Since ancient times, those monarchs who are able to restore the failing state will certainly first carry on the traditions of the former dynasty, and then peace and order would be restored, allowing local governance to run smoothly across the land. In ancient books, it is said that after King Wu destroyed the Shang Dynasty, he also sought out the descendants of wise and virtuous people, so busy that he didn't even stop his carriage. Although times have changed, the principles remain the same.
Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang pacified the world, eliminated the cruel rulers, and various affairs were just beginning, with a million things on his plate. However, he still did not forget to offer sacrifices to the ancestors of the six states, recruited the Four Worthies as advisors, visited Wu Qi's tomb to pay his respects when passing by the state of Wei, and honored Yue Yi's descendants when in the state of Zhao. When he bestowed titles and rewards, it was based on the size of the contributions, and he kept the imperial household running smoothly. Later emperors followed the example of their ancestors, and the old ministers served in high office for generations. During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, the founding meritorious officials and old generals had mostly died. Emperor Wu also valued literature, promoted those hidden talents, and Gongsun Hong started as a small official by the sea, eventually becoming a prime minister and being ennobled as a marquis. Emperor Wu also consulted widely on the history of previous dynasties, sought the opinions of the elderly, found and rewarded descendants of the Zhou Dynasty with titles and land. Since then, prime ministers have almost all become marquises. During the reigns of Emperor Yuan and Emperor Cheng, descendants of the Yin and Shang Dynasties were also found and given honorary positions.
During the early establishment of the Han Dynasty, only two of the meritorious officials who helped Liu Bang found the dynasty were ennobled as Marquises. Therefore, Liu Bang swore, "Only Liu family descendants can be kings! Anyone else made a Marquis without merit, the whole country will kill 'em!" Empress Lü wanted to make her family kings, but Wang Ling and others fiercely resisted; Emperor Xiaojing wanted to grant the Wang clan the title of Marquis, but the ministers vehemently opposed this, and the attempt was ultimately abandoned. Later on, Bo Zhao, Dou Ying, Shangguan Jie, Wei Qing, and Huo Qubing were granted the title of Marquis because of their achievements. Other imperial relatives justified their own ennoblements by citing precedents from the *Spring and Autumn Annals* and the *Da Ya*, gradually expanding the practice. So, let's look at these cases individually.
