Next day.
——All the officials submitted morials to admit their mistakes, and Liu Zhi also released the scholars he had detained.
However, the storm of this matter could not subside.
Whether it was the officials dismissed by Liu Zhi or the scholars who were detained,
these people gained significant prestige.
All the scholars in the world praised them as loyal and courageous individuals who dared to confront the Emperor’s mistakes.
They were hailed as the rightful path for scholars to follow.
This was completely a suicidal act.
Gu Xi even personally went to the Imperial College, almost bursting into a tirade.
This move did suppress the wave sowhat.
But the underlying crisis remained undiminished.
...
Liu Zhi’s intention to redistribute power was unstoppable.
Within a few days.
He directly promulgated the Three Mutual Law, officially initiating the reform of court governance.
The law explicitly required local officials to implent avoidance based on native places, matrimonial families, and appointnts.
——To put it simply, officials should avoid their native places; avoid the native places of matrimonial families; avoid mutual appointnts;
In simpler terms, a governor should not use people from his own province;
A county magistrate should not use people from his own county;
No mutual regional officials should serve in interlinked regions.
This act was aid directly at the gentry.
The purpose, naturally, was to prevent collusion and protectionism among officials and to strengthen the power of the central court.
The court and public were shaken!
All officials naturally did not want to accept these rules.
The clans of the Eastern Han had long ford absolute alliances, and Liu Zhi’s move was clearly weakening these alliances by implication.
Imdiately, many people submitted morials.
Of course, this ti the morials were much more polite than before.
Gu Xi’s lingering influence was still there, and the world’s scholars were still sincerely convinced by Gu Xi.
But how could Liu Zhi possibly step back?
This was sothing he must do; the Emperor’s authority had already been threatened, how could he tolerate it?
Under such circumstances, the Three Mutual Law was indeed implented.
However, in such an era, such a massive reform was destined not to be achieved overnight.
The underlying turmoil was dood to resurface due to this matter.
Liu Zhi enlisted the eunuchs, fully launching a suppression of the gentry.
Unlike the gentry.
As eunuchs, all their power could be said to co from the Emperor.
They were extrely obsequious to Liu Zhi, which made Liu Zhi feel a significant difference.
Although due to Gu Xi’s presence in Luoyang, these eunuchs did not reach the state of being abhorred by gods and n as in the original history.
But human nature is always fickle, especially after acquiring a certain amount of power.
Seeing that Gu Xi had not spoken out from beginning to end, these eunuchs gradually beca bolder.
They began to ddle in the appointnts of officials.
Although in Luoyang, due to Gu Xi’s presence, they did not dare to act recklessly.
But in the provinces, these people displayed their greed to the fullest.
And precisely because of this.
The students of the Imperial College seized the opportunity, shifting their criticism from the Emperor to the eunuchs.
But in fact, the criticism was directed at Liu Zhi.
It expressed dissatisfaction with the current governnt.
So even approached Gu Xi, hoping he would step in and persuade Liu Zhi to abolish the eunuchs.
But how could Gu Xi get involved?
By this ti, if he could not see the conflicts within, he would have wasted his decades in governance.
This was destined to be an irreconcilable struggle.
What would it an to persuade Liu Zhi to dismiss the eunuchs?
Would it an that the Gu Clan aligns with the gentry?
Luring the Gu Clan entirely into this conflict?
If so.
While Gu Xi is alive, it might not cause a problem.
But once he passes, the Gu Clan might fall into an abyss of calamity.
Because with the Gu Clan’s prestige throughout the Great Han.
If they got involved, they would certainly be the prominent leader.
Even if this action might bring so prestige among the world’s scholars, does the Gu Clan need that prestige?
Gu Xi would never make such a choice.
Besides, in his view, this matter isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
The rapid expansion of the gentry’s power.
Was bound to threaten imperial authority.
If one day a young Emperor rises again, it could very well be that the entire gentry group would usurp power.
The descendants of the Gu Clan have never been gentlen of benevolence and righteousness.
They all possess extrely flexible moral boundaries; getting involved now clearly does not fit Gu Xi’s character.
In such a scenario, both sides were fighting relentlessly.
While Liu Zhi remained unmoved.
He finally began to possess the power expected of an Emperor.
He had always been fond of luxury, and perhaps out of spite, spent lavishly on repairing the Imperial Palace.
He also expanded his harem widely.
In fact, the ministers did not regard this matter as too concerning.
After all, if Liu Zhi could have more sons, it might prevent the fate of previous Emperors of the Great Han.
But the problem was... Liu Zhi’s harem was too vast.
Just the number of palace maids reached thousands, and it was still increasing.
Moreover, he gradually withdrew from managing state affairs.
Watching as eunuchs and gentry battled fiercely.
And in such a situation, the undercurrents long hidden beneath the flourishing Great Han finally erupted.
.....
——In the seventh year of Yanxi.
Reports ca in from everywhere about the rise of refugees.
The struggle between eunuchs and scholars ultimately affected the common people of the Great Han.
The eunuchs caused governance issues.
If there’s a governance error....
The problems of land annexation in the Great Han directly affected the common people.
It was because of this that the scholars’ criticism of the eunuchs and the court grew louder.
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