I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 96 Bestowing the Name Jinling
Shouchun...

Yuan Shu lay in the newly built palace, watching the graceful dancers and listening to the lingering music of the musicians. He was no longer the unease and hesitation he had felt when he first went to Huainan.

The bed beneath me was ingeniously designed, with exotic flowers and plants carved on the outside and a hollow interior where charcoal could be placed. A layer of soft silk could then be laid on top, so even in winter, it still felt warm and comforting.

Yuan Shu lay lazily on the couch, letting the maid massage his back and shoulders, while listening listlessly to Han Yin's report below.

"The Zhongshan faction's envoy has arrived?"

"Exactly."

What is he trying to do?

"Buy soil."

"Buy soil?"

Yuan Shu kept his eyes closed, but still turned his face towards Han Yin: "This soil isn't everywhere, why is he coming to me to buy soil?"

"Reporting to General Hou, this is a letter from Liu Zhongshan. Would you like to take a look?"

"Read it to me."

Han Yin opened the letter and read aloud Liu Miao's letter to Yuan Shu—

[Oh, General Hou, whose radiance shines like the sun! How have you been lately? I am often worried about your health, and I am always anxious. So every day before eating and sleeping, I pray for you, wishing that your troubles will be far away from you, and that you will become a virtuous person without worries!]

The greeting, which was completely devoid of any substance, made Yuan Shu's lips curl into a smile.

[There was a misunderstanding between me and General Hou before, but fortunately, my elder brother Han Yin cleared my name, which gave me the courage to write to you to express my feelings and respect for you, General Hou, rather than to anger you at an inappropriate time. After all, it is a small matter that you misunderstood me, but if I were to make you angry and cause you to have poor blood circulation, that would be a grave offense for me, Liu Miao!]

To be honest, since arriving in Jiangdong, I've been filled with regret, regretting that I couldn't stay by your side and listen to your teachings. Jiangdong is utterly barren; food left outside rots quickly, and clothes hung on the wall quickly become moldy. Perhaps this is all because your sun hasn't shone here!

[But the thought that I am guarding the border for you, preventing Zhou Xin, under Yuan Shao, from launching attacks from Jiangdong, gives me unwavering resolve. I have decided to stay here and defend your territory, hoping that one day you will come to your loyal Jiangdong!]

However, as I mentioned before, Jiangdong is nothing but a barren land. My residence, Moling, doesn't even have walls to keep out the cold, nor a roof to shield me from the rain. I cannot imagine how Your Majesty could live in such a place, so I have decided to repair your palace. However, the sand in Jiangdong is unsuitable for building cities. I wonder if I could purchase your sand with gold? If you agree, then I, Liu Miao, will have no regrets in this life!

[Signature: Liu Miao, Liu Zhongshan, disciple of Yuan Shikai, nephew-in-law of the General of the Rear, Governor of Yangzhou, General Who Conquers the East, and most loyal...]

After reading it, Han Yin unconsciously moved the letter further away.

Zhongshan! You passed! You really passed!!!

It's just a little bit of dirt, is it really that big of a deal?
Han Yin shook his head and looked at Yuan Shu, only to see that Yuan Shu, who had been resting with his eyes closed and enjoying a massage, had opened his eyes wide and stared at them like lanterns, remaining silent for a long time...

After a long while, Yuan Shu finally recovered from the powerful impact of the letter. He got up, put on his clothes, and beckoned Han Yin to come to him.

"What does Han Qing think of Zhongshan's letter?"

"This……"

Although Han Yin felt that Liu Miao's letter was really too much, he still tried to make amends for Liu Miao when he thought of Liu Miao's life-saving grace.

Finally, Han Yin discovered the details!

He pointed to a few stains on the silk book and showed them to Yuan Shu—

"When Zhongshan wrote this letter, he must have been overcome with emotion and burst into tears! If you don't believe me, General, look at the marks here; they are faint traces of Zhongshan's tears!"

Han Yin placed the silk book in front of him and examined it carefully, but suddenly felt that something was not right.

Why does that "teardrop" smell like beef?
Could it be that Zhongshan was eating beef while writing a letter to the General of the Rear?
No way, it can't be...

Yuan Shu looked at Han Yin with a half-smile and said, "Does Minister Han really believe that Zhongshan's loyalty to me surpasses Wu Zixu's loyalty to Helü?"

"This……"

Han Yin finally had to back down and could only tell the truth—

"Zhongshan is probably still loyal to the General, but this letter really gives the impression of being outwardly loyal but inwardly treacherous. Anyone with true wisdom would not write a letter like this."

"I have also been to Moling. Although the scenery is superb, the produce is not plentiful. It is indeed as Zhongshan said, lacking sincerity and somewhat cramped. It is far from comparable to Shuxian, let alone cities like Shouchun and Langya."

"I suspect that Zhongshan could no longer tolerate the harsh environment of Jiangdong and wanted to renovate his manor so he could enjoy a comfortable life. That's why he wrote to General Hou for help!"

This time, however, Han Yin spoke from the bottom of his heart.

Liu Miao's ability to write such repulsive letters clearly indicates he wasn't a clever man, and his attempt backfired. However, Liu Miao's desire to build cities was genuine. Considering the cramped buildings in Moling, Han Yin guessed that Liu Miao was mostly doing it for his own enjoyment, which is why he came up with such an unprecedentedly extravagant idea as "buying soil"!

Upon hearing Han Yin's guess, Yuan Shu immediately smiled and said, "It seems that Han Qing and I are truly of one mind!"

"Indeed, I also believe that this must have been Zhongshan's original intention! It's quite touching that he wrote such a letter to me!"

Han Yin quickly asked, "Does the General intend to sell the sand and soil to Zhongshan?"

"Humph!"

Yuan Shu snorted coldly, clearly somewhat angry.

Just when Han Yin thought the matter would surely come to nothing, Yuan Shu suddenly flew into a rage and said, "What does Zhongshan take me for? I can have as much of this worthless sand as I want! Why did you have to use the word 'buy'? If word gets out, and that concubine's son and the eunuch's daughter mock me for being so stingy that I wouldn't even give away some mud and sand, how will I, Yuan Gonglu, have the face to live in this world?"

"Han Qing, you should transport some sand to Jiangdong yourself! You don't want any gold or silver from Zhong Shan! Not a single penny!"

"Now that the palaces in Shouchun are basically completed, let's give those craftsmen to Zhongshan so he can build himself a big house!"

"promise!"

Han Yin accepted the order and left, then asked Chief Clerk Yang Hong for the craftsmen, but this unexpectedly enraged Yang Hong:
“Sand and gravel are naturally worthless! But if the silt and sand are transported to Jiangdong, then the silt and sand will be worth a lot of money! I don’t know how much manpower and transportation it will take to transport all this sand and gravel to Jiangdong! Spring plowing is just around the corner, and if the people are suddenly conscripted, there will probably be great chaos!”

Han Yin was unsure what to do, so he went to find Yuan Shu again, only to be scolded and driven away by Yuan Shu.

"I'm just helping Zhongshan build a house. Do you think I'll impoverish Huainan?"

"Send it to Zhongshan as soon as possible! I can't stand seeing others suffer while I enjoy the good life. I must make sure Zhongshan feels the warmth of the Yuan family!"

and so……

When Liu Miao saw Han Yinzhen bringing ship after ship of red clay and skilled craftsmen, he couldn't help but burst into tears!
Who said Yuan Shu was bad? Yuan Shu is absolutely wonderful!

It was worth eating beef for several days in a row to write this letter! Yuan Shu really knows how to give!

By the way... it seems that even the beef Liu Miao ate was from the oxen that Yuan Shu sent last time.

Liu Miao grasped Han Yin's hand, stammering, "How can I, Liu Miao, ever repay the General's kindness!"

Liu Miao then led Han Yin to the main site of Moling City, where construction had already begun. Pointing to this open space, he said to Han Yin, "I have decided to rename this place Moling after the General of the Rear, calling it Yuanyi or Gonglu. What do you think of this?"

Sweat dripped from Han Yin's forehead: "Changing place names is usually done by the emperor after he has encountered some auspicious omen. How can Zhongshan do it so casually?"

Only then did Liu Miao realize his mistake, slapping his forehead and exclaiming, "I was indeed rash!"

"but……"

Liu Miao's murmur rang in Han Yin's ear: "Brother, do you still remember what I said to you before?"

"The General is a man destined by Heaven. If that's the case, why can't he exercise his authority ahead of time?"

"In particular, I heard that Moling was originally named Jinling. However, when Qin Shi Huang traveled east, a sorcerer confidently declared that 'this place has the aura of an emperor,' so he had the round, pointed mountain peaks leveled, the continuous mountain ranges split in two, and the Yangtze and Huai Rivers connected. He also changed the name of Jinling to Moling, which has been passed down to this day."

"Now that General Hou possesses the Mandate of Heaven and this place exudes the aura of an emperor, isn't this destiny? If that's the case, what is there for General Hou to worry about?"

Han Yin still declined, but as soon as he returned to Shouchun, he immediately told Yuan Shu about it.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shu was both tempted and afraid that Liu Miao's obsequiousness might lead him to actually change "Moling" to "Yuanyi" or "Gonglu," thus bringing trouble upon himself.

Therefore, Yuan Shu chose a compromise—

"In principle, it is not something I can do to change a place name. However, the name 'Moling' was given by the tyrant Qin Shi Huang. As a loyal subject of the Han Dynasty, how can I, Yuan Shu, allow such a name to exist? Therefore, I, Yuan Shu, will follow the ancient rites and restore its original name!"

Yuan Yi and Gong Lu are both too arrogant.

However, changing place names was, after all, the emperor's prerogative, and it was really difficult for the Yuan family to control themselves and avoid crossing that line.

Upon receiving Yuan Shu's edict, Liu Miao immediately beat drums and gongs, announcing it to all directions—

"The General issued an edict renaming Moling as Jinling, and from now on, no errors are allowed in official documents and correspondence!"

Liu Miao repeatedly emphasized—

"This was done by the wise and mighty General Yuan Shu, and it really has nothing to do with me, Liu Miao!"

(End of this chapter)