NFBE Chapter 224 Taboo
Chapter 224 Taboo
Chapter 224 Taboo
The first year of Yonghan, mid-December.
Liu Bian returned to Luoyang City, but did not enter the palace immediately.
An inconspicuous teahouse outside the imperial city.
Inside the private room, it was as warm as spring, neither too cold nor too hot.
Liu Bian was wearing a single layer of clothing, holding a letter in his hand, with a strange look on his face.
Opposite him sat the former Sikong, Liu Hong.
Liu Hong was also from the old Liu family. Together with Ding Gong and Liu Yu, he was one of the "Three Dukes" when Liu Bian first ascended the throne.
Later, Ding Gong was confused about the Yuan family matter, and Liu Hong also retired.
The reason why Liu Bian looked strange was because of the letter in his hand. The letter was signed by: Yang Biao.
But if you look closely, you will find that this is imitation handwriting.
Compared to two years ago, Liu Hong had aged a lot, with white hair and a tired face. He bowed and argued with Liu, "I know someone lured me to the capital under the guise of the prime minister, but I had to come."
"Can you guess who did it?" Liu Bian turned a deaf ear to his words and raised his eyelids to look at him.
Liu Hong said: "I can't guess."
Liu Bian couldn't guess it either.
Liu Hong's coming to Beijing was a sudden action. On the surface, it seemed that Wang Yun had invited him to "cheer him up", but in fact, Yang Biao was involved.
"Who is the person behind this......"
Liu Bian thought of many people at once, but he couldn't make a conclusion. Suddenly, his eyes moved and he said, "Recently, many people in the court have recommended Liu Yu to return to the court and serve as Zuo Pushe. What do you think?"
Now there is only one prime minister left in the Secretariat, and the positions of left and right ministers are vacant. Yang Biao advocates "inaction", so filling the vacancies has become a top priority.
Liu Hong remained calm and said, "I am not in the court, so I dare not speak nonsense."
Liu Bian looked at him quietly and asked, "Does your family have any intention of reviving?"
Liu Hong raised his hand and said, "I am old and weak, and my energy is no longer as strong as before. I am afraid I can't help your majesty."
Liu Bian handed the letter on the table to Pan Yin, looked at Liu Hong and said, "Since you say so, I will not force you to do anything."
When Liu Hong saw Liu Bian was about to leave, his expression suddenly changed, and he knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, although Wang Yun's actions were treacherous and his intentions were sinister, establishing a crown prince is the foundation of the country, and it has been so since ancient times. Please think twice!"
Liu Bian paused, turned to look at him, and said calmly: "Isn't it enough to kill Wang Yun's three clans to stop you from secretly discussing the dethronement of the emperor?"
Liu Hong's expression did not change and he dared not say anything else.
Liu Bian snorted coldly and turned away.
After leaving the teahouse, Liu Bian got on a carriage and went out of the city.
Cai Wenji and a few palace maids were seen watching her father's carriage go away from afar.
Cai Yong was stripped of his official position and demoted to a commoner. This was an unprecedented blow to him and he was ill for many days.
After being comforted by many people, he sighed for a long time and decided to leave Beijing to study.
Liu Bian came to Cai Wenji, put his arm around her waist, and said, "The father-in-law has a generous personality and only likes fame. I did this to protect him. Otherwise, I don't know when he will be used as a pawn."
Liu Bian was also inspired by this. His uncle, the great general, was being played around by others without even realizing it.
And Cai Yong is far worse than He Jin.
Cai Wenji pursed her lips, turned to look at Liu Bian, and said softly: "Your Majesty, Yang'er..."
Liu Bian smiled and said, "I named him 'Shao' because I have high hopes for him. However, there are too many people in the court and the public who have ulterior motives. I am worried that some old things will happen again."
Cai Wenji and Liu Bian were already an old couple, and they talked openly about many things, especially about "Liu Shao".
After what happened to Wang Yun, Cai Wenji felt scared. Thinking about the "Witchcraft Disaster" during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, she felt even colder. Even though she was reluctant, she bit her lip and whispered, "Your Majesty, do you want to release the sheep outside the palace?"
Liu Bian was startled, thought about it, and shook his head, saying, "Let's see."
Liu Bian actually grew up in the home of a Taoist priest named Shi outside the palace. He was called "Shi Hou" because he was worried that the palace could not support him.
Cai Wenji nodded softly, looking at her father's carriage which had disappeared from her sight, and worried about her children.
At this moment, Tang Mao came out of Yongle Palace with a somewhat bad look on his face.
After Wang Yun's recommendation of Liu Shao as crown prince failed, Tang Mao felt that his grandson had hope and secretly contacted him.
As one can imagine, he encountered obstacles everywhere, and Empress Dowager He did not treat him well.
After leaving Yongle Palace, Tang Mao was still unwilling to give up, and turned around to go to Yong'an Palace to see his daughter Tang Ji.
Xu Yan suddenly appeared from nowhere and said with a smile: "Lord Tang, this is a forbidden area in the palace, you can't walk around randomly."
Tang Mao had always looked down on eunuchs, and with a lot of anger in his heart, he said without a good look: "I have a gold medal bestowed by His Majesty, why can't I come in?"
"Did you bring it?" Xu Yan asked.
Tang Mao snorted coldly, took it out from his pocket and said, "You check it."
Xu Yan took it, checked it carefully, and nodded: "It is indeed true."
Tang Mao stretched out his hand, waiting for Xu Yan to return it to him, but he saw Xu Yan slowly putting it into his arms.
Tang Mao's expression changed immediately, and he shouted, "This is the gold medal bestowed by His Majesty. How dare you, a mere eunuch, hide it?"
Xu Yan just smiled and said nothing.
Tang Mao stared at Xu Yan, his face suddenly changed, his eyes widened, filled with astonishment and suspicion.
Seeing that he understood, Xu Yan's smile disappeared. He took a step forward and whispered, "Privately discussing the dethronement of the emperor disrupts the government. Lord Tang, Wang Yun and his three clans will be exiled, and Lord Cai and his commoners will be expelled from the capital. Which one do you choose?"
Tang Mao was no longer surprised, but terrified.
He already fully understood what Xu Yan meant.
Tang Mao's hands trembled uncontrollably, and he said, "My dear, is this what His Majesty meant?"
Xu Yan stepped back and said respectfully, "I didn't say anything."
Tang Mao's mouth twitched and he couldn't utter a word.
Xu Yan waited for a while and said, "I have prepared a carriage for Lord Tang. Lord Tang, please?"
Tang Mao moved his feet with some difficulty, with a stiff smile on his face.
After walking for a while, Xu Yan said again: "Mr. Tang, if you want to come to Beijing again, please greet me first so that I can receive you."
Tang Mao's face was ashen. The heroic spirit that had been surging for only a short while was completely wiped out in silence.
While Xu Yan was escorting Tang Mao out of Luoyang, Wang Yun was transferred from the Tianlao to the Tingwei Mansion.
There was no prisoner carriage, but a tightly enclosed horse-drawn carriage surrounded by servants from the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court.
"Wang Yun, you deserve to die!"
Suddenly, more than 20 people came out from nowhere, chasing the carriage and cursing.
"Why did you fire me?!"
"What crime have I committed that you want to dismiss me from office?"
"Wang Yun, you have abused your power and brought chaos to the country. Your crimes are extremely serious!"
These people were obviously former officials. They spoke politely and politely, and were very particular about their insults. They would not throw stones or rotten eggs like ordinary people.
The officers from the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court were very nervous and were secretly on guard.
Wang Yun, who was in the carriage, had a blank expression on his face and eyes full of resentment.
When they arrived at the Supreme Court, Zhong Yao personally escorted him and placed him in the cleanest cell.
Wang Yun paid no attention to these things. After sitting down, he stared at Zhong Yao and said, "I want to ask you, has His Majesty issued an edict to appoint a crown prince?"
Zhong Yao frowned. He could never have imagined that Wang Yun would still refuse to give up even at this point.
After a moment of hesitation, Zhong Yao said, "My Lord, since ancient times, the Eastern Palace has been a taboo, and court officials cannot talk about deposing or enthroning without permission. Now that things have come to this, why bother?"
Wang Yun snorted coldly and said, "The Eastern Palace is the foundation of the country. If we don't establish it now, when will we?"
Zhong Yao shook his head secretly and said, "Your Majesty has not issued an order, but has verbally instructed that no further mention of the Crown Prince is allowed."
Wang Yun was lost in thought for a moment, then he knelt on the ground with a plop, and cried out, "Your Majesty, you are so confused..."
Seeing this, Zhong Yao ignored him and left the cell.
Just after he walked a few steps, a minor official came to meet him and whispered, "Tingwei, the imperial decree has been issued."
Zhong Yao was not surprised and said, "Keep a close eye on the prince. Nothing can happen."
The clerk quickly agreed.
After Zhong Yao came out of the cell and received the imperial edict, he sent someone to inform the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate.
The case is scheduled to be concluded tomorrow.
The Censorate and the Ministry of Justice reacted equally quickly. Under the watchful eyes of the court and the public, the three judicial departments discussed the matter quickly without any delay.
The next day, the Supreme Court opened the trial. In fact, the charges had already been determined and Wang Yun had admitted it. It was just a formality.
Originally, Zhong Yao and others were worried that Wang Yun would change his testimony, but everything went so smoothly beyond expectations.
When Zhong Yao and others submitted the case to Chongde Hall, Liu Bian was talking to Huangfu Song.
Liu Bian smiled broadly, breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "The doctor has confirmed that Lu Qing's family should be fine and can survive this winter."
Huangfu Song bowed, but his heart remained heavy. Considering Lu Zhi's physical condition, it would only take a year and a half for him to survive.
Liu Bian took a sip of tea and said, "Did your family say before that Li Ru defected to Dong Zhuo? And Dong Zhuo is trying his best to win over Lu Bu, and Lu Bu and Ding Yuan are becoming estranged?"
Huangfu Song raised his hand with a solemn expression and said, "Yes. Your Majesty, Ding Yuan's situation is not optimistic. Sun Jian does not listen to his orders. I am worried that Xuzhou will fall into Dong Zhuo's hands."
Liu Bian said nothing, but looked out the door, muttering to himself: "This scene is becoming more and more similar."
Before I knew it, everything seemed to have returned to the starting point.
Huangfu Song saw that Liu Bian had been silent for a long time, so he waited for a while and asked, "Your Majesty, should we make some preparations?"
Liu Bian immediately came back to his senses, subconsciously hummed, and said, "What do you mean?"
Huangfu Song looked at Liu Bian and said, "The suggestion of the Grand Marshal's Office is to send Cao Cao to Langya County, send 10,000 troops to Gongsun Zan to enter Runan County, and order Xu Rong to continue to advance southward to form a pincer attack on Dong Zhuo."
Liu Bian finally came to his senses, pondered over it carefully, and shook his head, saying, "Qingzhou has just been pacified, Cao Cao cannot leave, and we must not give the Qingzhou rebels a chance to surrender and rebel again!"
"As for Gongsun Zan, humph, his tricks can't fool me! He now has at least 20,000 troops at his disposal."
"Xu Rong cannot continue to move south. I am preparing to transfer him to Zhang Liao. Zhang Liao will supervise the military affairs of Yanzhou, and Xu Rong will be transferred to Jizhou."
Liu Bian looked at Huangfu Song and spoke carefully.
Huangfu Song immediately raised his hand and said, "Your Majesty, isn't this just sitting back and watching Dong Zhuo swallow up Xuzhou?"
Liu Bian smiled faintly and said, "Don't worry, my family. There are too many people who can control Dong Zhuo. I have never taken him seriously. By the way, doesn't Yuan Shao have no one under him? The Grand Marshal's Mansion sent a letter to Hanzhong to temporarily transfer Guan Yu, who is under Liu Bei, to Yuan Shao."
"Your Majesty, are you really not going to make any arrangements?" Huangfu Song asked uneasily.
Once Dong Zhuo swallowed Xuzhou, his strength increased greatly.
Xuzhou is a place that is fought over by military strategists. If Dong Zhuo gets this place, the consequences will be unimaginable!
Liu Bian smiled calmly and said, "Don't worry, my lord. Dong Zhuo's fate has long been determined. I have arranged it all."
Huangfu Song was stunned. What do you mean everything has been arranged?
At this time, Pan Yin came in and handed Liu Bian a memorial, saying, "Your Majesty, the Supreme Court has concluded the trial and the execution will be carried out tomorrow."
Liu Bian glanced at it and put it aside, saying to Huangfu Song: "I have never believed that killing people can solve problems, but sometimes, killing people can indeed solve other problems. For example, the government affairs have been more than twice as smooth as before recently, and the disputes seem to have suddenly decreased by more than half, and the efficiency has doubled."