoling did not make any major reform measures during his reign, and even aggravated the chaos in the country to some extent. However, it must be admitted that Emperor Xiaoling is actually a smart man, and is very good at playing the emperor's mind. When Emperor Xiaoling first ascended the throne, he keenly perceived the key problem of the aristocratic families. At first, he tried to rely on his maternal uncle Dong Chong to fight against the aristocratic forces. But after some observation and thinking, he was shocked to realize that the Dong family itself is actually a representative of the aristocratic family. In this way, supporting Dong Chong to fight against the aristocratic family is undoubtedly like tearing down the wall on the left to fill the hole on the right, and it can not solve the problem fundamentally. Once these aristocratic families are temporarily suppressed, the Dong family is bound to grow rapidly. By then, it is extremely It could lead to serious consequences like the Wang Mang Rebellion. After seeing this, Emperor Xiaoling turned his attention to his wife's family, Empress He's brother He Jin. The He family came from humble origins. According to rumors, they were once butchers and butchers. Even at the time of He Jin's death, people still believed him to be foolish and naive. But in fact, this perception was completely wrong. He Jin could become a general, so how could he be as unworthy as people said? He Jin had long understood Emperor Xiaoling's intention to use him as a weapon to fight against the aristocratic families. So, he pretended to be flattering the emperor, ostensibly obeying his orders, but secretly flirting with the aristocratic families. In this complex situation, the emperor hoped to use He Jin to gradually expand the He family's power and thus achieve his goal of balancing the aristocratic families. However, the ultimate result was that the emperor's interests were not substantially improved.

At this point, Ma Chao's face was filled with shame. He hurriedly said, "Mr. Wenyou, your opinion is profound. I am one of those foolish people who always believed that Emperor Ling and He Jin were so foolish and incompetent that they had caused the current chaos in the world." Li Ru smiled softly and responded, "General, don't be so self-deprecating. Most people in the world believe this, and you are not alone. You are still young and have only been exposed to court affairs for a short time, so your perception is understandable. It was only after I entered the court that I carefully studied the imperial classics of past dynasties. After long periods of reflection and reflection, I gradually understood the complex relationships behind these things." Ma Chao shook his head repeatedly and said, "No, no, these classics and daily life items have always been carefully stored in the palace. How could others not discover the secrets within them? Only you, sir, have such a keen observation. It shows your extraordinary talent. Please continue."

Li Ru raised his hand slightly and called to the waiter, "Bring some more tea." The waiter moved at the sound and quickly added tea. Then, Li Ru instructed the waiter, "You guys go down and rest first. The general and I need to chat for a while longer, so you don't have to wait here." The waiter skillfully arranged the tea set and other items, then bowed and left. At this time, Li Ru gently picked up the teacup, took a sip of tea, and said leisurely, "Since the general is willing to listen to me, I will say more." Ma Chao immediately sat up straight, took the tea set very proactively, carefully added tea for Li Ru, and then began to boil water and other matters himself. He said sincerely, "Sir, you are a great talent. I am honored to have you solve my doubts. Please take the trouble to talk to me more."

Li Ru continued, "The emperor tried twice to check and balance the aristocratic families, but both attempts ended in failure. Not only did his mother's family and his wife's family fail to solve his problems, but over time, they gradually slipped away from the emperor's control. Faced with such a dilemma, Emperor Xiaoling had no other choice, so he turned his attention to the eunuchs. You know, most eunuchs come from rootless and impoverished families. All their wealth and glory depends entirely on the emperor. It was because Emperor Xiaoling keenly saw this that he boldly enabled the eunuchs. By giving the eunuchs power, he hoped that they could be used for their own purposes to fight against the powerful aristocratic families and consolidate his own ruling position."