Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 317 truly embodies "filial piety and parental love."

April 10th, the second year of the Han Dynasty.

Although it's only the beginning of April, the early summer sun is already showing some strength.

Just after 9-11 am, the summer heat silently spread across the wide square in front of Yuntai Pavilion.

Although the sunlight was not intense, it enveloped everything gently, and a slightly distorted heat emanated from the bricks and stones, as if an invisible warm current was quietly flowing.

The palace buildings stand tall, their ochre-red walls standing silently, yet the shadows they cast are extremely short, stingily refusing to leave any more shade for this empty space.

Only the few peach trees transplanted around Yuntai Pavilion were the original ones planted by the emperor in Yong'an Palace. However, the peach branches, laden with green and plump fruits, seemed to be affected by the rising summer heat, remaining motionless and exuding a sense of listlessness and exhaustion.

Outside Yuntai Pavilion, Fu Xie, the newly appointed supernatural power captain, glanced at the lone child kneeling in front of the palace gate. A hint of doubt flashed through his mind, but he did not stop for him.

As the child saw him approaching, seemingly afraid of blocking his way, he laboriously shuffled to the side with his knees, managing to squeeze himself into a small patch of shade cast by the peach tree, avoiding the direct sunlight.

Even so, the children under the shade of the tree were already drenched in sweat.

Fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead and temples, gradually forming streams that meandered down his temples, following the contours of his drooping cheeks, and fell heavily onto the blue bricks, leaving a small, dark, damp stain.

The collar behind my neck was already soaked, and sweat kept sliding down the inside of my neck, like many warm little insects crawling, bringing a tingling sensation. My soaked inner shirt clung to my back, sticky and uncomfortable.

As she knelt for longer and longer, her small body couldn't help but sway slightly. She would then try her best to steady herself, her hands on her knees would unconsciously clench, and her Adam's apple would bob up and down with difficulty, swallowing only dry and hot air.

The soldiers of the Wuwei Battalion on both sides occasionally glanced at the child who had been kneeling for a long time. Perhaps they felt a little pity, but their faces remained calm as stone and their eyes were indifferent.

Unlike the comrades of the Central Guard Battalion, Central Fortress Battalion, Elite Cavalry Battalion, and Guerrilla Battalion, the soldiers of the Left and Right Martial Guard Battalions were guarding the Imperial Palace. Their primary principle was not bravery and strength, but rather to stay out of other people's business.

Meddling in other people's business can lead to death or even harm one's family.

Listen less, talk less, and do things honestly; this is the way to secure your livelihood.

At this moment, on the terrace on the second floor of Yuntai Pavilion, during the midday break, a huge black cloth umbrella was opened, providing shade.

Liu Bian casually rested one hand on the vermilion railing, while the other arm encircled Liu Qing's waist.

Liu Qing's cheeks flushed slightly, and she leaned shyly against Liu Bian's shoulder. In her left hand, she held an exquisite lacquer tray filled with chilled peaches cut into small pieces, while in her right hand, she picked up a piece of peach and gently fed it to Liu Bian.

After giving birth to her eldest daughter Liu Huang, Liu Qing recovered her figure very quickly, and her figure became more plump and beautiful, just like a ripe peach on this plate, with sweet juice coming out with a light sip.

Liu Qing's gaze kept drifting downwards, landing on the small kneeling figure, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Liu Bian noticed her unusual expression, turned his head and looked at her with a smile, saying, "Lianyi, is there anything between us that we can't say?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Qing's eyes flickered slightly, but she was no longer as fearful and uneasy as when she first entered the palace. She said softly, "I dare not presume to discuss state affairs, nor do I know what the country is considering. Perhaps it is because I gave birth to Yuanchu that my heart has become softer. Looking at that child, I always feel a little reluctant, afraid that kneeling for too long will harm my health and cause me to develop a chronic illness."

As she spoke, Liu Qing unconsciously clasped her hands together in front of her heart, her delicate brows furrowed slightly, revealing a look of reluctance. In Liu Bian's eyes, her expression was quite charming and pitiful.

Hmm... He didn't know if his heart had softened or not, but the fat on his face was becoming increasingly soft and smooth.

Liu Bian chuckled, put his arm around Liu Qing's waist, and they returned to the office area on the second floor of Yuntai Pavilion. He beckoned to Gao Wang, who was standing to the side, and said, "Heh, this brat is not honest. He knows to hide in the shade and just shows off his little tricks... Well, since Lianyi has spoken up for this brat, let's call him in."

Before long, two eunuchs hurried downstairs and carefully helped the child, who was kneeling so hard he was almost exhausted, to his feet. One fed him two mouthfuls of warm salt water, while the other gave him two mouthfuls of sweet honey water. They then gently massaged and pounded his stiff, sore legs. Once he had caught his breath, they helped him step by step up to the second floor of the Yuntai Pavilion.

Finally able to meet the emperor, the child's tense heartstrings suddenly relaxed. He forced his aching body to bow towards the throne, his voice slightly hoarse, and said, "This sinner Liu Ye pays his respects to the emperor, the imperial concubine, and all the officials."

Although the identity of the woman beside the throne is unknown, judging from her intimate posture with the emperor, she must be a highly favored concubine. Otherwise, she would certainly not be qualified to accompany the emperor. Calling her "Noble Consort" would be perfectly appropriate.

Moreover, he is wanted for murder and has come to Luoyang to accept the court's judgment. Facing the emperor and this unknown concubine, being sweet-talking would be beneficial for him; perhaps a single word could change his fate.

Although by generational order, he was the sixth-generation descendant of Emperor Guangwu, while the current emperor Liu Bian was the seventh-generation descendant, strictly speaking, the emperor was his nephew, and the concubines were his nieces-in-law.

But he would never dare to challenge the emperor in terms of seniority.

However, all of this trouble was caused by that old bastard Liu Pu!
He claimed to have forgiven Liang Ru, his male lover, under the family law, but later turned his back on him, saying, "Family law may forgive, but national law cannot."

Then, by using the pretext that suicide is an act of filial impiety towards one's parents, he intimidated the honest Liu Huan. In the end, this old man actually sent someone to escort him to Luoyang, requesting the court to punish him severely according to the law on the grounds that "the law does not favor the powerful"!
If a member of the imperial clan commits a crime, the case should not be handled by the Court of Justice; according to custom, it should be dealt with by Liu Yu, the Minister of the Imperial Clan.

However, Liu Yu also had a bit of a headache.

As a fifth-generation descendant of Emperor Guangwu, he was undoubtedly the most respected elder in the imperial clan, and his prestige was enough to make decisions on the vast majority of clan affairs.

But there are always a few bizarre things that make him feel particularly troubled, such as Liu Pu and his son Liu Ye... truly a case of "kind father and filial son".

Logically speaking, Liu Yu was completely on Liu Ye's side.

The Liu family, especially the branch of the emperor, was not very prosperous to begin with. If they were to be tainted by such a filthy and disgusting male homosexual practice, how would they be able to continue their lineage?
Moreover, Liu Ye was doing this on his mother's dying wish!

However, from a legal perspective, Liu Ye is indeed guilty of murder.

Even though the person killed was a lowly servant, even though it was done on his mother's dying wish, and even though his original intention was for his father, it still couldn't outweigh the loss of a human life.

The era of decisive judgments during the Spring and Autumn Period is long gone. Killing someone for the sake of filial piety and righteousness can at most be considered a reason for leniency, not an excuse for not being exempt from punishment.

If Liu Pu hadn't made a big fuss and reported it to the authorities, no one would have investigated the matter at all.

Even if someone reports it, they only get a few words of reprimand and that's it.

But Liu Pu insisted on taking the matter to the imperial court, and his words implied that he wanted to be severely punished!
Liu Yu had already cursed this unreasonable old scoundrel a thousand times in his heart.

It's one thing if an adult breaks the law, but to punish an eight-year-old child?

Let alone Liu Yu, even if you search through all the documents and files of the Imperial Clan Court since the Han Dynasty, you can't find such a precedent!
Even the sons of those rebellious kings of Huainan, who were not yet ten years old, were not executed. Instead, they inherited the throne and fiefdoms to ensure that the family line would not be cut off.

Liu Yu couldn't handle this hot potato, especially since it was a special time when the court was discussing revising the laws concerning private slaves.

Therefore, Liu Yu had no choice but to bite the bullet and report the matter to the emperor in its entirety, earnestly requesting the emperor's wise decision.

(2404 words)
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P.S.: I ate something bad last night and just got an IV drip at the hospital with acute gastroenteritis. My family says I looked pale from the pain. I was almost done writing, and I planned to finish yesterday's update around midnight before going to sleep.

(End of this chapter)