Jinting Han people

This was, in fact, the first time Liu Xian had actually entered the Golden Valley Garden since returning to Luoyang.

Although he hadn't been to the Golden Valley Garden many times, Liu Xian still clearly remembered all the things that had happened there: Shi Chao, A Qing, Green Pearl, the swordsmen who fought, A Fu Le, the Qingming Literary Gathering, Lu Ji... Thinking of these people and events, Liu Xian often felt incredulous. This was a place that had never existed in the world before: unprecedented luxury, unprecedented elegance, and unprecedented cruelty.

From the very first day it came into existence, everyone wondered how long the manor's splendor would last, for it seemed otherworldly. And now, the manor was finally facing its first destruction.

Although Sun Xiu said he was going to confiscate their property and had brought over a thousand armored soldiers with him, Liu Xian did not want to launch a direct attack.

On the way here, he said to Meng Guan, “Jingu Garden is called a garden, but it is actually a fortress. Shi Chong has been managing it for many years. It is equipped with bows and crossbows and has also secretly stored armor. If we attack it head-on, we may win, but we will also suffer unnecessary losses.”

Meng Guan agreed with his assessment and asked, "So what do you plan to do?"

Liu Xian said, “We can first send people into the garden, announcing that there is an imperial edict to enter and arrest the traitors. Except for the most important criminals, the rest will not be punished. This will intimidate the guards in the garden. Then we will take control of the strategic points and access routes in the garden to ensure that no one can escape. Next, you will seal up all the valuables in the Golden Valley Garden and search for evidence of Jia Mi's rebellion. I will arrest Jia Mi and Shi Chong. What do you say?”

Upon hearing that he was to forge an imperial edict, Meng Guan looked troubled. If this were discovered and reported, it would be a serious matter. Therefore, he asked:

"Then who will announce that there is an imperial edict?"

Without a second thought, Liu Xian replied, "I have a grudge against Jia Mi, so of course I'll go."

In this way, Liu Xian took on all the risky tasks himself, while handing over the lucrative job to Meng Guan. Meng Guan's attitude softened considerably, and he nodded repeatedly, saying, "That's excellent, let's do it that way."

So Liu Xian led thirty cavalrymen ahead, carrying the white tiger banner high, and rushed to the path in front of the Golden Valley Garden. Upon seeing the guards at the entrance, he loudly rebuked them:
"I am Liu Xian, the General Who Pacifies Bandits, here by imperial decree to arrest Jia Mi!"

He then took out a blank sheet of yellow silk from his sleeve and read aloud: "Jia Mi, the Duke of Lu, has been favored by the Emperor of Jin for generations, enjoying the honors of a maternal relative. Fortunately, he is of humble and obsequious nature, and only has the talent for writing. He has been fortunate to live in a prosperous era and has unjustly received this honor. However, the Emperor's favor has spread far and wide, and even beasts cannot be reformed. He inherited the legacy of evil and indulged in the wickedness of the emperor. He even spread rumors and disrupted the government, plotted to harm the crown prince, and committed the heinous crime of treason, even aspiring to the throne! How can such a heinous crime be tolerated?"

After reading the edict, Liu Xian put the yellow silk back into his sleeve, glared at the guards around him, and said, "I am only here to deliver the imperial edict. I will only judge the ringleader, not the followers. If any of you dare to disobey, the Duke of Shanggu's troops are right behind you!"

Seeing that the dozen or so people in front of him were stunned, Liu Xian roared and said, "Aren't you going to lead the way?!"

Although the guards of Jingu Garden had been tyrannical for years and had killed many people, that was only towards ordinary merchants and even wandering knights. But now, Liu Xian, mounted on his large horse, spoke with a voice like thunder, his face as cold as ice, and his piercing, angry eyes seemed to hold the threat of weapons—his imposing presence was truly overwhelming. Realizing the meaning behind his words, the guards immediately lost their courage, disarmed themselves, and led the way for Liu Xian.

After lighting the torch and passing through the dark forest path, Liu Xian did not rush to make the arrest. Instead, he stood guard at the entrance of the road and said to the guards who were leading the way, "I'll give you two quarters of an hour. Go and call all the guards in the courtyard over here and have them gather here and disarm. If they fail to comply, they will be treated as traitors! If they suffer a great disaster and lose their lives, it will not be because I am heartless, but because they have brought it upon themselves."

Liu Xian's words were so forceful that the guards, without suspicion, scattered in all directions. But after only a brief moment of calm, more and more people began to gather at the crossroads.

There were nearly five hundred guards and swordsmen in the Golden Valley Garden. Most of them were naturally bewildered when they heard the news: the Empress Dowager's faction had been in control of the government for ten years, the emperor was an idiot, and the empress was actually the emperor. How could there be an edict to arrest Duke Lu?

But recently, the Golden Valley Garden has been deserted, which has given them a vague premonition: this may not be fake. The rise and fall of people is a normal thing. Even the Han Dynasty, which lasted for four hundred years, has been gone for a hundred years. What about this Empress Dowager who has been in power for nine years?

Despite this, some guards still gathered and inquired about the details among themselves.

Two quarters of an hour had passed, and only about a hundred able-bodied men had come to surrender. In addition, a number of maids had gathered in the distance, pointing and whispering at Liu Xian and the others, wanting to come closer but seemingly afraid to.

Liu Xian frowned and asked, "What about the rest? Are they trying to defy the imperial decree?"

Someone replied, "My master said that this edict came too suddenly, and he could not believe it. Therefore, he wanted the angel to go to the main hall in person to explain it to him."

Liu Xian sneered, "Then let Shi Chong wait. I'll explain to him when the Duke of Shanggu's troops arrive."

Not long after the words were spoken, the armored soldiers finally arrived. The sound of their footsteps echoed like the shaking of mountains, reverberating throughout the Golden Valley Garden.

As they drew closer, the deafening sound faded away, replaced by clearer, more fragmented noises. Hundreds of armored soldiers filed out from the side path, and within moments, most of the guards had successfully breached the outer perimeter of Golden Valley Garden and reached its heart.

At the same time, Meng Guan, with the remaining soldiers, had blocked the northern passage, fired whistling arrows into the air to signal, and then directly set fire to the courtyard gate. The raging fire was suffocating even from hundreds of feet away.

After Huan Yi and his armored soldiers had gathered for a while, Liu Xian turned to the guards in front of him and asked without any emotion, "Alright, I'm going to see our Commandant of the Guards. Who will lead the way for me?"

Faced with such a display of force, the guards finally abandoned their last hope and immediately submitted, leading the way for Liu Xian. Liu Xian ordered fifty men to guard the road and watch over the prisoners, while the rest of the armored soldiers moved forward together to the main courtyard where Shi Chong was located.

While Liu Xian was waiting for his subordinates, Shi Chong was not idle either. He heard that soldiers had come to arrest Jia Mi, and he was momentarily surprised and uncertain. He knew that something must have happened, but without knowing the specifics, he was unwilling to surrender.

He immediately ordered his men to gather around and guard the main courtyard. He also moved all the tables and chairs from the courtyard to block the main entrance on the first floor. He then led about twenty sharpshooters he had recruited from Jingzhou to the second floor to quietly observe the situation in the garden.

When he saw a large number of armored soldiers enter the courtyard and stand in front of the stone inscribed with "Joy in Forget Worries," led by Liu Xian, Shi Chong's face turned ashen. He naturally understood that such a large-scale troop movement was bound to end badly.

Liu Xian drew his sword, spurred his horse downstairs, and arrogantly said to the upstairs, "Why is Lord Shi still sitting high up upstairs, not coming out to greet you? Could it be that you are planning to raise an army in rebellion and resist the court?"

Shi Chong feigned composure and asked from upstairs, "As one of the nine ministers of the court, I would certainly not disobey the imperial edict. However, this matter is too sudden, and I do not know whether it is true or not. I must ask Lord Liu to explain it clearly."

Liu Xian asked, "Master Shi, please explain. What is it that you don't understand?"

Shi Chong tried to persuade him with words: "The emperor is incapable of governing, and all edicts are drafted by the empress. Today, he even wants to arrest Duke Lu. I wonder who drafted this edict?"

Liu Xian said, "Of course it was written by the Emperor. The Emperor saw through the Empress's treachery and issued an edict to the Princes of Zhao, Huainan, and Qi, ordering them to kill the Empress's faction together."

Hearing this, Shi Chong finally understood, but felt even more despair. He wasn't Jia Mi, who possessed such vast wealth and still had many trustworthy spies in the court. In fact, he had noticed Sun Xiu secretly conspiring to overthrow the Empress Dowager's faction, but he wasn't clear about the exact strength of the Prince of Zhao's supporters.

As the Empress Dowager's faction gradually lost power, he did not sit idly by and await his fate. Instead, he secretly sent Pan Yue to contact Sima Jiong, the Prince of Qi, and Sima Yun, the Prince of Huainan, attempting to bribe them with a large sum of money to persuade them to assassinate the Prince of Zhao and Sun Xiu. However, once the message was sent, it vanished without a trace.

Only then did he realize that all the kings had colluded with the King of Zhao, which explained why the situation had deteriorated so badly and there was no hope of turning the tide.

Once he realized his predicament, Shi Chong immediately transformed into a chameleon, instantly changing his demeanor. He asked cautiously and humbly:
"May I ask, Lord Liu, does His Highness Prince Zhao have any instructions on how to deal with me?"

Liu Xian replied, "I have only received two orders for my arrival: one is to arrest Jia Mi, and the other is to search this place. As for other matters, I am afraid I cannot know them. You should ask His Highness Prince Zhao yourself."

Upon hearing this, Shi Chong breathed a sigh of relief. He turned around, seemingly speaking to his son Shi Shao beside him, or perhaps to himself, and said, "I've heard that Sun Xiu is greedy for wealth but not bloodthirsty. If I surrender, I'll probably only be exiled to Jiaozhi or Guangzhou!"

At this point, he sighed again, "It's all because of this wealth that I've ruined me!"

Shi Chao was also present at the time. Upon hearing this, he couldn't help but chuckle and asked in return, "Since Uncle thinks that way, why not distribute these valuables?"

Shi Chong was speechless.

With things having come to this, Shi Chong completely gave up the idea of ​​resistance. He went downstairs, ordered the guards to move the tables and open the door, and then knelt down alone in front of the Feathered Horse, saying in a low voice, "The valuables in the garden are at your disposal, Lord Liu. I hope you will not harm my family's lives."

In the firelight, the richest man in Jin, known for his extravagance and debauchery, wore a pitiful, ingratiating smile, almost like that of a baby. Because the incident had happened so suddenly, he was disheveled, his hair was loose, and his luxurious robes were covered in black and gray spots, making him look far less dignified than he usually was.

Looking at his expression, Liu Xian felt no pity whatsoever, only thinking of the mass grave in the dense forest of Golden Valley Garden, and the many wronged souls he did not know.

This gave him a moment of mischief, and he said, "Then let's see how sincere the Commandant of the Guards is in cooperating. Please lead my soldiers the way and let's check all the valuables in the garden first."

Shi Chong was initially relieved, but then he thought about how he would have to personally distribute the wealth he had painstakingly accumulated, and his heart ached. However, after much deliberation, he realized that nothing was more important than saving his life, so he repeatedly bowed and thanked Fu Chang and the others before leading the way.

But could he really survive? Liu Xian saw through this perfectly: Sun Xiu would never let go of any threatening political enemy.

However, with Shi Chong leading the way, Shi Shao and the other members of the Shi clan remained in place, somewhat at a loss. Only Shi Chao, with a complicated expression, sighed to Liu Xian, "Biji, I really didn't expect that one day it would be you who came to raid the Golden Valley Garden."

Are you also tempted by the wealth here?

Liu Xian stared at him for a long time before replying, "Xi Nu, you should know me. Wealth is nothing to me."

Shi Chao nodded and sighed, "Yes, I know you've come for revenge."

Liu Xian laughed and shook his head, saying, "I'm not here for revenge."

Shi Chao was somewhat taken aback: "Then what are you doing here?"

Liu Xian replied, "I just think that everyone should get what belongs to them."

Shi Chao was puzzled, but he saw Liu Xian begin to issue orders. He commanded all the maids and servants in the garden to gather in the main courtyard. There were about a hundred servants in the Golden Valley Garden, no different from those in an ordinary ducal family. However, the number of maids far exceeded what ordinary people could imagine. When they gathered together, there were about three hundred of them. Most of them were very beautiful, and even the least attractive ones were of average appearance.

Meanwhile, under Shi Chong's guidance, the soldiers sealed off the treasury in the garden and inventoried the garden's valuables. Soon, they brought two large, dark boxes to Liu Xian. When they opened them, they found the boxes full of bamboo slips, which contained the indentures of all the servants.

Before the crowd could react, Liu Xian took the torch from Huan Yi and tossed it into the bamboo slips. Amidst gasps of alarm, flames and black smoke rose, burning the priceless contracts to ashes.

Liu Xian felt comforted, wondering if Green Pearl would receive one. He then addressed the crowd, saying, "From today onward, you are no longer slaves, and you should no longer stay in Luoyang. Each of you take a thousand coins and go find your own way to make a living."

Most people were at a loss. They had been slaves for so long and had never imagined they would one day leave Golden Valley Garden. Some were unwilling to leave, and some even resented Liu Xian, since at least they had food and clothing here. But others were grateful and couldn't help but sob softly. Although they didn't know what the future held, at least they had survived.

For the scholars of Luoyang, the Golden Valley Garden was paradise, but for a considerable number of servants, it was a terrifying hell. From sunrise, they would secretly pray that they would return unharmed that night. Now, they no longer had such worries.

Shi Chao was greatly puzzled by Liu Xian's actions. He asked suspiciously, "Is this what you wanted to do? It's such a waste."

Liu Xian laughed and said, "Not only that, there's one more thing I haven't taken. Once I get it, everything will be over."

"where?"

"Of course, it's all Jia Mi's business, Xinu. This has nothing to do with you, but I'll still trouble you to lead the way for me."

Shi Chao understood. He thought that Liu Xian probably hated Jia Mi to the extreme, and that he wouldn't be satisfied unless he cut Jia Mi into four or five pieces. He also disliked Jia Mi, so he had no reason to refuse. He casually led Liu Xian to the pavilion on the left and gestured slightly with his eyes.

Liu Xian nodded, and the two made a gesture to say goodbye. Before parting, Liu Xian said to his old friend, "The court has changed, and no one can say for sure what will happen next. Don't be greedy for wealth; you should leave Luoyang as soon as possible."

Having said that, Liu Xian ordered the guards to stand watch at the door. Then he pushed open the door and walked in alone. He stepped over the dark red bloodstains in front of the hall, climbed the luxurious steps, and stopped before a solitary figure. There was only one lamp lit inside, which seemed insignificant in the face of the blazing firelight outside the window.

Jia Mi squinted at Liu Xian for a moment, then chuckled, "I never expected that it would be you standing before me!" (End of Chapter)