Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 3: Two Dynasties Crown Sword Hate Qiao Zhou (4.2k)

Seeing that the two were silent, Liu Chan spoke slowly:

"I heard rumors that when I woke up in the ancestral temple yesterday, I spoke barbaric and evil words.

"At that time, a red crow happened to be hovering in the temple of the late emperor, chirping incessantly.

"Then some people said that the bird was not a red crow, but a cuckoo.

"Then someone else echoed this, saying, 'The ancient Shu Kingdom of Emperor Wang was usurped by Bie Ling, and after his death he turned into a cuckoo. Today, the Emperor is unlucky and speaks evil words, and there are cuckoos chirping in the temple, which may be a sign that the cuckoo has taken over the magpie's nest.'"

"Is this true?"

Wan and Yun's expressions became increasingly solemn and strange.

The serious thing is that those evil rumors eventually reached the palace and reached the ears of the emperor.

The strange thing is that this emperor, who always behaves timidly and cautiously when facing major events, now seems to be deliberately creating an attitude to make himself appear calm.

After hesitating for a few breaths, Jiang Wan spoke first in a respectful tone:
"Your Majesty, this is indeed the case, but the chirping bird may not really be a cuckoo."

Liu Chan's heart was slightly moved, but he remained silent.

Although it was his first time meeting the ministers, he could feel that the respectful expressions displayed by Jiang Wan and Dong Yun at this moment were indeed the same as the scenes in Adou's memory.

It does not come from the heart, but only out of courtesy.

So he couldn't help but sigh secretly that Adou really didn't have the temperament of a ruler.

I don't mean to belittle Adou. After all, Zhaolie has the style of Emperor Gaozu, and Adou is also similar to Liu Ying.
He was also almost abandoned by his father, which made him timid in dealing with the world. He was also suddenly given the weight of the Nine Cauldrons at the age of sixteen. His inability and fearlessness to act are indeed understandable.

However, “understandable” does not mean that there is nothing wrong with it.

Since you are sitting in this position, you must have the awareness and responsibility to sit in this position.

Five years after he ascended the throne, he was still not familiar with state affairs. Because the prime minister's office was doing a good job and he was afraid of making mistakes, he put all his responsibilities aside on the grounds that "the country is in danger and I am afraid of making mistakes."

When the prime minister was in office, he was more restrained and pretended to do things accordingly. But after the prime minister moved to the north, he immediately let himself go and indulged in pleasure, to the point that laziness and inaction had become a habit.

Not to mention the distant past, just a few days ago, he actually proposed to take a concubine!
At a time when soldiers are risking their lives and the country is facing the fate of the country, instead of setting a good example and supporting the war on the front lines, you are actually thinking about taking a concubine?

If Dong Yun had not sternly rejected the idea, and he had really taken a concubine, and the news reached the front line, who knows what the soldiers would think.

Who wouldn't look down on such an emperor?
Now that Liu Chan had just traveled through time, he could intuitively understand the meaning of "ministers are not loyal" and found himself in the situation of "the ruler is young and the country is in doubt".

Thinking of Cao Rui of the pseudo-Wei side, who had been on the throne for only two years but had already become "calm and resolute, acted according to his heart, made his own decisions, and had the demeanor of a great ruler", one could not help but feel touched and uneasy.

After a long silence, Liu Chan said tentatively:
"Isn't it Zigui?
"Did anyone understand the barbaric nonsense mentioned in the rumor yesterday?"

Wan Yun and the other one shook their heads.

Liu Chan felt a little relieved:
"No one has ever understood what the so-called 'cuckoo occupying the magpie's nest' means."

"Are you saying that my country of Bashu will also be usurped by thieves like Emperor Wang?
"Or perhaps, are you saying that my soul has been taken away by that cuckoo bird?"

When he first heard this "rumor" in the palace from the eunuch holding the lamp at the door, he was also a little confused.

The first thought was, could it be that Adou turned into the cuckoo bird?

The Emperor of Dou places his affection on the cuckoo?
This is a bit too mysterious.

The second thought was that if he really said "barbarian nonsense" when he was half asleep and half awake, and a strange bird happened to come, would the officials in Shu think that he was possessed by an evil spirit?

However, Liu Chan had no memory of this so-called "barbarian nonsense". When he opened his eyes, he was lying on the bed, shocked.

Similarly, he did not find any trace in Adou's memory.

Adou's last memory was a solar eclipse and an earthquake occurring at the same time, followed by the sound of houses collapsing and tiles breaking, and then nothing.

"Your Majesty, there is no need to pay attention to these rumors. They will waste your precious time. I and the Chief Secretary will handle this matter and share your worries." Dong Yun spoke respectfully and sincerely, but did not give Liu Chan a direct answer.

Including him and Jiang Wan, all the core staff of the Prime Minister's Mansion were somewhat overwhelmed by what happened yesterday.

Whether out of instinct or reason, he did not think that the emperor was as calm as he appeared on the surface.

Even after hearing that "it is true", the emperor remained calm, even though his actions today were somewhat incomprehensible to him.

Liu Chan was thoughtful for a moment, then spoke in a gentle and sincere voice:

"I understand clearly that the Minister of State is sincerely trying to share my worries.

"Please send my eunuchs away and prevent these matters from reaching my ears... Sharing your worries like this... seems unethical to me."

Dong Yun's heart suddenly shook.

Does this mean that he is isolating himself from the outside world and abusing his power?!
"I acknowledge my guilt!" He immediately bowed, a huge wave of horror already rising in his heart.

This emperor, who has always been innocent and natural, is actually testing him today?
In shock and confusion, Dong Yun's thoughts raced, and he finally made his own judgment on the emperor's abnormal words and deeds today.

Most likely because of the strange changes in the world and the spread of rumors, the emperor was frightened and instinctively wary of everyone, so he wanted to use this calm attitude to cover up his uneasiness.

And asking them about what happened yesterday, and the meaningful words "not in accordance with etiquette" just now, were also to test whether he and Jiang Wan had become estranged because of yesterday's incident.

But...why has it come to this?
Thinking of this, Dong Yun, who had been bowing with his hands clasped in front of his chest, didn't know whether to be happy or sad.

Suddenly, his heartbeat stopped again, and he suddenly thought of the eunuch who had been instructed by the emperor to spread false information to the court!

The emperor was not just testing him and Jiang Wan?
The emperor was actually suspecting that the eunuch who was in charge of delivering the message just now might have been arranged by the two of them to monitor the people around him!
That's why they deliberately let the eunuch perform such a drama in front of them.

The emperor only needed to observe his and Jiang Wan's reactions after entering the Xuanshi Hall to easily determine whether the eunuch had leaked the information.

Thinking clearly about the key points, Dong Yun was in a trance for a moment, as if in a dream. The emperor's move was a double win.

Firstly, he made sure that there was at least one attendant by his side who would not leak any information, would obey his orders, and would even dare to violate his authority and deceive him and Jiang Wan.

Secondly, it confirmed that he and Jiang Wan, the two main officials in the palace, were determined to assist and advise the emperor, and their determination had not been shaken by the strange phenomena in the world and the misleading rumors.

At this time when suspicion was expressed between the upper and lower classes, it was indeed a good tactic for the emperor who was in a state of panic and anxiety.

But...is this still the emperor who becomes confused and has no firm opinion every time he meets his ministers?
Is this still the emperor who was looked down upon by his ministers and secretly mocked by them for "looking unremarkable from sight, yet fearless in front of them"?

"The statue of the late emperor was smashed to pieces?!" The young emperor, who had been pretending to be calm, was now filled with shock and doubt.

Dong Yun came back to his senses with a start, and raised his head to look at the emperor in confusion, but saw that the emperor's eyes were fixed on Jiang Wan.

Then he turned his head with a confused look on his face and looked at Jiang Wan who was leaning over and nodding beside him.

Why are you talking about this suddenly?

At this thought, Dong Yun was immediately ashamed, realizing that he had just lost his composure. He was completely unaware of how the emperor forgave him, and he had no idea when Jiang Wan brought the topic to the destruction of the previous emperor's statue.

In fact, if there were only the solar eclipse earthquake and the so-called demon bird stealing souls yesterday, they might have been able to cope with it.

Unfortunately, the statue of the former emperor was smashed to pieces.

Unfortunately, only the statue of the previous emperor was smashed.

As a result, not to mention the group of people in Shu who already wanted to surrender, even he and Jiang Wan felt like they were facing a formidable enemy. As for the other staff members in the prime minister's office, they were even more panicked and could not concentrate.

Liu Chan caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye that Dong Yun, who had been stunned just now, finally made some moves, but he didn't have the energy to pay any more attention to him.

I can't help but complain, what the hell is this!
There were solar eclipses and earthquakes occurring simultaneously, strange birds circling and chirping incessantly, and the emperor falling into a coma and uttering evil words, but that was not all.

As a result, the beams and pillars of the ancestral temple collapsed due to the earthquake, and the statues of the previous emperor were smashed?!
The smashing of Zhaolie's statue was like the last straw that broke the camel's back, causing Liu Chan, who had just been immersed in his acting skills, to feel a sudden surge of pressure.

After calming down, Liu Chan asked Jiang Wan to continue.

The results are even more outrageous.

Apart from the Zhaolie Temple, the Zhaolie statue and Emperor Liu Chan, not a single house or citizen in the entire Chengdu was harmed by the earthquake!

No matter how prepared Liu Chan was, he could not bear it at this moment.

Isn't my mission as a time traveler to march north and east to unify the country?

As the emperor, what he should do is not to lead the army in person, lead Zhao Zilong into Cao's camp and kill him seven times, or to wave his hand in front of the two armies and push forward with the dragon flag, heading straight north?

How come we've completely strayed from history even though we haven't done anything yet?!

There was silence in the Xuanshi Hall for a long while.

Liu Chan could only calm down again and continue to ask Wan Yun and the others:

After yesterday’s strange phenomena in heaven and earth, what was the debate among the ministers and government officials about “the signs of national destruction” and “who holds the mandate of heaven”?
Wan and Yun had nothing to hide or conceal anymore, and told the ministers the treasonous words and the rebuttals of the prime minister's staff one by one.

Let’s not even mention the prophecies such as “Emperor Wang lost Shu”, “the soul was captured by a demon bird”, and “the one who will replace the Han Dynasty will have a high path, high means majestic, and majestic means Wei”.

The prime minister's staff argued with them, saying that while the pseudo-Wei said with compassion that "the people are starving, their clothes are too short and incomplete, and the fault lies with me", it was also persistently imposing heavy taxes on the people who settled in the military farms.

The Prime Minister developed water conservancy projects, taught the people how to farm, suppressed mergers and acquisitions, and reduced taxes and levies. After only a few years of governing Shu, the people had more food and clothing than during the reigns of Emperors Huan and Ling.

The great scholars said that Cao Wei’s policy of military farming saved countless lives. If there had not been this policy, those people who farmed there would have turned into a pile of bones long ago, and they would not have had the chance to look hungry or have no clothes to wear at this moment, right?

As for the Ge family governing Shu, if the four seas could be united soon and the Ge family's abilities could be used by the king, wouldn't it be a blessing for the world and all the people?
The staff of the Prime Minister's Office argued with them, saying that the pseudo-Wei abolished conscription and recruitment of soldiers and established "Shijia", which made the soldiers' children and descendants forever belong to the military class.

A system of staggered labor was also established, in which soldiers' families were taken as hostages, forcing soldiers to be separated from their loved ones and unable to see each other for several years. If any of them surrendered or escaped, their entire family would be implicated.

As a result, all the four territories of the pseudo-Wei Dynasty looked down upon the families of scholars, and the scholars also despised and hated themselves, and were unwilling to serve as soldiers forever. As a result, one or two out of ten children were not raised or even drowned, and the situation was getting worse.

If this continues, how can the pseudo-Wei Dynasty not perish?
The great scholars said that since ancient times, severe laws have been used in times of chaos, and Cao Wei's "scholar family" and the corresponding "interchangeable labor" system were just stopgap measures.

Furthermore, didn't this system have a role in restraining those soldiers and ruffians? Didn't this system protect the people from the suffering of war?

Haven’t you seen Wei Wu destroy the Yuan family in the north?
Haven’t you seen Wei Wu’s edict to pacify the Central Plains?
Haven’t you seen Wei Wu unify Jiangbei?
Without unity, how can the people live and work happily?
You, Liu, pretended to be benevolent, righteous, and moral, but in the end you still fled to hide in Bashu?

Since he is unable to unify the country, he still launches wars in the east and north, causing numerous casualties. Isn't this harming the people and is against benevolence and righteousness?
If the world were unified sooner rather than later, would the system of military farms, scholar households, and staggered labor service still continue?!

The Prime Minister's staff continued to argue, saying that the pseudo-Wei forced the widows of fallen soldiers to remarry other soldiers;

It has long been a decree that the widow of a deceased soldier who has remarried of her own accord must be forcibly remarried by her husband's family;

What's even worse is that in order to get promotions and recognition, some people even forcibly abducted the wives of ordinary people and remarried them into the families of scholars as a political achievement!
The great scholars still believe that as long as the world is unified soon, all these evil policies will disappear and the people will all live a good life!

As for how to unify?
These loyal ministers of Jingwei, who wanted to become famous by "singing songs of generosity in Chengdu and being prisoners of Shu calmly", did not say it too bluntly, but those who understand will understand:
The reason why people all over the world are worried about food and clothing and dying on the battlefield is all due to you, Liu Bei and your son Liu Chan, being greedy for power. If you had surrendered earlier, people all over the world would have lived a good life!
Liu Chan could hardly suppress his anger as he heard one piece after another of riotous talk that disturbed the morale of the army and shook the foundation of the country.

The people of Cao Wei were exploited and abused, and I turned out to be the culprit!

When the day comes when I am in power, or when things are hopeless and I have no way to retreat, I will definitely let these mouthpieces in Shu know what "I don't eat beef" means!
While cursing, he wrote down the names of these people in his little notebook. When Wan Yun and the other two fell silent, he spoke angrily:
"In the past, Zhang Yu caused chaos among the people. He first said, 'The Liu family's fortune is over,' and then said, 'We must not fight for Hanzhong, or the army will be at a disadvantage.'"

"When the former emperor captured Hanzhong and was about to execute him, the prime minister insisted on sparing Yu's life. The former emperor said to the prime minister, 'The fragrant orchid growing at the door must be exterminated.' So Yu was executed in the market.

"How is the Prime Minister's fight for Longyou different from the previous emperor's attack on Hanzhong?

"And what's the difference between this barking lunatic and Zhang Yu?!
"I cannot bring such a black sheep to justice, and he will surely ruin the Prime Minister's Northern Expedition plan!" Liu Chan no longer concealed his anger and slammed his fist on the table.

Under the crown, the twelve jade tassels that had been hanging quietly for a long time swayed and made incessant noises.

(End of this chapter)