Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 230 We were ready to fight to the death, why did Your Highness surrender first!
In Yong'an Palace, looking at the money and grain that would soon be spent on building the Abdication Platform, and thinking about the rewards for the hundreds of thousands of troops to be rewarded, Liu Bian felt as if a dull knife was slowly cutting into his heart.

Liu Bian looked at Zheng Xuan, who was standing in the center of the hall, with a troubled expression, and earnestly said, "Lord Kangcheng, you are trying to empty my treasury. What's wrong with lowering the standards a bit?"

According to the abdication ceremony established by Zheng Xuan, Fu Qian, Xun Shuang and others, this abdication platform should be twenty zhang high!

How was this number derived? We have to thank a certain Emperor Xiaowu of the Shizong Emperor, Liu Xiaozhu, who wishes to remain anonymous!
The Annals of Emperor Wu states: "Later, they also built cypress beams, bronze pillars, and dew-collecting cacti."

The ancestors of this dog built a towering Bailiang Terrace, twenty feet high, to pray for God's blessing.

When it comes to building palaces and pavilions, Liu Bian had no qualms about cursing his ancestor, hurling whatever filth he wanted.

Anyway, Emperor Guangwu, the ancestor of Liu Bian's lineage, came from the sixth son of Emperor Xiaojing, the Prince of Changsha, and his mother was Tang Ji, a maid of Consort Cheng. They had no connection with Emperor Xiaowu, so it was fine for them to curse each other in private.

Zheng Xuan was pleased that His Highness the Crown Prince was a monarch who cherished the people's strength and the nation's power, but he still insisted on his own opinion, saying firmly, "Your Highness, nothing is more majestic than splendor!"

Seeing that his self-inflicted injury ploy had failed, the dog-faced crown prince immediately changed his expression, his face suddenly turning pale. He stood up and walked to Zheng Xuan, threatening in a deep voice, "Not an inch can be yielded?"

Zheng Xuan was also an upright man. The higher the ceremony of abdication and enthronement, the more it would demonstrate the majesty of the new emperor. Why did it make him, Zheng Xuan, look like a treacherous minister who was bewitching the monarch and wasting the people's resources? He did not back down at all. Instead, he took a step forward and resolutely gritted his teeth and said, "Not a single step back!"

I, the project manager, have taken on this thorny project of accepting the throne and working day and night for months to finally develop a near-perfect project plan with everyone. And now you want me to change it with just a few words?
If the plan is changed, the classic texts that have been compiled will also have to be changed, and the historical evidence for the debates on the ceremony of receiving Zen will also have to be changed!
"You won't back down an inch, huh? Then let whoever wants to be emperor be it, I'm not going to be one!"

Liu Bian turned and was about to leave with a flick of his sleeve. After ascending the throne, all he would gain was the Crown Prince's seal and ribbon replaced with the Imperial Seal, the python robe replaced with the dragon robe, and the Crown Prince's nine-tassel crown replaced with the Emperor's twelve-tassel crown. What benefits would that bring?
He can use the Imperial Seal of the State to crack walnuts whenever he wants!

As for the dragon robe and the emperor's twelve-tassel crown, no one would dare to criticize him even if he wore them outside the palace!
This uncrowned emperor seems quite content with his position!
Upon hearing this, Zheng Xuan was stunned and speechless. Lu Zhi, Xun Shuang, Cai Yong, Fu Qian, and the others beside him looked at each other, dumbfounded.

We were ready to fight to the death, why did Your Highness surrender first!
They painstakingly planned the abdication and enthronement, but you, the Crown Prince who is the biggest beneficiary, have abandoned your post and gone on strike!

What a fuss!

Fifty-seven-year-old Zheng Xuan felt like he couldn't catch his breath, his face turned red, his heart pounded, and his ears were buzzing like thousands of mosquitoes. He, who always valued etiquette the most, couldn't help but reach out and point at his sovereign with the gesture of a subject pointing at his ruler.

Liu Bian was suddenly very fortunate that at least that tyrannical emperor was still alive, and that he and Emperor Xiao Huan hadn't made a foolish decision to bestow some ultimate imperial weapon for slaying dragons. Otherwise, if Zheng Xuan had been given a golden mace or a dragon-coiled staff at this time, Zheng Xuan might have dared to launch a small dragon attack.

"No, no, no, Lord Kangcheng, please don't be angry."

But seeing that Zheng Xuan looked like he was about to have a high blood pressure attack, Liu Bian was really afraid that he would die in Yong'an Palace.

If the most famous "spirit of the classics" in the world were to die from anger, who knows how many students would strike tomorrow.

Liu Bian helped Zheng Xuan sit down, patted his back gently, and took a cup of plum juice from Gao Wang. He smiled obsequiously, but still hoped that Zheng Xuan would back down a bit: "But this twenty-zhang-high abdication platform will cost at least fifty million coins. How can I bear to waste the people's resources for my own selfish desires?"

Zheng Xuan took a sip of plum juice, and his anger subsided slightly, but he still insisted firmly, "I still maintain that without magnificence, there is no way to uphold dignity!"

He had already tried to appease him and offered him ample leeway, but Zheng Xuan remained unyielding. Liu Bian, displeased, roared, "I will not discuss this with you!" Zheng Xuan straightened his posture, meeting the enraged Liu Bian's gaze, his neck stiff, and declared firmly, "Since Your Highness does not consider me unworthy and has appointed me as the Grand Sacrificer, how can Your Highness not discuss the ceremony of the abdication and enthronement without my consent? Moreover, what I am discussing is not a personal matter, but concerns the safety of the state; I cannot remain silent!"

Liu Bian was so angered by Zheng Xuan's words that he couldn't help but laugh: "Do you, Zheng Kangcheng, also want me to praise you, the Grand Sacrificer, as a 'strong-willed magistrate' (Note 1), or do you want me to wish that a large bird will mourn you after your death (Note 2)?"

After saying this, Liu Bian turned to leave, unwilling to see Zheng Xuan again. However, Zheng Xuan grabbed his sleeve and refused to let go. Liu Bian angrily shouted, "How dare you be so rude, you scoundrel!"

Xu Chu's eyebrows twitched slightly, but he did not step forward to help Liu Bian.

Seeing that Xu Chu did not make a move, Liu Bian forcefully pulled and snatched the sleeve back from Zheng Xuan's hand, and then strode towards the back hall where he was resting.

Cai Yuan happened to be under the corridor when she saw the Crown Prince's angry expression, and she followed him with light, graceful steps.

Back in the rear hall, Liu Bian suddenly drew the Yuanzhi sword from his waist and paced back and forth with the sword in hand.

He wanted to kill someone, but felt that this was the behavior of a tyrant. However, since he had already drawn his sword, it wouldn't be right not to cut something. So he chopped off the corner of the table with his sword and roared, "I must kill him!"

"What is the source of Your Highness's overwhelming anger?" Cai Yuan asked softly.

Liu Bian glanced sideways and saw it was Cai Yuan. He sheathed his sword, plopped down on the cushion, and told Cai Yuan the whole story. Then he said, "Did you say I was wrong?"

"The reward this time will be at least one billion coins. In addition, Liangzhou and Bingzhou, which have been destroyed, need to be rebuilt. Gai Xun reported that there are signs of a large-scale famine in Liangzhou and the court needs to allocate grain to support them."

"Furthermore, troops will be stationed in Liangzhou and Bingzhou to quell the remaining bandits. Several irrigation canals will need to be built in various counties in the Central Plains. At the end of the year, more than 2 billion yuan in official salaries will be distributed. This year's expenditure will be at least 10 billion yuan!"

Cai Yuan knelt behind the Crown Prince, her soft hands reaching up to his forehead to gently smooth his furrowed brows. She smiled and said, "I wish to congratulate Your Highness on obtaining this 'Stubborn Order,' which is a blessing for the Han Dynasty and also for Your Highness."

Liu Bian grabbed Cai Yuan's hand and glanced at her. The cool, soft touch calmed his anger somewhat.

"Enough, enough. Yu Huan is right. I shouldn't have been angry."

Liu Bian slowly stood up, gave a soft hum, and turned to walk towards the side hall where the meeting was to be held. After thinking for a moment, he added, "Take a bath early tonight, and come to my bedchamber to give me some proper advice."

"Bah, you tyrant!"

A blush rose on Cai Yuan's pretty face. Looking at the Crown Prince's departing figure, she lowered her head shyly and spat in annoyance.

What kind of monarch is one moment thinking about state affairs and the next suddenly thinking about women? He is truly frivolous and lacks dignity!
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Note 1: "Stubborn magistrate" is a idiom that comes from Dong Xuan, the magistrate of Luoyang during the reign of Emperor Guangwu. He forcibly killed a servant who had committed murder while hiding in Princess Huyang's carriage. However, when faced with Emperor Guangwu's questioning, he refused to back down and would rather commit suicide by hitting a pillar than admit his mistake and apologize to Princess Huyang. Since then, "stubborn" has been used to praise officials who are not afraid of powerful figures.

Note 2: The story of "the bird mourning" comes from the time when Yang Zhen, who was also praised for his "strong character," was exonerated and reburied in Tongting. A bird landed on his grave, crying and bowing in respect, which expressed the people's affirmation of honest and upright officials.

(End of this chapter)