I, Liu Bian, Sanxing Han Dynasty

Chapter 474: The Temple of Obscenity
Not long after Yuan Shao sobered up the next day, he heard Yuan Shang bowing outside and saying, "Father, I have something to ask you."

"Come in." Yuan Shao.

After Yuan Shang entered, he came to Yuan Shao in a serious manner and bowed, saying, "Father, an angel has come. I have asked and I want to appoint you as the Imperial Chariot Commander!"

Yuan Shao:......

This familiar scene reminded him of yesterday.

The Fengche Duwei was equivalent to a two thousand stone official. Although he had no staff under his command, he was in charge of driving the imperial carriage.

Now that the Emperor is on a tour, this is the time when the Commandant of the Imperial Chariot can be most useful.

In his excitement, Yuan Shao took Yuan Shang to receive the imperial edict again. Yuan Shao did not forget to tell him: "You don't have to be so reserved in front of your father. Next time you encounter such an important matter, you don't have to stick to the formalities, just speak frankly!"

Yuan Shang: What should I do if my father's temper suddenly becomes erratic?
When Yuan Shao received the seal and official uniform representing the Commandant of Fengchariots specially delivered by the angel and was told that he must take office by tomorrow at the latest, Yuan Shao became very excited.

He hurriedly said, "Please ask the angel to tell His Majesty that I will take up my post shortly and will not make any mistakes in the imperial carriage!"

After seeing off the angel, Yuan Shao patted Yuan Shang on the shoulder and said complacently: "Did you see that? Xianfu, this is called great accumulation leading to great success!"

"Kun turns into Peng, soaring up to ninety thousand miles!"

After saying this, Yuan Shao returned to his room with a big laugh, ready to pack up and go to his new post.

The Captain of the Imperial Chariot is no different from the idle Taizhong Doctor.

After changing into a new official uniform with a seal and ribbon, Yuan Shao looked at himself in the bronze mirror and felt that he still lived up to the charm of his youth!

Thinking about what he was going to do next, Yuan Shao thought - he had indeed misunderstood the emperor. The current emperor was steady, resourceful, and had a keen eye for talent.

He, Yuan Benchu, supports the emperor wholeheartedly!
Anyone who has a problem with the emperor is having a problem with Yuan Benchu!

……

In the Hejian Xiangfu, Liu Bian was admiring the flowers.

Qian Zhao, who was accompanying him, advised him seriously, "Your Majesty, is it too risky to appoint Yuan Shao as the commander of the imperial carriage?"

"According to the Ministry of Public Affairs, Yuan Shao did not commit any major mistakes during his time in Runan, but his words and actions may have been full of resentment. I am worried that he may be harmful to Your Majesty."

Looking at Qian Zhao who was sincerely concerned about him, Liu Bian smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. Yuan Benchu ​​can't drive the carriage for me personally. The people in and out of the imperial carriage are all good families with clean backgrounds."

"Just be careful not to let Yuan Benchu ​​change the drivers, guards, etc."

"However, I am sure that Yuan Benchu ​​will not act in this way."

As he said that, Liu Bian turned around, patted Qian Zhao on the shoulder, and said, "Just in case, Zi Jing, my safety is in your hands!"

"I will fulfill my mission!"

After patting Qian Zhao's shoulder affectionately, Liu Bian left the small back garden of the Prime Minister's Mansion.

He planned to stay in Hejian State for a while, and then go north to Zhuo County in Youzhou, where he would meet Liu Yu again, as well as Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, and Lu Bu (Lu Fengxian), whom he had never seen in person.

As for the not-so-distant Bohai Commandery and the neighboring Pingyuan State in Qingzhou, Liu Bian had already sent people there to collect folk songs and learn about the local customs and people's living conditions.

……

Plain country.

In front of a tall temple, there was a man standing on a high platform, shouting something.

There were many people gathered in the audience. Sun Ce watched from afar and immediately became curious. He dismounted with a few people who were accompanying him, tied the horses not far away, left two people to guard them, and he led the rest of the people to approach.

Sun Ce has always been a man of great skill and courage. This time he came to Qingzhou Pingyuan State in secret. The local officials were not aware of it, and Sun Ce did not want them to know.

Otherwise, how could he get the most realistic situation?
When Sun Ce got closer to the crowd, he finally heard what the people on the stage were shouting.

"Everyone understands what happened last year. Our ancestor, the first King of Pingyuan, also understands it! Therefore, last year, not a single grain was harvested for sacrifice."

After hearing this, Sun Ce noticed that there was a huge statue enshrined in the temple behind this person.

There are people among the people who like to believe in and worship the ancients. Although Sun Ce himself scoffed at it, he had heard of it. He did not expect to encounter a gathering of believers on this day.

He just felt bored and didn't think there was anything wrong. He was about to leave when he heard the person on the stage shout again -

"Everyone, this year is a good year. I heard that every family has harvested an extra three or five dou of grain."

"In that case, this year, it shouldn't be a problem to offer one more bushel of grain to King Pingyuan for sacrifice than in previous years!"

"quiet!"

"Last year, you didn't offer anything, but the gods showed mercy to you because it was not easy for you. However, this year, the harvest is good. If you dare to disrespect them, aren't you afraid that the gods will be angry?"

As Sun Ce listened, he realized something was wrong.

He quietly asked the sad-looking old man beside him, "Old man, I came from a foreign land and don't know what's going on here. May I ask, how much grain is needed for this so-called sacrifice? If it's not enough, I would also like to offer some to ask for the protection of the gods."

Upon hearing this, the old man immediately signaled Sun Ce to shut up.

Then, he looked at Sun Ce for a few seconds, and seeing that he was not dressed like an ordinary person, he immediately tried to move away.

Sun Ce immediately stopped the old man and said, "If you can help me solve my doubts, I will definitely reward you."

After saying that, he took out a string of five-zhu coins from his pocket and put it into the old man's hand.

The old man sighed and did not take the money. He just pulled Sun Ce a little away from the crowd and said, "I advise you not to think about the sacrifice. It is better to leave as soon as possible."

"My dear, you are offering sacrifices here today. Tomorrow, if they hear the news elsewhere, they will come to you, one family after another... How much money and food will this cost!"

Sun Ce was curious when he heard this and asked, "From what you said, you are not willing to offer sacrifices?"

The old man sighed: "Who would be willing to give away the life-saving food that we worked so hard to get for nothing?"

"But I have to offer it!"

Sun Ce asked: "If we force people to donate grain, will the government not care?"

"How can we manage it? We are volunteers in the eyes of the officials. Do they dare to tear down the statue of King Pingyuan?" The old man sighed. "Come to think of it, I heard that in Jinan State, there was a prime minister who tore down many statues when he was in office. Unfortunately, after he left, some of them were rebuilt..."

Sun Ce said angrily, "The Prime Minister of Pingyuan and the Governor of Qingzhou, don't you care about this?"

The old man sighed, "Compared to previous years, the situation in recent years is actually much better. For example, during the severe drought last year, none of them asked for grain for sacrifice... Ten years ago, even during droughts and floods, they still asked for less grain for sacrifices."

"This year, they saw that we harvested an extra three or five dou from our fields, so they asked for an extra dou here for tribute, and two dou there... After all the calculations, it would be better not to harvest the extra three or five dou!"

As he spoke, the old man saw that Sun Ce was actually getting angry, and hurriedly said, "My dear, you'd better leave quickly!"

Sun Ce stuffed the money in his hand into the old man's hand and promised: "Don't worry, old man, after this year, you don't have to offer sacrifices to these obscene temples anymore!"

(End of this chapter)