Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 211 You are the true Emperor of Peace!

Inside Yong'an Palace, bronze candlesticks reflected the faint light of dawn, and the morning mist, carrying the scent of camphor from the bronze incense burner, lingered among the beams and pillars.

Liu Bian sat upright in the main seat. The memorial presented by the Grand Historian Shan Yang had already been handed to him on the table. The ink on the bamboo slip was not yet dry. His fingers ran along the edge of the bamboo slip, but his eyebrows did not twitch.

Half a month ago, Liu Yan, the Minister of Works, had already ordered Shan Yang to divine the auspiciousness or inauspiciousness of today; otherwise, he would not have so easily held the Grand Rain Ceremony on the summer solstice.

As for the various celestial phenomena implied in Shan Yang's memorial, Liu Bian was somewhat pleased, but not particularly moved.

He doesn't believe in these things. He can take a good omen as a joke, but if it's an ominous sign, well, then don't blame me for wanting to overthrow all the demons and monsters.

Upon thinking of this, Liu Bian couldn't help but chuckle softly.

Cai Yuan, who was sitting with her head bowed to the left rear, caught a glimpse of the Crown Prince's expression out of the corner of her eye. She gently pushed the celadon teacup half an inch away with her slender fingers. When Liu Bian chuckled, she raised her eyes at the right moment, her hair ornament trembling slightly, and said softly, "Your Highness, what makes you smile?"

The sound was like jade chimes striking ice, drawing the attention of everyone present.

Liu Qing was slightly taken aback. He caught a glimpse of the faint curve at the corner of Cai Yuan's lips out of the corner of his eye, and then realized what Cai Yuan was thinking.

Did Cai Yuan not know that it was a memorial from the Grand Astrologer Shan Yang? Anything that could make the Crown Prince smile must be an auspicious omen. This woman was clearly playing the role of a straight man for the Crown Prince, getting everyone to congratulate him.

"This woman..."

Liu Qing's beautiful eyes flickered slightly, and she gently bit her moist lips with her pearly teeth. Her expression remained unchanged, but she couldn't help but feel a little wary of Cai Yuan.

As expected, the palace was not a place for virtuous people to stay. Even with only the two of them, they still secretly began to compete for the emperor's favor.

As Liu Qing had predicted, Liu Bian pondered for a moment and then handed the memorial to Cai Yuan, since it wasn't a sensitive memorial at all.

Cai Yuan took the memorial, her beautiful, bright eyes slightly opened, and her red lips parted slightly. She read the memorial aloud as if it were unintentional. Even though she did not deliberately raise her voice, almost everyone in the side hall could hear the words Cai Yuan was reading.

Lu Zhi and Zheng Xuan exchanged a glance, both reading something unusual in each other's eyes.

If someone else reports an auspicious omen to His Highness the Crown Prince, although one should offer congratulations on the surface, one cannot help but secretly curse that person as a treacherous villain.

But there's nothing Shan Yang wouldn't dare to say.

In the fifth year of the Xiping era (176 AD), a yellow dragon appeared in Qiao County. At that time, Qiao Xuan, who was then serving as Guanglu Dafu, mentioned this to his friend Shan Yang. Shan Yang bluntly said, "A king will rise in that country. In less than fifty years, the dragon will reappear. This is the omen."

The meaning of "Shan Yang" is clearly that Qiao County has dragon energy, and a person from Qiao County will establish a new country and become emperor within fifty years.

Regardless of whether this so-called "Yellow Dragon" actually exists, it is no exaggeration to say that such words were treasonous when the Han dynasty still held sway.

Moreover, Shan Yang was particularly stubborn. He believed that if something was an ominous sign, then it was an ominous sign, and he would never accept the act of forcibly interpreting an ominous sign as a good omen for political reasons.

In other words, Shan Yang's memorial is extremely credible.
After reading it, Cai Yuan looked at Liu Bian with a hint of admiration. Although it was somewhat unusual for her to do this, what man doesn't have some vanity, whether in front of a woman or a subject?

"Your Highness is blessed by Heaven; the restoration of the Han Dynasty is just around the corner!" "The Mandate of Heaven rests on Your Highness!"

"You are the true Emperor of Peace (Note 1)!"

The constant stream of congratulatory messages and praises was quite intoxicating.

This kind of boasting, which he wanted to keep a low profile but ended up being flaunted by others, completely satisfied Liu Bian's vanity.

Seeing that the atmosphere had been built up to this point, Xun Shuang, the Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince, had a slight thought and, sitting in his seat, suggested to the Crown Prince, "Your Highness, since the Grand Astrologer has mentioned the eastward shift of the Purple Star, should Your Highness also begin preparations for ascending the platform to receive the abdication?"

Xun Shuang did not stand up, nor did he bow to the Crown Prince. This indicated that he was making the suggestion to the Crown Prince in a private capacity, such as being the Crown Prince's future father-in-law or teacher. It also indicated that this was merely a private matter, and the Crown Prince was not obligated to answer.

Moreover, Xun Shuang had to admit that he had ulterior motives in asking this question.

It wasn't a matter of his career prospects. With his reputation and the status of the Xun family of Yingchuan, he was certain to have a place among the Three Dukes in the future. He just wanted to give his daughter a better marriage.

The rules for a crown prince marrying a concubine and for an emperor marrying a noblewoman are definitely not the same.

Xun Shuang didn't care much about family ties; he just wanted to have an edge over others in terms of marriage customs.

Xun Shuang was a renowned scholar and a great Confucian master. His daughter was also virtuous and gentle, and naturally she should be a model for the world!
Is there anyone whose daughter is more qualified to sit on the throne of empress than his daughter?
Xun Shuang underestimated the influence of the words "ascending the platform to receive the abdication." As the sound of these four words echoed in the hall and entered the ears of everyone, everyone in the hall was somewhat excited, and the drowsiness that had remained due to getting up early was instantly gone.

Those who could appear in this side hall were either officials of the Crown Prince's residence or pillars of the Crown Prince's faction in the court; their wealth and honor were long tied to His Highness the Crown Prince.

The excitement on everyone's faces did not escape Liu Bian's notice. Even Lu Zhi, who was always honest and upright, and Zheng Xuan, who was indifferent to fame and fortune, were beaming with joy. How could others not be surprised?

Even in the eyes of Yan Liang and Wen Chou, there was a hint of fear in the crimson light.

At this moment, Liu Bian suddenly understood why so many powerful ministers, who were full of lofty ambitions to serve the country in their early years, were always blinded by their ambitions and eventually embarked on a path destined to bear infamy.

He wasn't trying to excuse anyone; it's just that often, even if you don't move forward, the people behind you will push you forward.

If you stubbornly refuse to move forward, the final outcome will be either being crowned emperor or the extermination of your entire family.

The brothers followed you for wealth and status, but you're unwilling to move forward when you're so close. Do you think you're treating the brothers' wealth and lives like a game?

Since the Crown Prince is preparing to ascend the throne, the Ancient Literature School, as his loyal supporters, naturally has to take on the responsibility of handling the procedures for his ascension.

First, let's talk about the categories!
Zheng Xuan, Lu Zhi, Xun Shuang, Fu Qian, and Ma Ridi, these giants of the ancient literature school, naturally took the lead themselves. Each of them led a group of scholars from the ancient literature school into the two national libraries in Luoyang City, Dongguan and Lantai, and searched through ancient and modern classics and historical records. In the end, they determined the name of the crown prince's ascension to the throne as "abdication"!
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Note 1: Taiping Emperor: An emperor who governs the country and brings peace to the world.

(End of this chapter)