Taiheiki

Chapter 280 Worry
"Oh, oh, it's nothing!" Wei Cong chuckled dryly. "I just didn't expect the Empress Dowager to agree to everything so readily. I thought it would be good if she agreed to half of them!"

"Hehe!" Empress Dowager Dou laughed: "It seems that you, Mengde, still don't understand what I meant by 'family' earlier! If I don't agree to these things, you, as the Grand General, will be hanging in mid-air, unable to do anything. How can you then govern the country for me and the future emperor, and how can you protect the Dou family? Since I've asked you to speak, I will absolutely not refuse!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Wei Cong quickly bowed and expressed his gratitude.

"No need for formalities!" Empress Dowager Dou gestured for Wei Cong to raise his head: "Just remember that you are now a member of the Dou family, and I will always be your support."

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Chancery desk.

"This is an imperial edict sent from the Empress Dowager's palace!" A eunuch said nervously to the Minister and Vice Minister on duty. "Before leaving, the Empress Dowager said that the matter was urgent and that it must be sent to the Three Dukes' residences with the official seal before dark!"

"So urgent?" The Vice Minister glanced at the sky. "Please wait a moment while I submit it to my superior for review before I draft the edict!"

"Well, I'll wait here!" The eunuch was about to find a place to sit and wait when he heard someone say in a deep voice, "This was sent by the Empress Dowager. Let me take a look first!"

"Minister Yuan?" Upon seeing this, the Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat hurriedly presented the silk paper in his hand with both hands. Yuan Kui took the silk paper and had only read two lines when his brows furrowed: "Deng Zhong is appointed Commandant of the Capital Region, Nie Sheng is appointed General of the Five Offices, Yuan Tian is appointed Marquis of the Northern Army, and regarding Jiaozhou, I propose to separate the Governor of Jiaozhou and the Protector of the Hundred Yue into two separate positions, with Kong Gui as Governor of Jiaozhou and Wu Deng as Protector of the Hundred Yue? Is this truly the Empress Dowager's decree?"

“Absolutely true!” The eunuch lowered his head.

"Hmph!" Yuan Wei sneered, "Don't rush to draft the decree, allow me to first go to the palace to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager!"

"Huh?" The eunuch was stunned, and hurriedly said, "The Empress Dowager has already said that it must be sent out before dark!"

"Shut up!" Yuan Wei shouted. "How can such a chaotic edict be issued so casually? Is this Han Dynasty the Liu family's or the Wei family's? If you, you lowly slave, dare to say another word, I will kill you with my sword and then apologize to the Empress Dowager!" With that, he flicked his sleeves and walked out the door.

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Hehuan Hall.

A eunuch entered silently, came to Empress Dowager Dou's side, and whispered a few words in her ear. Empress Dowager Dou's brows immediately furrowed: "Go out and tell him that I am tired today and will not see any guests!"

"Yes!" the eunuch replied, and was about to leave when Empress Dowager Dou stopped him: "Also, tell Yuan Wei that the imperial edict must be issued before dark. If he dares to reject it, he will no longer be the Minister of Works!"

"Here!"

Watching the eunuch's departing figure, Wei Cong asked, "Is the one outside requesting to see Minister Yuan?"

"Who else could it be!" Empress Dowager Dou sneered. "He's just relying on his title of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. He's probably only after that imperial edict. I can't be bothered with him!"

"This isn't a good idea!" Wei Cong said with a wry smile.

"What's wrong with that!" Empress Dowager Dou rolled her eyes at Wei Cong: "Mengde, this imperial court is a crucial place. It can only have people who are of one mind with you and me. If there are any disloyal people, their entire clan will be wiped out. That old man Yuan Wei dared to draft an edict that did not follow my wishes. Tomorrow I will remove him from his position as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, leaving him only with the empty title of one of the Three Dukes. After the new emperor is established, I will find a reason to make him retire to his hometown!"

Wei Cong was well aware of a key characteristic of Eastern Han politics: the Three Dukes had lost power, and affairs were concentrated in the Secretariat. Power was centralized in the Secretariat, which was separated from the imperial palace by only a wall. Although the Three Dukes held high positions, without being appointed to oversee the Secretariat's affairs, they were marginalized from the central government. Therefore, the key to the power struggles at the top of Eastern Han politics lay in control of the Secretariat. Thus, Empress Dowager Dou's fierce reaction was not surprising—Yuan Wei dared to challenge her control over the Secretariat, which had touched a raw nerve with this woman.

"The Yuan family of Runan is renowned far and wide, and enjoys a high reputation among scholars throughout the land. In my opinion, it would be best to wait until the new emperor ascends the throne before removing them from their post as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat!"

"Very well!" Empress Dowager Dou seemed quite agreeable in front of Wei Cong, and she smiled slightly: "However, even if you speak well of this old man, he may not appreciate your kindness!"

"Your Majesty is joking. I'm not saying all this to gain his favor, but simply because I don't want to make too many enemies in such a short time!" Wei Cong said, "Yuan Shao died at my hands, and my feud with the Yuan family of Runan is now irreconcilable!"

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By the time Wei Cong left the West Palace where the Empress Dowager resided, passed the Attendant's Platform, and headed west towards the western gate of the South Palace, it was almost past Shenshi (3-5 PM). In Luoyang in November, darkness falls early. Wild geese flew over Wei Cong and his entourage, heading south. A north wind swept by, and the iron hoops on the eaves of the Orchid Terrace made a dull thud. Wei Cong felt a chill run through him and said to Meng Gaogong beside him, "Hurry up, it's getting late, the palace gates are about to close!"

"Lord Wei looks refreshed and in high spirits; he must have had a very fruitful time at the Empress Dowager's palace!"

Wei Cong stopped in his tracks. An old man emerged from the shadow cast by the Imperial Archives. Wei Cong frowned and asked, "Minister Yuan?"

“Indeed, it is I!” Yuan Wei walked up to Wei Cong, looked him up and down, shook his head and sighed, “If it weren’t for Yuan Wei speaking so many good words for you back then, would you be where you are today?”

“Lord Yuan, if Benchu ​​hadn’t escaped that night, he wouldn’t have lost his life!” Wei Cong said.

"Lord Wei!" Yuan Wei shook his head and sighed, "You know very well what you did back then. If Benchu ​​had stayed, he would have been colluding with you! You took his life, yet you say it was his own fault. Do you think that makes sense?"

"Shut up, you old dog!" Meng Gaogong stepped forward, brandishing his blade. "Or I'll chop off your dog's head!"

"Gao Gong, step back! Do not be rude!" Wei Cong dismissed Meng Gao Gong and said to Yuan Wei, "Things have come to this point, there is no point in saying more! If Lord Yuan is willing to retire and return to his hometown, I think that out of our past relationship, we should ensure the safety of the Yuan family. What do you think, Lord Yuan?"

"Protect my Yuan family from harm? Heh, hahahaha!" Yuan Kui suddenly burst into laughter: "Does Marquis Wei think that with tens of thousands of soldiers under his command, he can conquer the world and be invincible?" "Not at all!" Wei Cong said calmly: "I don't know if Lord Yuan believes me or not, but I am actually a kind-hearted person. If I am not forced to, I will avoid killing people if possible! But if things come to a head, I am not afraid of trouble!"

"Not afraid of trouble?" Yuan Wei sneered. "Then let me give you a piece of advice, Lord Wei: The affairs of the world should be decided by the emperor, by the ministers, and by the wise men and officials of the world. They cannot be decided by you and your few cronies in a secret room! Don't think that only you, Wei Cong, have a sword in your hand. Everyone in the world has a sword in their hand!" After saying that, he flicked his sleeve and disappeared into the shadows.

"My lord, should I chase after him and kill this old man?" Meng Gaogong whispered.

"Enough!" Wei Cong sighed. "Many things can't be solved by killing people! It's getting late, let's leave the palace quickly!"

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"Please get in the carriage, Mr. Feng! I am here on my godfather's orders to welcome you into the city!" Nie Sheng stood respectfully beside the carriage, extending his right hand to Feng Kun in a gesture of invitation.

"You're already the General of the Five Offices?" Feng Kun glanced at the flags on either side of the carriage in surprise, then at Nie Sheng. He was quite familiar with this adopted son of Wei Cong, but the General of the Five Offices was no ordinary official position. The Western Han Dynasty, following the Qin system, established three Generals of the Five Offices (Left and Right), each commanding officials called the Three Departments, whose officials were called the Three Departments' Gentlemen. The General of the Five Offices commanded the Gentlemen of the Five Offices, specifically those aged fifty and above. In addition, he was in charge of guarding the palace gates, assisting the Minister of Ceremonies in selecting Gentlemen, and was tasked with bestowing imperial seals upon ministers. It was an inner court official position reserved for the emperor's closest confidants. This young man's appointment as General of the Five Offices must be due to Wei Cong's influence; could it be that Wei Cong had already seized control of the central government?

"Indeed, it's all thanks to my godfather!" Nie Sheng smiled and said, "Chancellor Feng, please get in the carriage!"

"Oh, oh!" Feng Kun carefully boarded the carriage, licked his lips, and asked in a low voice, "Is Marquis Wei going to be appointed as Grand General?"

Nie Sheng hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Not yet!"

"So you're going to become one soon?" Feng Kun immediately understood the implication and couldn't help but shudder. "Wouldn't Wei Cong go back on his word?"

With a mix of trepidation and excitement, Feng Kun arrived in Luoyang City. Judging from the view outside the window, this great city had regained its former prosperity, or perhaps it hadn't suffered much damage to begin with.

"Chancellor Feng! The news of the Emperor's passing will not be announced until tomorrow!" Nie Sheng's voice interrupted Feng Kun's thoughts: "Therefore, your godfather hopes that you will stay outside the city for the night and then enter the city tomorrow to go directly to Deyang Palace to pay your respects!"

"Oh, oh!" Upon hearing the confirmed news of the emperor's death from Nie Sheng, Feng Kun immediately became trembling with fear and hurriedly said, "Please tell Marquis Wei that I will follow Marquis Wei's arrangements in everything!"

"Then I will thank you on behalf of my godfather, General Feng!" Nie Sheng said with a smile. "Let me remind you first, General Feng, my godfather is currently very busy and it will probably be midnight before he can come to see you. Please forgive him!"

"Of course, of course!" Feng Kun quickly replied.

Nie Sheng's carriage led Feng Kun and his entourage to Biyong, the location of Wei Cong's headquarters before entering Luoyang. He gave a few more instructions to his attendants before taking his leave. Feng Kun personally saw him off, and only returned to his room after he had gone some distance away. He sighed deeply and said to Ying Feng, who was looking around, "Uncle, it seems you were right back then. If I had listened to you in Wancheng and hadn't gone to Guanzhong, but instead followed Wei Cong to attack Luoyang, we wouldn't be in this situation today. Look, even a young lad like Nie Sheng has become the General of the Five Offices, which is worth two thousand shi! Do you think Wei Cong will keep his promise and give me and Zhang Huan the title of Three Dukes?"

"Hehe!" Ying Feng chuckled. "Lord Feng, there's no going back in this world! Besides, what Wei Cong said back then made some sense. If you had attacked Luoyang with him, the troops from Guanzhong could have marched east out of Hangu Pass to relieve Luoyang. At that time, it would have been hard to say who would have won or lost!"

"Indeed!" Feng Kun sighed. "It seems I was just jealous!"

“Wei Cong married Dou’s daughter and is about to replace Dou Wu, rising to great heights. It’s only natural to be jealous!” Ying Feng laughed. “However, it’s just a bit too early!”

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you think Wei Cong is a bit lonely at the top?" Ying Feng said with a smile.

"The higher you climb, the colder it gets?" Feng Kun hesitated for a moment: "You mean Wei Cong isn't as good as he seems now?"

“Indeed, he flew too fast, without a solid foundation!” Ying Feng said, “Others reach this position through generations, over decades, step by step, each step with their own protégés and former subordinates, forging connections with officials and ministers. But he has almost traversed in one step what others take years or even decades to achieve. This is both a good thing and a bad thing!”

"Hmm!" Feng Kun also calmed down: "In that case, it's not bad!"

"So Wei Cong is coming to see you tonight!" Ying Feng said with a smile. "He still can't do without you!"

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"This wine tastes quite good!" Ying Feng swirled the wine glass with interest, the candlelight reflecting off the liquid and giving it a pale green glow. "It's at least twenty years old!"

"This is Luoyang, a place where treasures from all corners of the world converge!" Feng Kun took a sip: "What don't we have?"

"Yes!" Ying Feng downed his drink in one gulp, glanced at the water clock on the high table beside him, and said, "It's already the first watch of the night! You should go and get some sleep. I'll stay here and wait for you!"

"Forget it, how can I sleep at a time like this?" Feng Kun shook his head. "The emperor has already passed away, and it's only been less than two years since the late emperor died. Sigh!"

Ying Feng didn't share Feng Kun's lament. After all, it wasn't uncommon for emperors to die young, and Feng Kun's death was largely his own fault. Among the powerful maternal relatives of the Han Dynasty, Empress Dou was considered quite reasonable. Besides, how old were you? Why rush into ruling? Wouldn't it have been better to wait a few more years until you were eighteen? Empress Dou promoted you from a marquis to the emperor; such a great favor, ruling for ten years, wasn't that excessive?
"By the way!" Feng Kun suddenly asked, "Who do you think will be the future emperor?"

"The future emperor?" Ying Feng stroked his beard. "The current emperor has no heir. If we want to choose a new emperor, we can only look among the descendants of Liu Kai, the Prince of Hejian. However, there are many choices here, and we don't know who will be chosen!"

"Yes!" Feng Kun nodded. Just as Ying Feng said, since the early death of Emperor Chong of Han, son of Emperor Shun of Han, the main line of the Eastern Han emperors had become extinct. Succession could only come from collateral branches, as was the case with Emperor Zhi of Han, Emperor Huan of Han, and Emperor Ling of Han. Therefore, according to custom, the new emperor should be chosen from the next generation of the imperial clan who is closest to Liu Hong in blood to inherit the throne.

(End of this chapter)