Chapter 47, Chapter Fourteen: Ban Jing Dao Jiu
When news of Wang Jun's death arrived, Liu Jun was whipping a retainer who had embezzled grain in the granary. He coldly watched the man scream in agony, then pushed him out to be displayed in public, demoted him to a laborer, rewarded the person who had reported him, and ordered a special team to inspect all the granaries.
I heard that before his death, Wang Jun cursed Shi Le, saying, "You barbarian wretch, how could you be so vicious and rebellious!" In the end, he did show some integrity.
Liu Jun stood with his hands behind his back in the setting sun, his gaze calmly fixed on the twilight and the scattered crows. He had never met Wang Jun, but he knew his father, Wang Chen, in his previous life.
Wang Jun's father, Wang Chen, betrayed Cao Mao, exchanging the emperor's blood for the wealth and honor of his entire family.
Liu Jun's father, Liu Kun, watched Wang Jun perish, unaware that he had already destroyed all the barriers to his northern border.
Whether Wang Chen felt even a trace of remorse in the afterlife is unknown, but Liu Kun will certainly pay the price for this during his lifetime.
"Furthermore, the eldest prince led the Xianbei cavalry to roam the border of Xiangguo, taking several thousand elite soldiers from Wang Jun's command. The remaining several thousand were all killed by Shi Le." Yin Xiaocheng sighed, "Your Excellency and Chief Secretary Wen are truly shrewd and have made perfect plans. You actually predicted it correctly."
Liu Jun frowned. "Shi Le isn't blind; he must have noticed it too, but he's holding back because of the alliance with you, sir. Shi Le has already acquired You and Ji provinces. If he wants to achieve great things, he must advance westward to take Bing province. You, sir, will definitely have a battle with him."
The loss of Jinyang had severely weakened Bingzhou, which needed to recuperate. In recent years, Liu Kun had relied on Tuoba Yilu and had tried to wage war against Liu Cong and Shi Le several times. If he acted rashly, Bingzhou, which he had built up over many years, would probably be difficult to hold onto.
"I want to leave Liangzhou temporarily and return to Bingzhou." Liu Jun was increasingly uneasy. He summoned Zhuge Quan, Liu Dan and others to explain the affairs of Liangzhou. He insisted on traveling light and heading north.
Along the way, Liu Jun saw many refugees heading to Liangzhou from various places. He was both pleased and worried. He sent people back to Liangzhou twice to convey how to pacify and settle the refugees. He also repelled several bandits and thieves on the way.
When he passed through Chang'an, it was already snowing heavily.
After much deliberation, Liu Jun still decided to go to the capital to pay homage to the emperor. Not long after he submitted his memorial, a palace eunuch came to summon him.
With Liu Cong's victory, the predicament in Chang'an was greatly relieved. Compared to the previous scene of nine out of ten houses being empty, there was much more life. Although the pedestrians on the road still looked hungry, they all had a joyful expression on their faces.
With frequent wars and national mourning, the palaces in Chang'an did not undergo major construction. Only the two main buildings were slightly repaired. Compared to the palaces in Luoyang that Liu Jun remembered, they were quite simple and shabby.
As was customary, Liu Jun bowed, his eyes fixed on the tip of the emperor's nose, not looking directly at his face.
Silence fell over the hall until a soft sigh escaped his lips. “Lord Liu is a trustworthy man. I have important matters to discuss with him. You may all leave.”
The imperial court was indeed in dire straits. These eunuchs and palace maids were not very presentable, and their clothes were not of the same style, making people suspect that they were temporarily captured from nearby villages to make up the numbers.
Liu Jun stood solemnly, listening to Sima Ye's footsteps slowly approaching, watching the red lower garment trailing as it came before him.
"Maotou." Sima Ye had grown into a full-fledged young man, but perhaps due to the annual famine, he was not only a head shorter than Liu Jun, but his voice was also more effeminate than that of an ordinary man.
Since he addressed him by his childhood nickname, Liu Jun no longer stood on ceremony and slowly raised his head.
When the two last met, Sima Ye was still the crown prince, and Liu Jun was just a marquis's heir. But now Sima Ye has ascended to the throne, and Liu Jun has become a marquis of a province.
Compared to his youth, apart from being paler and thinner, Sima Ye had not changed much; only the five-beamed crown on his head proclaimed his imperial status.
Sima Ye said softly, "Now you are considered a regional lord, and this encounter with Your Excellency..."
If someone else had said these words, Liu Jun would have instinctively felt that they were ill-intentioned, but when it came to Sima Ye, he only felt a sense of kinship.
"I used to advise you along with Taizhen, saying that Xu Run's matter was really not a big deal. There's no such thing as a grudge between father and son that lasts overnight," Sima Ye sat down on the ground and patted the side beside him. "Later, after hearing the bad news about your grandparents, I stopped trying to persuade you. Now that you are willing to go to Bingzhou in person and say a few nice words, that's good."
"The tree desires stillness, but the wind never ceases; the child desires to care for his parents, but they are no longer there. What has passed and will not return is the passing of years; what cannot be seen again is the loss of loved ones." Seeing his cold expression, Sima Ye knew he was displeased, but still tried to persuade him gently.
Liu Jun said calmly, "For the sake of Bingzhou and for the sake of the world, I will not let personal matters interfere with my duties. Your Majesty can rest assured."
Sima Ye laughed, "I heard you've become a father too, but you still look like a callow youth. Hmm, you truly are a trendsetter."
Liu Jun raised an eyebrow. Now that he had become emperor and most of Guanzhong had been recovered, Sima Ye was no longer as timid as before and spoke more boldly, "Your Majesty's words are golden, and I dare not refute them."
Sima Ye pursed his lips, leaned back, and said nothing more.
Liu Jun then noticed the worry in his eyes and frowned, saying, "Your Majesty, is something on your mind? I am willing to share your burdens."
Sima Ye smiled bitterly, “I can’t hide it from you. Although I have ascended the throne, I have neither prestige nor manpower. The powerful clans do not recognize me, the prefectures and counties do not obey me, and the feudal lords take turns attacking me, seeing me as a rare commodity, Emperor Xian of Han.”
Liu Jun sighed, "The decline of the kingly way began with Emperor Hui."
Since the Eastern Han Dynasty, there have been many young emperors, which is not surprising. Just look at the current dynasty, only Sima Yan had any real power. The others, such as Sima Zhong and Sima Chi, were just figureheads.
He slightly curled the corners of his lips—being a puppet emperor is not difficult; one can simply nod and remain silent. Not wanting to be a puppet emperor is also not difficult; one must fight to the death. Success means having the power of life and death, and being the sole ruler; failure means death and the extinction of one's soul, leaving one to shed blood in the nine heavens.
Throughout history, there have been countless puppet emperors, but only two emperors truly overthrew powerful ministers: the First Emperor and Emperor Huan of Han.
Sima Ye gazed at the sun, moon, and stars emblazoned on his imperial robes. "I don't want to seize power; I only want to live. It's just a pity about the ministers around me..."
He smiled bitterly, “Either they are reliable and loyal ministers, but mediocre and incompetent, unable to defend Chang’an at all. Sooner or later, the city will fall and people will die; or they are generals who are somewhat capable of fighting, but it is difficult to distinguish between loyalty and treachery among these people. It is one thing for them to be subservient to others every day, but what I fear is that one day the situation will turn around and they will directly bind me and push me to the city gate.”
"What? Is Jia Pi not loyal enough? What about Guo Mo?" Liu Jun was quite surprised.
Sima Ye shook his head, "They are good at fighting, but they are incompetent in governing the country. Therefore, they are often at the front fighting the enemy, and the current government is controlled by Qu Yun and Suo Lin."
Seeing Liu Jun frown, Sima Ye smiled and explained, "He is the son of the one with the bronze camel."
Recalling the story he told him back then, Liu Jun said in a daze, "It feels like a past life."
“Alas, for the sake of the support of the powerful clans in Guanzhong, all the commanders of the fortified villages were granted the title of general. At that time, I asked them, ‘We have also captured Liu Jun in Hanzhong, so why are there no generals of Hanzhong in the court and ministers everywhere?’” Sima Ye grabbed his hand. “Maotou, after the matter in Bingzhou is settled, can you stay and help me?”
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