Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 155 Yuan Wei Begs for His Remains

Inside Yong'an Palace, the sun hung high in the sky, and warm yellow light shone through the window lattices onto the memorials that Liu Bian was reviewing at his desk.

Liu Bian frowned slightly, a wave of hunger washing over him. His right hand, which was holding the pen, paused for a moment, then he slowly put down the vermilion pen, turned his head to look at Zhong Yan, the Crown Prince's food official, and said, "Zhong Chang, have someone bring me food. I'm a little hungry."

"Yes, sir." Zhong Yan responded, bowed, and hurriedly left to carry out his orders.

Before long, palace maids and eunuchs filed in, bringing out the cooked dishes, not only for the Crown Prince but also for the other officials of the Crown Prince's residence.

Lu Cui, Ruan Yu, Chen Deng, He Qia, and other young talents who had recently joined the Crown Prince's staff were initially quite flattered when the Crown Prince bestowed food upon them.

For several days in a row, the Crown Prince provided food twice a day, along with fruit after meals and snacks such as pastries in the afternoon. The Crown Prince also granted everyone the special privilege of taking a short rest for an hour in the dormitory prepared for the Crown Prince's concubines and servants who were on night duty after lunch.

If someone is too busy with official duties to work overtime and misses their dinner time, the Crown Prince will still provide them with a late-night meal. The Crown Prince's sons and attendants who are on duty will also be given a midnight snack.

The young Chen Deng, Lu Cui and others were quite excited. Even though this was a privilege that everyone could enjoy, it showed that the Crown Prince was indeed a virtuous prince who respected the wise and loved scholars!
Although these are all minor matters, how could anyone not be moved that the Crown Prince remembered them and improved their treatment?
In particular, not all of the retainers in the Crown Prince's residence were wealthy.

For example, Xu Jing, the son of the Crown Prince's concubine, would probably have had to eat only thin porridge and pickled vegetables every day in Luoyang City if the Crown Prince hadn't personally paid off his debts in Runan County, given him a sum of money to settle his family, and arranged a residence for him.

Having just finished lunch, Liu Bian stretched lazily without any decorum, looking slightly sleepy.

After a long night of hard work and an early morning at the office, drowsiness washed over him like a surging tide. He rubbed his aching temples and was about to get up and go back to his bedchamber for a short rest.

Just as he was about to get up, he saw Wang Lang, the Grand Master of the Crown Prince's Gate, suddenly turn back into the hall in a hurry, bow and say, "Your Highness, the Minister of Works and the Grand Master of the Palace, Yuan Ji, request an audience."

Liu Bian yawned, wiped away the tired tears from the corners of his eyes, and then frowned slightly, saying, "Minister Situ and Yuan Ji? What are they doing here at this time?"

Although he did not understand the purpose of Yuan Wei and Yuan Ji's request for an audience, he would not refuse the audience of the Three Dukes and the heirs of the Yuan family of Runan. Liu Bian raised his hand and waved it lightly. Gao Wang immediately ordered the eunuchs and palace maids to remove the bowls and chopsticks. The officials of the Crown Prince's Palace, who were originally preparing to disperse for a rest, also returned to their original seats.

Before long, Yuan Kui, supported by Yuan Ji, slowly and unsteadily entered the hall.

Upon seeing this, Liu Bian was slightly taken aback, then leaned forward, his upper body slightly protruding, his eyes fixed on Yuan Wei and Yuan Ji.

Yuan Wei looked extremely haggard and pale. Yuan Ji's eyes were red-rimmed, and the other Yuan Ji had slightly red eyes and visible tear tracks on his cheeks. This puzzled Liu Bian.

Yuan Wei's voice was hoarse as he said, "This old minister pays his respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"Your subject, Grand Master of the Palace, Yuan Ji, pays his respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Liu Bian strode quickly into the hall, personally helped Yuan Kui to his feet, then offered a helping hand to Yuan Ji, and ordered Gao Wang to offer him a seat. His gaze towards Yuan Kui and Yuan Ji was full of confusion as he asked, "Minister of Works, Shi Ji, what's going on?"

"Your Highness, this old minister has come to plead guilty and beg to retire to my hometown." With Yuan Ji's help, Yuan Kui slowly rose from his seat, his legs trembling slightly, as if he were about to kneel down.

Although Liu Bian disliked Yuan Kui, the Minister of Works, and had long harbored the ambition to use the prestige gained from the consecutive victories in Liangzhou and Bingzhou to stir up trouble for the Yuan family of Runan, he could not allow Yuan Kui, this "highly respected" Minister of Works, to kneel before him at this moment.

After forcibly helping Yuan Kui up, Liu Bian smiled gently and said in a soft voice, "Minister Situ has served the country for decades, and his merits are immense. What crime has he committed?"

Yuan Wei sighed deeply, coughed violently a few times, and slowly said, "This old minister has been lying on his sickbed recently, reflecting on his actions in recent years. As Minister of Works, I failed to restrain my students and former subordinates, which led to my former subordinate He Boqiu colluding with the Yellow Turban rebels to frame an important minister, and my student Han Wenjie committing a great act of disrespect in court."

“After much thought, I am filled with fear and trepidation. I am deeply grateful for the kindness of Your Majesty and Your Highness, and I am even more ashamed. Therefore, I wish to ask Your Highness to allow me to retire and live out my remaining years in my hometown of Runan.”

Yuan Wei's voice was weak and feeble. After speaking, he immediately took the spittoon from Yuan Ji's hand, coughed up a mouthful of bloody phlegm, and had a bloodstain hanging from the corner of his mouth. He looked quite miserable.

"Has the Imperial Medical Bureau not treated Minister Situ?" Liu Bian naturally noticed this scene, deliberately ignoring Yuan Kui's apology and request for retirement, and instead shifted the topic to Yuan Kui's physical condition, looking at Yuan Ji beside him and asking.

Yuan Kui, a cunning old fox who has been in the court for many years, can be called evil, but not stupid. Liu Bian would certainly not underestimate such an old politician.

Therefore, when faced with Yuan Kui's plea for forgiveness and request to retire, Liu Bian would neither agree nor reject it before figuring out Yuan Kui's true intentions.

Yuan Ji sighed heavily, his face filled with sorrow, and said, "The imperial physicians have examined him and said that my uncle is old and frail, lacking vital energy. He caught a cold but did not rest and was busy with government affairs. I'm afraid he won't live much longer." As soon as Yuan Ji finished speaking, everyone in the side hall was somewhat surprised. After all, it had only been a few days since the assessment for candidates for the civil service examination. Although Yuan Kui had seemed slightly unwell that day, wasn't it just a minor cold? How could it be that he wouldn't live much longer?

"Confucius said, 'A dying man's words are good.' This old minister does not know if what I have said is good, but the Yuan family of Runan has been extremely extravagant in my generation, indulging their disciples and former officials. When my late brother (Yuan Feng) was alive, he often reprimanded them, but this old minister did not heed his advice." Yuan Wei looked at the Crown Prince, his eyes full of sorrow, and his tone was particularly weak. He said, "This old minister is deeply afraid that the descendants of the Yuan family of Runan and their disciples and former officials will cause trouble in the future. I have ordered my clansmen to take stock of the clan's assets, keeping only enough land and money to support themselves, and offering all the rest of the land, servants, and wealth to the court."

"Today, this old minister has put aside his old face and begs Your Highness to remember the merits that the Yuan family of Runan has made for the Han Dynasty for generations and to take care of the Yuan family of Runan after this old minister is gone."

After speaking, Yuan Wei disregarded Yuan Ji's obstruction, knelt down and kowtowed three times heavily on the ground. Two hot tears slid down the corners of his wrinkled eyes. He no longer had the majestic demeanor of the current Minister of Works, but instead looked like a frail old man with little time left, worried about the future of his clan and descendants.

When Yuan Ji's attempts to dissuade him failed, he also knelt down on the ground along with Yuan Wei.

Liu Bian narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Yuan Wei and Yuan Ji, who were kneeling on the ground, but made no attempt to help them up.

Yuan Kui's act of begging to retire and requesting preferential treatment for the Yuan family of Runan can be summarized in two words—surrender!
To be honest, from a moral standpoint, Liu Bian was unwilling to accept Yuan Wei's surrender.

“Yuan Kui removed the imperial seal and ribbon to present to the Prince of Chenliu, and helped the Prince of Hongnong down from the palace, whereupon he faced north and acknowledged his vassalage.”

These words lingered in Liu Bian's mind, which was a major reason for his hostility towards Yuan Wei.

In Yuan Wei's heart, there was no Han dynasty, no emperor, only the Yuan clan of Runan, and only his own ambition.

However, as a monarch, no matter how powerful Liu Bian's prestige was, there were some things he could not do according to his personal preferences.

Moreover, Yuan Wei's meaning today is very clear—he can talk, and he can be patriotic!
The Yuan family of Runan humbled themselves, with not only their patriarch Yuan Kui, who was the Minister of Works at court, but also his heir Yuan Ji, both groveling at his feet and begging for his hand over the land, servants, and other family property accumulated over four generations.

For the nation, if the Yuan family of Runan, the most powerful and dominant aristocratic family in the Han Dynasty, can become such a model, then his land survey plan will face fewer obstacles in the future.

After a long while, Liu Bian slowly lowered his eyes, his expression shifting. He then stepped forward to help Yuan Kui up, took the old minister's wrinkled hands in his own, patted them gently, and said in a warm voice, "The disciples and former officials of the Yuan family of Runan are all over the world. It is inevitable that there will be a few scoundrels who use the banner of the Yuan family of Runan to do evil."

"Even among the imperial clan, there are bound to be scoundrels. Aren't Liu Zhong, the Prince of Ganling, and Liu Xu, the Prince of Anping, who were expelled from the clan and removed from the genealogy last year, just like that?"

"Please rest assured, Lord Situ. Shi Ji is also a talented young man of our time. I will trust Shi Ji as much as my father trusts Lord Situ, and I will not mistreat the family of a loyal minister. I will take care of them."

Liu Bian's words separated the disobedience and crimes of He Yong, Han Fu, and others from the Yuan family of Runan and Yuan Kui, the Minister of Works, and also showed Yuan Kui his decision not to punish them for their past transgressions.

"Your Highness is benevolent, this old minister... thanks Your Highness!" Yuan Wei prostrated himself again, his forehead pressed against the floor, thanking the Crown Prince for his benevolence word by word.

The officials of the Crown Prince's residence in the side hall couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

They all more or less saw the Crown Prince's suppression of the Yuan family of Runan, but they never expected to witness Yuan Kui, the current Minister of Works, surrendering to the Crown Prince.

After all the negotiations were settled, Liu Bian personally helped Yuan Kui out of the palace gate and into the carriage, his heart filled with emotion.

Inside the carriage, Yuan Ji took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and wiped the bloodstains on Yuan Kui's forehead from the force of his kowtows. He said angrily, "Uncle, what a disgrace!"

Even though Yuan Ji considered himself to be quite good at maintaining his composure, today's events still left him feeling resentful, and the knuckles of his clenched fists turned slightly white.

However, Yuan Kui, who actually committed this shameful act, remained calm and composed, leaning against the carriage wall, unmoved by Yuan Ji's words. Instead, a relaxed smile unconsciously appeared on his lips.

"Uncle, don't you feel ashamed?" Yuan Ji asked, his face full of doubt.

“Shiji, shame is not terrible; what is terrible is shame that is worthless.” Yuan Wei patted Yuan Ji’s shoulder, shook his head slightly, and said with a deep look in his eyes, “I do not want you to let go of this resentment, nor will I make you forget today’s shame. On the contrary, I hope you will remember everything that happened today.”

"Remember, today's humiliation will be repaid tenfold in the future." Yuan Wei's eyes flashed with coldness, his gaze as cold as frost, and he said in a chilling tone, "For your wedding next month, remember to personally go to Yong'an Palace and invite our Crown Prince to the banquet."

(3181 words)
(End of this chapter)