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

Chapter 268 The Emperor's Teacher

Southern foot of Beiman Mountain.

This is the imperial mausoleum area, and Liu Hong's own burial plot is located here.

This isn't on the mountain, but on flat ground at the foot of the mountain. Liu Bei had just brought Liu Xie down from the mountain, and the troops were waiting here.

"Young Master, what name will this mausoleum be named?"

Liu Xie looked at the mausoleum site in front of him and asked Liu Bei.

The title of Junior Tutor was an additional honor bestowed upon Liu Bei, implying that he was to tutor the young emperor, but it did not mean that he was a teacher, nor did it involve seniority.

The one who imparts skills is called a "master," and the one who imparts the Way is called a "mentor." Neither "master" nor "mentor" is an elder; it's just that students will be more respectful to their teachers because they value the Way.

Later scholars confused "master" with "teacher," creating a system of etiquette that treated one as a father, but this did not necessarily involve cultivating virtue and spreading the Way; in fact, it was a way to take advantage of others.

"That depends on the late emperor's posthumous title. The name of the mausoleum corresponds to the posthumous title... What do you want to use?"

Liu Bei didn't treat Liu Xie like a child, and stood beside Liu Xie speaking seriously.

"...Based on his actual achievements, what posthumous title should be given to my father?"

Liu Xie hesitated.

Liu Hong's mausoleum site has not yet been named, nor has his posthumous title been determined. Although Grand Master of Ceremonies Ma Ridi has drafted a preliminary plan in the past few days, the final decision will depend on who ultimately controls the court.

Typically, the posthumous title is discussed for a long time, and only after the new emperor's political situation has stabilized will there be a result that is acceptable to all parties.

“To perform elaborate sacrifices is called ‘mourning,’ and to be chaotic yet not destructive is called ‘spirited’… This was proposed by Ma Taichang, and it does indeed reflect actual achievements.”

Liu Bei replied.

Neither of these are good posthumous titles, but neither are they malicious slanders.

Liu Hong's life was indeed like this: selling and building official positions exhausted the people's resources, causing chaos in the country but not its downfall. He died suddenly in middle age from a sudden illness (which is also a form of mourning). Using "spirit" or "mourning" is perfectly acceptable.

If one really wanted to embellish it, one could use 'stern', as 'stern' implies a firm and resolute mind—Liu Hong did indeed have the ability to make decisive decisions, but most of the time he was in opposition to the gentry…

Scholars like Ma Ridi had opinions about Liu Hong, so they certainly wouldn't give him a very good posthumous title.

"...Why was Emperor Weizong able to employ Xiaohuan?"

Liu Xie was probably not very satisfied with either the mourning or the spirit.

Weizong was the temple name of Emperor Huan, and his mausoleum was named Xuanling. The characters 'Xuan', 'Wei', and 'Huan' all have the meaning of expanding territory and subjugating distant lands.

When Emperor Huan was determining posthumous titles, it was the period when the Party Prohibitions were most severe, and scholars were suppressed, while the power of the imperial relatives and eunuchs was at its strongest.

The posthumous title "Huan" was certainly an embellishment, but it was still consistent with reality.

After all, during Emperor Huan's reign, the population of the Han Dynasty reached its peak, and he quelled the Qiang rebellion and the Xianbei rebellion, as well as subjugating the Western Regions. He truly achieved the goal of expanding the territory and conquering distant lands.

Of course, if scholars were in power when Emperor Huan died, given his implementation of the Three Mutuals Law and the lifting of the Party Prohibitions, he might have received a derogatory posthumous title such as "Severe" or "Debauched" for suppressing scholars.

"When later generations discuss a ruler, they look at his country, not at the person himself."

Liu Bei replied, "No matter what kind of person the emperor is, as long as the situation of the Han Dynasty is not too bad after his death, his posthumous title will naturally be appropriate."

"The world today..."

Liu Xie seemed even more hesitant: "I heard my mother say that it doesn't seem like a good thing..."

Clearly, even though he was young, he knew that the current Han Dynasty was far inferior to the era of Emperor Huan.

However, he hadn't personally witnessed what exactly was wrong with it.

The "mother" Liu Xie mentioned refers to Diao Chan.

Liu Xie was raised in the torture chamber, and Diao Chan was the one who took care of him the whole time, so Diao Chan was his mother. In fact, people usually call older women who are not related by blood "mother", while they call their own mother "adult" or "mother".

This is not the same as Liu Hong calling Zhao Zhong "mother." That was Zhao Zhong's nickname, just like how we nowadays call a talkative person "Zhao Ma" (Mother Zhao).

"It's really not good... Would you like to see what the Han Dynasty looks like now?"

Liu Bei turned to look at Liu Xie: "It's hard to understand just by hearing people talk about it."

"Can we go see it now?"

Liu Xie naturally wanted to see the sights. This was his first time leaving Luoyang, and he was truly a country bumpkin.

"Sure, I brought you out here to broaden your horizons."

Liu Bei turned around and led his warhorse over: "Come, mount up, I'll take you to see the Yellow River."

"I can't ride a horse..."

Liu Xie looked at the tall warhorse and was a little excited, but he still honestly did not show off.

"This is the bridge, just hold on tight..."

Liu Bei's horse was fitted with a high saddle, so carrying a child was no problem. With Liu Xie shielding him in front, Liu Bei spurred his horse and galloped away.

When Liu Bei reached Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and the others, he called out, "Yun Chang, Yi De, lead the troops to take Xiaopingjin. We will camp at Xiaopingjin tonight."

"Elder brother...this..."

Guan Yu clearly felt that Liu Bei taking Liu Xie for a drive at this time was somewhat neglecting his duties. "There must be Yuan Shao's supply corps at Xiaopingjin. The Crown Prince is too young to go to war for the time being... We can only trouble the brothers."

After giving his instructions, Liu Bei rode his horse northward.

Zhao Yun led his guards and quickly gave chase.

Diao Chan, dressed as a palace maid, also rode a horse alongside, but she was clearly not a good rider, and her movements were very stiff. Fortunately, the horses on Liu Bei's side all had double stirrups, otherwise they might have really fallen off.

"My elder brother is acting like a father..."

Zhang Fei spoke in a low voice to Guan Yu, glancing at Diao Chan's retreating figure as he spoke.

He knew that Liu Xie called Diao Chan "Mother".

"Cough... Don't talk nonsense..."

Guan Yu was clearly more serious than Zhang Fei: "That's the crown prince... he'll be His Majesty in a few days."

"Brother Yun Chang, I did not speak ill of the Crown Prince..."

Zhang Fei lowered his voice again: "I was thinking, if my elder brother teaches him to be reasonable like a father, will the crown prince become a wise ruler in the future?"

"Maybe..."

Guan Yu stroked his beard: "Brother, you are virtuous and talented. I think the Crown Prince will also achieve great things."

"Yet emperors throughout history have all had virtuous and talented advisors to guide them... so why are there so few wise rulers?"

Zhang Fei lowered his voice even further.

"...Alas...Let's not discuss this matter...Let's carry out my elder brother's instructions first."

Guan Yu obviously didn't understand the question either, but Guan Yu was simple-minded; he wouldn't dwell on things he couldn't figure out.

……

Ping County, on the banks of the Yellow River.

This is Linhe County, near Xiaopingjin. Many years ago, it was also a ferry crossing on the Yellow River, but now the ferry crossing has been replaced by Xiaopingjin, and Pingxian has become the garrison town of Luoyang.

Liu Xie saw the mudslides left by the flood, and also the corpses lying in the mudslides.

It is now late autumn, and the floodwaters have receded considerably, but the farmland along the banks is completely submerged, and the landscape is filled with scorched yellow mud.

Along the way, we didn't see too many disaster victims, because the vast majority of them had already been driven away during the flood, leaving only dilapidated and collapsed empty houses and ruins.

There were quite a few people outside Ping County, but most of them looked either skin and bones or had huge bellies and lacked energy, which was very different from the people inside Luoyang City.

—The price of grain in the county is 20,000 coins per bushel for millet and 30,000 coins per bushel for wheat.

These people are searching for the remaining food in the fields, or picking wild vegetables and grass roots left behind after the floodwaters receded.

This should be harvest season, but after the floods, finding food in the fields is a matter of luck.

There's no time for disaster relief in Luoyang these past few days, and no one in Ping County is in charge either; the officials have all gone to Luoyang for the funeral.

Liu Xie didn't have much of a concept of money, but he at least knew that 20,000 coins was a large sum of money, and that a bushel of grain wasn't much.

Moreover, just by looking at those weak people outside the county who could be blown away by a gust of wind, one can understand that this was not caused in a short time; only prolonged hunger could make everyone look like this.

Why are some people large-bellied while others are thin and frail?

Liu Xie turned to ask Liu Bei.

"A person with a distended abdomen and stiff face is either suffering from prolonged hunger leading to edema, or has eaten too much dirt to fill their stomach..."

Liu Bei explained.

"Wouldn't eating dirt kill you?... Are there no other places to eat around the capital? What about the other prefectures and counties...?"

Liu Xie's eyes were filled with sorrow: "Is the world so distressed because of Father?"

"Not entirely... but everyone would think it was the emperor's fault."

Liu Bei said softly, "The suffering of the people is all the fault of the emperor; this is the responsibility that an emperor should bear."

"...If the people can only eat dirt, then they should indeed be given the posthumous titles of 'Mourning' and 'Ling'..."

Liu Xie muttered something under his breath, then turned to Liu Bei and asked, "This world is in such a state of ruin, can it still be restored?"

"Of course."

Liu Bei nodded: "It's just that perhaps some people are unwilling to be treated."

Liu Xie didn't quite understand: "Why?"

"Because I've never been hungry... I don't know what hunger feels like."

Liu Bei knew that this matter couldn't be explained in a few words, so he only gave the simplest explanation.

Liu Xie nodded, seemingly understanding, "I've never been hungry... I'd like to try."

(End of this chapter)