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

Chapter 296 Zhao Ji
When the officials returned to Luoyang, Empress Dowager Dong was dumbfounded.

It was actually normal for the emperor to leave Luoyang for an eastern tour during the Han Dynasty.

This is because the Shang, Zhou, Qin, and Han dynasties all had this tradition.

The feudal states and their people pacified the borders, while the emperor toured the four directions. This was the conventional management method since ancient times, and the emperor staying in the palace as a recluse had not yet become the mainstream.

As long as the emperor is not a puppet ruler, he will go out on tours.

Even Liu Hong had toured famous mountains throughout Henan, and two years ago he even planned to tour Hejian in Jizhou, but he was unable to do so because of Wang Fen's rebellion.

When the emperor was away from home, Empress Dowager Dong naturally took over the administration of the court, which meant that she was given real power...

But Empress Dowager Dong is now both panicked and disheartened.

The panic stemmed from the realization that Liu Xie trusted not his grandmother, but Diao Chan and Liu Bei.

She was disheartened because she discovered that most of the prominent families, led by Yang Biao and Wang Yun, were secretly plotting and discussing matters, but no one came to ask for her opinion as the Empress Dowager.

When Liu Xie was born, Empress Dowager Dong was already the supreme ruler of Yongle Palace, so of course she wouldn't personally feed the baby, wash his bottom, or change his diapers... These things were done by Zhu Zhi, the steward of the Imperial Household Department.

Accompanying Liu Xie as he grew up, holding his hand as he took his first steps, teaching him to speak, and imparting wisdom... these were the things Diao Chan did.

The people we are closest to are always those who cared for us during our infancy and early childhood.

Even Liu Hong was closer to his wet nurse Zhao Rao. Although Empress Dowager Dong was Liu Hong's biological mother, she was far less close to him than Zhao Rao.

It was Zhao Rao who initially held Dou Miao hostage in the palace, threatened the Minister of Works with a knife, seized the imperial seal, and helped Liu Hong assume power. After assuming power, Liu Hong bestowed upon her the title of Lady Ping.

(Note: The Ping clan belonged to Nanyang Commandery, which was a marquisate. This conferment was not simply due to their close relationship, but also as a reward for their contributions. Zhao Rao was the greatest contributor to the coup that enabled Liu Hong to assume personal rule.)
Liu Bei abducted the emperor, and after abducting him, he opened a separate route under the pretext that "the emperor's whereabouts must not be revealed." Now, apart from Jia Xu, no one knows where Liu Bei is.

Upon returning to the capital, the first thing Wang Yun and other officials did was to submit memorials to each other, praising each other's official positions.

The officials recommended Yang Biao as Minister of Works and concurrently as Director of the Imperial Secretariat, so that the Minister of Works' office could handle administration when the emperor was not in the capital.

This is indeed a serious matter, and Yang Biao was the one who closed the coffin for the late Emperor Liu Hong, so according to custom he would naturally be appointed as Minister of Works.

Subsequently, Yang Biao recommended Wang Yun as Grand Master of the Palace and Fu Wan as Attendant-in-Ordinary concurrently Grand Master of the Palace.

Fu Wan then appointed Ma Ridi as Grand Master of Ceremonies.

Ma Ridi also appointed Shi Sunrui as Commander of the Imperial Guard.

Xun Shuang was appointed as the Palace Attendant, and Cai Yong was appointed as the Minister of Works and Libationer by Dong Min.

They took turns submitting reports, and everyone was getting promoted.

But... surprisingly, no one asked for the Empress Dowager's opinion, and all the memorials submitted by the officials were handed over to the Secretariat—all to Jia Xu.

The Empress Dowager was furious and decided to retreat to Yongle Palace.

She had assumed that when the emperor was away, the matter of bestowing official titles would have to wait for her to make a decision in court, and all the officials would have to ask her for help.

But I didn't expect...

Absolutely not!

After Jia Xu affixed his seal to the Secretariat, the appointments of the Minister of Works and several other ministers were immediately announced to the four directions. The appointments were already stamped with the Emperor's seal, so there was no need to go through the Empress Dowager.

Unbeknownst to the Empress Dowager, Yang Biao and his entourage had already engaged in 'friendly' communication with Jia Xu at the foot of Mount Beiman...

Yang Biao's son, Yang Xiu (fourteen years old), will serve as the emperor's companion and accompany the imperial entourage on the eastern tour.

Fu Wan's son, Fu De (15 years old), and daughter, Fu Shou (11 years old), will both accompany the emperor on his eastern tour. These are the children of Fu Wan and Princess Yang'an, Liu Hua, and are relatives of the emperor.

Shi Sunrui's son, Shi Sunmeng (15 years old), will also be going to the Jixia Academy in Qingzhou as an exchange student as a student of the Imperial Academy...

Xun Shuang also appointed his grand-nephew Xun You as a Gentleman Attendant at the Palace Gate to accompany the emperor.

These were all suggestions made by the scholars themselves... Since they could not stop Liu Bei from taking the emperor on his eastern tour, they would take this opportunity to get Liu Bei (Jia Xu) to agree and secure his official position.

They themselves did not intend to follow the imperial carriage eastward, because it was obvious that the emperor would be safe with Liu Bei, but it was uncertain whether they would be safe with the imperial carriage—what if Liu Bei planned to create some rebels and then eliminate them?
But since Liu Bei specifically instructed them to "register with Jia Xu," it was obviously giving them an opportunity to discuss matters.

Therefore, having one's own sons and nephews accompany the emperor's entourage, so as not to be left behind in either direction, became the best option.

When it comes to investing, you should diversify your investments.

These scions of prominent families will accompany Jia Xu as he slowly travels eastward with the emperor's entourage; in effect, they are also a form of hostages.

……

In addition to these officials, Cai Yong also decided to contribute a batch of books to the Jixia Academy.

However, Cai Yong's presentation of the book was not a proactive act, but rather a spur-of-the-moment decision made by Liu Bei when he was clearing out the remaining rebel forces in Chenliu.

The newly built Jixia Academy had no shortage of Confucian classics, but it was very lacking in the works of other schools of thought.

If we want a hundred flowers to bloom, we must absorb a wide range of ideas and be inclusive.

Cai Yong was from Yu County, Chenliu. He had a large collection of books at home, and he was particularly fond of collecting rare and fragmentary books. His collection of more than 10,000 books included more than half of them rare and fragmentary books.

This is a huge cultural treasure. Liu Bei didn't care about other things, but he absolutely needed the Cai family's collection of books.

Therefore, Liu Bei asked Jia Xu and Cai Yong to discuss the matter, expressing that the emperor was fond of learning and hoped to borrow the classics in Cai Yong's home to copy and study, so that the emperor could also read widely.

This was a good thing for promoting culture, and Cai Yong certainly wouldn't refuse. Moreover, Liu Bei was the Junior Tutor, so it was his duty to find some books for the emperor to read, and Cai Yong was happy to cooperate.

So Cai Yong wrote a letter to his daughter Cai Yan, who was staying at home, asking her to select some classic books to give to Liu Bei, and also to invite the emperor to stay at his home. For the emperor to visit an official's home was a great honor, especially since it was a visit to a subject's home for the sake of education.

Cai Yan, courtesy name Zhaoji, was a renowned talented woman of her time. All the officials in the capital knew of Cai Zhaoji's great name. She had previously married Wei Zhongdao of the Wei family in Hedong, but Wei Zhongdao died young, so Cai Yan returned to her hometown in Yu County, Chenliu.

The Wei family of Hedong was a renowned family throughout the land, the family of Wei Qing and Wei Zifu... But the Wei family did not allow Cai Yan to stay in her husband's family as a widow, but instead let Cai Yan return to her hometown. This was actually because Cai Yan was indeed very famous.

(Note 1: Wei Zi came from the Wei clan of Chenliu, a family established by the famous scholar Wei Hong, and is unrelated to the Wei family of Pingyang in Hedong. Wei Hong was a court official during the reign of Emperor Guangwu, a native of Donghai, and the author of the *Han Jiuyi*. After becoming an official, he moved to Chenliu, where his family passed down the ancient texts of the *Shangshu* and the *Zhou Li*, making them a renowned family of Confucian scholars.)
(Note 2: Cai Yan's courtesy name was Zhaoji, and she never changed her name. The earliest record of Cai Yan is in the Book of the Later Han Dynasty, which was written after the Jin Dynasty. To avoid using the character "Zhao" in Sima Zhao's name, Cai Yan's courtesy name was recorded as "Wenji". Yan means beautiful jade, which is a metaphor for good character, and Zhao means pure and bright, which is consistent with the meaning of the character Yan.)
Liu Bei arranged for reinforcements along the way: Xu Huang was stationed in Chenliu, Xu Rong in Puyang of Dongjun, Guan Yu in Shouzhang of Dongping, and Zhang Fei in Lu County of Jibei.

After bringing Liu Xie to Chenliu, Liu Bei gathered Xu Huang's troops and then headed south together to Cai Yong's home in Yu County.

Cai Yan had already received Cai Yong's letter and was organizing her collection of books. When she heard that an army was coming, she did not panic and went out to greet them with her servants.

Liu Bei found a gentle mare for Liu Xie, and together with Zhao Yun, Diao Chan, and others, they rode over with Liu Xie—it was like an elder brother taking his younger brother out for a spring outing, and incidentally teaching him how to ride a horse.

"Is the visitor General Liu? My father said that the Emperor would be making his eastern tour and would be visiting this place, but why is the imperial carriage not here?"

Cai Yan saw the flags carried by soldiers in the distance, which blocked Liu Bei from entering the gate.

"Since Mr. Cai has already sent a letter back, Zhao Ji must know that we have come to borrow books. Borrowing books is meant to pass on the knowledge of the sages of the past. If we disturb the people with the imperial procession, wouldn't borrowing books become a form of tribute?"

Liu Bei laughed and said, "I wonder how many books you have in your collection? May we go in and take a look?"

Liu Xie also dismounted, bowed respectfully, and looked around curiously.

After leaving Luoyang, Liu Xie became noticeably more lively.

Cai Yan glanced at Liu Xie, then at Liu Bei standing behind him, and her eyes widened: "This is..."

"Shh..."

Liu Bei held up a finger to his lips: "This is my junior brother from my sect."

Cai Yan had intended to kneel down and perform a deep bow, but upon hearing this, she straightened up again: "Then... I am overjoyed that Mr. Yue has come to visit. Please come inside and rest."

This is just for receiving friends who come to study.

(End of this chapter)