Jinting Han people

Half a month after the Donglai King's rebellion, July is drawing to a close, and the lingering summer heat is showing signs of fatigue. When the sky is clear, the bright sunlight no longer has a scorching pain, the annoying humidity gradually disappears, and the dry autumn wind howls in, reminding people of the vastness of the world and broadening their minds.

This should have been the most pleasant time of the year, but the officials in the imperial court in Luoyang could not experience this feeling.

Inside the Sili Prefecture, Liu Xian sat upright on the main seat in the main hall, comparing two documents. His expression was as dense as a cloud, revealing no emotion. On either side sat Li Sheng, Lu Yun, Xi Jian, Fu Chang, and other staff members of the Sili Prefecture, discussing amongst themselves, but none showed any joy. This created a tense atmosphere within the prefecture, instilling fear in the kneeling Henan Prefecture prison guards.

After a long pause, Liu Xian finally spoke and asked, "According to your testimonies, it means that Wang Yu and the others committed suicide without being instigated by anyone. It was simply because they were cunning and hid the gold nuggets in their hair beforehand, which is why they weren't discovered. As a result, they ended up swallowing gold and dying. Is that right?"

The jailers on the ground bowed their heads and replied in a panic, "Your Excellency, we don't want to believe it either, but it's true!"

Liu Xian was feeling both annoyed and amused at this moment.

The case of the Donglai King's rebellion, which was recently cracked, can truly be described as a case of starting strong but ending weakly. Although Liu Xian's actions were unintentional—he initially thought Sima Rui had committed some crime and wanted to plead for the people—the outcome was bizarre, leading to the cracking of the first major rebellion case since Sima Jiong, the Prince of Qi, came to power. This was undoubtedly a great achievement, equivalent to Sima Jiong owing Liu Xian a huge favor.

But no one expected that after Sima Rui was captured, this major case would have no further developments.

That night, Wang Yu and the other captured masterminds of the rebellion, as if by prior arrangement, simultaneously committed suicide by swallowing gold in the Henan prison. When their families were interrogated, without exception, they all claimed to know nothing about the major treason case.

According to the servant of the Prince of Donglai's residence who had been captured beforehand, Sima Rui's rebellion was likely not limited to these people; others were also involved in the conspiracy. However, with the deaths of Wang Yu and the others, all these leads were cut off, leaving only Prince Sima Rui of Donglai as the one to question.

As expected, Sima Rui, the Prince of Donglai, insisted on one statement: that only these people had ever participated in the rebellion.

His rebellion stemmed from resentment. After Sima Jiong's uprising, Sun Xiu became suspicious of Sima Rui and imprisoned him. After escaping death, Sima Rui felt indebted to his brother and demanded the right to establish his own government from Sima Jiong. However, Sima Jiong refused, citing Sima Rui's lack of merit. This angered Sima Rui, leading him to conspire with Wang Yu and others to rebel.

Their plan was to first use a banquet hosted by the brothers as an opportunity to kidnap Sima Jiong. Then, they would lead troops into the palace to request an audience with the emperor, submit a memorial impeaching Sima Jiong for usurping power. After deposing him, they would retire gracefully and allow the emperor to rule in his own right.

The plan was full of flaws, and when Liu Xian received the confession, he felt it was an insult to him.

Sima Jiong was always accompanied by nearly a thousand guards, along with several strongmen who were never far from him. Trying to kidnap him at a banquet would be virtually impossible. Even if he succeeded, the palace was filled with Sima Jiong's cronies, numbering in the tens of thousands. What right did the Prince of Donglai have to directly meet the Emperor? The so-called deposing of the Queen of Qi was a joke—allowing the current Emperor to rule personally? Would anyone believe that?
Liu Xian initially thought that it might be because Sima Rui was a fool, but now all the signs indicate that this case is definitely not that simple, and there must be someone behind it pushing things along.

The fact that Guang Wangyu and others could all coincidentally hide gold in their hair and commit suicide is quite incomprehensible. Suicide is an extremely difficult act, requiring immense courage; even a rebel wouldn't prepare for suicide beforehand. How could they all have hidden fragments of gold for suicide when the incident happened so suddenly?
There are only two possibilities then. One is that someone tipped them off in advance, allowing them to prepare. The other possibility is more terrifying: someone has the ability to influence the prison and directly instruct these people to commit suicide inside the prison.

Both possibilities are chilling. Considering the black-clad figure mentioned by the servant, this suggests that there is an undercurrent of opposition against the King of Qi flowing through Luoyang. They possess considerable political power and enormous political ambitions.

The Grand Marshal's office had clearly taken this into account. Therefore, even though Wang Yu and his three clans had been completely exterminated and the case was ostensibly closed, Sima Jiong still instructed Liu Xian to investigate further. During this time, Liu Xian began to investigate the Henan Prefecture prison and interrogate the relevant prison guards, but the result was still nothing.

Liu Xian was also somewhat helpless. He waved for the jailers to leave, and then said to his advisors, "What are your thoughts on this?"

As the second-in-command of the Sili Prefecture, Liu Kun was naturally the first to express his opinion. He shook his fan, frowned, and said, "Huai Chong, the waters here are very deep. Perhaps we should stay out of it?"

Liu Xian said without looking up, "Yue Shi, of course I know there's a lot going on here, but that's the problem. Although I'm not part of the Prince of Qi's faction, these people are so lawless, they certainly won't stop here. We are the Sili Prefecture, and we can't stand idly by no matter what happens in Luoyang. What if they come after us one day? How can we handle that?"

This was a bloody lesson Liu Xian had personally experienced. In Luoyang, in the struggle for supreme power, no one could escape unscathed. Back then, as Sima Yu's vanguard, he was solely focused on striking at the Empress Dowager's faction, neglecting the movements of the other princes. As a result, he was outmaneuvered by Sun Xiu, leading to the complete defeat of the Crown Prince's faction. This time, he was unwilling to repeat the same mistake.

Liu Kun understood his thoughts, but still helplessly spread his hands and said, "You're right, but the problem is that all the clues have gone cold, and we have no way to investigate!"

“Actually, there’s no need to investigate.” Fu Chang interjected, his sleeves tucked in. “My lord, if we’re trying to make this an ironclad case, it will be very difficult for us, because we simply can’t find any evidence, and even if we do, we’ll still offend people. But if it’s just about guarding against treacherous people, we can guard against them without even investigating.”

These words immediately piqued everyone's interest, and Liu Xian asked with a smile, "Oh? What insightful views do you have on the state of the world?"

Fu Chang reached out from his sleeve, sat up straight, and said, "My lord, you are blinded by your own involvement. It is not difficult to guess who the mastermind is. We just need to think about it: if the Prince of Donglai really starts a rebellion and successfully kills His Highness Prince Qi, who will benefit?"

Upon hearing this, everyone understood his meaning. Judging from the current situation, Sima Rui was likely just a pawn put up by the opponent, and it was time to make the difficult decision to discard him. But whoever was behind the scheme always had an ulterior motive. From the perspective of gains and losses, confining the opponent to a relatively small area was not too difficult.

Lu Yun picked up the conversation and analyzed, "Judging from the current situation, if His Highness Prince Qi were to be harmed, the one who would most likely benefit would be His Highness Prince Chengdu."

Sima Ying relinquished his power as regent, voluntarily withdrew his troops from Luoyang, and returned to Ye City under the pretext of caring for his mother, thus gaining considerable prestige. If Sima Jiong had been murdered and a new member of the imperial clan was needed to assume regency, the court's top choice would undoubtedly be Sima Ying, the Prince of Chengdu. Therefore, Sima Ying is indeed the most likely suspect.

But Liu Xian quickly denied it, saying, "It couldn't be the King of Chengdu. He is short-sighted, good at winning people over but not good at using them, and his ability to manage his subordinates is extremely poor. If he had planned this, he could not have done it so secretly."

Of course, Liu Xian had something else to say: all of Sima Ying's actions in this campaign to support the emperor were orchestrated by Lu Zhi. He trusted Lu Zhi's ideals and character, and believed that Lu Zhi would never concoct such a cunning and manipulative scheme.

Lu Yun then said, "I am new here and not very clear about this. Could it be His Highness the Prince of Changsha?"

As soon as he finished speaking, many of the advisors present burst into laughter. Xi Jian waved his hand and laughed, "How could that be? If it was His Highness the Prince of Changsha who did it, how could you not know?"

Lu Yun solemnly replied, "The human heart is hard to fathom, and a trusted confidant is hard to find. How can such an important matter be discussed? You are a senior minister of the General of the Cavalry, but not a direct subordinate. If His Highness the Prince of Changsha has made arrangements, he may not necessarily inform you."

"Please consider this, everyone. Currently, the Imperial Guards are mostly under the command of His Highness the Prince of Changsha. If the Grand Marshal dies suddenly, who is most likely to seize control of the capital and usurp the regency?" "And if someone leaks the news, who will be able to inform Wang Yu and the others?"

Lu Yun's words made some sense, and the smiles on his colleagues' faces faded. After thinking for a while, they looked at each other, incredulous at the possibilities he had made, yet unable to resist speculating further:
That seems to be true. Although Liu Xian was Sima Yi's most trusted minister, he had only known Sima Yi for less than two years. If even friends of more than ten years can be untrustworthy, how much more so a lord whom one has only known for two years?

Moreover, from a purely pragmatic perspective, if Sima Jiong were to die a violent death, Sima Yi, as the second regent, would actually have the opportunity to be the first to assume regency, giving him an advantage over Sima Ying. Furthermore, it cannot be ignored that Liu Xian was indeed the first to inform Sima Yi of the news. If Sima Yi had leaked the information and instigated Wang Yu and others to commit suicide, then everything would make perfect sense.

But if even the King of Changsha has doubts, the problems that arise are enormous. If even Sima Yi, the ruler, doesn't trust Liu Xian, how can Liu Xian establish himself? Moreover, everyone here is Sima Yi's man; there might even be Sima Yi's inner circle among those present!
In the silence, Liu Xian coughed twice and said to Zhuge Yan beside him, "Nan Qiao, Songzi recently sent me three baskets of oranges. They taste much sweeter than those from Luoyang. Take them over and let's share them."

After everyone received a few greenish-yellow tangerines, they peeled them, took a few bites of the flesh, and their tense nerves relaxed a bit.

At this moment, Liu Xian recalled, "It couldn't be the King of Changsha. After I finished talking to him about the case that day, I went directly to see the Grand Marshal and then went to the palace. I was with him the whole time, and there was nothing suspicious about it. If he could fool me like that, then I must have developed an eye disease and am no longer fit to be an official."

His tone was relaxed, and everyone laughed. Lu Yun apologized, "It seems I was being paranoid. But, in your opinion, who is the most suspicious?"

After talking with his advisors for so long, Liu Xian had indeed formed his own judgment. He touched the hilt of his sword with his right hand and said slowly, "If I am not mistaken, it was done by an old friend of mine."

"Who?"

"Li Han, Chief Secretary to the Prince of Hejian".

Hearing this name was completely unexpected. After all, among the loyalist forces, the Western Expeditionary Army had defected on the eve of battle and had not made any contributions. After their success, they received very little reward. Therefore, most people did not regard them as a force, let alone imagine that they could stir up any trouble in Luoyang.

However, Liu Xian understood part of the key point. He said, "The political situation has just stabilized. The three princes who came to the aid of the emperor are all concerned about their own reputation. Even if they have ideas about regency, they dare not bear the crime of causing chaos in the political situation."

"But the King of Hejian is different. Although he is nominally a righteous army, he is actually a member of the King of Zhao's faction and cannot participate in court affairs. As the situation stabilizes, he will have to worry that the King of Qi will use him as an example and remove him from his position as General Who Conquers the West."

"If we take the opportunity to kill the King of Qi, Luoyang will be thrown into chaos. The King of Changsha will probably lose control of the situation and may even fight with the Northern Expeditionary Army again. At that time, the King of Hejian will be able to secure his position in Guanzhong and take advantage of the chaos to profit at his own pace."

"With Li Shirong's intelligence, he is absolutely certain that he understands this point."

"I was wondering before, how could a bunch of Zhao's henchmen still jump out to do things after Zhao's death? Now I think it must be that the King of Hejian, who is also a member of Zhao's henchmen, contacted them."

"Since the rebel army entered the capital, I have heard that Li Shirong has been very active, making connections everywhere. I thought he was trying to exonerate the Prince of Hejian, but after so long, he hasn't come after me, so the reason makes sense."

At this point, the staff of the Sili Prefecture suddenly realized what was going on, and after whispering among themselves, they all agreed with Liu Xian's opinion.

Fu Chang laughed, "Your Excellency's eyes are truly discerning!" But he immediately raised another question: "However, the number of Zhao's traitorous remnants in the court is probably countless. It's impossible to know exactly who is colluding with the Prince of Hejian. How does Your Excellency plan to explain this to the Prince of Qi?"

Liu Xian said confidently, "Although there is no evidence, I am certain that at least one person is in contact with Li Shirong!"

"Who is that?"

“Wang Yan, the Prefect of Henan!” Liu Xian recalled the arrest and suddenly stood up, saying, “This happened in his prison. He was the one who arrested Wang Yu. He wanted everything to be done flawlessly, without leaving any loopholes. In fact, only he could do it!”

"Ah! Him?" The advisors were shocked again. If Wang Yan was secretly instigating this, it would be a major incident. Wang Yifu had held an important position for many years and enjoyed discussing metaphysics to build connections and cultivate talent. He had countless disciples throughout the court and the imperial guards. In his earlier years, he was on par with Yue Guang, but as Yue Guang aged and Wang Yan's family power gradually expanded, he had become the undisputed leader of the aristocratic families.

If he were to collude with Li Han, even Sima Jiong would likely hesitate to take action against him without evidence.

After pacing back and forth a few steps, Liu Xian thought to himself: Lu Zhi was right. The situation in Luoyang is far too complex. A considerable number of people are unwilling to see the court move towards peace. Perhaps they shouldn't be called the remnants of the Zhao King's faction; the Zhao King's faction is merely a facade. Sun Xiu has won them over through enticement. They are after their own wealth and glory, and if they cannot achieve their desires, they would rather choose chaos. Whoever is in power will face opposition.

This major rebellion is just the beginning. It's likely that in the coming period, many will challenge Sima Jiong, just as Sima Yu had planned to do to Empress Jia.

Given this situation, what should I do next?
If these people continue to develop in this way, they will inevitably clash with him. Although they don't have much military power and cannot openly clash with him, no one knows exactly how many people are in the court. His own foundation is still weak; can he withstand such underhanded attacks?
At that moment, Liu Xian instantly recalled Zhang Bin's ten-character strategy: amass a private army, distance himself from court affairs, and delay planning for a posting to a distant region. He immediately made up his mind.

I shouldn't stay in Luoyang for too long. Instead, I should use my authority as the Commandant of the Capital Region to leave this vortex for the time being.

The thought of Bashu being plunged into war filled Liu Xian with anxiety. Now that he had reached this point and possessed a certain degree of autonomy, it was time to make some preparations for leaving Luoyang.

"Prepare the carriage, I'm going to the Grand Marshal's residence." After instructing Meng Tao, Liu Xian said to the others, "You should also pack your luggage, we'll be leaving Luoyang for a while in a couple of days."

"Leave Luoyang? Where to?" The incident happened suddenly, and the staff were unprepared for it.

"After I discussed this matter with the King of Qi, I went to Xingyang to begin the construction of the canal. Once the canal is completed, I will travel to various counties in Sili Province. As the Commandant of the Capital Region, how could I not know the details of each county in the province?"

Is war inevitable? If war is about to break out, what preparations should he make? Thinking about these questions, Liu Xian's gaze swept over the map of Sili Province hanging on the wall: Henan, Hebei, and Hedong—he planned to visit them all. (End of Chapter)