Jinting Han people

Chapter 43: Shu People Lose Power (4k)

According to tradition, the Prince's Secretary was a very popular official position.

The rank of fifth rank, though not high, was acceptable, and its crucial political position was crucial. The Zhongshuzi was the chief official of the Eastern Palace and the crown prince's confidant. Officials who held the position of Zhongshuzi for the crown prince, who survived until the emperor's death and the crown prince's ascension, were considered to have achieved great success. Throughout Sima Yi's career, his pivotal rise in rank began with his appointment as Zhongshuzi for the crown prince.

So why did Chen Shou feel insulted when the emperor appointed him to this position? Actually, this depends on the circumstances. The reason was simply that it was widely known that Crown Prince Sima Zhong was too... pure and incompetent, lacking the ability to manage government affairs properly.

Under these circumstances, the officials of the Eastern Palace naturally lost their original role. Aside from the Prince's Grand Tutor, who still provided instruction, the Emperor would not delegate any authority to the Crown Prince, allowing him to handle government affairs as he had in the past. Officials like the Crown Prince's Secretary, the Crown Prince's Shepherd, and the Crown Prince's Groom were merely honorary titles, with no real responsibilities to perform. It was even clear that when the Crown Prince ascended the throne, the Empress Dowager's Party, led by the Three Yangs, would be the ones assisting in government, with no connection to these officials.

It is no wonder that Chen Shou was indignant when the emperor granted him such an official position with neither practical work nor future.

Five days later, the palace sent an envoy to Chen's residence with a special imperial edict. However, upon receiving the decree, Chen Shou not only had no intention of accepting the position, he didn't even bother to decline. From that day on, he became indifferent to worldly affairs, spending his time in the palace like a hermit, painstakingly compiling his writings. The emperor, presumably aware of his mishandling of Chen Shou's refusal to take the position, left the position of Prince's Secretary vacant for nearly half a year. Far from imposing any punishment, the court simply pretended nothing had happened.

During this time, Liu Xian's mourning period also ended quietly.

On the day his mourning period ended, Liu Xian bid farewell to his teacher and returned to Zhang Ximiao's grave on the mountainside. It was late autumn, and the chrysanthemums Liu Xian had planted had already faded. The mountains and plains were covered with withered, yellowing vegetation. Wild animals had vanished, leaving only the bleak sound of the wind. Liu Xian gazed at Zhang Ximiao's tombstone, recalling his mother's voice, smile, and presence, and for a moment he felt lost.

He still sometimes doubted whether his mother had really left him like this and would never come back. He clearly felt that she was always by his side, accompanying him.

Perhaps this is the human soul! It is his mother's soul watching over him, hoping that he can fulfill his promise to her. Liu Xian reminisced for a long time, until all the details had become pale. He said goodbye to his mother:
"Mom, I will definitely do something great!"

At that moment, a gust of wind blew past, as if someone were speaking to someone else. Liu Xian slowly opened his eyes, only to see a thousand streaks of radiant clouds in the sky, too dazzling to gaze upon. The withered, bleak surrounding landscape began to shimmer again in the afterglow of the setting sun. Suddenly, a white deer leaped from the forest, galloping past Liu Xian without hesitation, like a white rainbow piercing the waves, before disappearing into another maple forest.

In that brief moment, Bai Lu seemed to glance at Liu Xian. Liu Xian seemed to have received some kind of revelation and response, and he felt that his heart was as hard as stone.

After the mourning period ended, Liu Xian returned to Anle Mansion and began to discuss the coming-of-age ceremony and marriage with his second uncle Liu Yao. However, the result disappointed him, as his second uncle advised him to wait a little longer.

In fact, compared with ancient customs, people today do these two things much earlier.

The Book of Rites states that at the age of twenty, a man was crowned and given a given name. This "crowned crown" is the "coming of age" ceremony, the rite of passage into adulthood. However, with the widespread wars at the end of the Han Dynasty, the population of the Nine Provinces declined to a shocking degree. Many young men were sent to the battlefield in their teens, dying before they reached the age of twenty. Even sons of the most distinguished clan, such as Cao Cao, were no exception. At the age of ten, Cao Pi accompanied Cao Cao on his southern expedition to Wancheng, and Cao Zhi, at the age of fifteen, joined the expedition to the East Sea.

Under such circumstances, people had to change their customs and advance the coming-of-age ceremony to around the age of 15. After the coming-of-age ceremony, marriages were often held within a month or two, hoping to complete the family line and continue the family line.

As time went on, the custom of turning fifteen had been continued, but it was probably unrealistic to bring it forward. Liu Xian would only be fourteen after his birthday this year, so it would take at least another year for him to be considered a true adult.

This made Liu Xian, who longed for independence, somewhat dissatisfied, but he also understood that in the face of time, people had no choice but to wait. So after a little thought, Liu Xian took Xi An and Zhang Guxian back to Dongwu. He planned to make this familiar place his last wait before the New Year.

After arriving in Dongwu, Liu Xian made a surprising discovery: he was suddenly free. After his mother's death, Duke Anle Liu Xun had shown little interest in him, and his uncles had no reason to care. Ruan Xian had gone to Guanzhong, and Chen Shou was immersed in his book editing, leaving Liu Xian completely free to decide his own itinerary.

With such favorable conditions, Liu Xian decided to indulge in some unbridled behavior. He no longer spent long hours at home studying, but would occasionally meet up with Shi Chao and take a group of friends to Wan'an Mountain to hunt. After all, swordsmanship and academic studies could be mastered at home, but the art of horseback riding and archery could only be honed by galloping through the wilderness.

Liu Xian spent the next two months galloping on the back of a horse.

A group of young men raced through the mountains and forests, their horses swift as dragons, their bows like thunderbolts, their arrows wailing like owls, their swords honking like geese. When thirsty, they drank from the mountain springs; when hungry, they cut up the ribs of their prey and shared them. Their ears whirred, their bodies ablaze with joy, their hearts aglow with joy! They felt like they were living in heaven. The bustling city of Luoyang and the bustling capital of the capital were forgotten in the blink of an eye.

Just when Liu Xian was planning to wait until his coming-of-age ceremony, Chen Shou suddenly came to find him again.

When Chen Shou came in, Liu Xian was shoveling hay for his horses. He had just bought two mares from Longxi and planned to pair them with his stallion to see if they could produce some foals. Hearing Chen Shou call his name, he quickly handed the fork to Zhu Fu, then rolled up his sleeves and trotted over to meet him.

Chen Shou's complexion was still grim, and he seemed to have not yet recovered from the setbacks in his official career. But seeing that he was dressed in a very neat blue-white Confucian robe, a Confucian cap on his head, and hemp shoes on his feet, Liu Xian immediately realized that something serious might have happened.

Chen Shou didn't talk too much. After looking Liu Xian up and down, he said directly, "Change into nicer clothes. We'll leave right away."

"where to?"

"Go and pay respect to someone."

Liu Xian didn't dare to ask any more questions. He immediately changed into a decent military uniform, tied his hair up, wrapped a plain headscarf around his head, and put on a pair of deerskin boots. Then he and Chen Shou hurriedly rode their horses and set off on a journey to attend the funeral. On the way, Liu Xian felt a little curious. This was the first time his teacher had taken him to attend a funeral, and it was so solemn. This showed that the deceased was definitely not an ordinary person, but why did he have to take him along? Chen Shou rarely let his life interfere with his disciples. If he did so, it was because he thought it would be beneficial to Liu Xian. But Liu Xian really couldn't imagine whose funeral he had to attend.

However, the answer was soon revealed. When Liu Xian followed Chen Shou to the gate of the mansion covered with white banners, and looked up at the four large characters "Xiangyang Marquis Mansion" painted with silver hooks and iron above his head, Liu Xian suddenly realized: it turned out to be Wang Jun, the man who led the army to attack Wu!
I still remember when I was eight years old, the imperial court divided its troops into six groups, sending an army of over 200,000 to attack Wu. The most meritorious and legendary of these troops was led by Wang Jun. He commanded 70,000 Yizhou naval forces, commanding galleys capable of galloping, and stormed the Yangtze River, unstoppable. In just three months, they successively conquered key Wu river defense towns like Xiling, Jingmen, Yidao, Xiakou, and Wuchang. Finally, they sailed down the river and stormed Shitou City, terrifying Sun Hao so much that he surrendered.

In March, Wang Jun sailed 6,000 miles from Zigui all the way to Jianye. Unprecedented in history had there been a navy like this, let alone a battle like this. Some have hailed him as the greatest general of his time, surpassing even Du Yu and Wen Yang. Later, Liu Yuxi commemorated him with a popular poem: "Wang Jun's ship sails down to Yizhou, the royal aura of Jinling fades. Thousands of iron chains sink to the bottom of the river, a single banner emerges from the stone."

In poetry, Wang Jun is often portrayed as high-spirited and vigorous. However, reality often contradicts poetry. When Wang Jun assumed command of the navy, he was already seventy-four years old. His position and importance were achieved through his age and experience, resulting in his hair and beard turning white and his appearance frail. Even before the invasion of Wu, some complained about his advanced age and petitioned the emperor to replace him. Unexpectedly, he persevered to this day, dying of illness at the ripe old age of eighty.

Liu Xian's feelings at the passing of such a renowned general weren't sadness, but envy. Having read history books for so many years, he knew to some extent that renowned generals often stand out from the crowd. The military was a place of power, and for thousands of years, countless generals had perished in factional struggles and schemes. To die on the battlefield was considered a blessing. A renowned general like Wang Jun, who not only enjoyed national renown and wealth, but also ultimately died in his bed, was a rare sight. And having lived to such an age, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he lived a life without regrets.

After entering the palace, Wang Jun's descendants shared the same sentiment. While their expressions were mournful, they didn't seem to regret. Their conversations revealed genuine pride in their parents. This was arguably the most rare happy funeral since the founding of the Western Jin Dynasty.

But what puzzled Liu Xian was that while the hosts chatted and laughed lightheartedly, the atmosphere among the guests was extremely heavy. Many of the visitors had gloomy faces, some staring blankly at the sky, while others sobbed over the coffin, as if it wasn't just Wang Jun who had died, but also their own souls. This strange atmosphere was definitely not unfounded, because he noticed that these guests with strange expressions had all greeted the teacher, and they all knew each other to some extent.

After waiting for a while, an old man came over to chat with Chen Shou. Liu Xian recognized him as Wang Chong, whom his teacher had invited to his house a while ago. After exchanging pleasantries for a while, they talked about Wang Jun's death. Wang Chong sighed, "The death of Lord Wang has a huge impact on the government!"

Chen Shou sneered, "Youyuan thinks too much. I don't think there's any difference."

"Don't speak nonsense!" Wang Chong scolded. "I know you're full of resentment right now, but you must also respect the prince! Without the prince's twenty years of governing Shu, how could the people of the two states live in peace? Without the prince's recommendation and promotion, how could we be in the court today!"

Chen Shou glanced at the coffin beside him and did not directly refute it. Instead, he said sarcastically, "But I really don't know what impact the prince's death will have on the court."

Wang Chong was deeply discouraged by these words. He lamented, "Chengzuo, you know exactly what I mean. For the past twenty years, although the prince was not from Shu, he was our leader. Now that the prince has passed away, we have lost our banner. We must unite even more and share the joys and sorrows. No matter how much you complain, it will not benefit the overall situation!"

Hearing this, Liu Xian began to understand. He looked around, once again examining the guests who had come to pay their respects to Wang Jun. Comparing them with the people he remembered from Wang Jun's triumphal return, he saw some familiar faces.

Combining the conversation he had just overheard, Liu Xian had a rough idea of the situation: after the fall of Shu Han, most of the remaining Shu Han officials were retained by the Western Jin court. However, as surrendered ministers, they were marginalized by the Jin court. Under these circumstances, the Shu people chose to win over a few high-ranking Western Jin officials and, through manipulation and influence-building, gradually gain access to the center of power. And Wang Jun was the man they chose.

The Shu people helped Wang Jun achieve the great feat of defeating Wu, and Wang Jun helped the Shu people gain access to the three ministries of imperial court. For twenty years, the two sides enjoyed a harmonious and peaceful cooperation. However, as Wang Jun aged and died of illness, the Shu people were unable to find a second partner who could replace him. This led to the sudden loss of power in the court after Wang Jun's death.

Even though the teacher wrote "Records of the Three Kingdoms", he was not reused, which was probably due to Wang Jun's serious illness.

Without a leader, and without the exemplary value provided by the Eastern Wu, the Shu people were now completely losing power in the court. It's no wonder these people felt as if they had lost their parents during their worship. Even if Liu Xian put himself in their shoes, he couldn't imagine a way out of this predicament. The descendants of the powerful in Luoyang were simply too numerous, so how could there be room for the Shu people to share in the official positions?
While he was lost in thought, another man came up and called out to Chen Shou, "Chengzuo, the emperor has appointed you as the crown prince's secretary, why don't you go?"

Chen Shou glanced at the newcomer and sneered, "Then I'll give this good job to you, Du Lie. You will definitely go!"

Du Lie was clearly a former official of Shu Han. But he was incredibly well-mannered, seemingly oblivious to the sarcasm. He stroked his beard and smiled, "No matter what, this is a crucial position. While it lacks real power, it still offers access to the Crown Prince and the Emperor. With you, there's still hope. Chengzuo, we can't miss any opportunity."

"Me? You overestimate me. I can only compile history. Other than that, I'm useless."

"How could that be? Chengzuo, when the six of us came to the capital, you were the most talented, and General Du Yu also valued you very much. As long as you are determined, you will definitely not stop here..."

Chen Shou didn't have the patience to argue with Du Lie any longer. He waved his hand and said, "Stop it. The prince's funeral is today. Let's not argue here."

But Du Lie still wanted to make one last attempt. He spotted Liu Xian standing nearby and, mistaking him for Chen Shou's nephew, said, "Chengzuo, if you don't consider yourself, you should also consider your family. When your mother insisted on returning to the Northern Man, wasn't it because she hoped you would bring honor to the family? And your nephews and younger generations, can you bear to watch them suffer?"

Then he turned to look at Liu Xian and sighed, "Boy, try to persuade your master. Wealth and glory can't be achieved by just waiting..."

Chen Shou quickly stopped talking and said to Du Lie, "Zhongwu, don't make a mistake. Huai Chong is not my nephew." He paused for a moment, then said in a tone of sarcasm, "He is my disciple, the current prince of Anle, Liu Xian, Liu Huai Chong."

As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of gazes were cast at the same time, focusing on Liu Xian, and the owners of these gazes had different expressions.

It was at this time that Liu Xian realized: According to the relationship between monarch and subject and blood relationship, he was the former master of most of the people present.

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(End of this chapter)