Jinting Han people

The way Wang Gong died was exactly the same as that of the previous people.

When he was found, his throat had been cut and his body was covered with a white cloth. On the white cloth was a small piece of yellow silk. On one side was written his crimes of oppressing the people, and on the other side were the four words "Serving the Righteous Man and Punishing the Traitor" written in large letters.

But what is shocking is that he died in his bed in his own mansion, in broad daylight, not late at night.

It turned out that at noon, during the palace's usual siesta, a peddler passed by the palace gates. He boasted on the street that he had a rooster, born without wings, and a hen that crowed like a rooster. This immediately attracted a large crowd of onlookers, including the palace guards. Within a quarter of an hour, however, the peddler's departure led to a major crime.

The assassination of a dignified Fourth Rank General in his residence was impossible to conceal. Coupled with the recent string of assassinations, this incident once again stirred up a furor in Luoyang. Citizens speculated about the perpetrators and the mastermind behind the assassination, with most believing it was Sima Yun, the Prince of Huainan, who had recently arrived in the capital.

After all, Sima Yun had been publicly meeting guests at the Huainan Palace these days, many of whom were from prominent families, and he had also claimed to support the Crown Prince's personal rule, demonstrating his political ambitions. Strangely, however, his guests were all staying at the palace, and the Hou Party's spies, who were on high alert there, had found no leads.

So everyone started to spread the rumor that there was a Taoist master among the retainers of King Huainan. He could take away people's souls with just a glance from afar, and then use witchcraft to cut off people's heads from a thousand miles away.

Others say it's actually the ghost of Sima Wei, King of Chu, who is haunting the city. Remembering the unjust murder of the King of Chu by the Empress, everyone cherishes his memory and fears his spirit will be restless. So, they erected a shrine specifically to appease him, only to be stopped by the Empress's men. Now, one of his two best brothers is nearing death, while the other has finally returned to the capital to pay his respects. By chance, the King of Chu's ghost finally erupts, demanding the lives of those traitors, much like Guan Yu demanded the life of Lü Meng.

Many people believed Sima Wei's magical powers and rushed to the Chu King's Ancestral Hall to pay homage. The bustle of the event was once comparable to that of Guan Yu's Ancestral Hall in southeast Luoyang.

Those with insight naturally wouldn't believe such nonsense, but they could also see that this series of actions meant the Crown Prince had officially launched his campaign against the Empress Dowager's followers. They hadn't previously anticipated the Crown Prince using such decisive and violent means. After all, who could claim to be innocent after joining the Empress Dowager's followers? The phrase "carry out justice and punish the traitor" simply meant that everyone in the Empress Dowager's group could be killed.

Yet, the reality was indeed as it was. The palace, buoyed by the support of the Empress and Jia Mi, acted with extreme cruelty. He would punish soldiers who refused to pay him tribute or even defied him with beatings and even skinning them alive. He set up checkpoints to extort bribes, amassing tens of thousands of dollars. After his execution, news spread throughout the capital almost overnight, and the people applauded.

This set off a trend in Luoyang, and many grassroots soldiers were also encouraged. Without any organization, they took the initiative to go to the Luoyang Palace and jointly submit a petition, requesting the emperor to abolish the queen and make the prince's biological mother, Concubine Xie Shufei, the queen.

Some palace guards tried to step forward to stop them, and a quarrel ensued. The quarrel then escalated into a fight, ultimately resulting in the deaths of eight people.

By this point, conflict in Luoyang had intensified. Many of the Hou Party's followers, who had previously bullied others, were now terrified and afraid to even leave their homes. Their orders, often reaching their subordinates, fell on deaf ears, with no response. Under these circumstances, high-ranking officials like Man Fen, who were responsible for maintaining public order in Luoyang, could no longer guarantee their own safety, let alone handle the case and apprehend the murderer.

Some even went so far as to imitate the assassin's methods and secretly avenge their nemesis. This further destabilized the order in Luoyang, with corpses appearing on the streets almost daily, making it impossible to find the original assassin.

However, the panic was only prevalent among the Empress's party. On the other hand, the Prince's party in the Eastern Palace, or the princes of the royal family, were celebrating.

These days, Sima Ying, the King of Chengdu, who was ordered to recruit and pacify the Queen, has been traveling back and forth in Luoyang, focusing almost entirely on visiting several major families that support the Queen, and he has reaped considerable rewards.

The most important families in the Western Jin Dynasty were undoubtedly the eight great families represented by the eight founding dukes: the Zheng family of Xingyang, the Xun family of Yingchuan, the Shi family of Bohai, the Pei family of Hedong, the Wang family of Taiyuan, the Jia family of Pingyang, and the Chen family of Linhuai.

The reason why the empress was able to hold the position of regent was that she used the Pingyang Jia family, which she represented, as a foundation, formed an alliance with the three major families of Bohai Shi, Hedong Pei, and Taiyuan Wang, and added the Taiyuan Guo family and Donghai Wang family as assistants, as well as representatives of poor scholars like Zhang Hua as archways, to build a political system of aristocratic families that could maintain the stability of the court.

But after Sima Ying visited Pei Wei, Zhang Hua, Shi Chong, Wang Jun, Wang Yan and others, these core members of the Hou party all showed signs of wavering to varying degrees.

Especially Pei Wei, who was in his early thirties and considered young in the court, actually preferred the Crown Prince to the Empress. After the last confrontation with the King of Huainan, he felt that the situation was not good and did not want to tie his future to the Empress's party. When Sima Ying came to visit, he confessed:
"Although I am a relative of the Empress, I also know what is right and wrong. The Empress's regent is indeed against etiquette. I would like to submit a petition to Your Majesty, requesting that the Empress be deposed and that Consort Xie Shu be appointed Empress."

He also took out a dozen memorials from his study and showed them to Sima Ying, saying, "These are the articles I have privately written over the years to urge the Queen to treat the Crown Prince well. They demonstrate my loyalty to the Crown Prince. I ask Your Highness to bear witness for me."

Wang Yan's attitude was similar. He wore a look of annoyance and said to the King of Chengdu, "My daughter is the Crown Princess, and my cousin is the Crown Prince's attendant. How could I not support the Crown Prince? The only reason I helped the Queen before was because she and Duke Lu forced me to do so! I've never truly served the Queen. So how could I not agree if the Crown Prince wants to be Regent?"

Although Wang Yan's expression was vivid, he didn't promise to directly raise an army to support the crown prince. Even so, it was enough to satisfy the crown prince. Among the imperial guards within Luoyang City, the Eastern Palace Guards were only slightly inferior in number to the Imperial Guards. And the majority of the Imperial Guards were controlled by members of the imperial clan. As long as the foreign troops outside the city remained neutral, the Empress's faction would essentially have no chance of resistance.

Led by Wang Yan, He Yu, Wang Rong and others also wavered. They also did not make a promise, but also expressed their friendly feelings towards the prince.

Among the many followers of the Empress Dowager, only Zhang Hua, Jia Mo, Wang Jun, and Shi Chong stood out. Because they were so deeply tied to the Jia family, others saw Zhang Hua as the mastermind, Jia Mo as the think tank, Shi Chong as the money man, and Wang Jun as the vanguard. Regardless of the Crown Prince's magnanimity, these four were likely to be liquidated by him.

Therefore, when faced with the King of Chengdu's request for an audience, the four of them all used illness as an excuse and refused to see him.

But from the overall situation, the prince has the upper hand at this time. If the queen can't withstand the pressure, he will almost succeed.

But the queen was still the queen. Even in such a disadvantageous situation, she remained impassive, a look of calm demeanor, like the moon shining brightly across the river. Regardless of the tumultuous public opinion, regardless of the numerous documents submitted, she simply gritted her teeth, refusing to acknowledge her mistakes.

At this point, the political situation in Luoyang fell into a strange stalemate: the queen's party was shaky and seemed to be on the verge of collapse at any time, but it never fell; the prince was only a step away from the supreme power, but he still lacked his last breath.

However, these matters no longer concerned Liu Xian. After the assassination of the palace, he had completed his pre-planned plan. All previous assassinations had been mere prelude; the palace was his ultimate goal. However, further assassinations were clearly beyond Liu Xian's control. Therefore, achieving the final word and then quietly disappearing was the most appropriate option. What followed depended entirely on the Crown Prince and the various princes.

Now, all Liu Xian needed to do was to stay hidden behind the scenes and avoid attracting the attention of the Hou Party or even the rest of the group. During the assassination attempt, the Hou Party had become extremely vigilant. Only after the stalemate had lasted a long time and their guard had relaxed again would he have a chance of achieving a surprise victory.

Therefore, during this turbulent time in Luoyang, Liu Xian behaved like an ordinary scholar. With plenty of free time, he often gathered with friends like Zu Ti, Jiang Tong, and Liu Cong, chatting and discussing as usual. He also occasionally visited some of the elders who had supported him in the past, such as Ji Shao, Fu Zhi, Le Guang, He Shao, and Meng Guan, to maintain some of his old connections and relationships.

One morning, Wang Cui held a banquet at home and invited some friends to visit the Marquis of Xiangyang's mansion. Liu Xian was also on the invitation list.

Liu Xian initially thought it was just an ordinary day, but when he was walking on the road with Zhuge Yan, he suddenly realized that something was wrong.

It wasn't that anything bad had happened to him, but Liu Xian suddenly had a feeling that today was a very familiar day, but he had forgotten it. So he turned to Zhuge Yan and said, "Nan Qiao, do you know what day it is today? I always feel like it's a festival."

Zhuge Yan was puzzled. He said, "Today is the fifth month of the lunar calendar, right? It's not a festival."

Of course Liu Xian knew it, but for some reason, he always had a strange feeling that this day must have a special meaning. It’s just that this meaning is like a flea crawling into your clothes late at night. You clearly know it’s there, and it has even been sticking to your skin a few times, seemingly within reach, but you just can’t catch it.

After pondering for a while, Liu Xian couldn't find an answer, so he gave up. After all, his memory was quite good; if he couldn't even remember it, it shouldn't be a big deal. Suddenly, they arrived at the Marquis of Xiangyang's mansion, where the guests had already arrived. It was the height of summer, the sun blazing and the weather sweltering. Wang Cui and his companions stayed in the pavilion in the backyard to cool off, with ice jars, chilled melons, and rice wine nearby to cool off. It looked like a typical aristocratic banquet.

However, unlike usual, Liu Xian actually met a long-lost acquaintance here - Shi Chao.

As soon as Liu Xian entered the banquet, the two childhood friends noticed each other and looked at each other for a long time.

After not seeing him for a long time, Shi Chao had completely matured. As a son of an aristocratic family who had been determined to pursue a martial art since childhood and had diligently trained, he was extremely tall, two or three inches taller than Liu Xian. His beard had grown out, covering his chin. Combined with his broad, muscular frame, he looked like a ferocious beast.

It was Shi Chao who broke the silence first. He stepped forward and said to Liu Xian with a smile, "Ha, Biji, long time no see. You've been back in Beijing for so long, why didn't you come to see me?"

Liu Xian smiled back at Shi Chao and said, "I'm afraid if we meet Jia Changyuan, we'll start fighting again, and you'll be in a difficult position!"

The two of them laughed and regained some of their childhood feelings.

In fact, Shi Chao was Liu Xian's first, and possibly only, childhood friend within Luoyang's elite circles. The two of them traveled together, imagined their futures, and were truly happy. Besides Shi Chao, Liu Xian was left alone in the isolated Anle Mansion, a place riven by the Luoyang gentry. Aside from his mother, uncle, and teachers, he had few peers to interact with, and at most, he played with his own servants. This made him cherish his friendship with Shi Chao all the more.

It was only after seeing Jingu Garden that Liu Xian realized how different he was from Shi Chao.

Influenced by different environments, the two people are not the same kind of people at all.

While Shi Chao possessed some peculiarities, he was essentially a typical son of a wealthy family. His disregard for human life and his disregard for right and wrong mirrored Jia Mi's. Shi Chao's early dissatisfaction with Jia Mi was simply peer jealousy. As he grew older, he joined the crowd in fawning over Jia Mi. Only after being publicly humiliated by Jia Mi at the Qingming Literary Gathering did Liu Xian truly realize that, compared to Shi Chao, his own interests were more closely aligned with those of lesser scholars like Zu Ti and Lu Ji. He gradually distanced himself from Shi Chao, ultimately severing all ties.

But after going through so much, Liu Xian felt that this wasn't necessary. Shi Chao had simply been around a scoundrel like Shi Chong for too long, so he'd become accustomed to seeing his share of scandals. As a friend, he should have spoken openly with him and offered him a helping hand, rather than giving up completely. Zhou Chu, at thirty, had managed to reform, so what about his childhood friend?

Liu Xian and Shi Chao joked a few times and asked him about his recent situation.

Shi Chao sighed and said with emotion, "Hey, these past few years have been just about gaining experience. Three years ago, when the Guanxi Rebellion broke out, I wanted to help suppress it, but my uncle wouldn't let me. A hero wasted his time, and now, he has no achievements. It's really despicable! His official position is just a guerrilla general, the same level as you!"

Liu Xian said, "What others have risked their lives to obtain, you can easily obtain, what is there to complain about?"

The two chatted for a while, drank some wine with Wang Cui and others, and talked about the interesting things they encountered in Guanxi and the interesting things that happened in Luoyang in recent years. Somehow, a guest named Cai Ke mentioned the recent unrest in Luoyang:

"I didn't expect that the recent quarrel between the Crown Prince and the Queen would cause such unrest. Now that it's going on, I don't know when it will stop."

Wang Cui said: "The Crown Prince is popular and will eventually win."

He really thought so. Recently, Wang Cui had contacted Sima Ying, the King of Chengdu, and expressed his willingness to break away from Jia Mi, the Duke of Lu. Sima Ying admired Wang Cui's honesty and returned the favor by also expressing his intention to bring Wang Cui into the palace as Sima.

Wang Cui then said to Shi Chao, "Although the Imperial Guard (Shi Chong) is a close friend of the Jia family, he will not harm his family. Brother Shi is only Shi Chong's nephew. Why should you be tied to him? It would be better to serve the Crown Prince and truly glorify the family."

It turned out that Wang Cui had been frequently active in Luoyang these days, recruiting talents for the King of Chengdu, and this banquet probably served this purpose.

Shi Chao's expression remained calm. He said slowly, "Although I also support the Crown Prince's succession to the throne, if Hongyuan thinks the situation is settled, then you are gravely mistaken."

"The Queen's eight years in charge of government have certainly been full of disappointments, but they've also been remarkable. At the very least, she will never admit defeat without a fight."

Wang Cui disagreed and said, "You mean, the Queen still has a way to turn defeat into victory? That's impossible!"

"Haha, most things in the world, apart from what has already happened, are not as expected. Only a few smart people can see the results. Hongyuan, you don't understand the Houdang, so why not wait and see."

Shi Chao was a man who showed his emotions on his face. He made no secret of his contempt for Wang Cui and even mocked Wang Cui for changing sides, which made Wang Cui very angry. Liu Xian tried to smooth things over by saying:

"We're here today to reminisce about the past. Why talk about such depressing things? In life, many things always go wrong. I think there are too many smart people and too few foolish things. Let's just be foolish."

This finally eased the atmosphere, and everyone turned their attention back to the topic of fine wine, beautiful women, and hunting and dog fighting. At the banquet, Shi Chao kept toasting Liu Xian, but Liu Xian's alcohol tolerance was far inferior to his, and he soon felt dizzy and his face was incredibly hot.

As the evening wore on and the banquet ended, Liu Xian stood up unsteadily, preparing to leave. A maid brought in some hangover soup, handed it to Liu Xian, and then said to Wang Cui, "Madam said that if Mr. Liu can't hold his liquor, he can rest in the side rooms at the back of the mansion."

When Liu Xian heard the word "Madam", he was startled and immediately remembered what day it was today.

Wang Cui's wife was Princess Yingchuan, so isn't today Princess Yingchuan's birthday? No wonder it felt familiar.

Liu Xian waved his hand to decline the invitation to stay overnight, then asked Wang Cui, "Speaking of which, Hongyuan, how is your relationship with the princess? Are you in love?"

Wang Cui smiled and said, "Thanks to you, marrying my wife is the greatest joy of my life."

"That's good." Liu Xian felt a little exhausted. He untied the Zhaowu sword from his waist, handed it to Wang Cui with both hands, and said, "I remember that today is the princess's birthday. I don't have anything good to prepare, but I remember that the princess likes swordsmanship. This sword is almost useless, but it has helped me kill countless bandits in Guanzhong and has made great contributions. Please give it to her as a token of my appreciation."

After saying that, Liu Xian waved goodbye to Wang Cui, walked out of the mansion, got on the ox cart and fell asleep.

When I woke up the next day, I was already back home. My head was aching as if it was tightening, so I just lay down in the house to rest.

It was on this day that Duke Jia Mi of Lu officially visited the Eastern Palace. (End of this chapter)