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

Chapter 280 The True Young Master

Liu Bei was certainly warning the Empress Dowager, but he was speaking from the heart.

Because Liu Bei never regarded the emperor as anything special.

It's just a title, isn't it?
Anyone can be emperor; most emperors of the Han Dynasty were chosen through a selection process...

Liu Bei didn't regard the emperor as anything special.

It's just a job.

Moreover, it is very likely the profession with the shortest average lifespan among the Han people...

Liu Bei has been in this Han Dynasty for more than ten years. Here, he has made friends with those who are willing to die for him, found teachers to teach him, married, had children, started a family and career, and gained a large group of people who depend on and follow him.

He is no longer a 'modern person'.

It is precisely because he no longer has the inherent concepts of modern people that Liu Bei is now very clear that most modern people value the title of 'Son of Heaven' and the profession of emperor, but in reality, very few people in the Han Dynasty's gentry truly take the title of 'Son of Heaven' seriously.

Even the empress and empress dowager would not regard the 'Son of Heaven' as something supreme.

The saying "six empresses ruling as regents" is not just a figure of speech. For almost every emperor over the past century, the empress dowager has been in charge of the government since his ascension to the throne.

The time that Han Dynasty emperors actually ruled personally was not as long as the time that empress dowagers and powerful ministers took over the administration.

The only people who truly respected the emperor were eunuchs and commoners.

Yes, it seems counterintuitive, but it is true.

The Han Chinese gentry actually held a much more open-minded view than many highly educated modern people; they did not regard the emperor as a 'ruler' or 'dictator'.

They actually regarded the emperor as the 'chief executive officer'.

A CEO is just someone who is not necessarily the real boss.

There are very few people in the entire Han Dynasty who can turn a CEO into a true boss.

Liu Hong struggled his whole life and did countless things. Although he barely became a major shareholder, he ultimately failed to fully control the board of directors and even caused the entire group to almost fall apart.

Although employees are ostensibly required to follow the CEO's instructions, in reality... anyone who has worked knows that when the CEO says something, just give him a perfunctory nod or applause.

Tasks assigned by your direct supervisor are the only ones you need to complete; otherwise, you risk losing your job.

As for the vice presidents—if the CEO is not the chairman of the board, and assuming the company has five vice presidents, then it is highly likely that four of them are not the CEO's people, because the CEO actually does not want the vice presidents to share power.

Employees generally don't violate company rules, but that really has nothing to do with who's the CEO; it's governed by salary...

—The gentry of the Han Dynasty, that is, the employees of the Han Dynasty Group, essentially think the same way.

Ordinary people wouldn't think that way, because they aren't employees of the company; they might have some idealized notions about the world's largest corporation...

Later generations often regard the emperor as a symbol of absolute power, but in reality, none of the emperors of the Han Dynasty were able to rule dictatorship—not one, including Liu Bang and Liu Xiu.

While absorbing thousands of years of accumulated knowledge, many people have also absorbed hundreds of years of dross, resulting in many mental constraints that obscure the originally simple and clear logic.

If the head of a family business dies, leaving behind a minor son.

What is the best course of action for a branch manager who wants to take control of the group company at this time?
The best course of action, of course, is to become the designated guardian of the CEO's biological son and take over the right to dispose of the estate.

After all, there is no legal basis for directly transferring company shares, the existing strength is not enough to start a new business independently, and the resources at hand are not enough to directly eliminate other departments and branches.

In order to safeguard the right to dispose of the estate, it is necessary to make way for other people who are qualified as guardians and those who are trying to obtain guardianship, so it is necessary to make the Empress Dowager and others fear him.

What were the Empress Dowager and others who were trying to gain custody afraid of?
Military power? Blood and fire? Power and influence?

no……

Their desire to gain guardianship meant they were acting within the rules—Liu Bei had proactively protected Luoyang, and the rules of the Han Dynasty were still in effect.

What these people fear are actually those who don't follow the existing rules.

That is, a thief.

Therefore, Liu Bei had to reveal his true colors—don't block me, I'm a thief, and if you push me too far, I won't play by the rules anymore!
The logic is actually quite simple: it's not about what Liu Bei wants to do, but about what's the most appropriate thing to do now.

……

Late at night, Liu Xie returned to Luoyang.

The first thing I did after getting back was, of course, eat...

Diao Chan was very common-sense; she cooked some millet porridge and only allowed Liu Xie to drink one bowl.

Liu Xie didn't ask for much, and didn't even ask why he wasn't allowed to eat his fill. He bowed to Diao Chan and said, "Thank you, Mother," before licking the bowl clean.

They looked no different from the refugees Liu Bei encountered when he distributed porridge.

"From tomorrow onwards, you will be the emperor. You may have few opportunities to travel. Is there anything else you wish to do?"

Liu Bei asked.

"...Can I not be the emperor?"

Liu Xie thought for a moment, then suddenly asked.

“I can… but if you don’t do it, I’m afraid the world will descend into chaos.” Liu Bei sighed: “Do you not want to stay in the palace, or do you not want to be emperor?”

"...I don't like being in the palace, and I don't know how to be an emperor."

Liu Xie thought for a moment, then honestly said, "I heard Commandant Zhao talk about Taihang, Mount Tai, the Great Wall in the north, and how Mr. Jia connected the two great rivers when he was controlling the floods... but I couldn't see it with my own eyes..."

It seems that Zhao Yun spent quite a few days chatting with Liu Xie while accompanying him.

Liu Bei could understand Liu Xie's mindset very well.

This child really hasn't seen much of the world...

"If I have the chance, I'll take you around to see the sights."

Liu Bei nodded and said, "Go and say goodbye to your father first; he is sealing his coffin tomorrow."

Liu Xie bowed to Liu Bei and followed Zhao Yun toward the Chongde Hall.

Diao Chan looked at Liu Xie from the side and sighed softly.

Perhaps only two people in the entire Han Dynasty could treat Liu Xie as an ordinary person—Liu Bei and Diao Chan.

Liu Bei could see that Diao Chan genuinely cared about Liu Xie, not about being the crown prince or the emperor.

Seeing Liu Bei looking at her, Diao Chan turned around and bowed deeply to Liu Bei: "General Liu, if you wish to take His Majesty away from the capital, I humbly request to accompany you."

Liu Bei was somewhat surprised: "When did I say I wanted to take His Majesty away from the capital... Wait a minute, Your Majesty?"

After Liu Bei asked the question, he realized that Diao Chan was referring to His Majesty, not the Crown Prince.

"Of all the people I have met, only the General can treat His Majesty as an ordinary person..."

Diao Chan said softly, "The general regards His Majesty as a junior disciple of his sect, only considering seniority and not the relationship between ruler and subject. I can see that."

"Commander Zhao once said that the general always respects the wishes of those around him... If His Majesty wishes to see the mountains and rivers of the Han Dynasty, then the general will surely take His Majesty on a journey to the mountains and rivers sooner or later."

"I also do not wish to stay in the capital. I have heard that there are female officials under your command. Please allow me to recommend myself as an official and follow you to all corners of the world."

After saying this, Diao Chan bowed slightly, took half a step back, and waited for Liu Bei's reply.

"What's your real name? Where are you from?"

Liu Bei shook his head and laughed. Zhao Yun was usually a man of few words, but now that Diao Chan knew he had a female servant under his command, it was clear that Zhao Yun had been tricked into revealing information by Diao Chan...

No wonder Liu Xie listened to so much from Zhao Yun.

Who would have thought? Zhao Yun, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, would become such a chatterbox in front of a beautiful woman?
Of course, this wasn't Zhao Yun's fault; it was simply that Diao Chan was much smarter than he had imagined.

"I am nameless. I was born in Handan and suffered hardship in my childhood. After being adopted by the magistrate of Handan, I was presented as a child girl to the Imperial Household Department. In the Inner Palace, I was chosen by Consort Wang as a maid because we were from the same hometown, and I was given the name Jiang Li."

Diao Chan replied very clearly, obviously knowing what Liu Bei wanted to ask: "The magistrate of Handan was implicated by Consort Wang and died. I was young at the time, and I was fortunate to be protected by Zhu Zhi, the steward of the violent household, so that I have survived until now. I know that you, General, are kind and generous, and perhaps you can also see me as someone you can use. Therefore, I risk my life to ask you."

It was a long-standing practice to send young girls to the Imperial Household Department. Unlike palace maids and eunuchs, palace maids were not allowed to be selected as adults. Instead, young girls were sent from various places, trained in the Imperial Household Department, and then entered the Inner Palace to await selection.

The girls presented as tribute were usually daughters of respectable families from various regions, but some officials would specifically adopt beautiful orphaned girls to seek favor with the emperor—Diao Chan was clearly the latter.

Consort Wang was Liu Xie's biological mother, Wang Rong. Wang Rong was also from Handan. It was customary at the time for a palace maid from the same hometown to serve him after he became favored. The magistrate of Handan presented Diao Chan to him because he was currying favor with Wang Rong. Diao Chan was probably only ten years old at that time.

However, after Wang Rong gave birth to Liu Xie, he was poisoned to death by Empress He, and the magistrate of Handan was also killed. Diao Chan was too young and fell into the clutches of the violent household again. Zhu Zhi, the steward of the violent household, raised Liu Xie, and Diao Chan has been accompanying and teaching Liu Xie ever since.

The fact that she could become the official Diao Chan of the Yongle Palace as an orphan with no support already proves her ability—this cannot be achieved by relying on beauty, and beauty is a disadvantage in this situation, as the Yongle Palace is not the West Garden where Liu Hong usually resides.

It was indeed very troublesome for female officials in the palace to seek opportunities outside, and at this time, the only one who could help Diaochan was Liu Bei.

Of course, even if Diao Chan did nothing, she would likely encounter a lot of trouble. After Liu Xie ascended the throne, everyone around him would be targeted, especially since Diao Chan was the person closest to Liu Xie.

But she was very good at the art of speaking, deliberately referring to him as "Your Majesty" instead of "Crown Prince," which was a way of showing that.

"From now on, I will treat you as my personal attendant... You will be the true tutor to His Majesty."

Liu Bei said half-jokingly, "Are you trying to persuade me to leave the capital as soon as possible?"

Liu Xie was able to be taught so well, so Diao Chan must have been a very good early childhood educator.

Moreover, Liu Bei knew that since Diao Chan was asking him to take her away at this time, she must want to leave as soon as possible.

"Yes. Although Luoyang has been pacified, His Majesty is still young, and the Empress Dowager can only rule as regent for the time being. Although General's might can intimidate the court, a tiger in a cage cannot accomplish anything. If General wants to pursue the traitor, taking His Majesty out is the best choice."

Diao Chan whispered, "His Majesty wishes to view the landscape of the Han Dynasty. Why doesn't the general accompany His Majesty to pay homage to Mount Tai and honor our ancestors?"

Liu Bei's eyes lit up.

That's quite a good title! Emperors Wu, Guangwu, Zhang, and An all held the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai. Taking Liu Xie to worship at Mount Tai is a sign of filial piety!

(Note: This is a ritual performed by descendants, not a Fengshan ceremony. This is a separate explanation.)
The emperor ascended the throne at a young age, upholding filial piety, following in the footsteps of his ancestors, and understanding the suffering of the people. This is the greatest of all righteousness...

Once Liu Xie ascends the throne normally, Luoyang will just be a city.

The imperial court? Wherever the emperor is, that's the imperial court...

……

(End of this chapter)