Taiheiki

Chapter 247 Change of Mind

"This—" Wen Sheng was stunned. He had always trusted Wei Cong completely, and the usually docile Wen Sheng rarely showed hesitation. Wei Cong noticed this and asked softly, "What's wrong? Do you think it's so bad?"

"No, no!" Wen Sheng hurriedly denied, "General, you are a thousand times more capable than us. If it weren't for you, none of us would know where we'd be now, our bones rotten to dust. But, but—"

"Just what? There are only the two of us here, what's there to hide?" Wei Cong laughed, "If you're right, that's great, if you're wrong, just treat it as a joke, I won't blame you!"

"Yes, yes!" Wen Sheng forced a laugh. "General, if we follow your advice and return to Jiaozhou, handing over the matter of the Moth Rebels to the court, that would be fine. But what if the court forgets its past mistakes, deals with the Moth Rebels, and then intervenes in Jiaozhou again? For example, by sending someone to be the governor, by summoning you or one of us to serve in the court, or by pacifying some barbarian tribe near Jiaozhou, claiming they are vassal states of the Han Dynasty and preventing us from attacking them? Wouldn't that be incredibly troublesome? Of course, this is all just my wild ramblings; please don't take it seriously, just treat it as a joke, haha..."

As Wen Sheng spoke, he kept glancing at Wei Cong's expression. As Wei Cong's expression grew increasingly grim, his voice grew softer and softer until he finally let out a dry laugh: "My lord, did I say something wrong? Please don't blame me!"

“No, Wen Sheng, you’re not wrong!” Wei Cong shook his head: “On the contrary, what you just said makes a lot of sense. These are all things I should have thought of, and I have thought of them, but I just didn’t want to face them. In the end, I’m still afraid!”

"Afraid?" Wen Sheng laughed. "What do you have to be afraid of? So many troops obey your orders. Even if it's the emperor or the grand general, what does it matter?"

Wei Cong smiled but remained silent. He knew, of course, what he feared. The emperor and General Dou meant nothing to him. What he feared was that his actions would cause the already crumbling Han Empire to collapse prematurely, leading to a devastating scene of "bones exposed in the wilderness, and a thousand miles without a rooster's crow." Even if he transformed Jiaozhou into a paradise, could he truly remain unscathed in the face of millions reduced to beasts? Even if he could, what about his children? Ultimately, in a society devoid of order, even those at the top of the power pyramid will eventually fall.

Perhaps he should be more proactive, Wei Cong thought to himself. Since his transmigration, he had been more of a digger than a contributor to the Han Empire. Now that he didn't want to be buried alive in the rubble of the collapsing empire, he had to do something. After all, he still wanted to be the Governor of Jiaozhou in the Han Dynasty, not the Emperor of the Southern Kingdom, and be revered as the "Former Emperor" or "Grand Ancestor" by a bunch of Southeast Asian kingdoms in later generations.

"If we're going to send troops to Xiakou, how long will it take before we can set off?" Wei Cong asked.

"Send troops to Xiakou?" Wen Sheng immediately showed an eager expression: "It may take another ten days or so. The main reason is that we have captured too many ships and bandits this time, more than our original troops and ships, so it will take a lot of time to count and sort them out!"

"Too many prisoners?" Wei Cong frowned. "Forget it, speed is of the essence. Here's what we'll do! Leave four hundred men to guard and deal with them, and the rest of you get on the ship and set off as soon as possible!"

"Four hundred men?" Wen Sheng was startled. "But there are at least thirty thousand prisoners! How could four hundred men possibly guard them?"

"Then release some of them!" Wei Cong said. "They can go wherever they want, and we can give them some travel expenses and food."

"Understood, sir!" Wen Sheng said in a deep voice, "Then I will make the arrangements immediately!"

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Luoyang, Nangong.

"Mr. Kuai, do you think I will be able to see the Emperor today?" Dong Zhong tightened his belt and asked.

"Yes, I will!" Kuai Sheng smiled encouragingly, patting the dust off President Dong's sleeve. "Young Master Dong, you were initially summoned to the capital as a Gentleman of the Third Office, but before even entering the palace, you were promoted to Imperial Consultant. Haven't you realized that?"

"This—" Dong Zhong looked bewildered: "I don't really understand what 'San Shu Lang' or 'Yi Lang' mean. Please explain, Mr. Kuai!"

Kuai Sheng was prepared for Dong Zhong's mediocrity and ignorance. He smiled slightly and explained, "The so-called Langguan are attendants and guards who serve the emperor. In our Han Dynasty, if one wants to have a promising career, one must first be selected as a Langguan to learn how to serve the emperor in the palace and gain his trust. The Sanshu Langguan are a combination of the Langguan of the Five Offices, the Left Office, and the Right Office, under the jurisdiction of the Guanglu Qing. Among the Langguan, they are the most trusted and relied upon by the emperor, and their future is the brightest. Usually, only nobles and sons of officials with a salary of two thousand shi from various prefectures and counties are appointed to this position. As for Yilang, they are people who follow the emperor and advise him. Unlike other Langguan, they do not have to take turns on duty and guard the gates. It takes at least three to five years for an ordinary Sanshu Langguan to go from a halberd-bearer guarding the palace gates to a Yilang with a salary of six hundred shi. But you, sir, have crossed that threshold in a single day without saying a word. What do you think the emperor thinks of you?"

"So that's how it is!" Dong Zhong was overjoyed upon hearing this. He looked around and lowered his voice, "Then when can I become a general? If Grand General isn't possible, General of Chariots and Cavalry will do!"

Kuai Sheng was startled by these words. He looked around to make sure no one was there, and then lowered his voice and said, "Young master, you must not say such things when you go to the palace. The current Grand General is Empress Dowager Dou's own father. If she finds out you have such thoughts, she will definitely kill you!"

Dong Zhong was so frightened that his face turned pale. He nodded and said, "I'll remember!"

"Just remember that!" Kuai Sheng said, "You must remember this well. There are many eyes and ears in the palace. If you are not careful, you will bring about the extermination of your clan. Even the emperor cannot save you. You must be careful with your words and actions!"

Following Kuai Sheng's instructions, Dong Zhong, his face pale, boarded the carriage and arrived at the east gate of the Southern Palace. He disembarked, had his waist token checked, and entered the palace. Seeing everyone heading towards the Five Officials' Office on the left, he followed them in a daze, only to be stopped at the gate. The official on duty glanced at his waist token and laughed, "How can you be so confused? You're supposed to be a Consultant serving the Emperor, what are you doing here? Go wait in the court!"

This was Dong Zhong's first time entering the palace, and he had no idea where the court was. The official, seeing this, casually pointed and said, "It's over there!"

Dong Zhong responded and hurriedly thanked him before walking in the direction he was pointed out. Behind him came the sneer of the official: "These days, any Tom, Dick, or Harry can become an advisor. Now I know where all those useless people with salaries of two thousand shi (a unit of grain) come from. This young man is not even twenty yet and he's already an advisor with a salary of six hundred shi. When he's in his early thirties, won't he be a prefect of a prefecture?"

"Yeah! They've become advisors, yet they don't even know which way to go in the court. These kinds of people are serving as advisors to the emperor, while we're stuck guarding the gate with halberds! What kind of logic is that?!" "Logic? When has our Han Dynasty ever been about logic? Who's your father? Who's their father? Figure that out first!"

The jeers behind him were like whips lashing Dong Zhong's back. He covered his ears, trying his best to escape the laughter. The gazes from all around him were like sharp arrows piercing his body. He instinctively started running.

"Young Master Dong, Young Master Dong!"

A somewhat familiar voice came from behind, and Dong Zhong's sleeve was tugged. He turned around and saw Huang Yun, with a eunuch standing next to him, smiling at him.

"Young Master Dong, what's wrong with you!" Huang Yun said with a wry smile, "I was calling you from behind, so loudly, didn't you hear me?"

"You called me from behind?" Dong Zhong was taken aback. He replied somewhat embarrassedly, "I was probably just spacing out!"

"Never mind!" Huang Yun sighed. "It's all my fault. I was delayed when I left the inner palace and didn't meet you at the east gate. Here, this is Zhang Rang, the eunuch. He is the emperor's trusted confidant. It's all thanks to him that your letter was able to reach the emperor!"

"Thank you for your trouble, Lord Zhang!" Dong Zhong hurriedly bowed and said.

"Oh, young master, you flatter me!" Zhang Rang quickly stepped aside and bowed in return. "I am His Majesty's servant; how can I accept such courtesy? His Majesty has been speaking of you several times these past few days. Please come with me to the palace; do not keep His Majesty waiting!" With that, he gestured for him to enter and led the way. Dong Zhong hurriedly followed, but noticed that Zhang Rang was not heading towards the court, but rather towards a small gate in the northeast. After having their waist tokens checked by the eunuch guarding the gate, Zhang Rang and Dong Zhong entered the palace. Dong Zhong then asked curiously, "Isn't the Emperor in the court?"

"Hehehe!" Zhang Rang laughed. "The Emperor is still a minor and has not yet assumed personal rule. He is currently waiting in the Deyang Palace. Moreover, knowing that you were coming today, he refused to see anyone else and waited specifically for you. If I may be so bold as to presume to say something, your influence with the Emperor is comparable only to that of the Grand General!"

Hearing Zhang Rang say this, Dong Zhong was both embarrassed and pleased: "You can't say that, how can I compare to the General!"

"Of course!" Zhang Rang laughed. "What I mean is that the Emperor values ​​you so highly, so your future is boundless, and being ennobled and appointed as prime minister is only a matter of time!"

“But I can’t do anything!” Dong Zhong felt even more distressed when he recalled the mockery of the two officials earlier. He whispered, “I’m afraid I can’t even do this position of advisor well, so what future do I have to talk about!”

Zhang Rang turned around and carefully examined Dong Zhong's expression. As a eunuch, he was adept at reading people's expressions and discerning their thoughts. With his skill, he could easily tell that Dong Zhong was troubled. His eyes darted around, and he chuckled, "Young master, is some ignorant fool spreading rumors? Tell me, and I'll have someone deal with them properly!"

"How do you know someone mentioned me?" Dong Zhong was taken aback. "I didn't say anything!"

"Just a guess!" Zhang Rang laughed. "Young master, there are just too many petty people in this world who can't stand to see others doing well. They can't stand seeing others doing better than them because they're not successful themselves. If they get the chance, they'll attack them relentlessly. They're utterly despicable!"

"This—" Dong Zhong gave a wry smile: "It seems they weren't wrong. I really don't have any skills. The position of Yilang is to serve as an advisor to the emperor. I don't know anything. How can I be a Yilang?"

“You’re mistaken!” Zhang Rang laughed. “In the Han Dynasty, whether an official is capable or not is secondary; the most important thing is loyalty to the emperor. In this respect, there are very few people in the world who can compare to you. As for talent and learning, those can be learned slowly, but character cannot be learned. Young master, you are kind and generous, with a pure and ancient spirit! Among all the people I have met, there is none who can match you!”

Zhang Rang's flattery made Dong Zhong feel like he was floating on air. He came from an ordinary family and had only average talent. Few people had ever paid attention to him since he was a child. But this young eunuch Zhang Rang praised him to the skies, making Dong Zhong feel like he was the best person in the world, even better than Kuai Sheng, his father, and his aunt. He said, "How could I be so good!"

The two had already arrived at the Deyang Palace. Zhang Rang took out his waist token and handed it to the eunuch below: "This is Dong Yilang, whom the Emperor wishes to see in person!"

The eunuch on duty clearly knew Dong Zhong's identity and quickly bowed, saying, "Please go up! The Emperor has been waiting for you!"

Upon arriving here, Dong Zhong grew increasingly nervous. He lifted the front of his long robe and carefully ascended the steps to the hall. Zhang Rang led Dong Zhong to the door of a side hall, asking him to wait outside while he went in to announce his arrival. Outside, Dong Zhong heard an excited voice: "Ah Zhong is here! Why don't you let him in? What are you waiting for!" Immediately afterward, he heard hurried footsteps and saw a young man dressed in a yellow robe and wearing a black crown emerge. Judging from his face, it was his childhood friend, the former Marquis of Jiedu, now Emperor Liu Hong.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects! Long live the Emperor!"

Dong Zhong remembered Kuai Sheng's previous teachings and instinctively wanted to perform a dance of obeisance, but Liu Hong stopped him halfway through his kneeling: "That's enough, no need for formalities! There's no need for such formalities between us in private, let's not talk in the court!"

Dong Zhong chuckled twice, carefully sat down, looked up at the surrounding furnishings, and said enviously, "Ah, only after coming here do I realize how precious the emperor is! To be honest, I still can't quite believe that you are the emperor now!"

"Really?" Liu Hong laughed. "To be honest, sometimes I can hardly believe it myself!" He sighed. "Actually, being the emperor isn't all that great. I'm just a puppet on a stage now. Everything is decided by the Grand General. He just needs to inform me. Sometimes I feel like I'm not as happy as I was back in Hejian Kingdom. At least Mother and you were by my side. Unlike now, I don't even have anyone to talk to!"

"Is that so?" Dong Zhong's mouth dropped open. He hadn't expected Liu Hong to speak so directly. He glanced around and lowered his voice, saying, "Your Majesty, be careful. It wouldn't be good if the Grand General heard this!"

(End of this chapter)