Second-hand time travel: Liu Bei, the big-eared bandit

Chapter 231 Loss of Righteousness Must Be Remedied
Taishi Ci ultimately did not escape.

He now feels like he has indeed been tricked.

Liu Bei submitted a memorial requesting that famine-stricken people repair river channels through public works. This was something Sun Qian believed, since he was Zheng Xuan's disciple and wouldn't have used this to deceive people when the memorial was destroyed.

However, Taishi Ci found it hard to believe that powerful clans were using the Yellow Turban Rebellion as a pretext for rebellion. He was unwilling to believe that the renowned gentry of Qingzhou would do such a thing, and besides, those powerful clans were now all dead, making it impossible to verify.

However, Taishi Ci believed Sun Qian's claim that Liu Bei took grain from the lands of powerful clans to provide famine relief, but at the same time, he also concluded that Liu Bei must have seized the lands of the gentry—just like Chen Deng when they first met Liu Bei, he did not believe that any official would be so selfless as to not take any benefits.

As for the military settlements, Taishi Ci didn't think that far ahead. He was unaware of the court's predicament, nor did he understand the disasters caused by grain taxes and transportation. He only knew that setting up military settlements might be able to provide for the starving people, and at least it wasn't an evil law.

Taishi Ci was actually somewhat hesitant.

He still harbored some doubts about Liu Bei.

But at least he was certain that Kong Zan had indeed taken things out of context.

However, everything Kong Zan said was true; he did not make false accusations or embellish the story—that was Kong Zan's cleverness.

However, Sun Qian was right in any case.

If Liu Bei was indeed a benevolent official, then Taishi Ci's destruction of his reputation led the court to prejudicially punish Liu Bei, such as by transferring or dismissing him. This would certainly have interrupted the various benevolent policies that were originally underway in Qingzhou.

It is early winter now, and the starving people are dividing up the land. They have not yet started planting, and even if they plant grain next spring, the harvest will not be available until autumn.

For the next six months, from this time until the autumn harvest, hundreds of thousands of starving people had to rely on the grain that Liu Bei obtained from powerful clans to survive.

If the series of benevolent policies in Qingzhou were to be interrupted, who could replace Liu Bei in providing relief to hundreds of thousands of starving people?

The Yellow River management project is about to be completed. What would happen if it were abandoned halfway?
Will Qingzhou revert to the state it was six months ago?
If Liu Bei were to resign and Qingzhou were to fall into chaos again, with hundreds of thousands of people rising up in the Yellow Turban Rebellion once more... then the millions of people in Qingzhou would likely all regard Taishi Ci as the culprit, and Taishi Ci's elderly mother would probably have no face to live on in this world.

……

Guanglu Xun Temple.

This place is located in the inner palace area, between the north and south palaces, and is also the outer government office closest to the Forbidden City (the emperor's residence).

Of course, the closest official office to the emperor was not the Guanglu Xun, but the Huangmen Shu, since the Huangmen Shu's office area was located within the palace, and the Huangmen Ling served the emperor directly.

"...Lord Bo'an, this is how it is... Taishi Ci has already expressed remorse, but the mistake has already been made. I would appreciate it if Lord Bo'an could think of a way to make amends."

Sun Qian and Mi Fang together reported the whole story to Liu Yu, the Grand Master of Ceremonies.

The report, cut in half, was placed on Liu Yu's desk.

Liu Yu was from Donghai in Xuzhou, and he was a fellow townsman of Mi Zhu and Mi Fang. This is why Liu Bei sent Mi Fang to ask Liu Yu to propose a plan—to allow Mi Zhu to cultivate land in Xuzhou and to place the military commander of the land cultivation under the jurisdiction of the Grand Master of Ceremonies. This would be very beneficial to Liu Yu.

When did you submit the memorial? What were the specific contents of the memorial?

Liu Yu turned to look at Taishi Ci.

"Two days ago, as soon as I arrived in Luoyang, I submitted the petition to the Imperial Carriage Office and handed it over to Magistrate Kong... Magistrate Kong praised Magistrate Liu for his merits in quelling the rebellion, and also impeached Magistrate Liu for allowing his troops to commit violence, seizing farmland, harming scholars, and imposing heavy labor..."

Taishi Ci spoke honestly.

Kong Lingcheng was Kong Rong. Kong Rong had just been recommended by He Jin for a high rank, but instead of becoming He Jin's subordinate, he served as the Lingcheng of the Gongche Office.

"Two days have passed... This memorial may have already entered the Ministry of Personnel."

Liu Yu paced back and forth in the government office with his hands behind his back and a frown on his face: "Tomorrow is the court assembly. Kong Zan's memorial is extremely brilliant. As long as it enters the court discussion, Xuande will surely be punished and transferred..."

"Lord Bo'an, if we immediately report to His Majesty that Kong Zan of Donglai sent someone to destroy the magistrate's memorial, can we salvage the situation?"

Sun Qian asked.

"His Majesty probably hopes someone will report Liu Bei. Right and wrong are not that important to the Emperor... I will try my best." Liu Yu sighed: "Go quickly and find Minister Lu, and ask Lu Zigan to intercept Kong Zan's memorial at the Ministry of Personnel."

Lu Zhi was Sun Qian's senior martial brother, so it was easy for Sun Qian to see Lu Zhi, but the journey was time-consuming. By the time Lu Zhi understood the situation, it was already evening.

Lu Zhi was happy to help and quickly went to the Ministry of Personnel to find the report from Donglai. However, after searching around and flipping through all the memorials from various prefectures and counties, he could not find it.

Clearly, the report from Donglai did not enter the Ministry of Personnel and should still be in Kong Rong's hands.

Liu Yu, who requested an audience with the emperor, was also stopped outside the West Garden.

It was getting late, and the emperor refused to see anyone.

Seeing that Liu Yu and Sun Qian had both returned empty-handed, Mi Fang asked, "If Governor Liu is transferred, the stability of Qingzhou will surely be destroyed... Lord Bo'an, is there really no way to resolve this matter?"

Liu Yu shook his head and sighed: "The imperial court doesn't care about right or wrong. No one will believe that Qingzhou will be unstable after Xuande's transfer. As long as the report from Donglai reaches the court, all the officials will fight for the position of Qingzhou, and the emperor will use this as an excuse to send Xuande to pacify the surrounding areas. As for whether Qingzhou will fall into chaos again, nobody cares..."

Mi Fang then asked, "Is it possible to suppress this matter for a few days? If I ride back to Pingyuan and tell the lord about this matter... the lord will surely be able to force the Prefect of Donglai, Kong Zan, to confess his crime, and this matter will naturally be resolved."

"Kong Zan praised Xuande's achievements in pacifying Qingzhou; this is a victory report that cannot be suppressed..."

Liu Yu shook his head. The court assembly was the next day; how could they possibly hold it down in such a short time? There wasn't even time to consult with anyone.

Taishi Ci, realizing that the matter was likely beyond repair, felt guilty and uneasy. He then pleaded with Liu Yu and Sun Qian: "Today I have made a grave mistake and must do something... Since the memorial has not yet reached the Ministry of Personnel, it is still in the hands of Kong Lingcheng. I intend to sneak into the Beigong Langshu and destroy the Donglai memorial from Kong Lingcheng. Would you gentlemen believe me?"

Mi Fang was clearly a little skeptical, but she expressed her approval of the plan.

This is indeed the only solution.

Sun Qian didn't speak, but looked at Liu Yu.

Liu Yu asked Taishi Ci, "Whether this matter succeeds or not, you are likely to die. Do you really want to go?"

Taishi Ci nodded: "The fact that you all are willing to serve Magistrate Liu shows that he is indeed a benevolent ruler. I have failed in my duty, but my mother taught me that I must make amends..."

“If I can atone for my sins, I will die for righteousness… If I cannot undo this, then I have acted unjustly and deserve to die.”

……

As night falls, in the western city's gold market, at the Langshu (also called the official residence).

The Langshu was a place provided for officials to live, similar to civil servant apartments, consisting of individual small courtyards.

Kong Rong was drinking with Yang Biao, the Grand Master of the Palace, in the courtyard.

Yang Biao was the son of Yang Ci, the former Grand Commandant. His family owned a mansion in the south of the city, but in order to show his integrity, he also lived in the Langshu (a government office). In fact, many second-generation officials did this. When Cao Cao served as a consultant, he also lived in the Langshu, even though the whole Han Dynasty knew that his family was very wealthy.

Kong Rong didn't submit the memorial to the Ministry of Personnel, which naturally meant he had some other thoughts.

“…I can recommend Wenju for a position in Qingzhou, but why does Wenju want to go elsewhere? It is still unknown whether Qingzhou has been settled. Even if it has been settled, it is still in ruins and difficult to govern. There is no guarantee that bandits will not rise again…Although the position in the Public Carriage Office is not prestigious, it is very easy to be promoted to the government. Why does Wenju want to be sent to a post outside the capital?”

Yang Biao felt that his position in the central government was relatively safe.

"Qingzhou is a land of literature and talent, a place where we can make our mark. Liu Bei has the ability to quell rebellions, but lacks the talent to govern; he should be put in charge of leading the army to pacify the four directions. I consider myself a man of considerable talent and ability, and stabilizing the region and educating the people is my family's strength. Although the capital is good, General He always bothers me. I do not wish to stay in Luoyang, and I beg you, sir, for your assistance..."

Kong Rong clearly had a high opinion of himself and planned to have Yang Biao recommend him for the position of governor of Qingzhou.

In fact, if it weren't for the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Qingzhou and Xuzhou, Kong Rong might very well have been appointed governor of Qingzhou or Xuzhou by the imperial court.

Yang Biao agreed to the matter and accepted the memorial.

But at that moment, a figure dressed in a crimson robe descended from the sky.

(End of this chapter)