Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 173 The Mandate of Heaven Lies with the Han, Not Yuan!
The streets were teeming with people. People jostled and shoved for the lucky money distributed by Yuan's servants, while children jumped and sang nursery rhymes joyfully, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.

The restaurants were packed with diners, and pedestrians and patrolling guards were blocked from moving an inch on the street.

Liu Bian stared coldly at the congested street, a mocking sneer slowly creeping onto his lips. In his heart, he felt Yuan Wei was utterly foolish.

Does he really think that after entering the Situ Mansion, he can stop the Crown Prince's guards and the Tiger Guards with such underhanded tricks?
In times of crisis, whether it was Dian Wei, Xu Chu, or elite warriors like Wang Yue and Qu Yi, they all had the courage and determination to pave a path to the Minister's residence with their blood.

Moreover, even without resorting to arms, simply displaying banners would suffice.

The crimson dragon flag with its black border fluttered in the wind, far more effective than the soldiers' attempts to drive them away; no one dared to block the path of these three thousand soldiers.

Those who could settle in Luoyang City, though not necessarily from respectable families, were at least wealthy farmers with assets of over 200,000 coins. Even if they didn't recognize the Crown Prince or the words on the banners, they could still see the gleaming, sharp swords and spears in the hands of the three thousand soldiers.

The Situ Mansion in Yonghe Lane was not far from the Canglong Gate of the South Palace East Gate. Before Yuan Kui could react, three thousand soldiers had already surrounded the Situ Mansion.

When the Yuan family members, disciples, and former officials who were greeting guests outside the gate saw soldiers arriving with weapons, they were about to reprimand them. How could it be so unlucky to have weapons displayed at someone else's door on such a joyous occasion!

But the crimson dragon flag with its black border was far too conspicuous, especially the figure standing on the war chariot. Even those who had drunk some wine and were drowsy were instantly terrified, their faces filled with fear.

Before the disciples and former officials could react, the Yuan family members greeting guests at the door realized they had been exposed, and a flash of panic crossed their faces. One of them quickly reached into his sleeve and pulled out a dagger, his eyes fierce, ready to resist.

But Zhang Xiu, wielding a spear, struck the hand holding the dagger heavily with the shaft.

With a single strike of the spear, a crisp "crack" rang out, and the hand bones shattered instantly. The gleaming dagger clattered to the ground.

"Catch alive!"

Although Zhang Xiu was young, he knew that although the Crown Prince appeared calm and collected, he was probably already seething with anger.

If this member of the Yuan family were to die with a single spear thrust, making his death so quick and painless, it would be too lenient for him.

Wu Qiong, an official in the Situ Mansion, stared wide-eyed at the Yuan family member lying on the ground groaning in pain. He was completely bewildered. It took him a long time to come to his senses. He shook his head vigorously before realizing that this Yuan family member had actually taken the initiative to attack the guards of the Crown Prince's Mansion and the Tiger Guard with a knife.
"What...what exactly happened?"

Wu Qiong pondered that he had only drunk a few cups of wine with a few guests, and it shouldn't have made him lose his mind. How did things suddenly turn into a war?

Liu Bian glanced at Wu Qiong and shouted, "Yuan Kui is plotting rebellion and intends to assassinate me at the wedding banquet. I will capture all of Yuan's traitorous followers!"

"Anyone who dares to obstruct or protect this will be considered an accomplice and executed without mercy!"

At the Crown Prince's shout, the area outside the Situ Mansion, which was originally filled with a continuous stream of carriages and horses, suddenly descended into chaos.

Many people glanced around nervously and quietly left, afraid of getting involved with Yuan Wei.

Whether Yuan Wei's rebellion was genuine or feigned, we must not have any connection with him at this moment.

Moreover, it is an indisputable fact that the Yuan family members took the initiative to draw their swords and attack, which clearly shows that they were guilty.

After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Zhao Qian, who had been transferred from the position of Prefect of Runan to the position of Minister of the Central Capital, suddenly turned red in the face, his temples bulging with veins. Pointing at the gate of the Minister of Works' residence, he jumped up and down, cursing angrily: "Yuan Ciyang, you old scoundrel, you plotted rebellion and dragged us into it! Give me a knife, I will personally kill this traitor for His Highness the Crown Prince!"

Seeing that Zhao Qian, who had always been on good terms with Yuan Wei and had taken good care of the Yuan family when he was the governor of Runan, was the first to jump out, indignantly scolding Yuan Wei, and appearing to be a loyal and virtuous Han official who was completely unaware of being tricked by Yuan Wei, the others also had some thoughts.

Damn it, who cares if the Yuan family really rebelled? The Crown Prince has personally led his troops to kill them. Even if the Yuan family is innocent, they are doomed!
If we don't cut our throats now, are we going to wait until we're imprisoned in the Court of Justice before we cry foul?

Seeing that Zhao Qian had taken the initiative to sever ties with the Yuan family, Zheng Tai, a court official, immediately stood up and joined in the condemnation, shouting, "Traitor! Traitor! How could we have trusted this old scoundrel!"

Seeing the ugly sight of this group of Yuan's protégés, former officials, and political allies quickly cutting ties with Yuan and declaring their stance in front of him, Liu Bian felt utterly contemptuous.

The Han Dynasty nurtured scholars for four hundred years, and this is all the stuff they produced?
“Those who did not participate in the rebellion shall stand outside the gate of the government office and shall not move. Those who violate this rule shall be treated as traitors!”

Liu Bian didn't care much about the group's stance; if they claimed to be unaware, then so be it.
Afterwards, the Embroidered-Robe Envoys would verify each case, and then the Court of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the three departments of the Imperial Library would jointly conduct a trial.

As for taking the opportunity to escape Luoyang City?
Did they really think that the garrison soldiers of the city gate command were maintaining order at the Yuan family's soup kitchen at the city gate?

The Governor of Henan, Jia Xu, took charge of the city gates and sealed off all the city gates. The Vice Commandant of the Imperial Guards, Qian Zhao, moved into the armory. The Grand Master of Works, Cai Yong, closed the weapons forging workshops, and the Vice Minister of the Imperial Treasury, Chen Lin, closed the Imperial Workshop, thus eliminating any possibility that the Yuan family might have hidden troops to seize armor and weapons. The Imperial Guards, led by Xun Shuang personally, along with the Imperial Guards with halberds and the Imperial Guard cavalry under Xiahou Dun, cooperated with the prison officials under Zhong Yao, the Magistrate of Luoyang, and 1,200 convicts under Guo Hong, the Commandant of the Capital, to arrest Yuan family servants and those who intended to rebel or break the law during the chaos within the city.
Yuan Pang, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, led two thousand guards of the Crown Prince's Palace and one thousand Tiger Guards, and commanded Xu Ding, the Commander of the Northern Palace Guards, Wang Yue, Duan Wei, and Gao Lan, the Tiger Guards, to jointly guard the palace and protect the Emperor, the Empress, the Crown Prince, and a group of retainers who stayed behind at the Crown Prince's Palace.

On the war chariot, Dian Wei and Xu Chu exchanged a glance. Dian Wei was skilled in using double iron halberds and throwing small halberds, and was good at fighting in narrow places. Therefore, Xu Chu stayed behind to protect the Crown Prince. Dian Wei roared and led a group of Crown Prince's guards and Tiger Guards into the Situ Mansion like tigers descending the mountain.

Upon hearing the commotion in the front courtyard and the report from his clansmen, Yuan Wei's face turned deathly pale. He swayed, feeling dizzy and disoriented. His hands trembled as he held his forehead, muttering under his breath, "I should have known! Why are Yang Boxian, Xun Ciming, and the other high-ranking officials and ministers so late? I thought it was still early, or that they were too busy with official business to arrive... Hahahaha, I should have known!"

Yuan Kui laughed loudly, his laughter filled with sorrow. Then, he felt a sweet taste in his throat, and a mouthful of blood spurted from his mouth. His body went limp, and he fell backward into Yuan Ji's arms.

"Shiji, Gonglu, surrender now, and don't take court officials hostage." Yuan Kui's face was ashen, his lips trembling, and he said to Yuan Ji and Yuan Shu in a mournful tone, "At least Yuan Shaofu has changed his name and is living in seclusion outside, and the Yuan family of Runan still has bloodlines. Don't go too far."

"Otherwise, the last bloodline of the Yuan family of Runan will also perish!"

Hearing Yuan Wei's words, Yuan Ji fell silent, his eyes filled with struggle.

He really wanted to say that since the Crown Prince had taken Liu Qing, that harlot, as his heir, Yuan Shang should have been able to live. Why should he care about Yuan Hong, who had changed his name and left the Yuan family of Runan?
However, if the impact is too severe, it is inevitable that court officials will hate the house and even demand that Yuan Shang be executed.

So be it, the victor is king and the loser is villain!
Yuan Ji wanted to accept his fate, but Yuan Shu refused.

"We haven't been defeated yet! We still have eight hundred men! My lads, follow me and fight our way out!"

Yuan Shu shouted angrily. He was unwilling to admit defeat so easily. Admitting defeat meant the extermination of his entire family and death. He did not want to die, and at least he could not die such a humiliating death!

Ji Ling, whom I command, is also a man of unparalleled bravery. If we fight to the death, we might not be without a chance of winning!
However, Ji Ling, on whom Yuan Shu had placed high hopes, had already been beheaded.

Dian Wei held Ji Ling's head, blood still dripping from the severed wound.

Dian Wei, his face covered in blood, looked like a demon god descending to earth. He slowly walked towards Yuan Kui, Yuan Ji, and Yuan Shu, the three main members of the Runan Yuan clan and the masterminds of this rebellion. He grinned and said, "Will you surrender obediently, or shall I tie you up myself?"

Looking at the three people in front of him, Dian Wei couldn't help but think of Yuan Shao, who had died at his hands. He thought to himself, "Is this Yuan family of Runan really destined for me? I guess I've wiped them out with my own hands?"

"I advise you to surrender without resistance, and don't even think about drawing your swords to commit suicide, otherwise I will chop your young children into five pieces." Dian Wei wiped the blood from his face, which only made his face look more ferocious and terrifying. "Oh, that is, what you scholars call 'human pigs'!"

"you!"

Yuan Shu was so angry that his face turned red. He pointed at Dian Wei and was about to curse him, but Yuan Ji pushed him back.

Yuan Ji's eyes flashed with resentment, his eyes reddening as he lamented, "Dian Zhongdun, we have already been defeated, can't you leave us some dignity?"

"The law does not apply to doctors!"

Before certain dynasties, "punishment does not apply to high-ranking officials" meant that the five punishments of "tattooing, nose cutting, foot cutting, castration, and capital punishment" were not used on scholar-officials. However, it did not mean that they were exempted from punishment, but rather that "a scholar can be killed but not humiliated," which meant that they would simply be killed with a single blow.

However, in many cases, the rulers of the Warring States period would choose to give the scholars and officials some dignity by letting them commit suicide rather than beheading them on the execution ground, thus keeping this bloody and unbearable aspect hidden from the public.

Faced with Yuan Ji's desperate pleas, Dian Wei grew even angrier.

Today you plead with me for the sake of a prisoner, but if someone were a prisoner today, would you all show them any decency?

With a wave of his hand, Dian Wei's men, Qu Yi and Zhang Xiu, who could no longer contain their excitement, captured Yuan Ji and Yuan Shu respectively. On the contrary, Yuan Kui, the old man who had lost all hope, received preferential treatment from Dian Wei.

Of course, Dian Wei was only worried that Yuan Wei would die before the Crown Prince could deal with him; it was not out of any pity.

Before two quarters of an hour had passed, Dian Wei, covered in blood, escorted Yuan Wei, Yuan Ji, and Yuan Shu out to report to the Crown Prince.

Liu Bian listened to Dian Wei's report and nodded slightly; everything was as he had expected.

In this situation, if the Yuan family wants to turn the tide, it's only if Yuan Ji has the fortune of Emperor Guangwu!
But clearly, destiny lay with the Han, not with Yuan!

(End of this chapter)