Jinting Han people

Chapter 164 The Inevitable Trap (4k)

Sun Xiu was indeed a man of considerable acting talent. Despite his reputation as a weasel in Guanzhong, he preached before the scholars without a hint of stage fright. His content was coherent and logical, truly opening Liu Xian's eyes.

But this change of attitude is only temporary. After his speech, everyone will remember the ugly things he did and then sneer at him.

Sun Xiu spoke so eloquently, but to put it bluntly, wasn't he just trying to cheat believers out of their money?

Now they are simply using the power of the Zhengxi Army to forcibly develop Christians in Guanzhong, turning from defrauding money into robbery.

Ouyang Jian even said sarcastically: "It is a blessing for us in Yongzhou to have a benevolent lord like Sun Changshi!"

But Sun Xiu remained calm and composed, as if other people's opinions were not worth caring about at all.

His presence completely dampened everyone's spirits. They managed to engage in some small talk, but their minds were clearly distracted. By dinnertime, the literary gathering had come to a close, anticlimactic and whimpering conclusion.

When everyone was about to leave, Sun Xiu came over again with a grin, acting as if he didn't treat Liu Xian as an outsider. He said, "Last time my good friend Xin Deyu came over, he didn't even get dinner. Will County Lord Liu chase him away this time?"

It was reasonable and logical for Liu Xian to receive Sun Xiu, but the fact that he could say it so naturally and openly made everyone present feel a little admiration for Sun Xiu.

His appearance completely ruined Liu Xian's original intention of hosting the literary gathering. Everyone present knew that the Prince of Anle was in a bad mood, but Sun Xiu still dared to add fuel to the fire. Speaking of thick-skinnedness, this Chief Secretary of the King of Zhao was probably the most shameless in the world.

Liu Xian did make Sun Xiuqi laugh. He even thought with a mocking look: That's what rat thieves are like. Apart from rice, what else can they see?

Thinking of this, Liu Xian calmed down. He waved his hand and said, "That was indeed my fault. To make up for my last blunder, I will invite Sun Changshi to dinner alone!"

"Then I'm not welcome!"

Then the two of them walked directly to Liu Xian's private residence.

Liu Xian had no choice but to invite Sun Xiu to his private residence for dinner.

Firstly, there will be a dinner after the literary meeting, but now it seems that if Sun Xiu is allowed to participate, the guests will not be able to eat. Liu Xian can only let Li Sheng host it on his behalf.

Secondly, Sun Xiu's visit this time was obviously not just to disrupt the literary gathering. He must have come with conditions and wanted to negotiate with him.

It just so happened that Liu Xian had always wanted to have a negotiation with Sun Xiu.

But before that, another small incident happened.

When the two men entered the house and sat down, Lu Zhu came to ask Liu Xian what he wanted to eat for dinner.

Liu Xian wanted to make things difficult for Sun Xiu, so he said, "Just do it as usual."

"Wouldn't that be rude?"

"I treated Sun Changshi with sincerity, so what's wrong with that?"

As a result, Sun Xiu didn't hear Liu Xian's words at all. His eyes seemed to be fixed on Lu Zhu, and they were so malicious that it made people feel creepy.

After Lu Zhu left, he withdrew his thoughts with a lingering feeling, and looked up and down at Liu Xian's house, pretending that nothing had happened. This expression almost made Liu Xian want to dig his eyes out.

After a while, Luzhu brought wheat rice and pickled turnips as usual. Sun Xiu finally showed a look of embarrassment at this time and found it difficult to pick up his chopsticks.

So Sun Xiu put down his chopsticks and said with a mock sigh, "Lord Liu is truly an extraordinary man, able to live in such a humble place."

"Sun Changshi, are you kidding? This is the county government's residence, how can it be so shabby?"

"But Mr. Liu is the son of a duke, and he once served as the Crown Prince's Left Guard. As the saying goes, it's easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it's hard to go from luxury to frugality. Staying in a small place like this, won't you miss Kyoto?"

After saying this, Sun Xiu stared at Liu Xian, trying to see something from him.

Liu Xian's heart also skipped a beat. He understood exactly what Sun Xiu meant.

Sun Xiu was hinting that he had a way to get him back to Luoyang. This was indeed what Liu Xian had been thinking about, but could he trust Sun Xiu?
My instinctive answer is no. Why should I trust someone who has only expressed malice towards me so far?

Liu Xian remained calm and replied frankly, "Of course I miss Luoyang. My family and friends are there, but didn't Sun Changshi say that I should be loyal to my ruler? The court has sent me to Xiayang, so I must do my job well."

Sun Xiu hit a snag, but his smile only grew wider. He said, "Mr. Liu is truly remarkable! I don't live as carefree as Mr. Liu. As an ordinary person, I just want to live a glamorous life, eat delicious food, and dress extravagantly. If there's an opportunity to climb up, I'll do it at all costs."

"Why is Sun Changshi telling me this?"

"Oh, I'm just being reasonable. Mr. Liu should be able to guess how I got this position, right?"

"Of course he was appointed by the court."

"Mr. Liu is too cautious. Why is he so cautious? To put it bluntly, it was appointed by Duke Lu and the Queen."

"What's the difference?"

"Of course there is a difference. Duke Lu is a traitor, and the Queen is a villain. Even a person with no dignity would not want to have two beasts like these above them, right?!"

Liu Xian was drinking water at that time. When he heard this, he almost choked and then coughed several times in succession.

It had to be said that while countless people had said this in their hearts, this was the first time Liu Xian had actually heard it in person, and it was from Sun Xiu himself. This inevitably made him laugh and cry, and he marveled at the miraculous arrangement of fate. At the same time, he was even more curious about what exactly Sun Xiu was going to say, even saying such a thing.

Seeing Liu Xian's silence, Sun Xiu's expression grew more serious. He put his palms together, rubbing them together continuously, and then said, "Huai Chong, to be honest, what I said to you last time was not a lie."

"If the Queen continues to rule the country, the Jiazi catastrophe is inevitable. Only the True Lord of Taiping can save the world."

"Everyone knows that the Crown Prince has the appearance of a sage ruler and is a descendant of a powerful military leader. He will definitely achieve great things in the future."

"For the sake of my future and my life, I plan to switch allegiance to the Crown Prince and join you in plotting against the Jia clan. What do you think?"

After saying this, Liu Xian was amused again. He couldn't help but look Sun Xiu up and down, and re-examined this Chief Secretary of King Zhao from a new perspective.

This is a person who can tell jokes and is also good at dressing himself up as a clown.

He has sharp words and a sharp mind, and he always puts himself in the most vulnerable position and says what the other party wants to hear the most. Most people might think he is just a small puddle, and you can see the bottom with one step.

But in reality, his shallowness only exists in his words, while his actions are unpredictable, just like a puddle that appears to have a bottom, filled with fallen leaves and mud, but may actually be a trap.

Sun Xiu wasn't telling the truth. To put it bluntly, he could have contacted Crown Prince Sima Yi directly through Zhao Wang Sima Lun. There was no need to travel all the way from Chang'an to Xiayang to contact a demoted princeling. Liu Xian was very clear about his position; he might be the core of the Chu Wang faction. But his position within the princeling faction might have been around the top five at its peak, but now, after being demoted, he couldn't even break into the top twenty. It wasn't worth the hassle.

Liu Xian probably guessed Sun Xiu's train of thought. He was probably going to play the clown to please him first, then dig a hole with his words, waiting for him to jump in, and then finally kick him when he was down.

It's a good plan, but I don't have the patience to play this trick with him.

So facing Sun Xiu's pretense of being stupid, he asked directly:
"Is what Sun Changshi said really true?"

"Of course it's from my heart, absolutely true."

"Since Sun Changshi has spoken his true feelings, I will also speak a few words from the heart."

"Ah! That's great! I'm all ears."

Liu Xian raised his head, looked at Sun Xiu, raised his voice, and said word by word:

"If Sun Changshi really has a heart to serve his country, he should commit suicide sooner rather than later!"

"what?!"

"I don't care what you plan to do, but what you've done this past year is truly damn deserving!"

"It would be fine if I didn't see you, but you still come to me and act like a clown. If I don't kill you, I'll be carrying my sword in vain!"

After saying that, he stood with his sword drawn, making an angry expression as if he wanted to kill the traitor. With his other hand, he instantly grabbed Sun Xiu's collar and lifted him up.

This treacherous minister who had embezzled countless people's money was actually quite light. Liu Xian raised his hand lightly, and his feet flew into the air, at a loss.

Sun Xiu stared at Liu Xian with wide eyes, seemingly incredulous. He didn't believe Liu Xian would kill him so easily. Hadn't he been the most respectful among the crowd at the literary gathering? Hadn't he also said he could negotiate terms with him? Why did his expression change so quickly?

After killing me, could this man still survive? Even if he didn't fall for the trap, shouldn't he have fought with me for a few more rounds?
Intimidation! This is absolutely intimidating!
But looking at the gleaming sword approaching, Sun Xiu suddenly thought:
Now that he had entered Liu Xian's private residence, there was no one else around. He came alone, without any guards.

In this case, there is no one who can save him, and no one can testify that Liu Xian killed him. What if Liu Xian pushes out a scapegoat and then denies it?

Thinking of this, Sun Xiu's expression froze, his ears and lips turned pale, and his body trembled slightly.

When the tip of the Zhaowu Sword touched the skin of Sun Xiu's neck, he shuddered and immediately raised his hands and said, "Master, please spare me! Master, please spare me! I was just joking!"

"A joke? What kind of joke?"

"Nothing can be hidden from the young master's eyes. My words about switching allegiance to the prince were of course false. I just wanted to ask you for the copper ruler and scale."

"only these?"

"Of course, I have also thought of some ways to frame you. I plan to use you to contact the Crown Prince, and then take the opportunity to forge letters and notes to prove that you and the Crown Prince are plotting a rebellion, which will satisfy Duke Lu."

"What a plan!"

"But there's nothing I can do. I'm Duke Lu's man! Duke Lu hates you to the core, isn't that known to everyone? Even if you kill me, Duke Lu will still send people to deal with you, and even more ruthlessly! Why is there such a tension? You've endured for so long, why let all your past efforts go to waste?"

Liu Xian certainly had no intention of actually killing Sun Xiu. Seeing that Sun Xiu's true identity had been exposed, Liu Xian put him down, put away his sword, and said:

"Didn't I tell you last year that as long as you don't provoke me, I won't provoke you either. It's you who's looking for death."

Sun Xiu, still trembling, touched his neck and said with a wry smile, "You really underestimate Duke Lu. If I don't find a way to deal with you, how can I keep my position?"

"That's your business, not mine."

To be honest, Liu Xian really despised Sun Xiu's ugly behavior. When he was in the Secretariat, he also used similar tactics to threaten Jia Mi. When Jia Mi threatened him, he simply cut off Jia Mi's arm, but Jia Mi was really a tough guy and didn't even beg for mercy.

Although Sun Xiu had some talent, his personality was not as good as Jia Mi's. Not only was he ugly, but he also lacked a fierceness.

When Liu Xian thought that such a person could actually be in charge of the military and political power in Guanzhong, he didn't even have the interest to laugh at Jia Mi.

But when Sun Xiu saw that Liu Xian seemed to have let him go, his eyes rolled around and his mind started to work again. He leaned over and said:
"Then how about this? No matter what, you still want to return to Luoyang, right?"

Without waiting for Liu Xian's reply, he said like a lackey, "Let me tell you the truth, if you continue to stay in Xiayang, even if you get first place in your performance every year, I'm afraid you won't get any promotion."

“I know you have plans to raise Wang, but I think that with a man like Duke Lu, even if your reputation is comparable to Guan Longwei, he will not let you leave Xiayang.”

The Guan Longwei mentioned by Sun Xiu was the renowned hermit Guan Ning of decades earlier. During the late Han Dynasty, he traveled extensively throughout the north, never seeking official office, and lived a life of extreme austerity and seclusion. Later generations, recognizing his indifference to fame and fortune, unanimously hailed him as "a man of integrity surpassing frost and snow," making him the foremost scholar of the Three Kingdoms period, even surpassing Zhuge Liang in esteem.

Liu Xian didn't object this time. Jia Mi was indeed that kind of person. So after governing Xiayang, he was indeed somewhat bewildered. Although he had thought of many ways, he really couldn't find a way to ensure his restoration. The hierarchy of power was so ruthless. While it might not allow for arbitrary killing, it could still leave people at a loss.

Liu Xian could only do as Li Mi said, fulfill his responsibilities, and wait for the opportunity.

But now, Sun Xiu came up with an idea. He said, "I heard that there are several Xiongnu tribes in the northern part of Beidi and Fengyi, Shuofang, I think they are called Tiele people. One of them is led by Hao Duyuan. In recent years, every autumn and winter, they have repeatedly invaded the south."

"How about this, if you can come up with a way to subdue Hao Duyuan, it will be a great achievement, and I can report the victory directly to the court. In this way, your contribution will be rewarded."

"What do you think, Master?"

This was a blatant trap, and Sun Xiu didn't even try to hide it.

Liu Xian had heard of Hao Duyuan's name. Over the past few years, Hao Duyuan had made numerous trips south from Anding and the northern regions, becoming a major threat to the Western Expeditionary Army. Even among the two Hu tribes in Xiayang, he was well-known. If surrender were truly so easy, Liu Xian certainly wouldn't have done it. Once he agreed, the journey would be a life-or-death struggle.

But what if it really succeeded? As Sun Xiu said, this achievement would definitely be reported to the court, and no matter how much Jia Mi hated him, he could not erase it.

Even if I can't return to Luoyang, I should at least promote myself to a position like prefect.

After thinking for a moment, Liu Xian looked up and saw Sun Xiu's flattering smile again. He couldn't help but adjust his evaluation of this person again.

This is really a very smart person. He actually designed such a trap that he couldn't refuse.

After thinking this through, Liu Xian no longer hesitated. He nodded and said, "In that case, I'll wait for your paperwork."

　Please vote! Please subscribe! Please support me! Your support is my motivation to update!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)