Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 176 The False Mandate of Heaven, the True Mandate of Heaven.

Bailuyuan (White Deer Plain)

Jingyu Valley.

More than a month later, Liu Shan, along with Jiang Wei, Guan Xing, Zhao Guang, Mi Wei, and other young generals, returned to the place where they saw the deer in the bamboo forest.

With slightly mixed feelings, Liu Shan slowly walked to the side of the blue stone where Huang Shigong had suddenly disappeared and a white deer carrying a pearl and a sword had emerged.

The dozen or so tiger guards responsible for protecting the treasure made way for them.

Beside the bluestone, Minister Chen Zhen had already ordered people to build an earthen platform and stone steps, waiting for the emperor to ascend the steps and retrieve the treasure.

Liu Shan did not heed Chen Zhen's advice to hold a grand ceremony to welcome the treasure. Instead, he simply wore his usual black military uniform with red trim and casually took the so-called Tai'a sword and Suihou pearl from a moss-covered bluestone.

The Tai'a sword is somewhat similar to the Sword of Goujian, King of Yue, which I remember being displayed in a museum.

The golden sword was covered with regular black diamond-shaped patterns, and the word "Tai'a" was engraved on the belly of the sword in bird-and-insect seal script.

Of course, Liu Shan did not recognize this kind of artistic script used exclusively by kings and nobles during the pre-Qin period. It was the knowledgeable Chen Zhen who told him about it. With this preconceived notion, Liu Shan could indeed see the outlines of the characters Tai and A.

He had no expertise in antique appraisal and couldn't tell whether the sword was from the Shang or Zhou dynasties or from last week. He simply tucked it casually into his waistband, and the Tai'a sword that Qin Shi Huang once owned was now on his person.

As for the Suihou Pearl... he took it down and placed it in a wooden box, then handed it to Miwei, without even bothering to get closer to look at it.

According to Chen Zhen, this thing can glow at night and illuminate a range of more than ten steps around it.

It's impressive, but according to his common sense, this thing must be radioactive. If it really was the Suihou Pearl that Qin Shi Huang collected, then the First Emperor would probably have been exposed to a lot of radiation.

After the emperor descended the steps, he summoned Du Ji, the son of the Du family, and together they walked towards the wide, deep blue stream that seemed to have no bottom, and he gestured to the generals that they did not need to follow.

The generals who had been left behind then gathered around Mi Wei, looking curiously at the wooden box containing the Marquis of Sui's pearl.

After all, they were all in their early twenties and had never seen a jade bead that could glow in the night before.

Not to mention the mythical story of a white deer returning a pearl to a real dragon, which adds to the allure of the tale. It would be a lie to say you're not curious.

Liu Shan walked ahead, and as if sensing the intentions of the generals behind him, he turned to the side and slightly raised his chin towards Mi Wei and the other generals, indicating that they could open the box and take a look.

All the generals were startled. Mi Wei carefully opened the wooden box, revealing a pure white jade bead as large as a chicken egg.

Everyone was stunned.

"No wonder it can be called one of the 'Two Treasures of Suihe' alongside the He Shi Bi. The size of this bead alone is so small that you probably couldn't find another one like it anywhere in the world," the knowledgeable Mi Wei exclaimed.

Jiang Wei usually didn't care much about gold, silver, and jewels. Seeing the astonished expressions on everyone's faces, he asked Mi Wei with some confusion, "Mi Protector, is the size of this Marquis Sui Pearl very rare?"

Mi Wei nodded and sighed:

“The large pearls produced in Hepu, Jiaozhou, were tributes to the royal family. Even those pearls were less than half the size of this one. Not to mention, this pearl is as white as jade, flawless and pure, undoubtedly a masterpiece. No wonder the First Emperor loved it. Now, with the guidance of the immortals, it has been returned to the true dragon. It is truly the will of Heaven.”

Upon hearing Mi Wei's words, Zhao Guang and Zhao Tong both focused their attention on Mi Wei's round face.

The two brothers had heard their father say that Mi Wei's father, Anhan Gong Mi Zhu, had once seen a beautiful woman on the road who asked to ride in his carriage with him. After traveling several miles, she bid farewell and told Mi Zhu:
I am an angel, and I am going to burn down the house of Mi Zhu in the East Sea. I am grateful to you for carrying me, so I am speaking to you. You may go quickly, while I will proceed slowly. The fire will start at midday.

Mi Zhu then returned home and gave away all his wealth. As the sun reached its zenith, a fire indeed broke out.

Jiang Wei looked at the emperor beside the mirror-like Lanxi River, and after a moment said:
"His Majesty seems to care little about the guidance of the immortals, the Tai'a Sword, or the Suihou Pearl."

Mi Wei also looked over, then paused for a moment, before gazing thoughtfully at the Suihou Pearl in his hand, a feeling stirring within him:
"Your Majesty previously attempted to interpret the auspicious sign of the white deer here, but failed."

"The so-called white deer is nothing more than livestock. If you capture it, you will be injured; if you shoot it, you will die. Since we are with you, we are at ease. Why should we seek any illusory auspicious omen?"

"However, Your Majesty did not seek auspicious omens, yet the auspicious white deer appeared on its own."

"Your Majesty did not seek out Tai'a Suihou, but Tai'a Suihou surrendered himself."

"We all believe that obtaining the auspicious white deer, the Tai'a sword, and the Suihou pearl signifies that the Mandate of Heaven has returned to the Han Dynasty and to Your Majesty."

"But in fact, we ordinary people are putting the cart before the horse, taking the box and returning the pearl."

Jiang Wei, Guan Xing, Zhao Tong, and the others rarely saw Mi Wei so serious and focused, and for a moment they all quietly turned their gaze to Mi Wei's round face, listening attentively.

But Miwei still looked serious:
“The Mandate of Heaven was originally with Your Majesty, and thus the auspicious sign of the white deer arrived, and the Marquis of Tai'a returned to you.”

"It is not that His Majesty obtained these things that he received the Mandate of Heaven."

"If that's the case, why does Your Majesty attach so much importance to these things?"
"The jade of Kunshan, the treasure of Suihe, the pearl of Mingyue, the sword of Tai'a... none of these treasures were born in the Qin state, yet the First Emperor possessed them all."

"Does the First Emperor cease to be the First Emperor without these things?"
"The reason why the First Emperor possessed these treasures was because of the support of the people of Qin and because Qin unified the six kingdoms."

"In the end, the world fell apart, the six states were restored, and Qin lost these treasures and the world. In the final analysis, it was Qin that lost the hearts of the people."

"Your Majesty previously failed to release the deer, and now you remain indifferent to the Tai'a sword and the Suihou pearl."

"It is clear that this is a repeated admonition to us close advisors that the true mandate of heaven lies in the morale of the army, the people, and the unity of purpose between superiors and subordinates, and not in the offering of treasures by immortals or auspicious omens."

Upon hearing this, Guan Xing, Zhao Guang, Jiang Wei, and the others all turned to look at the emperor on the banks of the Blue River, and after a moment, they all nodded in unison.

Zhao Guang shifted his gaze to Du Shizi, who was beside the emperor, and suddenly said:
"The auspicious white deer, the guidance of the immortals, and the treasure of the Marquis of Tai'a were all presented by the Du family of Jingzhao. I wonder what Your Majesty's thoughts and attitudes are toward the Du family and this son of the Du family?"

Like a mirror on the banks of the Blue Creek.

Liu Shan then conducted a brief examination and questioning of Du's son, based on his observations and experiences during his month-long tour of various counties.

It can be roughly seen that he did have some insights into governing counties and prefectures, and he was not the kind of person who just talked big and made grand pronouncements.

No wonder the Prime Minister appointed him as a staff member in his office and praised him lavishly, calling him a superior scholar from Guanzhong.

Indeed, if this person hadn't truly possessed the ability to be cultivated, the Du family probably wouldn't have deliberately arranged for him to encounter a celestial being who guided him, leading him to stumble upon a white deer carrying a pearl and a sword.

This was done by using the auspicious white deer and the Marquis of Tai'a to build momentum for himself as the Emperor of Tai Han, while also creating momentum for the son of the Du family.

It shouldn't be long before the whole of Guanzhong knows about the Immortal Pointing the Way, the Auspicious White Deer, and the reappearance of Tai'a Suihou.

If one is the kind of emperor who favors auspicious omens and uses the Tai'a Sword and the Suihou Pearl to promote himself and proclaim to the world that he is ordained by Heaven, then the Du family members will undoubtedly rise to power as well.

However, since the Du family intended to cultivate him and recommend him to the court, his continued wearing of coarse clothes seemed a bit too much of a show.

"Du Fuheng, tell me, did you really see an immortal?" Liu Shan asked casually, trying to see through the deep blue stream.

The young scholar named Du Ji first glanced at the emperor, then followed the emperor's gaze to the bottomless stream. Finally, he let out a long breath, took a step back, and bowed deeply.
"Your Majesty, I dare not deceive you. The so-called 'immortal pointing the way' was a fabrication by the elders of our clan."

Liu Shan guessed that Du Ji would most likely tell the truth, and nodded slightly: "Then where did this Tai'a sword and the Suihou pearl come from?"

Du Ji remained bowed.
"I am unaware of the sword and the pearl. My elders have not told me about these matters."

"You don't know?" Liu Shan calmly turned his head and looked at Du Ji.

"Your humble servant was unaware." Although Du Ji bowed his head and knew that the emperor might punish him for deceiving the emperor, he did not tremble with fear.

Liu Shan did not delve into the matter further, and asked:

"Where is the white deer? How did the Du family know that I encountered a white deer here? Who told you?"

Du Ji said frankly:
"The Du family was unaware that His Majesty had encountered a white deer in this place."

“That day, I went here with my bow to hunt pheasants but failed. On my way back, a white deer suddenly appeared from the forest and came to the stream to drink water.”

"Your Majesty was astonished. In a short while, the white deer suddenly leaped into the deep forest and disappeared. I then carried my bow and went down to the plain."

"Unexpectedly, when I descended to the banks of the Ba River, a white deer suddenly appeared to my left and slowly walked to the banks of the Ba River to graze and drink dew."

"Finally, it was seen by the Du clan members, who then led it into the Du family manor."

Is there such a coincidence?

Even though Du Ji was humble and modest, and seemed to be telling the truth, Liu Shan still instinctively didn't quite believe him.

But he was certain that there were no outsiders in the area that day, because the Tiger Cavalry accompanying him had already scouted the entire area within at least a mile. It seemed he still needed to check with the Tiger Cavalry on duty back in the capital to see if anyone had spread the word about his encounter with the deer there.

If so, who is it?

But to whom was it passed on?

"And then?" Liu Shan asked.

"When the elders of the Du family heard about my plight, they asked me to lead them to the place where I saw the deer, and then told me not to make a fuss about it."

Five days later, Attendant-in-Ordinary Fei and Minister Chen arrived at the manor with the elders of the clan.

"The clan elder ordered me to lead the way, so I led Minister Dong and Minister Chen to the place where the deer were seen on the blue stone."

"I originally thought it was just the clan elders presenting the white deer as an auspicious omen to Your Majesty. I never expected that the elders of the clan would tell the Attendant and the Minister about the so-called immortal pointing the way and the white deer carrying a sword and a pearl."

Liu Shan remained noncommittal and asked:

"Then why don't you point this out?"
"And why reveal this matter to me at this time and place?"
"Aren't you afraid that I will punish you, punish your Du family for the crime of deceiving the emperor?"

Du Ji paused for a moment, then replied:

"At that time, I thought that the prophecy of the Luo River ceasing to flow had already come true."

"The court may be able to use this auspicious white deer and the treasure of the Marquis of Tai'a to win back the hearts of those who are dissatisfied in Guanzhong and even the whole country."

Liu Shan nodded slowly.

It's normal to have this kind of thought.

In a time when prophecies and omens are all the rage, and even high-ranking officials like Jiang Wan and Fei Yi would seek out sorcerers to interpret their nightmares, any non-time traveler would probably use these auspicious myths to exaggerate their own destiny.

If I remember correctly, before Sun Quan became emperor, various auspicious omens such as yellow dragons, red crows, and auspicious grains appeared in the land of Wu. Then Sun Quan said that the appearance of auspicious omens meant that the Mandate of Heaven was on Wu and that Heaven had bestowed this mandate upon him, so he dared not refuse.

As Liu Shan nodded, Du Ji remained bowed.
"As for revealing everything, it is because I saw that Your Majesty did not care about these two treasures, and I realized that Your Majesty is not the wise ruler that I had previously presumptuously assumed. Therefore, I dare not deceive Your Majesty."

Liu Shan suddenly stiffened: "So, if I regard the Tai'a Sword and the Suihou Pearl as priceless treasures, you will continue to hide it from me?"

"Yes." Du Ji replied without hesitation.

Liu Shan was surprised that Du Ji answered so concisely, and suddenly smiled:
"Are you really not afraid that I will punish you for deceiving the emperor?"

"Since the Prime Minister appointed you as a staff member in his office and made you the Chief Clerk of the Capital, has he asked you about the so-called immortal guiding the way and the white deer offering treasure?"

Du Ji: "The Prime Minister did not mention this matter."

Liu Shan looked at Du Ji's coarse cloth clothes and asked:

"I heard from Attendant-in-Ordinary Fei that your mother died early, your father remarried, and your stepmother treated you harshly and often beat and scolded you. Yet you still paid your respects to her morning and evening and served her as if she were your own mother."

"I also heard that after your father passed away, your stepmother became even more cruel, forcing you to eat only one meal a day and sleep in the cowshed at night. Yet you never changed your filial piety, and everyone in the village said that you were extremely filial to your mother."

"When your stepmother fell ill, you went up the mountain to hunt pheasants for her as a prelude, which shows your character. Therefore, Attendant-in-Ordinary Fei recommended you to me as a candidate for the civil service examination."

Du Ji, Du Fuheng, had already straightened up, but his eyes softened, and he said:
"Your Majesty, I dare not conceal this from you."

“My family is very poor. In order to earn me a reputation for filial piety so that I could enter officialdom and change our family’s circumstances, my father made my mother bear the infamy of being a wicked mother and ordered me to serve my mother with filial piety.”

"After my father's death, my family became even poorer."

"My ambition to enter officialdom has been thwarted. I now wish to farm and make a living to support my mother."

"My mother, wanting me to study and enter officialdom, only provided me with one meal a day and let me sleep in a cowshed at night. In the eyes of outsiders, this was a stepmother being even more cruel to her stepson. All the things that brought her a bad reputation were just my mother trying to earn me a reputation for filial piety."

"The reason why I serve my mother with utmost filial piety is probably so that I may be known in my hometown and fulfill my father and mother's wish for me to enter officialdom."

"Minister Fei wishes to use this to evaluate my filial piety and integrity, but I am truly unworthy of such an honor and feel ashamed to accept it."

Liu Shan gazed at Du Ji's coarse cloth clothes reflected in the mirror-like stream and said nothing more.

Before long, he led his generals back to Chang'an.

……

East of Chang'an City.

Tongtuo Street, Chiyi Lane, a large mansion.

Mr. and Mrs. Wei still couldn't believe that such a big and nice house was actually their old Wei family's house.

"Third son, is this house really a gift from His Majesty?" Mother Wei asked in surprise, stroking the beams and pillars painted with tung oil.

At the dinner table, Wei Qi said smugly:
"Of course, Chang'an is such a big city, even a few hundred thousand people would be too few."

"His Majesty has allocated this entire area to our first batch of Eagle Flying Guards."

Wei's father asked, "How many men are in your first batch of... Eagle Banner troops?"

"I don't know the exact number either. My older brother said there are probably around 1,400 or 1,500 people."

"Our group of retirees is the backbone of the organization, numbering around five thousand."

"There were probably around 1,700 to 1,800 people who had been beheaded or had their heads taken."

"Hearing that His Majesty wants to recruit us as soldiers and offer such good treatment, who would still want to go back to Hanzhong or Shuzhong?"

"If you ask me, those hundreds of people who don't want to be soldiers are simply not smart enough!"

Mother Wei nodded repeatedly, stepping lightly on the bluestone slabs beneath her feet.

"That's right, hey, it's already dark, why hasn't your older brother come back yet?"

"It will be a while. My elder brother is now in charge of troops. How can he be so free?"

Suddenly, loud cheers erupted from outside the streets.

"What's all that noise outside?" Both Mr. and Mrs. Wei were taken aback after listening for a while.

Wei Qi also pricked up his ears to listen, somewhat puzzled.

Just then, a graceful, fair-skinned woman suddenly ran in from outside the courtyard wall: "Quick... Ah Qi, His Majesty is back!"

"His Majesty is back?!" Wei Qi jumped up.

Immediately afterwards, he rushed outside.

Mr. and Mrs. Wei exchanged a glance and hurriedly followed.

As soon as he stepped out of the house, the streets and alleys were filled with hundreds or even thousands of soldiers shouting "Your Majesty, may you be victorious!"

“That…that’s Ah Xing!” Father Wei pointed.

Mother Wei looked in the direction Father Wei was pointing.

The eldest son, Wei Xing, was grinning broadly as he led a horse for a young man dressed in black.

"Your Majesty is victorious!"

"Your Majesty is victorious!"

All around, the guards dressed similarly to Wei Qi seemed to be shouting "Victory!" to the young man in black.

"That...that's His Majesty?"

(End of this chapter)