Thousand-year-old family: its rise began with Shang Yang’s reforms

Chapter 366: The First Year of Zhaoning
Troubled times are coming.

This was the first reaction of these people after the news of King An's death spread through the "net" in all directions and reached the ears of many interested people in the world.

In the entire world, only the Han emperor who sat high above on the throne did not understand what the death of King An and the news that Chen returned to Guandu City meant. He was just rejoicing in secret.

Prince An's Palace

Chen Zhulou returned to this ordinary courtyard and looked at the traces of more than four hundred years.

He walked from the front yard to the back yard and looked at the trees in the yard.

This courtyard has not had a new owner for more than four hundred years. The decorations and every blade of grass and tree here have not been moved at all. They are all things from four hundred years ago.

Time flies by!
Chen Zhulou finally came to the backyard and sat in the "Wind-Viewing Pavilion". He looked as if he had been free of all worldly desires, and was extremely free and easy.

Four hundred years ago, this palace was bestowed by Emperor Gaozu to the ancestor of the Chen family, that is, Chen Ju, the Duke of Anju, who refused to come to the capital to serve as prime minister after Emperor Gaozu established the Han Dynasty and unified the country, saying "Since I am the prime minister of Qin, how can I be the prime minister of Han?"

Since then, this mansion and the people who lived in it protected the Han Dynasty for a full four hundred years.

During the four hundred years, no matter what happened in the Han Dynasty, the Chen family would do their utmost to help the Han Dynasty continue to establish its country. This time was so long that even the emperor of the Liu family had forgotten why the Chen family endured and why they promised to protect the Liu family.

What Chen protects is not the Han people, but the people of the world.

There were footsteps behind him, and leaves fell into the water, creating ripples.

The servant behind him whispered, "Sir, the emperor's uncle is here to visit."

Chen Zhulou stared at the pool of water, and finally said quietly, "Let him in."

The servant retreated quietly.

When Liu Bei entered the mansion, the first thing he noticed was the servants who were moving things.

White silk was hung everywhere in the Prince An's mansion. This was the mourning honor for Prince An after his death. In addition to these white silks, there were servants everywhere cleaning up the courtyard.

All of Chen's belongings were moved away, and the entire Anguo Palace was almost empty.

The bad thoughts in Liu Bei's mind became more and more intense.

He walked to the backyard and came to the wind-watching pavilion.

Emperor Gaozu once discussed state affairs with Chen Juchang in this Guanfeng Pavilion and later composed the Dafeng Song, so this pavilion was named "Guanfeng Pavilion" by Emperor Gaozu, and the words on the Guanfeng Pavilion were also mentioned by Emperor Gaozu.

When Liu Bei walked in front of Chen Zhulou, Chen Zhulou just waved his hand and asked Liu Bei to sit down.

"Sit down."

His expression was indifferent: "Xuan De, why did you come here today?"

Liu Bei looked at Chen Zhulou's expression, and for some reason, all the words he wanted to say were stuck in his throat. He didn't know what to say and could only sit there in silence.

Chen Zhulou scattered the fish food in his hand into the pond in the distance, causing ripples. All the fish in the pond were scrambling for the food.

Suddenly, Chen Zhulou spoke.

"Xuan De, back in the day in this Guanfeng Pavilion, my Chen ancestor once asked Emperor Gaozu a question."

He turned his head to look at Liu Bei and chuckled: "Do you know what the problem is?"

Liu Bei recalled the records in the books in his mind, but shook his head. This question was indeed not recorded in the books.

Chen Zhulou was not shy about this, and these things were all recorded in Chen's "family letters".

"The ancestor asked Emperor Gaozu, 'You have been able to obtain this world. What do you think you relied on?'"

"Gaozu was silent."

"The ancestor asked again: "What do you think the Chen family wants to protect?" The great ancestor remained silent."

"Finally, the ancestor asked Emperor Gaozu: "I know your concerns, but under what circumstances do you think the Chen family will stand up against the Liu family?" This time, Emperor Gaozu did not remain silent."

"He answered the three questions of our ancestors, and the answers to the three questions were almost the same."

"The answer to the first question is the will of the people, the answer to the second question is the people, and the answer to the third question is the day when Liu fails the people."

"I know what you want to say, Xuande, but was this matter decided by Chen?"

"No, it wasn't Chen's decision."

Chen Zhulou said word by word: "Now the world is in turmoil. Zhang Lu of the Five Pecks of Rice Sect in Hanzhong claims to have inherited the legacy of Zhang Daoling, the "Heavenly Master" of the past. He also says that he is the tenth generation grandson of Liu Hou and dominates Guanzhong with the Five Pecks of Rice Sect."

“In the southeast, southwest, and even most of the northwest, there is Zhang Jiao of the Taiping Dao, who claims to have received guidance from the ‘Emperor of Dao’ and is the successor of the ‘Old Immortal of Nanhua’, and has mastered the art of Taiping to bring peace to the world.”

"Throughout the world, Buddhism, which was introduced from India, is also spreading its tradition."

"Xuan De, ah Xuan De, do you know what this means?"

Liu Bei continued to remain silent.

Chen Zhulou pressed on step by step, not allowing him to remain silent.

"My father once made an evaluation on this matter. He said that people would not immerse themselves in the spiritual world for no reason. If a sect is rampant, it can only mean that the lives of the people have reached a state of numbness and suffering."

"Only in this way will they willingly sink into the salvation of the spiritual world."

Chen Zhulou turned around, placed his hands on the stone table, and said with a murderous look in his eyes: "In today's Han Dynasty, the three religions are everywhere, Taoism and Buddhism are competing with each other. Xuande, do you think that the Han Dynasty can be saved?"

He sat there, his voice becoming calm again.

"I came back from Zhang Jue's place, intending to save the Han Dynasty together with Xuande and Mengde, just like our ancestor Chong did in the past, and help Emperor Guangwu rebuild the Han Dynasty."

"But Xuande, the emperor is not Emperor Guangwu."

"Even if you and I can rival our ancestors, what can we do?"

"The four hundred years of the Han Dynasty have long been rotten, with countless remnants and termites clinging to it. The Han Dynasty is beyond redemption."

Liu Bei sat there and just continued to remain silent.

After a moment, Liu Bei let out a long sigh.

He lowered his head and spoke in a low voice: "In fact, I know that the Han Dynasty is hopeless. I also know that the only way to save the Han Dynasty now is to depose the emperor. But even if the emperor is deposed, the next emperor will most likely be the same."

"Because the Han Dynasty was corrupt from the inside out, the emperor was so high up that he could no longer see the suffering of the common people."

He raised his head, stared blankly at the bright moon in the sky, and said softly: "But, what can I do?"

Liu Bei turned around, his eyes wide open: "I am from the Liu family, a descendant of King Jing of Zhongshan."

"Before they passed away, my father and mother often told me to revive the Han Dynasty and restore the glory of the Liu family."

He closed his eyes: "I was born a member of the Liu family. There is no way for me to leave the Liu family."

At this moment, when the two were sitting under the bright moon, Chen Ye, who was in Peach Blossom Spring, separated a wisp of his soul and looked here.

He looked at Uncle Liu and sighed softly.

The Liu Huangshu at this time was completely different from the Liu Huangshu in his destiny. The Liu Huangshu at that time came to Chang'an City after experiencing hardships. Because Emperor Xian of Han wanted a powerful clan member, he recognized the "fake uncle".

Afterwards, the Han Dynasty declined further. At that time, Emperor Liu had not yet seized power and he was not among the high-ranking officials of the Han Dynasty.

He goes with the flow.

But Liu Bei is different now. Who is Liu Bei now? He was recognized by the late emperor before he even left Lu Zhi's army. He became the "brother" of Yudie and one of the ministers appointed by the late emperor to assist the country before his death.

He is a legitimate relative of the Han Dynasty and the emperor's legitimate uncle.

He is the person who holds power at the top of this "pyramid".

In other words, he is part of this "tower of power".

He must live and die with the Han Dynasty.

There is no choice, no other possibility.

Chen Ye sighed deeply again and then closed his eyes.

The Three Kingdoms, the Three Kingdoms.

What kind of ending would the Three Kingdoms, whose historical course was changed by the Chen family in the late Western Han Dynasty, have?

Even Chen Ye didn't know this.

Because after suppressing the "Mandate of Heaven", Chen Ye did not become the new "Mandate of Heaven". He was not a high and mighty god, nor was he the so-called "Emperor of Tao" conferred by the Emperor Liu. He was just an ordinary "person".

A most ordinary "person".

Chen Ye slowly closed his eyes and fell into sleep again.

And in that Peach Blossom Spring, successive Han emperors were watching everything that happened in the water mirror.

Liu Bang, who was sitting in the front row, sighed deeply, then turned and left.

The news of King An's death spread throughout the entire Chang'an City in just over a month, and all the dignitaries, whether willingly or not, cried hypocritically.

Of course, there are also people who cry sincerely.

For example, those people who were once helped by King An, and those ordinary people.

The backyard of Prince An’s palace.

Cao Cao was sitting there, wearing a plain robe. He didn't have to wear mourning for King An, but he said that even if King An was not his teacher, he was still his mentor and the person who helped him, so it was necessary for him to wear mourning for him.

At this moment, he looked at Chen Zhulou who was very calm in front of him, and finally couldn't help but ask: "Donglin, what are you going to do after returning to Guandu City?"

He asked tentatively, "In the past, Lord Anju gave some advice to Emperor Gao in Guandu City and promised him to establish his own regime in Pei County. Later, he even allowed Emperor Gao to establish the Han Dynasty. Do you want to follow Lord Anju's example?"

Chen Zhulou just glanced at Cao Cao and said, "How can I have the ability of my ancestors?"

He smiled bitterly and said, "I returned to Guandu City just to recuperate."

recuperate?

Cao Cao was somewhat surprised: "Recovering from illness? Donglin, your health?"

Chen Zhulou lowered his head, preparing for his own death: "My health has never been very good, especially in the past few years."

"My father's death has dealt a heavy blow to me and has broken my spirit."

"Bian Que came to my house to examine me and said that I was depressed and I was afraid I would not live long."

He said quietly, "It is for this reason that I want to return to Guandu."

Cao Cao frowned. He looked at Chen Zhulou, but he didn't see any sign of "depression in the heart" or "a short life" in his eyes.

But he could hear the implicit refusal in Chen Zhulou's words, so he stopped asking this question.

Dong Zhuo's Mansion

Dong Zhuo sat in the armchair and closed his eyes slightly. He glanced at Jia Xu beside him and said, "Are you sure, the prince, is going to do this?"

Jia Xu just smiled faintly with a bit of confidence in his brows: "Yes, I am sure."

"The prince has returned to Guandu at this time. According to my speculation, he will die in two years."

Dong Zhuo frowned: "The prince is in such good health, how could he die in two years?"

Jia Xu just shook his head: "I'm afraid the Taiping Dao's body won't last for a few more years."

"In my opinion, it has probably happened in the past few years."

Dong Zhuo leaned closer to Jia Xu and said, "You mean that the prince will replace Zhang Jue and become the new 'Great Sage Teacher' of the Taiping Dao?"

Jia Xu shook his head and nodded: "Not entirely correct."

“But it’s pretty close.”

He said silently: "The troubled times are probably really coming."

Prime Minister's Office

Chen Zexi sat there and stretched, then pressed his forehead. His resignation letter was placed on the table.

This was the scene that Lu Bu saw when he walked in.

Chen Zexi smiled and waved his hand, handing the letter in his hand to Lu Bu: "Fengxian, this is my letter of recommendation for you. After I leave, take this to find Xuande, and Xuande will use you."

"By then, even if I can't become a general, I can at least become the Eighth Colonel of Xiyuan and the General of Chariots and Cavalry, right?"

He stroked his chin and said, "Perhaps you can become the Praetorian Guard."

"After all, once Donglin and I leave, Xuande will have to take over the position of prime minister himself. At that time, he will not let Mengde's people control the Praefectus Imperialis, after all, they are the emperor's personal soldiers, protecting the emperor."

"He can't hold the position of Praefectus Urbi, but it will probably work."

Chen Zexi patted Lu Bu on the shoulder and said, "The future will depend on you!"

Lu Bu stood there, silent for a long time.

In the fourth year of Chuping, spring came and flowers bloomed.

Chen Zhulou stood in front of the city wall, with horse-drawn carriages behind him.

In fact, there were not many things in Prince An’s palace. After only one or two months of use, everything had been shipped back.

He had a white ribbon tied on his head and was silently gazing at the tall and magnificent Chang'an City. Chen Zexi stood beside him. They looked at each other, sighed, and then got on the carriage.

This year was the fourth year of Chuping.

The emperor issued an edict to change the era name to "Zhaoning", which was the first year of Zhaoning.

On the distant city wall of Chang'an, Cao Cao and Liu Bei were standing there, their cloaks covered with snowflakes.

For a moment, the atmosphere between the two was silent.

The news that Chen had left Chang'an City spread throughout the world.

Weiyang Palace
The emperor who was sitting there had a smug look on his face. The smoke from the incense burner behind him made the huge feng shui map blurry.

This was the first year of Zhaoning.

(End of this chapter)