Han officials

Chapter 110: The Innocent Ones [Edit]

As it turned out, Wei Zhe still underestimated this turmoil.

Although the Wang Fen Rebellion was only mentioned in a few words in history books, it was a speck of dust in the era, but when it fell on a person's head, it was like a mountain.

No matter what era, no matter whether it succeeds or not, the chaos caused by such an attempt to rebellion will not be small.

While Wei Zhe and Goguryeo were testing each other, an ancient prophecy began to become popular again in the Central Plains.

It was not known whether Wang Fen and others were deliberately creating momentum, or Yuan Shao had people pushing it secretly, anyway, "The one who will replace the Han Dynasty will be Dangtu Gao" was suddenly brought up again, and many idle people in the market were discussing this prophecy.

For a time, there were all kinds of interpretations.

……

The next day, Qingzhou Pingyuan County.

"The one who replaced the Han Dynasty was Dangtu Gao...hiss! Could it be here?"

In a secluded hut in the mountains, an elegant old man was seen with a look of shock on his face.

This man's surname was Guan, his given name was Jin, and his courtesy name was Shutong. He was a member of the Guan family of Pingyuan, and was of the same clan as the Guan family of Zhuxu.

Perhaps few people in later generations know this man's name, but he had a good son, Guan Lu.

Guan Lu, courtesy name Gongming, was a native of Pingyuan County, Pingyuan Commandery. He enjoyed stargazing since childhood. As a teenager, he studied the Book of Songs, the Analects, and the Book of Changes. As an adult, he mastered the Book of Changes and the art of divination based on observing the wind and the horns. He wrote numerous works throughout his life, including the Zhouyi Tongling Jue (The Secret of Spiritual Communication with the Zhouyi), Pozao Jing (The Book of Breaking the Agitation), and Zhanji (The Divination of the Ji).

Important officials in the court, such as Minister of Personnel He Yan, Deng Yang, and Zhong Yu, all asked him to tell their fortunes.

Because of his proficiency in divination and calculation, Guan Lu was called a fortune teller by his contemporaries, and was posthumously named "Pingyuan Zi" after his death.

Guan Lu inherited his father's knowledge and then developed it further.

Therefore, Guan Jin himself was also obsessed with divination and was well-known locally.

So when Guan Jin came to visit him, although Guan Yue was a little surprised, he still received him in person.

However, before the two of them sat down and said a few words, Guan Yue slammed the table and stood up in shock and anger.

The old man was so angry that he stood up and pointed at Guan Jin, saying, "I treated you with courtesy because we are of the same clan. I never thought you would have such sinister intentions. Come here..."

Just when Guan Yue was about to order his family soldiers to capture Guan Jin, Guan Jin was not panicked at all.

He took off his scholar's cap and placed it on the ground. Then, he bowed solemnly and said, "Your Excellency, I will execute you or chop you up. However, I would like to ask you, Lord Guan, to listen to my advice."

Seeing this, Guan Yue hesitated for a long time before gritting his teeth and saying, "Well, I'll let you live a little longer. I want to see how you can come up with some excuses!"

However, despite this, Guan Yue still carefully withdrew all the servants around him.

Guan Jin, upon seeing this, sat before Guan Yue with a solemn expression and sighed, "Master Guan is also well-read. He must be aware of the prophecies in the Spring and Autumn Annals, which long ago stated, 'After the Han Dynasty reaches 920 years old, Meng Sun will die and the position of successor will be given. The one who will succeed the Han Dynasty will be Dangtu Gao.'"

It is said that prophecies have been very popular since the Western Han Dynasty.

The saying "The one who replaces the Han Dynasty is Dangtu Gao" has been passed down for hundreds of years and is no longer new.

During the Wang Mang Rebellion at the end of the Western Han Dynasty, writing books and making up prophecies became popular.

Even Wang Mang forged the imperial edict as a basis for his enthronement.

It was also during this period that prophecies and divinations began to merge.

The so-called prophecies and divinations actually originated from the River Chart and Luoshu, which means the combination of pictures and words.

Even the great scholars of the Modern Confucian Classics who studied prophecies and divinations pretended to be the will of God and the intention of Confucius, and combined prophecies, divinations and the Six Classics to form the "Six Wei" such as "Yi Wei", "Shi Wei" and "Shang Shu Wei".

As for the "Six Prophecies", the same convention is followed.

After Emperor Guangwu became famous for his prophecies, he even "announced the prophecies to the world", making this trend become mainstream.

Therefore, although Guan Yue did not have a deep understanding of classics, he was quite knowledgeable about the study of prophecies and divinations.

There's no way around it. This is the mainstream of society today. If you don't understand it, you can't communicate with others. However, Guan Yue still looked gloomy when he heard this and said, "So what if I've heard of it?"

Guan Jin was not affected at all by this. He immediately stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "Since you know it, then let me explain it to you."

Guan Jin said slowly with a confident look on his face, "Emperor Wu of the former Han Dynasty once said: If the Han Dynasty faces six or seven disasters, the law should be re-enacted. Who among the descendants of the royal family should take on this responsibility? The one who will succeed the Han Dynasty forty-second time is Dang Tu Gao."

"Why is Dangtu so high? It's actually Wei!"

"Wei means the two pavilions are missing. Wei is the one that is in power and great, so Wei is the contemporary Han."

It should be noted that the tower on the palace gate is also called "Wei Que".

The towering platform built on the palace gate is naturally the tallest and most majestic one!

Guan Jin then finished what he had just said.

Guan Yue had only heard half of it when he interrupted it in shock.

However, even after hearing the complete explanation, Guan Yue remained unmoved.

After all, there have been many interpretations of this prophecy over the past few hundred years. Although Guan Jin's words make some sense, they are not enough to explain anything, at least they cannot convince him.

Guan Jin wasn't surprised. He then used his finger to dip into the wine and draw a diagram on the table, explaining, "Liaodong is located in the northeast, and the Gen hexagram in the Eight Trigrams represents the northeast. They match each other. The Gen hexagram also represents a mountain, and its Five Elements belong to earth!"

"This dynasty belongs to the virtue of fire, and fire gives rise to earth. Isn't this destiny?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Guan Yue fell silent.

In fact, nowadays people generally agree that the next dynasty will be the Earth Deity.

Therefore, when Zhang Jiao was preaching throughout the world, the Taoist priests of the Taiping Period all wore yellow robes, and when they raised an army, they all tied yellow scarves on their foreheads.

At its core, it is nothing more than to cater to the will of heaven.

Even the slogan "The blue sky is dead, the yellow sky should be established" was intended to respond to the virtue of the earth.

So when Guan Jin interpreted this, Guan Yue was already half-believing and half-doubting.

However, Guan Jin's reasons were not limited to these.

"The prophecy of filial piety says: 'The sun rises in the east, extinguishing the flames. It does not cross a line, signifying wisdom and sageliness. After four hundred years, the king will change his surname and ascend to the throne. The world will reap the credit, bringing peace and prosperity, occupying the eighth rank. Propriety and music will prevail, regulating all people, bringing joy and harmony to all families.' Thus, the name of the King of Wei was clearly revealed in the prophecy!"

"The sun rises eastward, the flames extinguished. Is this the land of Haidong?" Guan Jin excitedly slammed the table and said, "Haidong is the easternmost point of the Han Dynasty, the place where the sun rises. If it were not for the merits of the Marquis of Wei, how could it have surrendered?"

Hearing this, Guan Yue could no longer sit still and immediately paced back and forth restlessly.

However, Guan Jin was already immersed in his own world, completely ignoring Guan Yue's actions. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and said intoxicatedly, "The Book of Changes says: 'The sun is in the east, and noon is in the west. Two suns shine together, and the sun is in the lower part. It is the main one, and the other is the auxiliary one. At fifty, eight, and forty, the yellow energy is received, and the true man appears.' Do you know what this means?"

Without waiting for Guan Yue's reply, he smiled smugly and said, "[The saying 'In the east, there is noon in the west'] means that in the future, the Marquis of Wei, who is in Liaodong, will march from east to west and conquer the world. [The two suns shine together, and the sun is below. It is the main one, and the other is the auxiliary one] means that he will march westward into Youzhou and become the host."

"As for [Yellow Qi is received, and the Immortal appears]... Hehe~ I once heard that the Marquis of Wei accepted many refugees in Liaodong, many of whom were remnants of the Yellow Turbans. Doesn't this mean that he is receiving the Yellow Qi and responding to the Taoist Immortal's intention?
As he spoke, Guan Jin deciphered the characters on his desk and said, "The Book of Changes says: 'Ghosts are in the mountains, the wheat girls are together, and they rule the world.' Doesn't this symbolize that the Wei family will rule the world?"

At this point, Guan Jin couldn't help but sigh:
"I've observed the great disasters before and after the Han Dynasty and the auspicious signs of the present day, and based on the deductions from the prophecies, I simply can't find a second explanation! Every king is driven out by the wicked and usurped by the weak. Changing surnames and dynasties is the will of heaven. The Wei family replacing the Han Dynasty isn't just isolated evidence; it's truly the will of heaven!"

"The transfer of Heaven's mandate, as expressed by the Heluo River and recorded in the prophecies, is clear and obvious. Could it be that Guan Gong is going against Heaven's will?"

As soon as these words came out, Guan Yue was so frightened that he couldn't help but shudder, and subconsciously exclaimed:

"I dare not, I..."

Seeing this, Guan Jin smiled and said nothing more.

As for Guan Yue, although he stopped midway through his speech, there was no need to say anything more at this moment.

For a moment, as the hall fell into silence, Guan Yue's expression began to change...

(End of this chapter)