Jinting Han people

Over the years, Liu Xian had witnessed quite a few rebellions and coups. But he had to admit that the case of the Donglai King's rebellion that he had uncovered was the most unbelievable rebellion case he had ever encountered in his life.

The reason is simply that the two sides are too far apart in strength, and there is absolutely no hope of success.

As the soldiers returned to their posts after a long period of service to the king, Luoyang no longer housed the King of Qi's 400,000-strong army.

Sima Xin, the Prince of Xinye, has led the Jingzhou troops south to Xiangyang to rebuild the Southern Expeditionary Army. Some troops from Yanzhou and Yuzhou will soon return to Xuchang with Sima Xiao, the Prince of Fanyang. Around next month, Sima Yao, the Prince of Dong'an, will lead the Qingzhou and Xuzhou armies to garrison Xiapi. In addition, Li Han will lead his troops back to Guanzhong, the Changshan and Bingzhou armies will return to their hometowns, and there will be other soldiers and troops who have been dismissed. By around October, the size of the army garrisoning Luoyang will be restored to about 100,000.

But this was something that Sima Rui, the King of Donglai, could not shake.

Qi King Sima Jiong was the first to raise the banner of rebellion. Although he did not achieve the greatest feats on the battlefield, his ability to mobilize so many soldiers from various prefectures and counties was enough to demonstrate his political power. Moreover, after entering Luoyang, although he was suspected of seizing power, he was principled in his handling of affairs and administration, and tried his best to consider the overall situation, thus establishing a certain political prestige. In addition, many of his confidants and cronies were now in the three departments and the imperial guards, so the political situation was basically under his control.

In contrast, Sima Rui, though the eldest son of Sima You, the Prince of Qi, and the elder brother of Sima Jiong, had no one in the family who respected him. In previous years, he had associated with the Empress Dowager's faction, and with their downfall, he had already lost his eligibility for advancement. After Sima Lun came to power, he also kept a close watch on him, resulting in Sima Rui only holding the nominal position of Attendant Gentleman of the Palace.

The position of Attendant Gentleman of the Palace only grants the right to offer advice; when given important responsibilities, it becomes a key position, and when not, it remains a sinecure. The Prince of Donglai, however, only commands three thousand private troops, making a direct confrontation with the 100,000 Imperial Guards of Luoyang utterly impossible.

Sima Yi dared to stage a coup with only 3,000 loyal soldiers because he had served three emperors and achieved unparalleled merit. His army was full of his old subordinates, and the court was full of his old friends. In addition, he had always been highly respected, which enabled him to successfully deceive Cao Shuang and seize power. Yet, even so, he did not dare to usurp the throne.

Even though Sima Lun had the merit of purging the empress dowager's faction and gained the support of many princes when he seized power, his short period of merit and lack of supporters in the army ultimately led to widespread rebellion in the Guandong region after his usurpation.

In contrast, Sima Rui had nothing. His only advantage was probably his status as Sima Jiong's elder brother, which might have allowed him to secretly plot Sima Jiong's assassination—this wasn't entirely unfounded. But the question remained: what would happen after the murder?
Who would support a member of the royal family who had fought amongst himself and had no political prestige after starting a rebellion? Who would dare to trust him? If Sima Jiong were killed just like that, he would probably be purged by the Prince of Qi's faction on the same day, not even until the next day.

Therefore, Liu Xian's first reaction was that it was absurd. He asked Li Sheng repeatedly, "Could this be a mistake? After all, the King of Donglai is the King of Qi's brother. If it is a mistake, I cannot bear the consequences."

Li Sheng was also quite helpless. He could only say, "My lord, I can hardly believe it either, but it is the truth. The Prince of Donglai has already broken the law by privately manufacturing weapons and armor in his villa. He has also secretly mobilized troops, stockpiled grain, and purchased horses extensively. What other possibility is there besides a rebellion?"

Liu Xian could only agree. By now, he had seen too many clever people and too many fools. He had a certain understanding of the unevenness of human nature. Sometimes, fools in this world were just so unreasonable, thinking they could sweep the world away with a sword. But this Prince of Donglai, even in the annals of history, seemed quite exceptional.

After a moment's thought, Liu Xian said to Li Sheng, "Binshuo, keep a close eye on the Prince of Donglai. Don't alert him yet. Even such a stupid idea is beyond the comprehension of a fool. Follow the clues and see how many people the Prince of Donglai has been associating with recently, especially those serving in the Imperial Guard. Keep a close watch on them and then make a list for me."

Such a major case must be handled with utmost care. It's best to clarify all doubts from the outset and bring all relevant individuals to justice. Otherwise, if the arrests are unclear and some remaining members remain, it will undoubtedly bring unnecessary hidden dangers to ourselves.

Li Sheng understood Liu Xian's concerns and immediately said, "Don't worry, my lord, I will get it done for you within three days."

He left the Sili Prefecture and contacted the soldiers who were monitoring the Donglai Prince's residence. After investigation and verification, he discovered that some people had indeed been in close contact with Sima Rui recently.
Aside from some merchants who did business with Sima Rui, several of them were officials of the Imperial Guard. These included Wang Yu, former Left Guard General and current Commandant of the Cavalry, and three Palace Attendants: Chen Yun, Liu Ying, and Wang Xin, all of whom were essentially henchmen of the former Zhao rebels. However, because they captured Sun Xiu and defected after the Battle of Yanshi, they were not punished by Sima Jiong.

When the list was submitted to Liu Xian, he became even more suspicious, finding the matter even more perplexing: "These few former members of the Zhao rebels who were demoted finally managed to escape with their lives from the King of Qi, and before they've even had two months of peace, they're already eager to rebel? Have they been brainwashed or bewitched?"

Thinking of this, Liu Xian had a premonition. He instructed Li Sheng, "There's a mastermind behind them! Keep investigating! There must be a bigger fish out there!"

He originally wanted Li Sheng to continue monitoring Wang Yu and the others, but Li Sheng said it was beyond his capabilities: "My lord, Wang Yu and the others are all officers of the Imperial Guard. They spend most of their time in the palace and are surrounded by officers of the Imperial Guard. If we only monitor them, I'm afraid we won't be able to find anything!"

"If we want to go any further, we'll probably have to arrest these people first and then interrogate them to find out the truth."

Liu Xian thought to himself, "That makes sense." He closed his eyes for a moment and then gave the order:

“You’re right, but this matter ultimately concerns the Jin imperial family and cannot be decided by us. You’d better find a way to secretly obtain a witness from within the Prince’s residence, and then I’ll take it to the Prince of Changsha and the Prince of Qi and let them handle it.”

Getting a witness out of the Prince's mansion sounds like a difficult task, but that very night, Li Sheng managed to bring one back.

It turned out that this man was a servant in the Prince's mansion, known for his fondness for brothels, and Li Sheng had been watching him for some time. Today, he happened to be visiting a brothel in the West Market alone, and Li Sheng immediately led his men to arrest him. That night, they took him to the Sili Prefecture prison, merely intimidating him without any torture. The servant trembled with fear and spilled everything he knew, like beans pouring from a bamboo tube:

Sima Rui did indeed plot a rebellion with Wang Yu and others, but as Liu Xian had predicted, others were also secretly involved. The servant said that in mid-June, two men wearing straw hats and black robes visited him in the middle of the night and spoke with Sima Rui for a long time. This was extremely strange, and because it was kept secret from everyone, he, as the gatekeeper, remembered it vividly.

After obtaining the confession, Liu Xian didn't dare delay for a moment and immediately went to inform Sima Yi across the hall. Sima Yi had already gone to sleep for a while, but was suddenly woken up in the middle of the night. He was still a bit annoyed when he heard that someone was plotting a rebellion. He immediately sprang to his senses, grabbed his knife, put on his robe, and went to the main hall to meet Liu Xian, asking to confirm, "Is this matter absolutely true?"

Liu Xian handed over the record and said, "If Your Highness does not believe me, I have also brought witnesses, and you can question them yourself."

After carefully reviewing the notes, Sima Yi became much more alert. He put down the notes and said, "Since it was you who did this, I believe you. Let's go see Grand Marshal now!" If Sima Yi's demeanor was relatively calm, then Sima Jiong, the person involved, could hardly contain his excitement.

When Liu Xian first met the King of Qi, he tried to appear calm. But after reading the record twice, he became flustered and reached for a cup of cool tea. However, as soon as he picked up the cup, he dropped it on the ground, and his dejection was visibly obvious.

When the witness entered, Sima Jiong had lost all will to ask questions. Liu Xian had no choice but to have his servant repeat the confession from the imperial prison, then called him out and asked Sima Jiong, "Grand Marshal, what do you intend to do about this matter?"

Sima Jiong first muttered to himself, "What to do? How should I know what to do?!" Then, he suddenly raised his voice, half-venting as he threw down his confession, and angrily shouted:

"Speak! My elder brother wants to kill me! Tell me, what should I do!"

Liu Xian knew he was angry, so he remained silent. After all, regardless of Sima Rui's character, he was Sima Jiong's elder brother. For an elder brother to plot against his own younger brother, who was the regent, would be a major scandal for the Qi royal family. People would say: "If the Grand Marshal can't even unite his own brothers, how can he govern the country?" This would have a huge political impact on the Qi royal faction.

Sima Jiong has only been in power for a little over a month, and everything has just begun, yet he has already encountered such a difficult problem. How can he be expected to maintain peace?
Sima Jiong slumped in his seat, stared at the roof for a moment, and it took him a long time to recover before he stood up and said, "It seems I can only report this matter to the Emperor and Empress."

So the group hurriedly made their way to the palace. It was already the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), and the originally dim night sky had turned a bluish-purple. When the palace guards saw the two regent princes leading hundreds of imperial guards rushing in with a menacing air, they were instantly on edge, almost thinking that the Grand Marshal was going to depose the emperor.

When the Emperor and Empress, fully dressed, came out to meet the crowd, Sima Jiong immediately burst into tears. After a long while, he stopped crying, then grasped the Emperor's hand and, still sobbing, recounted the whole story, saying, "Your Majesty, what a misfortune for my family! I truly do not know what crime I have committed to incur such hatred from my elder brother! Now my elder brother wants to kill me, what should I do!"

The emperor clearly didn't understand. His eyes widened in bewilderment as he asked, "Your elder brother wants to kill you? Why? Could it be that I'm the one who did it?"

These words left everyone speechless, unable to respond. It was the Empress who reacted quickly, stepping in to defuse the situation:

"Grand Marshal, do not worry, justice resides in the hearts of the people. Since entering Luoyang, Grand Marshal, you have worked diligently day and night, which has been seen by all the officials in the court. In their memorials and discussions of current affairs, they all praise your loyalty and integrity. Even though I live deep in the palace, I have heard about it."

"Family matters have always been the most difficult to explain. Even a sage ruler like Yu Shun had the anxieties of Xiang Ao, and a loyal and filial man like Bi Gan could not win the favor of King Zhou of Shang. The Grand Marshal has already done everything he could for his brother. Since he has committed such a heinous crime, he should be dealt with without mercy and according to the law!"

Xian Rong's words were very appropriate. First, she praised the King of Qi, comparing him to Yu Shun and Bi Gan, thus showing the attitude of the imperial family. Then, she claimed that she would use the law of the country to deal with Sima Rui, subtly taking on the responsibility of killing the King of Donglai, in order to relieve Sima Jiong's burden.

Everyone present couldn't help but admire her. Even Liu Xian secretly remarked: This young empress's official language was truly impeccable. From any perspective, it was flawless. With just a little polishing, she could issue an imperial edict.

And indeed, that was the case. After the Grand Secretary Sima Yue arrived, he immediately used the young empress's words as a basis to draft an edict. After affixing the imperial seal, Sima Jiong, still wiping away tears, handed the edict to Liu Xian and said, "Huai Chong, go and arrest all the relevant personnel. If anyone resists, kill them without mercy. But remember, you must spare my brother's life."

Upon receiving the imperial edict, Liu Xian immediately began arranging the arrests. He summoned Wang Yan, the Prefect of Henan, and Wang Hu, the Commandant of the City Gates. He ordered Wang Hu to seal the gates of Luoyang and extend the curfew, forbidding anyone from leaving the city without his command. The arrests were carried out in two groups: Wang Yan led soldiers from Henan to arrest Wang Yu, Chen Yun, and their associates; Liu Xian himself led eight hundred soldiers from Luoyang County to arrest the ringleaders at the Prince of Donglai's residence.

After gathering all the men, it was almost dawn, and most of the citizens were awake, though still indoors washing and cooking, not yet out on the streets. The sound of Liu Xian and his men's horses galloping through Tongtuo Street was particularly loud in the quiet morning, attracting many people to peer out and watch.

Therefore, when Liu Xian led his men to the Donglai Prince's Mansion, the guards of the Donglai Prince's Mansion already sensed that something was wrong and sealed the gate in advance. When they saw people coming, they started shooting arrows randomly from inside the wall.

But this was no match for Liu Xian. He first ordered his men to guard all the gates of the mansion closely, and at the same time, he brought fifty crossbows from the armory. He immediately broke open the main gate, and as soon as the gate collapsed, the crossbows fired arrows instantly, turning the people in front of the gate into pincushions.

Zhuge Yan, leading fully armed soldiers, stormed in through the gate, brandishing his cleavers and hacking at anyone who stood in his way. The private troops transferred from Donglai were no match for him; after only four or five men died, they scattered, leaving only a few loyal followers guarding the main hall. The soldiers then surged forward, but because the King of Qi had said he would spare his brother's life, they did not rush directly into the hall, but instead formed a crescent shape around the entrance and refused to enter.

Liu Xian walked to the door and said to the assassins, "I am Liu Xian, the Commandant of the Capital Region! You should understand that the Prince of Donglai has committed the heinous crime of treason, which is unforgivable according to the law. But His Highness the Prince of Qi has said that no matter what, the Prince of Donglai is his elder brother and he will spare his life. If you resist stubbornly, he will die on the spot."

These assassins hesitated, so Liu Xian quickly ordered his men to pull them aside. Then, county soldiers rushed into the hall, and before long, the pale-faced Prince of Donglai was dragged out, put on an oxcart, and taken straight to the Sili Prefecture prison.

After he finished all this, another hour passed. Just then, Wang Yan sent someone back to report to Liu Xian on the arrest of Wang Yu and other accomplices of the King of Donglai. The result was also very smooth: the incident was sudden, and Wang Yu and his followers were caught off guard and arrested on the spot by Wang Yan. Including the three clans of those involved, about three hundred people were directly imprisoned in the Henan Imperial Prison.

At this point, everything should be progressing smoothly. Next, Liu Xian only needs to interrogate Wang Yu and the others, cross-examine their statements, and there's a high probability he'll solve the case and further investigate who else is involved in this major crime.

On the very day of their arrest, something unexpected happened. Wang Yu, Chen Yun, and the other masterminds of the rebellion committed suicide en masse in the Henan prison; none of them survived.

This matter sent chills down the spines of everyone in the know. Anyone with a modicum of political common sense could sense a faint, damp chill in the air—the smell of conspiracy. (End of Chapter)