I, Liu Bian, Sanxing Han Dynasty

Chapter 586: The Power of the Imperial Clan

"You boy, do you want to piss your father off to death?" Liu Yan really felt like he was going to be pissed off to death.

He pointed at Liu Fan and cursed: "You are also a father, don't you know the consequences of your momentary impulse?"

But Liu Fan remained indifferent to Liu Yan's curses.

When Liu Yan was tired of scolding him, Liu Fan said, "Father, take care of yourself. With Lu Shi around, you don't have to worry!"

Liu Fan had predicted the direction of Liu Yan's efforts in advance, and did not give Liu Yan the opportunity to use topics such as "filial piety" to morally blackmail him. He continued to say to Liu Yan: "A man's ambition is to go far and wide, and the Western Regions today are the place to make achievements. Your son has this ambition, and your father should be happy!"

It turned out that Liu Fan heard that the emperor encouraged royal family princes to go to the Western Regions. Although he was a descendant of Emperor Xiaojing, he also had the idea of ​​going to the Western Regions.

Liu Yan understood that Liu Fan was still dissatisfied with his relationship with Lu.

But he didn't know how to make Liu Fan understand that Lu was not the kind of person Liu Fan imagined.

Thinking of this, Liu Yan looked at his second son Liu Dan who was watching from the side and stressed: "You come and persuade your brother! Is the Western Region a good place?"

Liu Dan currently serves as the Imperial Censor in the court. He received Liu Yan's order and knew that if he failed to persuade his brother, his brother could just leave and he would have to stay in Luoyang and be scolded by his father.

So, Liu Dan thought, he had to persuade——

After thinking for a while under Liu Yan's gaze, Liu Dan finally thought of a good reason. He was delighted and immediately slapped his thigh and said to Liu Fan: "Brother, think about it. Although His Majesty supports the royal family to go to the Western Regions, you don't have a title after all. What will happen if you go to the Western Regions? Do you want to be an official to those princes with the same surname as us and wait to be crowned as a prince after making meritorious contributions?"

"Instead of working so hard, it's better to stay here honestly. My father's title of Marquis of Yangcheng is still waiting for my brother to inherit!"

"If my brother leaves, I might get the upper hand in the future. Even if my father and brother agree, my brother's wife and son may not agree... Hey, father, why did you hit me? Didn't you ask me to persuade my brother..."

Liu Dan felt very aggrieved when facing the beating from Liu Yan.

He felt that what he said were very real issues!

As Liu Dan was being beaten, he suddenly heard Liu Fan say, "Your second brother is right. With you by my side, I can rest assured. As for my wife, don't worry, father and second brother. My husband and I will live in harmony and go to the Western Regions together."

Liu Dan felt that he was being beaten even harder, and he heard Liu Yan's scolding again: "I asked you to persuade him, not to encourage him!"

Liu Dan knew that he had done something bad with good intentions, but he was helpless: "Father, it was my brother who made up his mind. He shouldn't have hit me!"

Liu Yan stopped upon hearing this, and thought to himself - if I hit you you wouldn't dare to run away, but if I hit Liu Fan, he would definitely find an excuse to run away to the Western Regions.

But he had no intention of explaining to Liu Dan, and continued to persuade Liu Fan: "Do you know what kind of situation you will face if you go to the Western Regions alone?"

Liu Fan was very confident: "Father, I think what my second brother said makes sense. I can first serve as an official for the princes who are heading to the Western Regions..."

After hearing this, Liu Dan instinctively took defensive actions towards Liu Yan.

"I have met King Chen before. King Chen has decided to go to the Western Regions. He invited me to go with him, and I agreed!" Liu Dan immediately let down his guard. He felt that it was none of his business. It was his brother who did it before he made the suggestion.

Suddenly, Liu Dan felt a pain in his head, which was caused by Liu Yan's fist. Liu Yan was not satisfied after hitting him, and continued to curse: "Liu Chong, old thief! I used to think he was a loyal elder, but now he has done such a shameful thing!"

But Liu Yan's curse was interrupted by Liu Dan.

Liu Dan felt even more aggrieved: "Why did you hit me again?"

Liu Yan admitted that he had hit the wrong person, and mistook Liu Dan for Liu Chong at that moment. But as a father, how could he admit his mistake? He only said, "Liu Chong was wrong, but you were not wrong at all?"

Liu Dan: …

He looked at Liu Yan, then at Liu Fan who was determined, and suddenly said to Liu Yan: "Father, I also wanted to go to the Western Regions just now."

Liu Yan's fist was itching again.

After dealing with his second son Liu Dan who was causing trouble, the old father finally couldn't defeat his stubborn son.

And how could Liu Yan feel at ease watching Liu Fan go to the Western Regions alone!
As the descendant of Emperor Xiaojing, he was moved to Jingling, Jiangxia during the reign of Emperor Xiaozhang more than a hundred years ago. His branch can be said to have a wealthy family background.

Although the Western Regions themselves seem to be a bottomless pit, if we count them like the military farming cities that the Han Dynasty established in the Western Regions, hundreds of military farming soldiers would be enough to form a military farming city.

Liu Yan couldn't help with more, but he could still take out hundreds of slaves and servants. No matter what, Liu Fan was his heir. Even if Liu Fan made meritorious deeds in the Western Regions and was not able to come back to inherit the family business, Liu Yan felt that he, as an old father, had done enough.

The most important thing is that Liu Yan can see that the Han Dynasty is in the midst of a major change. In his opinion, the last time this happened was during the reign of Emperor Guangwu, so Liu Fan's attempt this time might be another opportunity for the development of his family.

What he supported was Liu Fan's striving, not his willfulness.

But people like Liu Fan and Liu Yan who can see the situation clearly are ultimately a minority.

The same goes for the royal family and princes - among them there are many people who just eat and wait for death. They are used to a life of control, but it is undeniable that there are still a very small number of royal family members who have ideals and are unwilling to live a mediocre life with many wives and concubines.

If Liu Bian mobilized the kings to inspect the country when measuring the land in the past to set an example for them, then now, Liu Bian's move of "moving the trees to establish trust" has worked.

Although the political power of the princes of the Han Dynasty was almost zero, it did not mean that they had no capital. Even during the reign of Emperor Huan, they had to borrow land rents from various kingdoms to subsidize military expenses due to insufficient funds. Except for a few who were down and out or were bullied by officials due to various reasons such as the decline of population, most of the princes of the royal family had no shortage of money and slaves after years of accumulation.

After all, apart from the royal family members who inherited the throne, the rest of the royal family members, as long as they have reasonable abilities, will naturally have extra points in being an official. Even if these branches will not help the main branch, they will not watch the main branch being bullied.

Against this background, King of Chen Liu Chong, King of Hejian Liu Xi, and King of Dongping Liu Kai gathered in Luoyang.

Under the leadership of the three kings, many members of the Liu clan throughout the world responded. Most of them were distant relatives who had long lost their titles and were no different from commoners. Some people saw it as an opportunity.

(End of this chapter)