Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 144 The Bian clan of Chenliu was exterminated!

In the end, Empress He did not immediately confirm the allocation of the three princes' positions. She was worried that trouble might arise in the Yong'an Palace if she did not verify the information again.

Although she herself was a ruthless character who had fought her way out of such a bloody battlefield, and even though she had already stood at the pinnacle of power in the harem and jumped off that track, she was still worried that these younger daughters-in-law would surpass her and achieve her unfulfilled goal of "getting rid of her mother-in-law".

After seeing off Empress He and Zhu Miao, Liu Bian ordered Gao Wang to recall the officials of the Crown Prince's Palace who had gone to work in another small hall, in order to discuss the final decision on this matter.

Inside the spacious side hall for the council meeting, the atmosphere was so oppressive it was almost frozen; everyone lowered their heads and remained silent.

Before the Crown Prince spoke, no one dared to voice their opinion.

After all, this issue inevitably involves General He Jin, and everyone knows that no matter how heinous He Jin's crimes are, he is still a relative of the empress, and it is not up to these officials to make arbitrary comments and judgments.

Liu Bian slowly scanned the retinue of the Crown Prince's household present. Seeing that everyone was silent, he understood their difficulties and said calmly, "Regarding the General of Chariots and Cavalry, he will submit a memorial to resign tomorrow. He has resigned three times in nine days. Considering his past hard work, I will enfeoff him as the Marquis of Shen, with a fief of one thousand households. I will allow him to stay in his residence in Luoyang as a wealthy old man. I will bestow that General of Chariots and Cavalry's residence upon him. He can simply change the plaque."

In the past, when important officials or respected senior officials in the court resigned, whether due to old age, illness, or being asked to resign, unless they were extremely wicked, they were usually given the privilege of resigning three times.

After all, He Jin was his maternal uncle. Even considering the feelings of Empress He, Lord Wuyang, and Zhu Miao, He Jin should still be given some dignity in the end. He should be granted the title of county marquis to ensure his wealth and status.

"Your Highness is benevolent."

The Crown Prince's Food Officer, Zhong Yan, looked up at the Crown Prince, a complex expression flashing in his eyes, and couldn't help but murmur a word of praise.

He Jin's actions were already treasonous, yet the Crown Prince still treated him with great respect, truly demonstrating the utmost benevolence and righteousness.

In particular, the imperial court would allocate residences to all officials in the capital. Even officials below the rank of 600 shi could live in the official residences (single-room collective dormitories) allocated by the court. Even low-ranking and low-power officials such as the officers of the Imperial Guard and the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat would be allocated residences specially bestowed by the court.

Once an official leaves office, the imperial court will reclaim his residence or allocate a new residence based on his new official rank.

The officials in the Crown Prince's palace also benefited from the Crown Prince's influence, and were granted more exquisite residences than officials of the same rank.

Otherwise, with Zhong Yanzhi's salary of 600 shi, if he did not rely on the help of the Zhong family of Yingchuan and tried to buy a house in the capital Luoyang by his own efforts, even if he did not eat or drink for two years and did not participate in any social activities, he could only barely afford an ordinary house.

In Luoyang, the capital city, even the most ordinary people's houses are priced no less than 100,000 coins on the market. Medium-sized houses are priced between 200,000 and 600,000 coins, while houses priced above 800,000 coins can be considered luxury homes. If you want a better location, you need to pay more.

If He Jin's General of Chariots and Cavalry Mansion were put on the market, its price would not be less than five million coins, given that it is surrounded by prime locations for powerful and wealthy people!

The Crown Prince uttered a single word and bestowed upon Zhong Yan a mansion worth over five million coins. When Zhong Yan praised the Crown Prince's benevolence, his voice trembled slightly, and a hint of jealousy appeared in his eyes.

Liu Bian didn't know much about the prices of mansions in Luoyang City. Hearing Zhong Yan's praise, his expression became somewhat strange. He glanced at him and a self-deprecating smile appeared on his lips. He said, "If I am truly benevolent, he should return to his hometown of Nanyang to live out the rest of his life in peace."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Yan's expression stiffened slightly, and he immediately lowered his head and remained silent. The others also tacitly kept quiet.

After the Crown Prince made his own decision on how to deal with He Jin, it was Bian Rang's turn to be the culprit behind the incident.

Liu Bian had no patience for Bian Rang, who was a complete stranger to him. He didn't even want to see Bian Rang. A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he shouted, "Bian Rang, you have sown discord between me and the General of Chariots and Cavalry, and you have committed a grave offense of disrespect. You shall be executed!"

Liu Bian set the tone for convicting Bian Rang. If Bian Rang wasn't severely punished, the current action against He Jin would seem illegitimate. Oh, Bian Rang didn't commit any serious crime, so why did the Crown Prince send troops to seal off the General of Chariots and Cavalry's residence? Was it because the Crown Prince was intolerant of others?
“Your Highness, Bian Rang is, after all, a renowned scholar of Yanzhou. Could we spare his life and demonstrate Your Highness’s benevolence?” Chen Gong frowned slightly, his hands unconsciously clenching the hem of his robe. After a moment’s hesitation, he stepped forward and pleaded with the Crown Prince.

Chen Gong and Bian Rang were both from Yanzhou. If they did not come to their aid, they would inevitably be criticized by the people of Yanzhou in the future.

However, Chen Gong suddenly felt a sharp gaze shooting towards him. He subconsciously turned his head and saw that it was Dian Wei, who came from Chenliu County with Bian Rang. There was even a faint killing intent in his eyes.
“Hmm, Chen Gongtai’s words make sense.” Upon hearing this, Liu Bian remained calm and glanced at Chen Gongtai. Just when he thought things had taken a turn for the better, he saw the Crown Prince turn to Wang Lang and say in a sudden cold tone, “Wang Jingxing has drafted an edict: Bian Rang, the clerk of the General of Chariots and Cavalry’s office, has committed the crime of disobedience by speaking rebelliously and sowing discord between the Crown Prince and the General of Chariots and Cavalry. His crimes are unforgivable, and his entire clan shall be executed!”

After speaking, Liu Bian glanced at Chen Gong, a faint sneer appearing on his lips, and added, "Let Chen Gongtai be the executioner, responsible for overseeing the execution of the Bian family of Chenliu. If even one of them escapes... hah."

Chen Gong, didn't you want to plead for your fellow villagers? Well then, I've changed your sentence from execution in the marketplace to the extermination of your entire clan, and I'll have you oversee the execution. If you don't obey, I'll deal with you too. Anyway, the Crown Prince's residence doesn't need someone like you these days.

Liu Bian disliked Chen Gong's way of thinking, which put personal interests above those of the Crown Prince's residence. It was not that he did not allow the Crown Prince's retainers to have personal interests. Those who followed him were loyal to the Han Dynasty, but also had desires for fame, wealth, and power. Those from aristocratic families also thought about their families.

However, every retainer of the Crown Prince's residence must have a sense of justice. Personal interests cannot supersede the interests of the Crown Prince's residence. He will tacitly approve of anyone seeking personal gain on this basis.

If Tian Feng, Ju Shou, Chen Lin, Zhang Zhao, and other consistently upright individuals were in the Crown Prince's residence at this moment, they would certainly have spoken frankly to dissuade him. The same would have been true of Xun Yu, Zhong Yao, and other people from aristocratic families, and even giants of the ancient literature school such as Lu Zhi, Cai Yong, and Xun Shuang.

However, they were all acting out of public interest, from the perspective of the Crown Prince, believing that such a decision would be detrimental to the Crown Prince's reputation among scholars.

Moreover, there are quite a few people from Yanzhou in the Crown Prince's faction. Cheng Yu and Dong Zhao are from Dongjun and Jiyinjun respectively, as well as Dian Wei and Gao Shun, who are from Chenliujun, the same prefecture as Bian Rang. However, they not only do not speak up for Bian Rang, but they also hate him and wish he would die soon.

This was not only because of their loyalty to the Crown Prince, but also because they were worried that the Crown Prince would develop a bad impression of the people of Yanzhou, which would affect the development and future of the Yanzhou faction in the Crown Prince's palace.

Oh, among us Yanzhou people, only you, Chen Gongtai, are so noble, risking your life to plead for a renowned scholar from our state?
Of course, while Liu Bian was giving Chen Gong a warning, he also wanted to see how many people in the court and the public would stand up against his treatment of Bian Rang.

He did some things, and history recorded them. He accepted the scorn of later generations!
However, this cannot be used as a pretext for these so-called upright scholars to criticize him at every turn, nor can it be used as a means for them to cultivate their reputation!

Although he wouldn't risk another party persecution, he wouldn't mind using the blood of Bian Rang and those self-serving opponents to show those powerful families what the consequences would be if they dared to provoke him.

Wang Lang paused slightly while holding the pen. He did not write down the last half of the Crown Prince's sentence, "If even one person escapes," but instead revised the preceding words and rewrote them on silk before presenting them to the Crown Prince.

After reading it, Liu Bian nodded slightly.

Wang Lang's official document writing skills were quite good; the polished text could be used to issue imperial edicts without further modification.

Then Liu Bian announced the punishment for Yuan Shao, and with a cold snort, said: "Yuan Shao, an official of the General of Chariots and Cavalry, has resisted the court with weapons and is to be punished for treason. Considering the merits and hard work of Minister Yuan, the Yuan family of Runan will not be implicated. Yuan Shao's family members, including his wife Liu and his concubines, will be sent to the inner palace as government maids, and his three sons will be punished as government slaves. All of them will be included in the list of those who are not granted amnesty."

Liu Bian's treatment of Yuan Shao was undeniably harsh.

It is impossible for debts to be wiped out upon death. To draw one's sword and resist is treason. If one commits treason, one must be prepared to pay the price.

Moreover, his actions were all within the bounds of the law, and the fact that the family members of the traitors were not executed was already considered an exceptional act of mercy.

(2620 words)
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PS: Portrait of Liu, Yuan Shao's second wife
(End of this chapter)