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

Chapter 257 The Transformation of the Golden Core
1:30 PM (Wei Shi Liang Ke).

The morning assembly was still not over.

Liu Bei did not intend to let the officials leave the court so quickly; he wanted to continue the court session.

The issues being discussed are all important, and we certainly cannot adjourn the meeting now.

For example, what posthumous title should be used after the emperor's death, what regulations should be followed for his funeral, how should the funeral procession be arranged, and how should preparations be made for the crown prince's ascension to the throne, etc.

Although Liu Hong was not officially dead, all of this had to be planned in advance.

In addition, there are many personnel adjustments—for example, who should succeed those officials who have just left office, especially the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat.

And then there's Liu Bei's appointment... He can't really let the Left General of the Household assist in governing, can he? He should at least be promoted to the rank of General of the State.

Today was an emergency court assembly that was notified at the last minute. The officials arrived early to wait, but the assembly did not start until noon. By then, they were all starving.

Liu Bei was also hungry; his brothers hadn't eaten since last night.

So Liu Bei ordered Yongle Palace to provide a meal for all the officials, a mid-meeting break for their conference meals.

Yongle Palace was in charge of these matters, and Zhao Zhong was familiar with them. In the past, during grand court assemblies, he would occasionally provide boxed meals to officials—literally boxed meals, served on plates in wooden boxes, one box per person, as the Han Dynasty practiced individual servings.

Of course, meals could not be eaten inside the main hall. All the officials ate in the square outside the hall. There were many pavilions and low tables outside the hall, which were the resting places for officials waiting to attend court.

Officials would usually arrive before sunrise to attend court and sign in at 5:00 AM, but they would typically not enter the palace until 7:00 AM, since many emperors couldn't get up in the morning... so the officials had to wait a long time.

The Han Dynasty treated officials with some humanity, allowing them to eat outside the palace, as long as they didn't get an upset stomach when attending court.

Liu Bei was not outside the main hall; he was dining in a side hall with Liu Xie.

"I would like to posthumously grant Master Yue the title of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince..."

During the meal, Liu Xie suddenly said something to Liu Bei.

Liu Xie called Yue Yin "Master", which is completely different from "Master" (in the Han Dynasty, the pronunciation of "father" was "fu", which is also different).

'Master' is a term commonly used by merchants or theater apprentices, referring to someone who is both a teacher and a father figure, someone who is raised in the master's home.

For example, the doctor who raised Xiuniang should be addressed as her master by Xiuniang.

The term "master" refers to a highly respected person who cultivates one's character. In the Han Dynasty, it generally referred to the emperor's teacher. This title only became more common after the Tang Dynasty.

'Shi' and 'Fu' have two different meanings. 'Shi' refers to the transmission of knowledge, while 'Fu' refers to the cultivation of virtue. They are also clearly distinguished in terms of official positions and division of labor.

A teacher is someone who imparts skills and techniques. A craftsman can be called a master craftsman, and a swordsman can be called a master swordsman. Anyone who can teach can be called a teacher.

The title "Fu" signifies the transmission of virtue and the Way, and should not be used indiscriminately.

The Crown Prince's tutor was not actually a tutor, but rather an official under the Eastern Palace responsible for guiding and nurturing the Crown Prince. He generally did not participate in court affairs.

The Grand Tutor is a high-ranking official, above the Three Dukes. This is not a permanent position, but rather the exclusive domain of the regent minister.

Liu Xie's decision to appoint Yue Yin as the Crown Prince's tutor was clearly a gesture of goodwill towards Liu Bei.

Liu Bei was taken aback: "Who taught you to say that?"

"No one taught me... I think Master Yue should be in this position."

Liu Xie lowered his head: "I haven't known Master Yue for long and haven't gained much from him, but Master Yue is different from others... He asks nothing of others and has risked his life to protect me..."

"Then wait until you become emperor, and personally posthumously honor your mentor."

Liu Bei actually admired Liu Xie.

This eight-year-old child is very patient. He has never cried or complained and has always appeared very calm, much calmer than most adults.

Moreover, he speaks very logically and clearly, never uttering nonsense.

With such great talent, if someone were to teach him properly, he would surely achieve great things.

Sadly, the best teacher has passed away.

"What...what should the Emperor do?"

Liu Xie hesitated for a moment and then asked another question.

"I've never done it either..."

Liu Bei shook his head and smiled: "Perhaps, I just want to be the teacher of hundreds of millions of people in the world."

"That's too difficult...it would require an incredibly high level of virtue..."

Liu Xie finally showed the sigh that a child would have when encountering an Olympiad math problem.

"That's why it's said that the virtuous should rule the world. The one whose virtue is equal to that of heaven and earth is called emperor. If one doesn't have great virtue, how can one be worthy of the offerings of the people?"

Liu Bei said solemnly, "Those whose virtue rivals that of Heaven and Earth are called Emperors. This is what Dong Zhongshu said in *Chunqiu Fanlu*." (*Fanlu*)
Liu Xie nodded solemnly, indicating that he had already read this book that every prince must study.

……

Just as Liu Bei was instructing Liu Xie on how to be emperor, Zhang Rang led Empress He from behind the Deyang Palace.

To be precise, they were being held captive, but without any restraints; they were simply being held captive by a few large, plump palace women.

These palace women were old maids from Yongle Palace, and were people of Empress Dowager Dong.

There is a passage connecting the rear hall of Deyang Palace to the North Palace. Empress Dowager Dong was in the rear hall at this time. The Empress Dowager could observe politics in the main hall, but she could not dine in the same room as men, so she was in the rear hall with Zhao Zhong.

Upon seeing Empress He, Empress Dowager Dong revealed a smug smile: "He, you've finally met your match..."

Empress He looked at Empress Dowager Dong, her face pale, but she still did not back down: "Your Majesty is so majestic today, it seems that you have recovered from your illness?"

"You lowly servant...you still don't know how to repent even when you're about to die!"

Empress Dowager Dong immediately issued an order: "That vile woman poisoned me with hemlock and even tricked my son into taking more elixirs... Give her two catties of elixirs to fill her stomach, so that she won't suffer from hunger and thirst after she dies!"

"Queen Mother!"

Not only Empress He, but Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong were also shocked.

They could understand that Empress Dowager Dong wanted revenge, but surely there was no need to rush into it now?

Two catties of golden pills...

Wouldn't it be better to truly prosecute and punish them according to the law?
"Your Majesty, you mustn't..."

Zhang Rang earnestly persuaded him.

"Why not?! Why aren't you doing it yet?!"

The Empress Dowager had never dared to speak much in front of Liu Bei, but now she finally had someone to vent her anger on, and no amount of persuasion could stop her.

The several plump palace women, naturally following the Empress Dowager's orders, immediately restrained Empress He.

There were indeed many golden pills in the back hall, after all, Liu Hong often ate this stuff to fill his stomach at noon.

But each one of these is the size of an egg, and it's difficult to eat even one, plus two pounds...

Moreover, consuming the Golden Elixir causes intense heat throughout the body, and excessive consumption will inevitably lead to embarrassing consequences.

The Empress Dowager didn't seem to intend to kill Empress He directly; she probably just wanted to vent her anger.

Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong couldn't dissuade her, so they could only watch as the palace women forcibly stuffed the golden pills into Empress He's mouth one by one.

Logically speaking, consuming two catties of the Golden Elixir wouldn't necessarily cause one to die on the spot; at most, one might become delirious, suffer a serious illness, or perform a striptease in public.

But perhaps the empress's throat was too small to withstand such torment. She was forced to drink water, and as she continued to be forced to swallow, some of the elixir got stuck in her throat.

The empress struggled desperately, but since it was being forced down her throat, the palace maids didn't care what happened to her and just kept shoving the medicine in.

By the time the palace maids realized they couldn't push it down no matter what they tried, and the Empress's throat was no longer moving and her face was gradually turning ashen, it was already too late...

Empress Dowager Dong was also stunned.

Zhao Zhong hurried to the side hall to find Liu Bei.

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei immediately rushed to the rear hall, but was stopped by several palace servants. The servants did not dare to disrespect Liu Bei, nor did they intend to stop him, but rather because Liu Xie was following behind Liu Bei at that moment.

Liu Bei turned around and told Liu Xie not to go inside, then rushed into the inner palace alone.

Empress He had already collapsed to the ground.

Liu Bei stepped forward and peered over his neck.

He was already dead, and his face was bluish-purple, his throat was swollen and hard, clearly indicating that he had died of suffocation.

Several unused golden pills were still lying on the ground, making the crime scene immediately clear.

"Is it really necessary to be in such a hurry?!"

Liu Bei glared at Empress Dowager Dong: "Zhang Rang has already proven her crimes, and she was destined to die anyway. She could have been executed in accordance with the law, so why did you have to kill her out of spite?!"

Empress Dowager Dong was somewhat afraid of Liu Bei, but she still protested, "I didn't mean to make her die from overeating...who knew it would turn out like this..."

"Yes, you don't know! You don't know... no one can restrain He Jin now!"

Liu Bei gritted his teeth and said, "Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong, take the Empress Dowager back to Yongle Palace... and don't let her come out again!"

At the entrance to the rear hall, Liu Xie peeked out from behind the palace servants, looking into the distance with an unreadable expression in his eyes.

(End of this chapter)