Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 269 Summer Solstice Earth Worship, Emperor Bestows Sacrificial Offerings (Bonus Chapter, Requesting Monthly Tickets!)
On the ninth day of the fifth month of the first year of the Han Dynasty, the summer solstice was celebrated.

Under the blazing sun, the stone slabs on the North Suburb Altar seemed to be steaming with heat.

Liu Bian, dressed in a black ceremonial robe with twelve symbols and wearing a crown with twelve tassels, stood for the first time as the emperor at the altar in the northern suburbs on the summer solstice.

A year has passed in the blink of an eye. Last year's summer festival was held early at the altar in the northern suburbs to boost morale, in order to coordinate with the royal army's departure to quell the Qiang rebellion in Liangzhou and the Xiongnu rebellion in Bingzhou.

At that time, he was only the Crown Prince Regent.

Now, their identities are completely different.

The change in his identity made Liu Bian feel a sense of "time flies by".

A rare cool breeze brushed across Liu Bian's face, causing the tassels and beads on his crown to sway slightly, casting dappled light and shadow on his face.

Liu Bian looked toward the incense burner in the center of the altar, bowed and paid homage, and prayed to the Earth Mother Goddess Houtu to bless the Han Dynasty with favorable weather and abundant harvests this year.

As soon as the sacrificial ceremony was completed, the Grand Steward stood solemnly to the side, directing the junior officials and the stewards responsible for removing the offerings to carefully remove the sacrificial meat from the altar.

The pungent smell of sacrificial meat mingled with the burnt aroma of the offerings, permeating the scorching air.

Dressed in elaborate sacrificial robes, Zheng Xuan, serving as both Minister of Ceremonies and Chief Sacrificer, walked steadily to Liu Bian, bowed deeply, and solemnly said, "Reporting to the State, the Earth Sacrifice Ceremony is over!"

Liu Bian nodded in satisfaction. This year's sacrificial ceremony was indeed much more solemn and complete than last year's.

Last year's Earth Worship Ceremony marked the first time the imperial court broke with the past practice of holding the ceremony according to the modern text of the Book of Rites, hastily switching to using the ancient text of the Book of Rites, the Book of Rites of the Zhou Dynasty, as the standard.

Although he was flawless in major aspects, there were many oversights in minor details.

After countless rehearsals and refinements by the Taichang Bureau, today's sacrificial ceremony was perfect.

However, Emperor Liu Bian had one last task: to distribute the sacrificial meat!
Liu Bian's gaze swept over the civil and military officials standing solemnly below the altar. He took a deep breath, and his wide, dark robes billowed as he spoke, "More than five months have passed since the beginning of this year. I have seen your dedication to public service! Today, I bestow upon you sacrificial meat to reward your hard work and commend your achievements!"

The tradition of distributing sacrificial meat dates back to the Zhou Dynasty, as recorded in the Book of Rites: "Sacrificial animals must be fully cooked."

However, the Zhou Dynasty's "Rites of Zhou" did not have strict requirements regarding the raw or cooked nature of the sacrificial meat. It only emphasized that "the sacrificial meat should not be seasoned" to ensure the most original and simple taste of the offering, representing the purest piety of the worshippers.

According to ritual, sacrificial blood should be used when offering sacrifices to Heaven to show respect to the gods.

When offering sacrifices to the ancestral kings in the ancestral temple, raw meat should be used to show respect for the former kings.

When offering sacrifices to the gods of the land and grain, half-cooked meat is used to show respect for the five gods: the god of the household, the god of the stove, the god of the earth, the god of the door, and the god of travel.

Cooked meat is used in minor sacrifices to show respect to minor gods such as mountains and rivers.

The summer solstice is a sacrifice to the goddess Houtu, and naturally, the ritual of offering sacrifices to the gods of the land and grain is followed, with half-cooked roasted meat as the sacrificial meat.

Although it was all just boiled meat and three kinds of animal meat, the Han people did not have the same kind of strange and unorthodox etiquette as the Eight Banners wild boar.

According to Manchu shamanic traditions, the Eight Banners Wild Boars changed the Zhou ritual, stipulating that the sacrificial meat must be shared immediately after the sacrifice, symbolizing "divine and human sharing the feast." Moreover, the officials had to finish eating it on the spot in the Imperial Ancestral Temple or the Qianqing Palace, and were not allowed to take it out of the palace or process it (as recorded in "Xiaoting Miscellaneous Records," "it was eaten immediately after the ceremony, and no salt or soy sauce was allowed to be added"). This was also a way to test obedience.

The Later Han Dynasty was much more lenient on this matter. The Later Han Dynasty never prohibited its officials from taking the sacrificial meat home to cook the half-cooked meat a second time. However, the addition of sauce was only an unspoken rule.

The sacrificial offerings for this occasion included 12 oxen, 6 sheep, and 6 pigs. Each ox weighed approximately 400 jin (about 200 catties), each sheep weighed 120 jin (about 60 catties), and each pig weighed 200 jin (about 100 catties).

The dismemberment of cattle, sheep, and pigs during sacrificial rites must also be carried out in strict accordance with ritual laws.

牛分12体，分别为2份肩胛（20汉斤/份）、1份脊背（16汉斤/份）、3份肋排（10汉斤/份）、2份后腿（24汉斤/份）、4份腹腩（8汉斤/份），重曰200汉斤的牛牲的头、前蹄及内脏焚烧归天。

羊分7体，2份肩胛（16汉斤/份），1份脊背（12汉斤/份），2份肋排（10汉斤/份）和2份腿肉（8汉斤/份），羊牲的头、前蹄及内脏焚烧归天。

猪分6体，1份肩胛（20汉斤/份），1份脊背（16汉斤/份），3份肋排（12汉斤/份）和1份腹腩（16汉斤/份），猪牲的头、前蹄及内脏焚烧归天。

This time, however, Liu Bian issued an edict stating that Houtu, the Earth Goddess, is a kind and benevolent mother goddess and would certainly not want to see the people she nurtures wasting meat.

Therefore, an imperial edict was issued to burn only the heads of the three sacrificial animals for the offering, while the forelegs and internal organs were given to the government canteen, where the imperial chefs would slice them into pieces, add ginger and cinnamon to remove the fishy smell, and stew them with the bones to make a three-sacrificial soup. This soup was then distributed to each official according to their rank, so that all officials could taste the sacrificial meat as a reward for their hard work in the first half of the year.

As for the remaining parts of the three sacrificial animals, the shoulder blades are the most honored, followed by the back, then the ribs, then the hind legs, and lastly the belly.

In the Later Han Dynasty, the scapula was usually given to the princes, the back to the Three Dukes, the ribs to the Nine Ministers, the hind legs to the imperial family and nobles, and the belly to the marquises. However, the parts given to those of different statuses did not necessarily have to follow the unwritten conventions.

When Zheng Xuan, the Minister of Ceremonies, began to loudly announce the names of the officials below the altar, declaring that the emperor was about to distribute the sacrificial meat, the officials below held their breath, but a hint of anticipation was revealed in their eyes.

Receiving sacrificial meat bestowed by the emperor was naturally a symbol of being trusted and favored by the emperor.

Even Liu Chong, the Prince of Chen, sent his trusted confidant Luo Jun as an envoy to the capital to offer congratulations on his behalf, all for the sake of this sacrificial meat.

Half a month ago, Liu Bian issued an edict to send envoys to the State of Chen, summoning King Liu Chong of Chen to the capital to participate in the summer solstice ceremony of worshipping the earth.

Liu Bian naturally did not expect Liu Chong, who held a large army, to walk into the trap and be captured in the capital. This was merely a convenient move to further confirm Liu Chong's disloyal intentions and strengthen the righteous cause for future campaigns against Liu Chong.

When an emperor punishes a disloyal subject, he always needs to find evidence of the subject's disloyalty.

Now that the Emperor has issued an edict summoning him to court, Prince Liu Chong of Chen has defied the decree, which is a sign of his disloyalty.

However, if Liu Chong were to actually accept the imperial summons and go to court, Liu Bian would be at a loss as to how to deal with him.

After all, Liu Chong had not yet shown any open signs of rebellion, and he had even made contributions during the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Therefore, if Liu Chong obediently went to court, it would make Liu Bian feel powerless, like punching cotton.

Fortunately, Liu Chong declined the imperial edict to enter the capital, citing illness as the reason.

However, he still sent his trusted confidant, former Chancellor of the Chen Dynasty, Luo Jun, as an envoy, bringing fifty cartloads of gold, silver, pearls, and jade to the capital as tribute, expressing goodwill to the emperor and subtly conveying his desire for reconciliation.

Although Liu Bian did not refuse on the spot, when discussing the matter with a group of officials from the Imperial Secretariat, he couldn't help but chuckle and mock Liu Chong's naiveté.

reconciliation?

Are you, Liu Chong, joking at this moment?
However, neither Prince Liu Chong nor Luo Jun knew about this matter. Luo Jun stood among the officials with his hands at his sides, his back straight, his face respectful, but in his heart he was extremely arrogant.

He was certain that the emperor, for the sake of the greater good, would seek stability. At the same time, to avoid public criticism, the emperor would feign magnanimity and bestow sacrificial meat, unless he intended to force him to rebel. Moreover, it would certainly be the shoulder meat of an ox, which symbolized the highest honor.

Therefore, Luo Jun, as the envoy of the King of Chen, was already prepared to receive the emperor's sacrificial meat as a reward.

Unexpectedly, the emperor did not first distribute the gifts to the princes and relatives, but instead first gave a cow shoulder to Lu Zhi, the Grand Tutor who was the emperor's tutor.

This is understandable; Lu Zhi's meritorious service in supporting the emperor's ascension to the throne and his outstanding achievements deserved this first reward of sacrificial meat.

Then came Grand Commandant Yang Ci, who was seriously ill at home, as well as Minister of Works Liu Yan and Minister of Public Works Cui Lie.

After the Three Dukes were rewarded, Cao Song, the Grand Minister of Agriculture, was placed at the head of the Nine Ministers.

The emperor was extremely satisfied with Cao Song, the Grand Minister of Agriculture. Everyone had witnessed Cao Song's hard work this year. His once plump but now thin body silenced all the gossip, and no one dared to insult Cao Song as the son of a eunuch anymore.

Of course, besides the respect Cao Song earned through his dedication and the emperor's favor, the fact that the Grand Minister of Agriculture was indeed the god of wealth for the Han Empire was also a factor.

If the Grand Minister of Agriculture were to deliberately make things difficult for someone, he could obstruct their funding progress and significantly delay the progress of a certain government office on a particular task.

According to the latest system, the Censorate, as an oversight body, would jointly accept complaints and accusations from a government agency against the Ministry of Agriculture, together with the Court of Justice. If it was true that the Ministry of Agriculture was obstructing the progress of funding for other government agencies, the responsible persons would be warned and penalized with deductions from their year-end evaluations. Repeated offenses would result in dismissal.

But if they were hoping the emperor would punish Cao Song, they might as well swallow their pride and call him "Lord Ju Gao" a few more times.

Moreover, if Cao Song truly intended to eliminate someone, he could easily obstruct the funding progress of other government departments in a way that was both reasonable and justifiable, leaving no room for criticism. For example, if the Imperial Stud wanted to import a batch of Hequ horses for breeding, the Ministry of Agriculture could have reasoned to send an assistant to Hequ to investigate the price of Hequ horses and verify that there was no embezzlement before allocating the funds.

The distance from Luoyang to Hequ is three thousand li, and it would take at least a month and a half to travel back and forth. In addition, it would take another seven or eight days to conduct an investigation and to produce a complete market research report. Two months would have passed, and you still wouldn't be able to find fault with them. You would simply say that the Ministry of Agriculture is too rigid in its work.

Afterwards, the emperor bestowed sacrificial meat upon many court officials and marquises, including generals and governors in remote border regions. However, their sacrificial meat had to be preserved with salt before it could be sent out by postmen at a speed of 400 li per day.

When it was finally time to distribute the sacrificial meat to the royal family, the Grand Master of Ceremonies read out the names of one prince after another, but not the name of Prince Liu Chong of Chen.

Among them was Liu Hao, the Prince of Huaiyang, who was 61 years old this year but had no children and was seriously ill. He was brought to Luoyang by the emperor for treatment but was unable to leave his sickbed to attend the ceremony. He hoped that this sacrificial meat could cure his illness.

There was also Liu Zhi, the Prince of Zhongshan, who was of similar advanced age.

Liu Zhi, the Prince of Zhongshan, was very lucky. With the help of powerful clans such as the Zhen family of Wuji, his already wealthy life became even more prosperous, and he was also in excellent health.

But it's unclear whether the Zhongshan Kingdom's luck in producing offspring was exhausted by the Prince Jing of Zhongshan, who had over a hundred sons.

Apart from the first King Jian of Zhongshan, Liu Yan, who had twelve sons, all the subsequent Kings of Zhongshan, from King Yi of Zhongshan, King Jiao of Zhongshan, King Mu of Zhongshan to the current fifth King Liu Zhi, were all single-line successors.

This King Liu Zhi of Zhongshan was 67 years old but still had no children, not even a daughter. If nothing unexpected happened, the state of Zhongshan would probably be abolished after his death.

However, Liu Zhi, the Prince of Zhongshan, through Zhen Yi, the Pingzhun Ling (Minister of Balance of Payments), expressed to the Emperor his wish to donate money in exchange for the blessing of sacrificial meat bestowed by the Emperor, hoping to have an heir through the Emperor's blessing.

He also hoped to persuade the emperor to allow him to adopt a child from the royal family to inherit the Zhongshan state, but the emperor refused.

This matter is not only a concern for other feudal lords, but if the request of Liu Zhi, the Prince of Zhongshan, were granted, what would happen to Liu Hao, the Prince of Huaiyang, who was on his sickbed?
The second-to-last dish was a pig's shoulder blade, which was bestowed upon Liu He, the King of the City. (Note 1)

This Prince of Pengcheng is not young either; he is sixty-four years old.

In March of the third year of Jianhe (149 AD), Liu Ding, the Prince of Pengcheng, passed away. Liu He observed a year of mourning before ascending the throne the following year.

Liu He was a very filial son. After his mother passed away, he mourned her and lived next to her tomb, unwilling to return to the palace.

The Prefect and Chancellor of Pengcheng reported the matter to the court, and Emperor Xiaohuan issued an edict to send envoys to welcome Liu He back to the palace with gifts of cattle and wine.

Liu He respected virtuous people and was generous in giving alms. The people of Pengcheng Kingdom all respected this King of Pengcheng, and thus he also received a portion of sacrificial meat as a reward.

However, Liu He was originally entitled to a cow shoulder blade, but the Prince of Pengcheng presented him with the daughter of the Huan family of Pengcheng.

Liu Bian was worried that outsiders would misunderstand him as the emperor and that he was rewarding the Prince of Pengcheng with sacrificial meat because of the beautiful Huan Shi. Therefore, he instead only gave him the lowest-grade pork shoulder sacrificial meat among the three sacrificial animals.

The last piece of sacrificial meat was served on a lacquered plate; it was a beef shoulder blade.

Luo Jun's heart leaped into his throat, his gaze fixed intently on the lacquer plate. He felt that this portion of sacrificial meat should surely belong to Prince Liu Chong of Chen.

Unexpectedly, Zheng Xuan's gaze swept over Luo Jun, and a faint yet clear sneer appeared on his lips. He then loudly proclaimed, "Prince Liu Yao of Pei, accept the sacrificial beef and meat!" (Note 2)

Zheng Xuan was indeed a virtuous gentleman, but it was precisely for that reason that he despised such traitors even more!

They enjoyed the imperial favor of being enfeoffed by the Han dynasty for generations, but they developed unwarranted ambitions and intended to rebel against the Han. For such traitors, Zheng Xuan, a man who hated evil as much as he was an enemy, did not care about those empty formalities.

The Prince of Pei, Liu Yao, who was named, was only fifteen years old. His young face was full of astonishment. He seemed not to have expected that he would be given a beef sacrificial meat. He was inevitably flattered by the sudden reward.

Pei State held extraordinary significance for the Han Dynasty. It was the imperial hometown of the Han Dynasty and the birthplace of Emperor Gaozu. Therefore, even though Nanyang was only a prefecture and not a kingdom, the King of Pei received more favors and preferential treatment than other vassal kings.

The first Prince of Pei of the Later Han Dynasty was named Liu Fu, who was born to Guo Shengtong, the deposed empress of Emperor Guangwu. By the time of Liu Yao, the lineage had reached its seventh generation.

However, this young Prince of Pei is only fifteen years old this year. Three years ago, the former Prince of Pei, Liu Cong, died young. After observing mourning for a year as the crown prince, he has only been on the throne of Prince of Pei for two years.

However, according to the report of Tian Feng, the Chancellor of Pei State, Liu Yao was a very polite young man who liked classical Chinese texts and often consulted Tian Feng on the meaning of classical texts.

Moreover, although the princes of the Later Han Dynasty only enjoyed the rent and taxes of their fiefdoms and had no right to interfere in local administration and military affairs, and the actual management of their fiefdoms was handled by the prime minister appointed by the court, Liu Yao often used his private property to help refugees and the poor.

However, unlike Prince Liu Chong of Chen, Liu Yao asked Tian Feng to write a petition to the court on his behalf, and stated that if the court did not grant the request, he could deposit a portion of his private funds into the public treasury of Pei State to provide relief to the poor who could not afford to eat in the name of the court.

Liu Yao hurriedly stepped forward and took the heavy lacquer tray from Yuan Pang, the Grand Master of Ceremonies.

The beef shoulder on the plate was brownish in color and quite heavy. Liu Yao held the plate with both hands, bowed slightly in a gesture of trepidation, and said in a nervous tone, "Thank you for the generous gift from the country! Your subject... Your subject is truly unworthy of it."

Liu Bian, however, did not feel that Liu Yao was ashamed.

Seeing Liu Yao's apprehensive appearance, Liu Bian smiled gently and said in an encouraging tone, "Prince Pei should accept it! If there is any shortage of money in your private treasury in the future, you may submit a memorial to me separately. However, it would be best to discuss the matter of helping the people with Yuan Hao again."

"Your Majesty, I will remember your decree! I will certainly discuss this matter with the Chancellor and entrust it to the court. I will never act on my own initiative, nor do I intend to show favor or prestige. Your Majesty..." Liu Yao hurriedly replied, fearing that the Emperor might misunderstand.

Upon hearing the emperor's words, Liu Yao assumed that the emperor disapproved of him bestowing favors in his personal capacity.

The case of Liu Chong, the Prince of Chen, had already spread among the princes of the Han Dynasty. However, even though Liu Chong had tens of thousands of archers at his disposal, no one wanted to follow his example and oppose the emperor.

In fact, all the feudal lords could see very clearly that this King Chen, though seemingly glorious, was actually in a predicament from which he could not extricate himself.

If he doesn't rebel, the emperor will certainly not let him off the hook because of his criminal record. Even if he isn't killed, he probably won't be given any freedom. He will be under constant surveillance and will hardly have any freedom. He might even suddenly die.

Liu Chong was well aware that he had missed the best opportunity to rebel, and that a mere commandery or kingdom had no hope of winning against the Han Dynasty.

Liu Chong has recently become increasingly worried about relying on a single prefecture or kingdom to fight against the thriving and vibrant Han Empire.

This is also why Chen Guoxiang Cui Jun is still alive today.

Liu Chong dared not kill this trusted prime minister sent by the emperor, otherwise he would truly have no way out.

"He cherishes his life when undertaking great tasks, yet he risks his life for petty gains"—this is Lu Zhi's assessment of this Prince Chen.

As for Liu Yao, the Prince of Pei, who took similar actions to Liu Chong but was a completely different loyal minister of the Han Dynasty, and was also a wise king who genuinely helped the poor, Liu Bian naturally wanted to commend him greatly.

After all, those few foolish vassal kings during the Yellow Turban Rebellion tarnished the image of the Han imperial family in the hearts of the people. Therefore, in addition to promoting Liu Yi, who often provided relief to the people around Luoyang, and Liu Bei, a virtuous member of the imperial family, the court also needed to establish a few virtuous vassal kings as positive role models and encourage them to take Liu Yao as an example, so that the people would understand that not all the vassal kings of the Han Dynasty were those cowardly, greedy, and incompetent fools.

Luo Jun watched with a gloomy expression as the Emperor chatted and laughed intimately with Prince Pei, Liu Yao. He heard the Emperor tell Liu Yao to relax and continue to provide relief to the people in the name of Prince Pei. His gaze fell directly on the piece of beef shoulder in Liu Yao's hand, and his mood was extremely bad.

His previous confident expression vanished, leaving only the humiliation of being publicly shamed and a chilling realization.

It wasn't just because the emperor didn't bestow the sacrificial meat upon the Prince of Chen, but also because the emperor openly and legitimately responded to Luo Jun's expressed desire for reconciliation in this way.

The emperor was absolutely unwilling to reconcile with the King of Chen, and even did not mind forcing the King of Chen to rebel!

After distributing the sacrificial meat, Liu Bian slowly walked down from the North Suburb Altar and looked at Luo Jun standing below the altar. He caught a glimpse of Luo Jun's face, which suddenly darkened, and a cold and clear smile of disdain played on his lips. He then looked away and refused to look at him again, letting Shen Pei, who always had a dignified expression, reply to Prince Liu Chong of Chen's desire for reconciliation on his behalf.

Either surrender obediently, or you'll still be a wealthy man.

Either fight, or we'll see if you, Prince Chen, truly have the capacity to be worthy of the throne!
(5624 words)
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PS: Oh no, I was writing a lot of updates and didn't even eat dinner, but then I felt like I was getting pregnant.

Dizziness, weakness in the limbs, and back pain—this is really killing me.

I'm adding an extra 1600 words. Dear readers, please give me more monthly votes in recognition of this extra 1600 words!
Note 1: Liu Yao was the son of Liu Cong, the Prince of Pei. He inherited the title of Prince of Pei and was posthumously honored with the title "Gong". His son Liu Qi succeeded him.

Note 2: Liu He inherited his father's title of Prince of Pengcheng in 148. He reigned for 64 years and died in 213. He was posthumously honored as Xiao. After his son died out of his family, his eldest grandson Liu Zhi succeeded him.

(End of this chapter)