Great Han Empire

Chapter 737
In the middle of the night, Ting Wei's mansion is in prison.

The sound of hooves and the shouts of the guards suddenly resounded through the night.

Teams of soldiers rushed into the prison, held up torches, and guarded the door of each cell.

The people in the cell woke up, and everyone sat on the ground anxiously, waiting for the last moment to come.

Grand Situ Zhao Qi, Grand Sikong Liu He, Taichang Xunyou, Guang Luxun Xianyufu, Weiwei Xu Rong entered the prison one after another, and hurried along the long corridor.

Everyone stopped in front of Zhang Wen's cell.Zhang Wen slowly opened his eyes, lifted his upper body in pain, and looked at Zhao Qi with difficulty, "Is it time?"

"My lord, the general is back." Zhao Qi said excitedly with tears in his eyes, "The general is back."

Zhang Wen hesitated for a moment, a smile gradually appeared on his face, and then he let out a long breath as if he was relieved, and fell heavily on the ground, "Oh my god...he finally came back..."

Xu Rong walked to Lu Bu's cell.Lu Bu sat against the wall, raised his head and smiled bitterly, "My lord, take good care of Xiaoyue for me, and I will repay you in the next life."

Xu Rong smiled, "The general is back, everything is over."

Lu Bu's eyes widened suddenly, his tiger body jumped up, and he asked in a loud voice, "Really? The general is back?"

Xu Rong nodded, "He is going to ask for the imperial edict."

Lu Bu was ecstatic, hugged his head suddenly, fell to his knees, and sobbed softly.

The news of the general's return quickly spread to all corners of the prison. People were anxious and anxiously waiting for the choice of fate.Is the general going to kill them, or save them?
Chunyujia, Zhang Xi, Zhong Yao, Jia Xu, Zhang Xiu and other former officials from Chang'an were imprisoned in the deepest part of the prison. When they heard that the general had returned, their last hope of survival was completely shattered.Even if the general persuaded the eldest princess to pardon the accused ministers, he would not pardon them.This is the best chance to eradicate the emperor's power, unless the general is crazy, he will never do such unthinkable things.The knife has already been cut on the head of the old minister of Chang'an, so it will not be taken back.

=

In the early morning, General Li Hong rushed to Longquan on horseback.

Zhang Yan greeted him outside the gate.Li Hongfei got off his horse and hugged Zhang Yan tightly, "Brother, thank you."

Zhang Yan smiled wryly, "I did my best, General. I can't stop what happened in Jinyang."

Li Hong patted him on the shoulder and comforted him with a smile: "I know, I don't blame anyone. This will happen sooner or later. It's better to happen sooner than later."

"You want to kill them?" Zhang Yan asked while accompanying Li Hong into the camp.

"What do you say?"

Zhang Yan hesitated for a long time, "Kill it."

"What happened to the Son of Heaven has already happened. Regardless of whether it is a natural disaster or a man-made disaster, it has already happened and is irreversible." Zhang Yan said in a low voice, "The result is obvious, the general may be charged with the crime of killing the king, People like Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and Liu Biao may want to take this opportunity to attack Hebei. Judging from the current situation in Hebei, it is difficult for us to support a protracted war. collapse."

Li Hong strode forward without saying a word.Zhang Yan pulled him back, "General, you are now Dong Zhuo's second place. If you don't kill him, the incidents in Guanzhong and Chang'an will happen again in Hebei and Jinyang. General..."

Li Hong stopped, turned around and looked at Zhang Yan, then raised his finger and pointed to his chest, "Did I do something like regicide and usurpation?"

Zhang Yan shook her head.

"Since I didn't do it, why should I admit that I killed the king and usurped the throne?"

"General, the question is not whether you admit it or not, but how the rebels in various states and counties view this matter. They say that you have committed the crime of killing the king and usurping the establishment, then you are a big traitor." Zhang Yan urged eagerly, "Liu Biao, Liu Bei and other royal family members will single out you first to attack you. Don't waste Yuan Shao's words this time, they will take the initiative to join forces and attack Hebei aggressively. In today's situation, what choice do you have?"

"I have a choice." Li Hong said confidently, "Facts are facts. If I didn't kill the king, I didn't kill the king. I don't need to care about Yuan Shao's rebellious accusations. Like people who can't pay for what they didn't do. I'm going to let them go."

"General..." Zhang Yan looked at him in surprise, "General, this risk is not worth taking."

"It's not a question of whether to take risks or not, but a question of the dignity of the Han law." Li Hong pointed to Zhang Yan, then pointed to himself, "If the Han law loses even the most basic right and wrong, the most basic justice , if we ministers and ministers can wantonly trample on the laws that humiliate us, how can we rejuvenate the big man? What qualifications do we have to rejuvenate the big man? Why do we command others to fight for the rejuvenation of the big man?"

Li Hong turned around and walked quickly.Zhang Yan stood still, he shook his head helplessly, "General, why do you think they didn't rebel?"

Li Hong turned his head and said with a smile: "Brother Feiyan, why do you think they must rebel?"

Zhang Yan stomped her feet resentfully, raised her head and sighed.

=

Li Hong stopped suddenly.He saw light rain through the flickering torch.Li Hongfei rushed over and hugged Xiaoyu.

The guards stopped where they were and lowered their torches.Darkness immediately covered everything.

"You know I'm coming back today?"

"Your Highness said, she said that you will definitely come back tonight." Xiao Yu put her arms around Li Hong's neck, crying with joy.

"How are the children?"

Xiao Yu buried her head in Li Hong's long hair, and nodded lightly, "Where is Xiao Xue?"

Li Hong's heart trembled, and he said in a hoarse voice: "I left her in the desert. There are still many things in the desert..." Xiaoyu's body trembled slightly. Just pick her up, or the children won't know her."

Xiao Yu snuggled into Li Hong's arms quietly, and sighed quietly, "I... I did something wrong... Princess Yang'an wanted to hang herself, Madam Lu also came to beg, many ministers were arrested and imprisoned, I am very afraid , I’m going to beg Your Highness to spare them, I did something wrong…”

Li Hong closed his eyes, took a deep breath of the fragrance from Xiao Yu's long hair, and said in a low voice, "Just this time, just this time."

As soon as Xiaoyu's tears rolled, she hugged Li Hong even tighter, wishing she could melt into his body.Li Hong stretched out his hand and patted her on the back, "It's too cold, you go back to the military tent. I'm going to see the eldest princess."

Xiao Yu let go of Li Hong with a meek "Mmm", and said, "I'll wait for you."

"Don't wait for me. I will return to Jinyang immediately after the pardon edict."

"Aren't you going to kill them?" Xiao Yu suddenly raised her head and asked in surprise.

"Did I say I wanted to kill them?" Li Hong lowered his head with a smile, and kissed Xiao Yu's face tenderly, "Go back quickly."

"I'll tell Princess Yang'an." Xiao Yu turned around and ran towards the military tent. After two steps, she suddenly remembered something, and plunged into Li Hong's arms again, "Your Highness has been heartbroken because of the matter of the Son of Heaven recently. You must take care of yourself." Reassure her and stop irritating her."

Li Hong agreed with a smile.

=

The eldest princess has disheveled hair, pale complexion, dark circles around her eyes, dull eyes, and pointed chin. She has lost a lot of weight, very sad and helpless.She kept her head down, sitting behind the table like a clay sculpture, letting Li Hong keep persuading her without any response.

"Your Highness, aren't all these reasons enough? What kind of reason can you pardon them?" Li Hong had no choice but to say weakly, "Once your Majesty dies, I will go south to Jizhou to stop the rebellious siege. I don't have much time to stay in Jinyang. Jinyang is unstable, how can I stop the rebels' attack on the Yellow River with peace of mind? Your Highness, please see it for the sake of the first emperor, and for the sake of these ministers who wholeheartedly follow His Highness to rejuvenate the Great Han Society , pardon them."

"Why do you keep leaving? Why can't you stay in Jinyang for a while?" The eldest princess suddenly raised her head and asked loudly, "You can leave Jinyang anytime you want, don't tell me."

"Your Highness..." Li Hong's face darkened, and his tone suddenly became severe. "The situation in Jinyang is at stake. If we don't save it in time, the damage will not be Hebei, but the Dahan community. What is the reason why I have to go to Jizhou in a hurry? Your Highness doesn't know?"

"The situation in Jinyang is at stake?" The eldest princess stared at Li Hong, her cherry lips kept trembling, and tears rolled out instantly, "You blame me, why do you blame me? You let me take charge of state affairs, you It was you, it was you who left me alone in Jinyang, and all of this was caused by you."

Li Hong was so angry that he opened his mouth to retaliate, but when he saw the princess's sad eyes and her thin body, a deep sense of guilt suddenly surged in her heart.All of this, in the final analysis, is indeed my responsibility.

"Your Highness, I am willing to bear all the responsibilities and all the guilt. Your Highness can even kill me, but your Highness must listen to my words no matter what and immediately pardon those ministers." Li Hong knelt down and begged.

"You asked me to kill you..." The eldest princess pointed at Li Hong, distraught, "Can I kill you? Can I kill you? All of this is because of you, all because of you...you now You actually want me to kill you..." The eldest princess stood up abruptly, covering her face and weeping bitterly, while running towards the back tent.

The heart-piercing cry of the eldest princess pierced Li Hong's heart like a sharp knife.Li Hong trembled all over, and could no longer control his emotions. He turned over and got up, rushed up in two or three steps, and grabbed the princess's arm, "Your Highness..."

The eldest princess struggled to leave.

"Your Highness, this is impossible, absolutely impossible." Li Hong said sharply, "Now, it is even more impossible."

The eldest princess stopped, turned around suddenly and looked at him, crying like a tearful person, "It's all you, it can't be all caused by you."

Li Hong closed his eyes, showing no face.

"I didn't do it on purpose, I really didn't do it on purpose, I'm afraid they will kill you, I'm afraid that after they kill you, I'll never see you again." The eldest princess cried out in a hoarse voice, "I just want to see you every day..."

Tears welled up in Li Hong's eyes in an instant, "Your Highness, why are you bothering..." Li Hong pulled the eldest princess into his arms and hugged her tightly, "I don't blame you, it's all my fault, it's all my fault."

"I don't want your gift, I just want to see you." The eldest princess hugged Li Hong, crying loudly, "Why don't you come to see me when you go to the desert? Why?"

"You don't want me, and little Donghou is forcing me to marry every day, what do you want me to do? Little Donghou is going to die, I'm all alone, what am I doing alive?"

"Your Highness, don't blame yourself too much. What happened to His Majesty was an accident, it was God's will." Li Hong lifted the princess's face from his arms, stared into her eyes and said lovingly, "If Your Majesty is gone, ZTE's great cause will be destroyed." With your support alone, if something happens to you, what will happen to Dahan Sheji? What will happen to the tens of thousands of homeless people? Don’t you want them all?”

"Little Donghou was killed by me, I killed..."

=

The eldest princess kept crying, crying loudly, as if she wanted to cry out all the grievances and pains of this year.Li Hong continued to comfort him.

Tired of crying, the eldest princess curled up in Li Hong's arms and fell into a deep sleep.Li Hong hugged the eldest princess and sat on the table until dawn.

Right General Zhang Yan and Chang Shi Liu Fang stood outside the big tent until dawn.

Liu Fang looked at the morning glow in the sky, and suddenly asked in a low voice: "Is it possible?"

Zhang Yan was silent for a long time, "Have you seen the rising sun? Although we can't see it now, the rising sun is right under the mountain. As long as we are patient enough, we can see the sunrise."

=

Jinyang City spent an anxious night.

Zhao Qi, Liu He and other ministers walked around the Tingwei Mansion, the more they waited, the less confident they became.Zhang Wen, Lu Bu and others sat in the cold cell, feeling as cold and lonely as this early winter morning.Chunyu Jia, Zhong Yao and others wandered around in the cell, the longer they waited to die, the more frightened they became.

The fast horse galloped back, but the result was still the same.There was no news from the Longquan camp, and the messenger was blocked outside the gate.

"Can the general do it?" Liu He looked up at the sky, as if talking to himself, or asking Zhao Qi.Zhao Qi ignored it, lowered his head, and lingered.

=

Li Hong was so tired that he fell asleep in a daze.The footsteps of guards on duty outside the tent woke Li Hong awake.

The beautiful woman in her arms also woke up, her eyes were sleepy, her face was flushed, and she looked very attractive.Li Hong smiled slightly, "Are you feeling better?"

The eldest princess looked ashamed, and hugged Li Hong's waist with both hands, and her delicate body curled up even more.

"Your Highness, do you still remember eight years ago, when you went to Yunzhong Camp?" Li Hong whispered, "It was also winter, and your hands and face were flushed with cold, and you often cried because you missed the late emperor, and sometimes you even had nightmares at night. It was very difficult for us during that time, but we gritted our teeth and survived. Compared with then, our conditions are much better now, and I believe that no matter how difficult it is, we can survive it.”

"I can get through it."

The eldest princess nodded slightly in Li Hong's arms, "But you have to promise me one thing."

Li Hong hesitated for a moment.Some things can't be agreed to casually.

"You are a great general, but you are pitifully timid." The eldest princess looked up at him and said very solemnly, "It's a small matter, but you must promise me."

Li Hong said cautiously: "Your Highness, let's talk first."

"You moved to Jinyang City with me." The eldest princess stretched out her hand to touch Li Hong's long hair and whispered, "You let your hair loose because of your oath, but you can't live in the barracks because of your oath. I am alone , I don’t ask for anything, I just want to see you often.”

=

At noon, Li Hong and Zhang Yan accompanied the eldest princess into Jinyang City and went straight to Tingwei's Mansion.

Zhao Qi, Liu He and other ministers had received the news in advance, and all the criminals were taken to the square outside the prison, and all the files of the Jinyang rebellion case were piled up in the center of the square.

In people's anticipation, the eldest princess finally appeared.The eldest princess is dressed in a white robe with a long sword hanging from her waist. With her peerless appearance, she looks noble and heroic.

All the ministers worship together.Liu Fang read out the imperial decree, and the court believed that the case of Jinyang's rebellion had been investigated and the treason involved had been punished.The former Da Situ Zhang Wen, the former Da Sikong Yang Biao and other ministers have been dismissed from their posts. They will no longer be held accountable, and they will go home.Ting Wei Zhang Miao, Shaofu Linghu Shao, Da Honglu Guo Yun, Sili Xiaowei Lu Bu and more than [-] officials, big and small, were reinstated.The original censor Zhongcheng Zhongyou, Shangshu Pushe Jiaxu and others went home to recuperate temporarily, waiting for the appointment of the imperial court.The rest of those involved will be pardoned.

The ministers were grateful and knelt down to thank God.

Then the eldest princess stood up and scolded the ministers.

The reason why the trial of Jinyang's treason case got out of control and the reason why the court ministers were so involved is not because of the court, nor because of the Prince's Mansion, but because of yourselves.

Since Fude framed Lu Bu, the ministers of the court and the central government took advantage of the conflicts between each other and the Jinyang rebellion case to wantonly frame and attack each other. This also includes some generals of the court and the central government. It is precisely because you ministers have bad intentions and greed for power , lest the world will not be chaotic, which led to the continuous intensification of the crisis in Jinyang.

"Today, I will burn your confessions. I hope that with this fire, the enmity between you will be wiped out." The eldest princess looked around at the ministers, slowly drew out her long sword, and cut off the case in front of her with one sword. Ji, "If in the future I find that any minister takes advantage of this incident to deliberately attack and retaliate against the other party, I will settle the old score and the new one, and kill his nine clans. I will never tolerate it."

General Li Hong personally lit the scroll in the center of the square.

The fire was blazing, and the ministers let out a long breath. The bloody wind in Jinyang finally stopped on the second day after the general returned.

=

December of the first year of Jian'an (AD 196) of the Han Dynasty.

On the second day of December, the Son of Heaven died.

=

(End of this chapter)