Has the Han Dynasty been restored today?

"Commander Liu, let's go," Chen Zhi said, turning his head.

"As you command." Liu Yin nodded in response.

Ma Dai's head was already placed on Yang Yi's table. At this moment, Liu Yin held the memorial and carried the staff, following Chen Zhi step by step as he walked out.

"Imperial Censor Chen, are you leaving already?" Wu Yi asked, looking up.

"Indeed, the affairs of the nation still depend on you all." Chen Zhi said, "Chen Zhi will take his leave now."

After saying that, Chen Zhi ignored the greetings from others and walked out of the hall with Liu Yin, one after the other, through the crowd.

The sun was already low in the sky, but the heavens were still bright – it was truly a fine time of day. The Prime Minister's residence faced south. Chen Zhi tilted his head slightly and looked south, his gaze passing over the courtyard gate and the city wall, beyond the unseen Han River, and landing on Dingjun Mountain south of the Han River.

Dingjun Mountain...

The south side of a mountain and the north side of a river are called "yang". The Han River is also known as the Mian River. Mianyang City is located north of the Han River, ten miles away from Dingjun Mountain.

This is the decisive battleground of the Battle of Hanzhong in the 24th year of Jian'an. Although Chen Zhi had never been there in person, he had already heard many stories about that battle and Dingjun Mountain.

Fa Zheng's feint attack, Huang Zhong's slaying of Xiahou Dun, and Liu Bei's confident words, "Even if Cao Cao comes, he can do nothing; I will surely have Hanchuan," all conveyed a sense of determination and self-confidence that still stirs Chen Zhi's heart!

Speaking of the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an...

In that year, Liu Bei killed Xiahou Yuan in Hanzhong, forced Cao Cao to retreat to Guanzhong, and occupied the entire Hanzhong region.

In that year, Liu Bei was promoted to King of Hanzhong, and his power and influence extended far and wide, with his followers united in purpose.

In that year, Guan Yu attacked Xiangfan in the north, flooded the seven armies, and his power shook the Central Plains, causing Cao Cao to consider moving the capital to avoid his sharp edge.

The 24th year of Jian'an!

A person's life will be full of experiences. Perhaps one will fall into the valley and lick one's wounds, or perhaps one will climb to the top of a dangerous peak and overlook the mountains and rivers, or perhaps one will swing back and forth between the two... But no matter what, for the Shu Han, having had a moment like the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an, this memory of victory is enough to inspire the court and the people inside and outside the court to work together!

Perhaps this is why Prime Minister Zhuge requested to be buried at the foot of Dingjun Mountain before his death.

Dingjun Mountain is not a famous mountain, but it is famous for this one battle.

Chen Zhi had heard from Yang Yi, Fei Yi, and others that the Prime Minister had died suddenly from an illness and was unable to give many instructions. Chen Zhi vaguely speculated that the Prime Minister might have contained all his thoughts in the three short words "Dingjun Mountain".

Chen Zhi stood silently gazing into the distance. Liu Yin waited for a while, and seeing that Chen Zhi hadn't made a move, she reminded him:

"Imperial Censor, where are we going?"

Chen Zhi came to his senses and said softly, "Go back where? Of course, we're going back to our lodgings. We set off from Chengdu on September 4th, arrived in Mianyang on the evening of the 7th, and it's evening of the 9th now. We've only been in Mianyang for two full days. After these two days of busy work, plus the previous travel, I'm already exhausted."

"Brother Xiuran, later you should ask the servants to prepare more meat and vegetables. Let's have a good meal tonight, take a bath, and get a good night's sleep so we can set off on our return journey tomorrow."

"Yes," Liu Yin nodded in response.

Chen Zhi and Liu Yin did not linger in the duty room area, but headed straight west towards the small courtyard of Zhuge Jun, the Commandant of the Changshui School.

Once inside the courtyard, where only Chen Zhi and Liu Yin were present, Liu Yin asked, puzzled:

"Censor, I was puzzled during the meeting just now. Why did you leave tomorrow, and why did you leave the main hall so quickly today?"

Chen Zhi glanced at Liu Yin's face, then pointed to the seats not far away: "Brother Xiuran, close the door, let's sit down and talk."

"Mm." Liu Yin nodded, then turned around and closed the door, before sitting down opposite Chen Zhi.

Chen Zhi sighed deeply: "In your opinion, Brother Xiuran, what kind of people are Commander Fei, Protector Jiang, and General Wu?"

Liu Yin didn't think much of it: "They are all loyal ministers."

"Anything else?" Chen Zhi pressed.

Liu Yin added, "These people all get along well with the censors."

"This is what we should be careful about." Chen Zhi shook his head slightly: "Brother Xiuran knows that before I received His Majesty's imperial staff, my position was only a Vice Minister with a salary of four hundred shi. Suddenly being given the imperial staff and being promoted, even you, Brother Xiuran, felt resentful towards me a few days ago. How much more so for these important ministers of the state?"

"In their eyes, it is only natural for the Prime Minister and Wei Yan to hold the imperial staff. What is it for a twenty-four-year-old like me to hold the imperial staff? I am merely using His Majesty's authority to act on His Majesty's behalf. At most, you might say that I have some wisdom and courage, but that's all."

Liu Yin raised her eyebrows, her expression showing some surprise: "Could it be? Weren't the events that happened at the Prime Minister's residence in Mianyang these past two days all carried out according to the censor's orders?"

"Was it really my request?" Chen Zhi sneered. "These famous ministers and generals, which one of them is easy to deal with? Do you think they would take my imperial credentials seriously?"

Liu Yin frowned and fell silent.

Chen Zhi sighed again: "The people in the Prime Minister's residence dislike Yang Yi, but they have no legitimate reason to oppose their direct superior. Wu Yi and others are all on edge. Even Gao Xiang didn't come today, because they also think Yang Yi is a troublemaker. Now that I've come with the imperial insignia, they can use my name to bring down Yang Yi and divide the power."

"Brother Xiuran, these past two days I have merely gone with the flow, helping them to do what they wanted to do, and subtly guiding the situation in a direction favorable to His Majesty. This has already fully utilized the authority of my authority."

"I shouldn't ask about other matters; it would only make things worse," Chen Zhi said with a wry smile. "Besides, I don't understand military matters, so what can I say? Getting involved further would just seem like showing off."

"This..." Liu Yin hadn't expected Chen Zhi to see his position so clearly, and couldn't help but sigh, "Well, no matter what, Yang Yi will be escorted back to Chengdu tomorrow. Everyone insisted on the Northern Expedition, supported His Majesty, and even signed the memorial together. The Imperial Censor has done everything he was supposed to do. Shouldn't he be a little happier?"

Chen Zhi shook his head again, stood up, and looked out the window with his hands behind his back: "This is about suppressing a rebellion. Even if we succeed, what's there to be happy about? It's not like the Northern Expedition will succeed just because I convinced everyone in Mianyang!"

Chen Zhi paused for a few moments: "But I can rest a bit now. There are still many things to do before we set off tomorrow. I'll probably run into Guangluxun Xiang Gong on the way. There are other important matters to attend to after we arrive in Chengdu..."

"Eh?" Liu Yin seemed to remember something: "Then how should we travel back tomorrow, and how many men should we take to escort Yang Yi?"

Chen Zhi replied, "Sima Fei will handle everything. Yang Yi was arrested under his leadership. With his caution and shrewdness, how could he allow this matter to be hindered?"

"Brother Xiuran, since there's nothing else to do here, I'd appreciate it if you could go to the kitchen and check on things yourself. You've gone to so much trouble; we must have a good meal tonight!"

"Understood, understood." Liu Yin stood up with a smile and bowed to Chen Zhi. "I'll go now."