Jinting Han people

In the middle of February in the ninth year of Yuankang, Luoyang Palace, East Hall.

It was early morning and the Queen summoned all the officials under her command to come and discuss matters.

Before anyone knew it, eight years had passed since the Empress entered the Luoyang Palace. Eight years was neither long nor short. People still remembered what life was like at court eight years ago, but these eight years were also enough time for people to develop new habits.

During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, Sima Yan, the East Hall was where he met with his court officials. Because Sima Yan loved literature, he often invited his ministers to the hall for banquets. The East Hall was filled with bookshelves, wine vessels were placed in the corners, and many beautiful palace maids came and went to serve him.

Now, though the Mingtang was adorned with splendor and spotless splendor, the bookshelves and wine vessels had been removed. Ornaments like pearls and corals continued unabated, and the hall was even covered with a luxurious mink blanket. But aside from a few tables for kneeling, there weren't many practical items. The original number of palace maids was also much smaller, and a layer of gauze was used. This made the East Hall more like an exhibition hall than the political center of the entire empire.

Indeed, in the early years of the Queen's regency, Dongtang experienced a brief revival. However, as various personnel fell into the hands of the Queen's party, order in the court returned to normal, and the Queen's interest in politics gradually waned.

She no longer paid close attention to state affairs, delegating matters of all sizes to trusted aides while devoting herself to entertainment. She changed her five-day court session to once a month, and only summoned people to the East Hall for consultation when something difficult to decide a major issue arose.

Therefore, the East Hall gradually became what it is now. It is such a huge palace, but apart from a few seats, there is not much popularity.

Now, at this crucial moment of discussion, Zhang Hua, Jia Mo, Pei Wei, He Yu, and other key members of the rear party had already arrived. Each sat solemnly, their faces as stern as the sea. Even though the chaos in the northwest had been quelled, none of them felt any joy at the end of the trouble. Or rather, they felt that the trouble was just beginning.

The empress sat at the head of the table. She had symbolically hung a silk curtain across it, but left it undrawn. Everyone could see the powerful empress reclining on the table, dozing like a predatory animal. Though not beautiful, her subordinates had grown accustomed to her unbridled demeanor. Perhaps it was precisely because the empress possessed unimaginable courage and self-confidence that she was able to hold this position.

At this time, the East Hall was silent and there was no sound of wind outside.

The Queen opened her eyes slightly and saw that the two seats beside her were still empty. She raised her head slightly and asked everyone, "Where's Chang Yuan? He's absent again?"

He Yu was one of the Twenty-Four Friends of Jingu and was serving as the Minister of State. He gathered his sleeves, straightened his body, and replied, "Your Highness, Duke Lu left the palace last night, saying he had something to do for Your Highness and would not be back until noon."

"Then let's not wait for him. Where's Chen Zhun? What's he doing now?"

Zhang Hua bowed his head and replied, "His Royal Highness the Prince of Huainan will arrive in the capital next month, and Secretary Chen is currently arranging the reception."

Hearing the words "King of Huainan", the queen couldn't help but snort coldly, and everyone present couldn't help but feel a palpitation in their hearts, because they sensed a strong murderous intent.

This is not surprising, after all, King Huainan Sima Yun is the only remaining prince of the Chu Party.

When King Sima Wei of Chu was still alive, the most important factor that enabled the Chu Party to become extremely powerful and gain control of the Jin army in Luoyang was that they gained the support of the three kings: King Sima Yun of Huainan, King Sima Xia of Qinghe, and King Sima Yi of Changsha.

These three princes, all of whom were direct descendants of the late Emperor Sima Yan, enjoyed exceptional treatment. The fiefdoms of ordinary princes were no larger than a county, containing only a few thousand households. Those with more than 5,000 households were considered princes of a great state. However, each of Emperor Wu's own sons received a fiefdom of over 50,000 households.

For example, the Chengdu State of Sima Ying, King of Chengdu, governed Shujun, Guanghan, Qianwei, and Wenshan, encompassing 100,000 households and controlling nearly half of the prefecture. All scholars within this fiefdom had to be recommended by the King of Chengdu before they could serve in the imperial court, demonstrating the extent of his power. The fiefdoms granted to Emperor Wu's descendants were similar.

Now Sima Yi was transferred to Changshan, Hebei, and was under surveillance by the Northern Expedition Army. He had fallen into decline and was like a prisoner. After the fall of the King of Chu, Sima Xia was constantly criticized by the court. He gradually became depressed and ill, and his life was coming to an end. Only Sima Yun, the King of Huainan, was an exception.

After the coup against Yang, Sima Yun left Luoyang and returned to Huainan to establish his fiefdom. This prevented him from participating in the subsequent Two Princes Rebellion, leaving Jia Nanfeng with no reason to remove him from his position. Instead, she allowed him to remain in Shouchun, preserving Sima Yan's will, appointing him Commander-in-Chief of the Military Affairs of Yang and Jiang Provinces, General Zhendong, and Acting General. This position remains in place to this day.

It can be said that although the Crown Prince has always been a hidden concern for the Empress in the capital, the conflict has not yet been openly intensified. However, the Prince of Huainan, as a true member of the Chu Party, still holds great power and commands nearly 100,000 troops. This is the real threat.

After a moment of silence in the hall, the Queen continued, "Prince Huainan's visit to the capital, what is the itinerary? Tell me about it."

Zhang Hua replied, "Secretary Chen and I have discussed that the Prince of Huainan should first pay homage to the late emperor at Junyang Mausoleum, then go to the ancestral temple south of the city, and finally come to see Your Majesty and Your Highness, and finally visit the Prince of Qinghe."

Upon hearing this, the Queen couldn't help but chuckle. "You said you were coming back to visit your brother, but why are you going to such great lengths? It seems our Ninth Prince is coming with a lot of momentum! I heard he's recruited quite a few talented swordsmen in Huainan. I wonder how many people he's planning to kill this time?"

The Queen's tone seemed to show that she did not take Sima Yun seriously at all, but everyone present felt great pressure.

Sima Yun's reason for returning to the capital was that Sima Xia, Prince of Qinghe, was seriously ill and had requested to visit him. But in reality, everyone knew he was returning to bolster his support for the Crown Prince and the imperial clan. It's no wonder he visited tombs and ancestral temples along the way—a gesture that demonstrated his legitimacy and ambition to overthrow the Hou faction.

Pei Wei bowed and said, "Please rest assured, Your Highness. Regardless of whether His Highness the Prince of Huainan has good or bad intentions, you are the Queen. As long as you can still serve as regent, the situation is still in our hands. This is nothing more than a temporary compromise."

"Our current priority is to take care of the rewards for suppressing the rebellion. As long as we can win over these capable and skilled soldiers and get them to side with us, even if something unbearable happens in the future, we will be able to resolve it single-handedly."

This is precisely the purpose of everyone gathering here today. The rebellion in the northwest has finally been quelled, and the time has come to reward the three armies. Such a great victory, coupled with the numerous vacancies in Guanxi, will inevitably lead to large-scale personnel changes, which will have far-reaching implications for the political situation throughout the empire. Therefore, the Hou Party must proceed with extreme caution and engage in thorough deliberation.

The Queen had wanted to take advantage of the situation to scold Sima Yun, but was interrupted by Pei Wei, and she was quite dissatisfied. However, since they were cousins, she was tolerant of relatives, so she suppressed her anger and said listlessly:

"Okay, Yimin, tell me, what do you think about this reward?"

Pei Wei took out a document from his sleeve pocket and presented it to the Queen, then said slowly:

"Your Highness, I have prepared a list of the rewards for this time, sorted by merit, and the relevant achievements are also attached. You can review it according to the order of the list and fill in the gaps."

"Oh?" The queen took the list, unfolded it and took a quick look. It was indeed clear at a glance and listed rigorously.

The first place went naturally to Meng Guan, Duke of Shanggu. He had achieved immediate success, crushing the rebels and annihilating Qi Wannian, making him a well-deserved first place. Furthermore, since this expedition was a defection to the Hou Party, no one would deprive him of his merit. Pei Wei suggested appointing him General of the Left Guard and granting him an additional 2,000 households.

Liu Xian, commander of the Pingxi Army, ranked second in terms of merit. He had served in the army since the early days of the Qi Wannian Rebellion, participating in the Battles of Beidi, Fufeng, Niyang, and Chenmayuan. He was able to defeat the enemy on the advance and protect the territory and the people on the retreat. He also successfully pacified the four prefectures, making him a truly remarkable hero. Even considering he was not a member of the Hou family, he could not be denied a reward. Pei Wei recommended that Liu Xian be promoted to a fourth-rank general with a miscellaneous title, free from any practical duties, and be granted the title of Marquis of Qianhu County. Duke Jia Mi of Lu ranked third in terms of merit. The list states that his merit lies in strategic planning, so although he had no military achievements, he was still superior to other generals, much like Jia Chong in his pacification of Wu. He was also granted the title of Qianhu and a thousand slaves.

Among the remaining people, Suo Jing and Zhang Gui tied for fourth place, Fu Zhi and Li Han tied for sixth place, and the rest also received rewards.

When Empress Jia saw Liu Xian's name, she frowned, picked up a pen, blacked out the word "second", and wrote "third" on it. Then she changed Jia Mi to second, and then changed Meng Guan's position from General of the Left Guard to General of the Right.

After reviewing it this way, Empress Jia felt much more satisfied. She put down her pen again and asked Pei Wei, "There's nothing wrong with this list in general. I'll take a closer look later. Yimin, why don't you briefly tell me what I need to pay attention to first?"

Pei Wei bowed his head and said, "There's not much to say about the list. Merit is rewarded, and fault is punished. Liu Bang was able to establish his rule for four hundred years simply by doing this one thing right. What I want to say is actually beyond the list."

"Off the list? What's going on?"

"As for the new prince to be sent to Guanzhong, has Your Highness decided on the candidate?"

This was a good question. This was a personnel appointment that could determine the direction of the political situation. Everyone present held their breath, waiting for the queen's answer.

The queen was also very conflicted about this choice because she didn't have many cards to use among the royal family.

Sima Lun, the previously favored Prince of Zhao, now seemed unable to handle the chaos in Guanxi. Sima Rong, the Prince of Liang, was also incompetent. The rest of the royal family, those close to her, were all mediocre, and those who were capable were mostly close to the Crown Prince. Thinking of this, she frowned and said carefully:
"I plan to activate Sima Yue, the King of Donghai. What do you think?"

Sima Yue, the former crown prince of Sima Tai, Prince of Gaomi, had previously been a member of the Prince of Chu's faction. However, on the day of Sima Wei's coup, he saw the situation was dire and promptly sided with the Empress, betraying Sima Wei. The Empress, in recognition of his actions, bestowed upon him the title of King of Donghai. For the Empress's faction, Sima Yue held the advantage of being a branch of the imperial family, having betrayed the Prince of Chu's faction, and therefore unlikely to become close to the Prince's faction. Furthermore, Sima Yue possessed exceptional abilities, making him a suitable candidate for the Empress's consideration.

Unexpectedly, Pei Wei shook his head and said, "Your Highness, I think it is inappropriate."

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

"If we look solely at the candidate, I believe the Prince of Donghai is more than qualified. However, we must consider that although he is a branch of the imperial family, he still has brothers: Ma Teng of the Dongying Company, Sima Lue, the heir apparent to the title, and Ma Mo of the Pingchang Company. Sima Rui, the Prince of Langya, is also very close to him, forming his own faction. If the Prince of Donghai were to rule Guanzhong, Your Highness would likely have difficulty controlling him."

After hearing this, the Queen did not express her opinion immediately. Instead, she narrowed her eyes and observed the expressions of the other participants like a hawk. She saw Zhang Hua was lost in thought, and Yu was not concerned about it. Jia Mo nodded slightly at her. She understood everyone's attitude and nodded:
"You're right. People with ability have ambitions. If it's just one person's ambition, then maybe we can suppress it. But if it's a group of people's ambition, then it's impossible to control it no matter what."

But her expression changed immediately, and she said in a stern tone, "But the problem now is that if I don't use him, I'll have no one else to use. The remaining qualified people are either good-for-nothings or traitors. I really want to chop them up and feed them to the dogs!"

As the queen said this, her face turned ferocious, and she subconsciously exerted force with her left hand on the mat, and then with a "hiss", she actually grabbed a piece of the fox fur mat under her!
Pei Wei's eyelids twitched, but he remained calm and continued, "Your Highness, in my opinion, you can use the Prince of Hejian to govern Guanxi."

"King of Hejian?" The Queen's temper came and went quickly. Upon hearing Pei Wei's suggestion, she immediately bowed her head in thought, seemingly forgetting her previous anger and considering the pros and cons.
"Sima Yong is indeed capable, and his qualifications are just right. As you said, he's the only one of his generation, so he's easier to control. The problem is, I want to use him to control the military power in Hebei. If you transfer him away, what will happen to Yecheng?"

Sima Yong, Prince of Hejian, currently serving as the General of the Northern Army, rose to fame at a young age, praised by Emperor Wu for his frugality and devotion to scholars, who considered him a role model among the princes. Because of his distant bloodline among the other princes, he was favored by the Empress, who appointed him to Yecheng to ensure that military power in Hebei remained in the hands of the Empress's allies. In the Empress's view, military power in Hebei was on par with that in Guanzhong. Pei Wei's suggestion was nothing more than robbing Peter to pay Paul, leaving Hebei's military power vacant once again.

Pei Wei explained to the Queen:

"Your Highness, Hebei is peaceful right now, so temporarily not appointing a governor won't cause any unrest. However, Guanzhong is different. The chaos has just subsided, and the people are displaced. A wise king is absolutely necessary to govern, otherwise there will be more unrest in the future."

"Also, after years of war, although the Western Expeditionary Army suffered heavy casualties, it also trained many elite soldiers and generals. In contrast, the Northern Expeditionary Army has enjoyed years of peace, and I've heard of many civil officials and counselors, but no outstanding military commanders."

"It's easy to get thousands of soldiers, but it's hard to find a good general! Think about the time when Wei Wu dominated the Central Plains and Yuan Shao unified Hebei. Both sides had numerous counselors and countless brilliant strategies, but why did Wei Wu win and Yuan Shao lose? It's because Wei Wu had more generals, while Yuan Shao had fewer!"

"I hope Your Highness will learn from history and prioritize Guanzhong."

These words successfully persuaded the Queen. She was simply strong-willed, not blindly stubborn, so she quickly agreed and said, "Very well, then appoint Sima Yong as the General of the Western Expedition, and I will give the imperial edict to Lord Maoxian."

Zhang Hua bowed and said, "I obey your command."

The Queen then brought the topic back to the topic and asked, "But the person who will be sent to govern Yecheng still needs to be decided. Who should I entrust this to?"

"Your Highness, there is no need to worry."

Jia Mo, who had been silent for a long time, spoke at this time. As the real strategist of Pingyang Jia family, he said slowly:

"We might as well use the Zhengbei Army Headquarters as bait and try some fishing."

The Queen asked curiously, "Fishing?"

"There are so many royal families in this country, but only one can take over the Northern Expedition Army. We might as well throw them out and let them cause chaos first, so that we can see clearly which ones are mortal enemies who must be eliminated and which ones can be exploited and won over."

"When that happens, Your Highness can achieve another unexpected victory, just like you did with the King of Chu, and capture all these people in one fell swoop. What's wrong with that?"

Hearing this, the Queen finally straightened up from her seat, clapped her hands, and exclaimed, "This is truly a brilliant plan! If one day this could really happen, I would be able to kill these cunning and treacherous villains with my own hands. It would truly be a joy in life!"

Then he clapped his hands and called the maid to the table to pour wine. After raising his wine glass, he said to the crowd, "There are so many fools in this world. When I was in power, I killed more than a thousand people. But now I am looked down upon by a bunch of brats! It seems that it is time to establish my authority again."

After saying this, she covered her mouth and laughed, her body shaking with laughter. A flush of red rose on her pale face, as if she had returned to her youth and the passion of a young girl was once again aroused. (End of this chapter)