Jinting Han people

After the celebration banquet, Liu Xian and his staff officially moved into the Sili Prefecture.

The Sili Prefecture, located at the southern end of Tongtuo Street in Luoyang, was a large government office with over thirty buildings. Facing east, it was bordered to the north by the Jin Dynasty's Imperial Ancestral Temple and the Imperial Sacrificial Temple, and to the east by the residence of the General of the Army, which was also Sima Yi's Changsha Prince's residence. To the south lay Lingyin Lane, the imperial ice storage area. Its location alone demonstrates the importance of the Sili Prefecture.

The sheer number of officials and staff within his office was unparalleled in Luoyang. His subordinates included officials such as Gongcao (功曹), Biejia Congshi (别驾从事), Duguan Congshi (都官从事), Zhuca Congshi (诸曹从事), Sizhou Bujun Congshi (司州部郡从事), Zhubu (主簿), Lushi (录事), Menxia Shuzuo (门下书佐), Shengshi (省事), Jishi Shuzuo (记室书佐), Zhuca Congshi Shou Congshi (诸曹书佐守从事), and Wumeng Congshi (武猛从事), totaling one hundred officials and staff, along with thirty-two guards. It should be noted that even the Three Dukes (三公) typically had only fifty or sixty staff members.

However, the Sili Prefecture was currently empty, with only a dozen or so minor officials and little human presence.

The reason for this can be traced back to the previous Sili Commandant, Man Fen.

Man Fen was the grandson of Man Chong, a famous minister of Cao Wei, and had some dealings with Liu Xian in his early years. When he served as the magistrate of Luoyang, he attended Liu Xian's coming-of-age ceremony, and later, when he was transferred to the position of Minister of Justice, he also ingratiated himself with Jia Mi and mistreated Liu Xian in the imperial prison. However, the two had no further dealings after that. Now that Liu Xian had taken over as the Commandant of the Capital Region, Man Fen, feeling that he had participated in the factions of the Empress Dowager and Zhao and had a grudge against Liu Xian, was immediately terrified, fearing that Liu Xian would take the opportunity to seek revenge. Therefore, he requested to stay home early on due to illness, and his subordinate Cui Suilai took charge of the handover.

With their superiors behaving this way, their staff naturally became even more timid, and in no time, some ran away and others left, leaving the place deserted. Cui Sui, who was responsible for handing over to Liu Xian, even displayed a look of resignation to death, leaving Liu Xian both amused and exasperated.

After confirming that the supplies and documents he received matched the ledgers, Cui Sui hurriedly left as if avoiding a plague. Liu Kun, who was watching from the side, couldn't help but find it a bit amusing. He teased Liu Xian, saying, "Huai Chong! Tell me, do you secretly enjoy eating people? Otherwise, why are so many people like mice seeing a cat when they see you?"

Liu Xian rolled his eyes at Liu Kun, then put his hands behind his back and walked into the new study. As he looked around at the decorations, he replied, "That's because they have something to hide. If they have nothing to be ashamed of and are upright, what is there to fear in the world?"

He stroked the three-zhang-long brocade peony screen embroidered with gold thread in the room, then looked at the pure gold phoenix candlestick next to the screen and the five ox-head agate cups on the table. Liu Xian couldn't help but sigh, "These things in front of me, in a middle-class family, would probably take fifty years of hard work to earn even a palm-sized agate cup."

"Hahaha, our Liu Crouching Tiger, who is renowned throughout the capital, is starting to worry about the country and its people again?" Liu Kun lay comfortably on the yellow pear wood couch left by Man Fen, stretched lazily, and then said, "I think you should think about something more practical, how we should govern in the future, that would benefit the people."

As he spoke, he placed a pair of jade lions from Lantian under his neck. After leaning against it, the coolness of the jade pillow made him shiver at first, then he hissed and groaned, laughing, "Wow! Huai Chong, that old man Man Fen really knows how to enjoy himself! It's so cool to use this at night!"

Liu Xian was just about to discuss this with him when he heard this, and couldn't help but laugh heartily. He then composed himself and steered the conversation back to the main topic:

"That's exactly what I was going to tell you. What is our Sili Prefecture's top priority right now?"

Liu Kun continued, "In the eyes of the Prince of Qi's mansion, the first priority is definitely to help them clean up Zhao's traitorous faction. The better they do this, the more vacant positions will be created, and the more positions the Prince of Qi's mansion can hold in power."

Liu Xian said, "This is their business, it has nothing to do with us."

Liu Kun, who had not participated in Liu Xian's previous discussion with his advisors, couldn't help but ask curiously, propping his head up: "If you're not going to curry favor with the Prince of Qi, what are you planning to do?"

Liu Xian laughed and said, "Yue Shi, what you just said was very good. We should do things that benefit the people."

During this time, Liu Xian was also thinking about how to do things, and then said, "In my opinion, the most urgent task for the Sili Prefecture is to bring down the prices in Luoyang."

“How can prices be so bad now? When I left Luoyang last year, grain prices were still relatively normal; one bolt of silk could be exchanged for five bushels of rice. When I led troops into the capital this year, grain prices had doubled. And now, only half a month later, grain prices have doubled again.”

"And the army has not even been here for a month. I think that in less than a month, the price of grain in Luoyang will probably double."

"Food is the most important thing for the people. If the price of grain continues to rise like this, I think there will soon be a food shortage in the city. It would not be surprising if people starved to death."

Liu Kun had maintained his nonchalant smile, but as Liu Xian continued his narration, his smile gradually faded. He sat up, weighing the pros and cons, and asked incredulously, "Isn't it a bit much? Don't these soldiers have at least some rations and pay? The three military commands aren't providing food? And didn't I hear a few days ago that the Prince of Qi's mansion was planning to take care of them?"

"What do you care! The Grand Marshal's office has taken notice of this matter, but apart from issuing a notice advising all markets to lower prices, there has been no follow-up."

Liu Xian, as one of the leaders of the rebel army, naturally knew the details better. He explained:
"The situation is somewhat better on the side of the Northern Expeditionary Army. The King of Chengdu originally had 200,000 troops, with 100,000 in Hebei and 100,000 in Henan. The 100,000 left in Hebei have already returned to Ye City, but even so, the Northern Expeditionary Army is barely able to supply the 100,000 troops in Luoyang."

"The situation of the Eastern Expeditionary Army Command is quite complicated. As you know, the King of Qi has recruited a total of 400,000 troops, including soldiers from Yanzhou, Yuzhou, Qingzhou, Xuzhou, Jingzhou, Yangzhou, and even righteous men from Jiaozhou who have come to support them. This far exceeds the limit that the Eastern Expeditionary Army Command can handle."

Upon hearing this, Liu Kun immediately asked, "How much grain does the Eastern Expeditionary Army Command have left?"

Liu Xian made a quick estimate in his mind and then said, "When I was in Ye City, I received a message from Shi Zhi. He said that the General Headquarters of the Eastern Expedition had originally prepared enough provisions for an army of 300,000 for a year. But now that 400,000 people have been fighting for half a year and many have died, it is clear that they are running out of supplies to distribute as compensation."

“Our Prince Qi keeps saying he wants to disband the army, but why hasn’t he disbanded it yet? I went to the West Market these past few days and found that soldiers were buying grain there every day, and they all spoke with southern accents. I guess it’s because Xuchang can distribute silk and money, but not grain, so they have to keep the army in Luoyang for now. They’ll probably wait until the first summer harvest is over before they start disbanding the army.”

After discussing the Eastern Expeditionary Army Command, it was Liu Xian's turn to discuss the Western Expeditionary Army Command. Liu Xian shrugged and said to Liu Kun with a wry smile, "Li Shirong didn't bring many people, but he has the thickest skin. He doesn't want to spend a single penny of his own money and goes to the court every day to ask for grain, which he takes directly from the imperial granary."

“This can’t go on,” Liu Kun said, standing up. “So, Huai Chong, what do you plan to do?”

Liu Xian countered, "I am the Commandant of the Capital Region, and you are the Assistant Prefect. Shouldn't I be the one asking you this question?" Upon hearing this, both of them smiled, and the slightly tense atmosphere in the room vanished.

Liu Kun slapped his forehead and said, "For such an important matter, there will definitely be shortcomings if the two of us discuss it. Let's have everyone come over, brainstorm together, and fill in the gaps!"

Thus, the first meeting of the Sili Prefecture began.

Upon learning of the predicament Luoyang was facing, everyone felt the matter was urgent and difficult to handle. After all, it involved multiple parties, and mishandling it could potentially incite discontent within both the military and political circles. However, neglecting it would indeed damage public morale and greatly harm the prestige of the Sili Prefecture.

Liu Xian's own plan was to first use Liu Kun's connections to recruit a group of merchants in the West Market under the pretext of replenishing the Taicang (Imperial Granary), and then ask them to buy grain in the Hebei prefectures and kingdoms, and then transport it back via the river.

Liu Xian had spent the past six months in Changshan and Yecheng and knew the situation in Hebei. Although Yecheng was struggling to transport grain, the states of Qinghe, Pingyuan, Bohai, and Leling were not greatly affected by the war and should still have considerable grain reserves. Transporting grain from there should take about a month and a half to see results.

But this cannot solve the immediate problem.

Xi Jian offered a suggestion: "My lord, in my opinion, is there really no grain in the capital? I don't think so. The powerful families in the capital region have a long-standing tradition of storing grain, and they certainly have some reserves. While their grain reserves may not be enough to meet the army's long-term needs, they are sufficient to address the immediate crisis. My lord could raise this issue at the court assembly and encourage these powerful families to sell their grain to the court at the current market price, negotiating several hundred thousand shi (a unit of dry measure) at once. Although the court would lose some money, at least the price wouldn't rise further."

This is a new approach, but it is clearly flawed.

Fu Chang analyzed, "There is indeed grain in the capital, but it is probably not so easy to satisfy this group of people."

"It's normal for grain prices to rise due to food shortages. But the current grain prices in Luoyang are rising so rapidly that they've exceeded normal fluctuations. The reason for this must be hoarding. And who are these hoarders? Aren't they the powerful families in the capital region? They've always made the lion's share of grain trading in the markets, and now is their time to profit. They could have made even more money if they had waited a little longer, so why would they be willing to make a one-off deal and lose money for nothing?"

Fu Chang's words were common sense, and everyone agreed. Liu Kun also said, "That's how it is. I remember that the Pei family of Wenxi, the Prince of Donghai, the Chen family of Linhuai, and the Guo family of Taiyuan were all involved in the millet market in the West Market."

At this point, he lowered his voice slightly, signaling everyone not to spread the word, and then said, "Huai Chong, this is not the most important thing. The most deadly thing is that there are quite a few princes making money in here."

Prince Zong? Upon hearing this, everyone was startled. Recalling the various preferential treatments given to princes in this dynasty, they looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Which ones?" Liu Xian's expression remained calm; he merely crossed his arms and leaned back slightly, seemingly about to stretch. But inwardly, he was weighing his options, considering how to respond. Liu Kun had extensive connections and was well-informed. In this regard, Liu Xian had complete faith in his judgment.

Liu Kun counted on his fingers and said, "As far as I know, there are the King of Donglai, the King of Xiyang, the King of Fanyang, the King of Taiyuan, the King of Dongwu, the Duke of Huailing, the Duke of Pingchang, and the Duke of Dongying. None of them are easy to deal with!"

Upon hearing these names, the staff of the Sili Prefecture were somewhat numb, and Liu Xian also found it extremely troublesome. He knew a little about these princes; as Liu Kun had said, each of them had an extraordinary background.

Sima Rui, the Prince of Donglai, was the elder brother of Sima Jiong, the Prince of Qi.

Sima Yang, the Prince of Xiyang, was the son of Sima Liang, the former Grand Chancellor and Prince of Runan.

Sima Xiao, the Prince of Fanyang, was a close friend of Sima Jiong, the Prince of Qi, and had just been appointed to take over the post of Xuchang.
Sima Hong, the Prince of Taiyuan, was a meritorious official who supported Sima Yi's uprising.

Sima Dan, the Prince of Dongwu, and Sima Cui, the Prince of Huailing, were brothers. Although they were not of high rank, they were the younger brothers of Sima Yao, the Prince of Dong'an, who was in charge of managing the imperial clan.

Ma Teng of Dongying Company and Ma Mo of Pingchang Company were the younger brothers of Sima Yue, the Prince of Donghai. The brothers supported each other and formed a powerful force among the princes.

With so many influential members of the imperial clan involved, suppressing grain prices would be no less difficult than winning a war. Even someone like Cao Miao, who hadn't experienced much in the world, was already feeling a bit apprehensive. He said to Liu Xian, "Uncle, as the saying goes, it's better to stay still than to act rashly. Let's prioritize stability and wait for grain from Hebei."

Liu Xian just smiled at this and didn't take it to heart. He turned to the crowd and said, "There's nothing to be afraid of. These princes may have big names, but none of them have actually fought a war. They couldn't beat Jia Mi back then, so how can they beat me now? I really don't believe it."

He slammed his hand on the table and said, "We'll try diplomacy first, then force. We'll send envoys to their door and negotiate with them gently, asking them to sell their grain at a fair price. It's just a matter of taking a little less profit. If they don't understand the situation, then I have no other choice but to plead for the people!"

As he said this, Liu Xian had already made up his mind. These princes and nobles routinely exploited the people, and had secretly committed countless heinous acts. If these princes and nobles were unwilling to sell grain at a fair price, he could use his authority as the Commandant of the Capital Region to expose their illegal activities from other areas. Although, according to the Eight Deliberations system, Liu Xian could not harm these princes and nobles' lives, he was more than capable of ruthlessly dismissing them from their posts and stripping them of their titles.

Liu Xian was 70% confident he could accomplish this, but the downside was obvious: he would definitely offend these members of the imperial family and princes. But as Liu Xian said, why would he care about their opinions? These were extraordinary times; if he hesitated and lacked courage, he would accomplish nothing.

Thus, the first administrative matter of the Sili Prefecture was decided. Liu Xian ordered Fu Chang and others to first discuss with the princes involved, while he himself made a second-line preparation, ordering Liu Kun and Li Sheng to secretly investigate the illegal activities of these princes, striving to obtain conclusive evidence so that they could make a decisive move when the time came.

For the next few days, aside from routine affairs, everyone in the Sili Prefecture was busy with this matter. Unexpectedly, one afternoon, an uninvited guest suddenly arrived at the Sili Prefecture. (End of Chapter)