Jinting Han people

Chapter 118 Wei Guan Rejects Peace (4k, additional content by the leader)
In the first year of the Yuankang reign, on the Gengwu day of the fifth month of summer, Liu Xian formally paid a visit to the Taibao Mansion.

Almost a month had passed since Liu Xian's last attempt to persuade Sima Wei, and the tension in Luoyang had only grown. Just last month, two major events had occurred in Luoyang.

The first thing was that the Empress Dowager was deposed. As the daughter of the former Grand Tutor Yang Jun, after the Three Yangs were completely liquidated, the Empress Dowager was naturally not spared. The current emperor was kind by nature and wanted to pardon the Empress Dowager and her mother Pang. However, Dong Meng instigated the Ministry of Personnel to reject the request, saying:
"The Empress Dowager is secretly plotting a treacherous plot, seeking to endanger the state. She has sent arrows with letters tied to them, seeking to recruit soldiers. They are collaborating with one another in this evil, thus severing ties with Heaven. The Duke of Lu also disowned Wen Jiang, as permitted in the Spring and Autumn Annals, out of deference to their ancestors and their impartiality in the world. Although Your Majesty harbors deep feelings, I, your subject, dare not obey your command."

This story recounts the night of the coup, when the Empress Dowager, concerned for the Grand Tutor, was forbidden from leaving the palace due to martial law. She inscribed a note on silk within the palace, "A reward will be given to anyone who saves the Grand Tutor," and then shot it out of the palace. Unfortunately, this failed to save Yang Jun's life, and instead gave her an excuse to be accused. Now, the Ministry of Personnel has brought this up, allowing them to openly refute the Emperor's edict.

When the emperor brought the matter to court for discussion, the cruelty of politics became clear. Although many people sympathized with the situation, no one would protect a queen mother without the support of her relatives. The conclusion was reached that day: the queen mother was demoted to a commoner and Yang Jun's wife, Pang Shi, was executed.

The guards then entered the Empress Dowager's palace and attempted to forcibly drag Consort Pang away. The Empress Dowager, a frail woman, tried to stop the guards, hugging her mother to prevent her from leaving, but to no avail. The guards tossed the Empress Dowager to the ground and dragged Consort Pang out of the palace, leaving her alone, her hair disheveled, sitting on the ground, wailing like a child. The Empress Dowager then crawled on her knees to Empress Jia's bedroom, weeping and kowtowed repeatedly to Empress Jia, pleading for mercy until her face bled. The scene was so tragic that everyone who witnessed it was moved to tears.

But that was all. That night, Empress Jia moved the deposed Queen Mother to Jinyong City. This was the first distinguished guest since the establishment of Jinyong City, and of course, she would not be the last.

The second thing was that Sima Yao, the King of Dong'an and Shangshu You Pushe, was demoted.

As a hero who quelled the Yang Jun Rebellion, Sima Yao was not only promoted from Duke of Dong'an to Prince of a County, but more importantly, he was able to enter the Ministry of Shangshu and serve as Shangshu You Pushe, directly participating in the country's military and political decision-making. He was truly very proud of himself.

But after entering the ministry, Sima Yao found that this was not the case. Sima Liang, the King of Runan and the Prime Minister, was in charge of the government affairs and did not discuss anything with him. All matters were directly passed by the Prime Minister's Office. He, the Shangshu You Pushe and the second-in-command of the Shangshu Province, had no real power on weekdays and was insignificant.

This made him very dissatisfied. He wanted to talk to Sima Liang, but he was rejected without even seeing him. He said: "In extraordinary times, I hope the Prince of Dong'an will put the overall situation first."

Sima Yao was immediately furious. In a private gathering with several of his brothers, he complained, "The Prime Minister has accomplished nothing, yet he is still so overbearing. Sooner or later, I will fight him on behalf of the imperial court!"

Unexpectedly, his third brother, Ma Dan of Dongwu Company, was jealous of Sima Yao's rapid rise to power, so he reported the matter to Sima Liang, the King of Runan, overnight, and used him as a witness to accuse Sima Yao of immoral remarks and abuse of power.

Once this incident was exposed, there was an uproar in the court and the country. Sima Liang dealt with it immediately, dismissing Sima Yao from all his official positions and directly banishing this second-ranked hero in the anti-Yang incident to the remote and cold Daifang (now Pyongyang).

At this time, only two months had passed since Yang Jun's death.

Yang Jun was finished. Those who supported Yang Jun were finished, and those who opposed Yang Jun were also finished. People in the government and the public were in panic, and they didn't know what they had done to overthrow Yang Jun.

It was under such circumstances that Liu Xian received a reply from Taibao Wei Guan and came to meet him.

In fact, after meeting Sima Wei, Liu Xian had already sent a letter to Wei Guan, hoping to schedule a time for negotiation. Unexpectedly, Wei Guan, citing his busy schedule, gave him a phone number instead.

It turned out that after Sima Liang came to power, Grand Secretary Wei Guan held a high position of power and authority, and had to deal with hundreds of government matters almost every day. In order to facilitate meetings with lower-level officials, he specially established a door number system.

If anyone wanted to meet Wei Guan, they had to line up in order according to their door numbers. Only when their turn came could they talk to Wei Guan for a while.

That’s what happened to Liu Xian. He got a door number and then waited in line for nearly a month.

Frankly speaking, with Liu Xian's status, even without the King of Chu's support, he should have been able to easily meet Wei Guan without using a badge, simply by showing the seal of the Crown Prince's Left Guard. However, he was given such a difficult time, which clearly shows Wei Guan's hostility towards Sima Wei.

Sima Wei once sent someone to ask Liu Xian whether he wanted to cancel the meeting, but Liu Xian insisted on not canceling it.

If there had not been this meeting, Luoyang's political situation would probably have been dead.

Liu Xian carefully analyzed the current situation. Based on previous experience, Sima Liang did not dare to confront Yang Jun head-on, but chose to flee. He should not have such a strong desire for power.

The reason why he dared to control the government so confidently was simply because he had the support of Empress Jia and thought he was sure to win the fight.

But Empress Jia was just using Sima Liang as a weapon to suppress Sima Wei. Putting aside whether Sima Wei would lose, even if Sima Wei's faction fell, how much better would the Sima Liang faction that had defeated Yang Yuanxun end up?

I'm afraid it will be another case of crossing the river and destroying the bridge, ending in a miserable way, and then both Sima Liang and Sima Wei will lose, and Empress Jia will be the only one in power.

But on the other hand, what if Sima Wei and Sima Liang joined forces to defeat Empress Jia first?

Liu Xian thought about this and realized that this was a brilliant way to break the impasse. Given Empress Jia's sinister character, neither of the two princes would like her, nor would they be happy to see her rule the country. And if Empress Jia could be deposed, Crown Prince Sima Yi's position would be as secure as a rock.

At this point, Liu Xian was confident that he could persuade Sima Yi to mediate the conflict between Sima Liang and Sima Wei, thus forming a stable triumvirate. Wouldn't such an outcome be much better than a situation where Empress Jia won alone?
Therefore, even though Wei Guan showed hostility, Liu Xian still prepared for the meeting with great determination and enthusiasm.

That day, he entered the Taibao Mansion. The gates were still bustling with people waiting for their numbers and their turn to be called. But once inside, the atmosphere suddenly became quieter. Lush pine trees towered over the sky like giants, leaving a narrow, cobblestone path. Orchids and fragrant grasses lined the paths. In the gentle breeze, Liu Xian could see glistening dewdrops among the leaves, while swallows chirped beneath the eaves.

Across a corridor is Wei Guan's study. In front of the study, besides a few servants sweeping the dust, you can also see two little girls playing in the grass. They are waving their fists, trying to catch a yellow and black fluttering butterfly. Although they don't catch anything while running back and forth, they still have innocent smiles on their faces, just like a handful of wine flowing across the road, softening the hearts of passers-by who see them.

"These are all the granddaughters of Taibao."

The official who led the way stopped in front of the study, smiled and introduced Liu Xian. Then he knocked on the door and said, "Mingsir! The Prince of Anle has arrived!"

There was silence inside the door for a moment, and then an old voice familiar to Liu Xian came out, saying, "Got it, let him in."

After saying this, the official opened the door for Liu Xian, bowed, and hurried away.

Liu Xian strolled in and found that the atmosphere in the room was even more elegant: the potted plants with drooping branches, the vase decorated with camellia, and the exquisite hollow incense table all made people feel refreshing. Coupled with the books lined up on both sides of the study, a breath of time came to his face.

Taibao Wei Guan was sitting in the middle of the bookshelf. He leaned back slightly, leaning against a wooden table, showing a fatigue unique to old age. But when he looked at Liu Xian, Liu Xian's heart trembled, and he found that Wei Guan's eyes were very sharp, as if they were about to pierce through Liu Xian's defenses at a glance.

"You have a strange look in your eyes." Wei Guan observed for a moment and then said, "You seem to be wondering how a man known for his martial arts could live in such a leisurely place."

His conversation started with casual chat and his tone was very flat, just like that of the secret meeting that night, but Liu Xian could clearly hear the tone of murderous intent.

"Yes." Liu Xian nodded and said slowly, "Even in Luoyang, it's rare to find a place as elegant as this one in Taibao."

"Because when I was young, Emperor Jing (Sima Shi) once told me that I had too much murderous aura. If I didn't use a scholarly air to cover it up, it would easily arouse others' suspicion, which was not the right way to be an official." "So over the years, I have been honing myself, and everything I do is to emulate the famous scholars. I have learned a bit of Xiahou Xuan's elegance, which makes it easier for me to be an official."

Liu Xian smiled and said, "The Grand Protector is indeed a pillar of the country and a pillar of the nation. It can be said that Emperor Jing's expectations have not been in vain."

"Hahaha..." Wei Guan couldn't help but burst into laughter when he heard this, and then said, "You waited for a month and came here specially. Could it be that you wanted to play music just for me?"

"Of course not. I came here mainly to ask a loyal minister like Taibao to save the country..."

At this point, Liu Xian immediately unloaded the entire plan he had prepared long ago. Wei Guan listened with a sneer for a moment, then sat up. After listening for a while longer, he leaned his head on the table with one hand, lost in thought. He looked up at Liu Xian, who was still speaking, and thought to himself, "This guy does look a bit like Jiang Wei."

He suddenly interrupted Liu Xian, then turned sideways and asked with a squinting eye: "You should have gone directly to Dazai to talk about these things. Why did you come to me?"

Liu Xian looked at Wei Guan for a moment and said, "Although the Prime Minister is very prestigious, the current situation must have relied on the support of the Grand Guardian. If the Grand Guardian had not contacted the Queen in Luoyang, I'm afraid the Prime Minister would still be in Xuchang and not have returned."

What a poisonous eye! Wei Guan was startled. With just a few words, he had pointed out the essence of the changes in the court situation and realized that he was the one who was leading the current political planning.

Liu Xian continued, "But the connection between the Grand Protector and the Empress is probably just a temporary solution! The Empress is so vicious that she even targeted the Empress Dowager, so how could she be willing to give up power? Right now, she's just using the Grand Protector and the Grand Chancellor to drive out the wolf and devour the tiger. Is the Grand Protector willing to be someone else's bridesmaid?"

Wei Guan was silent for a moment, then said, "I've actually thought about everything you said."

Liu Xian was overjoyed upon hearing this, and struck while the iron was hot, saying, "Since the Grand Protector has this idea, then I would like to strongly advise Your Highness to make peace with the Prime Minister and work together..."

Before he could finish, Wei Guan interrupted him with a wave of his hand, and then said leisurely: "I told you, when I was young, I was very murderous."

"Hmm?" Liu Xian was a little at a loss when faced with Wei Guan's words.

Wei Guan added, "I may not have the murderous intent now, but my murderous intent towards those who deserved to be killed but were not, and who endangered the country, remains unchanged..."

"I treat the Queen the same way, I treat the King of Chu the same way, and I will treat you the same way."

"A vicious villain like the Queen wants to use me as a knife. I am just borrowing her hand so that I can step on her head. I will never obey her orders. You can rest assured about this."

"But I will not show any mercy to someone like the King of Chu, who secretly instigated a coup and harbored inappropriate ambitions for the divine artifact."

"You can go back and tell His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu that next month, I will submit a petition to the court ordering all the princes and nobles, except the Prime Minister, to leave the capital and return to their fiefdoms. This is his last chance. If he doesn't cherish it, don't blame me for being ruthless."

"And you..." Wei Guan tapped the table lightly and sneered, "Prince of Anle, the Crown Prince's Left Guard Commander, you're fanning the flames among the princes, acting like you're a loyal minister, but you can't fool me. A loyal minister has respectful eyes, but you're full of arrogance."

"Your plan is nothing more than to incite the King of Chu. If he succeeds, you can continue to climb up the ladder. Once you reach a high position, you will take the opportunity to cause chaos... and restore the country..."

At the beginning, Wei Guan's tone was very light, but as his speech accelerated, his words became more and more weighty. In the end, he leaned forward, and his few words were as heavy as Mount Tai, as if to crush Liu Xian.

But the result disappointed Wei Guan. The more he talked, the calmer Liu Xian became. In the end, he didn't move at all, and there was a hint of sadness in his eyes.

Liu Xian had indeed never thought about it, or rather, he was unwilling to think about it, that there was such a way to restore the country in the world.

Because this is too sad, betraying friendship, betraying morality, betraying faith. Even if you can succeed in the end, it will probably be an empty success.

But in the eyes of this famous general who destroyed Shu, this was his inescapable fate.

And from what the old man said, he didn't trust anyone at the same time. Instead, he planned to charge at enemies that were several times his size like a knight and knock them all to the ground.

Is this possible? All I can say is that peace is no longer possible.

Liu Xian couldn't help but ask, "Taibao, do you know what you are doing?"

Wei Guan snorted coldly and replied, "I am considering the long-term interests of the Jin Dynasty. Those who seek power and disrupt the government should be killed!"

"But in the eyes of the world, you are the villain, aren't you? You allied with the King of Runan, played political games, stole the high position, and suppressed the meritorious officials, aren't you?"

"That's just the shallowness of the world. If you truly care about the country and the people, political tactics are just means. If you, a bunch of greedy and chaotic people, really gain power, the country will be ruined!"

Wei Guan was not only expressing his determination, but also threatening Liu Xian. Unfortunately, this intimidation was ineffective. Liu Xian had long since learned to be indifferent to threats. Rather than being frightened by the threat, he wanted to know why the other party said this:
"What do you want?"

"What are you planning?"

Seeing Liu Xian's indifference, Wei Guan's pent-up emotions vanished, and his hostility dissipated. Hearing Liu Xian's question, he couldn't help but laugh. Hearing it, he said leisurely, "Thirty years ago, I put down Zhong Hui's rebellion. If anyone has contributed the most to the foundation of the Great Jin, it's undoubtedly me. Boy, I'm destined to enter the Great Jin Ancestral Temple. I will never let the temple's incense be cut off in your hands."

"No compromise?"

“There is no compromise.”

Having said that, Liu Xian knew it was over.

No one would have guessed that this renowned general of the Western Jin Dynasty, renowned for his cunning and suspicion, who had successfully plotted the deaths of Jiang Wei, Deng Ai, and Zhong Hui, was not a ruthless politician, but a loyal minister fervently devoted to the Western Jin Dynasty. Faced with such fierce fighting spirit, any offer of compromise would only inflame the other side's wrath, so Liu Xian simply stood up and took his leave.

But when Liu Xian thought of this, he couldn't help laughing: Being a loyal minister of the Jin Dynasty?
Everything was a futile effort. Liu Xian found himself engaged in futile work, as did Wei Guan. Most of the world's conflicts were caused by futile efforts, but people were destined not to believe the obvious outcome of failure and persevered to the end.

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(End of this chapter)