Brother, stop curling up! You're curling up like the founder of the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 223 Major Event in Luoyang: Liu Bei Decides to Declare Himself Emperor (Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets)
From his birth in Zhuo County to his current rule in Luoyang, Liu Bei has been in power for thirty-one years.

The reason for this was that becoming emperor had always been Liu Bei's goal.

Liu Bei would not be blindly loyal simply because Liu Xie was the emperor.

Liu Xie could not bear the heavy burden of the world.

To be fair.

Liu Bei wanted Liu Xie to become emperor until the country was unified, and then Liu Bei would take over and carry out comprehensive top-down reforms of the Han Dynasty.

However, if Liu Xie is restless and even tries to seize power before the country is unified, as is the case now, Liu Bei will not indulge him for the sake of his reputation.

This empire was conquered by Liu Bei.

These commoners are protected by Liu Bei.

Liu Bei would not relinquish the power of reform to someone else, nor would Emperor Liu Xie.

When Liu Xie went hunting, Liu Bei didn't actually care.

But after the hunt, he used a honey trap, and Liu Bei didn't want to indulge him anymore.

Jia Xu understood Liu Bei's words and said, "In that case, I will leave Fu Wan and the other two behind for the time being. No matter when you want to take them down, I can do so legally and legitimately."

Liu Bei never doubted Jia Xu's abilities.

With Jia Xu in charge of the Imperial Secretariat for Liu Bei, Liu Bei could focus on other matters with peace of mind.

The seventh day of the first month of the third year of the Chuping era.

Liu Bei made a large-scale reshuffle of the court officials.

Cai Yong's younger cousin, Cai Gu, was appointed as the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. (Han Rong, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, remained in his position.)

Zhao Yun was appointed as the Assistant Minister of the Imperial Household. (The official rank of Deng Yuan, the Minister of the Imperial Household, remained unchanged.)
Zhou Yu's father, Zhou Yi, was appointed as the Assistant Commandant of the Guards. (The official position of Zhao Wen, the Commandant of the Guards, remained unchanged.)

Huang Kui, son of Huang Wan, was appointed as Assistant Grand Master of the Palace. (The official position of Zhao Qi, Grand Master of the Palace, remained unchanged.)

Guan Yu's father, Guan Yi, was appointed as the Assistant Minister of Justice. (The official position of Xuan Fan, the Minister of Justice, remained unchanged.)

Fa Zheng's father, Fa Yan, was appointed as the Grand Herald. (The Grand Herald Zhong Ji's official position remained unchanged.)
Xu Shu was appointed as the Assistant Minister of Agriculture. (Zhou Zhong's official position remained unchanged.)
Jia Mu, son of Jia Xu, was appointed as the Assistant Minister of the Imperial Household. (Liu Ai, the Assistant Minister of the Imperial Household, retained his official position.)

More than forty other key positions were filled by different people.

Even when Wang Yun instigated the rebellion, Liu Bei did not make any large-scale changes in the appointment of officials.

This time, he directly appointed his cronies as deputy ministers to all nine ministers except for the Minister of the Imperial Clan, and also placed a large number of his cronies among the officials in the Censorate, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and the Imperial Advisors.

Such a large movement also greatly frightened Fu Wan, Liu Ai, and Zhong Ji.

The three intended to go to the palace to discuss matters with Liu Xie, but were stopped outside the palace by Zhao Yun, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, on the grounds that "there are suspected assassins from Yuan Shu in the city recently."

"What's going on? Does the Imperial Uncle know that the three of us were involved in the affair between Dong Cheng and Lü Bu?" Liu Ai asked in a fearful tone. The thought of Jia Xu's son becoming the Junior Chamberlain sent a chill down Liu Ai's spine.

Zhong Ji felt the same way as Liu Ai. The newly appointed Grand Herald Fa Yan looked like a harmless, smiling man, but Zhong Ji felt a chill run down his spine.

Although Fu Wan didn't have the same direct experience as the other two, he wasn't having a good time either.

This was simply because several generals he knew had been transferred away from Luoyang.

"Probably not. If the Imperial Uncle had known that the three of us were involved, he would have taken action long ago. He probably just has some suspicions now, which is why he transferred the original Grand Herald and Junior Chamberlain," Fu Wan guessed.

Zhong Ji frowned: "But the problem now is that our royal uncle won't allow us to see His Majesty in private, and we can't ask him directly at court."

Fu Wan sighed, “First, the Prince of Hongnong was assassinated by Yuan Shao’s assassins, and now Dong Cheng and Lü Bu have assassinated the Imperial Uncle and defected to Yuan Shu. The Imperial Uncle forbids us from seeing His Majesty in private on the grounds that ‘there are suspected assassins of Yuan Shu in the city recently.’ There is nothing out of line on the surface.”

"But it's precisely because there's nothing overtly wrong that it's all the more worrying," Liu Ai said, her fear undiminished.

If Liu Bei forcibly placed Liu Xie under house arrest, then Fu Wan and the other two could still impeach Liu Bei for deceiving his lord.

But Liu Bei is now using the pretext of guarding against assassins to strengthen his defenses, and no one can find fault with that.

Meanwhile, in the palace.

Liu Xie was also feeling flustered.

Liu Xie never expected that Lü Bu would attempt to assassinate Liu Bei.

Originally, he only wanted to win over Lü Bu to weaken Liu Bei, but the result was that Lü Bu assassinated Liu Bei, which led Liu Bei to carry out a major reshuffle of the civil and military officials in the court.

Even the palace gate guards were replaced by Zhao Yun, Liu Bei's sworn brother.

Liu Xie even suspected that there might really be assassins from Yuan Shu in Luoyang, and that Lü Bu was actually framed by Yuan Shu's assassins and could not defend himself.

“Your Majesty, just now my father, the Minister of the Imperial Household, and the Grand Herald intended to enter the palace, but were stopped by the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.” Fu Shou’s words were filled with resentment, but also with a hint of nervousness.

Liu Xie exclaimed in surprise, "The Assistant General, the Minister of the Imperial Household, and the Grand Herald—they wouldn't harm me, so why were they stopped? Go tell the Grand Master of Ceremonies that I gave permission."

Fu Shou shook his head: "The Grand Master of Ceremonies said that no matter who it is, they must have the Grand General's warrant to enter the palace."

Liu Xie couldn't help but feel a little irritated: "Does the Grand General really think that the three Assistant Generals would harm me?"

For several days.

Except for court assemblies, Liu Xie was confined to the palace.

During this period, Liu Xie also stated at the court meeting that the nine ministers, including Fu Wan, Zhong Ji, and Liu Ai, could enter the palace privately, but Liu Bei rejected this.

The reason given for the rejection remained "there are suspected assassins from Yuan Shu in the city recently," and Liu Xie was reminded of the assassination of the Prince of Hongnong.

Liu Xie was left helpless!
After all, the example Liu Bei cited was a fact.

Inside the General's Mansion.

Liu Bei and Xu You sat facing each other, the black and white chess pieces falling silently to the ground.

Xu You also sensed something unusual about the recent large-scale reshuffling of officials.

Although Liu Bei never explicitly stated his ambitions, Xu You clearly knew what Liu Bei wanted to do.

"Is Your Majesty worried about how to get His Majesty to abdicate?" Seeing Liu Bei deep in thought while holding a chess piece, Xu You tentatively asked.

Liu Bei stared at the chessboard without looking up and said, "Why must we abdicate? If we abdicate, then the law I speak of is not the law of our ancestors."

Xu You was slightly taken aback, but then he understood Liu Bei's intention.

Abdication is the simplest way, but it also leaves the most problems.

During the four hundred years of the Han Dynasty, there were precedents where previous emperors were deposed due to incompetence, and ministers selected new members of the Liu clan to ascend the throne. Therefore, it was not difficult in terms of procedure for Liu Xie to abdicate in favor of Liu Bei.

The difficulty lies in this: why would ministers support the abdication without offering any benefits?

If benefits are offered, then Liu Bei's new policies will inevitably be impacted.

In other words, if Liu Bei accepts Liu Xie's abdication, his new policies will only be considered a reform, not fundamentally different from Emperor Shun of Han's Yangjia Reforms, and will eventually become a failed project.

What Liu Bei wanted was a complete transformation. Such a transformation destined Liu Bei to be a ruler who could only establish a dynasty and establish the dynasty, rather than a ruler who would accept the abdication of Liu Xie.

Xu You lowered his head and pondered, unable to think of any other way besides abdication.

"Release the news. It has been found that the reason why Lü Bu, the Commandant of Lingyan Army, attempted to assassinate me was because he was acting on His Majesty's secret orders. The participants included General Fu Wan, Minister of the Imperial Household Liu Ai, Grand Herald Zhong Ji, and Attendant Dong Cheng." Liu Bei's tone was icy.

Xu You sat up straight instantly.

When Liu Bei said this, it meant he was officially turning against Liu Xie.

Given Liu Bei's current achievements, if news were to spread that Liu Xie had conspired with Fu Wan, Liu Ai, Zhong Ji, Dong Cheng, and Lü Bu to assassinate Liu Bei, the court and the public would be in turmoil.

"Uncle, isn't this too hasty? If so, I'm afraid chaos will break out in the various prefectures and counties." Even Xu You, who had participated in Wang Fen's deposition of the emperor and was bolder than most people, was shocked by Liu Bei's decision.

In Xu You's view, abdication was the least likely way to cause chaos, while Liu Bei's method, although simple and direct, was prone to causing chaos.

“If anyone causes trouble, we will quell it.” Liu Bei’s eyes were piercing. “The timing is just right. Even if trouble arises, it will only be internal. Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu will not dare to send troops at this time. If we wait another two years, both Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu will take the opportunity to send troops.”

Liu Bei had one more thing he didn't say: that there would be a natural disaster in Guanzhong in two years.

In this era where Confucianism was combined with the Mandate of Heaven, natural disasters often fell upon the emperor or his ministers.

Therefore, the later Liu Bei turned against Liu Xie, the more likely he was to face natural disasters, man-made calamities, and internal and external troubles.

Since Liu Xie was going to turn against him, Liu Bei decided to go all out and resolve all the troubles quickly and decisively.

"Ziyuan. Time waits for no one." Liu Bei placed a chess piece down, stood up, and said, "Those who achieve great things cannot be bound by trivial matters. Go and find Wenhe to convey my intentions."

Seeing Liu Bei's resolute attitude, Xu You hesitated for a moment before ceasing his rebuttal.

Now that Liu Bei had made up his mind, all he, as the strategist, needed to do was carry it out.

Xu You rode his horse to the Imperial Secretariat and conveyed Liu Bei's message in full.

"It should have been done long ago." A cold glint flashed in Jia Xu's eyes.

From the beginning, Jia Xu wanted to kill Fu Wan, Liu Ai, and Zhong Ji, but he did not do so because Liu Bei had other plans.

"Will those six ministers support the Imperial Uncle?" Xu You asked in a low voice.

Compared to Xu You and Jia Xu, neither Zhong Yao, Xun Yu, Xun You, and Xu Jing, who served Liu Bei, nor Zheng Tai and Wu Qiong, who secretly colluded with Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, acted with Liu Bei at the center.

"Don't worry about it." Jia Xu's tone was slightly cold: "Apart from Zheng Tai and Wu Qiong, the interests of Zhong Yao and the other three are all closely related to the Imperial Uncle. Now that His Majesty has made the first move, even if the Imperial Uncle's counterattack is a bit fierce, they will at most remain neutral and observe the consequences."

Xu You nodded: "In that case, let's do as the Imperial Uncle wishes. In addition to Luoyang, all other prefectures and counties should also keep the news in sync and work together to build momentum for the Imperial Uncle."

Subsequently.

Jia Xu summoned Li Ru and instructed him to spread the news of Liu Xie's plot to harm Liu Bei through spies in Luoyang, while also sending messages by fast horse to Yongzhou, Sili, Yuzhou, Yanzhou, and Xuzhou, and informing key figures of Liu Bei's decision to declare himself emperor.

Rumors spread like wildfire in Luoyang.

Upon receiving the news, Fu Wan, Liu Ai, and Zhong Ji were so frightened that their legs went weak.

"So, Imperial Uncle really knew that the three of us were involved in the affair between Dong Cheng and Lü Bu!" Liu Ai's face was filled with terror.

Given Liu Bei's current influence and prestige, the exposure of this conspiracy would be fatal to Liu Ai and the other two.

Fu Wan and Zhong Ji were equally terrified.

What terrified the three men even more was that, despite their unanimous claim of illness and absence from court, the Lingyan Army officers Xu Huang, Dian Wei, and Huang Zhong came directly to their residences and forcibly invited them to attend the court assembly.

At the court meeting, the three did not see Liu Bei.

All I saw was Zhao Yan, the Imperial Secretary, angrily berating Liu Xie.

Some time ago, Zhao Yan was dragged out and whipped thirty times by Liu Bei for impeaching Liu Bei and Lü Bu for fighting over a woman, which he said damaged the reputation of the Great General.

At first, Zhao Yan was very proud, because he was whipped by Liu Bei for speaking frankly.

Even after news of Lü Bu's assassination attempt on Liu Bei spread, Zhao Yan believed that the tragic outcome was caused by Liu Bei and Lü Bu fighting over a woman.

It turned out that it was Liu Xie who was behind this, which made Zhao Yan feel so ashamed that he wanted to disappear.

He likes to speak frankly for the sake of fame, but he doesn't like to be treated like a fool.

As the emperor, how could you possibly use a woman to sow discord between Lü Bu and Liu Bei? What kind of behavior is that?

Liu Xie, sitting on the throne, became completely dazed.

Liu Xie never expected that things would escalate so drastically.

Who leaked the information?
Why did it turn out this way?
Liu Xie, whose mind was full of doubts, had been so thoroughly berated by Zhao Yan that he didn't even have the thought of refuting her.

Han Rong, Zhao Qi, and other high-ranking officials of the Nine Ministers were also so shocked that they stepped forward to question Liu Xie.

Liu Xie was so confused by the question that he subconsciously replied, "I did not order Lü Bu to assassinate my uncle. I only ordered Dong Cheng to win over Lü Bu and sow discord between Lü Bu and my uncle."

It would have been better if Liu Xie hadn't spoken; his opening statement was tantamount to an open admission.

Although Liu Xie said he did not let Lü Bu kill Liu Bei, he admitted that he had Dong Cheng win over Lü Bu and sow discord between Lü Bu and Liu Bei. This means that Dong Cheng deliberately used the scheme of marrying one woman to two men to sow discord between Lü Bu and Liu Bei.

Whether Liu Xie ordered Lü Bu to assassinate Liu Bei is no longer important, because in fact, it constituted Lü Bu's assassination attempt on Liu Bei.

The Nine Ministers and Zhao Yan, the Imperial Advisor, were all taken aback, only then realizing why Liu Bei suddenly wanted to install his confidants and replace all the officials.

Liu Bei no longer trusts Liu Xie!

"Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, do you know where the General is?" Zhao Yan asked again.

The court has been in session for so long today, but Liu Bei still hasn't shown up.

Jia Xu sneered: "What, you want the General to whip you?"

Zhao Yan was both ashamed and indignant. He said, "I made a mistake in impeaching you last time, and I can apologize to the General. But now that things have happened, they need to be resolved. When will the General attend court?"

Jia Xu shook his head: "The General has gone to Yuzhou and will not be returning to court."

"He went to Yuzhou?" Zhao Yan was shocked and asked again, "What is the General doing in Yuzhou?"

Xu Shu, the Grand Minister of Agriculture, interjected, "What else can be done? The Governor of Yu Province is Guan Yu, the Imperial Uncle's sworn brother, and he will not tolerate the Imperial Uncle being wronged. If Guan Yu finds out about this, he will surely raise an army and march on Luoyang. If the Imperial Uncle does not go to Yu Province in person, who can keep Guan Yu in check?"

Zhao Yan's expression changed drastically, clearly indicating that he understood Guan Yu's temperament.

The officials at the court assembly were also whispering among themselves, most of them with worried expressions on their faces.

"My dear ministers, what should I do now?" Liu Xie was so anxious he was about to cry: "I really didn't intend to assassinate my uncle! It was Dong Cheng and Lü Bu who acted on their own initiative!"

"This idea was suggested by the Grand Herald. The General of the State previously asked me to go hunting in order to suppress the Imperial Uncle's prestige. The General of the State also suggested that I keep the Princess of Hongnong in the garden so that I could use the death of the Prince of Hongnong to tarnish the Imperial Uncle's name in the future."

"The Minister of the Imperial Household also told me that Minister Wu should be related to Yuan Shao or Yuan Shu. He suggested that I pretend to win over Minister Wu and let him cause trouble. If Minister Wu offends the Imperial Uncle too much in the future, I can accuse him of colluding with Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu."

"It was Minister Wu who instigated the Imperial Uncle to replace Sun Jian as the governor of Xuzhou. Minister Wu told me to be wary of the Imperial Uncle's descendants, who might rebel like the descendants of Huo Guang."

(End of this chapter)