Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 176 Your Highness, I desperately want to be one of the Three Dukes!

The Crown Prince and the Emperor, though differing by only one character, are worlds apart.

Neither Liu Hong nor Liu Bian intended to cover up the news.

In a normal succession to the throne, there would be a new emperor and a new court, and some people would always worry about losing their power. However, in the year since the crown prince became regent, the power distribution has been largely maintained.

Or perhaps the crown prince did not dislike these veteran officials; in fact, many of them were highly valued by him.

Moreover, those who would actually lose power due to the crown prince's ascension to the throne mostly lost power gradually during that year.

For example, He Jin, and Yuan Wei.

As for the court officials who opposed the idea of ​​a 29-year-old emperor, who was in his prime, handing over the throne to the crown prince, there were some, but they quickly fell silent.

Firstly, the scholar-official class generally lacked goodwill towards Liu Hong, the emperor who had instigated the second persecution of the partisans.

Secondly, after Yuan Wei's downfall, the court was almost entirely composed of the Crown Prince's faction.

Thirdly, once a few opponents were found to be connected with the Yuan family of Runan in their plot to rebel and were included in the list of those implicated, no one dared to oppose them anymore.

The Yuan family's rebellion case was a very useful tool; anyone who opposed Liu Bian's policies could be included in the list of Yuan's accomplices.

This tool will be within its shelf life for at least the next decade.

This is why Liu Bian didn't care much about whether Yuan Wei, that old scoundrel, had truly surrendered or was feigning it.

Yuan Weizhen surrendered and actively cooperated with reforms such as land surveys, leading the gentry across the land to accept the new policies.

Yuan Kui feigned surrender, using the pretense of being a member of the Yuan clan to coerce the gentry into accepting the new policies.

Although the latter did not sound like the righteous path, it was beneficial to the country and the world, and Liu Bian believed that this was the right path.

As news spread that the emperor would abdicate and become the retired emperor, and the crown prince would ascend the throne, the officials in the crown prince's palace were extremely motivated.

get off work?

I'm going to work overtime, and nobody can stop me!
Former officials and current retainers of the Crown Prince's residence—these were all ministers from the Prince's former residence!

Because of Yuan Shikai's treason case, many important positions in the court have become vacant!

In other words, they are all original shareholders!
Their struggle is not only to serve the Crown Prince, but also to increase the value of the original shares they hold!
Yong'an Palace, Main Hall
Liu Yan, the Minister of Ceremonies, would visit the Crown Prince once a day, arriving at Yong'an Palace early each morning to strongly urge the Crown Prince to appoint new Three Dukes as soon as possible.

"Your Highness, the Grand Commandant and the Minister of Works are both seriously ill, and the traitor Yuan Kui has been removed from his position as Minister of Education. The positions of the Three Dukes are almost vacant, which is extremely inappropriate for the operation of the court."

"This old minister suggests that a highly respected and virtuous official be selected to fill the position, and most importantly, he must be loyal to Your Highness!" Liu Yan looked intently at the Crown Prince, his eyes full of expectation, almost as if he were saying that he himself was the most suitable candidate.

If the appointment were to be filled through the normal procedure, Liu Yan, the Grand Master of Ceremonies and head of the Nine Ministers, would naturally be the first candidate to fill the vacancy!
As for Liu Yan's high moral character and prestige, his ability to serve as the Minister of Ceremonies and Sacrifices was itself an acknowledgment of his virtue.

When it comes to loyalty, Liu Yan, as a member of the Han imperial clan, believed that he had a natural advantage in loyalty to the crown prince!
The standards proposed by Liu Yan were actually based on himself as a template.

Liu Bian was somewhat exasperated by this relative's persistence and relentless pestering. He leaned back slightly against the jade armrest, propped his cheek with one hand, gave him a helpless glare, and said, "Minister of Ceremonies, the position of one of the Three Dukes is already within your grasp, why are you in such a hurry?"

Seeing Liu Yan's persistence, Liu Bian simply promised him the position of one of the Three Dukes, then raised his hand to signal Gao Wang to order Dong Huang to prepare the carriage, his eyes revealing a hint of impatience.

Liu Yan remained persistent, his eyes filled with urgency, and said, "Your Highness, I haven't swallowed yet, I'm so hungry!"

The Crown Prince is about to enter the Ministry, and Liu Junlang also wants to enter the Ministry! Liu Bian laughed angrily, suddenly sat up straight, and pointed at Liu Yan with a slightly harsher tone: "The Grand Commandant is ill, and the Minister of Works is seriously ill. Do you think I'm going to dismiss them at this time? Or do you, Liu Junlang, want to skip the position of Minister of Works and directly become Minister of Education?"

Liu Yan's face turned deathly pale instantly, and he immediately prostrated himself on the ground, saying that he dared not.

Liu Bian sighed, waved his hand, and ignored Liu Yan. He had arranged to visit Zhang Ji today, with Dian Wei accompanying him as a guard. The Crown Prince's tutor, Jia Cai, would bring two carts of tonics and gifts, and Dong Huang would drive the carriage to the Minister of Works' residence to visit Zhang Ji.

When the Crown Prince's carriage arrived at the Sikong Mansion, Zhang Ji's family, who had already been informed by the Crown Prince's tutor Jia Cai, were all waiting for the Crown Prince outside the mansion gate.

Zhang Ji's only son, Zhang Gen, and his mother, along with a group of family members, stood at the front, their eyes filled with tears and their expressions sorrowful.

"Zhong Jiang is here too."

Liu Bian spotted Zhang Ji's younger brother, Zhang Xi, the Minister of Civil Affairs, in the crowd. He narrowed his eyes slightly and observed the man discreetly.

With a sorrowful expression, Zhang Xi slowly bowed to the Crown Prince, his eyes red and his voice choked with emotion, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness. I have just arrived and have not yet had the chance to visit my elder brother."

“Alas, I have visited you every day, but your condition is getting worse every day. I am really unable to concentrate on handling state affairs, so I asked the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat for leave and used my previous New Year’s Day leave.”

The Han Dynasty had already developed a rudimentary system of welfare for its officials. Although it was not as generous as some later dynasties, as an early feudal dynasty, it laid the foundation for the welfare system for officials in later generations.

In addition to the five-day rest period, officials of the Han Dynasty also had holidays such as the summer solstice, winter solstice, Spring Festival (New Year's Day), and Laba Festival. They were entitled to 27 months of bereavement leave for the death of their immediate family members, as well as normal sick leave.

However, if a sick leave exceeds three months, the official shall be dismissed from office. But after recovery, the official may be appointed to a new post with priority based on the position held before the illness.

If an official is unable to take a normal vacation due to busy official duties, the court will reserve the vacation time, which the official can apply for to use at a suitable time. This is known as compensatory leave.

During the Lunar New Year period this year, due to the Yellow Turban Rebellion, most officials in the court were unable to take a normal holiday. They only had a New Year's Eve dinner with their families and returned to their offices to continue working on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year.

"Alas, has Lord Yuanjiang been lucid these past few days?" Liu Bian asked Zhang Xi as if it were a casual remark.

Zhang Xi lowered his head slightly, wiping away tears from the corners of his eyes with his sleeve. Then he raised his head, his eyes filled with sorrow and despair, and said, "My brother was only slightly lucid yesterday for a short while before he became delirious again. These past few days, he has even had difficulty swallowing rice porridge. I'm afraid..."

At this point, Zhang Xi could no longer control her emotions, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Liu Bian nodded slightly and patted Zhang Xi on the shoulder, but said nothing.

He ordered the Imperial Medical Bureau to assign six physicians to attend to Zhang Ji and take care of him, so that they would know his daily physical condition very well.

He asked this question simply to test Zhang Xi's character and to judge whether Zhang Xi was deliberately trying to create an image of brotherly affection in front of him in order to win his favor.

If what Zhang Xi said is true, and he insisted on visiting his brother every day, then Zhang Xi would not be unaware of Zhang Ji's condition.

Zhang Xi's answer was consistent with the actual situation. Even if he was just putting on an act, many things in the world can only be judged by actions, not intentions. Being able to do this much already makes him a person of good character.

Of course, he wouldn't test Zhang Xi for that purpose alone.

Zhang Ji was a pillar of the eunuch faction. If Zhang Ji were to die, it would be detrimental to the balance of power among the various factions in the court.

The eunuch faction should not be too powerful, but it should not be too weak either.

In Liu Bian's governing philosophy, the eunuch faction should neither expand excessively nor weaken too much; only by maintaining a relative balance among the various forces could the stability of the court be ensured.

The best way to check and balance the court was to promote a new eunuch official to replace Zhang Ji.

(End of this chapter)