Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 181 Offering a Pledge of Allegiance, Overseeing the Execution of Yuan Shi

The 9th day of the 5th month of the 7th year of Guanghe.

The capital city of Luoyang was shrouded in a misty, damp atmosphere. Liu Bian stood at the palace gate, gazing at the few willow trees outside. The willow branches seemed to droop exceptionally low today, with water droplets condensing on the tender green leaves, causing the branches to tremble slightly in the heavy, humid air.

Pedestrians walked on the damp street, each breath carrying a heavy moisture, a stuffy feeling washing over them, and the beads of water on their foreheads were hard to tell whether they were condensed moisture or salty sweat.

In the alley, the clothes that people hung out to dry in their courtyards were slow to dry. The women could wring out half a palm's worth of water when they reached out and squeezed them, and had no choice but to hang the clothes back on the line.

Even in the cracks of the rammed earth city wall, a few fine mosses quietly sprouted.

This year, the rainy season started nearly half a month earlier than usual, and the damp air and continuous heavy rain have had a certain impact on people's lives.

However, at least for now, the imperial court has not received any reports of flooding from various places. Nevertheless, Liu Bian still ordered the Ministry of Personnel to issue a strict order to the counties along the two rivers, urging them to pay close attention to the rising water levels of the two rivers and not to be negligent in the slightest, let alone take any chances.

Alas, although the great nation of China has two mother rivers, the mother rivers of other countries are gentle and nourish fertile and flat plains, but the two mother rivers of China are cunning and violent.

Throughout five thousand years of history, these two mother rivers have always been telling their children that only the strong are worthy of being their children!
If we don't develop water conservancy, we'll be severely punished by the Mother River; if we develop water conservancy on a large scale, we'll also be severely punished by the Mother River!

However, even if the Yellow River overflows today, and even if the floodwaters inundate Luoyang City, it cannot change the fate of the Yuan family of Runan's destruction.

Three thousand elite imperial guards escorted the prisoners of the Yuan family through the bustling city.

The prisoners of the Yuan family hung their heads, their steps unsteady, their faces ashen, mechanically moving their shackled feet.

Long ropes linked more than ten people together, their wrists were tightly bound to the ropes, and they were wearing handcuffs that clearly marked their names, ages, appearances and crimes. In addition, they were wearing heavy shackles on their feet, making it truly impossible for them to escape.

Liu Yan, the Minister of Ceremonies, stood early on the makeshift execution platform in the bustling city, his hands behind his back, gazing at the leaden clouds. From the depths of the clouds came occasional rumbles of thunder, startling the peddlers and laborers who all looked up to see swallows flying low close to the eaves, making the atmosphere even more oppressive.

Apart from Yuan Kui, Yuan Ji, and Yuan Shu, who were sentenced to be torn apart by chariots, the main branch of the Yuan clan was sentenced to be cut in half at the waist, while the rest of the Yuan clan members were sentenced to beheading.

The execution site was usually outside the palace gates for nobles and powerful families.

Those who could gather outside the palace gates to carry out executions were mostly nobles and powerful families of similar status. The targets of the executions were precisely them, so it was sufficient to set the execution site outside the palace gates; there was no need to deliberately display it to the common people.

However, the Crown Prince chose to hold the execution of the Yuan clan in the bustling city center, allowing all the people of Luoyang to witness the execution. He had no intention of giving the Yuan clan any dignity whatsoever, and wanted to expose their ugly fear of death before execution and their miserable state after death to the people they despised without reservation.

Not only that, the Crown Prince also canceled their privileges of having dinner before their execution and breakfast on the day of their execution, citing the reason that "the Yuan family of Runan is extravagant and has no need for a full meal."

Death row inmates are usually allowed two full meals before they die.

One meal was the evening before the execution, and the other was the breakfast on the day of the execution. The quality of the meal depended on the offender's status and position before the execution, and sometimes even included alcohol. But now, the Yuan family members were denied such treatment and could only walk to the execution ground hungry. Around the execution ground, countless onlookers had already gathered. They watched as the Yuan family members, who were usually high and mighty, were now disheveled and dirty, their hair sticking to their faces, with a few strands of weeds tangled in it, their faces covered in filth and tear stains, looking even more wretched in the damp air.

Their tattered clothes revealed pale, swollen skin through the holes. Hunger had made them hunched over, their bellies so sunken they almost touched their backs, and their legs trembled incessantly, whether from hunger or fear, it was hard to tell.

"Father, His Highness the Crown Prince's job... is not easy."

Liu Yan's eldest son, Liu Fan, stood beside his father. Looking at his father's sorrowful appearance and then at the batches of Yuan clan members arriving at the execution platform, he couldn't help but sigh.

The most prestigious aristocratic family in the land is about to vanish into thin air, which makes this young man, whose resume is not yet very rich, feel somewhat emotional.

Liu Yan did not respond to his son's words, but stared at the increasingly gloomy sky, his brows furrowed with deep sorrow.

When the Crown Prince ordered him to oversee the execution of the Yuan family yesterday, he was still somewhat bewildered, but the Crown Prince did not allow him to refuse and offered him the position of Minister of Works.

The promotion from Grand Master of Ceremonies to Minister of Works, skipping the rank of Minister of Works, should have been extremely tempting for Liu Yan, who longed to be promoted to one of the Three Dukes. However, Liu Yan was not tempted at all.

All he wanted was the experience of serving as one of the Three Dukes. Whether it was the third-ranked Minister of Works, the second-ranked Minister of Education, or the first-ranked Grand Commandant, it didn't make much difference to him.

Of course, if it were someone else, such as Cui Lie, Fan Ling, or the other Nine Ministers, they might be extremely excited and would seize this opportunity no matter the cost.

The benefits of overseeing the execution of the Yuan family on behalf of the Crown Prince were not merely the nominal position of Minister of Works; it was also a pledge of loyalty imbued with the weighty trust placed in him.

The person who makes this pledge of allegiance will henceforth become a trusted confidant of the Crown Prince and be highly valued by him.

However, Liu Yan was not so eager as to rely on paying such a pledge of loyalty to gain the Crown Prince's trust.

He was a member of the Han imperial family and had already risen to the position of Grand Master of Ceremonies. As long as he did not intend to rebel, the Crown Prince would give him important responsibilities. Therefore, what might be a golden opportunity for others was a hot potato for Liu Yan.

Moreover, while paying the pledge of loyalty might gain the Crown Prince's trust, it would also incur the resentment of many scholars who still held the kindness of the Yuan family of Runan in their hearts, and it was not impossible for them to assassinate him.

Ultimately, it was a behemoth. Although most people did not want two rulers riding on their heads, there were still scholars who remembered past favors and kindness.

Liu Yan analyzed the pros and cons, but he didn't consider at all how much the Crown Prince trusted him, a member of the Han imperial family.

Or rather, if the crown prince truly trusted him, why would he need him to act as the executioner to offer this pledge of loyalty?

(End of this chapter)