Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 261 Daring to assault government officials, this is no ordinary aristocratic family!
On the 29th day of the third month of the first year of the Hanxing era, Liu Bian reviewed memorials in the Lecheng Hall of the Hanxing Palace.

As the front palace of Hanxing Palace, Lecheng Hall was not actually simple in its layout.

Ultimately, it was the place where Emperor Guangwu and Emperor Xiaoming lived for a total of forty years, so it held a rather special symbolic significance for the Later Han Dynasty. Therefore, the construction and decoration of the entire Hanxing Palace could be considered luxurious.

Perhaps our ancestors thought that while the country was still strong, they should build the houses so that future generations could save money to build palaces.

Working in the Lecheng Hall is not much different from working in the Yuntai Pavilion. The only difference is the lack of a first or second floor. In reality, there is not much difference, just like in the past when I was in the Crown Prince's residence.

However, what Liu Bian is currently worried about is not some trivial matter concerning the palace.

At worst, he can just move again. It's not impossible for him to move back to the original Eastern Palace. Wherever the emperor is, that's where the emperor's palace is.

If that doesn't work, he can stay in other palaces. After all, the Southern Palace belongs to him alone, so he can stay anywhere.
"Your Majesty, the memorials from Attendant-in-Ordinary Cheng have arrived." Attendant-in-Ordinary Xu Jing presented a series of memorials bearing the sealing wax seal, which were then passed on to Liu Bian by Gao Wang.

Liu Bian nodded slightly. Nineteen days ago, he sent Cheng Yu to Youzhou to verify the battle results reported by the generals of Youzhou.

Zhang Liao, a seventeen-year-old military commander of the guerrilla camp, led a thousand guerrilla cavalrymen as his escort. Also accompanying him were Wei Ji, a Yellow Gate Attendant; Zhu Zhi, a military strategist; and Dong Zhao's younger brother, Dong Fang, the newly appointed secretary.

Verifying the battle results was not a sign of distrust towards the generals of Youzhou; it was simply a normal procedure.

In fact, there is no doubt about the gains made in wars against the Southern Xiongnu and Xianbei.

The Xiongnu and Xianbei were both foreign peoples, unlike the Liangzhou Qiang rebellion which involved Han Chinese from Liangzhou and people of mixed races. Each head had Xianbei characteristics in terms of hairstyle and appearance, so even if lime was sprinkled on it for preservation, it would not be difficult to distinguish them, and there would be no situation of killing innocent people to claim credit.

Cheng Yu's memorial detailed the war situation as compiled from the accounts of the generals of Youzhou, and described the verification of Cao Cao's reported battle results.

After verification, Dong Zhaocai, Wei Ji, Zhu Zhi, and Dong Fang jointly submitted this memorial, which was signed by all of them at the end.

However, verifying the results of the battle was only a secondary objective. The primary objective was to carry out the imperial decree, inspect the defense deployments of various counties and passes in Youzhou on behalf of the emperor, and analyze and investigate what kind of chaos would occur in the Xianbei after Helian's death.

Cheng Yu was knowledgeable in military strategy and understood human nature. Even if the Xianbei people were not in chaos for the time being, Liu Bian believed that Cheng Yu could, after understanding the internal situation of the Xianbei, give them a timely boost.

At the same time, Liu Bian granted Cheng Yu a certain degree of political commitment, allowing Cheng Yu to actively recruit a group of Xianbei people willing to submit, even if it was only nominal submission.

Liu Bian would grant him the titles of Marquis of Guiyi, King of Guiyi, and even the title of King of Xianbei.

How can you stir up trouble without a target to draw the fire?
If a Xianbei tribe that has submitted to you is attacked by other Xianbei tribal leaders, and they can defeat you, they are qualified to formally receive a title; if they cannot defeat you, they should ask the Han Dynasty for help.

The Great Han will provide you with all the support you need, except for assistance!
At best, they could provide some old leather armor and swords discarded by the army, but these would have to be exchanged for warhorses or other livestock; otherwise, it would be out of the question.

However, Wei Ji, the Yellow Gate Attendant, was not originally on the list of those going to Youzhou this time.

But Liu Bian couldn't stand it any longer and sent Wei Kai to Youzhou to avoid trouble.

Wei Kai has been in a dilemma for the past few months. Sending him to Youzhou is a way to help him temporarily get rid of the pain of being caught between the court and his family.

The Wei clan of Hedong were descendants of Wei Qing, the Marquis of Changping. Their ancestral home was Pingyang County in Hedong Commandery. However, the Wei clan experienced ups and downs, and eventually the main branch moved from the Pingyang lineage to the Anyi lineage.

Anyi also had Wei Qing's fiefdom. Although Emperor Xiaowu implemented the state monopoly on salt and iron, he allowed the Wei clan of Hedong to assist in the management of Anyi's salt ponds.

The Wei clan of Anyi relied on the huge profits from salt from the salt lake to survive even during times of war, continuing for nearly four hundred years. Moreover, Anyi also had many iron ore resources, so the vast majority of the Wei clan's industries in Hedong depended on salt and iron.

Besides the Wei family of Hedong, the Pei family of Wenxi, which was also involved in the salt and iron trade in Anyi, was the same family that profited from it. (Note 1)

However, Pei Mao's power as the head of the family was incomparable to Wei Kai's power in the Wei clan of Hedong. He keenly realized that even if the family wanted to preserve the profits from salt and iron, it would not have any good outcome except for incurring the emperor's displeasure and the decline of the Pei clan of Wenxi.

Therefore, Pei Mao, as a powerful patriarch, took the initiative to ask the clan elders to hand over the original, unmodified salt and iron ledger in the family and cooperate with the court in the handover procedures for the salt ponds and mines.

As for the tricks that the Pei family of Wenxi had done in the salt and iron ledgers over the years, Liu Bian had seen them. It was no exaggeration to say that the Pei family of Wenxi was as wealthy as a country. However, Liu Bian chose to appease Pei Mao and indicated that he would not hold the Pei family of Wenxi accountable for their past crimes.

However, Pei Mao still wisely donated a lot of fertile land and money, saying that the country was working hard to treat the people in the epidemic-stricken areas, and that the Pei family of Wenxi had been receiving the Han government's salary for generations, so the country should come first!

As for the Wei clan of Hedong, to which Wei Kai belonged, although Wei Kai was also the head of the clan, there were still several clan elders who held power. They ostensibly helped the young head of the clan manage the family, but in reality, they stripped Wei Kai of much of his power, which was quite suspicious of the young clan leader.

Moreover, with the support of these clan elders, the Wei clan of Hedong showed great resistance when handing over the salt and iron industry. Although they did not openly oppose it, they secretly made things difficult. They delayed handing over the account books and incited miners, salt craftsmen, and blacksmiths to strike. Some even stormed and beat the officials of the Grand Minister of Agriculture during the handover.

Zhang Hong, the Vice Minister of Agriculture, was furious, but Emperor Liu Bian was even more furious!
Daring to assault government officials, this is no ordinary aristocratic family!
Must hit hard!
Wei Kai was also extremely angry. Did these old stubborn people of the family have to destroy the Wei family of Hedong before they were satisfied?
The Wei family of Hedong no longer needs to rely on the exorbitant profits from salt to maintain their status, so why not convert this useless wealth into a means of advancement?
Since Wei Qing, the Grand General of the Former Han Dynasty, no other member of the Wei clan of Hedong has been able to bring glory to the family and serve as one of the Three Dukes or Nine Ministers.

Now that he has the good fortune to become a former official of the emperor's former residence, does he still want to covet this useless wealth and continue to let the Wei clan of Hedong fade into obscurity?
However, Wei Kai's persuasion was of no use. The clansmen were unwilling to accept Wei Kai's suggestion. Or rather, for most of the Wei clansmen in Hedong, becoming an official was a matter for Wei Kai and other direct descendants or other core members of the Wei clan. What did it have to do with them, the non-core clansmen?
However, the surrender of the salt and iron industries resulted in the loss of tangible interests for these non-core clan members!

Wei Ji was also helpless. The problem he faced was that even if he did not take the initiative to exchange political benefits, he would be forced to hand them over. However, the clan elders believed that this was the Wei clan of Hedong, the descendants of General Wei Qing, the Marquis of Changping. Did the emperor dare to destroy them?

Even though Wei Ji almost wore himself out trying to persuade them, the tribesmen wouldn't listen.

The Yuan family of Runan, which had produced three dukes across four generations, was wiped out just like that. The descendants of the twenty-eight generals of Yuntai in Jizhou were also exterminated without warning.

Wei Kai emphasized to his clansmen that if it weren't for their consideration for him as a former official of the Crown Prince's court, Zhang Hong, the Grand Minister of Agriculture, and Liu Dai, the Prefect of Hedong, would not have given him the opportunity to stand here and persuade them. They would have already mobilized troops under the pretext of suppressing the rebellion to confiscate their property and exterminate their clans.

Finally, Liu Bian rebuked Wei Kai, the head of the Wei clan in Hedong, saying that if he couldn't even manage his own small family, how could he assist him in governing the world?
However, it is clear to anyone with discerning eyes that if the emperor did not trust Wei Kai and value his abilities, why would he reprimand him in this way?

The reason why sending Wei Kai to Youzhou was called "avoidance" was naturally because there were some things that Wei Kai, the head of the Wei clan of Hedong, was not only inconvenient to participate in, but it was also inappropriate for him to stay in Sanhe.

"Gongda, has the imperial edict to mobilize troops been drafted yet?"

Liu Bian turned his head to look at Xun You, the Yellow Gate Attendant, on his right. Xun You did not reply immediately, but instead took out a pre-written edict to mobilize troops from his sleeve. All that was needed was the emperor's seal to mobilize the troops. This Wei clan of Hedong is too corrupt. Nearly four hundred years have passed, and they still dare to rest on the laurels of their ancestor, Marquis Changping.

Our ancestors simply did what their children and grandchildren should strive for within the next hundred years, instead of doing for them the struggles that their children and grandchildren will have to make more than three hundred years later!

Even the emperor has to review memorials every day and rarely gets a few days off. Do these people really think they can live a more luxurious life than the emperor?
Disobeying the imperial decrees is tantamount to treason, and even the extermination of three generations of one's family would not be excessive!
Therefore, Liu Bian sent Wei Kai to Youzhou, and at the same time ordered him to send letters to the clan members who were willing to listen to advice, asking them to temporarily leave Anyi and stay in Luoyang for a while.

At that moment, Gao Wang handed over an imperial seal, which was the emperor's seal.

In addition to the Imperial Seal of the State, the emperors of the Qin and Han dynasties also possessed six other imperial seals, known as the "Six Seals," all made of white jade with dragon-tiger knobs and sealed with purple clay from Wudu.

The six seals are: first, the Emperor's Travel Seal, used for enfeoffing states; second, the Emperor's Seal, used for bestowing titles upon princes and marquises; third, the Emperor's Credential Seal, used for dispatching troops; fourth, the Son of Heaven's Travel Seal, used for summoning ministers; fifth, the Son of Heaven's Seal, used for bestowing titles upon foreign monarchs; and sixth, the Son of Heaven's Credential Seal, used for offering sacrifices to Heaven, Earth, and spirits.

The troops mobilized were naturally the central army directly under the emperor's command, which did not need to go through the Ministry of Personnel.

"Let Zhonglei Battalion Commandant Niu Fu lead his subordinate military commander Hou Cheng and Yan Xing on a trip there. It'll be a training exercise." Liu Bian hesitated for a moment, then circled the names of Niu Fu, Hou Cheng, and Yan Xing.

There were three captains in the Zhonglei Battalion: Niu Fu, Zhao Yun, and Qu Yi.

Zhao Yun was too kind and too young, and Liu Bian worried that Zhao Yun would not be able to bring himself to kill him.

Qu Yi, on the other hand, was the complete opposite of Zhao Yun, with an excessive bloodlust.

Niu Fu is daring to kill, but he knows his limits, making him the most suitable candidate.

Hou Cheng was bold enough to take action against powerful and influential families, while Yan Xing was from the powerful Yan family of Hanyang in Liangzhou.

Letting Yan act was also a way to give him a warning.

Xun You received the imperial edict for mobilizing troops, which had been sealed with the emperor's seal, and prepared to hand it over to Huangmen Rong to be delivered by Li Xun to the Zhonglei Camp.

Upon receiving the imperial edict, Li Xun listened to Xun You recount the cause and effect, and couldn't help but sigh, "What virtue or ability does the Wei family of Hedong have that they would trouble the Zhonglei Camp to take action?"

This is not surprising, after all, emperors have always been protective of their own.

Despite the emperor's stern reprimand of Wei Kai, he was more furious that the Wei clan of Hedong dared to disregard his former retainer, who was also the rightful head of the Wei clan of Hedong.

And so, the emperor is about to mobilize the central army to personally intervene in Wei Ji's affairs, who has been insulted by his clansmen and bullied by the clan elders.

After handing the troop mobilization edict to Li Xun, who then signed the document, Xun You sighed slightly and said, "The state is too protective of its own. This Wei Boyu is also audacious and reckless."

Li Xun was slightly taken aback. It was true that the emperor was protecting his own, but mobilizing the Zhonglei Battalion was also to suppress the mob that beat up the court officials. It was justified and there was no question of him being too protective of his own.

Moreover, what is the basis for the claim that Wei Ji was audacious and reckless?

Xun You didn't offer any further explanation, as if he hadn't been the one who had spoken just now, and returned to his desk with his usual expressionless face.

Watching Xun You's departing figure, Li Xun couldn't help but complain, "That Xun Gongda, he always likes to only say half of what he means."

Lu Qiang, standing to the side, comforted Li Xun, shook his head, and said, "We cannot allow Xun Gongda to say more. If it were any other matter, it would be fine, but there are some things that are inconvenient for him to say given his status as a member of the Xun family of Yingchuan."

"Lord Lü, please enlighten me."

Li Xun held this senior in the palace in high esteem. Lü Qiang's reputation as a virtuous official had been established long before Li Xun and Ding Su's group. The five of them often consulted Lü Qiang and even addressed him as "Lord Lü".

Lü Qiang was quite pleased with the title "Lord Lü". Eunuchs without testicles are either greedy for money or obsessed with fame. He was the latter, but lacking material enjoyment, he could only pursue spiritual enjoyment.

Therefore, he did not reject such flattery and praise.

Lü Qiang smiled and grasped Li Xun's hand, using his fingertips as a pen to trace six characters on Li Xun's hand.

Li Xun was startled and stared wide-eyed at Lü Qiang, the image of that refined and easy-going gentleman flashing through his mind.

These six characters are: Zheng Bo Ke Duan Yu Yan!
Wei Ji was never an easy person to talk to; he just couldn't bear the infamy of killing the clan elder.

Is this what it means to be knowledgeable in classical allusions?

“However, Wei Boyu is truly too audacious, actually daring to plot against…” Li Xun pointed to the sky above, lowering his voice cautiously, “He even dares to scheme against us?!”

"Who can know the weather's mood?" Lü Qiang chuckled, patting Li Xun's shoulder as he listened to the naivety in Li Xun's voice. He pointed to the sky with his other hand and said, "How do you know that one of them is unaware of the schemes behind it all?"

(4205 words)
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Note 1: Pei Mao was a talented man who could serve as both a general and a prime minister. He not only served as the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, but also, under the order of Emperor Xian, commanded the generals in Guanzhong to kill Li Jue. He was trusted by both Emperor Xian and Cao Cao and served as the person left in Xuchang to supervise Emperor Xian. He also served as the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat after Xun Yu committed suicide.

He had a son named Pei Qian, who was even more trusted and valued by Cao Cao. Pei Qian was a veteran official who served three emperors in Cao Wei. Pei Qian had a son named Pei Xiu who was highly valued by the Sima family.

As for historical information about Pei Qian and Pei Xiu, readers can look it up themselves.

P.S.: I want to take a break on Saturday and Sunday, so there won't be any extra updates these two days!

I've been updating almost every day lately, and I'm really exhausted. I hope you readers will approve!
(End of this chapter)