Jinting Han people

In the dead of night, the watchmen's gongs clanged and rang throughout the streets of Luoyang. Their high-pitched, slightly hoarse shouts seemed to come from the clouds, impossible to ignore at first, but to the ears of those who were asleep, they vanished in an instant, quickly melting into the icy darkness of the night.

Luoyang was now completely silent, but intermittent noises could still be heard from outside the city. The curfew inside the city didn't extend to the areas outside, and the night markets continued operating as usual. To those outside the city, this was a rare privilege. But to the high-ranking officials and nobles inside the city, it was nothing more than the unrestrained noise of the common people, and behind that noise lay the base and unbridled hearts of the commoners.

But Sun Xiu thought otherwise.

He leaned against a pillar, holding a wine glass in one hand and tapping the other on his knee, gazing at the scenery outside the city.

"Oh my, oh my, the liveliness outside the city is so enviable. I wish the city could be this lively."

Sun Xiu was sitting atop the newly built five-story pavilion of the Zhao Prince's mansion. Even among the clusters of buildings in Luoyang, this nine-zhang-tall pavilion stood out, probably second only to the Hundred-Foot Pavilion built by Emperor Wen of Wei, Cao Pi. Its decorations were magnificent and beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

The beams of the towering building were made from century-old fir trees from the south, each massive log costing tens of gold coins. All the doors and windows were adorned with gold ornaments, and the walls were carved with various Taoist divination symbols. Furthermore, the halls on each floor displayed portraits of past Celestial Masters and Taoist Lords, and every corner of the attic was coated with expensive perfumes. Its construction cost was comparable to that of an entire city.

To emphasize this point, Sun Xiu also called it Wan Jin Lou (Ten Thousand Gold Tower).

The most expensive part was the fifth floor, the highest one. Sun Xiu specially built an observatory on the top floor. A small armillary sphere was assembled in the center of the observatory, and the zodiac constellations were drawn all around the floor, from Altair in the south to Well in the north. Based on the Tai Shi Calendar, the twenty-four solar terms were also marked, and the four mythical beasts were distributed in the four directions. Standing in the middle, it was as if one was in the sky.

Looking out over Luoyang from here, except for a few parts of the palace, the scenery of Luoyang is all in sight, giving one a sense of exhilaration as if the whole world is at one's fingertips.

His old friend Xin Ran sat beside him. In response to Sun Xiu's lament, he smiled and said, "It's not easy to make the city lively. This is under the emperor's nose. The emperor uses his power to subdue all directions. It's one thing to indulge the common people, but how can the scholars not know etiquette?"

“Brother, that’s not quite right.” Sun Xiu took a sip of wine and said with a grin, “What difference is there between people? Our first Celestial Master, Zhang Daoling, said that apart from the emperor, all people in the world are the same. It is the True Lord who is watching over us in the darkness. Those who believe in the True Lord enter the Celestial Hall after death, while those who do not believe are scattered to the winds after death. That’s all there is to it.”

"If people cannot fear the Heavenly Lord, what use is etiquette alone? How can someone who is not even afraid of ghosts and gods fear a monarch? Alas, this is the origin of chaos!"

At this point, Sun Xiu's expression changed from playful to compassionate. He turned his gaze back to the observatory, swept it over the people present, and sighed:

"I believe that everyone here can understand my thoughts. Look at the capital city right now: mothers and sons are suspicious of each other, relatives are wary of one another, the people outside are cheering, but inside there is a deathly silence. How can this be allowed to continue?"

At this point, his expression brightened, he poured himself a glass of wine, and raised it to say:

"Fortunately, we loyal ministers are still here in the city. We can gather here in a lively and joyful atmosphere and restore order. Ha, the country is saved! The people have hope! Come, gentlemen, let's drink to this gathering of wise men today!"

It turned out that even at this very moment, when curfew had been imposed, Sun Xiu was still holding a banquet at Wan Jin Lou. The high-rise was packed with guests, but compared to Sun Xiu's exuberant enthusiasm, most of them looked either somber like dark clouds or tense like virgins. Nevertheless, they still raised their glasses in response to Sun Xiu's toast.

"Don't be so reserved! Make yourself at home. Hey, doesn't our meeting at this time prove that we're kindred spirits?"

The somber atmosphere clearly couldn't stop Sun Xiu from laughing and joking. He turned his gaze to a person on his right and said:

"Brother Zhang, tell me, should we, as subjects, be loyal to the emperor or to the state?"

The man he inquired about was burly and exuded an air of nobility. It turned out to be Zhang Lin, the former Cavalry Commandant and current Imperial Clerk. He calmly said:
"Of course, loyalty is to the state and to Heaven and Earth. Emperor Wu of Wei unified the Central Plains with his military virtue and made great contributions to the world. Even if he invaded the Han Dynasty, what did it matter? He is still praised by later generations! Similarly, Emperors Xuan, Jing, and Wen, who lived in peace and prosperity and subdued all sides, replaced the Wei Dynasty, which was also the will of the people!"

“Well said! That’s exactly the kind of mindset we should have when assisting the Jin dynasty in its peaceful and prosperous reign! Haha…” Sun Xiu then turned his gaze to one of the people on his left and asked again:
"Brother Xun, you are the great-grandson of Lord Xun. Tell me, between merit and morality, which is higher? Which is lower?"

The person he was questioning was named Xun Song, a literary advisor to the Prince of Huainan and a great-grandson of Xun Yu, the Grand Secretary under Emperor Xian. He lowered his head and pondered, saying:
"Reporting to the Chief Secretary, in my view, these two are interdependent and inseparable. Only when a person achieves certain accomplishments can their morality be revealed, and only when a person has morality can they achieve accomplishments. In other words, incompetence is immorality! Otherwise, how can the people of the world be convinced by empty words alone? That's why Wang Mang lost the world!"

"What a fine example of incompetence being utterly ignorant! Hahaha..." Sun Xiu's smile grew even brighter, but after a few bursts of laughter, it quickly turned into a deep sigh, and he said:
"Alas, this is the state of our court today! Which of you here is not a renowned scholar? Yet, due to the suppression of some incompetent individuals, you are forced to waste your years in idle posts! I must ask, what merits have Jia Mi, Zhang Hua, and Pei Wei made? They either write articles and utter flattering words, or they rely on the legacy of their ancestors, yet they ride on everyone else's heads. How pathetic!"

"Everyone knows that I, Sun Xiu, hate Zhang Hua because he is blocking my path. But in reality, he is blocking not only my path, but the path of all the wise people in the world!"

Sun Xiu seemed to have truly turned the atmosphere around; even some people who looked down on him now showed expressions of indignation.

Sun Xiu was greatly encouraged and stood up again, speaking loudly:
"That's why, with so many people gathered together, they cease to be people, and instead become a river, a never-ending torrent!"

"We represent the wishes of all people in the world. To realize this wish, as long as we forge ahead and surge forward like a raging torrent, we will possess boundless power. Anyone who tries to block this path will perish!"

Sun Xiu's words of encouragement caused everyone present to light up and whisper among themselves, "The Chief Secretary is right."

At this point, Sun Xiu finally got back to the point and addressed the crowd:

"Do you all understand? We have gathered here today to accomplish this unprecedented great undertaking. Therefore, I hope you all understand that we are about to make small sacrifices to create a blessed world..."

"Tomorrow will be the day the Empress deposes the Crown Prince, and also the day the Crown Prince plans to stage a coup."

"It was predictable that the Empress wanted to depose the Crown Prince, because she is an extremely cruel beast, only thinking about devouring everyone, yet she has no gratitude. Even tigers don't eat their cubs! For such a beast to want to kill the Crown Prince, she is not even a beast!"

"The Crown Prince is pitiful! In order to protect himself, he had to resort to the means of forcing the emperor to abdicate, but what did he get in the end? The answer is that mother and son killed each other and family members distrusted each other. Even if he becomes emperor, what can he change? He has no ability to change all of this."

"We must understand that the Crown Prince is blocking our path and is destined to meet a bad end. At the same time, we must have great compassion and help the Crown Prince escape from this boundless sea of ​​suffering. He may resent us for a while, but in the end he will understand our good intentions."

At this point, Sun Xiu's rat-like face was filled with compassionate emotion. He looked at one of them and said:
"Therefore, all the foreign military officers who have been persuaded by the Crown Prince must be detained in the army tomorrow! Not a single one can be released! Lord Yifu, can you do it?" The person present was actually the Crown Prince's father-in-law, Commander of the Central Army, Wang Yan! His handsome face was unreadable at this moment, but he slowly said, "Chief Secretary Sun, as long as we have the list, everything will be easy."

Sun Xiu laughed heartily, pulled out a list from his bosom, and casually handed it to Wang Yan, saying, "The Crown Prince can't see through the illusion. He thinks he can buy off some people, but I've already seen through the people around him. Just use this list, invite them to dinner tomorrow, and I guarantee there won't be any surprises!"

Then he turned to the other person and said:

"After the news of the Crown Prince's deposition spreads, the officials of the Eastern Palace will surely be indignant. Lord Man, I want you to lead troops to surround the Eastern Palace immediately to ensure order and prevent any major chaos."

It turned out that the Commandant of the Capital Region, Man Fen, was also present. Upon hearing this request, his plump face flushed slightly, and he said:
"The officials in the Eastern Palace are all junior officials, and there are many of them. Will this have any impact...?"

Sun Xiu already had a backup plan. He waved his hand and said, "It's alright, it's alright. I've already made arrangements. Ji Huangmen has gone to persuade Lord Yue (Le Guang). They will go to the scene tomorrow to restore order and ensure that no major chaos occurs."

"Haha, I, Sun Xiu, am also an official. How could I possibly tarnish your reputation?"

Man Fen breathed a sigh of relief and repeatedly cupped his hands in thanks, saying, "This is perfect."

"Of course, we also have to consider the Crown Prince's guards! Liu Bian and the others have just been transferred and haven't left Luoyang yet. If they return and collude with the Crown Prince, it will also have a bad influence."

Sun Xiu clapped his hands and said to Meng Guan beside him:

"The city gate captain is the Crown Prince's man, Lord Meng. Send a thousand Shanggu soldiers to reinforce the city and take control of all the city gates. We need to guard the city gates strictly and never let them into the palace. Without officers, how can the soldiers below directly obey the Crown Prince?"

Meng Guan cupped his hands and replied, "Yes."

Sun Xiu finally turned to Lu Xiu, a retainer of Prince Qi, and said, "As you can see, we loyal ministers are all working tirelessly for the sake of the court. Surely His Highness Prince Qi won't hold us back?"

Lu Xiu was stunned. Sun Xiu, who had just performed for everyone, seemed like a messenger sent from heaven. Everything he said seemed unquestionable and perfectly reasonable. Even though many of his words were distorting the truth, they had a convincing power, as if people were not discussing a conspiracy, but casually manipulating chess pieces.

And as a pawn, being manipulated seems perfectly normal.

Lu Xiu replied, "His Highness the King of Qi agrees with your plan, so naturally he will not send troops without authorization."

"Good, good, good." Sun Xiu laughed enthusiastically, gesturing wildly as he addressed the crowd: "Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow are just the first step in our strategy of feigning weakness, but also the most important one! We have only used less than half of our strength, but as long as we can contain the Crown Prince's counterattack, success is inevitable, and the second step is only a matter of time."

"Therefore, tomorrow is the decisive day. If we fail, the great calamity of the Jiazi year will arrive, and the world will never be at peace again. That is the will of Heaven, and there is nothing we can do about it. But we will not fail. The Empress, the Crown Prince, and Duke Lu are all our playthings and puppets. We will fight for a happy future for all the people of the world!"

At this point, Sun Xiu trotted over to Sun Qi, and facing this cousin whom he had only recently joined the clan, he patted him on the shoulder and asked:

"My friend, do you know what my greatest wish in this life is?"

Before Sun Qi could answer, he muttered to himself, "In my whole life, I have only strived for one goal: to create a celestial realm in the human world, where everyone can smile, be of one mind, and live in harmony!"

He spoke with such certainty that no one could tell whether it was false or true. Even if it seemed incredibly ironic, Sun Xiu undoubtedly regarded himself as the truth; he was arrogant, more proud than the sun.

Sun Qi flattered, "The Chief Secretary is a virtuous man!"

“Alas, I am wicked! I am wicked! I have done many wicked things for the sake of the people.” Sun Xiu said frankly, “Just now, in order to reduce the chances of something going wrong, I sent people to ambush Liu Huaichong. I don’t know if he is alive or dead.”

"Alas, how tragic! I recruited him, and if he hadn't been so blinded by greed, unable to see the situation clearly, and wanted me dead, I would have spared his life. He was a good man! Waaah... Logically speaking, I should thank him! If he hadn't killed Jia Mo, how would I have had the chance to make the Empress obey me?"

"Alas... I am repaying kindness with enmity. Even if I killed him for the sake of the world, future generations will condemn me for being immoral."

Upon hearing this news, aside from a very few insiders, most people exchanged bewildered glances. They were surprised by Sun Xiu's swift action and reassured about tomorrow's plans. But beyond that, there was a chilling indifference.

For them, the reason for coming together was undoubtedly to take advantage of the situation and go further. As Sun Xiu said, everyone was tired of the previous meaningless tug-of-war. They just wanted to end it as soon as possible and gain their place in the new era.

"Come on, everyone, please take good care of yourselves and make the best preparations for tomorrow!"

Just then, Liu Ji slipped in, looking like he had something to report. After Sun Xiu stopped talking, he pulled her aside and whispered something to her.

After hearing Liu Ji's report, Sun Xiu immediately looked astonished. He asked, "You mean, Liu Huaichong was hit by an arrow and then climbed over into the Marquis of Xiangyang's residence? The princess blocked the door and wouldn't let Xu Chao go in to search?"

"Oh my, this is really..." Sun Xiu stroked his exceptionally intelligent head, overjoyed, "No wonder he's Liu Xian! He managed to escape? Amazing! But, being hit by an arrow won't be easy to survive!"

"While it may not be perfect, the goal has been achieved, which is a good thing! He's immobilized and powerless to change anything. From now on, he'll have no choice but to cooperate with me obediently. I really want to see his face then!"

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but smile again, laughing heartily, "I really want to see his face! What will he say to me after seeing the river churning? Hahahaha..." (End of Chapter)