The oil lamps in Jianzhang Palace were dim, with faint dawn light filtering in.
Having spent half the night reading the late emperor’s daily records, the words left by the former emperor, and the current Emperor Liu Xie, his spirit was not the least bit listless. Instead, he sat up straight, his focus unwavering!
He had just finished reading a decree concerning the concurrent arrival of droughts, floods, and ice storms, and the increasingly difficult lives of the Han people.
He then found another one.
The bamboo slips were wrapped in yellow silk. Forcing his heavy eyelids open, he pulled the silk ribbon from the yellow silk pouch and took out the bamboo slips. He saw a large character “难” (difficult/hard) written on the layers upon layers of yellow silk threads.
Liu Xie’s heart seemed to stir. He made an effort to brace himself, untied the ribbon, and looked carefully. His expression shifted from disbelief to shock, his brows furrowed tightly.
“Since I ascended the throne, the Xianbei people occupying the northern regions… have organized fourteen winter hunts successively.
The border defenses of Liangzhou, Youzhou, and Bingzhou… are no longer the glorious days of Emperor Ming’s northern expedition against the Xiongnu and the restoration of the Western Regions. In fact, during the expedition in the sixth year of Xiping, they suffered a crushing defeat and returned.
External threats are constant, yet the empire is not at peace… The barbarian tribes in regions like Jiangxia, Yizhou, and Bajun are prone to riots and rebellions. Local officials are overwhelmed. I wish to allocate funds, but firstly, my national treasury is empty, and secondly, due to years of natural disasters, the common people have become paupers with no oil to squeeze.
I even issued a decree that for prefectures and kingdoms facing disasters, the land tax rent shall be halved!
Heh… Heh!”
Between the lines, Liu Xie could feel how collapsed his father, the emperor, must have been when he wrote these words, as evident by the large character “难” at the title.
The world said his father was incompetent and foolish, but who would have thought what kind of Han empire he held in his hands?
Liu Xie continued to untie the ribbon of the next bamboo slip…
Bamboo slips could record too little text, so what the former emperor wanted to say required two or even three slips to complete.
The sky had already brightened slightly. Emperor Liu Xie personally moved the lamp closer. The lamp oil burned his hand, but he ignored it, merely shaking his hand, his eyes never leaving the bamboo slips.
Just then…
“Clack.”
The doors of Jianzhang Palace were pushed open, and Empress Fushou walked in quickly.
Seeing that His Majesty’s complexion was not right and his eyes were a little red, she was about to speak.
Emperor Liu Xie, however, spoke first.
“Empress, stay. All of you, withdraw!”
“Yes!” A group of eunuchs slowly withdrew…
Only Emperor Liu Xie and Empress Fushou remained in Jianzhang Palace.
“Didn’t Your Majesty go to the imperial farm with Princess Wannian to welcome the consort today? How come… Your Majesty stayed up late to examine these ‘old things’?”
“Old things? Heh heh…” Emperor Liu Xie sneered. He turned the bamboo slips in his hands for the Empress to see. He said coldly, “You call these old things?”
“But if not for these old things? I would still not know that the late emperor endured so much suffering? So many misunderstandings!”
Emperor Liu Xie handed the bamboo slips written by the late Emperor Liu Hong to Fushou.
Fushou frowned and looked…
It was nothing to look at, but upon seeing it, Fushou’s complexion changed completely. Natural disasters, man-made calamities, internal and external troubles… and then…
“I know that not having money is not a problem. The court needs money to operate, border defenses need money, even I work hard to govern and manage, and I want to build a few gardens to relax, which also requires money, but where does this money come from?
The noble families? Heh heh… No matter how rich the people in Guandong are, no matter how happy they are doing business with money and power, they will all feign piety, reciting scriptures and wishing for a wise ruler like Yao and Shun. They will not contribute a single copper coin!
The military families? Don’t be ridiculous. If they can hold the Xianbei in the west, it would be a blessing if they aren’t beaten crying for their mothers next winter! Asking them for money, heh heh, if they don’t ask me for money, I’ll be grateful enough?
So, how can I bypass the noble families and the military families? And raise money? Yes, there is one way! The only way! Heh heh, if you don’t solve my problems, then I will raise money myself, raise money for disaster relief, raise money for border defenses, raise money for the court to operate, and also build a few gardens to relax myself. No matter what, this Han empire cannot perish in my hands! If you don’t give it, I’ll earn it myself!”
Indeed…
Seeing this, Empress Fushou felt somewhat touched.
She did not expect that the ruler of this world, the former emperor, had such a difficult life. Even compared to the current emperor, in terms of this “difficulty,” he was not inferior!
Hoo…
Empress Fushou let out a long sigh, and Emperor Liu Xie handed her the next unsealed bamboo slip.
“Marquis of Inner Pass, five million! Dukes and ministers, ten million! As long as I am bold enough, what official position can’t I sell? And can be sold!
You noble families and wealthy households hold the most fertile lands of the Han, and you conduct your money and power businesses so happily, heh heh… If I establish the Western Residence to sell official positions, can’t I make you spit out a little bit?
I know that after you buy official positions, you will go to the provinces to extort more, and more people will be plunged into misery! You will also cause more common people to be displaced, but do I have a choice?
I see that natural disasters, floods, ice storms, locust plagues, and epidemics are endless, and the nomadic tribes are constantly encroaching on the borders, yet the imperial treasury is bare. I see you scholars and noble families with thousands of acres of fertile land, and the court officials and eunuchs who wield great power extorting the common people! What can I do? I can only rob Peter to pay Paul, and I can only bear the infamy in this way, using my own body to make the Han dynasty linger on for a few more years…
Perhaps, in a few more years, there will be a turning point… As long as I am still here, there will always be a turning point! I have done my best, and this is all I can do for the Han dynasty!”
*Plop…*
Empress Fushou heard the sound of crying. It was not hers, but Emperor Liu Xie’s.
“Plop, plop…”
A string of tears, like pearls from a broken string, slid from Liu Xie’s eyes.
It was clear that this letter from the former emperor had… had moved His Majesty.
Of course…
This letter also made Empress Fushou’s mood unable to calm for a long time.
“If it weren’t for… if it weren’t for…” Emperor Liu Xie was still murmuring. “If it weren’t for… brother-in-law… brother-in-law telling me to look at these, I… I wouldn’t have known that Father Emperor had suffered such hardships and endured such misunderstandings!”
“Selling official positions, indulging in extravagance and debauchery, except for brother-in-law, the world… the world has misunderstood the former emperor! The former emperor took the blame for those noble and aristocratic families. Father, Father is the backbone of the continuation of the Han imperial line!”
Hoo…
Hearing this, Fushou bit her lip.
From the Emperor’s words, she understood that it was Lu Yu who told him to look at these.
She had not expected that Lu Yu, who was skilled in understanding human hearts, would also have such a deep understanding and grasp of the former emperor’s feelings!
Suddenly, Fushou felt that letting Princess Wannian marry Lu Yu was the most correct, the most correct decision made by the Han court.
“Your Majesty…”
As Fushou spoke…
Emperor Liu Xie’s words rose again, “Brother-in-law told me that the one who truly killed my father and made him bear infamy was those deep-rooted clans, and today’s Han dynasty, the clans have reached an uncontrollable level.
Brother-in-law also told me that the former emperor, from an orphan prince with no support, came to the capital alone, initially a puppet in the hands of the outer relatives and powerful officials, but… but he endured humiliation and bitterness, used the eunuchs to divide and resist the partisans and the noble families, and then killed the powerful officials to seize power.
No one was wiser or more decisive than the former emperor. If not for… if not for the constant natural disasters, perhaps the former emperor could have turned the tide… and righted the Han dynasty’s ship when it was about to capsize!
At this point, Emperor Liu Xie paused, then shook his head… shaking his head continuously.
“I was wrong, I was wrong, I was terribly wrong!
From the beginning, I should not have opposed Cao Cao. The true cause of my father’s death and the disintegration of the Han was those aristocratic families, and this corrupt era! What Cao Cao did, Cao Cao’s unification of the empire, was helping me, was helping the Han dynasty clean up this broken landscape!”
Hoo…
A long breath.
Emperor Liu Xie was still speaking, as if his mouth had opened and could not be stopped. “Brother-in-law told me… he… he would reform one day, and take land from these clans and return it to the state. He wants to abolish the current unfair official selection system and truly implement meritocracy. He wants to abolish the unfair head tax and completely liberate the common people of the world!
Before tonight… I, I never understood, never understood brother-in-law… but now, I understand. He and I are on the same front! I and Lu Ziyu have the same enemies!
So that’s how it is!
At this point, the sagacious Empress Fushou suddenly understood something…
She understood!
No wonder Lu Yu wanted the Emperor to read the former emperor’s daily records;
No wonder Lu Yu wanted the Emperor to experience the former emperor’s “difficulty”;
It turned out… it turned out that Lu Yu had already regarded the Emperor as an ally on the same front? Wasn’t it? He had already calculated that the Emperor was a potential target for recruitment!
That’s right, he was recruiting the Emperor, not the Emperor… or the Han dynasty recruiting him!
It’s just…
It’s just…
Empress Fushou’s eyes suddenly narrowed. She dared not imagine what kind of path Lu Yu was inviting the Emperor to walk with him!
Noble families?
Noble families who monopolized land and official careers?
Then…
The Xun family counts, right? The Xiahou family counts, right? Of course… their own Fu family also counts as one!
If, as Lu Yu mentioned, there were reforms, then… how many people would be offended?
Fushou was too insightful, especially on the matter of aristocratic families. She clearly understood… what every aristocratic family fiercely protected was only its own status!
To reform, to overthrow the existing structure, is more difficult than usurping the throne.
Heh heh…
If one usurped the throne, as long as it did not affect the interests of the noble families, they could completely ignore it. They would not lose half a pound of meat!
But if their land was touched, and their land tax collected, then these noble families would turn against you completely… to the death!
This path is too difficult…
More difficult than mountains of knives and seas of fire!
It can be said to be a near-certain death!
Of course…
Empress Fushou could realize that Lu Yu was sincerely inviting the Emperor to walk with him!
“Does Your Majesty really want to help him?”
“Help! A voice is telling me that on this matter, I should help him!”
Emperor Liu Xie’s tone was firm, his hand still tightly gripping the bamboo slips left by the former emperor.
“Since I ascended the throne, I have been a puppet for others. My life is difficult to escape this puppet fate, but even as a puppet, I… I want to achieve one thing! Something truly meaningful for the world and for the Han dynasty!”
Emperor Liu Xie paused, and continued, “If the former emperor sees me taking this step from the netherworld, even if the empire is broken, Father Emperor should forgive me, right?”
“I… I want to do something big with Lu Ziyu!”
As he said this, Emperor Liu Xie’s gaze became intense.
At this moment, he was like a golden dragon… before its inevitable fall, for the last time, using all its strength, releasing a radiant golden light, a magnificent light!
For himself, for the Han dynasty, and for the backbone of the former emperor!
…
…
Xudu City, Ministry of Personnel!
Dawn was breaking. More than a dozen officials were waiting under the large tree at the entrance of the Ministry of Personnel. Leading them were the Grand Master of Ceremonies and the Minister of the Imperial Household, who were in charge of rituals among the Nine Ministers.
The two of them stood most upright… The adjutants behind them were all frowning, stamping their feet, and rubbing their hands, as if… they had encountered a very difficult major event.
When Xun Yu, Xun You, and Xi Zhicai arrived at the Ministry of Personnel on horseback for work, they happened to see these officials and wondered… why was it so strange early in the morning today?
“Is something wrong?” Xun Yu smiled at the Grand Master of Ceremonies and the Minister of the Imperial Household and asked cheerfully.
The two did not answer, but kept nodding.
Xun Yu gestured, “Don’t stay outside, please come inside!”
With that, they all entered the Ministry of Personnel…
“Now? Can you tell me?”
Xun Yu ordered servants to pour tea for everyone…
The Minister of the Imperial Household said, “Lord Xun, to be frank… all those who have come today are officials in charge of rituals in Xudu City. My colleagues are waiting outside, and they have something to ask Lord Xun.”
“Please speak freely!” Xun Yu raised his head.
The Minister of the Imperial Household continued, “His Majesty and Chancellor Cao have already chosen the date for the grand wedding of Situ Lu and the Princess, and the noble lady of the Xiahou clan. But how should the rituals be conducted? We hope Lord Xun will enlighten us!”
He did not speak too directly…
But from his tone, it could be heard that he was very melancholy, exceptionally melancholy!
Of course, this was easily understandable.
The rituals for the grand wedding were difficult to handle!
On one side was a noble lady of the Xiahou clan, whose status was almost equivalent to that of Chancellor Cao’s daughter!
On the other side was Princess Wannian, the legitimate eldest daughter of the late emperor!
So…
This grand wedding? How should it be conducted?
This worship? How should they worship?
Should they hold separate weddings on different days, or hold them on the same day, with one worship in the morning and another in the afternoon, or perhaps, all three worship together?
Then, the wedding night? They could worship together, but the wedding night… they couldn’t all three share the wedding night, could they?
But if there was a priority, then… who would be first and who would be second?
These were all life-threatening issues. If any part was not handled properly, all these officials in charge of rituals would likely not be able to get away with it.
Therefore…
They were all worried.
The most crucial point was that the Han dynasty had been established for three hundred years, and even tracing back to Qin and pre-Qin… there were no precedents!
Yes… history recorded that King Qi took three queens, but… how should the rituals be conducted? The historian did not write it down!
If one were to say it was difficult, this matter… it wasn’t difficult!
It was just that this matter was extremely complicated and required meticulous attention to detail!
The most crucial problem was that it was impossible to be completely impartial!
Imagine, even if the wedding night was divided into the first half of the night and the second half of the night…
But on the wedding day, if your husband first entered someone else’s bridal chamber, would you, the bride, be happy? Would the family behind the bride be happy?
Sigh…
Sigh…
The Minister of the Imperial Household, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, and a large number of officials in charge of rituals were so worried that their hair had turned white countless times.
“Lord Xun can speak to His Majesty, Chancellor Cao, and Imperial Censor Lu. Why don’t you decide? Whatever you say, we will do… we dare not make the decision ourselves!”
This…
Xun Yu’s brows furrowed tightly, and he also showed an expression of infinite difficulty.
It wasn’t as if he were marrying two women, how could he decide this?
If he decided… wouldn’t he offend people?
“Cough cough…” Suddenly, Xun Yu coughed and covered his chest. “Gongda, Gongda…”
He called out to Xun You’s name…
Xun You did not react at first, but seeing Xun Yu winking at him, he immediately understood.
He quickly went to help Xun Yu up. “Uncle, I said, your illness hasn’t healed yet. We should first go to the medical office to find the divine doctor Zhongjing. You insisted on coming to the Ministry of Personnel. This… this… oh dear…”
Xun You was considered an honest person, and he had not lied much to his own people…
His words were full of loopholes.
But… even so, if people wanted to act, to act openly, what could you do?
If you had to cooperate with their performance, wouldn’t you have to cooperate?
“Lord Xun… you this…”
“No… I can’t!” Xun Yu covered his chest. “I’m old… I’m old, recently, recently I’ve been feeling chest tightness and shortness of breath. I… I… I need to go to the medical office,呜呜…”
Indeed, Xun Yu’s acting was even more realistic.
You must know that if an honest person truly pretends, they will pretend. Even if they are seen through, it’s useless!
Xun Yu did not forget to pinch Xun You.
Xun You quickly helped Xun Yu walk towards the door. “Excuse us for a moment, all you ministers, excuse us…”
This time…
A group of officials was stunned!
What kind of performance was this?
Not only did they not give an answer, but they also started acting…
“Minister of the Imperial Household, what… what should we do?” The Grand Master of Ceremonies asked the Minister of the Imperial Household…
The Minister of the Imperial Household spread his hands. “I… I don’t know what to do?”
The Grand Master of Ceremonies tentatively asked, “Why don’t we just worship together? And then enter the bridal chamber together. At least this way… we won’t offend anyone!”
This…
As the Grand Master of Ceremonies spoke, the Minister of the Imperial Household’s eyes widened as he looked at him, as if looking at an intellectually disabled child.
“You are truly a heavenly gifted genius!”
The Grand Master of Ceremonies did not realize that this was sarcasm. “Where, where, compared to the Minister of the Imperial Household, I am still a little bit short…”
Immediately, the Minister of the Imperial Household subconsciously wanted to say – Damn it, where is my knife?
Who would have thought…
Just then.
“Lord Xun? What’s wrong?”
A female voice came…
Everyone looked up, and it turned out to be Empress Fushou.
“Greetings, Empress…” Xun Yu and Xun You quickly bowed to the Empress…
“Is Lord Xun alright?” Empress Fushou asked with concern.
“Yes, there is a slight problem.” Xun Yu’s answer was flawless.
Fushou did not beat around the bush and got straight to the point. “Lord Xun, I am here because His Majesty has decreed that Marquis of White Horse’s grand wedding will have two wives for one marquis’s residence! As such a grand wedding has no precedent, His Majesty and I have discussed and decided to hold the worship on the same day separately, one worship at Chenshi and another at Sishi. The Xiahou clan will be first, and Princess Wannian will be second. The wedding night will be the same, the Xiahou clan in the first half of the night, and Princess Wannian in the second half!”
At this point, Fushou paused. “His Majesty will inform Princess Wannian. Lord Xun and all the ministers should proceed according to the decree. For all other matters concerning Marquis of White Horse’s grand wedding, please ensure it is grand and solemn. I entrust this to all of you.”
Uh…
As Fushou spoke these two sentences.
Xun Yu immediately stood up straight. He felt that his chest no longer hurt.
As for the Minister of the Imperial Household and the Grand Master of Ceremonies, they and their companions were stunned.
Worshipping twice in one morning was already outrageous enough!
But even more outrageous was yet to come… even the wedding night could be divided into the first and second halves of the night. The Empress was truly a genius!
Wait…
Why did they feel a little envious of Marquis of White Horse?
…
…