Three Kingdoms: The Guan Family's Rebellious Son, Long Blessing Jing Xiang

The sun shines on the nine-ridged and double-eaved office of the Prime Minister's Mansion in Luoyang.

Ma Chao stood in front of Zhuge Liang.

Zhang Fang, who had killed four horses in five days and traveled 300 miles a day, stood beside Ma Chao.

Zhuge Liang, on the other hand, was reading a book in his hand, and seemed to be ignoring the questions raised by Ma Chao and Zhang Fang.

"…In the past, it was Cao Cao who instructed the emperor to summon my father to serve as an official in the court. But later, Cao Cao used the excuse that my father was involved in the "Yidaizhao" to force me to give up Guanzhong and enter Luoyang. I had no choice but to resist… But he actually executed my father and my brother Ma Tie. People all say that I was disloyal and unfilial and killed my father and brother… But who knew? How could I have submitted to that thief Cao at that time… If I had given up Yongliang and served as an official in the court… I'm afraid that there would be more people like me, Ma Chao, who have become dried bones now!"

At this point, "Hmm..."

Ma Chao snorted coldly, his tone turned angry, "It was for this reason that I joined Zhang Lu in the past, and was appreciated by you as a general. You promised me that you would help me kill this thief Cao and cut him into pieces to comfort the souls of the Ma family in Fufeng and Maoling. But now... Military Advisor Zhuge, no... Prime Minister Zhuge, you told me that Cao Cao cannot be killed? I just want to ask, what is the reason?"

Ma Chao's words had just fallen.

Zhang Fang on the side was also indignant. He stretched out his one arm and responded, "I also want to ask, my father Zhang Chao died under the butcher knife of Cao Cao, my uncle Zhang Miao also died tragically in the killing of Cao Cao, and there are tens of thousands of people in Yongqiu hometown, hundreds of thousands of clansmen? Their deaths are especially vivid in front of my eyes... And the meaning of life, in addition to destroying the Wei Dynasty, is to kill Cao Cao! Prime Minister Zhuge... I don't know if you can understand my state of mind, but the hatred of killing my father is irreconcilable. This Cao Cao... no matter who wants to protect him, I can't let him live in this world!"

"And I--"

This time it was a woman who spoke.

Just as Zhang Fang finished speaking, a crisp voice from a girl came from the beams...

It’s Lingju.

Perhaps it was because Lingju had made great contributions and was also canonized by the emperor, or perhaps it was because she went to the Prime Minister's Mansion with her mother Diao Chan to see Huang Yueying...

So, without knowing when, she came into the room and sat on the beam silently.

It was as if I had been listening to this conversation for a long time.

As the voice came out, Zhuge Liang looked up and saw Lingju jumping down very nimbly.

Her expression was not good, and could even be said to be extremely ugly. She frowned and said, "I, Lingju, pay my respects to Prime Minister Zhuge. I think the Prime Minister knows me, right?"

"Of course I know her..." Zhuge Liang said, "She is under the command of Guan Lin, the fourth son of the Guan family. She is in charge of the mysterious organization 'Parrot' and was named 'Shang Yi' by His Majesty. She is equal to the nine ministers... This is rare among women."

"Actually, neither this 'Shang Yi' nor the 'Nine Ministers' are important... What's important is that since my father, Wen Hou Lu Bu, died at Baimen Tower, as her daughter... I have only one mission left, and that is to avenge him. And the one who killed him was Cao Cao? As a child... but I can't avenge my father? What's the point? This big man... what else can I expect?"

The words...are somewhat disrespectful.

But... Lingju was telling the truth.

Including her, including her parrots, including those who were slaughtered because of Cao Cao's massacre...

The lives of these people? Don't they count?

As for Zhuge Liang...he listened patiently to what Ma Chao, Zhang Fang and Ling Ju said.

In fact, it was more than just them. These past few days... Liu Bei and the emperor were still on their way back from Jingzhou. The war in the north ended beautifully, and all the affairs of the Han Dynasty were temporarily placed on the shoulders of the newly appointed Prime Minister Zhuge.

But because of Zhuge Liang's ability, these matters are nothing.

The only problem is... Cao Cao. This problem... is like a poisonous thorn, piercing the Han Dynasty, which has finally unified itself. It threatens the stability of the Han Dynasty and has become the biggest hidden danger of the Han Dynasty today.

In addition to today's Ma Chao, Zhang Fang and Ling Ju, there are no less than a hundred people who came to see Zhuge Liang because of this matter.

After listening so much and feeling tired, Zhuge Liang couldn't help feeling bitter and desolate.

The same is true this time.

Wait until all of them have finished speaking.

Zhuge Liang just spoke, and the first thing he asked was, "Are you done?"

"Military Advisor Zhuge, you should support me..." Ma Chao was still arguing, "That Cao thief massacred hundreds of thousands of people in Xuzhou. You are from Langya in Xuzhou, shouldn't you share the same hatred with me?"

"Compared to hatred..." Zhuge Liang's eyebrows flashed with a trace of worry, and then he said lightly, "What I care more about now is the stability of the situation. As far as I know, many officials in the northern border were promoted by Cao Cao, and they surrendered calmly because he was alive... It is precisely because of this that your request... I am afraid... I am afraid..."

Without waiting for Zhuge Liang to finish his words.

"Hmph..." Lingju snorted coldly and then left.

Zhang Fang bit his lips and said indignantly, "Stability? Is stability more important than anything else?"

Zhuge Liang responded coldly to this sad and resentful voice, "At least for now, the Han Dynasty needs stability..."

"That…"

Ma Chao's silence did not reduce his resentment at all. He said bluntly, "Stable? Humph, I want to know now, is this what the Prime Minister wants or what the Lord wants?"

Zhuge Liang put down the letter and said, "My lord will be back tomorrow. As for what he thinks, I don't know. But tomorrow... is the day when your majesty will confer the title of king on my lord, and he will be appointed as the chief minister of the cabinet. I think... we should put all the disputes aside after this day!"

Hearing this...

"Alas... alas——"

Ma Chao sighed deeply, then swung his arm. His anger came in a hurry, and he also went back in a hurry.

Soon, Zhuge Liang was the only one left in the main hall of the Prime Minister's Mansion.

He picked up the letter again, glanced at the words on it, but finally put it down, then let out a "sigh" and sighed softly.

"Prime Minister..."

At this time, Yang Yi and Jiang Wan came in and saw that Zhuge Liang looked a little lonely, and couldn't help feeling a little worried.

Jiang Wan asked: "The Prime Minister doesn't seem to be very happy..."

"No problem..." Zhuge Liang quickly gathered his thoughts and waved his feather fan again. "Have you prepared everything for tomorrow's ceremony to crown my lord?"

"Everything is ready—"

"That's good, that's good!" Zhuge Liang continued to hum softly.

"The Prime Minister seems to be worried..." Yang Yi saw something and asked.

Zhuge Liang shook his head. "The most urgent matter is the ceremony of crowning the Lord as King. All other matters should be put on hold for the time being..."

What he said sounded like there was something else behind his words, but... it also sounded a bit unconvincing.

Yes…

When it comes to Cao Cao's matter, even a wise man like Zhuge Liang cannot grasp and make sure of it.

...

On the other side.

Ma Chao walked out of the Prime Minister's Mansion angrily. When he reached the outside of the mansion, he found the horse had been prepared long ago. He was about to mount it... but he saw Lingju standing in front of him, as if waiting for something. It was not until Lingju raised her captivating eyes and looked at him that Ma Chao realized... the parrot's mistress was waiting for him!

So Ma Chao got off his horse again and walked up to Lingju.

It was not until he got closer that he noticed that Zhang Fang was also there... behind Lingju. Because Lingju was too eye-catching, it was Zhang Fang... that Ma Chao did not notice.

This is also the time.

Lingju said to Ma Chao in a very soft voice, "Do you want Cao Cao to die?"

Well…

It was also this voice that made Ma Chao's eyes suddenly bright, and the brilliance in his eyes suddenly appeared.

"Do you have a solution?" "Parrots are best at killing people, assassinating people—"

Lingju smiled, and as she did so, she said in a more subtle voice, "How many people will pay attention to the Wei Wang Mansion in Luoyang City during the grand ceremony tomorrow?"

With this sound, Ma Chao's eyes were no longer just bright, his pupils were widened to their maximum.

Even the look he gave Lingju had become more solemn and respectful!

"Really?"

"Really! I've already thought of a plan—"

...

...

The 9th day of the 10th month in the 23rd year of Jian’an.

The city walls of the Luoyang Imperial Palace were brightly lit, and the cold wind was blowing, making the black flag of the Han Dynasty flutter.

A banquet had already been set up in the square under the Danchi.

Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Ma Chao, Huang Zhong, Zhao Yun, Wei Yan, Fu Shiren, Mi Fang... etc., etc.

These generals who had followed Liu Bei for many years were standing solemnly at the seats closest to the platform, waiting.

Opposite them were Zhuge Liang, Fa Zheng, Xu Shu, Ma Liang and others... These were the counselors who had been by Liu Bei's side and offering him advice since his time in Jingzhou.

And then outward.

Lu Xun, Ling Tong, Gan Ning, Hou Yin, Yan Yan, Lu Dai, Zhuge Jin, etc.

These were the civil and military officials who later submitted to Liu Bei.

Among them are many famous generals and counselors under Lin's command——

As for Guan Lin, he also came all the way from Jiangdong just to witness the day when his uncle was crowned king together with his father and brothers.

Guan Lin stood at the front, second only to Zhuge Liang among the counselors.

This also symbolizes the recognition of Liu Bei and the entire Han Dynasty for his achievements over the past four years.

Because the emperor and Liu Bei have not arrived yet...

Everyone was standing, even though the banquet had already been set, they could only enjoy the performances of thousands of dancers below the stage, and the passionate musicians playing the heroic war song - "Horse Trampling Yanran"!
——"I wear armor and carry a long sword. I will fight with you. The road ahead is long."

——"We are united in the fight against the enemy, and we live and die together. I will fight with you, and my heart will not be tired."

——"I step on Yanran and chase the Hu people. I fight with you and sing fearlessly."

As the song ends...

The next song played was the long-lost "Da Feng Ge":
——"The wind rises and the clouds fly, my power spreads across the country and I return to my hometown. How can I find brave warriors to guard the four directions!"

This is Liu Bang's song.

It seems that arranging this song to be played at this time implies that... the Han Dynasty will be as glorious as when Emperor Gaozu founded the country.

The four hundred years of the glorious Han Dynasty, perhaps... at this moment, under this revival, it can last another four hundred years, or it can last forever and ever.

Finally... Liu Bei, wearing a red cloak, appeared on the high platform together with the emperor in a yellow robe. The solemn officials and veteran soldiers wiped their tears of joy when they saw Liu Bei standing proudly on the high platform.

They seem to be saying...

The righteous Lord they followed finally stood at the highest point.

When Liu Bei and Emperor Liu Xie stepped to the front of the stage, the crowd cheered, "Long live His Majesty, long live Zuo Gong—"

"Long live His Majesty, long live Zuo Gong—"

"Long live His Majesty, long live Zuo Gong—"

At this time, Emperor Liu Xie and Liu Bei looked at each other. Liu Xie waved his hand to signal the eunuch in charge of etiquette, and the eunuch shouted loudly, "Your Majesty has an order. The Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty, Zhuge Liang, will read the edict--"

Zhuge Liang seemed to have been prepared. He had already gone on stage in advance, took the imperial edict, stood on the high platform, facing all the officials and soldiers.

"Since ancient times, the cycle of heaven and the succession of royal power have all followed the trend of the times and returned to people with virtue. Now the innate way has collapsed, all living beings are suffering, the imperial power has lost its rule, and the world has fallen apart. Fortunately, Liu Bei, the Left General of the Han Dynasty, the Marquis of Yicheng, the governor of Yuzhou, and the uncle of the emperor, styled Xuande, is the descendant of King Jing of Zhongshan and the great-great-grandson of Emperor Jing. He inherited the remaining merits of his ancestors and was blessed by heaven and earth. After going through ups and downs, he remained determined and finally achieved something. He unified the country, revived the Han Dynasty, and returned to the old capital—"

"I have heard that a king should win people over with virtue and pacify the people with benevolence. Now the Central Plains is unified, Bei occupies Shu, the people are loyal, the civil and military are used together, and the country is gradually at peace... This is a gift from heaven, and it also depends on the efforts of my ministers and the hope of the people. Therefore, I hereby proclaim that I want to confer Liu Bei the title of King of Hanzhong, hoping that he will inherit the will of the previous emperor on my behalf, stabilize the country, comfort the people with benevolence, make the people live in peace, make culture flourish, and make etiquette and morality flourish. All people in my territory, whether they are scholars, farmers, merchants, or workers, should abide by the order, prosper the Han Dynasty together, and accomplish great things—"

"I hereby announce this to the world, so that everyone will know..."

After Zhuge Liang read this.

Liu Bei stepped forward and knelt down, holding up the seal of the King of Hanzhong handed to him by the emperor. The eunuchs stood behind him, holding high sacrificial cattle and sheep and five-colored jade sceptres.

Liu Bei said in a loud voice: "I am deeply awed to receive this title of King of Hanzhong. I dare not fail the grace of the emperor. From now on, I shall assist the emperor and govern the Han Dynasty. I shall praise the virtues of those who are loyal, filial, chaste and righteous, and encourage their conduct. I shall also punish those who are rebellious and unrighteous to serve as a warning to others... I dare not fail the grace of the emperor!"

After hearing Liu Bei's words, Emperor Liu Xie personally helped Liu Bei up.

Then, Liu Bei, holding the seal of King of Hanzhong, walked step by step towards the higher platform.

A fire started and thick smoke billowed.

Under the auspices of the priest, he burned the jade sceptre to offer sacrifice to the heavens, the five mountains and the four seas.

He bowed to the sky amidst the solemn music.

"Hanzhong King Liu Bei dares to use Xuanshe to announce to the Emperor that on the ninth day of the tenth month in the twenty-third year of Jian'an, Your Majesty has deemed that the royal position is suitable for me. I am awed by the will of heaven and dare not disobey. I have chosen this ninth day to go on stage with the other officials to receive the imperial seal and announce to you, the great god. Only you have a god. May you be blessed with eternal good fortune, the hope of the people, and enjoy the Han Dynasty—"

As soon as this statement comes out…

All the officials knelt down and shouted in unison, "Long live the King of Hanzhong!"

Liu Bei looked at the officials kneeling below the stage and gave an order, "Guan Lin, son of the Marquis of Xuanchu, Marquis of Huainan and important minister of the cabinet, will issue the imperial edict on my behalf—"

Liu Bei said this...

Everyone in the audience was shocked. Although Guan Yu was awarded the title of Marquis of Chu after his great victory in the Northern Expedition and ended the chaos, and his son Guan Lin was awarded the title of Marquis of Huainan for his meritorious services over the years, everyone knew about this, and the corresponding awarding ceremony had been held before.

but…

No one expected that Liu Bei, the "King of Hanzhong", would ask Guan Lin to read out the edict.

An official in the audience asked in surprise: "Shouldn't the prime minister, or one of the three highest officials, the Grand Commandant, the Minister of Works, or the Minister of Civil Affairs, read it out? Why did it have to be read out by the Marquis of Huainan?"

"You only heard about the title of Huainan Hou, but you didn't hear the title of 'Cabinet Minister' mentioned by the King of Hanzhong. In my opinion... this title is probably ten times more powerful than the title of Huainan Hou!"

Even more people don’t know why…

But he still stared at the stage with his sharp eyes.

Zhuge Liang and Fa Zheng lowered their heads with calm and contented smiles.

But today's Guan Lin no longer has the image of a "rebellious son with no dignity". Wearing a five-beam crown, dressed in a formal suit, holding a royal edict in his hand, he walked up from the back of the throne, saluted the emperor, saluted the King of Hanzhong, and finally walked solemnly to the front, facing the civil and military officials, and opened the royal edict.

"In ancient times, when a king first appeared, he would show his grace and kindness to improve customs, but the people followed his teachings and were punished for their crimes. Now the King of Hanzhong has received the emperor's approval, and he has issued a general amnesty, established a cabinet, set up many official schools, opened the imperial examination, and implemented the decree of allocating land tax to the Han Dynasty, and promulgated a new policy—"

...

…(End of chapter)