Chapter 116 The Emperor is Seriously Ill
From the winter of the fifth year to the sixth year of Zhongping, the promotion of base fertilizer in Bingzhou was carried out smoothly because of the per-acre yield in Suiyuan City.
At this time when every family could have a peaceful year, Qin Yu supervised the officials and clerks of the prefectures and counties to complete the popularization of the district field planting method.
So much so that when Qiao Yan received the news that Liu Hong was seriously ill, he actually felt less panicked about the impending disaster.
She really didn't have to feel that way.
Nowadays, there are not many external threats in Bingzhou.
The only place that still had some hidden dangers was Shuofang County, so Qiao Yan sent Zhao Yun there.
Zhao Yun and Linghu Shao joined forces to guard against the Western Qiang people who were liquidated by Huangfu Song. In addition to retreating to the east of Liangzhou where Ma Teng and Han Sui were, they would also attack Shuofang County.
As for Bingzhou, the increase in grain yield per mu and the shift of the academic education center towards Leping are enough to make people feel the people's attachment to the state.
Liu Hong no longer had the energy to care about Qiao Yan's isolated forces at this time, and could only take into account the situation inside Luoyang, which made Qiao Yan's situation a little safer.
The only thing she needs to worry about is——
When should she quietly disappear so that she would not become a sword in Liu Hong's hand when he was about to die?
The course of history, especially matters of life and death, has too many variables for an emperor who could not be considered to have died of old age. Qiao Yan's memory of the time of his death and the scattered personnel she arranged in Luoyang are not enough to achieve accurate monitoring.
So she needs an external aid, or an internal supporter.
The four words "The emperor is seriously ill" were written in the handwriting of Ma Lun, although the strokes are elegant yet powerful.
Qiao Yan sent her a letter two months ago, but she didn't receive a reply until today, which was not unexpected at all.
It is enough to get this reply at this time.
For Ma Lun, taking up the position of Grand Historian was the first step towards freeing herself from the ties with the Yuan family of Runan. However, it was somewhat difficult for her to take another step forward and move from discussing astronomical and calendar changes with Qiao Yan to discussing such crucial matters.
For this reason, Qiao Yan wrote her a long letter.
This would certainly involve some risks, but when the matter involved Ma Lun's own safety and the safety of the Fufeng Ma family to which she belonged, and when no matter what choice she made, Qiao Yan would have the military power in his hands and would be firmly in power in Bingzhou, she would never make an unwise judgment.
At the beginning of the letter, Qiao Yan mentioned:
[The emperor is weak and will not live long. If he dies, no matter who succeeds him, there will be concerns about the young ruler of the country.
The Yuan family is a rotten wood and cannot guarantee the safety of the lady. The Fufeng Ma family is located in the Three Prefectures and cannot be guaranteed if the Longxi army mutinis there. 】
This is indeed a fact.
Liu Hong's condition had been so severe since last June that he could not even withstand strong winds. Even though he himself was unwilling to admit it, his subordinates could see it clearly, and Ma Lun was no exception.
Whether the successor was Liu Bian, who was sixteen years old, or Liu Xie, who was only ten years old, it would inevitably cause turmoil in Luoyang City.
At first glance, it seems that the Yuan family now relies on General He Jin on one hand, and Yuan Shao, the General of the Tiger Guards, who is in charge of a certain amount of military power on the other hand, which is enough to protect themselves between the changes of monarchs.
Moreover, the Runan Yuan family had three dukes in four generations, so under normal circumstances the whole family would not be implicated.
But Mullen's judgment was not bad.
The reputation of the Yuan family is an honor to the family on one hand, but also a burden on the other, which makes them too simplistically optimistic about the current situation.
The disinhibition of Liu Hong's behavior led to the collapse of rituals and music, and the disastrous consequences it brought were not just the prevalence of selling official positions and titles. It was also very likely that the power transfer after his death would not be as elegant as the aristocratic families had imagined.
In addition, the situation was complicated by the struggles between scholars, relatives of the emperor and eunuchs.
Just as Qiao Yan said, how can she protect herself in the face of the sudden changes that are about to come in the capital? How can the Fufeng Ma family protect themselves?
The Qianxiang calendar had just been completed and had not yet been fully promoted in Beijing, so Ma Lun still felt a sense of urgency in his career.
Even though Ma Ritian, who now holds the position of Grand Marshal among the Three Dukes, is her nephew, it does not alleviate Ma Lun's worries at all.
Because Qiao Yan wrote another sentence in the letter.
[Madam once told me about the law of the new sun. If your estimate is correct, there will be a new sun in March or April this year. The emperor will agree to the calendar reform on the one hand, intending to reduce the connection between the weather changes and his virtue, and on the other hand, he will dismiss the three ministers because of the new sun. The Grand Marshal has changed many times, how could Mr. Weng be spared? 】
Uncle Weng is Ma Riti.
After seeing this sentence, Ma Lun pondered for a long time and had to admit that what Qiao Yan said was right.
It's good that the Grand Marshal still has some real power, but Liu Hong, who is emotionally depressed and feels that the presence of too many people will harm me, will not let him serve as the Grand Marshal for another full year.
Two years ago, he was still trying to explain celestial disasters by seeking patterns so that people would not associate locust plagues and other strange phenomena with him. But now he did not hesitate to use celestial phenomena as a reason to dismiss the three officials.
Ma Riti took office as Grand Marshal last July. In this year when rebellions in various places have been put down one after another, could the solar eclipse in March and April be the reason for his dismissal?
Very likely!
Ma Lun didn't think Ma Ritian would be an exception.
[The rumbling of chariots and the burning of classics and creation may not be just a past event.] It is common nowadays for the upper positions to play games and treat the lower positions as chess pieces...】
Ma Lun looked towards the spiritual platform.
Previously, in order to quickly calculate the Qianxiang, after Liu Yuanzhuo invented the abacus, he recruited many women from Luoyang to help improve the calendar.
During this year, this place became a place of refuge.
It was only because she held the position of Grand Historian and Lingtai seldom came into contact with outsiders that she was rarely criticized outside.
This now became a reason that prompted her to make a decision.
If something unexpected happens in the capital, and Yuan cannot be trusted and Ma cannot be protected, how can she protect these people?
Among all the people in high positions in the world, perhaps only Qiao Yan truly felt that she, Ma Lun, was capable of sitting in the position of Grand Historian, and that what these assistants had done was also of great benefit to future generations, and that this situation was not caused only by Liu Hong's rebellious thoughts and his desire to suppress those old and stubborn ministers.
[Madam, you do not have to make a decision so early. It will not be too late to give me a reply when my words are fulfilled. I only ask that you inform me of the news when the emperor is seriously ill. 】
No need to make a decision early?
After careful consideration, Ma Lun felt that she no longer had much time to hesitate.
Qiao Yan could find more than just her as an insider.
This Lord Qiao has shown such an enterprising attitude in his own promotion. He has never made any mistakes in his steps from five years ago to now. How could he place all his bets on her?
Instead, she was in the whirlpool of Luoyang and had to rely on the other party to break free.
She should have made a decision earlier!
Hesitation leads to change, this has been the truth since ancient times!
It was with this idea in mind that she sent this reply letter to Bingzhou in January.
Who knows Liu Hong's body best?
The doctors in the Imperial Medical Bureau are undoubtedly one of a kind.
But these people would never dare to tell the emperor that he was terminally ill and beyond cure, and at this time they could only prescribe some warming and nourishing medicines.
They are used to knowing how to survive and will not leak such information.
The eunuchs who attend the emperor are naturally one of them.
But these people's power came from Liu Hong. The closer it got to the change of the emperor, the more they gathered together and would not easily make friends with others.
Even though Bi Lan sent his ideas for improving the thresher to Bingzhou in the late autumn of last year, he did not mention anything related to Liu Hong.
Mullen is the third category.
Because Liu Hong has turned from seeking help from medicine and remedies to seeking the help from gods and ghosts and the mercy of heaven and earth to buy more time.
Since September last year, Liu Hong has often visited Lingtai Biyong to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth.
Mullen saw this change and it was not difficult to see that the emperor was in a state of death struggle.
He had previously intended to take away Dong Zhuo's military power, and it was during his illness that he tried to eliminate another external threat.
Unfortunately, the rebellion in Liang Province was only a temporary truce rather than a complete suppression. Liu Hong still needed Dong Zhuo to fight for him. After the other party gave this reason, he could only give up temporarily.
Once winter came, he no longer had the energy to restrain himself.
This winter is not as cold as last year, but Liu Hong feels it is much more difficult to endure than last year.
This made it impossible for him to convince himself that he could actually live longer.
From the eyes of Liu Xie and Liu Bian who were serving at the bedside, he saw that he was becoming increasingly haggard and thin.
This change made him feel terrified.
And when his illness did not get relieved despite his prayers to God and his general amnesty, he was inevitably in a desperate situation.
Looking at the two young princes in front of him, Liu Hong saw more and more clearly that the time had come for him to hand over power to the next generation.
After Liu Xie and Liu Bian left, Liu Hong coughed for a long time before saying to Zhang Rang: "I am luckier than Emperor Xiaohuan. At least I have two sons to inherit my throne before I die. Unlike Emperor Xiaohuan, who had no sons and could only inherit my throne with me."
He raised his heavy eyelids and said to Zhang Rang, who had already knelt down when he heard his words, "Stand up and talk. The general is now obsessed with the power of his relatives, and the scholars do not want to see the disaster of the party imprisonment again. Although the bandits in all directions have been pacified, if there is one person who dares to claim to be the emperor, there is no guarantee that there will not be another one. Who can I trust?"
"Even if you are afraid, you have to listen to me."
In the middle of saying this, he shivered from the cold, and asked someone to add a little more fuel to the charcoal fire before continuing.
"I'll ask you again, if I still want Xie'er to inherit the throne, can you fully support him to take the throne after I die?"
Just now, Liu Xie and Liu Bian stood together in front of his bed, allowing him to continue to clearly see the difference between his two sons.
Liu Xie was six years younger than his brother, but in the midst of the same grief and panic caused by his father's illness, his behavior was more in line with Liu Hong's expectations for a prince, or a future emperor.
In the current chaotic situation, the next emperor must have enough courage, otherwise he will only become a puppet of the game among court officials.
Although Liu Xie was young, he was indeed more likely to stabilize the government than Liu Bian.
It was so a year ago and it is so a year later.
Zhang Rang knew that at this point he could no longer say polite words like "Your Majesty's health will improve."
Liu Hong's gaze on him was like a sharp knife stuck in his throat, and he had to make him give a positive answer.
But he had no other choice.
He replied firmly, "If Your Majesty is determined, I will help the prince ascend the throne even if I die. But Your Majesty, if you want to depose the eldest son and enthronize the youngest son, let's not talk about the discussions in the court, the generals will--"
Liu Hong closed his eyes and rested for a long time. When Zhang Rang almost thought he had fallen asleep, he heard him say, "Don't worry, I will make arrangements."
His vigilance against He Jin reached its peak when he attempted to interfere in the eight schools of Xiyuan. Under the influence of this idea, it was difficult for him not to watch He Jin's actions.
The officials and followers recruited by the general, the Xiliang generals in the capital such as Dong Min who were won over by He Jin, and the tricks that He Jin used to cause damage to the eight schools in Xiyuan...
Every single thing he did was stepping on the bottom line that he would never allow his subjects to touch.
This prompted him to make a decision.
He must let He Jin go with him!
But to achieve this goal, some preparations are needed.
To outsiders, from January to March, he seemed to have regained some energy as the cold winter passed.
At the court meeting held every five days, it was easy for all the court officials to see that he had put on a lot of powder on his face to conceal his complexion. He seemed to be no different from this time last year.
Even He Jin felt that Liu Hong might be able to survive another year.
However, the attendants who served Liu Hong knew clearly that his majesty had reached the point where he could not sleep at night and often vomited blood, and there were also many personnel transfers in the Forbidden Palace.
He has reached the point where he can delay as long as possible and will also put the process of paving the way for his youngest son into motion.
He first secretly summoned Jian Shuo.
To deal with He Jin, he must have enough military power. Jian Shuo, who is the captain of the upper army among the eight schools of Xiyuan, should have controlled a force for him in the past year or so, and he should have also judged who he could use.
However, there are old officials from aristocratic families in the eight schools of Xiyuan, so Liu Hong can't help but worry that some of them may leak the news.
Therefore, the task he gave to Jian Shuo was to secretly mobilize trustworthy people and act according to the emperor's edict when necessary.
Afterwards, he made some arrangements with General Dong Chong at the Empress Dowager's residence, on the pretext of asking Dong Chong to pay his respects to Empress Dowager Dong regularly.
It was not until mid-to-late March that he began to mobilize the trustworthy guards in the imperial city selected by Zhang Rang and others.
But he pretended that nothing had happened and carefully raised the butcher knife towards He Jin, but he did not expect that a mistake would occur in the first step.
Sima Panyin, who was quite trusted by Jian Shuo, was Jian Shuo's confidant, but he had become friends with He Jin in their early years, even before He Jin became successful.
Naturally, it was impossible to hide the purpose of Jian Shuo's troop mobilization from the military commander.
So he told the secret to He Jin.
At the end of March, the atmosphere in the general's mansion was as depressing as winter.
He Jin, who learned that the emperor intended to kill him, sat at the top with a gloomy face.
Previously, Liu Hong just wanted to restrain his military power. He had already expressed in his conversation with He Miao that they must do something to change the situation. Now that the murderous intent has been clearly laid out in front of him, it is even more so!
If the ruler wants his subjects to die, the subjects—
I will also resist!
He has already enjoyed such great power and the ability to call the shots, so how could he be willing to become a buried victim?
He looked towards the crowd below.
The abundance of talented people in the general's mansion did not relax his tense expression at all. He knew clearly that some of these people inevitably had their own little thoughts.
But he is going to die anyway, so no matter how many little tricks these people have, they have to put them aside.
They had to save He Jin's life first, otherwise, when Liu Xie ascended the throne and Jian Shuo, Zhang Rang and others assisted in the administration, there was no guarantee that there would not be a third Party Persecution!
"Benchu, what do you think?" He Jin looked around and simply called out the names.
Yuan Shao, whose name was called out, was not flustered by the sudden questioning. The current situation has not exceeded his expectations. The change of the emperor's position is indeed accompanied by risks, but along with the risks comes the opportunity to kill the eunuchs that they have been trying to achieve!
This is an opportunity amidst risk!
He replied: "The emperor is interested in the youngest son, so he wants to get rid of the general, but the external threat has been eliminated, and the emperor does not want to see the capital fighting and causing internal strife."
This is true. Liu Hong only wanted to cut the Gordian knot and kill He Jin, and did not want to leave a ruined capital city to future generations.
Yuan Shao saw He Jin's thoughtful expression and continued, "General, you might as well call on the warlords from all directions and have the brave warriors who obey your orders stationed in Hedong to intimidate the capital. Your Majesty may change his mind."
He Jin hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and asked, "Who does Benchu think can be used?"
Yuan Shao glanced at Dong Min and replied, "Dong Zhongying from Xiliang can be a help."
The common people of Xiliang are easy to use and dismiss, and they are the first choice at this time!
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