Jinting Han people

Chapter 416 Assassination of Yin Yun
It was dusk, and the afterglow of the setting sun still shone on the yellow-green leaves. Shrikes chirped among the branches, and pedestrians strolled along the street, bathed in the warm light, all showing contented expressions. The scene was peaceful and serene.

In the blink of an eye, armored soldiers swept through the streets, their swords flashing and their horses galloping, banners flying and dust billowing, instantly filling the streets with a chilling atmosphere. Seeing this, the common people scurried to the sides of the street like moths to a flame, nervously watching the soldiers' retreating figures. After they left, they began to whisper amongst themselves, wondering what major event had occurred in Luoyang.

As for Liu Xian, he had no time to rejoice at regaining his official position. Instead, upon hearing of Sima Yi's assassination attempt, he immediately became tense. In politics, assassination is rarely an isolated incident, but rather part of a series of political maneuvers. Just like his own assassination attempt on Jia Mo several years ago, regardless of whether the assassination succeeded or failed, Luoyang would certainly not be peaceful afterward.

Without delay, he and Wang Cui immediately mounted their horses and set off. On the way, Liu Xian inquired further from Linghu Sheng about the details:

"When and where was Your Highness assassinated?"

"Half an hour ago, at the Great Xia Gate."

"The Great Xia Gate?" Liu Xian was taken aback and quickly asked, "Was the assassin a gate guard?"

"Yes." Linghu Sheng slowed his horse slightly and said, "There were two assassins in total, both guards of the Great Xia Gate. After Your Highness had a meeting in the mansion, he planned to ride to Xuanwu Field to inspect the Imperial Guards. However, when he passed the Great Xia Gate, these two men, one on the left and one on the right, holding long spears, suddenly attacked Your Highness."

“We tried to arrest the two men, but they resisted fiercely and could not be captured alive, so we had to behead them on the spot. Now, the Court of Justice has sent people to investigate their family background.”

Linghu Sheng spoke calmly, but Liu Xian sensed something was amiss. He turned his head and asked again, "Is Your Highness truly safe and sound?"

Linghu Sheng glanced at Liu Xian without saying a word, but the meaning behind his words made Liu Xian's heart tighten.

Three months later, Liu Xian entered the General of the Cavalry's residence again. Everything seemed unchanged. All the soldiers and servants in the residence bowed to him, as if the previous estrangement had never existed. Passing through the main hall, he could see that advisors such as Sima Yue, Shangguan Si, Yang Xuanzhi, Song Hong, and Zu Ti were being blocked by guards. A group of them blocked the corridor and were not allowed to enter.

Upon Liu Xian's arrival, they made way for him, and Liu Xian then saw Princess Wu of Changsha standing in the middle of the corridor, holding the hand of four-year-old Sima Xian.

When Princess Wu saw Liu Xian, she immediately pulled Sima Xian forward and whispered to Liu Xian, "Lord Liu, Shi Du has been waiting for you for a long time."

The princess seemed to have tear tracks in her eyes, and her voice was very low, which made Liu Xian even more uneasy. He glanced around and found that everyone around him was looking at him, so he didn't say anything and followed the princess inside.

Walking down the corridor, Liu Xian entered Sima Yi's bedroom and immediately froze. Three months had passed, and Sima Yi seemed to have lost a lot of weight. Liu Xian remembered Sima Yi's former shrewdness, competence, and boundless energy. But the Sima Yi before him, with his pale face and emaciated body, inevitably appeared fragile, much like Sima Jiong who had been murdered years before.

He was shirtless, with a white cloth wrapped around his waist. The smell of herbs in the room couldn't mask the stench of blood, which only fueled the unease in everyone's hearts.

He kept his eyes closed, and only opened them again after the maid whispered in his ear that Liu Xian had arrived. He slowly said, "Ah, Lord, you've come."

Sima Yi's voice was low and soft, and the weariness in his eyes was impossible to hide.

Liu Xian strode forward and approached, asking, "Your Highness, are you alright?"

Sima Yi stared at him for a while and said, "The thief stabbed me in the waist. The palace doctors have already examined me. It didn't damage my lungs or internal organs, so it's not a big deal."

"That's good."

"But I'm afraid I won't be able to handle political affairs for the time being."

At this point, Sima Yi coughed twice and continued to Liu Xian, "Although I don't know who instigated this, there is no doubt that there will be a corresponding conspiracy behind it. My lord, I need someone to take charge of the overall situation and thoroughly investigate this matter."

"This person can only be you."

"Me?" Liu Xian said in surprise, "Your Highness, this is probably inappropriate. In any case, I should avoid suspicion now."

“No, it can only be you, Lord Liu.” Sima Yi shook his head slightly, then grabbed Liu Xian and said, “To be able to assassinate me like this, there must be someone from the inner circle around me, just like the Prince of Qi last year. I don’t trust anyone else. Only you, Lord Liu, have been unemployed at home for some time and have not participated in politics, so you are not a suspect.”

"It's truly pathetic to be in this position and have so few people you can trust!"

The princess listened attentively to their conversation, her eyes glistening with tears. Upon hearing this part, she finally broke down, covering her mouth and sobbing.

Sima Yi said to his wife with some helplessness, "Don't cry. Didn't the doctor say that you just need to rest for a month?"

The princess, with tears streaming down her face, complained, "I told you long ago, how comfortable you were back in Changshan! Why did you have to come all the way to Luoyang to suffer? Whoever wants this position, let them have it! What's the point of holding onto it? I may not have taken your life today, but I think I will in the future!"

"Nonsense!" Upon hearing his wife's complaint, Sima Yi immediately rebuked her, "With the country in such a state, who can remain uninvolved? If I'm not in Luoyang, and the Prince of Hejian and his ilk bring down the court, and the rebels march on Luoyang, how can you and I expect to have a good life?! Emperor Wu unified the country, not to be left to his descendants to squander. Don't spout such nonsense!"

He spoke forcefully, which aggravated his wound. He gasped for breath for a moment before saying to Liu Xian, "I'll leave the important matters to you, Lord Prefect. You can act first and report later if anything happens. Just let me know afterward."

Having said this, Sima Yi waved to Liu Xian and closed his eyes again, thus concluding that he had finished explaining the matter. Princess Wu then led him away, instructing him, "I will trouble you, Lord Wu, to take good care of everything."

Liu Xian nodded, his heart filled with mixed emotions. To outsiders, Sima Yi was the emperor's regent, and Liu Xian was Sima Yi's regent. Having reached this point, his position was practically equivalent to the emperor's. Although his power didn't extend beyond the capital, at least nominally, Liu Xian was the supreme ruler of the Jin Dynasty. Was this a historical irony? Liu Xian thought to himself: No matter what, he had to quell the current chaos.

Upon returning to the main hall, the Queen Consort informed everyone that the Prince of Changsha had appointed Liu Xian to temporarily oversee the current political affairs. Most were not surprised, as Sima Yi's private summons of Liu Xian was already a statement in itself. What they were more concerned about was the Prince of Changsha's specific injuries and how Liu Xian planned to manage the court affairs.

Liu Xian took the seat of honor without hesitation. After everyone else was seated, he said, "His Highness was assassinated. Although he was not seriously injured, he is still slightly unwell. Given such a treasonous act, we, as his subjects, should share his burdens." After exchanging these pleasantries, he immediately began to issue orders, saying, "Commander Wang (Wang Hu), from today onwards, the entire city will be under martial law. Until the case is thoroughly investigated, no one except for princes and ministers serving in the court is allowed to leave the streets."

"Hongyuan (Wang Cui), go to Yunlong Gate and take command of the three commanders. Seal all the gates of the palace. Except for food and provisions, no one else is allowed to enter or leave."

"Lord Ji (Ji Shao), you will lead eight hundred men to inventory the armory and guard it on the spot. No one is allowed to enter without my order."

"Lord Zhu Xu (Liu Tun), you shall go to Xuanwu Field now and join Lord He (He Pan) in overseeing the outer army, preparing for the deployment of troops, and await my orders at any time."

"Lord Yang (Yang Xuanzhi), the war in Jingzhou cannot be abandoned because of this. You are responsible for contacting the Duke of Xuancheng. If there is any war, you must inform the court immediately."

"Sikong (Sima Yue), please draft a letter immediately to inform the Prince of Chengdu of His Highness's assassination attempt. It would be best to send it out by tomorrow morning."

"Shizhi (Zu Ti), go and investigate the backgrounds of the two assassins, and compile a list of all the possible culprits for me."

Although it was Liu Xian's first time in this position, his commands were so natural. Seeing his composure and confidence, the apprehension and anxiety that his colleagues had felt dissipated.

The group began to discuss matters as usual.

Liu Xian's plan was quite clear: he suspected a coup attempt within the city and thus directly declared martial law in Luoyang to prevent further action. However, the cost of martial law was enormous. As the capital of the country, Luoyang could not be self-sufficient; its supplies depended on the Grand Canal. Once the people's food reserves ran out, man-made famine would occur within the city. And among all the rulers of Luoyang throughout history, with the exception of Sun Xiu, no one had been able to maintain martial law in Luoyang for more than half a month.

Therefore, Sima Yue asked, "Isn't the Prefect's reaction a bit excessive? The murderer has already been brought to justice. Although there may be other real culprits, is it really necessary to make such a big fuss?"

The others didn't say much, but most showed expressions of approval, since martial law was also a troublesome matter for them.

But Liu Xian was determined. He said, "Given the current state of the country, we can't be too careful, especially since the regent was assassinated. He must be severely punished, otherwise, if Luoyang falls into chaos again, how many people will die before it ends? You know, last year when Luoyang was in turmoil, more than 10,000 people died!"

Under such words, Sima Yue naturally could not refute them, and everyone accepted their orders and left the mansion to perform their duties.

Martial law officially began.

In fact, Liu Xian had not yet seen any evidence related to this assassination attempt, but he could guess that the mastermind behind it was most likely Sima Yong, the Prince of Hejian, and his chief secretary, Li Han. This was their consistent style—unscrupulous and willing to take risks.

In Liu Xian's mind, the fact that the King of Hejian chose to assassinate him actually had two meanings: first, regardless of success or failure, there would be a person of extremely high status in the city who could help them manage the overall situation; second, they were planning to go all in and fight the King of Changsha to the death.

Therefore, Liu Xian judged that a coup was highly likely to occur within the city, and precautions had to be taken. Although this might alert the enemy and prevent the immediate capture of the true culprit, the cost was worthwhile as long as it could disrupt the enemy's plans and schemes.

As expected, after two days of searching, Zu Ti found no clues. Just like the Sima Rui coup case years ago, all the families of those involved had been moved away, leaving only two empty houses. Asking the surrounding neighbors also yielded no clear leads.

"It's alright." After learning the result, Liu Xian pondered for a moment and quickly instructed Zu Ti: "It's alright if there are no clues, the important thing is the greater good! Shizhi, go and arrange for a prisoner's body to be thrown in the west of the city. There must be a letter on it, signed by the King of Hejian, explicitly naming him as someone who wants to assassinate His Highness, understand?"

Zu Ti understood, of course, that Liu Xian was using this as an excuse to fabricate evidence even when there was none, and then pin the assassination charge on Sima Yong.

This is not the way of a gentleman, but when dealing with an opponent like Li Han, all other methods have failed, and Liu Xian must first confirm the other party's guilt.

On the fourth day of martial law, Huangfu Shang returned to Luoyang. As expected, his efforts to mediate the conflict in Guanzhong brought back bad news: the mediation in Guanzhong had completely failed, and under the instigation and enticement of the Prince of Hejian, the various prefectures of Qinzhou had split into two factions and begun a fierce civil war.

After resolving his concerns about the rear, Li Han, the governor of Henan, led an army of 20,000 men eastward under the pretext of taking up his post. He had already marched to Xin'an. If he marched at a rapid pace, he would probably be able to reach the city of Luoyang in just two days.

The unprovoked troop deployment threatening Luoyang was practically tantamount to war, immediately creating a tense atmosphere in the court. Strangely, after advancing to Xin'an, Li Han's army did not continue its advance, but instead adopted a stance of bargaining with the court. Li Han submitted a memorial claiming that he had obeyed the imperial edict and come to assume his post, but Huangfu Zhong was still in Qin Prefecture. He hoped the court would treat everyone equally and conscript Huangfu Zhong to Luoyang as well.

It turned out that he still wanted Qin Prefecture. The court officials breathed a sigh of relief, and many submitted memorials to the court, suggesting that Liu Xian grant Li Han's request and lift martial law as soon as possible. Their reasoning was quite legitimate: to maintain harmony among the imperial clan. However, they seemed to have completely forgotten that the true regent, the assassinated Prince of Changsha, Sima Yi, was still bedridden recovering from his injuries.

Sima Yi had been lying on his bed for seven days. Although he was unable to get up and walk, his health had improved slightly, and he was able to meet with Liu Xian every day to hear a summary of political affairs.

He asked Liu Xian, "Lord, in your opinion, does Li Han intend to target Qin Prefecture?"

Liu Xian naturally disagreed with this view. He laughed and said, "We have dealt with Li Han a few times. He is best at deceiving the heavens and manipulating things. If he wanted to force the court to give up Qin Prefecture, why would he use such extreme means as assassination? This must be a decoy. He is just trying to lure us into a false sense of security."

What is the purpose of relaxing efforts?

"It's hard to say, but there must be an inside agent of his in the city right now, and the purpose of that agent is nothing more than a few things: to get rid of His Highness, seize the throne, and win over the princes."

Sima Yi nodded slightly in agreement, saying, "I think so too, but how should we deal with it?"

Liu Xian pondered for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Your Highness, since Li Han is playing hard to get, then we should play hard to get too. I plan to create a weakness in the city; I don't believe these people won't take the bait!"

(End of this chapter)