I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 334: Sinner’s Edict

"Your Majesty!"

Guo Tu informed Yuan Shao of the emperor's request, but Yuan Shao only uttered a vague sigh and then stopped pursuing the matter.

"What's the situation inside the city?"

"Zhang He has already occupied the palace city."

Guo Tu was quite pleased when he talked about this.

"It was thanks to the many high platforms that Cao Cao had built in the palace in Xuchang that Zhang He was able to seize the palace and keep Cao Cao out."

Yuan Shao lowered his eyelids slightly: "Aman, you still refuse to surrender?"

"Now that even the emperor is outside the city, what's the point of him still holding out in Xuchang?"

Guo Tu then asked, "Lord Yuan, do you intend to stay here and capture Xuchang, or simply lead the Emperor back to Hebei?"

Yuan Shao's fingers tapped the carriage frame, the even and deep sound echoing in the tent like a heartbeat.

"Write a letter to Cao Cao."

"This……"

Guo Tu was somewhat taken aback.

"Lord Yuan, Cao Cao has always been stubborn; how could he be easily surrendered?"

"This time, that time."

Yuan Shao remained expressionless, only his lips moving up and down to convey the order.

"He didn't surrender at first because he thought he could defeat me."

“He abandoned Guandu but did not surrender, because he wanted to die as a loyal subject of the Han Dynasty.”

"but now……"

Yuan Shao's tone was somewhat contemptuous.

But this contempt was not directed at Cao Cao, but at someone else.

"Tell Cao Cao."

"If you continue to resist, don't blame me for not showing any consideration for our past relationship."

“I will petition the Emperor to thoroughly condemn the Cao family as traitors to the Han Dynasty. I will also order my soldiers to go to Qiao County to dig up the remains of the Cao family’s ancestors and make sure that the Cao family in Qiao County can no longer use Cao as their surname, but must change it to another surname.”

"Now, even if he wants to die, I cannot let him die as a loyal subject of the Han Dynasty."

"Let him choose for himself."

"To submit, or to be a traitor to the Han forever?"

------

After Guo Tu left, Liu Xie ordered Geng Ji to write an edict for Liu Miao.

In Yuan's camp, Liu Xie was under significantly less surveillance than in Xuchang. At least for now, there was no one else watching Liu Xie and Geng Ji.

After Geng Ji finished writing the edict, he handed it to the emperor for review, and the emperor took the opportunity to slip something into Geng Ji's arms.

"His Majesty……"

"Shh!"

The emperor glanced to his left and right, then rose, grasped Geng Ji's hand, and, in the flickering lamplight, voiced his request: "In my view, Yuan Shao is no benevolent man! He may very well become another Dong Zhuo or Cao Cao!"

"I urge you, Lord Geng, to deliver this item to General Liu, so that he may immediately lead his troops to attack Yuan Shao and restore order!"

With tears welling in the Emperor's eyes, he said, "The only people I can rely on now are the members of the Han imperial family and Minister Geng!"

When Geng Ji heard the emperor place him on par with his relatives, he was deeply moved!

"When Yuan Shao met with the emperor, he did not respect etiquette and was by no means a good minister!"

"Since His Majesty has entrusted this matter to me, I will certainly risk my life to deliver this item to General Liu!"

The Emperor grasped Geng Ji tightly: "The fate of the Han Dynasty rests entirely on your shoulders!"

"If this succeeds, I will certainly reward you with the position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat!"

Geng Ji nodded with tears in his eyes as well: "Your subject departs!"

Geng Ji brought the imperial edict and first showed it to Guo Tu.

After examining the calligraphy, Guo Tu praised it, saying, "Ji Xing's calligraphy is truly excellent."

Geng Ji quickly cupped his hands in thanks: "You flatter me!"

"Besides his beautiful handwriting, Ji Xing's loyalty is truly admirable."

Guo Tu's words made Geng Ji's tongue tremble, but Geng Ji reacted quickly and said, "Escorting the emperor out of Xuchang was just a subject's duty."

"What a dutiful subject he is."

Guo Tu smiled slightly and said, "But Ji Xing should know that loyalty is acceptable, but blind loyalty is not!"

"A subject's loyalty to his ruler should not merely be about following his wishes, but also about promptly reminding and advising him when he makes mistakes, so as not to let the ruler go further down the wrong path. Ji Xing, do you think what I said is correct?"

Geng Ji's hands and feet were already sweating, but he still held onto a sliver of hope: "Thank you for your advice, Gongze! But I do have an imperial edict to carry out, so please forgive me for not being able to stay any longer."

Guo Tu sighed.

He stood up, his wide sleeves seemingly capable of swallowing Geng Ji whole.

"Ji Xing still doesn't understand what I mean."

What about what the emperor entrusted to you?

"what?"

Geng Ji pretended to be stupid.

"I've heard that the current emperor is supposed to be a wise man, so why does he do such foolish things?"

But Guo Tu quickly shook his head: "It's not that he's stupid, it's that no one taught him. The world has changed a long time ago."

"The emperor thought that now was a time of peace and prosperity, a time when the Liu family emperors could rule the world by playing power games."

"Does the emperor want to emulate Emperor Taizong? Or Emperor Shizong? Or perhaps Emperor Xiaohe, using others' strength against him, thinking that this will allow him to check and balance the court and seize power?"

Guo Tu sighed helplessly.

“In times of peace, these are certainly acceptable.”

"Whether it was the nobles of the early Han Dynasty or the relatives of the empress later, their power came from the emperor and from imperial power. So the emperors of that time were just playing a game of dividing and fighting over the spoils."

"But nowadays, whether it is Dong Zhuo, or Li Jue, Guo Si, Yang Feng, Cao Cao... their power does not come from the emperor or the central government, but from the soldiers under their command and the support of the scholars in their own territory."

"Those emperors who lived in peace in the past were able to control the court and seize power by means of their own methods because no matter how the power was divided, the flesh was ultimately still in the central cauldron."

"Now that the cauldron is broken and the meat is torn apart, you're going around trying to fool people with an empty cauldron, hoping they'll put the meat from their earthenware pots into yours... Isn't that a bit too stupid?"

Guo Tu shook his head and said, "In this respect, many of you are not even as good as Dong Zhuo."

"After Dong Zhuo seized the cauldron, knowing he couldn't get any of the other people's flesh, he hid in Guanzhong with his own share of the flesh."

"But Wang Yun, Dong Cheng, and you all were all incredibly stupid. Did you really think that holding a bronze cauldron would fill your stomach?"

Guo Tu's eyes had turned to pity.

"Actually, it's not your fault."

"They were all born into the ranks of officials, how could they possibly understand those things?"

"Even if you manage to contact Liu Miao and follow him back to Jiangdong, do you think Liu Miao will obediently relinquish power and offer his own flesh to you to bring you glory?"

Guo Tu scoffed.

"In this world, what truly matters is meat! It's the meat of the venison that reigns supreme!"

"The cauldron is merely a container for the venison. Do you really think you can conquer the Central Plains with an empty cauldron?" Guo Tu lightly tapped the bamboo slip with his fingers: "Ji Xing, stop being so stubborn. Take it out. It's better for both of us."

Although Geng Ji was indignant at Guo Tu's words, he remained defiant: "I don't understand what Gongze meant by talking to me about meat and cauldrons! I have official business to attend to. I'll discuss this matter with Gongze properly when I get back!"

"Ah~"

Guo Tu waved his hand, and immediately armored soldiers entered the camp and surrounded Geng Ji.

Geng Ji's eyes widened: "Guo Tu! What are you doing! I am the Emperor's Attendant! I am an angel carrying an imperial decree! How dare you be so disrespectful?"

“Geng Ji, we have already given you and the Emperor face, but you yourselves did not want it.”

Guo Tu looked around: "Search!"

"Guo Tu! Yuan Shao! Your Majesty!!!"

A dignified Han angel was publicly searched!
The body search was even more humiliating, as it stripped Geng Ji completely naked!
Geng Ji cursed and tore at the ground in anger, but he couldn't shake off the soldiers at all. In the end, he could only curl up naked on the ground and start to cry.
The dignity of the Han Dynasty!
The Emperor's dignity!
They all went with Geng Ji's clothes!
But Guo Tu did get what he wanted—

A letter written in blood was found inside Geng Ji's trousers.

"Another letter written in blood..."

Guo Tu was somewhat helpless when he saw this thing.

"The emperor's tent is not without writing materials for him, so why does he have to do this?"

"Do you think that Liu Miao would be moved to tears upon seeing this imperial edict written in blood, and then immediately rush over to welcome him back to Jiangdong and worship him?"

Guo Tu shook his head helplessly, holding the blood-written letter, about to go find the emperor. But just as he was about to leave the tent, he pulled his foot back.

"Let's ask the Emperor to come over."

"Guo Tu!!!"

Geng Ji, who had been completely despondent, suddenly came back to life and started cursing at Guo Tu!

"Since ancient times, it has always been the case that the emperor commands his subjects! How can there be a case where a subject commands the emperor in return?"

"Aren't you afraid of dying a horrible death for rebelling against the Heavenly Gang?"

Guo Tu looked at Geng Ji coldly.

"So you realized this was a rebellion against the Heavenly Generals at this point?"

"When Dong Zhuo installed him as emperor, how come he didn't know it was a rebellion against the Heavenly Order?"

"Doesn't he know that the throne should never have belonged to him?"

When Geng Ji was about to curse again, Guo Tu simply ordered his soldiers to stuff the rag that had been wrapped around Geng Ji's crotch back into his mouth.

"Go and invite the Emperor."

Following Guo Tu's order, soldiers from Yuan's army immediately went to the emperor's tent.

The emperor clearly had no intention of refusing, and could only come to Guo Tu's tent with trepidation, despite his imperial status.

When the emperor entered the tent, he saw Geng Ji stripped naked in the corner. He was stunned at first, and then a great panic crept up from his heels to his back.

"What...what happened?"

Guo Tu did not respond, but instead invited the emperor to take the seat of honor.

On the table at the head of the table was the very letter written in blood by the emperor!
The emperor felt dizzy and lightheaded, but still showed a surprised expression, asking Guo Tu, "What is this?"

Guo Tu originally looked down on this emperor.

But seeing that the other party could still have such quick wit at this moment, one couldn't help but admire them.

The bloodline of the Liu family is indeed that of born emperors.

It is truly unexpected that even a puppet emperor could have such a strong mentality.

If it were a peaceful time, when the flesh was still in the cauldron, this emperor might actually have become a second Emperor Taizong, a second Emperor Shizong, and a third Emperor Xiaohe.

but now……

Guo Tu also showed a surprised expression: "Does the Emperor not know?"

"I don't know! What is this?"

The emperor blinked his innocent eyes at Guo Tu, which made Guo Tu admire him once again.

He truly deserves the title of someone who managed to produce an imperial edict even under the nose of an old fox like Cao Cao. I admire him!

"This is a blood-written letter found on Geng Ji. He claims it was given to him by the Emperor as evidence to order Liu Miao to attack Yuan Gong."

The emperor's hand suddenly bulged with veins as he gripped the imperial emblem on his crimson lower robe.

Slowly shifting his gaze to Geng Ji, and then glancing at the Yuan soldiers around him, swords in hand and armor, the emperor's eyes gradually became unfocused.

"I truly knew nothing of this matter!"

Guo Tu pressed, "So, this is the edict that Geng Ji forged himself, using the emperor's name?"

"Of course!"

Guo Tu tilted his head slightly, his gaze locking onto the emperor's hand hidden in his sleeve.

"But I just checked, and there are no wounds on Geng Ji's body. I wonder whose blood was used to write this letter?"

"Guo Qing, didn't you think of this? This is a military camp. Finding some blood is easy. Even if you can't find human blood, isn't it easy to find some chicken blood or dog blood?"

Guo Tu's admiration for the emperor reached a new level!

"I see! Your Majesty is indeed discerning in distinguishing right from wrong; I am no match for you!"

"In that case, Your Majesty, what do you think should be done to punish Geng Ji for forging an imperial edict?"

This is clearly another case of Guo Tu asking a question he already knows the answer to.

The laws of the Han dynasty included regulations and corrections.

Even if forging imperial edicts is harmless, no reward will be given for any merits gained!

During the reign of Emperor Wu, "a fire broke out in Henan, burning down more than a thousand houses," and Ji An was ordered to go and inspect the situation. Ji An saw that the poor were "fathers and sons eating each other," so he acted on his own initiative. Relying on the imperial insignia he held, which had been bestowed upon him by the emperor, he used the emperor's edict to open the "Granaries of Henan to relieve the poor." Afterwards, he voluntarily requested to return the insignia, confessed his crime, and did not acknowledge his merit.

If "falsifying an imperial edict is harmful," then it is a capital offense!
Guo Tu was asking the emperor whether this blood-written edict was "harmless" or "harmful."
Now, everyone knows that this blood letter was not forged by Geng Ji.

Therefore, Guo Tu's question was self-evident.

He wanted the emperor to admit that he had harmed the country and the Han Dynasty!

What's the difference between this and forcing the emperor to eat his own excrement?
The emperor's lower garment was now crumpled into a ball, and the emblems of mountains, rivers, and the state were completely shattered!

His jade-pillar-like midsection trembled continuously, but after seeing the situation before him, he still lowered his head unwillingly.

"Falsifying an imperial edict is harmful and punishable by death!"

Guo Tu nodded in agreement: "That's how it should be! Quickly behead Geng Ji!"

Immediately, axemen dragged Geng Ji out, and moments later, his bloodied head appeared before the emperor.

The emperor closed his eyes, unable to bear to look.

But Guo Tu placed Geng Ji's head in front of the emperor, making Geng Ji's eyes stare straight at the emperor, ensuring the emperor suffered no harm.

"The country is in chaos now, and evil spirits are rampant. The emperor is surrounded by these demons and monsters, which is why the people are in turmoil!"

Guo Tu finally revealed his true intentions at this point.

After the Shang dynasty destroyed the Xia dynasty, Tang proclaimed to the world his mistakes and issued an edict: "The sins are mine alone, and I dare not pardon myself. I only wish to seek the judgment of the Supreme God. If any sins of the myriad regions are my fault, then the sins of the myriad regions are my fault. If I am guilty, then the sins of the myriad regions are not my fault." Therefore, the Shang dynasty was able to flourish, and the emperor was able to achieve good governance.

"The country is in chaos now. If Your Majesty can emulate Tang of Shang, the Han Dynasty will surely prosper!"

Guo Tu's impassioned speech caused the emperor's usually tense face to suddenly change color!

"Your Excellency... do you want me to issue an edict of self-reproach?"

(End of this chapter)