Jinting Han people

Chapter 107 Waiting in the East Palace (4k)

While Sima Wei was entering Beijing, his negotiations with Yang Jun were still going on in full swing.

The person in charge of this matter was Li Zhao. He negotiated repeatedly with Yang Jun's subordinate Zhu Zhen at Yunlong Gate. Li Zhao insisted on Sima Wei's condition and insisted that the Taifu give up the two positions of Shangshu Ling and Zhonglingjun.

Zhu Zhen tried to bargain. From what he said, the Grand Tutor wanted to exchange the four secretaries of the Secretariat for Yang Yu's position as Shangshu Ling; and as for the Zhonglingjun, the Grand Tutor agreed to give it to the King of Chu, but hoped to leave the three subordinate positions of Guanglu Xun, Rongcong Pushe, and Huben Zhonglang Jiang to Yang Dang.

The two sides exchanged sharp words and murderous intent in the peace talks, but the more so, the more at ease Yang Jun and his party felt, because this murderous intent was a manifestation of sincerity. They did not take any action against the King of Chu's undisguised collusion in Luoyang, but instead deceived themselves into thinking that it was pressure for negotiations.

Of course, even if Yang Jun and his gang react now, they have no means to stop it. The only way out is to escape, which is exactly what they are unwilling to face.

But the result of luck is usually not satisfactory. On the Xinmao day of March, King Sima Wei of Chu entered the palace to meet the emperor. This was the signal agreed in advance: the day when King Chu entered the palace, the coup would begin that night.

On this important day, Liu Xian stayed in the East Palace.

The Eastern Palace is located between Jianchun Gate and the palace city in Luoyang. It is the second largest building in Luoyang City and has been the residence of the prince since the Eastern Han Dynasty.

As the residence of the crown prince, the Eastern Palace also built a complex and sophisticated organization with the prince as the core: there are the prince's tutor, the prince's secretary, the emperor's groom, the prince's attendant, and the prince's guard. It can be said that except for the lack of connection with the local military and political affairs, even the three provinces, six ministries and the imperial guards have taken shape, and a small court has been formed.

But it's just a shelf.

When Sima Yi just succeeded to the throne of the crown prince, the court appointed He Shao as the crown prince's grand tutor, Wang Rong as the crown prince's grand tutor, Yang Ji as the crown prince's grand protector, Pei Kai as the crown prince's junior tutor, Zhang Hua as the crown prince's junior tutor, and He Qiao as the crown prince's junior protector.

At the beginning of this year, the court appointed Wei Ting, son of Wei Guan, Sima Lue, son of Sima Tai, Yang Bi, son of Yang Ji, Pei Xian, son of Pei Kai, Zhang Yi, son of Zhang Hua, and Hua Heng, son of Hua Hong, as tutors to the crown prince.

While the room was nominally packed with distinguished guests, in reality, these individuals came from complex and conflicting backgrounds. For example, Yang Ji and Zhang Hua had been political enemies during Emperor Wu's reign, and now working together in the Eastern Palace, it was difficult for them to coexist peacefully, let alone commit to their duties. The same was true for the rest of the group, so until now, Sima Yi's only true supporters were those who had followed him from the Guangling Palace.

The political situation is turbulent now. Although the two previous banquets were lively, the atmosphere in Luoyang has actually become extremely tense. Most politicians basically no longer show up except for their own important matters. This is especially true for the tutors and companions of the Eastern Palace. They used to report to the Eastern Palace, but recently they have taken sick leave one after another and have not been seen at all.

Crown Prince Sima Yi was not satisfied with the empty East Palace. During lunch, he complained to his close ministers, including Liu Xian and Wang Dun, "The smarter people are, the more they cannot be trusted."

"Foolish people are not good at speaking and won't make excuses for their actions. They can only say what they want or what they intend to do. It may help others or hurt others, but their thoughts cannot be concealed. You can tell how to get along with them at a glance. Even if they promise something and it doesn't come true in the end, you know they tried their best."

"But smart people, what they do and what they say are like a mystery. Because what they think and what they say are never the same. On the surface, they say they want to do one thing, but in reality, they don't want to do it at all. They just use it as an excuse to do something else, thus achieving their own goal, but they haven't done anything in the first place. But they have to speak in a roundabout way, and they can find a hundred excuses, so you can't find any fault with them."

"The reason a country is difficult to govern is, in my opinion, because there are too many smart people and too few stupid people."

When the prince complained like this, all the accompanying ministers were embarrassed and couldn't figure out whether they were included in the "smart people" the prince was talking about.

But the prince's complaints were clearly not going to end there. He suddenly asked Liu Xian, "Huai Chong, will today's event be successful?"

It was obvious that he was asking Liu Xian about the coup to overthrow Yang tonight.

Liu Xian didn't intend to hide anything from this incredibly intelligent prince, and answered directly, "Nothing can be absolute, but judging by the comparison of both sides' strength, Yang Jun has no chance of winning."

"Oh? How is it arranged?"

"His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu is personally guarding Sima Gate, His Royal Highness the Prince of Changsha is guarding Changhe Gate, His Royal Highness the Prince of Qinghe is guarding Wanchun Gate, His Royal Highness the Prince of Huainan is guarding Chongli Gate, His Royal Highness the Prince of Longxi is guarding Xiye Gate, his Crown Prince Sima Yue is guarding Shenhu Gate, His Royal Highness the Duke of Dong'an is guarding Yunlong Gate, and His Royal Highness the Prince of Xia Pi is guarding Dongye Gate. With Minister Liu and his men guarding the palace, the palace is as stable as a rock."

"Outside the palace?"

"Outside the palace, General Pei Wei of the Right Army and Ma Yao of the Dong'an Company are responsible for enforcing martial law. Inspector Shi Jian of the Imperial Capital, Governor Wang Ji of Henan, and Magistrate Man Fen of Luoyang are all under his command."

"It sounds like a sure thing." But a question suddenly popped up in his mind: "But what benefits can I get from it?"

"This..." Liu Xian smiled bitterly. For Crown Prince Sima Yi, this coup really did not bring any benefits. He could neither get the real power to rule the country in advance, nor gain any reputation, and he could not even get some basic money. On the other hand, the other forces involved were promoted and rewarded after this coup. It was no wonder that the crown prince felt resentful.

"But if Your Highness opposes this, it will definitely be very disadvantageous." Liu Xian sighed, "There are too many people who want the Grand Tutor dead. If Your Highness disagrees with this, you may not die, but you will inevitably end up in Jinyong City."

Jinyong Fortress was a small city built by Sima Yan, Emperor Wu of Jin, in the northwest corner of Luoyang. It was used to control members of the imperial family whose titles had been revoked and whose freedom was restricted. This small city would later play a significant role in Chinese history, but to date, no notable figures have emerged from its walls.

Sima Yi actually agreed with this view, but agreement is one thing, complaints are another. Many emotions cannot be dispelled by a simple understanding, especially since he is the crown prince and can only watch the various political turmoil that undermines the foundation of the country, but he is powerless to do anything about it. This made Sima Yi lament: "Eight out of ten things in the world are not as you wish. This is life!"

Hearing this, Liu Xian found it amusing. If Sima Yi, the crown prince, could say such things, what about the others? What about the poor people who couldn't get enough food or clothing? Perhaps human thoughts and desires were endless, and they could never be satisfied.

Wang Dun, standing by, calmly said, "It's not a big deal. It's over. Your Highness just needs to remain calm and wait."

"Wait?" Sima Yi was stunned after hearing this, then laughed and said, "Chu Zhong is quite open-minded. But he's also right. Since it's none of my business, I don't need to worry about it. If I don't wait to kill time, what else should I do?"

Sima Yi was an expert at killing time. He immediately said to Jiang Tong, who was standing beside him, "Yingyuan, while martial law isn't in effect yet, go and invite the musicians and dancers from Huichunfang in Jinshi over. Let's get drunk in the palace tonight!" "Your Highness," Jiang Tong said helplessly, "You already received an advance on this month's allowance last month, and less than half is left for this month. If you need to spend more, you'll have to ask the Ministry of Revenue for an advance again. Your Highness, as the Crown Prince and heir to the throne, you should be frugal. Otherwise, who will give you advances when you govern the country? You can't collect three years' worth of taxes in one year."

Liu Qiao, the Prince's groom, also advised, "Your Highness, in these extraordinary times, we must be more respectful."

According to court regulations, the prince's monthly allowance is 500,000 coins, or 50 gold coins, but this does not include the expenses of the Eastern Palace. All in all, it is at least 1,000 gold coins a month, which is already a huge sum of money. When Liu Xian robbed the Jingu Garden, he could only spend the Eastern Palace for three months. But even so, Sima Yi could still easily spend more than he earned.

He particularly likes to spend money on seemingly useless things.

For example, most people like tall horses, but Sima Yi prefers small horses. He spent a lot of money to buy small horses that are smaller than donkeys but have a well-proportioned and good-looking appearance. Then seven or eight small horses pulled a small cart, which moved slowly like a boat on a lake.
For example, the gentry loved to recite poems and write couplets, but Sima Yi preferred to fight and wrestle. He would often pay to invite some low-status wrestlers who were good at wrestling to the East Palace, watch them fight, and then join in the fight himself. Others did not dare to use too much force, but he would throw them all over the place, not caring about getting covered in mud.

The most peculiar thing about him was his fondness for weighing things. Perhaps because his mother, Consort Xie, was a butcher, Sima Yi enjoyed being a butcher in his spare time, slaughtering cattle and sheep, bleeding them, and then weighing each piece of meat with his hands, never missing a cent. Often, the Eastern Palace would purchase thousands of cattle and sheep each month, which was considered an improvement in the Eastern Palace's food supply.

Of course, these were just a few of the expenses; the bulk of his spending went into business. In this respect, Sima Yi was a complete spendthrift. He often made deals on a whim, selling paintings to the blind, combs to bald men, and boats to foreign merchants. There was no way he could make money. Add to that his occasional gambling and dog fighting, and his spending was even more extravagant.

For a crown prince, these hobbies could neither bring him glory nor gain him much practical benefit. But he was probably too clever, so clever that he believed that glory and practical benefit were not as important as making himself happy. Therefore, no matter how people advised him, he just ignored them and let them go, not caring about them.

This is true even today.

"Well, we still have advances from the national treasury!" Sima Yi said nonchalantly, "Ying Yuan, I don't have anything else to do right now. Could it be that you go and tell His Majesty and the Queen Mother to let me lead the troops to fight the bandits?"

He easily silenced Jiang Tong, then said to Liu Xian, "Huai Chong, you have good ears. Go with Ying Yuan. Pick a few of the best musicians. Don't skimp on the cost and don't bring in some tone-deaf performers to fill the gap."

Liu Xian and Jiang Tong were sent away just like that, leaving Jiang Tong sighing and complaining to Liu Xian repeatedly, "What will happen if the Crown Prince continues like this?"

After spending time with Jiang Tong, Liu Xian could see that he and Zhou Xi were of the same type, deeply distressed by the country's long-standing problems and sincerely hoping for a more righteous future. Liu Xian always felt very close to such people. He consoled them, saying, "The Crown Prince only has some minor issues; at least he hasn't done anything that would harm the world."

"Your way of comforting people is quite novel."

"Haha, that's true. At least half of the people in the court can't do this..."

Liu Xian successfully changed the topic and turned his admonition to the prince into a denunciation of the various strange phenomena in the court.

However, Liu Xian always felt in his heart that the prince's absurdity was just an illusion.

Rather than saying that Sima Yi really wanted to do these things, it would be better to say that he deliberately wanted to act like this, trying to deceive some people and create an image of himself as a young, ignorant and arrogant person.

After all, his behavior is always measured and precise: flamboyant but playful, potentially hurtful, but always within bounds. It's like a child throwing a tantrum: you tell him to go east, he goes west; you tell him to sit, he eats standing up. It can be annoying, but it's actually harmless.

From a broader perspective, whether in business or gambling, he has always been showing kindness to those around him. So even though his behavior is absurd, there are still many people willing to follow him.

All these are enough to show that the prince's actions are not irrational. It can even be said that he did so after careful consideration.

But what exactly did he want to do? Liu Xian had a vague guess, but it was difficult to be sure for the moment.

Just as Sima Yi complained that smart people are difficult to understand, the prince himself is also a very difficult smart person to understand.

Liu Xian thought that perhaps the prince had some unspeakable difficulties, and before he said it clearly, he might as well cooperate with him.

So when Liu Xian was looking for musicians, he was really not stingy with his money. He simply picked thirty of the most expensive musicians, including zithers, pipa, and other instruments, which cost him twenty gold coins a day. Jiang Tong, the accountant, rolled his eyes at him the whole way after hearing the price.

Liu Xian smiled and said, "Today is such a special day, yet the prince is still able to listen to music leisurely. This shows that he has made great progress in cultivating his mind. Ying Yuan, how can we not help him achieve this? This will not happen again."

In fact, Liu Xian's thoughts were similar to Wang Dun's. On the night of the coup, he was able to leisurely wait for the result in the East Palace, which in itself was a manifestation of magnanimity and composure, and was indeed a good thing.

What Liu Xian didn't expect was that this beautiful story was doomed to fail.

When Liu Xian came back, he suddenly discovered that during the half hour that he and Jiang Tong were out, there was a person in the East Palace who should not have been there at all - Princess Yingchuan.

The princess, who had married Wang Cui, was crying and telling the prince something.

This was the first accident that happened in the East Palace tonight.

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(End of this chapter)