Jinting Han people

The next morning, Liu Xian went to the palace to visit the prince.

Before arriving, Liu Xian was actually a little nervous. This was because over the years, perhaps due to the deliberate propaganda of the Hou Party, even in Guanxi, he could hear about Sima Yi's absurd deeds.

Let's not talk about his previous absurd behavior of setting up a market in the Eastern Palace to sell meat and indulge in sensual pleasures. In recent years, it was said that he had specially crafted a needle mat to repel criticism. If someone spoke too much, he would use it as a seat. While not a serious injury, it was extremely painful. It seems that Jiang Tong and Du Xi both sat on it, and afterward, they could only lie down for five or six days.

Although Liu Xian knew Sima Yi was trying to emulate King Zhuang of Chu and keep a low profile, he still found it difficult to comment. He thought that if someone pretended for too long, they might forget their true self.

After getting off the carriage, an eunuch led him to the side gate of the East Palace, where he waited in the corridor for news. He stood there for a long time. Everyone in the East Palace knew he was coming. Some palace servants were looking over at him from the other end. He thought he heard a whisper, as if someone was saying, "Look, Liu Huai Chong!"

After waiting a while, the Crown Prince's Left Guard, Liu Bian, emerged and ushered him in. As he entered the hallway, the curtains rustled on either side, making it clear that many people were peeking from behind the scenes. Liu Xian thought to himself, years ago, when he was serving in the Eastern Palace, he'd always viewed important figures like Yang Jun the same way. He never imagined that one day, he'd become a prominent figure within the Eastern Palace himself.

That day, he wore a long, cross-collared, curved-hem gown, a Victory Sword slung at his waist, and a phoenix-tailed crown, a common military attire. Years of military service had darkened and thinned Liu Xian's face, his eyes sharper, and he exuded an air of unspoken authority. Standing eight feet tall and gaiting steadily, he calmly and unhurriedly made his way to the rear hall, where the Crown Prince sat, under the gazes of the crowd, both overt and covert.

It can be seen that the rear hall has been renovated several times and is much more exquisite than when Sima Yi first moved in.

Liu Xian untied the sword from his waist and handed it to the guard, took off his boots, and walked in. He saw the Crown Prince Sima Yi sitting on the couch in the middle, so he kowtowed to the Crown Prince and said, "Your Highness, I, Liu Xian, pay my respects to the Crown Prince. May your Highness live a thousand years!"

When Sima Yi saw this, he raised his hand and asked Liu Xian to stand up, then pointed to the seat on the left side in front of the couch and arranged for him to sit down.

Liu Xian raised his head and stood up, sizing Sima Yi up. He was dressed in an elegant pale gold robe, though not formally attired. He sat reclining on the couch like a scholar discussing profound matters, his collar open, his hair hastily tied up with a hairpin, and he still had the same cynical air he always had.

The only change was that the prince had reached adulthood. He had grown taller, now standing at seven feet eight inches tall, with a short beard on his upper lip, like eyebrows. He no longer had the childish look he once had. Excessive indulgence had left him pale, and he no longer had the healthy, vibrant look of his youth.

But the good news is that there is still light in his eyes, at least he is still as wise as before.

Next to him sat two men, both about the same age. One of them, whom Liu Xian had met at the Chu Palace, was Sima Ying, the King of Chengdu. Sima Ying had a feminine appearance and a doting look in his eyes, suggesting a gentle personality and someone very easy to get along with.

I didn't recognize the other man, Liu Xian, but judging by his elegant demeanor and tall hat and wide belt, he must also be a prince. However, compared to Sima Ying, his eyes were more determined, and he was obviously a man of his own ideas.

The three of them seemed to be playing chess on the couch, Sima Ying holding the black pieces, the Crown Prince holding the white pieces, and another person watching. When he saw Liu Xian come in, he put down his chess pieces.

Sima Yi pointed at Liu Xian and said to the two men, "Prince Qi, Prince Chengdu, look! This is the talent from our Eastern Palace, and he's now famous in the capital!"

The other person turned out to be Sima Jue, Prince of Qi. Liu Xian quickly bowed to the two princes. Sima Yi waved his hand, and the rest of the palace maids and guards in the East Palace had already left.

The King of Chengdu smiled at Liu Xian and said politely, "I've long heard of your great name, Mr. Liu! When your mother passed away, I felt deeply sympathetic and lamented how cruel fate could be, forcing a living being into such despair. I never imagined that you would become such a pillar of our nation. I'm sure your mother would be deeply pleased if she knew about this in her afterlife!"

Liu Xian usually listened to a lot of flattery, but rarely did anyone mention his mother. Sima Ying's words warmed Liu Xian's heart. Just as he was about to reply, Sima Jue, the King of Qi, suddenly interrupted and asked, "Has the official position of Liu Jun been decided?"

Liu Xian replied, "It's already been decided. It's just south of the horse market."

"Is that so?" Sima Jue thought for a moment and then said, "I heard in the palace that Duke Jia Mi of Lu considers you a thorn in his side. This time, he's transferring you to the rank of General Suppressing Bandits. He doesn't intend to let you lead troops again, but instead plans to put you in charge of managing military supplies and armor. He won't be using you any more. Are you mentally prepared?"

When Liu Xian heard this, he first looked up at Sima Jue, then at Sima Yi. Seeing the Crown Prince's expressionless face, Liu Xian slowly replied:
"This isn't my first day in the officialdom, so I'm naturally aware of the consequences of certain things."

"So what do you think of Duke Lu? Do you hate him?"

"As a minister, I certainly don't act based on my likes and dislikes. The reason I had a disagreement with the Duke of Lu was precisely because he only considered personal feelings, not justice."

Sima Jue remained aggressive and asked again, "What is justice?"

Liu Xian replied, "Of course, it is to promote the virtuous and capable, to love and care for the people, to comfort the country and the people."

"Oh?" Sima Jue stared at Liu Xian with a sharp gaze and asked again, "Isn't it about fulfilling one's duties, being loyal to the emperor and patriotic?"

The atmosphere at the scene suddenly cooled. It was obvious that the King of Qi's question was intended to force Liu Xian to pledge his loyalty to Sima Yi. No matter how much Sima Yi had been kind to Liu Xian in the past, time always changes a person, and reaffirming loyalty was necessary. However, such a coercive question was somewhat unseemly.

Liu Xian was silent for a moment, then replied, "Could it be that what I just said is not the way to be loyal to the emperor?"

Sima Jue said, "If a usurper and traitor were to run rampant in the world, what would a loyal minister do?"

Liu Xian said, "Of course, we should kill traitors and suppress usurpers." He paused, then added, "But ministers must not forget their true nature. They must make their rulers Yao and Shun, and correct their masters' mistakes."

At this point, the scene fell silent again. Crown Prince Sima Yi waved his hand and laughed at Sima Jue beside him:
"Hahaha, King Qi, what did I say? Liu Huai Chong is such a person who likes to offend his superiors. No one can defeat him verbally. I don't even dare to talk to him like that. You are asking for trouble! Hahaha..."

Sima Yi laughed like a child, and the tense atmosphere immediately eased. Sima Jue also laughed and said to Liu Xian again:
"You are indeed as the prince said, a good minister with the world at heart."

Liu Xian lowered his head and said, "You are too kind. I am just a loyal minister."

Sima Ying continued, "The court is now filled with sycophants, and honest officials are hard to come by. It's people like Liu Jun that Your Highness wants to prioritize."

Crown Prince Sima Yi frowned upon hearing these words. He waved his hand again and said, "Liu Xian just returned from a tough battle in Guanzhong. He still hasn't figured out a lot of things. There's no need to beat around the bush with him."

At this point, he pointed at Liu Xian and said, "He's someone I trust. There's no need to say a lot of empty words. Just tell him directly."

Sima Yi said to Liu Xian straight away, "Liu Xian, I've reached a very dangerous point."

"Dangerous?" Liu Xian was a little surprised. Judging from various signs after returning to the capital, the Queen's Party has now aroused great dissatisfaction. Not only have the Prince's Party and the Prince of the Imperial Clan united, but the Queen's Party itself is also divided. It is also heard that King Huainan Sima Yun will also return to the capital to support the Prince. Although the situation is complicated and the Prince of the Imperial Clan may not be trustworthy, at least the Prince does have an advantage. How could it become dangerous?

Sima Yi obviously knew what Liu Xian was thinking and said, "You have fought in wars before. You should know that victory is not guaranteed just because one side is stronger. Besides, I am not the stronger side right now. The government is still in the hands of my mother."

"My mother is a murderer. Back then, she dared to trick the King of Chu into killing the King of Runan. Now, she naturally dares to kill me. The reason she hasn't done it for so long is that she feels she can still control the situation. If she loses control, it may be the end of me."

Liu Xian said, "Killing people alone won't solve the problem. If the Queen is so unwise, she must be crazy." Sima Yi sneered, "You know, the Jia family has long been mad. Moreover, I heard that Jia Mi recently set up an altar in Jingu Garden to worship and seek the will of heaven. What do you think they are planning to do?"

Prince Sima Jue of Qi said from the side, "Your Highness, as I say, you should have led your troops directly to make a protest. You are the crown prince personally recognized by Emperor Wu, the wise leader who will revive the country. If you make a call from a high place, who would dare to disobey? You will surely be able to capture the evil queen and kill her followers. We cannot allow the evil queen to bring disaster to the country and the people any longer!"

But at this point, Sima Yi's expression became very lonely again. He asked in return: "Since ancient times, has there ever been a case where a crown prince murdered the queen and forced the emperor to abdicate?"

This sentence left Sima Jue speechless. This was indeed something that had never happened before. Even during the witchcraft incident during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han and the rebellion of Crown Prince Liu Ju, both were carried out under the pretext of clearing the court of corrupt officials. To say that the crown prince ordered the murder of the queen was too sensational.

Sima Yi continued, "If I issue such an order, it would be a grave violation of filial piety and brotherly love. A country governed by filial piety, and even if I ascend the throne, how could I convince people? I'm afraid that by then, everyone will call me a tyrant and a tyrant. How will my clan members view me? How will the people of the world view me? And how will future generations, generations from now, view me, as recorded in history books?"

This was also the truth. Liu Xian, observing the crown prince's weary expression, thought to himself, "The crown prince is truly a pitiful man. His situation is unprecedented for any crown prince. The emperor lacks true governance skills, the empress serves as regent, yet she and the crown prince are at odds. Many members of the imperial family divide power, yet covet even greater authority. Furthermore, the court is filled with countless opportunistic aristocrats like Wang Yan, Shi Chong, and Sun Xiu."

All the pressure is on the prince alone. He probably has to deal with more problems than those founding emperors. If he is not careful, he will end up in disaster.

Sima Yi sighed to Liu Xian, "Liu Xian, can you understand my predicament? No matter how my mother treats me, no matter how much I want to overthrow her, I can never kill her. I can only force her to abdicate, but she wants to kill me."

Liu Xian was silent for a moment, then said, "The Queen is a strong-willed person. It would be difficult for her to let go."

"That's true. That's why I summoned the King of Huainan to the capital. Firstly, to make her fearful and afraid to take the worst option directly. Secondly, to divert her attention and let her fight the King of Huainan. But I can do something secretly."

"What is your highness going to do?"

"It's mainly three things, but it's actually one thing."

Sima Yi took a deep breath and said to Liu Xian, "I hope you will keep what I am going to say top secret and not reveal it to anyone."

"Yes."

"First, I will spread rumors in Luoyang and inform the people that the Queen intends to depose the Crown Prince. The Prince of Qi is responsible for this matter."

Sima Jue smiled and nodded and said:

"Please rest assured, Your Highness. I have prepared several folk songs that will be sung in the neighborhood soon."

"Secondly, I need to secretly win over those who support the Queen Mother and get them to stand on my side. Only when they abandon the Queen Mother can I ensure that I can inherit the throne while maintaining a relatively stable environment. I will leave this matter to the King of Chengdu."

Sima Ying bowed and said, "Your Highness has placed such a heavy trust in me that I dare not fail you."

Having said this, Sima Yi turned his gaze to Liu Xian and said, "Liu Xian, I want to let you do the third thing."

Liu Xian was startled when he heard this. He thought, "The Prince of Qi and the Prince of Chengdu are close relatives of the imperial clan, so it's only natural for the Crown Prince to appoint them." But who was he, and why did the Crown Prince actually put him on the same level as the Prince of Qi and the Prince of Chengdu? It seemed that what was about to be handed to him was not going to be easy or convenient.

Sima Yi, as usual, easily saw through Liu Xian's thoughts and said:

"Liu Xian, apart from you, no one else under my command can do what I'm talking about. I can only leave it to you, and I believe you can do it well."

"Although it will be difficult, once you succeed, I can grant you any position you desire. How about that?"

Liu Xian was silent for a long time. He said, "Your Highness, please explain clearly."

Sima Yi said slowly: "I need you to kill someone."

"kill?"

"You know, words alone can't change people. In a court as vast as this, sometimes bloodshed is unavoidable. I want you to kill some people, assassinate those who are unchangeable and yet have committed countless evil deeds. Only in this way can I scare some people out of their wits, completely dismantle the Empress's faction, and force the Empress to submit."

When Liu Xian heard this, he suddenly realized why Sima Yi was so eager to see him.

This was a very dangerous action. Although Sima Yi did not state it explicitly, it was not difficult to guess that the people he wanted to kill were no small matter. Most of the imperial guards were still under the control of the Hou Party. If he killed people under the Hou Party's noses and was discovered and arrested, it was not difficult to imagine what would happen.

Therefore, the person who would handle this task must deeply detest the Empress's faction and absolutely refuse to compromise. They must also possess a certain level of courage and initiative, as well as military expertise. Most importantly, they must be the Crown Prince's own personal advisor, not a relative of a prince. From these perspectives, I'm afraid I'm the only one who would be suitable to serve under the Crown Prince.

But at the same time, Liu Xian was amazed at Sima Yi's arrangements. This prince, who seemed absurd to the world, was so meticulous! In such a chaotic situation, he was still able to ensure the overall situation was stable and a peaceful handover was carried out. He was indeed worthy of Sima Yan's praise and was no less talented than Sima Yi.

However, Liu Xian looked at the two princes beside him, and thought of the King of Zhao, the King of Liang, and the King of Huainan, whom he had not seen for several years. He thought: For the prince, solving the problem of the queen is probably just the beginning.

After thinking for a moment, Liu Xian replied, "I'm afraid this is not something I can do alone."

"Yes, so after the King of Huainan arrives in Beijing, I will send you some helpers. As for when and how you will take action, it is up to you to decide."

Both sides are smart people. At least when it comes to dealing with the Hou Party, everyone shares the same fate, so they don't ask for any unnecessary promises.

Having said this, Sima Yi personally poured Liu Xian a glass of wine, handed it to him with a smile, and said, "This glass of wine is for Huai Chong to give him courage!"

Liu Xian took it and took a sip, but unexpectedly, an unexpected bitter and fishy taste rushed into his throat, making it difficult for him to swallow, and he actually coughed up most of the wine.

Seeing this, Sima Yi laughed again. He clapped his hands and said, "Liu Xian, here is this pot of bear bile wine I prepared for you. How does it taste?"

It turned out to be a prank. Liu Xian smiled bitterly and thought, the prince really hasn't changed, he still loves to play tricks on people like before. He replied, "I am not worthy of it."

Unexpectedly, Sima Yi calmly poured himself a cup, drank it silently, and then sighed softly: "But I have to endure it!" (End of this chapter)