I Can Control My Ancestors-Chapter 78 - 30: All Nations Pay Tribute, the Prosperity of Yongyuan

Chapter 78: Chapter 30: All Nations Pay Tribute, the Prosperity of Yongyuan
Ban Chao did not stay in Luoyang for long before deciding to return to the Western Regions.
In fact, whether it be the court ministers or Liu Zhao, almost everyone hoped that Ban Chao could remain in Luoyang.
Although Dou Xian was already dead,
it was still necessary to eradicate the Dou Clan’s influence in the local areas from over the years.
Having someone like Ban Chao, who held such high military prestige, was a blessing for everyone.
Moreover, Ban Chao was really getting on in years.
Years of nonstop campaigns, coupled with the differences between the Western Regions and the Central Plains in various aspects,
made him appear very weathered.
For the entire Great Han, Ban Chao was like a pillar holding up the sky.
It wasn’t just the ministers; at the very least, Liu Zhao and the Gu Clan did not want anything unfortunate to happen to a loyal minister like Ban Chao.
But Ban Chao’s attitude was very resolute.
In front of the ministers, he respectfully bowed to Liu Zhao.
"Your Majesty,"
"The Western Regions may have been stable for many years, but the undercurrents have never ceased."
"I must personally go to guard it, to ensure that the heart of the people in the Western Regions remains deeply rooted in their allegiance to our Great Han."
He sighed lightly before continuing, "Moreover, even my elder brother once returned wrapped in a horse’s hide."
"What’s more, can I do any less?"
"If there is any change in the Western Regions, I would have no face to meet my elder brother in the underworld!"
Ban Chao seemed as if he could never smile, his expression always that serious.
Upon hearing this, Liu Zhao appeared to be somewhat moved.
"Very well!"
He slowly stood up, looked at Ban Chao with a complex expression, and said, "Marquis Dingyuan truly is the pillar of our Great Han."
"Proclaim this throughout the world as the brotherly bond between Marquis Huan and Marquis Dingyuan."
"Let all the people of the world know of this brotherly love!"
"Moreover, increase Marquis Dingyuan’s fief by five hundred households...."
He planned to take this opportunity to conduct large-scale conferrals and rewards.
—This has always been the best means for an Emperor to win people’s hearts.
Because of the existence of the Gu Clan,
the entire court of the Great Han was already clearly divided into factions.
Those who tended to favor opportune alliances had long been purged, leaving almost only ministers who opposed the Dou Clan.
Liu Zhao was not stingy with his rewards, and everyone received ample rewards.
This even included Zheng Zhong, a eunuch.
Titles and the increase of fiefs varied according to merit.
However, Gu Liang did not receive any particularly special rewards; Liu Zhao merely promoted him to the position of Minister of the Secretariat.
By right, compared to his contributions, he should have received more than just this reward.
But no one found it surprising.
The greatest reward for the Gu Clan was Gu Xi.
Everyone understood that as long as this eleven-year-old boy could grow up healthy, his future would be boundless.
He was very likely to become another figure like Gu Kang.
This made everyone extremely wary, yet there was nothing they could do.
The merit of assisting the dragon in ascending the throne lay here.
Who could compare?
....
Liu Zhao did not hide his favoritism towards Gu Xi in the slightest.
He even granted Gu Xi an unimaginable privilege;
—the ability to freely enter and exit the Imperial Palace.
Such an honor was unimaginable for others.
However, perhaps because of Gu Xi’s young age, this did not cause a major stir.
An eleven-year-old Emperor;
An eleven-year-old aide.
Even though the two had demonstrated some skill by eliminating the Dou Clan,
it still inevitably gave people a somewhat trivial impression.
As for the hidden thoughts of others, Liu Zhao and Gu Xi did not care at all.
Perhaps it was indeed due to their youth, and the two of them displayed what it meant to follow one’s youthful spirit vividly.
After the conferrals, the first thing they planned to do was naturally to centralize power.
This could be considered a mandatory lesson for every Emperor.
Emperor Ming had done it when he succeeded to the throne.
Emperor Zhang likewise.
It was just that the presence of Gu Kang made it less obvious.
But now Liu Zhao clearly needed to take bold measures.
He was inherently a young Emperor; coupled with the Dou Clan’s autocracy, he needed to re-establish the Emperor’s authority.
Gu Xi indeed was a talented youth.
Within the special educational environment of the Gu Clan,
almost all the Gu Clan descendants had their own insights into the current political situation.
Clearly, he had already contemplated this issue more than once and directly proposed several solutions to Liu Zhao.
—First, to show benevolence to the world.
Since the resurgence of the Great Han.
Under Guangwu, Emperor Ming, and Emperor Zhang.
The three sage rulers all held high positions in the hearts of the people for having done beneficial deeds.
Liu Zhao was indeed still young.
But precisely because of this, if he could implement benevolent policies, his prestige in the hearts of the people would also rise rapidly.
Secondly, regarding the court.
Gu Xi pointed out the problems with the current system of recommendation by officials.
In fact, this was already a highly conspicuous problem within the current Great Han.
Since the emergence of Gu Kang, the national strength of the entire Great Han had been continuously improving, and naturally, the population was also rapidly increasing.
The population across various provinces and counties was inherently unequal.
Under such rapid growth,
the policy of recommending two filial and honest individuals from each county every year was clearly extremely unfair, proposing a reform of the recommendation system.
This indeed was a major issue.
After a brief contemplation, Liu Zhao directly convened the ministers.
Partly due to previous purges, the quality of the current Great Han court was far beyond anyone’s imagination.
Gu Liang, Yuan An, Ding Hong, Liu Fang, and a series of renowned ministers.
For such an obvious problem, they had naturally already noticed and expressed their support one after another.
In any case, this was a matter that harmed no one.
Furthermore, the ministers made more detailed adjustments,
even touching on less populated border areas and formulating a more comprehensive reform.