Has the Han Dynasty been restored today?

Chen Zhi heard a knock on the door, lifted his eyelids, and felt dazed, as if in a dream.

He was so tired that he couldn't tell whether he was in the overtime dormitory of the capital city government or in the duty room of the Imperial Secretariat of the Han Dynasty.

This state lasted only a few moments before Chen Zhi snapped out of it, rubbed his face, jumped up, and opened the door. Minister Li Fu and Li Sunde stood anxiously outside the door, their eyes lighting up when they saw Chen Zhi open it.

Chen Zhi, showing impeccable manners, cupped his hands in greeting: "Minister, what business do you have with me?"

Li Fu said urgently, "Fengzong, His Majesty has sent a eunuch to summon you to the palace. Two quarters of an hour ago, Lord Jiang also went to the palace. The carriage is just outside the gate, so don't delay, go there quickly."

"Thank you, Master. I'll be right there." Chen Zhi nodded and strode out.

Chengdu was far from silent at midnight. On the road from the Ministry of Personnel northward to the palace, soldiers constantly patrolled back and forth with torches. Chen Zhi lifted the carriage curtain to take a look. The armor worn by these soldiers was different from that of the Tiger Guards in the palace and the Guards of the city.

Those must be the troops outside the city.

The eunuch who greeted Chen Zhi at the palace gate was Huang Liu, an old acquaintance. The two had no time to exchange words and quickly entered the palace. When they arrived at the Emperor's sleeping quarters, Gaoming Hall, Huang Liu gestured for Chen Zhi to stand outside while he pushed open the door of the sleeping quarters and carefully peered inside.

Liu Shan was talking with the newly appointed Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and Governor of Yizhou, Jiang Wan, while two Attendants-in-Ordinary, Dong Yun and Guo Youzhi, were kneeling beside him.

Liu Shan glanced around and saw Huang Liu looking at him with a questioning expression at the door. He quickly stood up and said, "Minister Jiang, Attendants, I need to use the restroom first. Please wait for me."

"As you command." Jiang Wan, not noticing anything unusual, nodded in agreement.

Huang Liu was quick-witted and understood immediately.

Liu Shan went into the inner palace and had just stopped in the latrine when Huang Liu brought Chen Zhi in through a side door.

Chen Zhi hadn't expected that someone would hide in the toilet to meet him.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects." Chen Zhi bowed deeply. "What has happened?"

Liu Shan certainly didn't really need to use the restroom. By the flickering candlelight, Chen Zhi could clearly see that Liu Shan's face was full of panic, and his forehead was even covered with a fine layer of sweat.

Liu Shan's throat bobbed slightly as he rose and approached Chen Zhi: "Fengzong, Yang Yi and the others from the Prime Minister's residence killed Wei Yan and exterminated his entire clan..."

Chen Zhi understood that this matter was no different from a ghost story to Liu Shan.

Without the emperor's permission or imperial edict, did he kill the crown prince, the general holding the title of Acting General, the Grand General Who Conquers the West, the Governor of Liangzhou, and the Marquis of Nanzheng? He also exterminated Wei Yan's entire clan.

This is terrifying!

Chen Zhi calmly reassured him, "Your Majesty, do not panic."

Liu Shan stamped his foot in panic: "How can I not be alarmed! Wei Yan was originally a retainer of the late emperor. He is now the General Who Conquers the West, a Marquis, and the head of all the generals of the Han Dynasty. I don't believe he would suddenly rebel against me. What benefit could he possibly gain? Would someone as arrogant and self-important as him go to Wei to be a dog for Cao Cao and Sima Yi?... Yang Yi claims that Wei Yan rebelled, but that's all based on his words. I haven't seen any concrete evidence, yet Wei Yan's entire clan was executed! I believe it is Yang Yi who rebelled! It is the Prime Minister's office that rebelled!"

At this moment, Liu Shan saw Wei Yan as a victim more than Yang Yi.

"Your Majesty..." Chen Zhi saw Liu Shan's hands trembling, pursed his lips, and stepped forward to take Liu Shan's hands. Chen Zhi knew that Liu Shan wouldn't mind; he needed this support more than ever at this moment.

Liu Shan, filled with anger and resentment, said, "Fengzong, my mind is in turmoil. What should I do? What should I do... Yesterday, Jiang and Dong recommended Wei Yan to rebel. Can I still trust them?"

Chen Zhi knew this was not the time to undermine Jiang Wan and could not afford to cause further trouble in Chengdu. He said firmly, "Lord Jiang and Minister Dong have been in Chengdu for a long time. I guarantee with my life that they are not involved in this matter. I earnestly hope Your Majesty will not doubt me!"

"Your Majesty, please allow me to ask a question first," Chen Zhi swallowed hard, "On my way from the Ministry of Personnel to the palace, I saw a large number of soldiers. Whose soldiers were they?"

Liu Shan said, "This afternoon, I dispatched General Zong Yu, the Right General of the Household, and General Liu Yong, the Left General of the Household, with imperial insignia to mobilize all the troops in the southern camp of Chengdu, each leading 5,000 soldiers, for a total of 10,000. Zong Yu will deploy defenses on the north side of the city and south of the palace, while Liu Yong will deploy defenses north of the palace. The two should handle the situation properly."

After saying this, Liu Shan added, "This was an imperial edict issued by me; it has nothing to do with Jiang and Dong."

Chen Zhi pondered for a few moments before speaking, "The army is the foundation of an emperor; Your Majesty must hold it firmly in your hands. The Right General of the Household is a long-time subordinate of Marquis Huan (Zhang Fei), has connections with the Empress's family, and will not side with others; he is certainly reliable. The Left General of the Household is a fellow townsman of Wei Wenchang from Yiyang and a lifelong close friend. Wei Wenchang's entire clan has just been murdered; if this news reaches the Left General of the Household, he will surely be terrified!"

"Your Majesty, please write a letter by hand later, affix the imperial seal, and have an eunuch deliver it to the Left General of the Household, so as to put his mind at ease. After dawn, summon the Left and Right Generals of the Household to the palace to show him your sincerity."

Liu Shan nodded without hesitation: "Then what about the Northern Expeditionary Army?"

Chen Zhi remained calm and composed: "I have two points to make."

"Firstly, this matter has only occurred recently, and even if Lord Yang Wei is in command of the army, it is difficult for him to win the hearts of all the generals. Even if he has rebellious intentions, he has nothing to promise the generals and the people in the Prime Minister's office. The most urgent task is to send someone with an imperial edict to the north to recall the army, communicate with the generals, and find out the ins and outs of Wei Wenchang's death!"

Liu Shan nodded in agreement, finding Chen Zhi's words reasonable.

"Secondly," Chen Zhi said through gritted teeth, "when Huo Guang held power in court, Emperor Xuan always felt like he had thorns in his back. How does Jiang Gongyan compare to Zhuge Liang? The Han Dynasty cannot afford another powerful minister, nor can the court afford another prime minister's office! I beg Your Majesty not to let Jiang Gongyan achieve military merits. It would be fine to hand him over to Fei Wenwei (Fei Yi), Wu Ziyuan (Wu Yi), or even Jiang Boyue (Jiang Wei)!"

"If there are thorns in my back... I understand," Liu Shan murmured in response.

The Prime Minister's Office was responsible for all political and military affairs of the Shu Han Dynasty. It was a specific organization formed under specific conditions and in a specific era, led by the specific figure of Prime Minister Zhuge.

From an institutional perspective, Zhuge Liang's prime ministerial residence was not significantly different from Cao Cao's prime ministerial residence/hegemony at the end of the Later Han Dynasty; both centralized power in the prime ministerial residence, replacing the imperial court. The only difference was that Zhuge Liang and his prime ministerial residence were loyal to the emperor, while Cao Cao and his prime ministerial residence were not.

The Prime Minister's residence may be an exception, but it must never be the norm!

In terms of loyalty and ability, no one can compare to Prime Minister Zhuge!

Frankly speaking, Jiang Wan's attempt yesterday to lead the few troops in Chengdu north was actually a ploy to intimidate Liu Shan by using the alleged rebellion between Wei and Yang. By giving him a scare, he could ensure that if he granted him military power and official status, it would be difficult to reclaim it completely, making it easier for Jiang Wan to inherit all of Zhuge Liang's power. Jiang Wan was loyal to the Han Dynasty, but he also needed to consolidate power to accomplish his goals.

Today, Chen Zhi tells Liu Shan the story of Huo Guang and how Emperor Xuan of Han felt "like a thorn in his back," all in an attempt to frighten him.

Jiang Wan's aim was to take military power from Liu Shan, while Chen Zhi's goal was for Liu Shan to retain control of the military and not hand it over to others. Power cannot exist in a vacuum for long; if you don't actively fight for it, someone else will naturally take it away.

Liu Shan was still gripped by the panic brought about by the news of the prime minister's death. Faced with a power vacuum, the emperor naturally had the instinct to centralize power and would naturally listen more to Chen Zhi's words.

It's nothing more than "seeking advantage and avoiding harm".

Seeing Liu Shan's state, Chen Zhi understood immediately and, seizing the opportunity, knelt down on the spot: "Your Majesty, I, Chen Zhi, am willing to share your burdens and travel to Hanzhong on your behalf! I will mediate among the ministers, ascertain the truth, recall the army, and prevent Your Majesty from facing danger!"

"What does Fengzong plan to do?" Liu Shan pressed.

Chen Zhi raised his head and said, "I am younger than Your Majesty, but I believe that human nature is the same. In Chengdu, Your Majesty, Lord Jiang, Attendant Dong, and Attendant Guo were in a panic because of the Prime Minister's death. In the Northern Expeditionary Army, having witnessed the Prime Minister's death, the conflict between Wei and Yang, and the execution of Wei Zhengxi, the panic must be even greater! Yang Yi has long been the Prime Minister's deputy, and with no leader in the army, everyone will temporarily obey him according to old precedent."

"I am going there for no other reason than to communicate and coordinate with Fei Wenwei, Wu Ziyuan, Jiang Boyue, and others, so that the army will not be under the control of Yang Yi alone! I surmise that Yang Yi will not openly rebel. He will most likely first station his troops in Hanzhong, communicate with Chengdu, and formally establish his status as the successor to the prime minister before withdrawing his troops. However, Your Majesty has just appointed Jiang Gong as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and Governor of Yizhou. He is naturally in conflict with Yang Yi, and Jiang Gong will certainly support Your Majesty in opposing Yang Yi."

Liu Shan paced back and forth, gritted his teeth, and replied with his head down, "Fengzong's words are all reasonable, and I understand. When you see the crowd, Fengzong should say that the court has acknowledged this matter and is investigating the details of Wei Yan's execution so that Yang Yi can be rewarded. First, we need to ascertain the facts and recall the troops."

"Fengzong is currently only a Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat with a salary of 400 shi (a unit of grain), and I fear he will find it difficult to gain the trust of the generals. I hereby appoint Fengzong as Colonel of the Yueqi Cavalry, with a salary of 2,000 shi, and send him north to Hanzhong with my imperial edict!"