Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 294 Does Moling possess the aura of an emperor? I shall build a mausoleum there to ward off evil!

On the 14th day of the 12th month of the first year of the Hanxing era, the emperor held a grand court assembly.

The officials were quite surprised that the emperor suddenly convened a grand court assembly in the middle of the month.

Since the emperor ascended the throne, apart from the regular court session held on the first day of each month without fail, he has almost never convened a grand court assembly. If it weren't for this system, the emperor would probably have even planned to skip the grand court assembly on the first day of each month.

The original intention of the Grand Court Assembly was for the emperor and his ministers to discuss state affairs together!

But in today's court, those who truly participate in core political discussions are the officials whom the courtiers privately refer to as the "mini-court."

The officials of the "small court" consisted of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, the Nine Ministers' Assistants, key officials from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and the Secretariat, and a small number of former officials from the emperor's former residence who were deeply favored by the emperor but were not listed above.

However, even within this "small court," not everyone was frequently summoned by the emperor for private meetings.

As for the grand court assembly, it was nothing more than a press conference to announce established government decrees.

This so-called "mini-court" system is not actually a good system. Although it greatly improves administrative efficiency, it is not a long-term solution.

The "small court" system relied entirely on the emperor's personal abilities; otherwise, it could easily become a tool for powerful ministers to control the government.

However, what the Han Dynasty needs right now is high-speed administrative efficiency. If it has to argue endlessly with the court of "insects" and exhaust its words to implement new policies, how can it talk about reviving the Han Dynasty?
After the officials paid their respects according to etiquette, they took their seats. The hall was silent for a moment as everyone waited for the emperor to announce the new decrees.

But the atmosphere at today's grand assembly seemed somewhat unusual.

On the throne, the emperor did not speak as usual, nor did any of his trusted ministers present a memorial. The emperor simply sat upright, his gaze calmly sweeping over the assembled officials in the hall, as if waiting for something.

Liu Bian glanced discreetly at the Grand Historian Shan Yang sitting in the corner. Shan Yang had his eyes closed, seemingly resting as if he were detached from the situation, and was indeed not cooperating with Liu Bian's orders.

Liu Bian was secretly annoyed.

Old man, aren't you afraid I'll make things difficult for you later?

Dan Yang declared, "I'm really not afraid!"
At 71 years old this year, he is no longer subject to corporal punishment according to the law, and he cannot be slaughtered unless he is guilty of treason or deceiving the emperor. At most, he can only be dismissed from office and sent back to his hometown.

It wasn't that Shan Yang was deliberately going against the emperor; it was just that, as a highly respected feng shui master of his time, he was unwilling to go against his conscience to cater to politics, and even less willing to utter words against his conscience in front of the court officials.

Liu Bian shook his head slightly; Shan Yang was so stubborn that he wouldn't budge an inch.

If Shan Yang could easily yield and back down, he wouldn't have openly interpreted this auspicious omen as "a king will rise in that country. In less than fifty years, the dragon will reappear, and this is the omen" when the governor of Qiao Commandery reported that "a yellow dragon appeared in Qiao." This was almost a prophecy of the demise of the Han Dynasty.

The influence of prophecies and apocryphal texts in the Eastern Han Dynasty was considerable. Even Emperor Guangwu relied on prophecies and apocryphal texts to rally the people when he started his rebellion.

So much so that the phrase "The one who will replace the Han dynasty is Dangtu Gao" has been used repeatedly as a pretext for rebellion for many years.

However, Liu Bian understood Shan Yang's character and naturally wouldn't rely entirely on Shan Yang alone.

Just then, Wang Li, the Grand Historian, slowly stood up from his seat, holding a tablet.

His movement caused Shan Yang, who had been resting with his eyes closed, to suddenly open them. A look of surprise flashed across his face, and then he glared fiercely at Wang Li, who had already walked to the center of the Jiade Hall.

Wang Li noticed the unfriendly gaze behind him, but he did not turn around. Instead, he took a deep breath, bowed to the emperor on the throne, and said, "Reporting to the nation, the Grand Historian has a report to submit!"

Liu Bian slightly raised his hand in a gesture of support, and said calmly, "Granted."

"On the night of the seventh day of the ninth month of the first year of the Hanxing era, I observed the celestial phenomena at the Lingtai," Wang Li's voice was exceptionally clear in the silent hall. "I saw an imperial aura rising in the southeast!"

Upon hearing this, a suppressed gasp filled the hall.

The officials looked at each other, bewildered and uncertain. Seeing Wang Li's expression, they realized it was not feigned.

Moreover, such pronouncements concerning the fate of the nation are no child's play, and no one dares to speak lightly about them.

“The nation need not worry!” Wang Li immediately replied, “Although this imperial aura has appeared, it is weak and invisible, as if it has suffered a severe injury, its energy wavering. However, I am concerned for the nation and dare not be negligent. Therefore, I took leave the next day and rushed to the southeast to find the source of this aura!”

Wang Li paused briefly, as if organizing his thoughts, then suddenly raised his head, looking intently at the emperor, and said, "I have been searching for the source for more than two months, following the qi, and thanks to the blessings of the previous emperors and the great fortune of the nation, I have finally reached the source!"

As the Minister of the Imperial Clan Court, Liu Yu was naturally concerned about the fate of the Han dynasty. Moreover, he was a scholar of the classics who studied the Jing Shi Yi and was particularly convinced of the theories of divination and omens. At this moment, he could no longer contain himself, leaned forward, and asked urgently, "Where exactly is it?"

"Moling County, Danyang Prefecture!"

Wang Li replied solemnly and decisively: "The land of Moling was established by King Wu of Chu and was originally named Jinling. The terrain is hilly and rocky. When I consulted the elders, they said that when the tyrannical Qin Shi Huang toured Kuaiji in the east, he passed through this county. A geomancer said that 'Jinling's terrain has the aura of a royal capital.' Therefore, he dug up the hills to dissipate its royal aura and renamed it Moling."

Wang Li's statement was not fabricated out of thin air; it is recorded in many ancient books and historical records.

In order to suppress the imperial aura of Jinling, the First Emperor changed its name to "Moling".

秣 means grass for feeding horses!
The First Emperor first suppressed the city's fortune by degrading the place name, then ordered the Fangshan Mountain, which was the "dragon neck" of Jinling, to be cut off, and diverted the Qinhuai River to flow through the city. Finally, he buried golden figures and bronze artifacts on Jinling Hill to suppress the emperor's aura. However, a fortune teller in the Qin Dynasty said that "Jinling will have the aura of an emperor five hundred years later."

After speaking, Wang Li presented two bamboo scrolls containing the evidence for his words. The scrolls detailed the sources of the classical texts on which he had just mentioned. Wang Li said that if the emperor did not believe him, he could send someone to Danyang County to verify the information.

Upon hearing Wang Li's words, Sun Jian, the guerrilla general, was slightly startled. He was from Fuchun County in Wu Commandery, which was next to Danyang Commandery. He had heard many legends about the imperial aura of Moling since childhood.

As he grew older, he had come to regard it as mere rural nonsense, but unexpectedly, today, in the solemn imperial court, the Grand Historian himself confirmed it.
Not only him, but all the civil and military officials in the hall who were from Yangzhou, especially those from Danyang County and even Moling County, were terrified and sweating profusely. They were afraid that the emperor would take his anger out on them because of this illusory "emperor's aura" and massacre or exile them, or at the very least, never be given important positions again.

On the throne, Liu Bian, sensing the unease of the Yangzhou officials, looked at Wang Li's memorial, his eyes flickering as he carefully read through its contents.

He had some knowledge of the matter of the Emperor's Aura and instructed Wang Li to bring it up. However, he never expected that this matter was not only not fabricated out of thin air, but also had such detailed classical evidence behind it.

After a long while, Liu Bian handed the bamboo slips to Gao Wang, indicating that they should be passed on to important officials such as Lu Zhi for review. He then sat up straight, his face solemn, and said in a low voice, "I know, but what good plan do you have to break this imperial aura?"

“I have two methods!” Wang Li replied immediately.

"Firstly, sever its feng shui dragon vein! In the past, the First Emperor once cut off Fangshan, the 'dragon neck' of the mountain, but there are still two mountains guarding the left and right sides of Moling, and its fortune has not been exhausted. It should be cut off!"

“One mountain, Zhongshan, has the appearance of a coiled dragon; the other mountain, Shishan, has the appearance of a crouching tiger. This place, with its ‘coiled dragon and crouching tiger’ formation, is the residence of an emperor and must be destroyed!”

"Secondly, emulate the First Emperor and suppress it with powerful artifacts! Cast golden figures, bronze beasts, and other objects, and bury them deep in the nodes of the earth's veins to suppress this imperial aura!"

As Wang Li finished speaking, the assembled officials seemed to be deep in thought.

Xun Shuang, Zheng Xuan, Fu Qian and other learned scholars exchanged glances, all vaguely feeling that something was amiss about the matter.

Although they had not served this emperor for a long time, they absolutely did not believe that the emperor was completely unaware of the matter.

Lu Zhi sat silently, but his face was somewhat pale.

He recalled how not long ago he had remarked that the emperor's nature was not as stubborn, radical, and eager for quick success as the First Emperor. At this moment, he felt his face burning and wished he could slap himself.

How could he have believed this scoundrel!

"The State!" Guo Tu, unaware of the prior details, rose angrily from his seat, gripping his tablet, a fierce glint in his eyes. He declared, "I believe the two methods proposed by the Grand Historian are insufficient to completely quell the demonic aura in Moling! I dare to suggest that Moling County be abolished, its people relocated to other counties, and a hundred li of land designated as a forbidden zone, under which anyone who disobeys and enters without permission shall be executed along with their entire clan!"

Liu Bian glanced at Guo Tu; this guy seemed to be serious.

Regardless of whether the imperial aura in Moling was real or not, it did not affect Guo Tu's loyalty; he even referred to the imperial aura in Moling as "evil influence."

Guo Tu's lead immediately drew a lot of echoes from other officials.

Whether this imperial aura is real or not, it's always right to pledge allegiance at this moment and take a jab at officials from Yangzhou.

The benefits lost by the people of Yangzhou would naturally be distributed among the scholars of the other twelve states.

For a time, the entire Yangzhou seemed to have become a den of thieves, and the faces of the officials from Yangzhou grew increasingly pale.

"What you all say is very much to my liking." Listening to the heated arguments of the officials, Liu Bian slowly curved his lips into a calm smile, rose from his throne, and said, "However, I need to make some modifications!"

Liu Bian ordered an attendant to bring over a map of Yangzhou. When he arrived at the map, he took a purple-haired brush, dipped it in thick ink, and all the officials' eyes were focused on the brush in his hand.

But then Liu Bian's wrist sank, and the tip of his pen landed heavily on the location of Moling County, drawing a circle. A chilling, sinister smile appeared on his face as he looked around at his ministers and said, "In my opinion, it would be better to slaughter all the common people within a hundred miles of Moling, then carve out the mountains and burn the city. What do you all think of this method?"

The hall fell into a deathly silence. Most of the officials were stunned and speechless, shocked by the extremely bloody proposal.

This tactic... it looks so familiar!
Did the people living near a meteorite four hundred years ago also enjoy the same treatment? (Note 1)

However, a few courtiers, eager to flatter and show their loyalty, actually spoke up and echoed the emperor's words after a brief moment of astonishment.

"Your mother is a servant! You are truly worse than a beast!" Liu Bian roared in fury, hurling his purple-tipped brush at one of the men who had echoed his sentiments. He didn't care how many people were splattered with the ink from the brush, and shouted angrily, "Do you want to destroy the Han Dynasty? How can I, for this matter, resort to such a brutal act of forcibly relocating and slaughtering the people? How is this any different from the tyrannical Qin Dynasty?"

The angry shouts echoed in the hall, and the officials who had echoed them were so frightened that they lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to raise their heads.

"The aura of an emperor? It should be suppressed with the aura of an emperor!"

Liu Bian's chest heaved as he took a deep breath, then suddenly flung his wide sleeves.

The map is exhausted, and the dagger will naturally be revealed.

Liu Bian declared loudly, "Since the Grand Historian has said that Zhongshan and Shishan have the appearance of 'dragons coiled and tigers crouching,' indicating that they are the residence of emperors, then I shall build my mausoleum here as my residence, so that my descendants may forever guard it!"

(3501 words)
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Note 1: The Records of the Grand Historian states that in the 36th year of the First Emperor's reign (221 BC), a meteorite fell in Dongjun. Someone carved on the stone the words "The First Emperor will die and the land will be divided." The First Emperor sent imperial censors to investigate, but no one confessed. All the residents living near the stone were killed, and the stone was burned.

P.S.: Hey, it's Friday! Things are almost done, almost over. I'm planning to grab some barbecue and then get a foot massage to relax!

So I'm in a particularly good mood today, so I'll add a short update of 2000 words.

Dear readers, please give me some extra monthly votes in recognition of the extra 2000 words I've added!
(End of this chapter)