stonecrandall Chapter 961 Gao Yao’s concerns are somewhat self-deceptive!
Chapter 961 Gao Yao’s concerns are somewhat self-deceptive!
At that moment, the palace door was gently pushed open, and a slender figure quietly entered. It was Lu Su. She held a cup of freshly brewed calming tea in her hand, and her steps were light, fearing to disturb the emperor's reverie. Seeing Gao Yao's furrowed brow, a subtle trace of heartache flashed across her eyes.
"Your Majesty, it's late at night. Please drink some tea to calm your nerves." Her voice was as gentle as water, and was particularly clear in the silent palace.
Gao Yao raised his eyes, glanced at her, and forced a smile. He took the teacup, but didn't drink from it. He just held it in his hand, feeling the slightly scalding temperature. "Su'er, you're here." His tone was filled with fatigue that was hard to conceal.
Lu Su didn't respond immediately. She stood quietly by, her gaze fixed on Gao Yao's slightly stiff shoulders. She stepped forward, extending her delicate hand, gently pressing on his temple, then sliding down to his tense neck. Her movements were skillful and considerate, carrying a soothing power.
"Is the king worried about my sister's affairs?" Lu Su's voice was very soft, like a whisper, but it accurately hit Gao Yao's concerns.
Gao Yao's body stiffened slightly, barely perceptible. He neither admitted nor denied, but only let out a barely audible sigh. To Lu Su, this sigh was already a tacit agreement.
Lu Su's hands continued to move, applying just the right amount of force, trying to loosen the accumulated depression. She was silent for a moment, as if considering her words, before she spoke slowly. Her voice was still gentle, but with an unprecedented clarity and calmness:
"Yes, it is indeed easy to solve. As long as my husband is here, no matter how ambitious my sister is, it will not affect the entire court, right?"
These words, like a pebble dropped into a calm lake, sent ripples through Gao Yao's heart. He was indeed stunned, not fully understanding the deeper meaning of Lü Su's words. Accustomed to her gentleness and dependence, Gao Yao was somewhat surprised to see her suddenly speak so calmly, even with a hint of analysis, about her ambitious sister and the sensitive political situation. He turned his head and glanced at Lü Su behind him with a questioning and inquiring gaze, trying to read more from her face.
However, Lu Su's expression remained calm as she focused on massaging him, as if the words she had just mentioned were just a casual aside. She sensed Gao Yao's gaze, but didn't avoid it. Instead, she continued with her movements, leaning forward slightly and placing her lips close to his ear. Her voice was lowered, but each word was clear:
"Your Majesty," she switched back to a more intimate address, attempting to soften the blow of her next words. "My sister is indeed ambitious, but if I may be so bold as to say, if we truly are ambitious, is there anyone in this world more ambitious than Your Majesty to rule the world?"
Gao Yao's pupils shrank at these words. "Planning for the whole world..." Yes, he had risen from a cook to become the governor of Nanhai County, and now, having carved out a kingdom and even coveted the supreme throne, he was scheming for the entire world! Compared to this ambition to encompass the four seas and annex the eight wildernesses, Lü Zhi's ambitions, confined to the harem and focused on the throne, seemed indeed... insignificant. This realization, like a glimmer of light, instantly illuminated some of his rigid thinking.
Lü Su observed the subtle changes in Gao Yao's expression, calmed down a bit, and continued to persuade him, "Even if we take a step back and say that Sister is ambitious, she is still far behind, whether it's a wise and experienced civil official like Lord Xiao He, who is good at planning and governing the country, or a military general like Han Xin, who is a master of military tactics and has made great achievements. Which of them is not a dragon among men, with a proud heart?
"Could it be that my husband, having the ability and confidence to control these talented individuals, is still worried that my sister, a woman of her generation, might stir up some unforeseen storm right under my husband's nose?"
At first glance, Lu Su's words seemed blunt, even a bit crude, but upon closer inspection, the logic within them was irrefutable. Gao Yao listened, his daze deepening. He realized he had indeed fallen into a misguided thinking pattern—a cage woven by the deep memory of past history.
He worried that Lü Zhi would exploit her position as future empress or queen mother to collude with her relatives, disrupt the government, and perhaps even repeat the historical example of a "ruling the country from behind" that nearly turned the Liu family's empire into the Lü family's. This fear was so deeply rooted that, while he admired and wanted to use Lü Zhi's political wisdom and decisiveness to assist him, stabilize the harem, and even balance certain forces within the court, he also guarded against her like a thief, fearing that a single mistake would lead to a dangerous situation and a repeat of Liu Bang's mistakes.
However, he subconsciously overlooked the most critical factor - himself!
His thoughts drifted away, as he delved into the history he was both familiar with and trying to change. In the original historical trajectory, Lü Zhi's rise to the pinnacle of power was no accident, but the result of a combination of factors.
First and foremost, Liu Bang's final years were marked by his abandonment of his former glory. To consolidate the Liu dynasty and clear obstacles for the cowardly Crown Prince Liu Ying, Liu Bang acquiesced in, and even facilitated, Empress Lü's brutal purge of Han Xin, Peng Yue, and other founding heroes. Advisors like Xiao He and Zhang Liang either chose to remain prudent or were forced to retire. Those senior officials at court who held prestige, ability, and the ability to provide a check on Empress Lü were either killed or forced into retirement.
This purge certainly strengthened the imperial power, but it also objectively cleared the biggest political obstacle for Lu Zhi. Moreover, since many actions were carried out by Lu Zhi, it greatly trained and enhanced her political skills, and the power of the Lu family's foreign relatives group expanded rapidly in the process.
Secondly, the power of foreign relatives grew to an unprecedented level. Liu Bang rose from humble beginnings, and the Lu family provided him with enormous financial and personal support in the early days of his career. Many of the talented people who joined Liu Bang in the early days had close ties with the Lu family.
Gao Yao's vague historical recollections indicate that at the beginning of Liu Bang's reign, the Lü clan and its affiliated factions likely held nearly 30% of the court, a terrifying figure. Even though Liu Bang harbored some fear of Lü Zhi, under the circumstances, he could not easily destabilize her position as empress. This would have involved far-reaching consequences, and a single move would have affected the entire system. Lü Zhi's position as the empress further attracted even more opportunists, allowing the Lü clan's clique to snowball in size, eventually becoming a formidable force capable of swaying the government.
Finally, there was the issue of succession. After Liu Bang's death, his successor, Emperor Hui of Han, Liu Ying, was weak and frail, completely unable to manage the government controlled by his powerful mother and a large group of foreign relatives. With a young ruler and a powerful mother, the country was in turmoil. This ultimately led to Lü Zhi's rise to power, ruling the country and essentially transforming the Liu family's empire into the Lü family's.