Chapter 35, Part Two: Deeply Anxious
Unlike Liu Kun, Liu Jun did not retain the old habits of the Golden Valley Garden, enjoying lavish banquets. Therefore, he did not want to be too ostentatious this time, and the banquet was simply held on the banks of the Fen River.
It was early winter, and the banks of the Fen River were ablaze with pale yellow and deep red hues, and the forests were dyed in vibrant colors. From time to time, flocks of geese flew south across the sky, disappearing without a trace after their occasional cries.
"Because I am escorting His Highness the Prince of Qin, I cannot personally escort you all to Bingzhou. I fear that my guards and soldiers may have been negligent. I, Jun, will drink this cup as an apology." Liu Jun rose, bowed, and then drank the wine in the cup in one gulp.
Everyone offered a few words of modesty, and then Liu Jun said, "I have been away from Bingzhou for some time and am unaware of your current situation. If there is anything amiss or improper, please let me know and I will take immediate action."
Everyone had some connection with him, and they all knew that he had been in the military since childhood, which was incompatible with the current trend of famous scholars who were ignorant of worldly affairs and indifferent to worldly matters. So it was not surprising that he asked this question.
Liu Chou had just arrived and had nothing to say, but the others had been in Jinyang for at least a month and naturally had things to say, but no one wanted to start the conversation, so they just looked at each other in silence.
In the end, Zhuge Quan sighed and said, "I'll take advantage of my age and start today."
Whether he had experienced life and death or not, his once cloudy and empty eyes were now full of clarity, and even carried a bit of sharpness. "Before talking about Bingzhou, I would like to talk about Wang Jun. Your Highness was still in Guanzhong at that time, so you may not know. In July, Wang Jun set up an altar to announce the establishment of the Crown Prince, proclaimed it to the world, and spread prophecies, saying that he was the chosen one by Heaven."
Liu Jun had never liked the study of warp and weft, and frowned upon hearing it.
Liu Dan, being young, listened intently and asked, "What prophecy?"
"It is said that 'the one who will replace the Han is the one who stands tall on the road.'" Zhuge Quan shook his head and sighed. "Since the rebellion against the Han, so many people have been misled by this. For example, back in the time of Cao Wei, there was a saying: 'The one who stands tall on the road is Wei; the one who stands tall and imposing is Wei, and Wei will replace the Han.' Emperor Wen..."
His words abruptly stopped, and while others assumed he was referring to Emperor Wen of Wei, Liu Jun understood that he was talking about his old enemy, Sima Zhao. His reasoning was that "Dangtu Gao" refers to the tallest person, and who on the road is taller than someone riding a horse? Therefore, it seemed to refer to Sima Zhao—a rather far-fetched interpretation.
"What does this have to do with Wang Sikong?" Liu Dan continued to ask.
Zhuge Quan smiled without saying a word, while Liu Jun sneered, "His father, Wang Chen, whose courtesy name was Chudao. Chudao means 'to be on the right path'."
At his age, he really shouldn't know these past events. Zhuge Quan was slightly surprised but didn't pursue the matter. "Your Highness is very knowledgeable. I heard that the Marquis of Guangwu intended to conquer Ji Province, but Your Highness dissuaded him. Fortunately, fortunately. Otherwise, Wang Jun is a narrow-minded man and would definitely have retaliated. Now, the only ones in the Central Plains who still have military power are Liu Bei and Wang Jun. If they were to fight each other again, it might lead to another disaster like the Yongjia Incident."
He was speaking of what Liu Jun had been worried about recently, and Liu Jun sighed, “What you say is very true, but my father’s concerns are also reasonable. After all, Bingzhou is poor and weak. If it can be connected with Jizhou, it will have the strength to resist the Xiongnu. My father is on good terms with the Tuoba Xianbei, and Wang Sikong is on good terms with the Duan Xianbei. If we are not careful, it will cause internal strife among the Xianbei and they will be unable to come to our aid. Then both Bingzhou and Youzhou will be in danger.”
Whether Lu Chen and the others truly considered this point or not, they all agreed upon hearing it.
Liu Dan asked in bewilderment, "Back then, the Marquis of Guangwu borrowed troops from Minister Wang, so their relationship must have been quite good. Why does it seem so complicated now?"
"My father is thinking of uniting against the common enemy to overthrow the Jin dynasty, but Wang Sikong is more concerned about his own small territory. We are simply not on the same page." Liu Jun knew all too well that the two men were not on the same page. They were both under Sima Yue's command and were now powerful warlords with their own armies. Two tigers cannot share one mountain.
Liu Dan seemed to understand but not quite. He took a piece of honey ginger and sighed contentedly, "In the past, when times were peaceful, it was not uncommon to eat vegetables, perch, or even drink human milk and pork. Now, being able to eat honey ginger is a rare treat. It is all thanks to the young master."
Liu Chou echoed, "I once heard my late father mention the Golden Valley Garden. How extravagant and elegant Shi Weiwei was! It's just a pity that most of the twenty-four friends have passed away, and the Golden Valley Garden has become scorched earth..."
Liu Jun poured the remaining wine from his cup onto the ground. "Shi Gong once saved my uncle and father's lives from Wang Kai. Just for that reason alone, no matter how the world criticizes him, I cannot help but feel grateful."
He suddenly remembered that Shi Chong's father, Shi Bao, had claimed to be the reincarnation of Emperor Wu and an extraordinary person when he met the emperor in his previous life. This flattery led to Sima Zhao's brutal assassination of the emperor just a few days later.
Past events and grudges are all intertwined; who can truly understand them all?
"Minister Wang is incompetent in governing, corrupt officials run rampant in the army, and the people are suffering. I'm afraid this won't last long. If the young master is interested in Ji Province and You Province, he should make preparations as soon as possible," Zhuge Quan said meaningfully.
As expected of someone from the Zhuge clan of Langya, Liu Jun raised his cup to toast him again. "Besides that, is there anything else we should be careful about?"
Lu Chen spoke up, "These past few days, Your Excellency has found Shi Le's mother and nephew, and is thinking of returning them to him in order to make friends with him."
Liu Jun nodded, "Sowing discord among the barbarians was originally a strategy of Bingzhou. However, although Shi Le is illiterate, he is treacherous and cunning and will not easily betray Liu Han. I'm afraid Father will have wasted his efforts this time."
Zhuge Quan sighed, "Grand Commandant Wang (Wang Yan) once said that he had observed extraordinary thoughts in his voice and appearance, and feared that he would become a scourge to the world. I hope that this will not come true."
“The Tuoba Xianbei,” Lu Chen hesitated, “seem to be gathering their people…”
Liu Jun's expression turned serious at first, then he slowly smiled. "I understand. Thank you all for your guidance. I will give my advice when I meet my father tomorrow. Well, it's rare for us to get together today, so let's not talk about such trivial matters. Are you all lacking anything in terms of food, clothing, or other necessities?"
These are all renowned figures of our time, and Liu Kun will likely be generous with their official positions. As for their specific duties, we will have to discuss them in detail later.
We've used up almost all of it; it's already dusk, and the afterglow of the setting sun falls on the Fen River, like a fine "gold-flecked paper."
"It's a pity there are no musicians or entertainers today, so we can't let you all enjoy yourselves to your heart's content." Liu Jun stood up, slightly apologetic, his gaze casually sweeping over everyone's faces. Seeing Liu Dan's troubled expression, he made up his mind.
On the way back to the city, he deliberately rode in the same oxcart as Liu Dan, saying, "Now that it's just the two of us, if there's anything difficult, Jingdao, please feel free to speak up."
Liu Dan stammered, "A gentleman does not speak ill of others, and the Crown Prince has been kind to us, but..."
“You are a few years older than me, and we share the same ancestry, so it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that we are brothers with the same surname. In that case, we should tell you the truth.” Although Liu Jun was smiling, his expression was unusually solemn.
Liu Dan then said, “There is a man from Henan named Xu Run who is skilled in music and has a handsome appearance. Your Excellency is very fond of him. However, he has become arrogant and domineering due to his favor with the emperor and has interfered in political affairs. He has already been promoted to magistrate of Jinyang.”
Liu Jun was stunned for a moment before he remembered that it was the "Lord Xu" from before. He couldn't believe that after not seeing him for several months, he had become the magistrate of Jinyang. He gritted his teeth and said, "Is this really true?"
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