Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 174 Kill me according to the genealogy of the Yuan family of Runan!

The Yuan family was destroyed.

Although the people are still alive, and some members of the Yuan clan of Runan have fled, there is no doubt that the complete annihilation of the Yuan clan of Runan depends only on when the Crown Prince decides to take action.

If Yuan had committed crimes such as embezzlement and perverting the law, even if the repercussions were extensive, it would only result in a few years of silence.

There are many former officials and students of the Yuan family of Runan throughout the land; their reinstatement is merely a matter of waiting for the storm to pass.

But rebellion is different.

The consequence of treason is death!
If the Yuan family of Runan is pardoned for their rebellion today, no powerful family in the world will allow it!

Hey, while a century-old towering tree can certainly provide shade, when those seedlings grow to a certain size, that shade can also restrict their growth.

How can we grow if you don't fall?

The moment the Yuan family of Runan fell, their political allies, relatives by marriage, protégés, and former officials all became the vanguard in denouncing the Yuan family of Runan. They wanted the Yuan family of Runan to perish even more than His Highness the Crown Prince!
If the Yuan family of Runan had succeeded, these people would have become their henchmen, dividing up the spoils of the Han dynasty's demise. But now, the Yuan family of Runan is the loser.

While the Later Han dynasty was a dual monarchy, when the benefactors who promoted them lost their ability to protect them, no one wanted to have two masters sitting on their heads. Why bother repaying a debt of gratitude to someone who didn't deserve it?
Denouncing the traitors and prioritizing righteousness over personal feelings is the perfect opportunity for them to break free from the constraints of the Yuan family of Runan.

It can both demonstrate one's own righteous stance and maximize one's interests!

As for whether you, Yuan Wei, are innocent or not, you have no use to me, so you have to be innocent!

The powerful and wealthy families were like a pack of hyenas who couldn't wait to jump onto the dining table and devour the flesh and blood of the Yuan family of Runan!

We've all started targeting him. What will we do if he doesn't die?
We can't sleep until the Yuan family of Runan is dead!

Therefore, the handling of the case of the Yuan family's plot to rebel in Runan went so smoothly that even Liu Bian was somewhat surprised.

The world is bustling with activity, all driven by the pursuit of profit; this is no exaggeration.

"Your Highness, General Wei reports that more than ten members of the Yuan family in Runan have fled, and the Court of Justice has issued a warrant for their arrest."

Guo Tu looked at His Highness the Crown Prince with excitement. Getting involved in the trial of the Yuan family's major case made him feel... excellent!

How can someone call themselves a cruel official if their resume isn't stained with the blood of some important figures?
He is one of the three highest officials in the court, and also comes from the most prestigious aristocratic family of the time. He is absolutely qualified!

Moreover, he hadn't forgotten the time when that old scoundrel Yuan Kui challenged him in the court, and that scoundrel Han Fu even called him a lowly Confucian scholar in order to help Yuan Kui!

Old scoundrel, you've fallen into my hands!
Liu Bian was unaware of Guo Tu's ulterior motives. His fingers gently caressed the edge of the table as he looked at the list of the dozen or so Yuan family remnants who had escaped, his brows furrowing slightly.

Those dozen or so people were all nobodys and nobodys. Even if we didn't catch them, they wouldn't cause any harm, but we definitely had to catch them.

The reason why it was determined that more than a dozen members of the Yuan clan of Runan had escaped was not through interrogation, but because Zang Ba, who came from the Taishan bandits, was furious when he heard that someone dared to rebel. He smashed the ancestral hall of the Yuan clan of Runan and obtained a genealogy from the clan elders.

Yes, family trees are a good thing. I don't know who invented them, but they are really useful when confiscating property and exterminating ancestors. They can basically eliminate future troubles to the greatest extent.

"Your Highness, what should be done with the brothers Yuan Hong and Yuan Hong?" asked Fa Yan, the Left Supervisor of the Court of Justice, who had entered with Guo Tu.

Fa Yan, the Left Supervisor of the Court of Justice, and the Fa family of Mei County, Fufeng, were descendants of Tian Fazhang, King Xiang of Qi.

After Qin conquered Qi, the descendants of the Tian family dared not call themselves Tian, ​​so they changed their surname to Fa.

During the reign of Emperor Xiaoxuan, the descendants of the Fa family moved to Youfufeng, where they revised the laws and served as officials with salaries of two thousand shi (a unit of grain).
Fa Yan once served in the office of the Minister of Works, and was a former subordinate of Yuan Wei.

However, Yuan Wei's governing philosophy was completely incompatible with Fa Yan's, so Fa Yan voluntarily resigned. He then used his legal knowledge to enter the Court of Justice and rose step by step to become the Left Supervisor of the Court of Justice, which was the third-in-command of the Court of Justice. Although he was not a retainer of the Crown Prince's household, he cooperated well with Guo Tu, who served as the Chief Supervisor of the Court of Justice. He also contributed to the confiscation of the residences of Zhao Rao and his brothers and sons. He also generally agreed with the Crown Prince's governing philosophy and joined the Crown Prince's faction.

Fa Yan's father was a genuine post-2000s Confucian scholar from Kansai, Fa Zhen (born in 100 AD). This 84-year-old man studied the New Text Classics and was known for his integrity and uprightness.

Fazhen, as a great Confucian scholar, participated in the compilation of the official gazette, believing it to be a better means of disseminating etiquette and governing the people.

The real reason why Liu Bian paid attention to Fa Yan was because he had an eight-year-old son named Fa Zheng!
However, Liu Bian did not answer Fa Yan's question, but instead passed the buck back to him, saying, "Gongze, Jimou, what do you two think should be done?"

Yuan Hong had always despised the arrogant, extravagant, and immoral ways of the Yuan family of Runan, so he lived in seclusion and refused to serve in office, not even seeing his brothers, wife, or children.

Yuan Hong was the new name Yuan Hong adopted. He was the younger brother of Yuan Hong. This man had always looked down on the Yuan clan of Runan. According to the arrested members of the Yuan clan of Runan, Yuan Hong changed his name and broke away from the family because he broke with the Yuan clan over the issue of Yuan Shao.

One of them was living in seclusion, and the other had openly severed ties with his clan. Although legally they should be subject to extermination of the entire clan, morally speaking, it was somewhat harsh.

Of course, regardless of whether the Crown Prince ultimately decides to execute the two, it will at least be justified, since they have the blood of the Yuan family of Runan in their veins, and therefore they are guilty.

"I believe he should be killed! Having received the grace of life, he should also bear the consequences of death!"

Guo Tu's meaning was very clear: You were born into the Yuan family of Runan, and you received the kindness of being raised by the Yuan family of Runan. You also got the opportunity to receive education because of the clan. Why should you be spared the death penalty when your family is about to be exterminated for treason?
You merely live in seclusion in the countryside, refusing to compromise your principles, rather than actively doing good and relieving suffering.

As for Yuan Hong, who knows if it was just a little trick played by Yuan Wei, trying to preserve a bloodline of the Yuan family of Runan?

Guo Tu gritted his teeth, made a slashing motion with his palm, and said, "Your Highness, we must eradicate evil completely!"

Liu Bian did not express his opinion. He certainly agreed with Guo Tu's principle of eradicating evil completely, but he did not trust the two men. He was just worried about the negative impact.

After all, he publicly severed ties with his clan, which was a model of not going down the wrong path. Therefore, Liu Bian turned to Fa Yan and asked, "Where is Ji Mou?"

Fa Yan stroked his short beard, pondered for a moment, shook his head slightly, and said, "Your Highness, my views differ slightly from Gong Ze's."

“Although Yuan Hong is a recluse, he is still somewhat famous, and Yuan Hong is also a virtuous man who has openly severed ties with the Yuan family of Runan. Such an execution may invite criticism.”

As soon as Fa Yan finished speaking, Guo Tu glared at him.

What are you pretending to be, kid? You've been working in the Court of Justice for a while now. I know how ruthless you are when you interrogate criminals.
Are you trying to play the benevolent card in front of His Highness the Crown Prince?

But Fa Yan gave him a look that said, "Take it easy," and continued, "Therefore, I believe we should tarnish his reputation and kill him!"

Liu Bian was slightly taken aback. He had thought that a Legalist scholar had emerged who was of great virtue, but he had not expected that he was one who lacked great virtue.

"I believe we should make an article about Yuan Hong's decision to leave his parents and live in seclusion, and criticize him for being unfilial!"

"As for Yuan Hong, he betrayed his clan, which is also extremely unfilial!"

"What harm is there in killing an unfilial person?"

Guo Tu sighed, realizing he was still too young. To smear someone's name before killing them was to destroy their spirit before killing them—it was too ruthless!

"Then let it be as Ji Mou said."

Liu Bian nodded. If this matter weren't somewhat unethical, he would have loved to clap his hands and laugh out loud.

First, they smeared him with public opinion, then they carried out the execution. They did the work of a cruel and ruthless official, but had the reputation of being incorruptible.

Indeed, he is a new generation of Legalist scholar with Confucian skin and Legalist bones!
(End of this chapter)