Chapter 508: Bent on Going South, Winter Travel Grows Better (End)

Drawing and quartering was certainly permissible.

It had been one of the standard death penalties widely practiced since the Spring and Autumn period. Although historically many benevolent rulers and renowned Confucians had issued explicit decrees or proposals to abolish this punishment, in practice it was always quickly reinstated.

By the late Han era, this punishment had become the standard treatment for those who openly plotted rebellion.

For instance, the leaders and participants of the Yellow Turban Rebellion and the subsequent large-scale peasant uprisings, once captured alive, unless there was a prior political promise, were basically all escorted to Luoyang to be drawn and quartered. Even though Zhang Jiao died early, the later Governor of Jizhou, Huangfu Song, was specially ordered to exhume his coffin, dismember the corpse, sever the head, and send it to Luoyang.

And considering what Yuan Shu had done these past few days, especially the personal insults directed at the little Emperor, to be perfectly honest, drawing and quartering was simply drawing and quartering — there was nothing more to say.

But returning to the matter at hand, after the Son of Heaven finished speaking, Yuan Shu was still curled up on the ground awaiting death, yet Deng Zhi beside him almost immediately flashed out from the shadows and voiced his objection: "Your Majesty must not!"

"Why not?" The Son of Heaven gripped the sword he had finally drawn, confronting him with fury. "Is 'Dog-Footed Zhen' not worth drawing and quartering?"

"That is not my meaning," Deng Zhi hastened to remonstrate. "Though Yuan Shu deserves to be boiled alive, at this moment men's hearts are shaken, military morale is unstable, and they previously all took orders from the Yuan clan. If we forcibly draw and quarter him, I fear it will unsettle the troops... Better to add one more thrust of the sword, kill him, and cast his body into the wilderness."

The Son of Heaven started slightly, then shook his head in indignation: "Precisely because of that, we should openly uphold the law. You must understand, once Yuan Shu is dead, if the troops' loyalty does not belong to Zhen, to whom else could it belong? It is exactly by openly and righteously executing this man that we can seize this chance to win the troops' loyalty."

This time it was Deng Zhi's turn to be stunned.

Because, it seemed, that really was the logic. Given the current situation — Yuan Shu dead, Lu Bu's death also confirmed, and everyone trapped in a semi-isolated state — whom else could these troops pledge loyalty to if not the Son of Heaven?

Just as earlier, when Lu Bu fell into the dung pit, many of the accompanying "ministers" who had been employed from Nanyang and now wanted to surrender all began to murmur, saying that Gongsun Xun had betrayed the world's trust by arbitrarily killing those who surrendered, making them too afraid to surrender and forcing them to flee south to Jiangxia — it was simply too outrageous...

But when these words reached Yuan Shu, this Grand General who had lost his son-in-law merely sneered at them. In his own words: Gongsun Xun killed one surrendered general in a furtive manner and that's betraying the world's trust? Even if he truly did, who could replace him? If no one can replace him, then the legitimacy with which he wins the realm surpasses even that of Han Gaozu!

A pack of stray dogs — who is more pitiable than whom?!

That immediately silenced the group.

"Your Majesty." At that moment, Jing Ze, who had just saved the Son of Heaven, finally sheathed his sword and spoke, raising an objection from a different angle. "Yuan Gonglu's death is not to be regretted, and drawing and quartering is certainly feasible, but the army has no sufficient strong men, carts, or horses... The few good carts we have are either used by Your Majesty and the noble ladies of the rear palace, or ridden by the Grand Commandant and some gravely ill high ministers. Moreover, drawing and quartering requires too much time and preparation. We are currently hurrying on our way, and no one knows how long Cai Mao behind us can hold out. Entering Jiangxia as soon as possible and making contact with Liu Yuzhou and Liu Jingzhou is the real priority. Besides, in his current state, it's hard to say whether Yuan Gonglu will even live until daylight tomorrow."

The Son of Heaven gazed down at Yuan Shu on the ground, whose breath was already growing faint as gossamer, and fell silent for a moment, neither denying nor agreeing.

Clearly, he had been swayed by Jing Ze, and the objective conditions were also evident, but deep in his bones he was utterly unwilling to let the man on the ground off so easily.

And, to speak from the heart, this little Son of Heaven was not enraged at Yuan Shu to this degree merely because of a trifling "Dog-Footed Zhen."

The truth was, Liu Xie, who was not yet seventeen this year, perhaps due to his youth, lack of family life, and special status, was somewhat out of touch with reality in his conduct, but he was certainly no fool — in fact, he was truly intelligent... It was impossible that all the high ministers were blind.

And this universally acknowledged intelligent Son of Heaven had, before coming of age, experienced a period of peace in Chang'an. During that time, at a critical stage of his life, his channels for receiving education and information had not been deliberately cut off. And that period was precisely when Yuan Shao had been trapped and died at the mouth of the Yellow River, and the public opinion of the realm was gradually shifting.

At that time, more and more people began to scrutinize the social model in which the great clans and powerful families served the Son of Heaven, the ministers, and the nobility. Under such circumstances, even someone with an excellent reputation like Xun Shuang was criticized for observing mourning for Yuan Feng, let alone the Yuan clan, which stood at the very center of the target.

That's right!

Even though the little Son of Heaven hated the rebel Gongsun to the marrow of his bones, he had actually come to believe a few parts of that rebel Gongsun Yan's rhetoric — that the great clans and powerful families were sooner or later doomed, and that besides the fatuousness of the Son of Heaven, these two groups were also the chief culprits behind the Great Han's doom!

Moreover, from the little Son of Heaven's perspective, as someone who had personally experienced the entire core of the Dong Zhuo rebellion, he could see certain things even more clearly than those outside... On some matters it was hard to say, but looking back now, the Yuan clan's harboring of sinister intentions back then was all too painfully clear!

Therefore, in the little Emperor's heart, the Yuan clan, the Dong clan, and the Gongsun clan were really no different — they were all among the several architects of the Han house's collapse.

In fact, even when the Yang clan had accompanied him eastward through Wuguan, the little Son of Heaven and Yang Biao shared a certain tacit understanding, rather than the Son of Heaven viewing the Yang clan as some pillar of support to rely upon — he relied on the Yang clan only because there was no one else to rely on.

So now, at this point, if the man who had been the first to attack the Southern Palace and ignite that catastrophe, and who had also inflicted such great humiliation upon him just a month before, were to die so easily... how could the little Son of Heaven possibly be content?

And this scoundrel was also the direct culprit who had lost the Imperial Heirloom Seal back then!

"Better to cut him in two at the waist!" And after thinking of the Imperial Heirloom Seal, the little Son of Heaven looked around and suddenly hit upon an idea. "Simple and direct — it won't delay our journey and will also relieve the hatred in Zhen's heart... While this villain still breathes, immediately issue Zhen's decree, summon all the ministers and all officers above the rank of squad leader in the army to witness the execution! After the waist-severing, we will take the opportunity to distribute gold and pearls as rewards to the ministers and soldiers, and seize military authority into our hands!"

Deng Zhi and Jing Ze exchanged glances, knowing this was the final compromise the Son of Heaven could accept, and said no more. Only, with the dozen or so riders behind Yuan Shu having scattered after Jing Ze had just stabbed him, Jing Ze dared not be careless. He could only assign twenty armored soldiers to Deng Zhi to summon the people, while he himself remained with sword in hand, guarding the Son of Heaven and Yuan Shu.

However, in the pitch darkness, Deng Zhi was a young civil scholar with too little experience in such matters and could not distinguish priorities at all. He first instinctively summoned quite a few civil officials and the like, and then, only after Yang Biao — who seemed to have been prepared for today all along — took the initiative to remind him, did he go to summon some officers from the outer perimeter who had always been steady and proper. But that was all. By the time Yang Biao and his party had rushed over breathlessly from the front army, Yuan Gonglu on the ground, his intestines spilled everywhere, simply could not hold on any longer.

The Son of Heaven had no choice but to temporarily halt the gathering of civil and military officials. Right there at Broken Snake Hill by the Zha River, they raised torches, first placed two stones leaving a gap between them, then laid Yuan Shu upon them and held him down. Immediately after, he summoned two strongmen from the army, fetched a long blade, and prepared to sever Yuan Shu at the waist on the spot.

The matter proceeded very poorly... Whether it was insufficient strength, or the long blade they had brought was not sharp enough, or perhaps waist-severing itself was a technical skill, when the strongman struck down with all his might, he only managed to cut halfway through and had to lift the blade again and strike down with renewed force! The result was still unsuccessful, so they switched men to do the cutting. The two strongmen took turns hacking, and only after a full seven or eight chops was the waist-severing successful.

Even more bizarrely, Yuan Gonglu, who originally had likely had his internal organs pierced by Jing Ze's sword and had long been unable even to struggle or make a sound, was actually stimulated awake by the pain for a spell during the waist-severing process. He then gazed at the Son of Heaven, Yang Biao, and the rest of the crowd and laughed eerily.

Like a demon.

But regardless, Yuan Shu was not that famous great serpent after all. Once completely cleaved into two halves, he was dead beyond any doubt. And the Son of Heaven, seizing the moment, took out the treasures he had brought from Chang'an and bestowed them upon the military officers present, also preparing to promote nearly everyone.

Yet, as the campfires flickered unsteadily, the Son of Heaven, finally freed of all shackles, was stirred with indescribable excitement; Yang Biao was frail and sickly with age; Yuan Shu was split in two; Jing Ze sighed endlessly; and the assembled ministers each harbored their own thoughts... But just at that moment, flames suddenly rose from the rear army, and then soldiers from that direction began to clamor and stir up chaos!

The Son of Heaven was dumbfounded. Even Jing Ze, Yang Biao, Deng Zhi, and the others were momentarily at a loss.

The reason was simple: Yuan Shu was dead, his son was still young, and along with Yuan Shu's young daughter, had been kept in the front army by Yang Biao — as if with prophetic foresight — ever since Baishui Township, under the care of Lady Yang, who was Yuan Shu's own elder sister... This was also one of the reasons why the Son of Heaven, Jing Ze, Deng Zhi, and the others had just acted so recklessly... With Yuan Shu dead and his son under control, who at this moment could incite the soldiers?!

"This must be because the night is too dark and the incident just now was so sudden, so rumors have spread," Yang Biao concluded after a moment's thought. "The rear army soldiers are panicked, not knowing that His Majesty has not only pardoned them but has also specially issued rewards, so they are stirring each other up into chaos... This kind of mutiny without a leader cannot be called a true rebellion. Send someone to shout and explain, and by tomorrow morning, they will certainly be pacified!"

The Son of Heaven, seeing Yang Biao force himself to take charge of the situation, also breathed a slight sigh of relief and was about to give his assent.

But at that very moment, a young eunuch who had just returned to the side of Consort Dong came rushing over in panic, delivering a piece of news that left everyone utterly speechless:

"Your Majesty! The Consort sent me to report that she just learned the villain Yuan has been executed and wanted to seize the chance to have us capture the false Empress of the Yuan clan. But unexpectedly, that wretch was quick to catch wind of it... She actually fled from the rear tent, and along the way incited several hundred soldiers to follow her! Your Majesty! That wretch the Empress has rebelled!"

Everyone was stunned beside the campfire. Grand Commandant Yang Wenxian, who had just been rallying his spirits, immediately began coughing uncontrollably. Jing Ze, after a moment of silence, suddenly stepped forward and killed the eunuch with one stroke of his blade, then turned his head proudly before the dizzied Han ministers: "Your Majesty, this man spoke insolently and dared insult the Empress! This is outright treason!"

The Son of Heaven, suddenly awakening to the truth, immediately nodded, but then hastily gave the order: "That is precisely the meaning. Have the General of the Gentlemen of the Palace as Rapid as Tigers go at once on Zhen's behalf to see the Empress. Tell her that Zhen absolutely has no intention of implicating her! She is not only the daughter of the traitor Yuan, but also the Grand Commandant's niece; her position as mistress of the rear palace remains hers! Even her younger brother and sister are in the front army, properly settled by the Grand Commandant's wife, all safe and sound!"

Of course, he dared not implicate anyone further now... They were on a flight for survival! There were only two thousand soldiers in total! If Empress Yuan could hold four or five hundred troops, a standoff would form! And such a standoff would be absolutely fatal!

The Great Han dynasty could not withstand any more turmoil!

Jing Ze, who had personally stabbed Yuan Shu, hurried off. He was not, as it turned out, killed by Empress Yuan. On the contrary, the latter maintained a certain rationality and showed no fury whatsoever over Yuan Shu's death.

But Empress Yuan also resolutely refused the Son of Heaven's decree to return to the central army. The reason was simple: the Son of Heaven was not to be trusted!

From Empress Yuan's perspective, the Son of Heaven was of course not to be trusted!

Not only that, Empress Yuan also put forward an unthinkably harsh demand — except for Jing Ze and Deng Zhi, all the ministers and their families must come to the rear army to be quartered. She would absolutely not harm the ministers; she was merely using them to ensure her own safety. And she would continue to maintain the procession and follow the Son of Heaven south to Jiangxia. But if the Son of Heaven refused this request, she would incite the two company commanders beside her to attack the central army that very night!

Jing Ze was stupefied.

He was both helpless and baffled... Helpless, because under these circumstances, Empress Yuan truly had the leverage to be willful; and baffled, because he simply could not fathom her reason for doing this!

If, at first, it was only because she saw her own father killed at the central army, was then pressured by Consort Dong, and then happened to have two companies of troops who had received her rewards attach themselves to her out of panic — but now, this persistence was utterly meaningless, wasn't it?

She was a weak woman. Her former husband was dead, her own father was dead, her own younger brother and sister were in others' hands, her aunt and uncle stood on the opposing side, and most crucially, the person she now had to stand off against was precisely her new husband!

Why?

In fact, this was precisely why no one had factored this Empress Yuan into their calculations from the start — because her only reliance now was precisely her father's killer, that is, her new husband, the Son of Heaven Liu Xie.

But the matter had happened regardless.

Jing Ze probed Empress Yuan's attitude, and also tested the attitude of the several companies of troops around her. Finding that there was truly nothing he could do, he could only turn back and report to the Son of Heaven.

The Son of Heaven and the Grand Tutor were equally dumbstruck and baffled, yet utterly helpless!

Moreover, as they watched the rear army clamoring without cease, on the verge of actually turning blades upon one another, the Son of Heaven and the Grand Tutor found themselves with no means to respond. After all, they were men who had already fled disaster once and had seen firsthand how terrifying a host becomes once hearts are scattered — how much more so when it is an army? If fighting truly broke out, then regardless of victory or defeat, order would surely collapse!

When that time came, there would be no more Son of Heaven, no Empress, no honored ladies, no ministers — only rampaging mutinous troops, and the Son of Heaven, the ministers, and the honored ladies would all be as worthless as straw!

"Your servant…" Yang Biao gasped for breath, pondered a long while, but could only raise his head and sigh. "Your servant presumes to take his leave, and will lead the ministers to go and placate the Empress!"

This was tantamount to consent, yet the Son of Heaven, who had just slain Yuan Shu, was powerless to refute or prevent it.

The assembly was helpless, able only to watch as the august Emperor and Empress split apart on the road of flight, and the last shred of dignity and popular sentiment of the House of Han was severed in two, just like Yuan Shu.

The ministers happened to be gathered together, which saved the trouble of summoning them again, but just as they were about to set out, Yang Biao once more grasped Jing Ze's hand.

How to put it? Before Grand Commandant Yang even spoke, Jing Ze's scalp was already tingling.

"To be frank with the General of the Household of Rapid Tigers, I have long suspected you, sir, of being a spy for the Gongsun clan." Beside the campfire, next to the corpse of his brother-in-law Yuan Shu, and beside the dazed Son of Heaven, Yang Biao clasped Jing Ze's hand and sighed. "But with the overall situation come to this, and this old body gradually failing — what they call having the will but not the strength — I have had no choice but to lean increasingly upon you, sir. And now that matters have reached this point, that you, sir, could slay Yuan Shu and protect the Son of Heaven truly exceeds all this old man's expectations… With such conduct, even if you, sir, truly are a spy of the Gongsun clan, there would be no harm in entrusting the Son of Heaven to you."

The Son of Heaven, beaten senseless by his own Empress, came back to himself and was for a moment speechless.

And Jing Ze was even more at a loss for words… It must be understood that he had previously been truly helpless, because the mission he had received at Caiyang had never been to assassinate the Son of Heaven, and without Gongsun Xun's express consent, how could he possibly do such a treasonous and heinous thing without cause? In truth, the new mission he had received this time was merely to kill Yuan Shu!

In that situation at that moment, one could only say that that sword stroke was the optimal solution born of having no other choice.

"My body, perhaps, can no longer hold out until Jiangxia, and even if I can arrive, I will have no strength left to handle affairs." Yang Biao sighed faintly, then turned his head once more to look at the Son of Heaven. "Your Majesty, should you truly encounter a moment of life and death in the future, this man is one you can rely upon!"

The Son of Heaven nodded repeatedly, but paid it no real mind — not out of disagreement, but because he felt Yang Biao was stating the obvious!

The Great Han dynasty had come to such a pass that even the Empress had revolted! The ministers were about to be coerced by the Empress into becoming hostages. At his side he had only Deng Zhi and Jing Ze, and Deng Zhi was a typical scholar — if not relying on Jing Ze, who had been constantly at his side, for truly great matters, then whom else could he count on?!

And Yang Biao, still clasping Jing Ze's hand, then inquired with earnest sincerity: "This old man recalls that you, sir, have never taken a wife, having only two concubines and one son, all of whom remain in Guanxi?"

Jing Ze's heart tightened, but he could only nod.

"That being so, before this old man departs, I have a stratagem that might perhaps slightly ease the Empress's heart, so as to prepare for resolving this predicament in the future. I beg Your Majesty's permission, and also ask General Jing to endure a slight grievance." Yang Biao had finally drawn the Son of Heaven's attention.

"Grand Commandant, speak freely." Jing Ze grew ever more wary and helpless, but the Son of Heaven had already spoken.

"The Empress still has a younger sister, barely of marriageable age, who is also this old man's niece. She may be betrothed to the General of the Household of Rapid Tigers as his wife." The first half of Yang Biao's words were addressed to the Son of Heaven; the latter half turned toward Jing Ze. "When this old man and my old wife reach the Empress's side, we will make this same proposal… What does you, sir, think?"

Jing Ze's mouth went dry, but the Son of Heaven suddenly understood and immediately nodded.

Seeing the Son of Heaven's assent and Jing Ze's tacit acceptance, Yang Wenxian said no more. He took the initiative, and with Yang Liang supporting him, led the assembled ministers northward. By the third watch of the night, sure enough, Empress Yuan formally sent someone over to reiterate and propose new, complete terms:

First, the ministers belonged to the rear army, under the Empress's command;

Second, the Empress's younger sister would be given to Jing Ze as his wife;

Third, the Empress's younger brother would travel with the Son of Heaven and Jing Ze;

Fourth, the Son of Heaven would take custody of Yuan Shu's corpse — not demanding burial in the earth for peace, but only that it be burned and committed to the river.

The Son of Heaven had long anticipated this and could only agree.

Thus, the Grand General was executed, yet the Empress revolted — and after revolting, she sought neither vengeance for her father nor her younger siblings, but merely held the ministers hostage and followed behind. It truly left everyone baffled, unable to fathom what outcome the Empress could possibly achieve by this act — yet utterly helpless!

And after another half month and more, in late eleventh month, when the Son of Heaven's party had split in two, separated by a distance of seventeen or eighteen li, and crossed Mount Lulin and Yunmeng Marsh, arriving at the banks of the Long River — on that day, Empress Yuan behind them suddenly sent a minister over to inform the Son of Heaven of two momentous matters:

First, the Grand Commandant — that is, the Empress's uncle by marriage, Yang Biao Yang Wenxian — upon seeing the Long River, his body had utterly collapsed, and he had already died on the riverbank;

Second, on the day she was wed at Baishui Village, she had dreamed of the setting sun entering her bosom, and upon waking had felt unwell ever since, suspecting at the time that she might be carrying the dragon seed. And now, after more than a month, as her body grew increasingly indisposed, it was likely truly confirmed that she was with child!

Hearing these two tidings, the Son of Heaven knew not whether to grieve or to rejoice. But in any case, amid his utter helplessness, a sudden understanding finally dawned in his heart.

So that was it! But what could be done about it?

————I am the pregnant dividing line————

"…Reaching the Hill of the Severed Serpent, the Emperor suddenly rose up, seized Yuan Shu, and cut him in two at the waist by the Zha River. The army was momentarily shaken. Yet Empress Yuan was ever lenient and gentle, and had long won the hearts of men. Seeing her father dead, she fled in panic to the rear army. The rear army were all former troops of Lü Bu, and because Yuan Shu had died suddenly, many followed her… Emperor and Empress turned against one another, each holding troops in confrontation. Grand Commandant Yang Biao intervened to resolve the conflict, and it was agreed that the ministers would follow the Empress back to the rear army, while the Son of Heaven remained in the vanguard leading the front army, and only thus could they proceed. Just before departing, Biao first entrusted the greater cause to the General of the Household of Rapid Tigers, Jing Ze, then sighed deeply and said: 'The split between Emperor and Empress is truly forced by the exigencies of the moment; neither harbors thoughts of malice. Yet with the Son of Heaven marching ahead alone and the Empress holding the ministers hostage, the House of Han is already divided in two. A severed serpent may be rejoined — but can the House of Han rise again?' Reaching Jiangxia, he then died, and was posthumously honored with the name Zhong." — New Book of Yan, Volume 62, Biography 12

"The Yang clan served with loyalty and integrity through the generations, providing ministers and counselors age after age, a great house of high officials upon whom the court relied. In misfortune, wandering and displaced, traversing peril and hardship, guarding against danger and toiling with diligence — it may be called shared devotion! When the House of Han had already declined, the great cause already lost, the Yan power already risen, and the Mandate of Heaven already formed — yet Biao left his son in Yan and himself died upon the riverbank. May it not be said that with one life he repaid the grace of the House of Han? Was this not fitting?" — Miscellaneous Notes of the Scholarly Grove, recorded by an anonymous Yan writer

PS: Supplement to yesterday's main text. In truth, this chapter is more suited to In Search of the Supernatural… Yuan Gonglu was originally a fierce ghost upon the road, exactly fitting a serpent demon.

(End of chapter)