Live History Broadcast: Opening Ceremony Spoilers - Our Ancestor Was Enraged

Chapter 27 The Disaster of Witchcraft

Upon hearing this, the First Emperor suddenly realized his mistake and ordered, "Xu Fu, I will give you a chance to redeem yourself. Teach navigation technology to Meng Yi. Once you have successfully developed gunpowder, then it's all over!"

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Liu Che chuckled and said, "Oh ho, you're spoiling the plot for the First Emperor again! When are you going to spoil it for me?!"

Seeing Liu Che gritting his teeth in anger yet smiling, Wei Qing, carrying the hopes of his ministers, had no choice but to change the subject.

"The second victim of this scam is our Piggy Emperor. This scam not only led to the suicide of Empress Wei Zifu and the death of Crown Prince Liu Ju, but also caused a battle royale in the court, where you could easily end up in a nine-player elimination game."

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Liu Che paused, then looked at Wei Qing with a complicated expression and said, "She's talking about me!?"

Wei Qing lowered his eyes. He couldn't answer this question. He never expected that his elder sister, the empress, would one day choose to commit suicide, and that his nephew would also die.

I should have been gone by then, perhaps even Qubing was no longer alive, otherwise my sister wouldn't have ended up like this.

Meanwhile, the courtiers on the other side were ashen-faced and trembling like leaves. What a hellish nightmare this was!

This official can't stand being a subject for even a day longer!

Before recounting the whole incident, we must first discuss Liu Ju's position as crown prince.

"Liu Ju's maternal uncle was General Wei, who was highly favored by Emperor Wu of Han, and his mother, Empress Wei Zifu, was also the empress. Emperor Wu of Han also doted on him, so his position as crown prince was relatively stable."

"Like his father Fusu and his son, Liu Ju was close to Confucianism, while Liu Che was a thorough Legalist."

"Those who have studied this period of history know that Emperor Wu of Han expanded the territory and drove out the Xiongnu, making him a great emperor of all time. However, from the perspective of people's livelihood, his aggressive military campaigns and the rampant cruelty of officials led to widespread suffering among the people."

"The Crown Prince was kind and generous, and during his regency, he overturned many wrongful convictions, which made some cruel officials who used strict laws resentful and unable to embezzle money from them."

"This also meant that after Wei Qing's death, he could no longer protect his sister and nephew, making Liu Ju a thorn in the side of these cruel officials, and a bloody storm was about to break out."

"From 99 to 97 BC, Liu Che began to prepare to attack the Xiongnu again, but neither side could win. In the following years, there was a severe drought, and refugees flocked to various places, resulting in a sharp decline in population. In addition, cruel officials were in power, and the people suffered greatly."

"In the imperial court, the Confucianists, led by Liu Ju, and the Legalists, led by the cruel officials, were locked in a fierce and irreconcilable struggle, which eventually reached a point where they were determined to fight to the death."

"Next, the 'Piggy Emperor' fraud case will officially begin."

"Actually, the Qin and Han dynasties are quite similar. Both had strong fathers and kind crown princes. So, His Majesty the Pig also followed the First Emperor and started to pursue immortality. Let's not laugh at each other for being obsessed with the path to immortality!"

First Emperor, Ancestral Dragon: ...

Big Han Liu Zhuzhu: ...

"As the saying goes, the people below follow suit. Various sorcerers appeared in Chang'an, using the belief in ghosts and gods to make cursed dolls by sticking needles into people they disliked. They said that if you could just write a name on it, then there would be no need for yamen runners to solve crimes in this world. You could just use a name directly."

"In 91 BC, Gongsun Jingsheng, the son of Chancellor Gongsun He, was arrogant, extravagant and dissolute. He embezzled 1900 million coins from the Northern Army's military funds and was later imprisoned."

"The key is that Gongsun He was a man with connections. He married Wei Zifu's sister, which means he was Liu Che's brother-in-law. This was also the last remaining power of the Wei family."

"At that time, Liu Che was pursuing a man named Zhu Anshi. Gongsun He took on the mission to protect his son. No one expected that Zhu Anshi and Gongsun He would perish together."

According to the Zizhi Tongjian, Zhu Anshi wrote a memorial in prison, saying that Gongsun Jingsheng had an affair with Princess Moshi, the daughter of Emperor Wu, and that the two buried wooden puppets under Emperor Wu's road to curse him.

"This seems to be a casualty of the power struggle between the two parties. It is unknown who made this deal with him, but Emperor Wu still holds great power. The Crown Prince's faction is being accused. Regardless of whether it is a frame-up or not, the Crown Prince's position will be in jeopardy."

"In 91 BC, after investigation, the charges of witchcraft were found to be true. Not only was Gongsun He's family implicated, but the entire lineage of the Crown Prince was also implicated."

"But I really didn't expect that Wei Qing's eldest son, Wei Kang, would also be killed. Good heavens, the First Emperor was only swindled out of money, but this pig directly beheaded him!"

"After this case, His Majesty the Pig often felt that someone was trying to kill him, so he ordered a thorough investigation. A large number of concubines and officials were implicated and a large number of people were executed."

"At this time, the Crown Prince was truly all alone. Then, someone who had a grudge against the Crown Prince came to power. This person was named Jiang Chong, a cruel official. After he came to power, he impeached the nobles and close ministers in order to obtain ransom, generating tens of millions of coins for Emperor Wu."

"Jiang Chong turned his attention to Crown Prince Liu Ju. It was just a small grudge, but Jiang Chong felt that he had already offended the Crown Prince. Moreover, Emperor Wu was already 70 years old and might die at any time. So he wanted to kill the Crown Prince before he could settle accounts with him."

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang: Wow, you've lived so long! I also wish to be with Yang Guifei!

Big Han Liu Zhuzhu: Get lost!

First Emperor, Ancestral Dragon: ...