Chapter 110: Liu Chan Passes Away, the Nine Provinces Tremble (Begging for Monthly Tickets)

—The deposed Crown Prince.

Upon hearing of this matter, the assembled ministers of the court all remarkably said nothing further.

This was truly rare!

In truth, ending up in such a fate could hardly be blamed on others.

The current political ecology of Great Han had already become entirely different from that of the Former and Later Han.

Although Liu Chan was still Emperor and still held real power in his hands, the more detailed authority was almost entirely in the ministers' grasp.

This too was related to Liu Chan's temperament.

Liu Xuan, this Crown Prince, had never had the chance to establish his own foundation.

This was a result brought about by Great Han's current political ecology.

Liu Chan had still softened his heart.

After all, it was his own son, and the Crown Prince's position had already been stripped — he did not go after Liu Xuan for his great crimes.

But such a thing was doomed to be in vain.

Liu Chen was no soft-hearted character, and Gu Yi would absolutely not tolerate any risk arising within Great Han.

When it concerned imperial authority—

Liu Xuan's ending had clearly long been sealed.

Even if Liu Chan could still shield him now, the moment Liu Chan passed away, his fate would already be utterly sealed.

The tenth month;

Liu Chan formally issued an edict, appointing Liu Chen as Crown Prince.

And Liu Chan seemed to have changed as well.

He was as if he had become a different person, no longer the one who indulged in pleasure as before.

Although he still did not interfere in court affairs.

He had also begun to pay attention to the various political matters in court, and moreover had come to emphasize Liu Chen's education, striving to build a foundation for Liu Chen.

This great upheaval had truly caused Liu Chan to begin to wake up.

No matter what

He absolutely could not allow Great Han to encounter problems in his own hands.

Luoyang.

Regarding this matter, Gu Yi did not intend to let the Gu clan take part in it.

Letting Liu Chen be Crown Prince, he was still fairly at ease.

Setting everything else aside, at the very least, given Liu Chen's temperament, when facing external threats, he could absolutely suppress everything within the court.

And Zhang Hua, Zhong Hui, and others were his best aids.

He had no need to let the Gu clan take part in it further.

This was a notion Gu Yi had long since held!

—The Gu clan needs to transform!

This was also one of the reasons he restricted the Gu clan's younger members.

The Gu clan was currently bound too deeply to the Great Han imperial house!

This could indeed allow the Gu clan to continue flourishing within the Han court, but it equally represented a risk.

There is no dynasty that lasts forever.

The Gu clan needed to shift its binding with the Great Han imperial house onto all of the Nine Provinces.

This was also one of the paths most suited to the Gu clan's current development.

The efforts of several generations had already given the Gu clan an astonishing foundation throughout the Nine Provinces.

What Gu Yi now wanted was to reinforce all of this.

To make the common folk throughout the Nine Provinces sincerely believe one thing from the bottom of their hearts.

Namely, that whenever a member of the Gu clan appeared at the core of the court.

The whole realm would welcome a flourishing age.

Completely severing the Gu clan's binding to any single dynasty, and instead binding it to the rise and fall of the entire Nine Provinces.

This was absolutely one of the Gu clan's main directions for future development.

Of course, this matter was destined to be immensely difficult.

It would take generations of effort to thoroughly walk this path through to completion.

The good news was that the Gu clan currently already had an excellent opening.

Gu Chen's emergence had already thoroughly allowed the Gu clan, at its root, to shed the appearance of being ministers of a single dynasty.

Although this realm would not now see a second "Ten Directions Conquest Commissioner," the Gu clan had in fact already thoroughly shed the limitations of official position.

Take the present Gu Ye, for instance.

Clearly not the Chancellor, yet his influence throughout the entire court exceeded that of the Chancellor.

This was the fundamental difference between the Gu clan and other families.

The upheaval in the court did not cause much impact on Great Han's populace.

The imperial examinations proceeded as usual.

Compared to previous examinations, this one clearly had noticeably more scholars in the arithmetic subject.

After all, as early as the previous imperial examination.

Gu Yi had already determined that arithmetic would be directly incorporated into the imperial examination subjects.

But this time, the results of the arithmetic scholars were still very poor.

Unlike the Confucian classics.

Arithmetic requires innovation; Gu Yi could not fit everything into the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art.

This time, the examination question he devised addressed current affairs.

He asked the students to use arithmetic to improve existing land planning issues.

The candidates' poor performance was understandable.

But Gu Yi remained calm; science and technology require certain talent, and as long as efforts continue, suitable talents will inevitably emerge.

At that time, the entire Nine Provinces would undergo a radical transformation.

He had already changed much.

The rest.

Only needed time to slowly ferment.

What truly concerned Gu Yi, however, were the barbarians of the four directions.

Warfare had become increasingly frequent.

After decades of normal weather, the lands inhabited by the four-directional barbarians finally suffered natural disasters.

Already suffering from severely inadequate productivity, the four-directional barbarians faced these sudden disasters with even greater despair than Han.

They could only launch attacks against Han.

Hoping to plunder Han to alleviate their crisis.

This offensive was utterly different from before; when facing life and death, human resolve only grew stronger, unleashing far greater combat power.

Fortunately, Gu Yi had long been preparing for this.

Facing these tribal attacks and rebellions, Han's frontier troops would not be caught off guard.

But even so—

In the eighteenth year of Yanxi, eighth month.

Han's frontier troops suffered their first defeat.

Faced with the increasingly frenzied Western Xianbei and Wuhuan, the situation finally took a dramatic turn.

Lu Kang was still fine.

His calm and patient temperament served him well in defense.

He made no major mistakes and held back the enemy's advances.

But Wen Qin was different.

Faced with the Western Xianbei's sustained assaults, he was finally enraged, fell for the enemy's decoy tactic, suffered a crushing defeat, and died on the battlefield.

——The situation changed instantly!

The previously tranquil world erupted into turmoil.

Upon hearing this news,

the common people instinctively thought it was a fantasy.

How could Han's army lose to barbarians?

Years of strength had caused too many to lose their former sense of reverence.

Not just the people of other prefectures and provinces across the realm,

even the people of Youzhou had fundamentally changed their attitude toward the barbarians.

But the matter did not end there.

Faced with frequent natural disasters, the Xiongnu, Qiang, and other barbarians gradually developed rebellious intentions.

Yet they differed from the Western Xianbei and Wuhuan.

First, they made demands upon Han, requesting Han's aid to overcome this disaster.

In short, they wanted improved treatment.

They needed land and grain.

Continuous disasters had finally shattered the decades-long balance.

Such demands were no different from a declaration of war against Han.

Whether the court ministers or the Han people, none could possibly accept these demands.

After all, when Han suffered natural disasters, these barbarians had offered no aid.

And—

How long had it been since Han had just endured its own disaster?

Though Gu Yi had again reformed agricultural tools, greatly increasing Han's productivity,

Han's fundamental weakness remained its population decline!

Moreover, further improving the treatment of the barbarians would surely turn Han's people toward them.

This was the Burden Carried that Han could not bear!

Although among these barbarians, some tribes were more sympathetic to Han,

they remained a minority.

Under the tide of the times—

This war, though delayed, had come!

Gu Yi had intended to leave Luoyang immediately for Youzhou.

But perhaps it was fate.

Liu Shan's health, under these circumstances, had once again deteriorated.

This further unsettled a court already growing restless.

Problems have arisen again.

Under these circumstances, Gu Yi could not leave Luoyang.

With no other choice, he could only send Wen Yang to Youzhou first to stabilize the current situation there.

Liu Chan's body had indeed developed problems.

Reality is often like this.

——People often lose something when they gain something else.

This may be the fundamental reason why Liu Chan has become this way.

Although he has avoided the anxieties caused by the various factions in the original history.

But compared to the original history, Liu Chan has become more indulgent in pleasure.

His weight far exceeds that of an ordinary person.

Even by modern standards, his weight is unhealthy.

Under these conditions, his body developing problems is entirely understandable.

But for the current Han Empire, this is certainly not good news.

Beigong.

The entire Beigong was filled with an oppressive atmosphere.

Gu Ye, Zhang Hua, Liu Chen, and others stood inside the hall, staring at Liu Chan on the bed, each face heavy with worry.

When the imperial physician finished examining Liu Chan's body and slowly walked out.

Liu Chen hurried forward and asked urgently: "Mr. How is His Majesty's health?"

"Your Highness."

The imperial physician did not hesitate a moment; he immediately knelt down, his face filled with sorrow: "His Majesty's pulse is weak—he may not last until dawn."

In an instant, Liu Chen's body trembled violently.

He instinctively grabbed the physician's arm, begging him to save Liu Chan.

But what could the physicians do in such a situation?

Liu Chan was no longer young.

His age and body had reached their limits.

Gu Yi's expression was also grim—he had never anticipated such a turn of events.

But faced with reality, he could only accept it.

Without the slightest hesitation.

Gu Yi immediately directed Gu Ye to look at Zhang Hua and said seriously: "Maoxian, summon the ministers at once."

Zhang Hua's expression was equally grave.

He first glanced at Liu Chen, then nodded and walked out.

When the ministers were summoned by Zhang Hua to the Beigong, everyone immediately guessed what had happened, their faces instantly clouded with deep sorrow.

No one wished for Liu Chan to suffer!

Throughout history, Liu Chan could be said to be the most tolerant emperor toward his ministers.

Serving under him brought no pressure whatsoever.

Such a ruler was something no one dared dream of.

But now…

This benevolent Son of Heaven was about to pass away.

How could they not grieve?

Tears continuously slipped from Liu Chen's eyes; he still begged the physicians to save Liu Chan, but the answer remained the same.

No matter how unwilling he was to accept it, he had no choice but to face this reality.

Time passed slowly.

It was nearly dawn.

At that moment, Liu Chan finally woke up; the moment he opened his eyes, he saw Liu Chen and Gu Ye standing before him.

Seeing the heavy sorrow on their faces, Liu Chan paused slightly, then understood his condition instantly—and unexpectedly let out a faint laugh, asking:

"I suppose my time is near?"

"Father!" Liu Chen's face was filled with grief, his voice trembling with sobs. "I'll summon the physicians at once—Your Majesty's blessings are boundless, you will surely recover and live ten thousand years!"

Saying this, he turned to shout for the physicians.

But Liu Chan raised his hand and gently stopped him; though his voice was weak, it carried undeniable certainty: "No need. I know my own body better than anyone."

At this moment, his expression was utterly serene.

In truth, Liu Chan had always feared death; he never imagined that when facing this moment of life and death, he could be so calm.

Liu Chen froze, his eyes brimming with reluctance and sorrow, then fell to his knees with a thud.

"Zhaode…" Liu Chan ignored the kneeling Liu Chen and gestured to Gu Ye, signaling him to summon the ministers.

Gu Ye's eyes were red, his face heavy with grief as he hurried out.

Not long after, the ministers entered one by one, each face shrouded in profound sorrow.

Liu Chan silently scanned the crowd; once all had knelt, he spoke slowly, his voice weak yet clear to every ear in the silent hall:

"Throughout my life, I never had great ambitions."

"At first, I didn't even dream of becoming Emperor—I only wished to live out my days in peace."

"Yet here I am, having come this far."

Hearing this, the sorrow among them deepened further.

This was Liu Shan's unique charm!

He had no need to act deliberately. Simply sitting upon the dragon throne, he was the ideal image of a sovereign in the hearts of all his ministers.

Liu Shan's face was calm. A trace of reminiscence flashed through his eyes, as if retracing the various stages of his life.

Suddenly, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly into a faint smile, then in an instant his brow furrowed gently, a look of pain surfacing.

Tears slipped down silently. He looked once more at the crowd, his voice carrying endless emotion and self-reproach: "I have failed the earnest hopes of the late Emperor and the Grand Preceptor."

"For years I have accomplished nothing, knowing only to indulge in pleasure. I truly have no face to meet the late Emperor and the Grand Preceptor in the netherworld."

"I dare not hope that future generations will leave behind a fine reputation for me either…"

"I only hope that all of you, my beloved ministers, can assist the Crown Prince and continue to safeguard the rivers and mountains of our great Han."

As he spoke, Liu Shan slowly turned his gaze toward Gu Ye: "Zhaode…"

"I still remember to this day, before the late Emperor passed away, how he waited with all his heart for the Grand Preceptor to arrive."

"The late Emperor knew well my talents… he kept holding on with his last breath, until he saw the Grand Preceptor, and only then departed in peace."

"I have been muddled my whole life. At the moment of death, I must not be muddled again."

"Now the realm is in turmoil. If the Crown Prince is unable to bear the great responsibility…"

Liu Shan's gaze swept toward Liu Chen, his tone growing ever more Serious: "Zhaode, you may choose another worthy man and enthrone him!"

For a moment, the hall was utterly silent.

It was as if even the air had frozen solid.

—Complete, absolute deathly stillness!

At this moment, it was as if that scene from years past had reappeared!

Liu Bei had once entrusted Liu Shan to Gu Chen.

And now, Liu Shan once again entrusted Liu Chen to Gu Ye.

But the meaning between the two was entirely different.

Gu Chen's merits and achievements could not be obscured by anyone; even Liu Bei the Emperor himself could not compare to Gu Chen.

But Gu Ye was ultimately different.

This kind of trust even surpassed the entrusting of an orphan.

Yet the ministers all somehow felt it was incomparably fitting.

This was exactly in keeping with Liu Shan's character!

Gu Yi said nothing more, merely letting Gu Ye kneel deeply toward Liu Shan in a solemn bow.

And Liu Chen, from beginning to end, never said a word either.

The sorrowful atmosphere within the hall grew ever thicker.

After finishing this matter, Liu Shan seemed to have untied some knot within his heart, and began reminiscing once more.

He sighed over his own good fortune;

He recalled the ministers who had departed from him one after another over the years.

Time flowed slowly past.

His voice grew ever weaker.

As the first ray of sunlight pierced the horizon and shone into the hall—

Liu Shan's words suddenly paused—

He actually sat up abruptly, staring straight at the sunlight before him, as if seeing something, and spoke with agitation:

"Grand Preceptor, have you come to fetch me?"

Liu Shan's tears fell like rain.

Just like a child seeing an adult who could put his heart at ease, without the slightest dignity of an Emperor.

He was still saying something.

But his voice was truly too soft, completely drowned out by the waves of weeping within the hall.

—The sunlight grew ever more dazzling.

At the instant that ray of sunlight fully illuminated his body—

His entire person suddenly collapsed back down. His breathing gradually ceased, and his expression lingered at that moment brimming with a smile.

"Father!!!"

"Your Majesty!!!"

Liu Chen and Gu Ye both cried out almost simultaneously.

And this wave of weeping—

Also reached its absolute peak in that very instant.

In the eighteenth year of Yanxi, on the Wuxu day of the third month;

—Liu Shan passed away at the Beigong of Luoyang, at the age of sixty-five.

His posthumous title was Ren;

He was Emperor Xiaoren of the great Han.

Crown Prince Liu Chen ascended the throne, changing the era name to "Qianji."

This was destined to be an event significant enough to affect the entire great Han.

Liu Shan, this man—

Although he had little presence in the formulation of the great Han's various institutions, his one and only virtue was that he listened to advice.

Over these years, he had still done quite a few good deeds for the common people.

This was also one of the conventions left behind by successive former sovereigns of the great Han, and Liu Shan naturally would abide by it.

For the common people—

Liu Shan was undoubtedly a wise ruler.

After all, he had never once harmed the people.

When news of Liu Shan's death reached the realm, the grief it stirred was no less than that caused by any wise ruler of the old Han.

—The entire nation mourned!

This refers to the present-day Han.

This situation severely impacted border warfare.

It was not Youzhou.

The situation in Youzhou had changed completely.

Wen Yang's ferocity surpassed everyone's expectations, especially given his father's murder—he pushed his combat prowess to its absolute limit.

He had just arrived in Youzhou.

He immediately reversed the situation there, driving the Western Xianbei forces that had invaded Youzhou back out.

The main impact of this matter lay in the circumstances of the Xiongnu and Qiang.

They had previously harbored some reservations toward the Han and, facing its firm stance, had not chosen outright rebellion.

—But now it was different.

Liu Shan died at this critical moment.

Not only did it affect the Han, but it also emboldened these peoples.

When someone suggested this was Heaven's punishment upon the Han—

This war was finally fully unleashed!

In the eighteenth year of Yanxi, the seventh month;

The Xiongnu and Qiang launched successive attacks against the Han; the empire's mourning had not yet ended when war erupted again.

The situation instantly grew dire.

Under these circumstances, the coronation ceremony could only be hastily arranged.

Liu Chen must ascend the throne swiftly to stabilize public sentiment.

Gu Yi's arrangements for Liu Chen were perfectly sound.

The coronation was held beside the Luo River.

Even though this so-called ceremony was far more modest, its impact on the people would far surpass those of the past!

Immediately upon ascending the throne, Liu Chen displayed a character entirely different from Liu Shan's.

He would not be a figurehead emperor like Liu Shan.

—He was a true emperor!

Yet Liu Chen differed from Liu Xuan's arrogance—he listened to his ministers' advice and was never dismissive.

He did not even conduct large-scale personnel reshuffles.

This was Liu Chen's extraordinary quality.

He had perfectly inherited the strengths of both Liu Bei and Liu Shan.

To his highly capable ministers, he granted great trust and made no changes to the Han's current institutions.

Simultaneously, he followed his ministers' advice and showed benevolence to the people.

He granted civilian titles in Luoyang and its surrounding regions in succession.

Under these conditions, the entire Han's situation stabilized rapidly.

The gloom brought by Liu Shan's death—

Finally began to recede.

And Liu Chen, just as Gu Yi had anticipated, acted immediately after stabilizing the situation to eliminate Liu Xuan.

But this matter was truly trivial.

No one cared at all.

Even Gu Yi did not care about this small matter.

To him—

From the moment the situation began to stabilize, he had already planned to leave Luoyang.

Beigong.

Liu Chen looked at the memorial in his hand, a flicker of reluctance crossing his face.

"Marquis Zhaolie, is your resolve truly firm?"

He looked toward Gu Ye before him.

In truth, Liu Chen wished to lead the campaign himself, but the moment he inherited the throne, he could no longer act on whim.

"Your Majesty, do you still remember the question I once asked you?"

Gu Yi, without hesitation, had Gu Ye speak.

At these words, Liu Chen froze.

Then he realized, his face instantly filled with surprise: "Marquis Zhaolie anticipated this day long ago?"

"Indeed."

This time, Gu Yi did not deny it; he simply nodded and said: "I trust my grandfather's judgment."

Liu Chen nodded slightly, sighing: "Marquis Zhaolie was truly a man unmatched through the ages."

He sighed again: "Alas—I am now the Son of Heaven, unable to march alongside Marquis Zhaolie to subdue the rebellious."

"Marquis Zhaolie."

"Although you and I are named ruler and minister, in truth we are not."

"In years past, Emperor Zhaowu spoke words that came first."

"On the cauldron of my Liu clan, the name of the Gu clan shall be inscribed."

"I still remember that oath."

Liu Chen's expression grew ever more solemn; he slowly rose and walked before Gu Ye: "Although I cannot march together with Zhaode."

"But I still have those same words."

"Those who offend my mighty Han, no matter how far, shall be slain!"

"Zhaode need only campaign and fight; I will never let any problem arise within the court!"

——————

"In the eighteenth year of Yanxi, third month, on the day Wuxu, the Emperor perished at the Beigong of Luoyang.

The Emperor's personal name was Chan. He inherited the great lineage for more than forty years, never once taking up arms himself to campaign against the unsubmissive, yet he was able to entrust all the reins of state to worthy ministers, ruling with folded robes at ease.

All governance, decrees, punishments, and rewards were wholly given over to his chief ministers, so that within the seas all was peaceful, and the common folk lived in security.

The common people looked up to his virtuous transformation, all calling him a benevolent lord.

When he perished, Luoyang ceased its markets and wept in the lanes; the elders of the capital region made distant sacrifices along the roads.

The ritual officials deliberated on a posthumous name: 'filial' for being gentle in nature and compassionate to the people, 'benevolent' for being kind and loving and forgetting his own toil — thus he was given the posthumous title Emperor Xiaoren, and was buried at Huiling."

— *Book of Yanhan, Annals of Emperor Xiaoren*

(End of this chapter)