Jinting Han people

Chapter 106 The Eve of the Coup (4k)

After receiving Sima Wei's secret letter, Liu Xian was speechless. His Highness the Prince of Chu hadn't even arrived in the capital yet, and the coup was only a plan, yet he already saw it coming. Should he say he was confident? Or was he being reckless?
When doing things, you should think about success before thinking about failure. This way, there will be no way back. Once you encounter unexpected situations, it will probably bring catastrophic consequences, and it will be too late to stop.

But Liu Xian also understood Sima Wei. He knew that at such a critical moment, like a judgment of fate, few could remain calm. Some were timid, while others were reckless. Even he himself couldn't say that his heart was calm, let alone the King of Chu, who was at the center of the vortex.
But having come this far, it was impossible to be an ordinary person anymore. To control the fate of oneself and even the world, one had to overcome these meaningless emotions. So thinking of this, Liu Xian was somewhat disappointed with Sima Wei.

Liu Xian was even more annoyed by the request in this secret letter. Should he go and negotiate directly with Jia Mi? When he thought about meeting Jia Mi, Liu Xian felt that it would be better for him to climb Longmen Mountain twenty times.

But that's how politics works. If you want to successfully secure your position in the political arena, you can't have too many personal preferences. As one of Sima Wei's spokesmen in Luoyang, Liu Xian had no choice but to meet with the current Duke of Lu.

Liu Xian had no choice but to go and meet Jia Mi.

But the reason why Liu Xian participated in the party struggle always makes people feel ironic. In order to avoid being persecuted by Jia Mi, he had to cooperate with Jia Mi, as if the Duke of Lu had some magical and incredible power. Could it be that the world really revolves around him?

Liu Xian knew this very well: the world does not revolve around Jia Mi, but around power. After getting rid of Yang Jun, the Duke of Lu's influence will become even more rampant!

So he thought sarcastically: Jia Mi's origin is not noble enough. If he was born in the Sima family and became emperor, the Jin Dynasty would have perished. By then, he would be free and able to return to Shu.

However, despite being angry, when he really arrived in front of Duke Lu's mansion, Liu Xian's mood became extremely calm again.

He recalled his interactions with these noble sons over the years. In fact, they were quite pleasant in the early years. The reason why the relationship has become what it is now is mainly because he has changed.

This transformation is a choice made by oneself. Liu Xian feels more pity for those who fail to transform and are influenced by the environment. Such people who are unworthy of their positions may be proud for a while, which is fine if it is a peaceful time, but in this era where bloodshed is imminent, they will rarely have a good ending.

After knocking on the door, Liu Xian explained his purpose. Cangtou quickly appeared in front of Liu Xian with a middle-aged man. Liu Xian took a quick look and immediately realized that this man was Jia Mo, the cousin of Empress Jia, the uncle of Jia Mi, and the Palace Attendant of the Ministry of Personnel.

Unlike Jia Mi, Jia Mo possessed a very calm demeanor, a typical image of a refined scholar-official. He looked at Liu Xian, seemingly unaware of the grudge between Jia Mi and Liu Xian. A simple smile evoked a feeling of being bathed in a spring breeze. Then, in a tone that sounded like reciting poetry, he spoke, "Isn't this Huai Chong? Such a distinguished guest! Come with me."

He and Liu Xian had met before in the palace, but this was their first time speaking face to face. Jia Mo, however, acted as if he were an old friend of Liu Xian's. As he led the way for Liu Xian, he said, "I heard Chang Yuan has caused you a lot of trouble. I'm truly sorry. We can't control him at home, so please forgive me."

Jia Mo's tone was very natural, as if the troubles Jia Mi usually talked about were trivial matters like breaking the door threshold, which seemed insignificant and not worth worrying about.

Liu Xian seemed completely unconcerned and replied, "They are just trivial matters. I don't take them to heart."

Hearing this answer, Jia Mo was somewhat surprised. He turned around and examined Liu Xian, smiled, and pointed to the door in front and said, "Then you two can talk in detail. I won't disturb you."

Liu Xian nodded. He could tell that this scholar, though not a direct descendant of the Jia clan and never in the limelight, was able to position himself between Yang Jun, Jia Mi, and Empress Jia. Clearly, he was the political brains currently operating the Pingyang Jia clan. And Jia Mo's contribution to the Pingyang Jia clan's ability to maintain its original power was invaluable.

But unfortunately, the only one who can really make decisions is Jia Mi.

After Liu Xian knocked on the door, the Lu Jun public's first words were so humorous that Liu Xian almost laughed out loud:
"Hey, Liu Xian, have you thought it through and come to surrender to me?"

"I am a very tolerant person. If you kowtow to me a hundred times here and then tell me outside that I am a lackey of Duke Lu, I will forgive you."

This smell of arrogance is so pure that no one else in the world can express it except Jia Mi.

It was almost the hour of Si, but Jia Mi had obviously just woken up. He was wearing a simple silk dress and his hair was simply tied up. He greeted Liu Xian in such a disheveled state, with a lazy look on his charming face. There was a bowl of steaming mutton soup noodles on the table.

Liu Xian pretended not to hear and said straight to the point, "Duke Lu, I'm here on behalf of His Royal Highness the King of Chu."

"Oh?" Jia Mi was a little disappointed. He knocked the table with his chopsticks and said, "You would rather be the King of Chu's dog than my dog. Do you think I'm inferior to the King of Chu?"

There was still no way to respond to this, so Liu Xian continued, "His Highness wants to negotiate with the Queen and issue a secret decree to grant him the power to temporarily dispose of the Taifu's property."

Jia Mi raised his eyebrows and said with a smile: "Is this the master you like? He is nothing more than a villain who covets other people's money!"

The two of them were simply talking about their own things, seemingly not even in the same space. If Liu Xian hadn't been familiar with Jia Mi, he would have thought he was hysterical. Of course, perhaps Jia Mi would have lived in hysteria all his life. When dealing with people in this state of mind, since the content had been confirmed, Liu Xian planned to remain unchanged in the face of change.

So he asked, "Duke Lu, do you find it difficult?"

Jia Mi still refused to respond to Liu Xian's attitude, as if he was trying to test his patience like a hawk. He teased, "I quite like your reserved demeanor. It makes it more interesting to teach you a lesson this way."

Seeing this, Liu Xian stood up and said, "Lord Lu, are you saying that the Queen won't agree? Then I'll report back to His Highness and see what the Grand Tutor will offer!"

This struck a chord with Jia Mi. He was aware of the private peace talks between Yang Jun and Sima Wei, and he knew it was just a delaying tactic. But in politics, nothing is impossible. Xiang Yu and Liu Bang were sworn brothers, let alone Yang Jun and Sima Wei. If his attitude led to the collapse of the alliance between the King of Chu and Empress Jia, he would not be held responsible.

Therefore, Jia Mi's expression changed from gloomy to bright, and finally he put on an expression of getting down to business, and even changed his address: "Why are you so impatient, Huai Chong? This is just a small matter."

"So what's the big deal?"

"Overthrowing Yang is the big deal! For the sake of the common people, this matter must not fail! The things Your Highness wants are just a drop in the bucket for the people of the world." So the matter was settled.

But Jia Mi finally said, "Liu Huai Chong, you will not end well if you follow someone like Sima Wei!"

After Liu Xian left Duke Lu's Mansion, he thought of Jia Mi's stiff face and felt quite funny, but at the same time he also felt a little sad: even someone like Jia Mi had to be manipulated by power. Perhaps no one in the world can obtain true freedom.

Three days later, Jia Mi sent someone to deliver the queen's secret decree. After Liu Xian and Meng Guan reviewed it, they found nothing unusual, so they sent another secret messenger to pass it to Sima Wei.

The King of Chu replied quickly, saying, "I will arrive in the capital in ten days and will hold a grand banquet to entertain all the officials. Please prepare yourselves."

This was the last thing before the fighting. The King of Chu was obviously planning to use this as an excuse to gather all the officials and formally launch a coup.

On the 29th day of the second month of the first year of Yuankang, Sima Wei arrived at the outskirts of Luoyang. Hundreds of officials and royal family members went out of the city to welcome His Royal Highness the King of Chu. It had been less than a year since Sima Wei last attended a funeral, and this time the scene was even more grand than the last time.

In name, Sima Wei still only brought a thousand soldiers of the same size as last time, but after the last market favor, the people of Luoyang were all attracted to Sima Wei, and countless civilians came to the outskirts of the city, trying to catch a glimpse of the King of Chu.

It was the time of sunrise and there was a rainbow in the sky. Sima Wei held a banquet on the bank of Luo River.

Wisps of smoke rose from the Luo River, the sunlight cast a golden glow on the water surface, straw mats stretching endlessly across the vast land, and then loud military songs rang out among the crowd.

Sima Wei lived up to everyone's expectations. Standing before them, he seemed a young man brimming with boundless energy. He acted like a rare star, meticulous yet bold, false yet genuine, boastful yet full of genuine feelings. These contradictions blended seamlessly, yet never in the least bit unpleasant. These qualities motivated Sima Wei to chat and laugh with the officials who had come to greet him, dance with swords and sing with his retainers, and share fine wine with the onlookers.

This person seems to be sometimes childish and innocent, and sometimes boastful, but in the blink of an eye, he is willing to be shattered by reality.

Liu Xian only chatted briefly with Sima Wei at the banquet, and was surprised to find that His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu was very different from the Sima Wei he knew. He seemed to have entered a state of great freedom and ease, and said to Liu Xian passionately, "Huai Chong, listen carefully too."

"I'm going to go all out now, placing my bet on the next thing." Sima Wei no longer cared about what others thought. His eyes gleamed with determination. "Only I, Sima Wei, can accomplish this. Only I, Sima Wei, can bring peace and prosperity to the world!"

At this point, he patted Liu Xian's chest and said loudly, "Huai Chong, I remember all your help to me, but you still have a problem: you can't let go! How can this be possible?"

"Stay by my side, and remember to forge ahead courageously! You must be worthy of being Zhaolie's descendant. Don't be attached to your present peace and prosperity. Strive with me and become the flower of future generations!"

Having said this, he raised his wine cup again and went to drink with others.

Sima Wei's confidence infected everyone around him, and no one doubted his ability to achieve great things. But just as everyone was rejoicing, Liu Xian began to feel an uneasy premonition. After the banquet, he returned to the East Palace to report the day's events to Crown Prince Sima Yi, feeling even more uneasy.

Liu Xian couldn't help but ask himself: Is this really going to go so smoothly? Will there be any unexpected events?
If we only consider this coup, the answer is still comforting. However, considering Sima Wei's ambition to become emperor, although not stated explicitly, Liu Xian felt worried.

During this period, he deeply felt that with Yang Jun's complete loss of control over the political situation in Luoyang, the forces in the capital were intertwined and complicated, and countless small forces took advantage of the situation to rise up. This was definitely not something that one or two people could quickly resolve.

Crown Prince Sima Yi actually had similar thoughts. After Liu Xian returned to the East Palace, he asked Liu Xian, "How many people did the King of Chu invite to today's banquet?"

Liu Xian replied, "Except for the Grand Tutor and his followers, all officials above the fifth rank in the court have been invited."

Sima Yi was somewhat moved. He clapped his hands and said, "Hey, my fifth uncle thinks too highly of himself. He actually invited so many people."

"When the late emperor was alive, out of the hundreds of people in the court, only a dozen or so could be considered trustworthy. The rest were lucky enough not to cause trouble."

"Fifth Uncle has so many people supporting him, but how many of them can he really confide in?"

"Don't be fooled by his current glory. This isn't his true ability. Those who take advantage of others' power may be harmed by it."

Liu Xian knew that this young prince was trying to recruit him and express his dissatisfaction with the King of Chu. This young man, who was hailed as the reincarnation of Sima Yi, was only thirteen years old, but he could also feel the threat posed by Sima Wei.

But Liu Xian did not refute. Firstly, Sima Yi was his nominal lord. Secondly, Sima Yi was the crown prince, and his statement was of great importance. In addition, when he met Jia Mi last time, the attitude shown by Jia Mi showed that there were already two major forces in Luoyang expressing their dissatisfaction with the King of Chu's party. This in itself was enough to explain a lot of things.

Thinking back to what Sima Wei had said to him at the banquet, Liu Xian realized that the critical juncture of his choice was imminent. He could either follow Sima Wei to the end or find another path. This would become a very real problem after Yang Jun's death.

Of course, all this is based on the premise that the overthrow of Yang goes smoothly. However, no matter from which angle you look at it, this coup is a sure thing. The strength of the two sides is so different that there is no possibility for Yang Jun to win by luck.

On this day of Xinmao in March, the first coup d'état that determined the fate of the Jin Dynasty finally began.

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(End of this chapter)