Chapter 462: To Die for Purity, Upholding Integrity

Liu Yu did not die immediately, because the arrow that struck his chest had clearly been loosed with restraint — the archer had not used full strength, the shot was far off center, and it certainly could not have been a poisoned arrow.

In fact, from the moment the physician arrived to administer emergency treatment, through the successful extraction of the arrowhead, and all the way until he was carried home, Liu Yu remained lucid the entire day.

He calmed the host of ministers and high officials who were like men who had lost their pillar, while also demanding that Han Rui and the others exercise restraint; at the same time, he sternly urged Guan Jing to make certain Gongsun Zan was reined in and not permitted to kill arbitrarily or indiscriminately, and he sent men to find Zhong Yao, Zhong Yuanchang, who at that moment should have been escorting military provisions... Even when the ministers were about to take their leave, he did not forget to instruct Huang Wan to write a letter on his behalf to his eldest son Liu He in Liaoxi, telling the latter not to worry; and after the ministers had gone, he still did not forget to comfort his concubine, who had already wept herself into a figure of tears.

Given that wounds are less prone to infection in winter, at this moment nearly everyone believed that Liu Boan should be able to pull through.

But everyone overlooked one small matter — that Liu Yu had been coughing incessantly the entire winter. This minor ailment, when it collided with the arrow wound in his chest, produced a staggeringly adverse effect: the intermittent coughing made it difficult for the wound to heal, and the searing pain from the wound constantly tearing open severely undermined his body's own resistance.

Within a mere two or three days, the condition of this Grand Commandant overseeing the Secretariat, this imperial clansman and entrusted regent, began to deteriorate violently — fever, the wound red and swollen, and finally the injury spread to the lungs, which were inevitably wrenched with every cough. He began to cough up blood, and from time to time his face would spasm...

At this, everyone with battlefield experience fell silent or became terrified.

It must be understood that in the past six years, such a sight had become rare for those long resident in Chang'an, but earlier than that, this was something all too familiar to everyone, and in their hearts they knew full well what it signified.

"Do not listen to the words of women." After a violent fit of coughing and an almost visibly tearing agony, Liu Yu, reclining against the couch, finally regained his senses, and his speech became coherent again — yet the first thing he brought up was this. "I heard everything just now... This matter is utterly absurd! Consider that I, as a regent minister, failed to discover the ins and outs of this affair early on and let it dissolve into nothing — I am already deeply ashamed. How then could I, for the sake of myself alone, cause the whole of Chang'an to stop using coal? It has just snowed; if we forbid burning coal, would that not freeze people to death? This is not saving me — this is damaging what little virtue I have left."

Hearing these words, Liu Yu's already grief-stricken concubine could only continue to wipe away her tears. Huang Wan, standing at the very front, could not contain his emotion and could only nod. Behind him, Zhao Qian, Shi Sunrui, Zhong Shao, Ma Midi, and Gongsun Zan, whose expression was exceedingly grim, were all speechless.

As for the rest — including Zhao Ping, Feng Fang, Zhang Fan, Han Xuan, Fu Gan, She Jian, Jin Xuan, Zhang Chang, Chunyu Jia, and others — they could only wait in the outer room, straining their ears to listen.

"There are several matters, some public, some private. While the key figures of Chang'an and the few personal friends I have are all here, I must ask you to record them for me..." Halfway through, Liu Yu began coughing uncontrollably, his expression one of extreme agony, yet those around him were utterly helpless. Even his concubine could only, with tears in her eyes, do her best to wipe his face.

And when at last he finished coughing, the assembled men grew all the more solemn, for everyone knew that Liu Boan was about to deliver his final words.

On the other side of a wall, Zhang Chang, hailed as a second-rank Sage, personally spread out paper and readied his brush, preparing to record.

"The first matter... My death is due to old age and failing health — what is called the Mandate of Heaven — and not solely caused by the arrow wound... Do not blame Palace Attendant Yang."

But no sooner had these words been spoken than Huang Wan and Zhao Qian instantly glared with fury, Zhong Shao, Shi Sunrui, and Ma Midi were seized by great sorrow, and Gongsun Zan gave a cold sneer. Even Zhang Chang, recording in the next room, indignantly tore off the sheet of official paper on which he had written half a sentence, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it aside.

Yet after only a moment, with a sigh, Zhang Chang lowered his head and once again recorded those words.

To put it plainly, Liu Yu was not exonerating Yang Qi — he was exonerating the Son of Heaven.

No one here was a fool. In ancient times, when Duke Ling of Jin sought to kill Zhao Dun, Zhao Dun fled, and his younger brother Zhao Chuan led troops to kill Duke Ling of Jin — how did the historians record it in the end? Was it not "Zhao Dun murdered his lord"?

In political events, the responsible party can only be the political leader of a certain faction, not some individual executor — this principle was known to the Chinese a thousand years ago.

By the same logic, conversely, if the Son of Heaven were to die within the Three Adjuncts, then it would be Gongsun Xun who murdered his sovereign. Whether killed by bandits, assassinated by Cao Cao's agents, or frozen or starved to death on the road — it would still be Gongsun Xun who murdered his sovereign, because everyone under Heaven knows exactly what is going on!

And Liu Yu's words were merely an attempt to stop Gongsun Xun's mouth as much as possible, to prevent the latter from exploiting his death to excess. Of course, it also counted as fulfilling the final loyalty of a Han loyal minister.

"Another matter..." Liu Yu leaned sideways on the couch, his gaze passing over Huang Wan and the others to fix upon Gongsun Zan. "This affair is of immense consequence. You must wait for the General of the Guard to return — at the very least, wait until the Palace Assistant Secretary (Zhong Yao) returns before taking any action. Under no circumstances may you kill anyone on your own authority."

The veins on Gongsun Zan's forehead bulged, but he kept his mouth shut and did not respond.

Huang Wan, Zhao Qian, Shi Sunrui, and the others, however, all nodded in agreement, and most of the ministers in the next room also voiced their assent.

Left with no choice, Gongsun Zan could only force a dry laugh and nod: "I shall heed the Grand Commandant's words."

"There is one more matter, specifically a warning for Brother Ziyan." Liu Yu's body could barely hold out. Seeing Gongsun Zan nod, he let the matter drop and turned to his close friend Huang Wan at his side, speaking with utter sincerity. "After Brother Ziyan made his journey to Jingzhou and Yizhou, he returned full of scorn for Liu Yan and Liu Biao. In truth, I have never agreed, but I feared Brother Ziyan's temperament and dared not speak plainly. Today, I make bold to offer this counsel..."

"Speak."

"In former days, the General of the Guard spoke an excellent maxim by the Wei River... 'An able minister in times of order becomes a villain in times of chaos; a villain in times of chaos becomes an able minister in times of order.'" Liu Yu urged with great effort. "Liu Jingsheng and Liu Junlang are indeed detestable, but if we were in their position, I fear we might not do any better than they. Were they residing in Chang'an, they would likely curse us for betraying the grace of Han... The circumstances of the age are external to us — what can mere human strength do? Today's loyal minister is tomorrow's usurper; it is all the work of the times. Why be so harsh on others?"

Huang Wan had been about to retort that in judging affairs of the world, one judges by deeds, not by heart — but catching sight of the hopeful look in the other's eyes, he suddenly understood. Where was Liu Boan defending Liu Biao and Liu Yan? He was clearly defending himself. At this final hour, this Grand Commandant of the reigning court felt only that he had not been competent enough, that he had been unable to prevent what had happened before, and so his heart was heavy with shame, and he instinctively used this to plead his own case.

At this thought, Huang Ziyan nearly blurted out, asking the other what he had to be ashamed of when he was about to give his life for the House of Han. But the words reached his lips and he forcibly swallowed them, and could only nod slightly.

Liu Yu set his mind at ease and continued: "As for other matters, I have thought much these past few days, but after all the thinking, I find it all useless. Matters of the past — I, as Grand Commandant, could not handle them properly. Matters of the future — the more I say, the less it will avail. I leave them to you gentlemen to discuss together with the General of the Guard."

On the other side of the wall, among the ministers and high officials, several men visibly seemed about to speak but then held back.

"As for private affairs, there is really only one thing to mention." Liu Yu glanced toward his beloved concubine standing at the head of the bed and gave a bitter smile. "My wife died early; only this concubine, A-Mei, has constantly been at my side. I should long ago have raised her to be my wife, but my sole legitimate son, Liu He, because of his deep attachment to his birth mother, was often at odds over this, and so it was delayed... After I die, I ask you, Ziyan, and the few of you to be sure to look after A-Mei. When my son comes for the funeral, if you can persuade him, then let him serve her as his mother. If you cannot, then you must be sure to find a good family for A-Mei to marry into, with the dowry coming from my estate."

Hearing this, the assembled men grew all the more despondent. The concubine called A-Mei also could not stop her tears, while Huang Wan, Shi Sunrui, Zhao Qian, and the others all immediately gave their word.

Liu Yu knew that these men's promises were worth a thousand in gold, and he immediately relaxed considerably. He then spoke slowly once more: "One more word, which I ask you gentlemen to convey on my behalf to my son Liu He... I have heard that two years ago, before Master Lu Ziqian died, he made a point of having the General of the Guard pass on a message to his son, saying: 'Do not commit an evil act because it is small; do not neglect a good act because it is small.' I deeply concur with this and am filled with admiration. But today, I especially wish to add one more line... Do not forget integrity when times are desperate; do not let your nature run wild when power rises... The moment one gains a slight advantage, one cannot resist indulging in pleasure; the moment one falls into hardship, one thinks only of shrinking back and handling matters vaguely. To act thus — the result is that Master Lu Ziqian died without shame, and his son can emulate him in the future; but I, Liu Yu, can only hold myself up as a cautionary example, telling my son not to repeat my mistakes... This, I suppose, is the difference between a worthy man, a great Confucian, and a common fellow like myself?"

In both the inner and outer chambers of the rear quarters, all was silent save for the sound of Zhang Chang's brush flying across the paper.

"That is all." Having spoken these last words, Liu Yu collapsed upon the couch as if his final breath had been drawn out of him. "I entreat you gentlemen to be sure to record them for me."

The assembled men were just about to assent when they saw him once again seized by fit after fit of coughing, his suffering unbearable. Many could not bear the sight and took their leave. Only Huang Wan stayed a while longer, having Zhang Chang transcribe two copies of what Liu Yu had just said, and offering a few words of comfort to A-Mei, who had long since wept past the point of hearing anything, before he too turned and departed.

A day passed without words.

The next morning, the wind and snow had ceased. Within the Chang'an county office, the previously sensational Chang'an Magistrate Han Rui had long since resumed his normal demeanor — he was now pressing the several county commandants under him on the matter of clearing the accumulated snow.

"This county knows the difficulty... Who told Chang'an's main streets to be so wide? Who told Chang'an to have so many palaces and government offices? Who told this place not to be like other small counties and towns, where each household simply clears the snow in front of its own door?" Han Rui's face was full of mockery, his sneer unmistakable. "But conversely, why is it that under Heaven, only Chang'an and Yecheng have four county commandants? Why is it that only these two counties have so many county clerks?"

"It is mainly the cold; the men below are suffering hardship," one county commandant protested helplessly. "On top of that, people's hearts are unsettled..."

"Cold? When it's cold, you should work all the harder! When people's hearts are unsettled, you should all the more settle down and get things done!" Han Rui's sneer grew even more pronounced. "Let me tell you... Do you believe it or not? Take ten days' worth of the extra salaries that you lot of county clerks — more than any other county has — convert it into millet, and cook porridge on the North Watchtower Avenue. Sweep snow in exchange for porridge — those people who can't wait to save their families a meal's expense in winter will surely sweep those four horizontal and three vertical, seven great avenues of Chang'an spotless for me! And they won't complain to me about the cold, and they won't tell me their hearts are unsettled..."

The four county commandants were too frightened to make a sound.

After a moment, one of them suddenly spoke as if struck by a thought: "Magistrate, your subordinate just recalled — there was a surplus batch of coal left over in the county office, stored at the relay station outside the western wall. In winter, this is hard currency. If I were to find a merchant in the western market to buy up the bulk of it, exchange it for some millet, and then cook porridge at the crossroads, would that not be exactly as the Magistrate said — easily clearing the streets of the city?"

Han Rui asked with a sardonic smile: "In that case, what are the four of you still doing here?"

The four county commandants, as if granted a great reprieve, hastily turned and left.

As for the county magistrate's voice that came from behind them again, saying things like "Though it's freezing cold, the Son of Heaven and his two beauties don't seem to mind — who knows, they might be out in the wilds suffering the cold right now — yet a bunch of county clerks put on airs," they had all the more reason to pretend they hadn't heard and quicken their steps away.

However, after only a moment, one of the county commandants turned back and, with great respect, saluted in the hall: "Magistrate... The Grand Administrator has sent someone to summon you. The Magistrate is to proceed immediately to the Grand Commandant's residence — he says it is official business!"

Han Rui was momentarily puzzled. He knew that Liu Yu's condition had worsened, but after all, the gap in their stations was too great — it was not his turn to go to the Grand Commandant's residence for anything. Of course, the puzzlement was only momentary. Given that Han Rui had comported himself too conspicuously that day, and Liu Yu's time was short, it was understandable that the Grand Commandant, fearing Han Rui might use his authority as Chang'an Magistrate to stir up more trouble, would summon him specifically for a final warning.

However, it was only when Han Rui hurried to the Grand Commandant's residence and entered the courtyard that he realized how serious the situation was — outside the entire Grand Commandant's residence, armored soldiers stood in dense ranks, while inside, quite a number of high-ranking ministers and officials had already gathered, every face wearing an expression of grief. Some of the residence's subordinate clerks had even already begun wearing mourning.

Han Rui was dumbstruck. Before he could even offer a proper greeting, he came face to face with the Governor of Jingzhao, Han Xuan, and spoke privately: "Governor... by all reason, the Grand Commandant should still have seven or eight days to hold on, shouldn't he?"

Han Xuan immediately nodded, then shook his head, and hastily pulled Han Rui aside beneath a side corridor, lowering his voice to tell him: "It was coal poisoning!"

Han Rui's heart understood at once, and he quickly nodded — but then immediately shook his head repeatedly, his movements exactly mirroring Han Xuan's a moment before: "Governor! Coal poisoning is something that Yecheng specially issued pamphlets about. Now everyone under Heaven knows of it. Since coal came into widespread use, we in Chang'an have seen cases of it ourselves. There is no reason the Grand Commandant's residence would not know and not take precautions against such a thing, is there?"

"It was done deliberately," the Governor of Jingzhao, Han Xuan, said, his voice dropping even lower.

Han Rui was truly dumbstruck now: "Who would dare do such a thing?!"

"It was someone close to the Grand Commandant — that Lady Mei." Han Xuan answered somewhat weakly. "Multiple servants of the Grand Commandant's residence can corroborate it. She asked for the charcoal brazier, the finest charcoal, and closed the windows — she did not hide it from anyone."

Han Rui pondered briefly, then raised his head and sighed: "Lady Mei meant well."

"Who says otherwise?" Han Xuan stamped his foot. "The Grand Commandant was clearly not going to make it, suffering every day with that cough. Everyone knows it was well-intentioned... But this, after all, is a wife killing her husband — a concubine killing her husband, no less! And if it were an ordinary case, that would be one thing, but the death of the Grand Commandant, at this critical juncture — there is no greater matter! Think about it: as long as the Grand Commandant lived, even if everyone knew he was going to die, the ministers in the city still had a pillar to lean on, and they could fully hold out until Lord Yuanchang returned. But now that he is gone, if this cannot be clearly accounted for, the situation will immediately become unstable."

"This matter is indeed troublesome. The frustrating thing is that others can avoid it, but we cannot." Han Rui nodded repeatedly, then asked again, "Where is Lady Mei?"

"Naturally, she died with him in martyrdom." Han Xuan answered bluntly. "The bodies are both inside. Several ministers went in to see with their own eyes, and every one of them was overcome with grief."

Han Rui was stunned once more.

The man pondered for a long while, yet gained some insight in his heart, and so asked again: "May I ask, Prefect, who else knows the truth of this matter?"

"In truth, the subordinate officials in the Grand Commandant's residence, and the several high ministers who entered the room, could probably all vaguely guess, but none of them spoke up. They only sent us to investigate... Now I have asked and clarified everything, but I do not know how to go and tell those ministers!"

"If I may speak..." Han Rui suddenly drew closer to the other man and said, "The Grand Commandant died under the Son of Heaven's bow and arrow. This is proof that the Son of Heaven abandoned the ministers and ancestral temples of Chang'an, proof of the Son of Heaven's loss of virtue! How can we forcibly pin his death on a woman who died in martyrdom? We received the General of the Guard's command to hold Chang'an. After what happened before, we are already deeply ashamed. How can we let this matter generate further complications?"

Han Xuan felt his head splitting in two, but dared not fail to answer: "The Magistrate of Chang'an speaks with great reason! But with certain people, won't it be somewhat difficult to give an account?"

"Who?" Han Rui immediately asked.

"Others aside, there is only one: the Grand Master of Splendid Happiness, Lord Huang." Han Xuan pondered carefully, then answered with a solemn expression. "After the Grand Commandant and... and Yang Biao, the Minister over the Masses, Lord Zhao, happens to be a man from Shu with no backing. So it is clearly Lord Huang who leads the court ministers. Moreover, in terms of personal friendship with the Grand Commandant, Lord Huang was clearly the closest. Yesterday, when the Grand Commandant summoned the various officials to entrust them with his final affairs, it was all centered on Lord Huang. He even entrusted Lord Huang to look after Lady Mei."

"Then it is easily handled." Han Rui answered at once. "As the saying goes, law and principle do not surpass human sentiment. Since Lord Huang had such a close personal friendship with the Grand Commandant, how could he bear to see the Grand Commandant not at peace even after death? How could he possibly fail to understand Lady Mei's good intentions? And Lady Mei's voluntary martyrdom is already sufficient to stop people's mouths on moral grounds. So we pretend not to know, and simply say that the Grand Commandant's arrow wound flared up last night and he passed away during the night, and that Lady Mei, overcome with grief, burned charcoal to take her own life! In this way, for the Grand Commandant's posthumous reputation, for Lord Huang and the Grand Commandant's other personal friends, for our handling and resolution of this matter, for the General of the Guard... it is an excellent outcome in every respect. Prefect, you go and speak with Lord Huang; I will go and speak with the subordinate officials in the residence."

The Intendant of Jingzhao, Han Xuan, met the sharp gaze of the Magistrate of Chang'an, Han Rui, and after a moment of silence, nodded and departed. The white breath he exhaled was extraordinarily distinct in the bitter winter after the snow.

And indeed, after Han Xuan made a show of informing Huang Wan and the others of the so-called "truth of the matter," the several highest-ranking ministers, unable to conceal their grief, made no superfluous statements whatsoever, tacitly accepting this method of handling the affair from their hearts. And after Han Rui, in front of that group of subordinate officials, publicly voiced that account which so clearly distorted the facts, unexpectedly, not a single person raised any objection.

The Grand Commandant's death was a matter of immense gravity.

Immediately, the subordinate officials of the Jingzhao Prefecture and Chang'an County, braving the travel difficulties of the post-snow terrain, posted the cause of the Grand Commandant's death almost as a public notice, under the guise of obituary announcements, at every post station, official residence, charitable hostel, and wine shop... For a time, everyone knew: the Grand Commandant had been shot to death by order of the Son of Heaven.

Many people learned of the Grand Commandant's death first, and only then learned the fact that the Son of Heaven had abandoned Guanzhong and fled east—and moreover, not returning to the old capital, but leading a few ministers alone to Nanyang.

The news spread completely without hindrance, but the outcome and impact were utterly unexpected.

The common people at the bottom and the basic bureaucratic apparatus were not greatly affected at all—this was only natural. After several years of adjustment, within the Chang'an-Yecheng system, it was naturally Gongsun Xun's Yecheng side that truly controlled the civil administration, military administration, and grassroots bureaucratic system of the Nine Provinces. Only truly "major affairs" would make a trip to the Secretariat in Weiyang Palace.

And now, whether it was the Son of Heaven or the Grand Commandant, events of this nature, destined to carry the character of political upheaval, were at most mere topics of conversation for the common people and lower-level officials.

Yet on the other hand, from the perspective of the Han imperial court in Chang'an, the Son of Heaven had left, the Grand Commandant was dead, the Minister of Works had fled, and even the Deputy Director of the Secretariat, Wang Lang, was absent. The Han imperial court, which had operated stably in Chang'an for six years, and the Chang'an-Yecheng dual political system that everyone had widely accepted, were now fundamentally unsustainable. This was no different from the sky collapsing!

At this moment, the ordinary ministers and high officials within the Han court system became utterly terrified, yet they dared not, nor were they willing—or rather, it was simply impossible—to abandon everything and follow the Son of Heaven to Nanyang. For the uncertainty of casting aside everything was something the Han ministers, having already experienced one relocation of the capital, found utterly unacceptable. Besides, over these years, they had already put down roots in Chang'an and Guanzhong! Many of the rising talents in the Han court were even drawn from the sons of the Three Adjuncts.

How could such people possibly abandon Chang'an?

Thus, under such circumstances, the death of Grand Commandant Liu Yu became their greatest moral support—it was the Son of Heaven who had betrayed Chang'an, betrayed the ancestral temples, betrayed the altars of state, betrayed the Three Adjuncts, betrayed the ministers, and betrayed the Grand Commandant!

And since the Son of Heaven had so lost his virtue, they could hardly be blamed.

After all, only by thinking this way, and speaking this way, could they continue to stand firm in Chang'an and live their lives in peace.

Of course, from a certain perspective, there was nothing wrong with this argument. For instance, those leading ministers, when they witnessed that arrow with their own eyes at the city gate that day, were certainly shocked, but had not yet reached the point of fury. Yet after they had seen with their own eyes the agony Liu Yu suffered before his death, and saw that Liu Yu's concubine had to use such a method to end his suffering—from Huang Wan and Zhao Qian on down, they were all essentially filled with a wordless indignation.

A veteran minister of Han, who perhaps in private virtue had a slight fondness for enjoyment, whose will perhaps was not so resolute—but since ancient times, one judges by deeds, not by heart. This man, in the name of a Han imperial clansman, had toiled to hold the greater situation of Han together for over six years, yet all he received in return was an arrow to the chest, and that kind of agony, which in the end forced his lady to end his suffering in that manner. Whose heart would not turn cold?

And so, the upper echelon of ministers who had received Liu Yu's final instructions maintained their silence in a state of genuine anger and lament, almost allowing the middle and lower ranks, and the Han officials of Three Adjuncts origin, to denounce the Son of Heaven for betraying the world with a boiling fervor.

And at the same time, almost as a matter of course, everyone began, with unprecedented anticipation, to hope that the General of the Guard, Gongsun Xun, would return to restore order.

Since the Son of Heaven had already abandoned Chang'an, someone was needed here in Chang'an to put it to use again. Otherwise, would the people of Chang'an not lose their reason for existence?

At this point, the situation finally became uncontrollable in an entirely predictable manner.

In other words, Liu Yu had ultimately failed to prevent the scenario he had feared. Or rather, he had long understood this point, and was merely doing what little he could before death.

And amidst this atmosphere, Gongsun Zan once again summoned a prisoner in the imperial prison under the jurisdiction of the Captain of the City Gates of Chang'an.

"The Grand Commandant is dead." Gongsun Bogui stood before the bars of the cell, sneering. "He already had a cough, yet he took an arrow to the chest, and so his death was a miserable sight."

"I heard the jailers mention this matter." In the cell opposite, a man of tall stature, sitting cross-legged on the straw in filthy brocade robes, was momentarily downcast at these words. "But the affairs between sovereign and subject—how could people like you ever understand? In his heart, Lord Liu surely bore no resentment!"

"True." Gongsun Zan nodded at once. "Liu Boan left final words before he died, explicitly stating that this matter should not be blamed on Yang Qi... But he could not suppress the indignation and outrage of the ministers and high officials of Chang'an. Do you know, sir? Some have already begun privately contacting one another, preparing to petition for my clansman to be elevated to the rank of king! And many of those involved are veteran officials of the Han court. Wang Zishi, let me ask you: when you and the Yang clan plotted the Son of Heaven's journey east, did you truly never consider that this was my clansman's stratagem?"

"It was merely you people deliberately guiding and leading things along." The man in the prison, Wang Yun, styled Zishi, paused slightly at these words, but immediately shook his head. "How could loyal ministers and filial sons like us confront cunning and treacherous minds like yours? And conversely, the Son of Heaven's journey east, while it certainly fulfilled Gongsun Xun's wishes, was also to some extent an escape from a cage. The righteous men of the Central Plains are there; there is hope for the greater situation of Han... One can only say that each side went along with the other's designs!"

"This is precisely your foolishness." Gongsun Zan clasped his hands behind his back and shook his head repeatedly. "And, I suppose, the fundamental reason my clansman's stratagem could succeed... Wang Zishi, have you ever held independent control over a region?"

Wang Yun glanced at the other man with slight disdain, showing no intention of answering.

"I have." Gongsun Bogui pointed to himself. "That taste of wielding power and bestowing favor at will—no loyal minister or filial son can resist it... How could you be so foolish as to think that the feudal lords of the Central Plains could be controlled by you?!"

"That is because you Gongsun brothers come from frontier origins, have not read the classics, and do not understand the great principles. You yourselves are shameless—why must you judge others by your own measure?"

"I am shameless?" Gongsun Zan shook his head all the more. "Things that Liu Boan, Huang Ziyan, and Zhao Yanxin all understood. And Yang Wenxian, for all his shortcomings, at least knew not to fall into the jaws of Cao and Liu, but to divide and rule in Nanyang. How is it that with you, it comes to such naivety? Back in the days of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, when we took the opportunity to purge the eunuchs, my clansman wrote to me, saying that you were naive. But I never imagined that after suffering such a great loss back then, the only thing you learned was to endure in silence—in all else, you still have made no progress!"

"At this point, have you come to find me merely to gloat?" Wang Yun, sitting upright in the prison, finally grew impatient.

"No." Gongsun Zan suddenly composed his expression. "Originally, Grand Commandant Liu left final words that you should be dealt with after my clansman returns... But I am soft-hearted. Taking advantage of the chaos outside, with no one paying attention to you, I have come ahead of time to send you on your way! You must understand, sir, that with my clansman's methods of manipulating people's hearts, who knows what he might still do with you? When that time comes, never mind what happens to you personally—if you further damage the prestige and virtue of Han, that would be hard to bear, would it not?"

"The feeling is mutual." Wang Yun answered proudly. "A man as foolish as you—when your younger clansman returns, will you not be the perfect scapegoat? It is laughable, really. With your reputation and status, it is one thing to be toyed with by your clansman in the grand scheme of things, but to also be toyed with by me, a commoner, in petty schemes—with just a bit of posturing and flattery, you grew utterly self-satisfied, thinking you had gained power, and so missed the greater picture... Truly laughable!"

Gongsun Zan's face finally darkened—he had been invited outside the city, and then this man now mocking him had groveled and flattered him with all his might, seeking restoration to office. He had actually believed it, and had even followed the man from an estate outside the city to the mountains in the west, not returning for days on end.

To put it plainly, fine food, fine wine, and beautiful women aside, the key was that Wang Yun, universally acknowledged as the former leader of the Han ministers, groveling before him like that—it was simply irresistible to a man who had so suddenly regained power.

And now, thinking back on it, these were shames he absolutely could not endure!

"More words are useless!" At this thought, Gongsun Bogui's face could not help but twist into a snarl.

"Indeed, more words are useless!" Wang Yun answered proudly, pointing to his own chest. "Here stands a loyal minister and filial son—come, frontier rebel, and strike!"

Gongsun Zan could bear it no longer. He kicked open the cell door and drew his blade, but just as he reached the other man, he paused, and instead sneered and sheathed his sword: "I nearly fell for your scheme. Why should I give you a quick death with a single stroke? The instruments of torture in this imperial prison are fully equipped—to have you sliced to death by inches, would that not be just right?"

"Indeed, would that not be just right!" Wang Yun still sat upright and proud, yet looked up at the man before him with a mocking expression. "When the time comes, you, frontier rebel, can smell for yourself whether a loyal minister's blood is sweet... When Wang Fu was executed back then, I tasted it with my own mouth—his blood was so foul and rank it could not be stomached. I only wonder just how foul your blood will be! A pity, a pity!"

Gongsun Zan's blood surged, and he could no longer restrain himself. He drew his blade and struck the other man down from the neck in a single blow.

Blood sprayed everywhere. Wang Zishi was naturally dead beyond saving, but Gongsun Zan, unable to dodge, was splattered across the face with blood. He then immediately realized that he had, after all, fallen for the other man's goading scheme.

However, at this point, the man could only spit out a mouthful of saliva and curse under his breath:

"Loyal he certainly was, but where in this world is there blood that is sweet?"

With these words, he strode off without looking back.

Leaving aside the boiling turmoil in Chang'an. At the same time, at Mount Tuhe, quite far to the southeast of Chang'an, the fleeing party of the Son of Heaven had finally been blocked by the accumulated snow. They were forced to temporarily halt in a mountain hollow to rest briefly, and sent the Master of Writing, Yang Mi, to Wuguan to contact Han Xian.

"Your Majesty, the snow is too deep. It is extremely difficult to start a fire, and we dare not start one... Other things aside, the dry provisions are at least sufficient. Only the matter of drinking water—there is only a little snow water, melted by the body heat of the livestock, that might be usable." Jing Ze, his shoulder still wrapped in hemp cloth, prostrated himself and offered up a clay pot with one hand. "This is snow water that has already been strained clean."

The Son of Heaven understood that this was a matter of necessity, so he slowly nodded, took the clay pot, and prepared to drink.

However, as the pot reached his lips, the young Son of Heaven suddenly caught sight of the bloodstains on the other man's shoulder, and then recalled how Liu Yu had collapsed into the snow that day, blood and snow mingling together. And because the words for "blood water" and "snow water" sounded the same, he found himself momentarily unable to drink. Instead, he sighed with a voice still tinged with youth: "I wonder if the Grand Commandant is well. I hope he does not blame me... And whether Wang Zishi managed to escape, to meet us again in Nanyang?"

At this very moment, the Son of Heaven and his entourage actually did not yet know that Liu Yu was already dead, nor that Wang Yun had likewise perished — and because of this matter, the few remaining loyal ministers of the Han house had been diminished by far more than just two.

—————I am the dividing line of loyal ministers—————

"The Son of Heaven is muddled and perverse: he killed the Imperial Tutor at the city gate, abandoned the hundred officials in Chang'an, left the ancestral temples in the wilderness, and cast aside the altars of state in a single morning. Thus the realm is without a sovereign, the nation lacks governance. It is said: a state cannot go a single day without a ruler. It is also said: the imperial house has lately withered, to the point of having no continuation. And further: 'Between heaven and earth, how can it belong to one man or one surname alone?' Now, the Guard General, Regional Commander of the Nine Provinces' Military and Civil Affairs, the Marquis of Ji — his benevolence and filial piety move heaven and earth, his awe-inspiring virtue extends across the four seas. Some say he should advance in rank to King, acting on behalf of the state to manage national affairs, so as to settle the hearts of the multitude." — "Letter to the Rear General Proposing the Guard General Be Established as King of Yan." She Jian

PS: Thanks to Jiangnan Nan丶, Xiaoxiao, Hanmen, Mowang Wanmeng, Lao Zhou, Qisui, Chanlong 2, A Yue, Zhongjiushi Meng Yichang A, Xiao Zicai Baozha, Ze Shu, 545 Re, Heibing Keji, Le Yanshan, Xianjinxing Jianshe, mldkq, Yuhou Chuqinlu Gao, Xiao Xiao Mengxin Yimei, Ziyu Lanshan, Zhibuxing, Qilou Fangke, Liting Shengge, Xian Jiangcai, Yekuang Xueji, Xiongxing Tianxia, volksong... and so on and so forth for the tips to the old lady!

The reason for "and so on and so forth" is that beyond that I could no longer see them... awkward... In any case, long live the Sacred Mother Empress Dowager, wan sui wan sui wan wan sui... that's it! For Lady Gongsun's birthday, I actually burst out extra updates!

A correction and supplementary note: this chapter was sent out wrong at the start, posted to the previous volume. But the editor moved it over, it wasn't re-sent, so friends with auto-subscribe should not have been double-charged.

Excellent, excellent.

(End of chapter)