Transmigrating to the Three Kingdoms as Lu Bu: I Have a Pseudo-Apocalypse System

Shi Sunrui knelt and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, I dare not. I have only come to report the Prince of Jin's plan to Your Majesty."

Liu Xie smiled wryly: "A plan? What plan? A plan for me to abdicate?"

Shi Sunrui said, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Jin said that after Your Majesty abdicates, you will be enfeoffed as the Prince of Hanzhong, with a fief of ten thousand households. The Prince's Palace will be located in Chang'an City, and will be guarded by officials sent by the court. Your Majesty may preserve the ancestral temples of the Han Dynasty to worship the ancestors of the Liu family."

Liu Xie was stunned.

He never expected that Lü Bu would treat him so well.

Shi Sunrui added, "Furthermore, after the Prince of Jin ascends the throne, he will still use [Han] as the name of the country, and take the year when Emperor Gaozu founded the country as the zero year of the Han calendar. From now on, all documents and contracts will be dated in the Han calendar. This year is the 397th year of the Han calendar, and next year will be the 398th year of the Han calendar. The number of years in the Han calendar is the number of years since Emperor Gaozu founded the Great Han Dynasty, as a way of commemoration."

Liu Xie asked in a daze, "He's not going to change the country's name?"

Shi Sunrui said, "It will not be changed. The King of Jin said that the world belongs to all people, not to one family or one clan. The name of the Great Han Dynasty will continue forever, and the Han calendar will continue forever."

Liu Xie remained silent.

After a long while, he slowly said, "He... is more magnanimous than I expected."

Shi Sunrui said, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Jin also said that after he ascends the throne, Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang will still be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Without Emperor Gaozu, there would be no four-hundred-year foundation for the Han Dynasty."

Liu Xie's eyes reddened.

He stood up, walked to the window, his back to Shi Sunrui, and said in a trembling voice, "Minister Shi Sun, tell me, am I really useless?"

Shi Sunrui asked, "Why does Your Majesty say such a thing?"

Liu Xie said, "I ascended the throne at the age of nine and reigned for seven years, but in those seven years, I accomplished nothing. Dong Zhuo, Wang Yun, Li Jue, Guo Si, Lü Bu—who took me seriously? I was just a puppet, a mere decoration!"

Shi Sunrui didn't know how to answer.

Liu Xie turned around, his face already covered in tears: "But I am not reconciled! I am the descendant of Emperor Taizu Gao, I am the Son of Heaven, but I am going to lose the world."

Shi Sunrui knelt and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger."

Liu Xie wiped away his tears and said with a bitter smile, "Calm down? What is there for me to be angry about? Lü Bu unified the world and brought peace to the people, and what about me? I only know how to hide in the palace, and I don't even dare to leave Chang'an. What right do I have to be emperor?"

He paused, then said, "He said the world belongs to all the people, and I... I couldn't refute that."

Shi Sunrui raised his head, looked at Liu Xie, and felt a pang of sorrow in his heart.

Liu Xie returned to the table, picked up the newspaper, and read it again. Then, he put the newspaper down and let out a long sigh.

"Shi Sunqing, go back and tell the Prince of Jin that I... I am willing to abdicate."

Shi Sunrui was taken aback: "Your Majesty?"

Liu Xie smiled bitterly and said, "I've thought it through. I'm not fit to be emperor, nor am I a good one. Rather than occupying this position, I'd rather hand it over to someone more capable. If the Prince of Jin can bring peace to the people, then... what harm is there in abdicating?"

He paused, then continued, "Besides, he didn't change the dynasty name or the era name, and Emperor Gaozu is still enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. I... I can say that I have done right by my ancestors. The Han dynasty did not perish in my hands."

Shi Sunrui kowtowed deeply: "Your Majesty is wise!"

Liu Xie said, "Shi Sunqing, go back and tell the Prince of Jin that I... am ready to abdicate at any time. He will set a date, and I will write the abdication edict."

Shi Sunrui kowtowed: "Yes!"

After Shi Sunrui left, Liu Xie sat alone in the hall, gazing at the empty space.

He suddenly laughed.

In that smile, there was relief, liberation, and also a trace of inexplicable melancholy.

"Our ancestors, your descendants are incompetent and ashamed before them. But the Prince of Jin... he promised to still use [Han] as the name of the dynasty and to still offer sacrifices to the founding emperor. In a way, he preserved the last bit of dignity for the Han dynasty and did not completely lose the Han dynasty's territory."

He murmured to himself, tears streaming down his face again.

For more than a month afterward, the entire city of Chang'an was immersed in the joy of the new emperor's impending ascension to the throne.

For the civil and military officials of Lü Bu's faction, this was a meritorious service in following the emperor.

……

On the tenth day of the eleventh month of the seventh year of Chuping (196 AD), in Chang'an, at the Prince of Jin's residence.

Several braziers burned warmly in the council chamber. Lü Bu sat in the main seat, with cabinet ministers such as Jia Xu, Chen Gong, Zhang Liao, Guo Jia, Shi Sunrui, Ju Shou, Xun You, Zhang Song, and Cheng Lian seated on either side.

Lü Bu looked around at everyone and said, "The matter of ascending the throne has been set for the first day of the first month of the 398th year of the Han calendar. But there is a problem that I have been thinking about for a long time."

Jia Xu cupped his hands and said, "Please speak, my lord."

Lü Bu said, "Chang'an is good, but it's located in the western border region, which is not conducive to ruling the world and later establishing a maritime empire for outward expansion. I'm thinking of moving the capital to Luoyang. What do you think?"

Everyone was taken aback, and then began to discuss among themselves.

Guo Jia rose and said, "What you say is absolutely right, my lord. Luoyang is located in the center of the world, with convenient water transport and easy access in all directions. Emperor Gaozu established the capital in Chang'an because the world had just been unified and Guanzhong was easy to defend and difficult to attack. Now that the world is unified, Luoyang should be the capital to facilitate commanding the world and to prepare for future voyages to the sea."

Chen Gong also said, "Fengxiao is right. Luoyang has a long history since Emperor Guangwu established the capital there, with a deep foundation. Although the city was destroyed during the Dong Zhuo Rebellion, General Hou Cheng has been rebuilding it in recent years, and it has recovered considerably. Moving the capital to Luoyang would demonstrate our lord's intention to inherit the Han dynasty."

Zhang Liao clasped his hands and said, "My lord, in my humble opinion, the relocation of the capital should be done sooner rather than later. Luoyang is located in the Central Plains, and the journey for envoys from various prefectures to pay tribute is relatively short. Unlike Chang'an, where envoys from Youzhou, Qingzhou, Xuzhou, Yangzhou, and Jiaozhou have to travel much farther."

Lü Bu nodded: "Wen Yuan is right. Then it's settled, the capital will be moved to Luoyang. Issue the order that all government offices begin relocation immediately. Aim to have them all moved to Luoyang by the end of the twelfth lunar month. The enthronement ceremony on the first day of the first lunar month next year will be held in Luoyang."

Jia Xu said, "My lord, although the Luoyang Palace is under reconstruction, it is not yet fully restored. Isn't the enthronement ceremony too hasty?"

Lü Bu laughed and said, "Wenhe, rest assured, I have the Heavenly Gift Granary to help transport large items. We have no shortage of building materials or craftsmen's tools. We can speed up the work this month."

Jia Xu cupped his hands in greeting: "My lord is wise."

Lü Bu continued, "There are still a few things to be done regarding the relocation of the capital. First, send someone to Luoyang to urge Hou Cheng to expedite the repairs of the palace and the construction of the enthronement platform. Second, issue proclamations to all provinces, ordering the governors, army commanders, and envoys from various countries to arrive in Luoyang before the 30th of the twelfth lunar month to participate in the enthronement ceremony on the first day of the first lunar month. Third, order the *Great Han Xunbao* to prepare for the publication of a special edition."

Everyone shouted in unison, "Yes, sir!"