An Empress Dowager who had once cried, "How I wish I had been born a man!" passed away that bitter winter.
Her life had come close to the pinnacle of everything noblewomen aspired to. A century after Empress Gao's death, her appearance had given the world a deeper understanding of Empress Gao-and she was, moreover, Empress Gao's direct descendant.
The one most affected was naturally Liu Xun. His mother had been practically his Imperial Tutor. Lü Ying had a strong, unyielding temperament and believed human nature was inherently evil. Outwardly, she followed Confucian teachings and Huang-Lao, but in truth she favored the way of criminal law.
Under her influence, Liu Xun likewise favored the way of criminal law, which had been the source of his repeated investigations. He had also learned the Way of Imperial Rule and the way of balancing power from her.
Lü Ying had warned him about the scholars of classical studies, and he had naturally taken her words to heart.
Yet after careful deliberation, he still decided to vigorously promote classical studies, for two reasons.
First, scholars of classical studies would not suddenly launch a campaign to Pacify the Disorder in Obedience to Heaven and kick him off the Emperor's Throne.
This generation of high-ranking marquises was indeed loyal, but what about the next generation, or the generation after that?
The Zhou royal house had bestowed ample favor upon its feudal lords, far more than the Han Dynasty could offer. Yet apart from Luo State, who had truly been a loyal subject?
Liu Xun was not a ruler like Emperor Xiaohui. He would never trust someone wholeheartedly and entrust the state and its altars to a single person.
Second, scholars of classical studies genuinely possessed talent. Fighting and killing were not the true path; governing the